The Lead

When Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski connected for two touchdown passes in Super Bowl LV, it marked the latest chapter in their storied history. So, in honor of their record-setting partnership, we're revisiting the moment when, to many people's surprise, Gronk came out of retirement and signed with the Bucs. The Athletic's Greg Auman joined us to discuss how the move came about and what it could mean for the prolific due and the Buccaneers. (This story originally aired on April 22, 2020)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

There has never been a sports broadcaster quite like Bill Walton. For more than three decades, the NBA legend has graced the airwaves with his unique blend of goofiness, passion, head-scratching analogies, and all of the Grateful Dead t-shirts. So, what can a reporter learn from a late-night conversation with the broadcaster who makes on-air references to everything from 50,000 year-old meteors to former Idaho Senator Larry Craig? The Athletic's Christopher Kamrani went to find out -- and found himself inspired.Read Christopher Kamrani's story about Bill Walton:https://theathletic.com/2361958/2021/02/03/bill-walton-espn-the-athletic-interview/?source=theleadpodcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David won the Super Bowl on Sunday, it was the culmination of years and years of hard work. And the victory also meant the world to someone from David's past -- his best friend and former high school teammate (who outshined him on the gridiron growing up), Quavon Taylor. The Athletic's Andy Staples joins us to tell the story of two best friends who forged a brotherly bond growing up in Northwest Miami, and how Taylor drew life-changing inspiration from David's success after spending time in prison.Read Andy Staples's story about Lavonte David, Quavon Taylor, and the Miami Northwestern High School football team:https://theathletic.com/2362823/2021/02/03/miami-northwestern-2007-lavonte-david/?source=theleadpodcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Last week, Fred VanVleet scored 54 points against the Orlando Magic, passing DeMar DeRozan for the Toronto Raptors’ franchise record, and Moses Malone for the most ever by an undrafted player in the NBA. Today, we’re joined by The Athletic’s Eric Koreen to look at VanVleet’s rise as a player, including the big bet he made on himself the night of the draft in 2016 — and how that gamble is now paying off. Read Eric Koreen’s story about Fred VanVleet: https://theathletic.com/2364939/2021/02/03/fred-vanvleet-raptors-record/?source=theleadpodcast See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Associated Press released its new Top 25 for men’s college basketball on Monday, and for the first time in 60 years, the Top 25 has no UNC, no Kentucky, no Kansas, no UCLA — and no sign of the suddenly struggling Duke Blue Devils. Today, we’re joined by The Athletic’s Dana O’Neil to look at everything that has gone wrong for Mike Krzyzewski’s team this season, and whether they still have enough time to turn things around. Read Dana O’Neil and Brendan Marks’s story about Duke: https://theathletic.com/2359480/2021/02/02/duke-blue-devils-ncaa-tournament-coach-k-jalen-johnson-matthew-hurt/?source=theleadpodcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tom Brady is a champion once again, this time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs defense shut down Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs' offense, and Brady, Rob Gronkowski, and Leonard Fournette propelled the Bucs to a surprisingly easy 31-9 Super Bowl victory on Sunday night. The Athletic's Lindsay Jones joins us from Tampa Bay, where she watched the game live, to break down the action.More from Lindsay Jones:https://theathletic.com/author/lindsay-jones/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Before this season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had not been to the playoffs in twelve years, and most of those seasons they weren’t even close. But now, in a remarkable turn of events, the team is heading to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2002. It might seem like a dramatic one-year turnaround, fueled entirely by the signing of Tom Brady. But the team has been quietly building toward a Super Bowl run for some time under GM Jason Licht. Today, The Athletic’s Greg Auman joins us to discuss on how Licht has rebuilt the Bucs from the ground up during his seven years at the helm, and how the team and staff he assembled helped lure Tom Brady to Tampa. Plus: What the Bucs will have to do to upset the Chiefs' juggernaut offense.Read Greg Auman's full story about Jason Licht:https://theathletic.com/2339835/2021/01/22/the-goat-whisperer-jason-licht-has-built-a-new-bucs-identity-around-tom-brady/?source=theleadpodcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In just his third season as the starting quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes will face off against Tom Brady and the Buccaneers on Sunday trying to win his second straight Super Bowl title. Today, we’re joined by The Athletic’s Nate Taylor to look at why the Chiefs first fell in love with Mahomes as a young college quarterback, and how they pulled off the stunning trade to get him in the 2017 NFL Draft. Read Nate Taylor, Mike Sando, Jayson Jenks and Dan Pompei’s story about Patrick Mahomes: https://theathletic.com/2330642/2021/01/21/chiefs-draft-trade-patrick-mahomes/?source=theleadpodcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Like just about everything else this year, the broadcast of Super Bowl LV will be unusual. The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch, who covers sports media, joins us to explain what to expect -- from poems, to commercials, to health care workers, to halftime entertainment -- and why he believes Tony Romo, who will doing color commentary for CBS, is the best NFL analyst of all time.Read Richard Deitsch's interview with Tony Romo:https://theathletic.com/2345754/2021/01/27/tony-romo-super-bowl-cbs-future-jim-nantz/?source=theleadpodcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The road to becoming an elite high school quarterback can be both long and expensive. So, if a kid really wants to be the next Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes, how much should a parent expect to spend? The Athletic’s Antonio Morales recently spoke with parents of some of the country's most elite young quarterbacks to learn what they went through and whether or not they felt it was worth it. He joins us today to tell the story of one of those players, and to explain why raising a star QB doesn't necessarily have to break the bank.Read Antonio Morales's story about raising a blue-chip quarterback:https://theathletic.co.uk/2293170/2021/01/27/five-star-quarterback-trainer-cost/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.