CULTURE

Footer Column 2

Footer Legal

Footer Main

Nav Bar

OTHER

SPORTS

Subscribe, at any level, to play

Thanks for your interest in Defector Crosswords!

Become a subscriber today to get unlimited access

Thanks for reading!

Plans start at $8/month.

Subscribers enjoy unlimited, ad-free browsing.

Register to continue

Or click here to subscribe for unlimited, ad-free access!

Our gift to you: This year's post is unlocked. Register your email to get even more free articles.

Welcome to the 2025 Hater's Guide!

Just register your email:

This blog is free to read.

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

Alex Sujong Laughlin

Podcasts

Zakiya Gibbons Goes Speed-Dating

David Roth

This December 16, 2016 photo illustration taken in Washington, DC. shows the definition for the word "Surreal" in a copy of the Webster's Desktop Dictionary.

The Man Who Defined “Sheeple,” With Stefan Fatsis

Patrick Redford

A Brief Tour Through The Bad Parts Of The NBA, With Ock Sportello

Jae Towle Vieira [they/them] works as a producer for Normal Gossip. Their fiction has been published in The Normal School, New England Review, Carve Magazine, Passages North, Fairy Tale Review, and elsewhere.

Jae Towle Vieira

Who Said Malala Doesn’t Like To Gossip?

A screenshot of Matt Damon getting bad news from Paddy Considine in The Bourne Supremacy. The Distraction logo is at lower left.

Pretending To Be Someone Else In An Uber, With Rohan Nadkarni

No! Don't even think about setting a screen

A Deep Dive Into The Architect Of The Miami Heat’s Weird New Offense, With Rohan Nadkarni

US Chess grandmaster Hans Niemann speaks to the press in the run-up to the Tata Steel Chess Tournament in Wijk Aan Zee, on January 11, 2024. Niemann was previously accused of cheating by former world champion Norway's Magnus Carlsen, but the two have now ended their feud. (Photo by Olaf KRAAK / ANP / AFP) / Netherlands OUT

Why Did The Magnus Vs. Hans Cheating Scandal Shake The Chess World So Much?

Josh Plays Pickup Basketball

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays celebrates after hitting a solo home run in the first inning during Game Five of the 2025 World Series. The Distraction logo is at upper left and the light above the stadium is lovely.

I Like To Get A Solid 12 Hours

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)

Everything Is Gambling Now, With Liz Franczak

Shohei Ohtani rs rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers in game four of the National League Championship Series at Dodger Stadium on October 17, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. The Distraction logo is at upper left.

No That’s Too Good, With Justin Halpern

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?

Rax King Plays The Banjo

Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears looks on prior to an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium on October 13, 2025 in Landover, Maryland.

The Most Difficult Job In The World, With Seth Wickersham

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

People walk past an installation showcasing the Riyadh Comedy Festival at Boulevard City in the Hittin neighborhood of Riyadh on October 6, 2025. The Distraction logo is at upper right.

Maxing Out The Candle Budget, With Eli Yudin

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

Sabrina Goes Hunting

Columnist. Author of many <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Drew-Magary/e/B001JS8R52/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_book_1">fine works of literature</a>, including Point B. Handsomest man in the world.

Drew Magary

Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers reacts during Game One of the American League Wild Card Series between the Detroit Tigers and the Cleveland Guardians.

Hunting For The Wettest Guys Of The MLB Playoffs, With Lauren Theisen

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

Head coach Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions looks on prior to an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears at Ford Field on September 14, 2025. The Distraction logo is at upper left.

Analytics, Feel, And The Bathroom Sandwich Scenario, With Andy Behrens And Christopher Harris

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)