The Best of The Athletic
7 most popular The Athletic articles, as voted by our community.
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Defining Lionel Messi: An essay on greatness, immortality and unburdened happiness
Once haunted and pale, Lionel Messi looks comfortable, unburdened and happy as he stands of the verge of... what exactly?
What's behind the death of the NHL slap shot?
Players, coaches and analysts explain how the standalone slap shot, once so signature to hockey, has become a fossil.
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A team of MLB rejects achieved baseball immortality — as Bill Murray served the beers
The 1987 Salt Lake City Trappers were MLB rejects. Their 29-game winning streak remains the longest in American pro baseball history.
How the original Suns Gorilla has dedicated his life to helping others
There was a Phoenix Suns Gorilla before the one who dunked.
Hollinger’s Top 75 NBA Draft prospects: Jabari Smith No. 1, plus tiers and breakdowns of 2022 class
Follow our live coverage of NBA Draft 2022. Are you watching the NBA Finals? Are you watching them and thinking about what they might mean for this year’s draft? We’re in a little bit of a weird…
Feldman: The coaching and parenting lessons I learned coaching my son’s pee-wee football team
The most profound comment I’ve ever heard in 25 years covering college football came from Greg Schiano. “There are two things every man in America thinks he can do,” the Rutgers coach once told me.…
Where will Kevin Durant go? Potential trades and what’s next for Nets’ star
Follow our NBA Free Agency live blog. The Kevin Durant era appears to be over in Brooklyn. Sources told The Athletic’s Shams Charania that the Nets’ franchise player has requested a trade from the…
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