ESPN Daily

The Indianapolis 500 is a sacred tradition in the racing community. But so is the Coca Cola 600, NASCAR’s longest race. And both of these events just happen to fall on the same day. So when a brave driver decides to tackle all 1100 of these miles — a challenge affectionately known as the Memorial Day Double – the eyes of the race world fall on them. This year, NASCAR champion and IndyCar rookie of the year Kyle Larson took his shot, battling: the logistics; the tracks; and, most of all, Mother Nature. And our good friend Ryan McGee was there to chronicle the attempt. So today, McGee shares the history of folks trying to tackle The Double, and explains how the people who dare to get behind the wheel are built differently from the rest of us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s difficult to identify a true contemporary to Jerry West. He’s the man who spent 14 consecutive years as an All Star for the Los Angeles Lakers. The guy who helped engineer and sustain not one, but two dynasties with the team. A figure whose silhouette literally loomed above the league as the NBA’s logo. So when the news broke last week of his death, at the age of 86, it marked the passing of a giant. Today, Jeremy Schaap memorializes the great Laker. He explains West’s West Virginia origins, explores his life and legacy with the Lakers and across the NBA, and tells us how, in spite of all of his great accomplishments, the harshest critic of Jerry West was always Jerry West. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yankees vs. Red Sox. It’s one of the fiercest rivalries in all of sports and includes names like: Derek Jeter, Pedro Martinez, David Ortiz, Bucky Dent, and of course Babe Ruth. But these days Major League Baseball has become so obsessed with data, that it feels like the human element can fall by the wayside. So, ahead of their three game weekend series, culminating with a matchup on Sunday Night Baseball, Jeff Passan joins the show to explain just what this rivalry is like in 2024. And to tell us why things have been uncharacteristically quiet these days in Fenway Park. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The first month of the WNBA season has been full of compelling on-court storylines. The Connecticut Sun look ready to contend for a title. The defending champion Las Vegas Aces have struggled to find their footing with veteran Chelsea Gray injured. But all of that is getting crowded out by one big distraction –– a debate over whether or not the league is being fair to its megastar rookie, Cailtin Clark. Chennedy Carter’s hard foul on Clark last week is the match that lit the flame, but the firestorm had been brewing long before that. So today, Elle Duncan, host of ESPN’s women’s basketball coverage, is here to help understand how we got here, unpack what’s really going on in this conversation, and gauge if and when we can get back to actual basketball. Check out ‘The Elle Duncan Show’ on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two games into the NBA Finals, and it looks like nothing can keep the Boston Celtics away from lifting an 18th championship banner to the rafters. They’ve been able to limit the Dallas attack to just Luka Doncic, and everything seems to be going their way. ESPN NBA reporter Tim Bontemps has been at both games of the series, and he joins the show to explain just how Boston is keeping the Dallas attack in check. And explore if a shift in venue to the Lone Star state will be enough to give the Mavs a fighting chance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For Americans who’ve never watched a cricket match before, now may be the best time to start. Because for the first time ever, Team USA has drawn global attention, after shocking the world in an upset over Pakistan last Thursday. And that feat looks all the more improbable when you learn who exactly is on this roster. So today, ESPN’s own Aishwarya Kumar explains how they pulled it off, and why this Men’s T20 World Cup tournament looks like a watershed moment for American cricket. You can stream Team USA’s Wednesday and Friday matches against India and Ireland at 10:30 AM Eastern Time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With all of the energy surrounding women’s basketball these days, it can be easy to lose sight of the fact that the interest in women’s sports is growing beyond just the hardwood. We’ve seen a professional women’s hockey league return to the ice this season, stars continue to shine on the tennis courts and the track. And interest in the Women’s College World Series has steadily increased year over year leading to an average of two million fans tuning in to the most watched title series ever. So today, Jake Trotter, who covers college sports at ESPN, introduces us to Maya Brady, a prolific shortstop at UCLA, who just completed a decorated college career on the softball field. And Jake tells us why Maya’s rise is about more than just her shared family lineage with her uncle, one Tom Brady. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The teams meeting in the Stanley Cup Final this season, the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers, are both trying to get over the hump. For the Panthers, this is year three in their recent turnaround. Having the best record in the NHL two seasons ago didn’t get it done, and last year they fell a step short of lifting Lord Stanley’s trophy into the air for the first time as a franchise. Up in Edmonton, the Oilers haven’t won it all since 1990, when a guy named Wayne Gretzky was still lacing them up. And after falling short in the playoffs themselves over the past few seasons, they are looking to bring home the cup not just for their city, but for the entirety of the nation. So today, ESPN NHL reporter Emily Kaplan tells us what to watch for ahead of Saturday’s game one. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Unless you’ve been living under a rock the WNBA continues to be a hot topic, showing fans and the world that excitement around women's basketball is expanding beyond a “moment.” With all the chatter about aggression towards rookies, vet players, crazy record stats, and even team mascots dominating the floor, there is one thing that has been looming top of mind for many over the last few weeks: money. The two-time reigning WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces are again at the forefront, as all twelve of the players on the team are negotiating with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) on a $100,000 sponsorship deal. A number even higher than the league salary minimum. The news came as a welcome surprise to many, but also sparked an investigation from the league. So today Aces beat reporter, Callie Lawson-Freeman of the Las Vegas Review-Journal is here to share what she has been able to find out on the ground about this sponsorship and what it could mean for the league. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This year’s NBA finals feature one team everyone saw coming and, according to Brian Windhorst, another we probably should have seen coming. The Boston Celtics have been on a hot streak all season long –– easily claiming the league’s best record –– while the Dallas Mavericks have been pushing their way towards the mountaintop week by week. Game 1 of the NBA Finals tips off Thursday night and there’s so much to think about, including how Dallas might actually have the two best players on the court, whether or not Kyrie Irving can shake his Celtics curse, and why it’s win now or maybe never for this iteration of the Celtics. Brian Windhorst has been in the building with both teams as they’ve made their run through the playoffs and joins us to share what we can expect as the Finals begin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For years, names like Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, and Satchel Paige were well known as legends in the Negro Leagues, but unrecognized in the record books alongside their white contemporaries. Last week that changed, as a nearly quarter-century long endeavor to collect and verify decades of statistics was unveiled for the first time. The news seems to have been met with every emotion under the sun: confusion, anger, disdain, but not joy. And part of that is because many are confused as to what’s actually happening. This story was never about Josh Gibson unseating Ty Cobb as the single season batting average leader. It was about presenting the statistics of major professional baseball leagues as evidence to support the legends that played. So Today, our host Clinton Yates sits on the other side of the table and joins our very own Alex Hyacinthe to break down what this process undertook, and what this really means for baseball. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Major League Baseball teams have developed a habit of manipulating contract rules so as to prevent a player from realizing his true financial value. Many contend it’s all part of a player exploitation system perpetrated by the league under the guise of “maximizing efficiency.” But five years ago, while pitching for the Brewers, reliever Josh Hader and his agent employed an unprecedented strategy to fight back. Today, Buster Olney joins us as we explore Hader’s story, the greater context of how MLB uses and abuses pitchers, and the impact this new tactic could have not only on their contracts, but also their long-term health. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Birmingham Southern College sits on a lovely campus three miles from downtown Birmingham, Alabama. But today, that college is officially ceasing operations. Nonetheless, the school’s baseball team will play on, as they take the field this afternoon in the Division III college world series. So our Kyle Bonagura is here to explain how the school’s looming closure actually inspired the Panthers to turn their season around. And how the team’s final run may turn out to be its best ever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bronny James has been in the public spotlight his whole life. Being the son of all-time great LeBron James has set expectations that would be too high for most NBA Draft prospects, let alone one with a less-than-guaranteed shot in the NBA. Bronny James won’t be a lottery pick, and probably won’t be picked in the first round either. What makes this more complicated than your average draft prospect analysis is LeBron has the opportunity to opt out of his contract and become a free agent this summer, and has stated publicly that he would like to play with his son. So today, ESPN’s resident NBA Front Office expert Bobby Marks joins the show to break down Bronny’s value as a player, and how his father plays a part in where and when Bronny gets drafted. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Memorial Day the world lost one of the gems of the sports world –– the one and only Bill Walton. He was a two-time NBA champion and won two NCAA titles as a young man at UCLA. But his reputation as the most cheerful, colorful, and contemplative personality in sports, especially in his many decades as a broadcaster, has extended his legacy beyond the generations who first watched him on the court. In tribute to Walton, today we revisit our January 2021 conversation with the man himself, and revel in the joy he brought into our lives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the previous six seasons, Shohei Ohtani’s prowess as a hitter and a pitcher made him the most talked about player in baseball. But when the Dodgers signed him to a record-setting $700 million contract in December, they knew an elbow injury would prevent him from pitching in 2024. Now, after 53 games this season, we’re seeing Ohtani reach new heights at the plate. Which begs the question: Do he and the Dodgers really want to mess with that? Today, our Bradford Doolittle explains why, like Babe Ruth before him, Ohtani’s bat skills may keep him off the mound forever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On April 6th, 2023, a startling scene played out on a baseball field in Fort Myers, Florida. Shortly after the start of the annual rivalry game against nearby Estero High School, nearly the entire roster for Fort Myers High School, along with the coaching staff, walked off the field, leaving two teammates of color behind. According to witnesses on the scene, chaos ensued, as parents on both sides of the divide began trading insults. That incident was the latest manifestation of racial tensions that have existed in Fort Myers for decades. And the direct result of an assistant coach being dismissed for using a racial slur in a team group chat on Valentine’s Day of that year. Today, our Howard Bryant takes us inside this story, unpacks a chain of smoldering racial resentments, and provides a new understanding of what it means to be outnumbered. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We know that the roots of NASCAR can be traced back to the American South in states like North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, and Tennessee. But what you might not realize is that particular motorsport was conceived through the hills of those very same states by bootleggers running moonshine while racing for bragging rights. So when a sinkhole was recently discovered under the famous North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Carolina, there was no surprise to find more than just mud and dirt down there. Ryan McGee joins us to explain how one of the sport's oldest tracks might just have been the site of one of America’s oldest vices. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the first time in 20 years, the Minnesota Timberwolves will make their way into the Western Conference Finals, and they couldn't have made it there without their star shooting guard Anthony Edwards. He has become a leader for this Timberwolves team at only 22 years old and has forged great relationships with teammates like Karl-Anthony Towns. So today, our Ramona Shelburne takes us into the mind of the ANT-man and breaks down his progress from starting at the top of a COVID season rookie class up until leading his team to the Western Conference Finals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Basketball has grown into a worldwide sport over the past several decades. Just look at the past six NBA MVPs: Giannis Antetokounmpo from Greece, Nikola Jokic from Serbia, and Joel Embiid from Cameroon. Waiting in the wings are Slovenia’s Luka Doncic and Canada’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. But this worldwide explosion of talent did not happen overnight. Like any other explosion, it starts with a single spark. In Europe that spark was named Radivoj Korac. Korac played for the Yugoslavian national basketball team in the 1950’s and 60s, and quickly gained acclaim after winning The Best Athlete of Yugoslavia (Zlatna značka), and Yugoslav Sportsman of the Year (Sportske novosti award). He laid the path for future European superstars to follow in the years to come. Sadly, Korac never got to see his true peak or join the NBA after passing away in a tragic car accident at the age of 30. Today, Baxter Holmes joins the show to tell us the story of the legendary Radivoj Korac, and how his stardom spawned the European dominance we see today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices