ESPN Daily

For years, European players were something of an afterthought in the NBA. They were (often unfairly) labeled as soft, not tough enough and frankly not good enough to hang with their American counterparts. But those days are long gone. Two European players, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic have combined to win the last four NBA MVP awards, and Slovenian Luka Doncic is maybe the NBA’s best player under 25. All of which makes EuroBasket 2022 arguably the most competitive basketball tournament in the world after the NBA Playoffs. EuroBasket, which is now played every four years, features the top national teams from across Europe, in an atmosphere that is akin to a mix of March Madness and Soccer’s World Cup. Former Vice President for Strategic Research with the San Antonio Spurs, Kirk Goldsberry was reporting on the ground from EuroBasket, and explains why understanding Europe is essential to understanding the modern NBA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It has been an all-time WNBA playoffs, full of historic performances and dramatic upsets…as well as one reluctant farewell. So, today, ahead of Game 2 of the Finals, with the Connecticut Sun trying to even the series in Vegas against the Aces, we bring you someone who knows this league better than anyone else. Someone who dominated it over 21 years, and 13 All-Star Games, and 4 titles, and more assists *and more wins than anyone else in the history of her sport: Sue Bird, who also tells us what it’s really like to say goodbye. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The NFL’s first Sunday of 2022 kicked off in chaotic fashion…and we mean literally. The Dallas Cowboys were embarrassed on their home field by Tom Brady and the Buccaneers, losing QB Dak Prescott to a hand injury in the process. Chargers QB Justin Herbert showed off his superpowers against the Raiders, while Aaron Rodgers and his new receivers worked through some chemistry issues. The Bengals and Steelers went to overtime and saw a missed extra point and two missed field goals…while Trey Lance’s first start for the 49ers was a wash in Chicago. Our Monday morning QB Alex Smith returns to make you smarter about the NFL’s opening Sunday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

New Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel doesn’t look or sound like other NFL head coaches. He’s young, self-deprecating, and his press conference sound bites are plastered all over social media. But just a year ago, few NFL fans knew who he was at all. So we called up our Dolphins beat reporter Marcel Louis-Jacques, to understand how McDaniel made the jump from boy-genius offensive coordinator with San Francisco…and whether his unconventional style can work now that he is the man in charge in Miami. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the second part of our two-part mega NFL preview, Bill Barnwell joins us to take a look at what’s going on in the NFC. As the Los Angeles Rams prepare to defend their Super Bowl title in year two of the Matthew Stafford era, the San Francisco 49ers are all-in on Trey Lance as QB1…or are they? Tom Brady retired, then just as quickly un-retired to come back for his 21st season in the NFL, but will he still be the Tom Brady we all know and hate at age 45? Will Aaron Rodgers keep up the psychedelic highs on the field that led to his MVP season a year ago, or will the Packers come down after losing Davante Adams and ZaDarius Smith? And then there’s the NFC East…which may just be the worst division in football. And of course, we couldn’t let Bill leave without getting a way-too-early Super Bowl LVII prediction out of him. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our NFL regular season preview with our old friend Bill Barnwell is so big that we couldn’t even fit everything into one episode. So in today’s edition, we talk all things AFC. In the East, there’s Josh Allen and the Bills trying to finally get over the hump, the Dolphins are finally going all-in on the Tua Tagovailoa experiment, there’s whatever the hell is going on with the offense in New England, and the Jets are also a football team. In the group of death, aka the AFC West, there should be no shortage of offensive firepower with Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, Derek Carr, and Russell Wilson at the helm. The Baltimore Ravens look to bounce back in the AFC North after injuries derailed their 2021 campaign and Lamar Jackson enters his contract year, while the Bengals try to make it back to the Super Bowl. And in the AFC South, a new regime in Jacksonville hopes to get the most out of second-year QB Trevor Lawrence…and Bill explains why he thinks the Tennessee Titans are one of the teams most likely to decline in 2022. Make sure to listen again tomorrow for Bill’s preview of the NFC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Before Davante Adams became arguably the best receiver in the NFL with Aaron Rodgers as his quarterback, he was a star at Fresno State. But then-Bulldogs quarterback Derek Carr wasn’t just the guy throwing Adams the ball…he was one of Adams’ best friends. They’ve spent eight years apart in which Adams blossomed and Carr became the franchise quarterback for the Las Vegas (and Oakland) Raiders, but the duo is finally back together…after Carr reached out this offseason to woo Adams away from the Frozen Tundra. Tim Keown gives us the inside story of how one of the NFL’s elite playmakers ended up in the desert. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The link between the musical icon Whitney Houston and sports is specific and indelible, through her iconic rendition of the national anthem at Super Bowl XXV. While her performance was breathtaking, much of what made it truly special, and the events surrounding it, have been overlooked. E:60’s Jeremy Schaap relives a classic Super Bowl memory, and why Whitney’s high notes from that night continue to echo a decade after her passing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Albert Pujols was the most dangerous hitter in baseball for more than a decade, putting up monumental statistics with such precision he earned the nickname, “The Machine.” But after signing a massive free agent deal with the Angels, injuries and age caught up with him. Today, Pujols is back in a St. Louis Cardinals uniform and just might be looking like his old self again. With 700 home runs in sight as his career comes winding down, Alden Gonzalez joins the show to help us understand the man and the machine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There is no white tablecloth at the restaurant of college football. Things are going to get messy. From the College Football Playoff contenders, to the happenings at Tony Stark’s house, there is a lot to consume here. So ahead of Week 1 of the season, Ryan McGee prepares a multi-course menu and tells us why you might as well unbuckle your Sunbelt right now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices