The ESPN Daily: An unlikely heist in the NBA, the gosh darn king of clean trash talk, and how Tua changed Bama forever

Tuesday’s coming … Did you know Tuesday is named after Tyr, the Norse god of single combat? You can find all kinds of interesting nuggets like that (but related to sports) in today’s Daily. Know a friend who likes learning cool facts? Why not send them this newsletter? You can do so right here.

The NBA’s most unlikely heist … Jeff David’s life was seemingly perfect in August 2018 — the former chief revenue officer for the Sacramento Kings had just landed a sweet gig with the Miami Heat. But as the moving vans arrived, so did the FBI — and they came bearing evidence of a scheme in which David stole more money than some players earned in a year. For today’s ESPN Daily, Kevin Arnovitz joins Mina Kimes to discuss the unbelievable story of how David got away with the theft for so long — and how it all came crashing down. You can listen to it right here.

But wait! After you listen to the pod, check out Arnovitz’s wild story to get all of the ridiculous details. Read more

The king of G-rated trash talk … Philip Rivers talks a lot during games, but you won’t hear a curse word hit his lips; he’s devoutly religious. But that doesn’t stop him from heckling players off the field. He’ll just do so politely — and in some ways, that makes it more effective than if he were dropping every swear in existence. Here’s how he has made himself a trash talk king without the biggest weapons in a typical arsenal. Read more

Eight teams, six spots … By Bill Barnwell’s count, eight teams have a legitimate chance of making the playoffs in the NFC. The problem, of course, is that only six of those teams can make it. Who’s going to be left out when it’s all said and done? Barnwell has the breakdown. Read More

How Tua changed Alabama football forever … Tua Tagovailoa’s career at Alabama is likely over after a devastating hip injury this past weekend. The image of him being helped off the field was a stark contrast to the story of his time with the Crimson Tide, where he had performed near-superhuman acts of athleticism on a regular basis … and in the process, had a dramatic effect on one of the most storied programs in college football. Read More

Houston has liftoff … The whole Harden-Westbrook reunion has worked out just fine for the Rockets, who are blasting up our weekly NBA power rankings. Last week, they were No. 10; this week, the list of teams that stand between them and the No. 1 spot is dwindling. Here are our full NBA power rankings — including a bottom-ranked team that would have been a shocker mere months ago. Read More

Davy Gallon submits his claim for knockout of the year when he finishes Ross Pearson at Probellum MMA in England.

“I came up short. That’s life. Tough s—.”

— Ben Askren, after announcing his retirement, on whether he should have made the UFC earlier in his career. Watch

On this date in 2004, the Pacers and Pistons (and some fans) engaged in one of the biggest brawls in sports history. Known as “The Malice at the Palace,” its one saving grace is that it occurred before social media was a thing.

UEFA Euro qualifiers (2:45 p.m. ET, ESPN2/ESPN App): Qualifiers for the 2020 UEFA European championships continue today, with Wales and Hungary on ESPN2 and the rest, including Germany-Northern Ireland and Belgium-Cyprus, on the ESPN App.

Eastern Michigan vs. Northern Illinois (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2): The MACtion is on tonight, with both the Eagles and Huskies coming off wins last week. MACtion is an awesome phrase, and we like to take as many opportunities to say it as possible. MACtion. MACtion!

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