For a long time, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the most iconic player in NBA history, and kids across the country wanted to be him. That changed over time, as other players earned the admiration of younger generations.
Now, almost 35 years after Abdul-Jabbar retired, no one is really trying to replicate the Hall of Famer’s style. Instead, young players want to be Stephen Curry and shoot threes from all over the court.
Abdul-Jabbar joked that Curry has permanently altered the way people view basketball.
“They’ve forgotten about anything that doesn’t say three-points on it,” he said.
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The 2023 Major League Baseball season in under way, which means pitchers are back to throwing ridiculous pitches that professional hitters have no chance of hitting.
One of those pitches was thrown Thursday night by the Mariners’ Matt Brash. Seattle’s right-handed reliever pitched just one inning against the Guardians but he made it count as his knuckle curveball that struck out José Ramírez was easily the nastiest pitch of Opening Day.
Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. MLB Opening Day lived up to all my expectations. Be sure to scroll down and check out the 10 best highlights from a great day of games.
In today’s SI:AM:
The most highly anticipated Final Four game
All hail the pitch clock
Chris Mannix’s bold NBA Finals prediction
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Underdogs on one side, powerhouses on the other
This weekend’s men’s and women’s Final Fours couldn’t be more different.
Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images
Tatum and Ingram take down Giannis and Jokic-less Nuggets respectively
I’ve always thought it’s kind of cute when adjacent sports leagues clear out the schedule to let another go to work. Think NFL and Thanksgiving, NBA and Christmas, or college football on New Year’s Day.
The NBA mostly cleared out their Thursday slate to make way for MLB opening day, leaving just two games on a TNT doubleheader, though three of the four teams in action are a top-2 seed in their conference.
Boston Bruins forward Trent Frederic handed out some instant karma Thursday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Hockey is a unique sport in the sense players often police themselves. Unlike the NFL or NBA, fighting isn’t just normal, it’s often encouraged.
If a player does something stupid or dirty, you can anticipate retribution. That’s a lesson Blue Jackets forward Lane Johnson learned firsthand and in the toughest of ways.
After throwing a cross-check against Patrice Bergeron, fans knew something was coming during the 2-1 Boston win.
The Patriots are coming off a pretty disappointing season, which included a step back by quarterback Mac Jones. In his second season in the NFL, Jones could not reach 3,000-yards passing and had just 14 touchdowns to 11 interceptions in 14 games.
Jones’ backup, rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe, played in four games, which included two starts where he had a 2–0 record. That solid play was enough to at least start a conversation regarding a quarterback controversy.
At the NFL owners meetings, coach Bill Belichick was asked if Jones and Zappe will compete for the starting job.
For all of the protestations and outrage at the assertion, there are at least two Boston institutions seemingly doing their best to uphold that reputation: the city’s two sports radio stations.
Photo by Qian Jun/MB Media/Getty Images
Fernando Alonso’s quest for his 33rd victory has become a rallying cry
The 2023 Formula 1 season has seen a dream start for Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin. After two races, the team sits in second place in the Constructors’ Championship, tied with Mercedes and behind only Red Bull. As for the veteran driver secured back-to-back podiums, with a third place finish at both the Bahrain Grand Prix to open the season, and the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix two weeks ago.
What could take this dream start to new heights? A win for Alonso.
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The top-seeded South Carolina squad will take on Naismith Player of the Year winner Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes.
A national championship spot is up for grabs when South Carolina and Iowa face off in a Final Four semifinal matchup on Friday night.
Tipoff is set for 9 p.m. ET and the game will air across ESPN networks. You can catch the game with a subscription to SlingTV.
South Carolina enters Friday’s semifinal undefeated at 36-0 for the season.
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce was disappointed to lose Pro Bowl offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. in free agency to the conference rival Bengals.
Brown, who played under the franchise tag last season, reached a four-year deal with Cincinnati worth $64 million, including $31 million guaranteed.
“It hurts. It hurts my soul, man. Hurts my soul,” Kelce said on his New Heights podcast that he does with his brother Jason. “It’s like watching your best friend just turn evil on you.