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Defector

Patrick Redford

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 26: Daniel Naroditsky during Day 1 of the FIDE World Rapid Championship 2024 on December 26, 2024 in New York, NY. (Photo by Lennart Ootes/Getty Images)

Chess

Beloved Grandmaster Dies Suddenly Amid Harassment Campaign By His Former Idol

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - OCTOBER 25: VJ Edgecombe #77 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts against the Charlotte Hornets in the first half at Xfinity Mobile Arena on October 25, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 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 Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

The NBA’s Rookie Class Is Getting Straight To Work

FBI Director Kash Patel leads news conference to announce arrests tied to illegal sports betting and poker game schemes, in New York City on October 23, 2025. NBA coach Chauncey Billups of the Portland Trail Blazers and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier were arrested on Thursday for alleged involvement in illegal gambling. Billups, a former Detroit Pistons star and member of the NBA Hall of Fame, was arrested in connection with rigged illegal poker games tied to the Mafia, FBI Director Kash Patel said. Rozier and a former NBA player, Damon Jones, were arrested in a sports betting case, Patel said at a press conference in New York. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP)

Podcasts

Everything Is Gambling Now, With Liz Franczak

A detailed view of a hand holding a Fanduel Sports Network–branded microphone during an interview after the Detroit Pistons defeated the Boston Celtics on February 26, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan.

Gambling

The NBA Media Is Not Built To Cover A Gambling Scandal

Former Binance CEO Changpeng "CZ" Zhao arrives at federal court in Seattle, Washington, on April 30, 2024. Changpeng Zhao, the founder and former chief executive of Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, was sentenced today to four months in prison after he pleaded guilty to violating laws against money laundering. (Photo by Jason Redmond / AFP)

Capital

Donald Trump’s Crypto Corruption Machine Is Whirring Along At A Stunning Pace

OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA - OCTOBER 21: Steven Adams #12 of the Houston Rockets keeps control of the ball from Isaiah Hartenstein #55 of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half at Paycom Center on October 21, 2025 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 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 William Purnell/Getty Images)

Being Huge Is Cool Again

A crazy-ass map of the Thunder as Agentic basketball team

An Interview With The Guy Anthony Edwards Called “Fly As Fuck” While Giving Timothee Chalamet The White Boy Of The Year Award

KINGS03E-C-03JUN02-SP-CG --- Kings's Vlade Divac, lays on the floor as he fouls out in the final minutes of regulation. The Kings lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the final seconds of overtime at ARCO Arena in Sacramento, Ca. The Sacramento Kings played the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 7 of the NBA Western Conference Finals at Arco Arena in Sacramento, Ca., on Tuesday, May 28, 2002.

Were The 2002 NBA Western Conference Finals Really Fixed?

Albert Burneko

Giri Nathan

Israel Daramola

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Ray Ratto

Tom Ley

Male students playing basketball, Western High School, Washington, D.C., circa 1899

Harken Ye Unto The 2025–26 NBA Season Preview, Which Stands Before You

OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA - APRIL 6: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder drives to the basket around Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the second quarter at Paycom Center on April 6, 2025 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 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 William Purnell/Getty Images)

The 2024–25 NBA Season, Reviewed

Announcements

‘Only If You Get Caught’ Is One Week Away

On September 14, 2025, in Madrid, Spain, the Vuelta a Espana comes to an unprecedented halt as the final stage is canceled with 56 km to go due to large-scale pro-Palestinian protests in the heart of the Spanish capital.

Cycling

The Protests Against Israel–Premier Tech Worked

Cathy Vs. Phee In The Basketball Court Of Public Opinion, With Jordan Robinson And Maitreyi Anantharaman

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 18: The Free Press' Honestly with Bari Weiss (pictured) hosts Senator Ted Cruz presented by Uber and X on January 18, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for Uber, X and The Free Press)

Journalismism

Bari Weiss Signs Huge Deal To Usher CBS News Into Its Vichy Era

ASHDOD, ISRAEL - OCTOBER 02: Some ships and activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla, illegally seized by Israel, are brought to the Port of Ashdod (Usdud) under escort of Israeli naval vessels in Ashdod, Israel, on October 02, 2025. Israeli naval forces attacked 21 vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla since late Wednesday and detained at least 317 activists aboard, according to the official flotilla tracker. The detained activists are being transported to Israel's Ashdod Port, from which they will be deported to Europe, according to the Israeli Foreign Ministry. (Photo by Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Politics

Israel Breaks International Law So That It Can Continue To Starve Gaza

A Double Dose Of ‘Nothing But Respect,’ With Maitreyi Anantharaman And Max Wolf Friedlich

Chelsea Gray #12, A'ja Wilson #22, Megan Gustafson #17 and Jackie Young #0 of the Las Vegas Aces react as they are interviewed after the team's 107-98 overtime victory over the Indiana Fever in Game Five of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs semifinals at Michelob ULTRA Arena Michelob ULTRA Arena on September 30, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Aces won the series three games to two.

WNBA

The Aces’ Superstar Trio Is The Reason To Watch

Aliyah Boston #7 of the Indiana Fever celebrates the win after the game three of the first round of WNBA Playoffs between the Indiana Fever and Atlanta Dream at Gateway Center Arena on September 18, 2025 in College Park, Georgia. 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 Andrew J. Clark/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)

What Aliyah Boston Does Is Simple, But Not Easy

Defector At The Movies

‘HIM’ Is A Non-Starter

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JUNE 22: Head coach Sandy Brondello of the New York Liberty gestures during the first quarter of the game against the Seattle Storm at Climate Pledge Arena on June 22, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. 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 Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

New York Liberty Shock WNBA World By Firing Underperforming Coach

PARADISE, NEVADA - JULY 24: An aerial view of the construction site of New Las Vegas Stadium, the future home of the Athletics baseball team, on the site of the former Tropicana Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip, on July 24, 2025 in Paradise, Nevada. (Photo by Kirby Lee/Getty Images)

This Building Is A Bucket, With Ben Schneider

A'ja Wilson #22 of the Las Vegas Aces reacts against the Seattle Storm at Climate Pledge Arena on September 16, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. 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 Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

A’ja Wilson Is The Smoothest Operator

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks as he presents the new Meta Ray-Ban Display at the 2025 Meta Connect conference in Menlo Park, California, on September 17, 2025. (Photo by Benjamin LEGENDRE / AFP)

The Machines

Mark Zuckerberg Demonstrates That His AI Smart Glasses Suck And Don’t Work

A Dissection Of The Kawhi Leonard Scandal, With Noah Kulwin

On September 14, 2025, in Madrid, Spain, the Vuelta a Espana comes to an unprecedented halt as the final stage is canceled with 56 km to go due to large-scale pro-Palestinian protests in the heart of the Spanish capital. Despite a massive deployment of around 1,500 officers, demonstrators break through police barriers at Cibeles, chant ''Free Palestine,'' and block the race circuit. For security reasons, several pro-Israel sympathizers are escorted away from the area by Policia Nacional to prevent direct clashes. (Photo by Francesco Militello Mirto/NurPhoto)