The NBA’s offseason started off in an absolute frenzy, with Rudy Gobert being shipped from Utah to Minnesota and several other superstars such as Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Donovan Mitchell have been brought up in perpetual trade rumors. And then there’s the ongoing soap opera between the Lakers and Russell Westbrook. Since then however, the market has gone quiet…almost too quiet. So we asked our NBA fortune teller (and meme legend) Brian Windhorst to tell us what’s really going on in front offices around the league, if the reports of an alliance between LeBron and Westbrook are actually true, and whether Kevin Durant has had a hidden agenda all along. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When people hear the name Rodman, they quickly think of NBA Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman. But there’s another Rodman making headlines: 20-year-old Trinity has exploded onto the scene of women’s soccer, quickly becoming one of the faces of the NWSL. She’s also nominated for Best Breakthrough Athlete at tonight’s ESPY Awards. ESPN reporter Charlotte Gibson tells the story of how Trinity rose out of her humble beginnings to set records and take home titles, all while still in her teens. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NFL fans woke up on the morning of November 2, 2021 to the news that Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III had been involved in a fatal car crash that took the life of a 23-year-old woman named Tina Tintor. The news of Ruggs’ involvement rocked the NFL, and left many unanswered questions: questions not just from the family of Tina Tintor, but also how Ruggs, who lost his best friend in another fatal crash in Alabama years earlier, could allegedly be so reckless behind the wheel. Eight months later as Ruggs faces multiple felonies including driving under the influence resulting in death and reckless driving, ESPN’s Liz Merrill shares the details of this story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ask any fan what they’d want to change about Major League Baseball and you’d hear mostly the same answers: The games take too long. The pace of play is too slow. Too many strikeouts leading to less action on the field… Enter the Savannah Bananas, a team that is thrilling fans by turning baseball into part-circus, part-professional wrestling with a dash of Harlem Globetrotters mixed in. Since arriving in the Coastal Plain League in 2016, the Savannah Bananas have sold out every night with over 4,000 fans in attendance and have a waitlist for tickets in the thousands. The team has become known for their Dancing Players, Dad Bod Cheerleading Squad, Banana Nanas Senior Citizen Dance Team, and Breakdancing First Base Coach. In 2021, The Bananas even launched a new version of baseball, Banana Ball – a new spin on the sport with a two-hour time limit where there are no walks, no bunting, and fans can catch foul balls for outs. It’s all part of a philosophy that puts fan entertainment first, and isn’t afraid to break any of baseball’s sacred traditions - and Alden Gonzalez joins us to explain how the Bananas could be changing the sport for the better. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NBA veteran Aron Baynes arrived at the Tokyo Olympics as one of Team Australia's most trusted big men. But during a group stage game against Italy, Baynes mysteriously fell in the bathroom during a break. When he was discovered by team staff, he had lost the ability to walk and had to be carried out on a stretcher. No one knew what was wrong. Brian Windhorst tells the story of Baynes’ medical mystery and the ordeal that followed: from being isolated in a Japanese hospital, weeping in pain day after day, to learning how to walk again...and what his path back to the NBA looks like. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The college football universe is in flux. Entire schools, entire conferences and even entire rivalries have apparently entered their own version of the transfer portal. With the latest news that USC and UCLA, once the marquee universities of the Pac-12, are headed to the Big Ten, everyone else is panicking and wondering what’s next. So to help decipher all this chaos, Spencer Hall gives us a tour of the college football landscape and he shares his spiteful dream for what happens next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The story of Barry Bremen, a.k.a. “The Great Imposter” was already sufficiently ridiculous. Bremen was an average, suburban dad, husband, and insurance salesman who’d risen to national fame by sneaking into major sporting events. But in 2019, nearly a decade after Barry Bremen’s death, his family received a mysterious letter that changed everything. The Barry Bremen legacy was bigger and more profound than any of them had ever realized. Jeremy Schapp brings us Part 2 of a tale unlike any other: one of family, and identity, and how technology has changed so many lives…and revealed so many secrets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s a story so wild we couldn’t fit it into one podcast. If you’re of a certain age, you probably remember Barry Bremen. In the late 70’s, Barry was best known for dressing up as pro athletes and sneaking into televised sporting events…beginning with the 1979 NBA All-Star Game, where he shot layups on the court with stars like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Moses Malone. And while his “Great Imposter” persona brought him fame, an appearance on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, and more adventures, Barry was also a totally normal family man…and a beloved dad. Bremen died of cancer in 2011, but his story didn’t end there. The latest E60 special “The Great Imposter and Me” reveals the most unbelievable part of the Barry Bremen story, which came long after he’d hung up his phony uniforms and disguises. Jeremy Schaap brings us this story in two parts, for ESPN Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We might never have seen anyone quite like Chet Holmgren in the NBA. This year’s second overall pick in the NBA Draft is over 7 feet tall, but he’s only 190 pounds. With a 7’ 6” wingspan, Holmgren can dribble up the floor and take step-back threes like a guard. There is so much hype around Holmgren…but there are also just as many questions. Will he be the prodigy that showed up and dominated in his first Summer League appearance? Or will he be bullied and pushed around by stronger big men once the season starts? Only one thing is certain about Chet Holmgren: we want to see more. ESPN’s Tim Keown joins us to profile the biggest (literally) storyline out of this year’s rookie class. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WNBA star Brittney Griner has been held in Russia on drug charges since February. Since then, her family, teammates and fans have implored President Biden to do everything in his power to bring Griner home. But yesterday, Griner pleaded guilty in a Russian courtroom, raising questions about Griner’s case, and her status as “wrongfully detained.” TJ Quinn explains why Griner chose to plead guilty…and what the United States might have to give up to bring her home. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you were on social media at all last weekend, you’ve seen the clip of Brian Windhorst on “First Take” – palms in the air, looking to the heavens like he’s the subject of a Renaissance painting and questioning what exactly the Utah Jazz were planning following the trade of Royce O’Neale. Hours later, Jazz All Star Rudy Gobert was traded to Minnesota, and Windhorst instantly became Twitter’s NBA Nostradamus. Given his new fame, Windhorst took the time for us little people at ESPN Daily, and tells us about how he’s handled life in the limelight…oh, and also what’s going on with the Brooklyn Nets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The starting pitcher has long been baseball’s marquee attraction, the guy who fans come out to see…but the job description has begun to change in recent years. Complete games are almost nonexistent, and the average outing for a starter has shrunk to barely scratching five innings. The numbers say pitching fewer innings is smart strategically…but is it good for the game and for fans? Jeff Passan explains to us how the position that was once the workhorse, has been reduced to a show pony…and what, if anything, can be done to fix it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The pullup has humbled all of us – from our middle school gym classes to any attempt to get into shape. Doing one, for many, is considered a victory, but then there’s Anthony Robles. The NCAA wrestling champion, who was born with one leg, brings his unbreakable will to take on not just the pullup bar, but one of Guinness’s most-hallowed records. So today, Ryan Hockensmith brings us to Arizona and tells the story of one man’s final pursuit of athletic immortality. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the 4th of July, we revisit a special episode. It’s been 75 years since Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball, becoming the first Black player to take the field in Major League Baseball in 1947. Jackie was a specific player chosen at a specific time, when baseball was highly aligned with Black popular culture. But what happened between baseball and Black America in the decades after Jackie’s pivotal act? Why didn’t baseball become a majority Black sport, like basketball and football? Why didn’t MLB follow the culture into hip hop or grow its Black fan base? Jesse Washington uses his own lapsed baseball fandom to explore these questions with guests like Public Enemy’s Chuck D, Jackie’s son David Robinson, and current players and executives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s the dream of every sports fan: the star player on your favorite team goes down with an injury. The coach is desperate, and someone needs to step up. Somehow you, the average sports fan, get picked out of the stands to hit with the bases loaded, or step in at quarterback, or take the game winning shot. Obviously, that never happens in real life, or in sports, really…except for extremely rare occasions in hockey, thanks to the EBUG rule: which stands for Emergency Back-Up Goaltender. It’s a rule that requires NHL teams to have a random person standing by in the arena, ready to hit the ice should either team’s two goalies both get injured. Jeremy Schaap interviewed some EBUGs who have been called to action, and he brings us the stories of the lucky few who have lived every fan’s dream. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The New York Mets and their fans have been sports punchline fodder for decades. Case in point: Bobby Bonilla Day. Every July 1, this player who’s been retired for many years gets paid more than a million dollars. And it’s seen as the epitome of Mets dysfunction. But Mets fans are a resilient (if occasionally delusional?) bunch, and keep coming back for heartbreak. Author Devin Gordon refers to the team as the “Best Worst Team in Sports” in his book, “So Many Ways To Lose,” and he shares his research into the highs and lows of the Mets, their passionate fans and unique legacy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It is a universal truth that commissioners of pro sports leagues will face deafening boos when they appear in public. Rob Manfred, MLB’s commish, is no exception. A lawyer and seemingly mild-mannered bureaucrat, Manfred has become one of the most hated figures in American sports thanks to a number of public gaffes and unpopular responses to baseball’s various scandals. Today, Don Van Natta takes us inside the world of Rob Manfred (after sitting down with him nearly ten times this year!) and what Manfred thinks his job really is. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jonquel Jones has won almost every on-court WNBA accolade there is. Since being drafted sixth overall in 2016, Jones has been named the WNBA’s Most Improved Player, Sixth Woman of the Year, and MVP. Before that, she was Maryland’s Gatorade Player of the Year in high school, and a WBCA All-American. But despite being one of the most decorated players in basketball, many people outside of diehard WNBA fans may not have heard of Jones. Being Black and gay and describing herself as more masculine, Jones sits at an intersection that has traditionally struggled to attract brands and media, even though the WNBA is the most inclusive American professional sports league. ESPN’s Katie Barnes talks to us about Jones’ identity, and they tell us if this will finally be the season that Jones wins a title…and if she’ll finally get to be herself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Avalanche beat the Lightning to win the Stanley Cup last night, sending the trophy back to Colorado for the first time since 2001. It was an era when the Avalanche, and their archrivals the Detroit Red Wings, were engaged in a multi-year blood feud that became the center of the hockey universe. It was a rivalry perhaps best remembered for a game played 25 years ago, on March 26, 1997 in Detroit’s Joe Lewis Arena, and is now better remembered as “Fight Night at the Joe.” During the first period, Detroit’s Darren McCarty sought revenge on Colorado’s Claude Lemieux for a violent check in the previous year’s playoffs on the Red Wings’ Kris Draper. The hit caused severe injuries to Draper’s face, enraging the Red Wings, who were furious that Lemieux refused to even apologize to Draper. Now, a quarter-century later, those who were part of it are opening up about what made the rivalry so intense, as part of the latest E:60 special “Unvrivaled.” Detroit native Dave Fleming joins us to discuss the trajectory of the rivalry and why we may never see anything like it again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For all the strides Title IX helped women make in sports, it’s never been a more contentious time for who gets to compete as a woman. In Part 4 of the documentary “37 Words,” filmmaker Clare Marash met transgender kids whose right to participate in society as themselves is in question by dozens of state legislatures — on the field and in life. And in our final episode to mark 50 years since Title IX became law, host Allison Glock and Clare Marash look at the future of civil rights around education and sports through families fighting for their kids to play. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the fifty years since Title IX became law, countless women and allies have fought for gender equality in sports and civil rights protections. Filmmaker Dawn Porter shares more about her “37 Words” documentary with host Allison Glock. They dig into the ways Title IX shows up in the lives of legends like Dawn Staley and Abby Wambach, as well as unknown heroes like a Georgia mom who took her daughter’s harassment case to the Supreme Court. Plus, what the new Angel City Football Club in L.A. seeks to do for women’s sports as a business. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Yale’s campus in the 1970s was a complex place for women. The school had only recently admitted female students, and even attending class could feel like a battle. To then take up space in sports as well? It was all very new. ESPN’s Allison Glock and “37 Words” filmmaker Nicole Newnham share how some bold Yale women found a valuable tool to seek equity: Title IX legislation. The Yale women’s crew team invoked the law when they stripped naked in front of the school’s athletic director, a protest against inadequate resources. And around the same time there was Alexander v. Yale, a groundbreaking case that established sexual harassment as gender discrimination, and required procedures to address it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When Title IX became law 50 years ago, just 37 words of legislation established gender equity in education and athletics. ESPN Films’ new documentary series “37 Words” explores how that fight was won, and the impact it had across sports and society. In the first of four episodes with ESPN’s head of W Studios Allison Glock, documentary director Dawn Porter breaks down how sports converged with the women’s equality movement in the 60s and 70s. We focus on two icons: Gloria Steinem, the feminist author and activist, and former World No. 1 tennis champ and women’s advocate Billie Jean King. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the Golden State Warriors swim in champagne after their NBA Finals win, the rest of the league turns its attention to the NBA Draft. The top three picks are clear, but it’s anyone’s guess on what order. Will the Orlando Magic take Jabari Smith, a dynamic shooter who just looks like the perfect fit for the modern NBA? Or will they take Chet Holmgren, the 7-footer out of Gonzaga with the skinny frame? What about Paolo Banchero, perhaps the most NBA-ready player in this draft class? Jonathan Givony has been an NBA Draft expert for 19 years. He tells us how he thinks the Draft is going to play out…and what the teams picking these players should expect from them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Picture yourself going to a ballpark as a kid. You remember how big everything felt, how you were just in awe of being so close to the players. That’s how 11-year-old Elyjah Blankenberg felt when he went to a spring training game between the Yankees and the Orioles, and he worked up the courage to get several autographs…including one from his favorite player, DJ LeMahieu. But the euphoria was short lived, when Elyjah lost his binder full of autographs…and nobody could find it. Ryan Hockensmith tells us the story of Elyjah’s lost treasures…and how the power of the internet rallied to help a young boy reclaim the magic of the game. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Golden State Warriors are one win away from their fourth NBA title in the past eight years. And while Steph Curry has been the consensus favorite to win the Finals MVP, his rough shooting performance in game 5 has opened the door for another Warrior teammate: Andrew Wiggins. Not only has Wiggins managed to slow down Jayson Tatum on defense, but he was undoubtedly the best player on either team in game 5. Malika Andrews sat down with Wiggins, and she tells us how he has shed the “bust” label from his days in Minnesota and how he has resurrected his career in the Bay Area. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Stanley Cup Final begins tonight! The Tampa Bay Lightning are chasing history as they look to be the first team to three-peat as champions in 40 years…but standing in their way are the Colorado Avalanche, who just might be the NHL’s next IT team. It’s the Final matchup that many expected we’d get, so we call up our NHL expert Greg Wyshynski to tell us how these teams got here, and let us know what else we might see as they face off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The PGA Tour has long been the gold standard of professional golf, rooted in tradition and nostalgia. But that may all be changing with the arrival of LIV Golf, the flashy new league with an unlimited bankroll thanks to its funding by the government of Saudi Arabia. ESPN’s Kevin Van Valkenberg was in London this weekend to cover LIV’s inaugural tournament, and he joins us to describe what he saw, and where the league…and golf’s moral compass…might go from here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Over the course of two seasons in the NFL, a story has been brewing around Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. For a while, the beats of the story were pretty familiar––promising young quarterback comes into the league, has his ups and downs, and leaves so many wondering if he’ll ever be the star they dreamed he could be. But last season, that story took a turn unlike any we’ve ever seen. That’s because a subset of fans decided to take control of the narrative themselves and, via Twitter, launch “TuAnon,” a conspiracy theory fixated on an alleged plot inside the Dolphins and throughout sports media to undermine Tua at every turn. So ESPN’s Dolphins beat reporter Marcel Louis-Jacques set out to find the mystery superfan at the center of the entire thing. And what he got was not just an interview, but a journey down a rabbit hole that gets deeper each day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hall of Fame announcer Mike Breen is back with his infamous “Bang!” call for the NBA Finals. The first two games went sadly “Bang!”less (as Breen was out due to Covid), and frankly they didn’t feel the same. That’s because Breen has called more NBA Finals games than anyone. So ahead of the Warriors-Celtics Game 4 tonight, we got the origin story of his single-syllable exclamation, and how his Hall of Fame career took shape. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the midst of war, residents of Ukraine were able to rally around something that gave them hope: their national soccer team. Ukraine beat Scotland 3-1 to set up a chance at a World Cup bid, but ultimately fell short in heartbreaking fashion to Wales. Wright Thompson was there to witness it all, and he tells us what he saw in Kyiv, and what sports can mean to a country in the face of war.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Now it seems obvious that Jayson Tatum was destined for NBA stardom, the one to watch for the Celtics as they square off against Golden State in Game 3 of the NBA Finals tonight. But Tatum beat the odds on a few levels to get here, thanks in large part to the dedication and relentless confidence of his mom, Brandy Cole. ESPN’s Liz Merrill gives us insight on Tatum’s deepest relationship, and how he grew from the roots planted by his mother. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rickey Henderson is not only the MLB’s all-time stolen base king, not just the all-time leader in runs scored, he’s one of the best players the game has ever seen…or as baseball writer Bill James once said, “you could cut him in half and have two Hall of Famers.” But Henderson wasn’t always as revered as he is now, as his bold personality clashed with baseball purists at the time. Howard Bryant, author of the new book RICKEY: The Life and Legend of an American Original, looks back on Rickey’s 25-year career and tells us why baseball was never able to control him…no matter how hard it tried. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The US Women’s National Team has fought for equal pay in soccer for more than 20 years. And it seems to be here at last. A new labor agreement with US Soccer levels pay across gender, and could be a template for equity on the global stage. Guest host Sarah Spain joins two-time World Cup champion, two-time Olympic gold medalist (and Laughter Permitted podcast host) Julie Foudy to explain how the deal happened, how it works, and how it’ll benefit the men’s and women’s teams. Plus, Sarah and Julie talk owner-to-owner (Red Stars and Angel City FC, respectively) about the current National Women’s Soccer League season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The ceremonial first pitch is a tradition almost as old as baseball itself, with presidents, celebrities and non-MLB athletes taking to the mound to aim for home plate. But the only person who may truly care about any first pitch…is the one throwing it, with the gut-wrenching feeling that they might biff. Our very own Mina Kimes will be in that position soon, throwing a first pitch for her beloved Seattle Mariners. So we called up MLB Insider Jeff Passan and enlisted legendary pitching coach Tom House to help us understand just what Mina’s getting into. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The NBA Finals tip off tonight, and we caught up with Bob Voulgaris. The alleged former shadow GM of the Dallas Mavericks is of course also one of the most successful bettors in NBA history. He breaks down the matchup between the Boston Celtics, who are looking for their 18th championship in franchise history, and the Golden State Warriors, who return to the Finals for the sixth time in the past eight years. Voulgaris tells us what each team needs to do to get their hands on the Larry O’Brien Trophy…and lets us in on his favorite to win it all. Our first conversation with Bob, which includes fascinating behind the scenes details from his time working for Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks, is available HERE. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Steph Curry is vying for his fourth NBA title. But ever wonder what he was like in college? At tiny Davidson College in North Carolina, he was kinda just like everyone else: going to the library, eating late-night chicken parm, helping his friend pack CDs…all while his basketball star was rising. Andscape’s David Dennis Jr. has known the NBA 3-point record holder, three-time champion and expected 2022 Finals MVP since those days. He hops in the time machine with stories of Steph that reveal his personality and character, before he was an NBA legend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Despite decades of mediocrity, the New York Knicks inspire an almost religious devotion from their rabid fanbase. The Nets may play across town with three of the biggest stars in NBA history, but New York still bleeds blue and orange. That was never more evident than in the 1990s, when you could watch the Knicks fight on the court…figuratively and literally…at Madison Square Garden. Under the direction of head coach Pat Riley, and led by players like Patrick Ewing, Charles Oakley and John Starks, the Knicks pioneered a style of basketball that was physical, intimidating, and rarely beautiful. Chris Herring, author of Blood in the Garden: The Flagrant History of the 1990s New York Knicks, explains how a team known for its tough guy image paved the way for the modern NBA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bryce Weiler grew up listening to the likes of Brian Barnhart call Illinois basketball games, and as a young man who’d been blind since infancy, he fell in love with the pictures painted on the radio. During college in Indiana, Weiler forged a relationship with the basketball team, and then found his way to the broadcast booth himself. ESPN’s Sam Borden went to visit Weiler and learn more about his process as a live game analyst for college hoops (see more coverage from College GameDay here). He shares the story of a broadcaster motivated to prove that everyone deserves opportunity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Practice, practice, practice. The theory goes that with enough repetition, time, and hard work, anyone can become the master of their craft. 10,000 hours has long been heralded as the golden benchmark to achieving greatness in almost anything. But best-selling author and ESPN Daily mythbuster David Epstein puts the theory to the test again, and explains why the 10,000 hours myth has gained so much attention. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When Michael Jordan began to cry during his Basketball Hall of Fame induction speech, that moment would turn one of basketball’s greatest players to the meme seen ‘round the Internet. Now, 10 years after Crying Jordan first became a meme, it's still just as popular as ever, popping up anywhere and everywhere. ESPN’s Dave Fleming once again brings us the origin story of this legendary meme, and tells us why every corner of society just can’t get enough of it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With over 20 million people from 20 different countries across the most populated continent on the planet, you can make a pretty good case that the very concept of an “Asian-American” is incredibly oversimplified. There are some experiences however, that happen to unite Asian-Americans. For example, almost any Asian-American working in sports media can tell you about their shared experiences, from media personalities to NBA point guards…to the guy who ran the Minnesota Timberwolves until yesterday, Sachin Gupta. As part of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander Heritage Month, SportsCenter anchor Kevin Negandhi tells us the story of the first Indian-American to ever be President of Basketball Operations for an NBA team, why the smartest people in the NBA respect him so much, and what his still-unfolding journey says about all of us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When Jimmy Butler didn’t return to the second half of Game 3 vs. the Celtics, the Heat showed no signs of cooling down. Career performances from Kyle Lowry and Bam Adebayo and yes, even Max Strus, gave Miami the surge it needed to take the series lead, up 2-1. Ahead of Game 4 in Boston, Nick Friedell dissects the finest sample of Heat Culture we’ve seen so far…and he tells us what it means for the rest of the series. Then, a check in on the Western Conference Finals…where the Mavs are in danger of turning into dust…on the verge of being swept by the Warriors, now down 3-0. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Novak Djokovic is arguably the greatest men’s tennis player of all time. His 20 Grand Slam titles place him just one behind Rafael Nadal for the most ever. He’s been ranked #1 in the world for a record 370 consecutive weeks. And he’s the defending champion heading into the French Open, which begins this weekend. But despite his brilliance on the court, Djokovic has never been beloved by tennis fans in the same way his rivals Nadal and Roger Federer have been. This past January, Djokovic found himself the center of controversy ahead of the Australian Open, when he was deported by the Australian government because of his vaccine status. Sam Borden traveled to Djokovic’s native Serbia to learn how he is preparing for his return to Grand Slam tennis following the fiasco in Australia. Borden also explains how Djokovic’s upbringing in a country that was torn apart by war has shaped his identity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Florida Panthers are at home tonight for Game 2 of their 2nd round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning. And while the Panthers are down 1-0 in the series…Florida’s league-leading offense has reinvigorated their fans for the first time in a generation. They are so excited, in fact, that they have begun throwing rats onto the ice. It’s a hair-raising tradition that dates back to the ‘95-’96 season, when a Cinderella Panthers team made the Stanley Cup Final in just their third year of existence. Emily Kaplan is here to explain how the Panthers rat tradition started, if it may or may not have contributed to the team’s long misfortunes…and the ways in which this generation’s Panthers are trying to write a new ending to their own tale. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner has been detained in Russia since February. She’s been accused of carrying vape cartridges that contained cannabis oil in her luggage…charges that could carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Last week, news came out that Griner’s pretrial detention in Russia had been extended by another month, and the US State Department announced that it now regards Griner as wrongfully detained. ESPN’s T.J. Quinn explains what these developments mean for Griner’s case, and what the US government may be doing to help win her release. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and it’s a major topic in sports right now, as more elite athletes share personal struggles. Olympic skier Mikaela Shiffrin is one of the greatest of all time, hurtling down the slopes at breakneck speed. But in Beijing this year she stopped just seconds into a race where she was expected to take gold. Alyssa Roenigk talked to Shiffrin about this moment in Beijing, and how she’s taken a new approach to speaking her mind, public scrutiny and processing family grief. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The best two words in sports are Game Seven, and we got two…in the form of major beatdowns. Grant Williams and the Celtics shut down Giannis and the Bucks at home to punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals. In the West, Playoff Luka added to his growing legacy with a shower of 3s to lead the Mavericks past the Suns. Brian Windhorst helps us process what happened Sunday, and sets up the Conference Finals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices