The Lead

When Brandon Staley first spoke to the media as head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers earlier this year, he went out of his way to give credit to his parents. As it turns out, Staley’s commitment to his family — and to his twin brother Jason — led to an unlikely connection that helped spark his career as a coach. Today, The Athletic’s Daniel Popper joins us to tell that story, and to look at the family ownership drama that’s currently surrounding the Chargers.

Read Daniel Popper’s full story about Brandon Staley: https://theathletic.com/2437569/2021/03/23/a-brothers-promise-and-the-d-ii-season-that-led-brandon-staley-to-the-chargers/?source=theleadpodcast

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The Stanford Cardinal and head coach Tara VanDerveer captured their first women's basketball national championship in twenty-nine years on Sunday, narrowly beating out Arizona. The Athletic's Chantel Jennings joins us to break down both teams's remarkable journey just to get to the title game, why Stanford managed to persevere, and how Arizona’s 5-foot-6 superstar Aari McDonald came up just short on her last-second shot. Plus, what comes next for the NCAA after the embarrassing scandal that plagued the women's tournament.

More from Chantel Jennings:

https://theathletic.com/author/chantel-jennings/

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The Final Four is here, and Gonzaga is poised to make history. The Zags are set to be the first men's team to go undefeated for an entire season since the Indiana Hoosiers pulled off the feat in 1976. So the question is: Who can stop Mark Few's team from making history? Today, The Athletic's Brian Hamilton joins us to talk about Gonzaga's quest for immortality, UCLA's cinderella run, Houston's tough as gravel mentality, and the Baylor Bears' dynamic backcourt.

Read Brian Hamilton's college basketball coverage here: https://theathletic.com/author/brian-hamilton/

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After a strange and abbreviated 60-game season in 2020, it’s finally time for Major League Baseball’s 2021 Opening Day — which is happening right on time. Today, we’re joined by The Athletic’s Brittany Ghiroli to look at some of the story lines that will define the 2021 season, including the Yankees borrowing a page from the NBA to manage their injury problems, huge expectations for Shohei Ohtani, and a Dodgers-Padres rivalry that is already getting heated. 

Follow Brittany Ghiroli’s coverage of Major League Baseball: https://theathletic.com/author/brittany-ghiroli/?source=theleadpodcast

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Minnesota Timberwolves executive John Thomas grew up just a few blocks away from the convenience store where George Floyd was killed. Since that tragic incident, which inspired a national reckoning and global movement, Thomas has been on a mission to build bridges and inspire change in his old neighborhood in South Minneapolis. The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski recently took a stroll through the area with Thomas to learn what his life growing up there was like, and how he is striving to give back to the community that lifted him up and helped him achieve his basketball dreams.

Read Jon Krawczynski's story about John Thomas:

https://theathletic.com/2390979/2021/03/26/ahead-of-the-george-floyd-trial-a-quest-for-restoration-by-former-nba-player-john-thomas/

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For much of this season, the Dallas Mavericks have been a difficult team to figure out, and on the surface they looked like one of the league’s biggest disappointments during an 8-13 start. Today, we’re joined by The Athletic’s Tim Cato to go behind the scenes of their roller coaster campaign, breaking down all the hurdles that Luka Doncic, Kristaps Porzingis and the Mavs had to clear, and why this team is finally starting to live up to expectations.

Read Tim Cato’s story about the Mavs’ turnaround: https://theathletic.com/2459997/2021/03/18/cato-the-dallas-mavericks-at-last-are-the-team-so-many-expected-them-to-be/?source=theleadpodcast

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The NFL Offseason is in full swing. There have been draft disrupting trades, big money signings, and some moves that left people scratching their heads. Today, The Athletic's Mike Sando joins us to talk about some of the key storylines from the free agency period and if anyone has done enough to unseat the defending champs.

You can read Mike Sando's NFL coverage here: https://theathletic.com/author/mike-sando/

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On Thursday, a couple of the Lakers’ top rivals made notable moves at the NBA trade deadline, with the Nuggets picking up Aaron Gordon, and the Clippers adding former Lakers point guard Rajon Rondo. Meanwhile, the defending champs — who are currently without LeBron James and Anthony Davis — did nothing. Today, we’re joined by The Athletic’s Bill Oram to look at why the Lakers didn’t make changes, how they’re trying to stay afloat without their two top stars, and why they could still be poised for another championship run.

Follow Bill Oram’s coverage of the Lakers: https://theathletic.com/author/bill-oram/?source=theleadpodcast

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On Tuesday, UConn Women's Basketball coasted past Syracuse into its 27th consecutive Sweet Sixteen. One of the key drivers of the Huskies success this season is Freshman star Paige Bueckers. And the 19-year-old guard is more than just a basketball prodigy, she's also a social media sensation who has more Instagram follower than people like Justin Fields and Jalen Suggs. Today, The Athletic’s Charlotte Carroll tells us why Bueckers resonates so much with fans -- and just how bright her future appears.

Read Charlotte Carroll's UConn basketball coverage: https://theathletic.com/author/charlotte-carroll/

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Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper won his first hockey championship more than two decades ago, and far from the spotlight of the NHL. At the time, he was an underpaid, 32-year-old public defender and first-year head coach with the Lansing Catholic High School Cougars -- a position that the former college lacrosse player was arguably not even qualified for at the time. The Athletic's Joe Smith tracked down players from that high school team, and the judge who recruited Cooper to coach them, and he joins us to discuss Cooper's journey from the courtroom to the local ice arena to the NHL.

Read Joe Smith's story about Jon Cooper's remarkable journey:

https://theathletic.com/2435916/2021/03/10/jon-coopers-first-title-hint-it-wasnt-the-lightnings-stanley-cup/

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