Sports Illustrated Weekly

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NBA Draft: Chet Holmgren, Unicorn? Jun 23, 2022

Show notes

Part of the fun of the NBA Draft is wondering which players will excel as pros and which ones will wash out. And perhaps no one in this year’s draft embodies the boom or bust debate than Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren – a man with a unique skill set and specific body type that has everyone around the league talking. SI senior writer Greg Bishop joins us to discuss Holmgren’s prospects in the NBA and the conversation surrounding him.

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NBA Draft: Ewing-Knicks Frozen Envelope Conspiracy Jun 22, 2022

Show notes

When it comes to sports, there’s no shortage of conspiracy theories — but some stand out. With the NBA Draft upon us, we raise an eyebrow at one of the biggest conspiracy theories in sports history: whether the first ever draft lottery in 1985 was rigged with a frozen envelope to send Patrick Ewing to the New York Knicks.

To do so, we’re bringing in SI senior writers Chris Herring and Howard Beck, and Jason Concepcion of Crooked Media.

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Forde and Father at the Olympics Jun 17, 2022

Show notes

For Father's Day, we hear from one of our favorite dads: Pat Forde. Pat has covered nine Olympic Games, but last summer in Tokyo was entirely different. He wrote about the surreal experience of watching his daughter Brooke win a silver medal in swimming.

I’ve Covered Nine Olympics. Nothing Prepared Me for Seeing My Daughter Win a Medal

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Royce White: From the NBA to the Far Right Jun 15, 2022

Show notes

Royce White was best known for a brief and rocky stint in the NBA until 2020, when he re-emerged as a leader in protests against police brutality after George Floyd's murder. Now, he's running for Congress in his home state of Minnesota aligned with the far right wing of the Republican Party. Journalist David Gardner tells us how Royce White fell in with MAGA ideologues like Steve Bannon.

The Washington Post, How a former NBA player and activist became a far-right media darling

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A Celtics Turnaround and a Warriors Reboot: NBA Finals 2022 Jun 08, 2022

Show notes

The 2022 NBA Finals are a tale of two teams with two very different kinds of redemption stories. On one side are the Golden State Warriors, a perennial contender for most of the last decade, who missed the playoffs the past two seasons after losing Kevin Durant to the Nets and Klay Thompson to back-to-back injuries. On the other side are the Boston Celtics, a young team with unproven stars whose early season struggles should have made it nearly impossible to reach the championship.

SI Senior Writer Chris Mannix sits down with John Gonzalez to explain Boston's improbable turnaround.

Then, we revisit the very first segment from SI Weekly, for a fresh look at the Warriors' "reboot on the fly."

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How Phil Mickelson Joined the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Jun 07, 2022

Show notes

Over his 30-year pro career, Phil Mickelson has established himself as one of the greatest golfers ever to play the game. Recently, though, Mickelson has become steeped in controversy over his association with the Saudi-backed startup golf tour, LIV Golf. SI and Morning Read golf writer Bob Harig tells SI Weekly why Mickelson's latest swing may be his biggest yet.

Read: Exclusive: Phil Mickelson On LIV Golf and His PGA Tour Status, 'I Have Not Resigned My Membership'

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SEC Blood Feud, World Cup Preview, Summer of Alcaraz Jun 01, 2022

Show notes

Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher and Alabama’s Nick Saban are locked in a very messy, very public war of words. Pat Forde reports on this epic SEC spat and the NIL rules at issue.

article, Nick Saban, Jimbo Fisher and An All-Out SEC War

Final FIFA World Cup qualifiers will set the full field for the Finals in Qatar. The irrepressible Luis Miguel Echegaray, SI alum and host at CBS Sports, will make you fall in love with the beautiful game all over again with a World Cup preview.

podcast, Qué Golazo Podcast

Jon Wertheim tells the story of Carlos Alcaraz, the young Spanish tennis star challenging the "Big Three" of Nadal, Djokovic, and Federer, at the tender age of 19.

Read Wertheim on SI.com

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BONUS: The Pro Wrestler Turned Army Trainer May 30, 2022

Show notes

For Memorial Day, SI senior writer Jon Wertheim tells the long-hidden story of Man Mountain Dean, a prolific pro wrestler and film actor who trained a special unit of immigrant soldiers called 'The Ritchie Boys' to fight in World War II. Think of what it would be like if The Rock showed up at basic training up to be your drill sergeant. More than just teaching them how to fight, Man Mountain Dean made these new Americans feel a part of their new country.

60 Minutes: Ritchie Boys, a secret U.S. WWII unit bolstered by German-born Jews

Uncle Slam's Secret Army by Jon Wertheim

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Herschel Walker Runs, Mariners Year?, Pickleball Wars May 25, 2022

Show notes

- On Tuesday, Herschel Walker won the Georgia Republican primary for U.S. Senate. We explore how a man once celebrated for running the football ended up running for office. Our guests are SI veteran writer Curry Kirkpatrick and Greg Bluestein & Tia Mitchell of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution / Politically Georgia Podcast. | SI: More Than Georgia's On His Mind (1981) by Curry Kirkpatrick | Flipped: How Georgia Turned Purple and Broke the Monopoly on Republican Power

- The Seattle Mariners have gone 21 years without making the playoffs. How is that OK? Our producer Cooper McKim spoke with Seattle luminaries Mina Kimes, Greg Bishop, Kate Preusser, and his own uncle John to help process a generation of losing.

- A cross between There Will Be Blood and Best in Show, all set around the fastest growing sport in America — pickleball. Daily Cover, Barbarians in the Kitchen by John Walters.

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WNBA Airplane Scandal, NBA Profanity, Ukrainian-Mexican Hockey May 18, 2022

Show notes

When the owners of the New York Liberty chartered private flights last season, they broke WNBA rules and set off a heated debate. With a transformational WNBA season upon us, Howard Megdal reports on this continuing conversation about equity.

How Airplanes Became the WNBA’s Biggest Scandal

Cursing in professional sports is nothing new. But sometime in the last year, the NBA decided it had a big ******* problem and started fining the **** out of players. SI senior writer Howard Beck joins us to discuss the league’s war on an excess of expletives.

Does the NBA Have a $@&!*% Problem?

The Toronto Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews — a Mexican American — became the NHL’s top goal scorer this season. We have the story of his longtime coach, Ukrainian-born Boris Dorozhenko whose fascinating life led him through Mexico and Arizona.

Next Generation Hockey

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