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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.

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Defector

The Defector Crewneck Sweatshirt Is Back In Stock

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Merch v3

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<div><span id="m_-2092141782617832424gmail-docs-internal-guid-bb27737d-7fff-3697-05d8-6ce69444e1e4">Mike Sielski is the author of four books, including Magic in the Air: The Myth, the Mystery, and the Soul of the Slam Dunk and The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality. He has been a sports columnist for The Philadelphia Inquirer and Inquirer.com since 2013 and was formerly a reporter at The Wall Street Journal.</span></div>
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Mike Sielski

David Lattin (42) and a Texas Western teammate compete for control of a rebound as Kentucky's Tommy Kron, left, and Pat Riley , right, look on during the 1966 NCAA Photos via Getty Images Championship. Texas Western defeated Kentucky 72-65 for the championship title and was the first team to have an.. all-.black starting five compete in the NCAA final

NCAA Photos Archive

Book Excerpts That Don't Suck

How The Dunk Was Banned

Normal Gossip: portraits

Alex Sujong Laughlin

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Ray Ratto

<p>Staff Writer</p>
<p>Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.09</p>


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Chris Thompson


<p>charismatic megafauna (they/them)</p>


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Sabrina Imbler

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Kathryn Xu

Providence-based band The Whelks, which is composed of at least two Defector subscribers.

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Defector Reads A Book

‘The Artist’s Way’ Week 9: We Are Annoyed

A gamer wears a gem head decoration that was handed out at the SIMS exhibit in the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) at the Los Angeles Convention Center on June 16, 2010 in Los Angeles, California.

E3 Expo Showcases Latest In Computer And Video Games

‘The Artist’s Way’ Week 8: We Are Burnt-Out Sims

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Rachelle Hampton

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Brandy Jensen

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David Roth

A woman walks in front of a mural depicting writer Octavia Butler in Nairobi, Kenya. The Defector Reads A Book badge is at upper right.

A woman walks in front of a mural depicting writer Octavia Butl

Octavia E. Butler’s ‘Parable Of The Sower’ Confronts What Comes After The End

Mercury astronauts in simulated weightless flight in C-131 aircraft flying trajectory at Wright Air Development Center, Ohio, 1959.

Mercury Astronauts

‘The Artist’s Way’ Week 7: The Third-Quarter Slump

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Patrick Redford

Sir John Falstaff On A Visit To His Friend Page, At Windsor. From The Merry Wives Of Windsor, By William Shakespeare. Drawn And Etched By George Cruikshank. From The Illustrated Library Shakspeare, Published London 1890. (Photo by: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)