ass Page 168 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Nikola Jokić is peeking back at other MVP candidates and smiling like Usain Bolt in Rio
With less than a month to go in the regular season, the NBA’s MVP race is taking up a lot of oxygen. There’s nothing unusual about that. What is strange is the divergence between the reality of the competition for MVP and the conversation around it....

LaMelo Ball could return by May, and Hornets could sting from playoff play-in position
We weren’t sure if LaMelo Ball would play again this season, but it looks like he will....

Sterling Brown keeps getting assaulted, and it’s not OK
In many circles, Sterling Brown — the basketball player, not the actor — may be more well known for what’s happened to him off the court than anything he’s accomplished in the NBA, which is beyond unfortunate....

Indiana believes Brad Stevens is worth $52 million more than Mike Woodson — that’s disrespectful
If Adrian Wojnarowski’s report is true — which is so often the case — then new Indiana head basketball coach Mike Woodson needs to fire his agent. Because he just got played....

Zion Williamson continues to make NBA players look like they use SpongeBob’s weight room
Zion Williamson is continuing to bully a league full of grown men....
![Here we go with this Superleague nonsense again [Updated]](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/uwxauevonr0kj9jlvt3u.jpg)
Here we go with this Superleague nonsense again [Updated]
It seems a little more serious this time around. Which means it’s a bigger threat this time around. But the news of the biggest European clubs forming their own sSuperleague” starting in 2022 is more likely to be used as blackmail to UEFA more than it is actual formation.The end goal is for the rich...

Who would you take right now, Jayson Tatum or Donovan Mitchell?
The past four seasons have made it clear who the best two players in the 2017 NBA Draft are....

Joey Votto almost pulled off the incredibly rare unassisted triple play
Carlos Rodón came oh-so-close to a perfect game on Wednesday night, settling instead for a no-hitter after he hit Cleveland catcher Roberto Perez with a pitch in the ninth inning, two outs away from what would have been the first perfecto in the majors since Félix Hernández’s in on August 15, 2012....

Red-hot Steph Curry scores 30 again but Warriors lose
Stephen Curry has been on one lately, and that continued on Saturday night in Boston, where he scored 47 points, made 11 three-pointers, grabbed seven rebounds… and Golden State still fell back to .500 with a 119-114 loss to the Celtics, who got 44 points from Jayson Tatum....

For now, Julius Randle and the damn New York Knicks are still here
Conventional thinking in the form of many NBA media members suggested that the New York Knicks would, to some degree, fall off by now, and rightfully so. They’ve had one of the league’s most challenging schedules since March’s All-Star break and that will remain as such through the end of the season...

Knicks look legit good; Donald off the hook; Plus ... position player pitching alert!
The first time I saw Nerlens Noel was in his college debut, a 72-69 Kentucky win over Maryland in Brooklyn on November 9, 2012. Noel had only four points in that game, but nine rebounds, three blocks, and two steals. And before he accumulated most of those stats, he made an impression on me....

Dwyane Wade is now a minority owner of … the Utah Jazz?!
Dwyane Wade, three-time NBA Champion, Miami Heat legend, TNT Analyst, and all-around solid dude, is now a minority owner of the Utah Jazz....

Why the hell is Grady Sizemore trending on Twitter in 2021, and what does it have to do with Bo Jackson?
People apparently enjoy painful memories, as the twitterverse is currently talking about a lot of “what could have beens.” Waking up this morning, not quite fully caffeinated, I saw that Grady Sizemore was trending, and immediately questioned the entirety of the space-time continuum. A tweet was pos...

LaMarcus Aldridge was <em>way</em> better than we’re going to remember
When LaMarcus Aldridge abruptly retired yesterday due to a cardiac issue, he leaves the NBA as one of the most under-appreciated stars of his era....

MLS is back, and I’m really going to try this time
MLS returns this weekend, and unlike most of the big soccer leagues in the world, it can do so in front of some fans. We won’t hear the sheer wall of noise we would usually get in Seattle, Portland, Atlanta, and Orlando, or in more and more places these days, just yet. But it will be a relief to hea...

Jeremy Lin deserves a roster spot, but the NBA is drunk on bare-minimum contracts
Much like Isaiah Thomas signing a 10-day contract on April 3 with the Pelicans, Jeremy Lin is just looking for one more chance in the NBA. Based on his G League production this past season, he’s earned it. As I said last week, the league has a problem with its veterans being cast aside in favor of y...

Citing an irregular heartbeat, LaMarcus Aldridge shocks NBA by retiring
Recently added Brooklyn Nets big man LaMarcus Aldridge announced his retirement from NBA basketball this morning, putting his health first. ...

We should have had an Eastern conference battle last night with Nets-Sixers, but got ripped off instead
If ESPN were smart, it would demand a refund....

Jayson Tatum looks like his pre-COVID self again, but he’s not “cured” — he now has to use an inhaler
In case you’ve forgotten, Jayson Tatum is here to remind you that we’re still in a pandemic....

15-year-old Olivia Moultrie could change how soccer works here
You probably haven’t heard of Olivia Moultrie. You’re going to, either on the field, or off, or both. And her name has a chance of being associated with massive change of the structure of soccer in the U.S....