ESPN Daily

The NCAA Tournament is set! It’s been anything but a normal college basketball season, and March Madness will continue the trend. Gonzaga could become the first team since 1976 to go undefeated and win a national championship, with Baylor, Illinois and Michigan also at the top. Georgetown, led by legendary Hoya Patrick Ewing, is back in the Big Dance. Duke is not in the tournament for the first time in decades. Jay Bilas breaks down the field, region by region, and the path to win it all. Then, insight from the WNBA’s Natasha Cloud as heard on LaChina Robinson’s “I’m Speaking” podcast series, one year since Breonna Taylor’s death. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Dallas Cowboys have finally signed Dak Prescott to a four-year, $160 million deal, just five months after his season ending injury. For years, the Cowboys' front office had refused to give in to Dak’s contract demands...until now. ESPN's NFL analyst Mina Kimes breaks down one of the biggest deals in quarterback history and looks at how a shrinking salary cap is impacting NFL rosters. Then, Tottenham superfan (and mom to Mina Kimes) Sun Min Kimes shares her English Premier League takes ahead of this weekend’s match vs. Arsenal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One year ago today, on March 11, 2020, the NBA...and the entire world...suddenly stopped. That night, there was one athlete who found his way to the spotlight, and inadvertently became the face of the COVID pandemic as we knew it then: Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert. Lisa Salters joins the show to share Gobert’s personal perspective on that night, and Gobert opens up about what it was like to be branded as Patient Zero of American sports. Then, a reflection on what it was like to cover the day in sports on March 11, 2020. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In basketball there is no greater symbol of the 3-point shot than Golden State’s Steph Curry, who’s spawned a thousand imitators with his prowess. But for every 3-point attempted, is a more dynamic dunk lost? That’s what’s got the NBA on notice. Because, as with any trend, the 3-point obsession may be going too far. ESPN’s Kevin Arnovitz explores a new sentiment around the NBA: that the 3-point shot is draining the game of the exact excitement it was meant to deliver. Then Pablo shares the story of a hockey mom who came to the rescue of a man who helped her kids on the ice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s March, and the 2021 Madness is almost here. Excited beyond belief after a cancelled 2020 tournament, ESPN’s Myron Medcalf is your guide. What’s happened with the bluebloods, as Duke, Kentucky, and Michigan State fight to make it to the Big Dance? Which standout stars might lead their teams to glory? Will 24-0 Gonzaga hold onto its dominance? How have the starts and stops of this pandemic season helped or hurt contenders? Then, Pablo breaks down Dak Prescott’s new deal with the Dallas Cowboys. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fifty years ago today, Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier met in their first iconic boxing match, known as “The Fight of the Century.” It was 1971, with the civil rights movement in full swing and the nation divided over the war in Vietnam. Jeremy Schaap, boxing historian and host of E60 and Outside the Lines, shares how political and cultural views were projected onto Ali and Frazier, with their different personalities, history and fighting styles. The night itself was a grand celebrity spectacle (Frank Sinatra took a gig as a photographer, just to get in the building). And while Frazier won unanimously, the fight has a more complex and nuanced legacy. Half a century later, it remains one of sports’ biggest moments. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fernando Tatis Jr.’s massive 14-year, 340 million dollar deal with the Padres shattered MLB records. But it’s actually not the most important signing of the Padres this offseason. That belongs to Matt LaChappa, who signed with the team again in February, just as he has every year for more than a quarter-century. It’s a baseball story unlike any other: LaChappa is the longest tenured player in Padres history, despite never playing in a major league game. In 1996, LaChappa was a pitcher with San Diego’s minor league affiliate, when he suffered a heart attack while warming up in the bullpen. LaChappa survived, was left permanently disabled and in need of round-the-clock and costly medical care. Ever since, every offseason, the Padres have honored their commitment to Matt and his family by signing him a basic minor league contract, allowing Matt to remain on the team’s health insurance. In a sport where money and loyalty between players and clubs are constantly put to the test, Chris Connelly joins the show to tell a very different kind of baseball story Then, Pablo shares his excitement (or lack thereof) for this weekend’s NBA All-Star festivities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

At just 25 years old, Claressa Shields might already be the best women’s boxer of all time. The Flint, Michigan native is a two-time Olympic Gold Medalist. She’s undefeated in her professional career. And she’s already won titles in three different weight divisions. But this Friday, she is attempting something that could fundamentally change the entire sport. Shields is headlining the first ever all-female pay-per-view boxing card...and doing it without the backing of a major broadcast network. She’s hoping to prove that women’s boxing can draw viewers and put female fighters on a path to one day making the same money as their male counterparts. ESPN’s Michael Rothstein joins the show to tell us about Claressa Shields’ rise as a fighter and how the trail she is blazing might take her to a whole new sport entirely. Then, Pablo reflects on his beloved New York Knicks in their current, fleeting moment of triumph. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tonight James Harden enters his former basketball home, Houston’s Toyota Center, as a member of the Brooklyn Nets. It’s his first time facing the Rockets since his very messy trade in January. After a slow start, Harden and the Nets are thriving. He’s notched seven triple doubles in their recent eight-game winning streak. And that’s even with star Kevin Durant sitting out for injury. ESPN’s Malika Andrews explains how Harden has gone from being a bonus for the Nets, to a reliable asset and leader. Then, Pablo interviews new co-owner of the National Women’s Soccer League’s Chicago Red Stars, Sarah Spain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Meet Azzi Fudd, number one women’s high school basketball player in the nation. Fudd has won medals for USA basketball, was the first sophomore to win Gatorade National Player of the Year, and dominated Steph Curry’s camp as one of only two girls participating. Despite her unlimited potential, Fudd has endured setbacks, from major injury to the loss of friends and mentors, including Gigi and Kobe Bryant. Katie Barnes shares their ESPN Cover Story, “Azzi Fudd is Unbreakable,” about the young star’s journey and next steps. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices