ESPN Daily

On December 1, the Houston Rockets opened up training camp without their star James Harden. After requesting a trade, the face of the Rockets franchise has been spotted partying in Atlanta and Vegas. After an off-season full of upheaval, the Rockets are searching for a new identity: with a new front office, head coach, and supporting cast of characters. Tim MacMahon joins the show to tell us about the current, turbulent state of the franchise, including why Harden wants out, and how this season might play out for Houston. Then, Pablo reflects on the anniversary of John Lennon’s death, which was announced during Monday Night Football.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the NFL playoff picture gets in focus, Sunday’s Week 13 games brought redemption for some. Cleveland QB Baker Mayfield threw five touchdown passes in the Browns’ rout over the Titans. The Jets found a bizarre new way to remain winless, losing in the final seconds to Derek Carr and the Raiders. And in a day seemingly full of NFL weirdness, Jalen Hurts took over at QB for the Eagles, and the Seahawks lost to the Giants. Bill Barnwell details the “why” and “how” of Sunday’s action, with implications for this year’s playoffs. Then “Laughter Permitted” podcast host and former USWNT soccer player Julie Foudy explains the recent legal settlement between US Soccer and the women’s team. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Frank Gore might be the most underrated legend in the NFL. He sits number 3 on the all-time rushing list behind only Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton. He’s been to a Super Bowl and made 5 Pro Bowls. But now, in his 16th NFL season, Gore finds himself on a team that might not win a single game. Tim Keown joins the show to examine why Gore has remained so under appreciated despite putting up Hall of Fame level numbers, how he manages to keep pushing forward despite playing on the NFL’s worst team, and whether he can continue playing into 2021 and beyond. Then, Ryan McGee joins the show to talk about tomorrow’s surprising matchup between BYU and Coastal Carolina, and educate us on the ways and customs of Myrtle Beach, SC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

At just 14 years old, Tiger Woods once called himself the “Michael Jordan” of golf. His rise to sports superstardom in the late 1990s sparked “Tigermania” across America, which only grew after his Masters win in 1997. “Tiger Woods: America’s Son” is a special from The Undefeated airing on ESPN and coming to ESPN+ next week. It’s the story of Woods’ ascendence, through the prism of race and history. The documentary’s director, ESPN’s Lauren Stowell, shares how she made the film, and why she wanted to tell this side of Tiger’s story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The world lost one of the biggest names in sports when Diego Maradona died on November 25th, at age 60. Early in his career, Maradona was a young soccer star for a struggling Argentina. As his country reinvented itself, he went on to become an infamous global icon. Known for his creativity and dominant goal scoring, Maradona brought Argentinians a World Cup victory when they needed it most, all while becoming entangled in scandal after scandal. ESPN senior writer Wright Thompson shares his reporting on the soccer legend, and what his death means to his home country of Argentina. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It hasn’t even been two months since the LA Lakers were crowned NBA champions, and the league is already gearing up for a new season. Today, as teams open up training camps amidst a surging pandemic, Rachel Nichols joins the show to discuss if basketball can safely happen outside of a bubble, and how free agency has shifted power in the league after the shortest offseason in NBA history. Then, Mina Kimes tells us what it was like to be a lifeline on David Chang’s history-making episode of “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sunday’s slate of NFL games ranged from the completely normal to increasingly bizarre. Aaron Rodgers aimed to send the Bears back to hibernation, with a dominant Packers victory. The 49ers started to get their groove back, beating the LA Rams on a last-second field goal. COVID chaos was in the mix, too, with the Broncos starting a wide receiver at QB due to a team coronavirus outbreak, and the Ravens-Steelers game moved yet again. Bill Barnwell breaks down everything we saw on Sunday, and what to expect as the league grapples with its biggest bout of COVID chaos yet. Then, Pablo examines a different kind of chaos in Saturday’s boxing bouts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When the Philadelphia 76ers announced they were hiring Daryl Morey to be their president of basketball operations, it turned heads across the NBA. Not just because of Morey's track record with the Houston Rockets, but because of his close relationship with former 76ers GM Sam Hinkie. Hinkie's tenure with the 76ers was polarizing. With some accusing him of tanking and turning the team into a laughingstock, and others admiring his long-term vision for the team's success...a vision that has come to be embodied by the now ubiquitous phrase "Trust the Process." Hinkie, who was ousted from the franchise in 2016, now works not in basketball but in business, and has founded a venture capital firm called Eighty-Seven Capital. In a re-spin of an ESPN Daily bonus episode, Hinkie joins Pablo Torre for a rare, wide-ranging interview that covers his time with the Sixers, his exit from basketball, and his perspective on life away from the game. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For generations, countless men and women from around the sports world have served in our nation’s military. But none have a story quite like Rocky Bleier. Bleier won a college football national championship with Notre Dame, but during his rookie season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he was drafted into the U.S. Army. Three months into his deployment to Vietnam, Bleier was shot through the thigh and suffered a grenade blast to his foot. Doctors told him he’d never play football again. But Bleier would go on to rejoin the Steelers and win four Super Bowls with the team in the 1970s. In 2018, Bleier and ESPN’s Tom Rinaldi traveled to Vietnam, to the Hiep Duc Valley, where Bleier served, and where many of his fellow soldiers were killed in an ambush. We re-spin this show as the Steelers continue their undefeated 2020 season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jeremy Lin rocketed to basketball stardom with the Knicks, and “Linsanity” ensued. But in 2019 when his Toronto Raptors won it all, free agent Lin couldn’t land a contract in the league. He spent the last season in China with the Beijing Ducks, where he says he gained fresh perspective on the game, from technical skill to his mentality. Lin now hopes to return to the NBA, and he’s entered free agency for the 2020-21 season. He joins the show to reflect on the ups and downs of his career, and why he feels more ready than ever for the NBA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices