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In this playoff season, I try to shut my eyes to products featured in commercial time-outs. You've seen them? The cryptic medicines to treat unspecified ailments? The pickup trucks and beer brands that signal ruggedness and romantic success. Or more tempting, the gooey-delectable double-cheese-pepperoni pizzas with yet more cheese stuffed in the crust. But one other caught my ear for novel English usage. Namely, the new infinitive "to fan."
The 3x3 game differs so much from WNBA basketball that Unrivaled's utility as a gauge for player development is dubious. Last year, stars who had dismal Unrivaled seasons—Stewart, Aliyah Boston, Satou Sabally—went on to have their typically excellent WNBA seasons. It's certainly an appealing opportunity for media members to go to Miami in the winter: Last February, I watched games at the Unrivaled facility and found myself genuinely taken by the atmosphere and in-person product.
The older I get, the more profoundly I appreciate that, when I'm writing about sport, I'm also writing about love. This makes perfect sense given these are mankind's two greatest inventions and the stuff we can least do without, but there's more to it than that: sport and love are both expressions of identity, creativity and devotion, pursued because they are right but also because it's impossible not to.
On a Wednesday in the desert last March, Reilly Opelka, the American with a cannon of a serve, was grinding out a tough match against French number one Arthur Rinderknech. Nearby, former US Open men's finalist Kei Nishikori beat Luca Nardi, part of the new wave of Italian talent, while Brazilian phenom Joao Fonseca closed out Pavel Kotov, who reached number 50 in the world in 2024.
I think he's definitely got that sort of mentality that nothing seems to really bother him, so that's a pretty incredible trait to have as far as he just doesn't really ride the waves of what's going on around him. He has that kind of confidence and swagger about him, and just wants to play on the biggest stages, and that's what seems to bring out the best in him. Yeah, he was fun to get a chance to play with, especially on a line for a little bit there too. Not surprised to see he's thriving under the new dress code.
In the Bundesliga, the obvious starting point is Borussia Dortmund. Their Yellow Wall is iconic, the atmosphere incredible, and the tradition undeniable. Yet the nonstop "underdog versus Bayern Munich" narrative can feel exhausting. You respect the passion, but the moral-victory energy after narrow losses? That can grate. Then there's Schalke 04. Even during seasons when Schalke aren't competing near the top, the anti-Bayern Munich sentiment never fades. Maybe it's regional pride, maybe it's history,
The Texas Tech star (19.6 PPG, 7.5 APG, 44% from beyond the arc) is the son of a German father and recently played for Germany's 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup team. In that event, he averaged 17.3 PPG, leading the nation to a silver medal. He could be an All-American this season and represent Germany once again in the 2028 Olympic Summer Games.
"A few of the lads have played it back to me. We've had a laugh about it. Estevao said he can't believe I was a professional footballer. This is a great job. I love this job. I am serious in many aspects. I'm demanding, but life is too short. You have to enjoy life and be able to laugh at yourself. At the moment a lot of people in this country have been laughing at me."
Dragon Ball has its own take on the MOBA genre with Gekishin Squadra. The name sure is a mouthful, but this is one of the most welcoming experiences for newer MOBA players, even if you aren't too familiar with the Dragon Ball universe. But if you are an existing fan of the late Akira Toriyama's masterful manga and anime series, you'll be pleased with the wide selection of characters and abilities.
