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This is Defector, a new sports blog and media company. We made this place together, we own it together, we run it together. Without access, without favor, without discretion, and without interference.

Defector

Culture Writer

Israel Daramola

College Football

Lane Kiffin’s Decision To Abandon Ole Miss Was Actually Smart And Good, According To Lane Kiffin

Patrick Redford

Los Angeles, CA - May 11: Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell (25) drives past Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura (28) in game four of the second round of the NBA playoffs in Los Angeles, CA on Monday, May 11, 2026. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Heaven Help Us, The Thunder Have Yet Another Dude

charismatic megafauna (they/them)

Sabrina Imbler

a photo of a remora fish with its head buried inside the cloaca of a manta ray

Creaturefector

What Are You Doing In There, Fish?

<a href="https://katedries.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://katedries.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1778682596117000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0nTLmZnCJ7W_WrwEZAFeZH">Kate Dries</a> is the Executive Editor of Dwell. She previously worked at VICE, Jezebel, BuzzFeed and WBEZ, and has written for many other publications.

Kate Dries

Anna Wintour and Meryl Streep attends the world premiere of The Devil Wears Prada 2

Arts And Culture

The Devil Wears Prada, Too

Leander Schaerlaeckens is a long-time soccer writer, currently contributing to The Guardian and elsewhere. He is the author of <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/722130/the-long-game-by-leander-schaerlaeckens/">The Long Game: U.S. Men&#8217;s Soccer and its Savage, Four-Decade Journey to the Top, or Thereabouts</a>. He teaches journalism and sports communication at Marist University. He will cover his fourth World Cup in 2026.

A photo of the author Leander Schaerlaeckens taken by Asha Fuller.

Leander Schaerlaeckens

USA COACH VELIBOR MILUTINOVIC SALUTES THE CROWD AFTER THEIR 2-1 VICTORY OVER COLOMBIA.

Book Excerpts That Don't Suck

When Team USA Needed To Get World Cup Ready, It Needed Boraball

Maitreyi Anantharaman

A'ja Wilson #22 of the Las Vegas Aces drives to the basket against Cameron Brink #22 of the Los Angeles Sparks during the first half of their game at Crypto.com Arena on May 10, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.

WNBA

Cameron Brink Is All Tangled Up

DENVER , CO - APRIL 27: Christian Braun (0) of the Denver Nuggets celebrates making a three pointer against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the fourth quarter of the Nuggets' 125-113 win in game five of their NBA Playoffs series on Monday, April 27, 2026. The Timberwolves lead 3-2 as they head back to Minneapolis for game six. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)

Podcasts

The Father Who Stepped Back, With Tom Krell

Ben Dowsett is a freelance technology and sports nerd based in Utah. His other recent work can be found at Wired, ESPN and elsewhere.

Ben Dowsett

Scientists look at a digital rendering of a basketball player taking a jumper

Can The Jumper Be Hacked? Inside Basketball’s Next Arms Race

Kathryn Xu

Cal Raleigh #29 of the Seattle Mariners reacts at bat.

“Big Dumper” Now Apt For More Depressing Reason

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19

Chris Thompson

G-Wiz, the mascot of the Washington Wizards, stands courtside.

Bum-Ass Franchise Wins Last-Ditch Pot Of Gold After Years Of Self-Exile

Lauren Theisen

Cole Caufield #13 of the Montreal Canadiens celebrates after scoring a goal

The Montreal Crowd Claimed A Victory

Mason Westfall

The Machines

The Claude Delusion

Dancers of the Monte-Carlo ballet wait to perform on stage on the Opening Night of the "Ma Bayadere" ballet show, a creation by French dancer and choreographer Jean-Christophe Maillot, in Monaco, on December 26, 2025. The show will take place from December 27, 2025 until January 4, 2026 at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.

Crosswords

The Crossword, May 11: She’s A Rainbow

Giri Nathan

Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks drives to the basket during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers during Round Two Game One of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on May 4, 2026 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)

Interviews

Longtime NBA Photographer Nathaniel S. Butler Explains How He Sees Basketball

Ray Ratto

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - CIRCA 1990: The Rocky statue stands atop the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1990. The statue of fictional character Rocky Balboa, as portrayed by actor Sylvester Stallone, was created for and used in the Rocky III movie. It was later located outside the Spectrum at the South Philadelphia Sports Complex. In 1990, it was temporarily moved to the top of the museum steps, which feature prominently in the original Rocky film, for the filming of Rocky V. In 2006, the statue was moved to a grassy area at street level on museum grounds. (Photo by James Drake/Getty Images)

Philadelphia Continues To Innovate In The Field Of Losing

Stephen Curry (30) speaks with coach Steve Kerr during the first half of Game 6 of the NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Toronto Raptors in Oakland, California, on Thursday, June 13, 2019.

Steve Kerr Hasn’t Had Enough Just Yet

Tom Ley

The Timberwolves Were Elbowed And Kicked Back Into The Series

Kelsey McKinney

jeff probst snuffs Ozzy's torch in Survivor 50

Jeff Probst Is Ruining ‘Survivor 50’

Brandy Jensen

Finally, An Austen-ish Adaptation Worth Watching

shiny gold statue of turmp against a blue sky

Politics

Pastor Clarifies That Giant, Shiny Trump Statue Worshippers Love Is NOT An Idol

Owen Lewis is a former Defector intern and has written for The Guardian, The Second Serve, The Athletic, n+1, Texas Monthly, Air Mail, and other publications.

Owen Lewis

Boxing

Fabio Wardley Was Too Brave For His Own Good

David Roth

A photo of a bunch of old-timey green barstools with the cover of the NYRB Classics edition of Robert Coover's Universal Baseball Association in the middle and the Defector Reads A Book logo at left.

Defector Reads A Book

You Are Hereby Invited To Join The Universal Baseball Association

A'ja Wilson #22 of the Las Vegas Aces shoots over Alanna Smith #8 of the Dallas Wings

Role Players, Ring Chasers, And A Shadow GM: Your Guide To The 2026 WNBA Season

DETROIT, MICHIGAN - MAY 07: James Harden #1 of the Cleveland Cavaliers looks on during the second quarter of a game against the Detroit Pistons in Game Two of the Second Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena on May 07, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

James Harden Is Powering Down

Luis Paez-Pumar

Federico Valverde #8 and Aurelien Tchouameni #14 of Real Madrid C.F. react following the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 semi-final match between Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid CF at MetLife Stadium on July 09, 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.