The Lead

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=theleadpodcast

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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=theleadpodcast

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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

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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

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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/

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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/

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It was another wild weekend in the NFL, with the Packers, Bucs, Bills and Chiefs all advancing to the Conference Championships. Lindsay Jones joins us to break down all the action, including howling winds, missed field goals, star quarterbacks suffering concussions, and backup QBs stepping up to make some heroic plays.

More from Lindsay Jones:

https://theathletic.com/author/lindsay-jones/?source=theleadpodcast

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Since Tommy Lasorda passed away last week at the age of 93, baseball fans have been remembering his life and legendary career as manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, like the time he famously called on an injured Kirk Gibson to pinch-hit in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series. We reached out to writers and editors from The Athletic and asked them to share their own memories of Lasorda — including the baseball moments they remember fondly, some of his well-documented flaws, and all the things that made him Tommy Lasorda.

Read The Athletic’s collection of Tommy Lasorda stories: https://theathletic.com/2311016/2021/01/08/tommy-lasorda-memories/?source=theleadpodcast

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Months of speculation have finally come to an end: James Harden will be joining the Brooklyn Nets. The Athletic's Sam Amick joins us to break down how all of the recent Harden drama has unfolded, including his erratic play recently, and the messy press conferences where Harden and his Rockets teammates spoke their minds. And we break down how Harden will will fit in with Nets superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving (if he ever resurfaces) as well as head coach Steve Nash.

More from Sam Amick:

https://theathletic.com/author/sam-amick/?source=theleadpodcast

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After being decimated by injuries and finishing at the bottom of the NBA last season, hopes were high for the Golden State Warriors coming into this year. But the feeling was that this team has a limited window to win another championship, with stars Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green not getting any younger. With Thompson now out with an achilles injury, could rookie James Wiseman be the missing piece of a championship puzzle? Or would they be better off trading the young star for someone who could help them win now? The Athletic's Anthony Slater joins us to discuss all of that, plus a look at how Wiseman has been developing so far in the pros.

More from Anthony Slater:

https://theathletic.com/2297714/2021/01/06/warriors-james-wiseman-penny-hardaway/

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