The ESPN Daily: Bronny faces LeBron’s alma mater, the Patriots sign a viral star and the Jets’ very own video game
There’s a whole heap of sports on this weekend, but very little college football. It’s that weird, fallow period right between the end of the regular season and the beginning of the bowls. What do most people do when they’ve got free time on Saturday? Probably like … socialize or something. Can you even imagine? Anyway, here’s today’s ESPN Daily:
Bronny vs. Bron … LeBron James’ son is playing against his high school alma mater on Saturday night, and it’s one you’re gonna want to watch. Bronny James is an exceptional basketball talent (although, given how stacked Sierra Canyon High School is, he’s fighting for playing time), and his father plans on being there to watch him strut his stuff.
“St. Vincent-St. Mary is when I became — people started to recognize me from a national standpoint. For it to be 15 years later, and my son is about to play a high school game versus my alma mater, in my home state — the only thing that would have been more emotional is that if my son was playing St. Vincent-St. Mary at the LeBron James Arena in Akron. That would have been like — I think it would have been too much.”
— LeBron James, on his son playing against his alma mater
Safe to say, LeBron is pumped. And why wouldn’t he be? After all, the current high school basketball landscape is largely a result of his influence. In today’s episode of the ESPN Daily podcast, Brian Windhorst joins Mina Kimes to talk about how LeBron blazed a trail for his son.
Belichick finds talent in unusual places … I have this thing about trick shot videos where I can’t see past the artifice. Sure, it’s impressive when a dude throws a basketball over his head off the top of a stadium roof and hits nothing but net a few hundred feet below. But given that same dude has probably attempted the shot hundreds of times in a row over the course of a single miserable afternoon, it just seems like an object lesson in probability — that even things with an extremely low chance of happening will definitely happen if you try them enough times. No, I’m not fun at parties.
Anyway, I was reminded of this when the Patriots decided to sign kicker Josh Gable to their practice squad. Gable is primarily known as a trick-shot kicker, banging kicks off distant lampposts and the like on social media, but he’s got experience kicking in spring and indoor football and played soccer in Europe. I’ve long since learned to trust Bill Belichick’s ideas on football, so you won’t see me complaining.
The coaching carousel … There’s one constant at the end of every NFL season: A bunch of coaches will be given their walking papers, and their jobs will subsequently be open to someone who’ll promise to turn around the franchise (and probably won’t, but that’s just because coaching a football team is extremely difficult). Bill Barnwell has identified nine potential openings for prospective head coaches next season, ranked from least to most desirable. Then, next year, with a likely similar number of openings (some from the same teams!), he’ll do it all over again.
Rashaan Salaam’s burden to carry … Winning the Heisman Trophy is a huge honor for college football’s best players, but it carries with it incredible expectations — expectations that aren’t always easy to live up to. For 1994 winner Rashaan Salaam, he knew what winning the trophy entailed, to the point where he didn’t want it to happen. But his performance — 2,055 yards in a single season — put him ahead of such luminaries as Warren Sapp and Kerry Collins.
Salaam will be honored during Saturday’s Heisman ceremony, but as part of a remembrance. Elizabeth Merrill has the story of Salaam’s difficult life — and tragic death.
New York Jets: Battle Royale The NFL’s embrace of technology has led to some massive improvements in both analytics and performance, but the Jets are taking it to the next level. Inside a big, colorless room in their practice facility, their defense has a players-only meeting once a week in which they play through their upcoming matchup, video game-style. Part Madden, part virtual reality, it’s an extremely strange sight — and might be a big reason their defense has overachieved this season. We’ve got the inside story
The best of the decade … The past 10 years have seen an embarrassment of riches for future sports highlight reel compilations. Remember LeBron’s all-time great Finals block? What about the thunderous second fight between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz? We’ve got a collection of the best players and moments from across the 2010s sports world for you to appreciate:
Steph Curry’s most outstanding shots
College football’s best players
Zion, Jimmer, and more: College hoops’ top players
“I certainly understand the fans asking questions. I got the guy at frickin’ Whole Foods asking me about the 2-point play. I looked at him, the guy in the meat section, and I said, ‘Hey, your steaks don’t look too good right now. Worry about your frickin’ meat.'”
— Sean Payton, on a fan asking him about a failed 2-point conversion in Sunday’s loss Read more
On this date in 1997, Charles Woodson became the first primarily defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy. The best part: his emotional reaction to his win. Watch
Lakers at Heat (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Golden Knights at Stars (8 p.m. ET, ESPN+)
Devils vs. Avalanche (9 p.m. ET, ESPN+)
Clippers at Timberwolves (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Eastern Kentucky at No. 1 Louisville (men’s basketball, Saturday, noon ET, ACC Network)
No. 10 Oregon at No. 5 Michigan (men’s basketball, Saturday, noon ET, CBS)
No. 16 Michigan State at Oakland (men’s basketball, Saturday, noon ET, ESPN2)
Army vs. No. 23 Navy (college football, Saturday, 3 p.m. ET, CBS)
Delaware at No. 20 Villanova (men’s basketball, Saturday, 2 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
No. 13 Memphis at No. 19 Tennessee (men’s basketball, Saturday, 3 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Saint Louis at No. 12 Auburn (men’s basketball, Saturday, 4 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
No. 22 Seton Hall at Rutgers (men’s basketball, Saturday, 4 p.m. ET, BTN)
No. 23 Xavier at Wake Forest (men’s basketball, Saturday, 4 p.m. ET, ACC Network)
UMKC at No. 2 Kansas (men’s basketball, Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+)
Georgia Tech at No. 8 Kentucky (men’s basketball, Saturday, 5 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Drake at No. 14 Dayton (men’s basketball, Saturday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN+)
Heisman Trophy ceremony (Saturday, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Sierra Canyon (CA) vs. St. Vincent’s-St. Mary’s (OH) (high school boys basketball, Saturday, 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN App)
Crawford vs. Kavaliauskas (Saturday, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN)
UFC 245: Usman vs. Covington (Saturday, 10 p.m. ET, ESPN PPV)
No. 6 Gonzaga at No. 15 Arizona (men’s basketball, Saturday, 10 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
Juventus vs. Udinese (Sunday, 8:50 a.m. ET, ESPN+)
No. 7 Louisville at No. 14 Kentucky (women’s basketball, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Wofford at No. 17 North Carolina (men’s basketball, Sunday, 4 p.m. ET, ACC Network)
No. 3 Ohio State at Minnesota (men’s basketball, Sunday, 6:30 p.m. ET, BTN)
I’m not a Cavaliers fan, but I think that LeBron block was my absolute favorite moment of the past decade. Just … the timing and athleticism and sheer chutzpah involved in even considering making that block at that time, when you’re at the very end of an exhausting season? Spectacular. This has been your ESPN Daily for Friday, Dec. 13, 2019.