Sports

‘Player Empowerment’ in the NBA is Unsustainable

Freddie deBoer / Truthdig Sep 29, 2023 As long as the player empowerment trend continues, small-market fans have no incentive to get invested in their teams. Dig deeper ( 8 Min. Read )

Rudy Gobert’s Health Scare Shuts Down NBA, for Now

TIM REYNOLDS / The Associated Press Mar 12, 2020 The Utah Jazz center becomes the first player in the league to test positive for COVID-19, upending season. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Los Angeles Honors Kobe, Gianna Bryant With Public Memorial

GREG BEACHAM / The Associated Press Feb 24, 2020 Mourners gather Monday at the Staples Center to say farewell to the basketball superstar and his 13-year-old daughter. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

Bryant’s Pilot May Have Gotten Lost in the Fog

STEFANIE DAZIO, DAVID KOENIG and BERNARD CONDON / The Associated Press Jan 27, 2020 Aviation experts question whether his helicopter should have been flying, given that police agencies had grounded their choppers due to fog. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Kobe Bryant, His Daughter and 7 Others Die in Helicopter Crash

STEFANIE DAZIO / The Associated Press Jan 26, 2020 The sudden death at age 41 of the Lakers legend sets off an outpouring of grief; inquiry is underway at the scene near Calabasas, Calif. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Nate Silver Is Making This Up as He Goes

Jacob Bacharach / Truthdig Oct 30, 2019 Once a principled data journalist, the FiveThirtyEight founder has revealed himself as just another hack spouting off on social media. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

The Hong Kong Standoff Is Dragging in Unexpected Players

Donald Kaufman / Truthdig Oct 10, 2019 Activision Blizzard’s ban of a top esports player after his public support of pro-democracy protesters brings calls for boycott. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

What Corruption in Sports Can Teach Us About Trump’s America

Robert Lipsyte / TomDispatch Jun 25, 2019 Our increasingly decaying civic society has leaked into the professional sports world. Now, an even more perverse reversal is taking place. Dig deeper ( 8 Min. Read )

John ‘Hondo’ Havlicek, Boston Hoops Great, Dies at 79

KYLE HIGHTOWER / The Associated Press Apr 26, 2019 He was among the best to ever play the game. A single play turned him into a sports immortal. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Black Americans Aren’t Buying Omarosa’s Turn Against Trump

Jesse J. Holland / The Associated Press Aug 15, 2018 One of her African-American critics, author Earl Ofari Hutchinson, argues the community will forever view her as a "racial sellout and an ego-driven hustler." Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Bills to Curtail LGBT Rights Failing in U.S. Legislatures

DAVID CRARY / The Associated Press Apr 17, 2018 In Republican-led states where these types of bills surface, moderate GOP lawmakers and business leaders fear the loss of conventions, sporting events and corporate headquarters. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

NBA Players Protest Stephon Clark’s Killing in Powerful PSA (Video)

Staff / Truthdig Apr 1, 2018 After police shot to death the unarmed 22-year-old, the Sacramento Kings and Boston Celtics release a public service announcement in which players call for unity and accountability in the face of police violence. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )