The Lead

After winning a championship with the Chicago Bulls in 1998, Dennis Rodman closed out his NBA career two years later with the Dallas Mavericks, a team that had been the laughing stock of the league for quite some time. It was a short, strange period during which Rodman lived in new team owner Mark Cuban's guest house and attracted unusual groups of fans to games. The Athletic's Saad Yousuf joins us to discuss how and why Rodman ended up with one of the league's worst teams and the bizarre way in which his career came to an end.Read Saad Yousuf and Tim Cato's oral history of Dennis Rodman's time in Dallas:https://theathletic.com/1819520/2020/05/18/dennis-rodmans-last-dance-the-oral-history-of-the-worms-month-with-mavericks/?source=theleadpodcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

There’s a race going on to bring back pro sports, and the state of Florida is in the lead. The Sunshine State declared sports to be an essential service earlier this year, and is now recruiting leagues and teams far and wide. The Athletic’s Chris Perkins joins us from Miami to talk about who is pulling the strings behind the scenes in Florida, how people there feel about the possibility of pro sports returning to their cities, and the strange but special place that Florida holds in our national consciousness.Read Chris Perkins's story about Florida's push to attract pro sports:https://theathletic.com/1814085/2020/05/14/for-financial-and-other-reasons-florida-pushes-to-lead-americas-sports-restart/?source=theleadpodcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Major League Baseball players have had some extra time on their hands recently. And, it turns out, they've gotten into some pretty interesting activities. The Athletic's Brittany Ghiroli fills us in on how a few different MLB players have been spending their time, in ways that are surprising, inspiring, and colorful.Read Britt Ghiroli and Eno Sarris's story about MLB players actions during lockdown:https://theathletic.com/1807617/2020/05/12/gardening-podcasting-harp-how-mlb-players-are-passing-the-time-in-lockdown/?source=theleadpodcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On Sunday night, after 10 hours of sports TV nostalgia, The Last Dance — the documentary series about Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls — reached its conclusion. Today, we’re joined by The Athletic’s David Aldridge — who was featured throughout the series — to look at what set Jordan apart from other all-time greats, and to explore what the series showed us about MJ’s human side. Follow David Aldridge’s coverage of The Last Dance and the NBA: https://theathletic.com/author/david-aldridge/?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 Bundesliga became the first major sports league to return to play this weekend. Lucky for soccer fans, it has also been arguably the most exciting league in Europe this season. The Athletic’s Raphael Honigstein joins us to explain how a well-organized pandemic response helped Germany become the first European nation to bring back major sports, the strange spectacle of games with no fans and social-distancing during celebrations, and whether or not anyone will unseat perennial champions Bayern Munich.Follow Raphael Honigstein's Bundesliga coverage:https://theathletic.com/author/raphael-honigstein/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

At the start of the NFL offseason, the Houston Texans made a stunning trade, sending All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals for a return headlined by running back David Johnson. The man behind that decision, and all of Houston's moves, is their coach and general manager, Bill O'Brien. Today, we're joined by Aaron Reiss of The Athletic to look at O'Brien's erratic tenure with the team, how he ended up with both jobs, and whether one person should ever have this much power over a team. Follow Aaron Reiss's coverage of the Houston Texans: https://theathletic.com/author/aaron-reiss/?source=theleadpodcast See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Major League Baseball owners have a proposal for the 2020 baseball season that includes empty stadiums, regional competition, and more teams making the playoffs. But it hasn't exactly been welcomed with open arms by the players. The Athletic’s Jayson Stark joins us to talk about what exactly this shortened season would look like, how a debate over players’ salaries is playing out in the court of public opinion, and why some players are less than enthusiastic about the lack of details about health and safety.Follow Jayson Stark's MLB coverage:https://theathletic.com/author/jayson-stark/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The NCAA recently accepted new recommendations involving college athletes' NIL (name, image and likeness) rights. That means some athletes will soon be making significant money for things that have long been banned, including promoting products on social media. The Athletic’s Nicole Auerbach joins us talk about what exactly will and won’t be allowed, when college athletes could start making money, and just how much some stars could make.Read Nicole Auerbach's story about college athletes' social media brands:https://theathletic.com/1796999/2020/05/07/college-athlete-name-image-likeness-value/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Last week, the NBA took a tiny step toward returning to play, as some teams opened the doors to their practice facilities and began allowing individual player workouts. Today, the Athletic’s Sam Amick joins us to talk about how the NBA is slowly but surely trying to resume the season, where and how a completion of the 2019-2020 season might work, and what's at stake for the league as it navigates through these uncharted waters.Follow Sam Amick's NBA coverage:https://theathletic.com/author/sam-amick/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Last night on The Last Dance, we got the chance to re-live Michael Jordan’s time as a minor league baseball player, for the Double-A Birmingham Barons, in 1994. Today, we’re joined by James Fegan — who covers the White Sox for The Athletic — to hear some behind the scenes stories from Jordan’s time in Birmingham, including a wave of celebrity appearances, and a local pickup basketball game featuring MJ himself.Read James Fegan’s stories about Michael Jordan playing for the Barons: https://theathletic.com/1803492/2020/05/10/thanks-to-1994-michael-jordan-will-always-be-the-most-famous-birmingham-baron/?source=theleadpodcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.