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

Albert Burneko

Was Ben Simmons, In Fact, “Ready To Take Threes Now”? (No.)

Thunder rookie Theo Maladon, missing a layup with no one near him

Thunder Rookie Spends 20 Seconds In The Depths Of Slapstick Hell

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19

Chris Thompson

Stephen Silas projects pure misery in post-game presser.

Rockets Head Coach Stephen Silas Is Enduring The Torments Of Hell

Russell Westbrook walks toward the center court logo during another Wizards loss.

Russell Westbrook Sure Knows How To Lose A Basketball Game

Marvin Bagley III pulls a face while losing the ball to Zion Williamson

Here Are Some More Young NBA Players Who Are Butt

Patrick Redford

Meyers Leonard taking a call right before cutting the stream off.

Meyers Leonard Suspended By NBA, Banned By Twitch For Heated Gaming Moment

Lauren Theisen

screencaps from AEW Dynamite and Mavericks-Spurs

Pro Wrestling

NBA Arena Audio Somehow Invaded AEW’s Broadcast And Ruined A Match

Dan McQuade was a founding member of Defector. He died in January 2026.

Dan McQuade

This is the screen you see when there are only 55,000 people ahead of you in line for a NBA Top Shot pack.

A Short, Lucrative, And Depressing Journey Into NBA Top Shot

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 03: Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers passes the ball during their game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on January 03, 2021 in San Francisco, California. 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 Ezra Shaw/undefined)

Damian Lillard Is Unstoppable Right Now, As Usual

Media Meltdowns

Hoops Comedy Doofus Apologizes After Challenging Kyrie Irving To Fight Over Dumb Video

Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers drives to the basket over LeBron James

Joel Embiid Says LeBron Should Have Gotten Ejected, Is Immediately Undermined By His Own Coach

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 12: Jamal Murray #27 of the Denver Nuggets in action against the Golden State Warriors during their NBA preseason game at Chase Center on December 12, 2020 in San Francisco, California. 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 Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Jamal Murray Once Again Has The Juice

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 27: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers wears a face mask on the bench in a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Staples Center on December 27, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. 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 aImages License Agreement. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

The NBA’s Bold New Plan To Deal With Increasing COVID-19 Cases Is Seating Chart Theater And No Hugging

<div class="author-header-content">
Charles P. Pierce is a writer at Esquire and the author of four books, most recently Idiot America, and has been a working journalist since 1976. He lives near Boston with his wife but no longer his three children.
&nbsp;
</div>
<div class="author-header-shares"></div>

Charles P. Pierce

K.C. Jones Always Owned The Room

HOUSTON, TEXAS - JANUARY 02: John Wall #1 of the Houston Rockets controls the ball during the fourth quarter of a game against the Sacramento Kings at Toyota Center on January 02, 2021 in Houston, Texas. 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 Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

John Wall Is Once Again A Basketball Player

Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue looks confused and distressed.

Things Are Going Extremely Normally For The Clippers

Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz looks miserable.

NBA Big Men Are Not Yet Dunking With Mid-Season Form

Old-time basketball players, in what appears to be an alley in Los Angeles maybe

A Timely Preview Of The 2020-21 NBA Season, Which I Feel Confident Is Not Underway Yet

dribbles the ball against the Boston Celtics at the Barclays Center on November 15, 2012 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. 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. The Nets defeated the Celtics 102-97.

Report: It’s Just The Preseason, But Man, It Looks Like Our Team Got The Best Player In The Draft

Giri Nathan

Defector Up All Night

James Harden Came Home

<a href="https://twitter.com/PeteCroatto" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://twitter.com/PeteCroatto&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1664986664225000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1IOCSnf8b8k47CXUQY8Wml">Pete Croatto </a>is the author of <a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/From-Hang-Time-to-Prime-Time/Pete-Croatto/9781982103958" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/From-Hang-Time-to-Prime-Time/Pete-Croatto/9781982103958&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1664986664225000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0qtPVCYdWjoWnj-HRERk_r">From Hang Time to Prime Time: Business, Entertainment, and the Birth of the Modern-day NBA</a>. His sportswriting has appeared in many outlets, including The New York Times, The Athletic, The Toronto Star, Andscape, Shondaland, and SLAM.

Pete Croatto

Walt Clyde Frazier the man, left, holds Walt Clyde Frazier the sneaker, right.

Book Excerpts That Don't Suck

Walt “Clyde” Frazier, The Clydes, And The Invention Of NBA Cool

at Sleep Train Arena on December 28, 2012 in Sacramento, California. 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.

This Is So Stupid

Here Are The Worst Games On The NBA Schedule (So Far)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 12: John Wall of the Washington Wizards sits on the bench in the first half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on February 12, 2020 in New York City. 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 Elsa/Getty Images)

John Wall Wants The Wizards To Trade Him, Just As I Want The ESO’s Gigantic Quad-Laser To Vaporize My Corporeal Self

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 10: Chris Paul #3 of the Oklahoma City Thunder is pressured by Jevon Carter #4 of the Phoenix Suns during the second quarter at The Field House at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 10, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. 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 Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

The Suns Are Betting On Chris Paul And Their 8-0 Run In The Bubble

Projected 2020 lottery pick James Wiseman looks up.

basketball