The Lead

The Philadelphia 76ers are sitting alone at the top of the Eastern Conference, and a huge reason why has been the early-season dominance of Joel Embiid. Today, we’re joined by The Athletic’s Derek Bodner to look at how some key adjustments — and key additions — have helped bring out the big man’s best, and whether the often-injured star can potentially bring home an MVP. Follow Derek Bodner’s coverage of the Sixers: https://theathletic.com/author/derek-bodner/?source=theleadpodcast See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

One of the greatest baseball players of all time, and a civil rights icon, passed away last Friday at age 86. Today, five writers from The Athletic who knew Henry Aaron, grew up idolizing him, and drew inspiration from him join us to reflect on his incredible life and legacy.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Last month, San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon made history against LeBron James and the Lakers, becoming the first woman to lead an NBA team in a regular season game. The Athletic’s Christopher Kamrani recently spoke with NBA players Hammon has coached during her time in San Antonio, as well as WNBA players she has played with, and he joins us today to talk about what makes Becky Hammon special as a coach, what Gregg Popovich sees in her, and what might come next in her coaching career.Read Chris Kamrani's story about Becky Hammon:https://theathletic.com/2333024/2021/01/20/becky-hammon-san-antonio-spurs-nba-coach/?source=theleadpodcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When Caris LeVert was dealt to the Pacers as part of the James Harden trade, his post-trade physical — usually a formality — revealed something scary: a small mass on his left kidney. Today, we’re joined by The Athletic’s Bob Kravitz to look at what’s ahead for LeVert, why the Pacers decided to still go through with the trade, and what makes him well-prepared to take on this challenge. Read Bob Kravitz’s story about Caris LeVert: https://theathletic.com/2333015/2021/01/19/kravitz-caris-levert-approaches-health-news-as-another-bump-in-the-road/?source=theleadpodcast See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A year ago today, Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven other people were killed in a tragic helicopter crash outside of Los Angeles. In remembrance of that tragedy, we’re re-broadcasting an episode that originally aired in February of last year, three weeks after Kobe’s death. Reporter Michael Lee, who covers the NBA and lives in Philadelphia, joined us to talk about how the city helped make Kobe the competitor that he was, but didn’t show him much love until the very end.Read Michael Lee's original story:https://theathletic.com/1585634/2020/02/05/he-was-really-philly-kobe-bryant-had-a-complex-relationship-with-philly-but-deserves-its-adoration/?source=theleadpodcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs will be heading to Super Bowl LV in Tampa Bay to face off against Tom Brady and the Buccaneers in a quarterback storyline that writes itself. The Athletic's Arif Hasan joins us to break down how the Bucs managed to get by the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship game at Lambeau Field, how the Chiefs cruised past the Bills to repeat as AFC champions, and why it’ll be hard to look away from this year’s Super Bowl QB matchup.More from Arif Hasan: https://theathletic.com/author/arif-hasan/?source=theleadpodcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Robert Tonyan has emerged as one of Aaron Rodgers’ favorite targets this year, especially in the red zone, as Rodgers has found Green Bay’s breakout tight end for 11 touchdowns. Today, The Athletic’s Dan Pompei tells Tonyan’s origin story as a football player, how he transformed from college quarterback to college wide receiver to NFL tight end, and the bond that he has formed with George Kittle and Rodgers along the way. Read Dan Pompei’s story about Robert Tonyan: https://theathletic.com/2320298/2021/01/14/robert-tonyan-packers-playoffs/?source=theleadpodcast See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

During the first month of the NBA season, CJ McCollum was well on his way to a career year for the Portland Trail Blazers. But this week, his season ran into a major setback with the news that he sustained a fractured foot. Today, The Athletic’s Jason Quick on how three conversations had the 29-year-old playing the best basketball of his life before the injury, and where McCollum and the Blazers go from here. Follow Jason Quick’s coverage of the Blazers: https://theathletic.com/author/jason-quick/?source=theleadpodcast See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On Tuesday morning, the New York Mets fired GM Jared Porter, just hours after ESPN reported that he had sent inappropriate and graphic text messages to a woman reporter back in 2016, when he was the director of professional scouting for the Chicago Cubs. Brittany Ghiroli, a national baseball writer for The Athletic, joins us to explain what exactly happened between Porter and the foreign reporter, how the incident is impacting the Mets, and who might have known about Porter’s behavior before he was hired.Read Brittany Ghiroli's column about Jared Porter and the challenges of being a woman sports reporter:https://theathletic.com/2332861/2021/01/19/ghiroli-be-nice-female-reporters/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The New York Rangers surprised many by winning the #1 pick in last year's NHL draft lottery -- not least because they were nowhere near the worst team in the league. And winning the lottery meant winning the rights to French-Canadian teen sensation Alexis LaFreniere, who was the first player since Sidney Crosby to win Quebec Major Junior Hockey League MVP in back-to-back years. The Athletic's Scott Burnside spent some time with LaFreniere in the buildup to the current NHL season, and Scott joins us to explain what makes LaFreniere so special, how he has looked in his first two NHL games, and the unique challenges he'll face playing under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden.Read Scott Burnside's profile of Alexis LaFreniere:https://theathletic.com/2268371/2020/12/31/new-york-rangers-alexis-lafreniere-2021-nhl-season/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.