ESPN Daily

The NBA Finals tip off tonight between the Miami Heat and LA Lakers. And while the series is loaded with intriguing storylines, perhaps none is bigger than the drama surrounding LeBron James facing off against his former team. LeBron won two rings in Miami, and with the help of superstars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, seemed destined for years more of dominance. But in 2014, LeBron decided to take his talents back to Cleveland, stunning many within the Heat organization: Heat team president Pat Riley was furious that a team he thought would be a decade-long dynasty went up in smoke. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst takes us inside the complicated relationship between LeBron and Riley...and what it means for one of the most unexpected NBA Championship matchups we’ve seen in years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ready or not, it’s time for playoff baseball! After one of the strangest (and shortest) MLB regular seasons in history, the postseason begins today...and it’s shaping up to be equally bizarre. 16 teams have advanced to the Wild Card round, which consists of a best-of-three game series played at the higher seeded team’s home ballpark. The format is primed for unpredictability, in a season that has been defined by it. Will the Dodgers and Yankees fulfill the predictions of so many, and cruise to a World Series battle of the titans? Or will some of the more unexpected participants, like the Miami Marlins and the Toronto (aka Buffalo) Blue Jays shock everyone? Jeff Passan joins the show to explore how we ended up with these wild playoffs, and what he expects to see going forward. Then, “Remember the Titans” at 20: how Trevor Rabin’s iconic score embedded itself in sports history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Through three NFL Sundays only a handful of teams remain undefeated. Russell Wilson led the 3-0 Seahawks to a thrilling win over Dak and the Cowboys. The 3-0 Bills blew a 28-3 lead, but Josh Allen’s 4th quarter heroics secured the victory for Buffalo. Meanwhile, the 3-0 Bears scored three touchdowns in the 4th, coming from behind to beat the Falcons. Bill Barnwell compares the league’s leaders, and previews tonight’s Chiefs-Ravens game. Plus, a few words show the power of LeBron James. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After months of debate and uncertainty, the SEC kicks off this weekend, three weeks later than originally planned. It promises to be a strange season in so many ways...there are no non-conference games, limited fans will be allowed in stadiums, and tailgating will be forbidden on campus. Meanwhile, coaches like LSU’s Ed Orgeron and Alabama’s Nick Saban focus on preparing their players for the new normal. And new coaches like Mississippi State’s Mike Leach and Ole Miss’s Lane Kiffen promise to bring even more intrigue to the conference. Spencer Hall from the SEC Network’s “Thinking Out Loud” brings us all the updates you need to know about the SEC, and everything else happening around college football. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In football-obsessed Oxford, Mississippi, Nacoma James was a beloved high school football coach and math teacher at Lafayette High School. In August, James died due to complications of coronavirus. In September, the school decided to play football this season. James’ widow Laticia supports the team, even as she struggles to find her way back to socializing in a town centered on the sport. ESPN’s Elizabeth Merrill shares the story of James’ life and untimely death at age 42, and weighs the community’s pain at his loss, alongside the risk of the pandemic and its deep love of football. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Stanley Cup playoffs have been a major success in the age of the pandemic, as the league’s bubble sites in Toronto and Edmonton returned little to no positive tests since their launch in early August. With Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Dallas Stars set to take place on Wednesday, ESPN’s Emily Kaplan joins the show as one of the few American sports reporters currently in Edmonton, to talk about the action on the ice and give us a glimpse at life inside the NHL bubble. Among her revelations: why fly fishing is a running joke amongst players, why avoiding eye contact is critical, and something called “the prison yard.” Plus, why Michael Jordan believes the timing is “perfect” for him to become a NASCAR owner. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Miami Heat lead the Boston Celtics 2-1 in the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals, thanks largely to a dominant postseason performance from Jimmy Butler. Through his ten seasons in the league, Butler’s ferocious competitiveness and polarizing personality have contributed to departures from his previous three teams. But now, in the Miami Heat, Butler seems to have found a home and team that is as passionate about the game as he is. With the Heat two wins away from a trip to the finals, and Butler as their unquestioned leader on the court, the 31-year old may finally rise to the next level of NBA stardom. Nick Friedell has covered Butler since he first came into the league, and takes us inside Butler’s psyche. Then, an ode to golfer Danny Lee’s 6-putt Saturday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The NFL was hampered by injuries to stars around the league on Sunday. Among them? Saquon Barkley going down for the Giants, Carolina RB Christian McCaffrey, and many, many 49ers, including Jimmy Garoppolo, Nick Bosa, and Raheem Mostert. Considering the impact of those injuries, many teams have now dropped to 0-2. Bill Barnwell discusses the severity of injuries around the league, and explains what’s at stake for football’s winless teams. Plus, a tribute to the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg: athletic inspiration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Denver Nuggets are the Cinderella story of this year’s NBA playoffs. After overcoming back-to-back 3-1 deficits in their series vs. the Jazz and the Clippers, and squashing any hopes for a potential “Battle of LA,” the Nuggets tip off tonight against LeBron James and the Lakers. Zach Lowe explores how Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets got here - and whether they have what it takes to get past the Lake Show. Then, how “Quarterback Whisperer” Bruce Arians is finding new ways to loudly motivate Tom Brady. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In September 1970 the USC Trojans, a racially integrated team, traveled to Birmingham, Alabama to take on the Crimson Tide, where only white players were allowed on the roster. And the game - a blowout by USC - put college football in the South on solid ground toward desegregation. Sam Borden spoke to several players who suited up that day for USC and Alabama, and shares their account of the legendary game with Pablo Torre. In this current moment of national dialogue on racial justice and police violence, and with college athletes speaking out more than ever before, these alums also consider how much progress has been made in the past 50 years, or not. Plus, how politics plays into the Big Ten college conference decision to hold a season, after all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices