The Lead

Last week, many of the top college basketball players in the country heard their names called in the NBA draft. But others, including some of the most recognizable names in the game, decided to stay in school for another year instead -- in part because of NIL money. Today, The Athletic’s CJ Moore and Eamonn Brennan explain why college hoops is becoming an increasingly attractive option for college big men in particular, and how the decision to enter the draft (or not) played out for three top players. Plus, what all of this means for the future of the men's college game.Read CJ Moore and Eamonn Brennan's full story about NIL and college big men:https://theathletic.com/3357888/2022/06/16/bacot-tshiebwe-nil-college-basketball-nba/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On Sunday night, the Colorado Avalanche hoisted the Stanley Cup for the first time in 21 years, and just the third time in team history. And the unanimous winner of the Conn Smythe trophy as playoff MVP was their superstar defenseman, Cale Makar. In fact, Makar was so dominant during the playoffs that The Great One himself, Wayne Gretzky, compared him to the legendary Bobby Orr. Today, The Athletic's Peter Baugh joins us to discuss how Makar went from a 125-pound, baby-faced kid who was often mistaken for someone's little brother to arguably the top defenseman in a generation -- all at age 23. Plus, with Makar’s Colorado Avalanche now Stanley Cup champions, are they poised to become a dynasty?Read Peter Baugh's full story about Cale Makar's rise:https://theathletic.com/3374456/2022/06/21/cale-makar-avalanche-brooks-bandits/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Plus: The Phillies playoff hopes take a major blow in San Diego. And Hornets fans are feeling deja vu all over again.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On Thursday night, when he was widely expected to be the top overall pick in the NBA Draft, Jabari Smith Jr. instead became one of the new faces of the Houston Rockets — after a freshman year at Auburn that sent his draft stock soaring. Today, we’re joined by The Athletic’s Brian Hamilton to look at how Smith, in the span of just five years, went from “a wiry, skinny kid with a little baby fat” to top-three pick in the NBA Draft. The answer has a lot to do with Smith’s own uncommon drive, and the sacrifices made by his dad, a former basketball star himself. Read Brian Hamilton’s full story about Jabari Smith: https://theathletic.com/3088992/2022/01/25/the-next-kevin-garnett-how-auburns-jabari-smith-turned-himself-into-a-star/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tomorrow marks the 50-year anniversary of Title IX, the landmark civil rights law that prohibits gender discrimination at schools that receive federal funding. The law has completely transformed the landscape of girls and women's sports in the U.S. in ways that were once unimaginable. But it turns out, most colleges and universities today are actually not complying with the law -- usually to the detriment of female athletes. Some experts estimate that over 90 percent of schools are violating Title IX. Today, ESPN’s Dan Murphy explains some of the ways in which schools are not following the law, and why a new lawsuit against San Diego State, brought by a very experienced lawyer, could be a game changer in the battle for gender equality.Read Dan Murphy's full story about San Diego State and Title IX: https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/34071621/a-coxswain-courts-course-title-ix-complianceMore info and statistics about Title IX: https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=93See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Atlanta Braves are riding a wild hot streak so far in June (14-0 this month), and a big reason why has been the arrival of top prospect Michael Harris II, who’s hitting .328 in his young big league career. Today, Justin Toscano — who covers the team for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution — tells the story of three key days that led the Braves to fall in love with Harris as a player, when a lot of the industry overlooked him. Plus, the latest on what's suddenly a close race between the Mets and Braves in the NL East. Read Justin Toscano’s full story about Michael Harris: https://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-braves/the-three-dates-that-led-to-the-braves-drafting-top-prospect-michael-harris/FXEFHPDGHBHBXPMAHZFLIR2LTU/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Two years ago, Deion Sanders left the comfort of his expansive home outside of Dallas -- a place he calls "Lake Prime" -- to become the next head football coach at Jackson State, the historically black university in Jackson, Mississippi. At times, his welcome speech felt more like a Sunday sermon than a press conference, and he pledged to do everything he could to restore the program to its former glory. Now, after a conference championship and a recruiting season that saw him snag the country's #1 ranked player, Sanders has invited unsupported accusations of cheating. Today, reporter Jean-Jacques Taylor, who recently wrote a cover story about Sanders for Sports Illustrated, joins us to explain how "Coach Prime" is fueling a resurgence of HBCU football -- and why some are trying to take the shine off his success.Read Jean-Jacques Taylor's full story: https://www.si.com/college/2022/06/09/deion-sanders-fuels-rise-of-hbcu-football-daily-coverMore from JJT Media: https://www.jjtmediagroup.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Plus: The Lightning look to strike down the juggernaut coming out of Colorado. And Sabrina Ionescu is unimpressed with making history.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

New York Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant has made a habit of achieving near immediate success -- and then promptly getting fired. This season, Gallant has once again worked some hockey coaching magic, steering the Rangers to the Eastern Conference Finals in his first year at the helm (they currently trail the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 in the series). Today, The Athletic’s Michael Russo joins us to discuss why Gallant’s coaching career has followed a rather bumpy and confusing path, the secret to his coaching success, and what this year’s playoff run could mean for his reputation and his future.Read Michael Russo's profile of Gerard Gallant:https://theathletic.com/3350258/2022/06/06/gerard-gallant-goofy-firings-rangers-playoffs/?redirected=1See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Back in the early 2000’s, Josiah Johnson was a benchwarmer for one of the most storied college basketball programs in the nation: the UCLA Bruins. It was the closest he came to being a basketball star, and a long way from the heights reached by his dad, five-time NBA All-Star Marques Johnson. However, Josiah Johnson found a different path to basketball success, and today, Ben Bolch of the L.A. Times tells the story of his rise from the UCLA bench to NBA Twitter heavyweight. Read Ben Bolch’s full story about Josiah Johnson: https://www.latimes.com/sports/ucla/story/2022-06-01/josiah-johnson-ucla-nba-meme-king See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.