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Defector

Giri Nathan

Karolina Muchova of Czechia and Coco Gauff of United States interact at the net following their Ladies' Singles semifinal match on day eleven of The Championships Wimbledon 2026 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 09, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Tennis

Karolina Muchova And Coco Gauff Played A Tiebreak Neither Will Forget

Tom Ley

Marina Mabrey smiles during her game against the LA Sparks

WNBA

Marina Mabrey Got 53 The Fun Way

Billy Haisley

Lionel Messi of Argentina celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group J match between Argentina and Austria.

Soccer

Lionel Messi Falls To Earth, Ascends Right Back Into The Sky

Israel Daramola

I Have Been Olivia Miles-Pilled

Fernando Tatis Jr. looks relieved after hitting a homer

Fernando Tatis Jr. Finally Hit A Damn Homer

<p>Staff Writer</p>
<p>Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19</p>


Chris Thompson

James Wood is drenched in water after a Nationals win.

James Wood Will Mightily Thwap The Baseball In Whichever Direction He Pleases

Kathryn Xu

Dominic Smith of the Atlanta Braves scores after a throwing error by Owen Caissie.

Oh No! Outfielders Have Forgotten How To Play Defense!

Victor Wembanyama dunks over Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams

My God, Victor Wembanyama

Kelsey McKinney

Oneil Cruz swings, the ball touching his bat on the sweet spot just in front of home plate.

Bonk! This Ball Went Somewhere New!

14: Mason Miller #22 of the San Diego Padres pitches during the ninth inning.

Mason Miller Is Blowing Everyone Away

jackson merrill stretches up above the outfield fence to steal a home run ball

The Robberies Have Begun Again

Victor Wembanyama holds up a finger, possibly in celebration.

Victor Wembanyama Fattened Up At The Shrimp Buffet

Forward Scottie Barnes #4 of the Toronto Raptors blocks guard Desmond Bane #3 of the Orlando Magic and forward Sandro Mamukelashvili #54 of the Toronto Raptors as the Toronto Raptors beat the Orlando Magic 139-87 in a game that included a 31-0 run by the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. March 29, 2026.

The Raptors’ 31-0 Run Was As Gross As It Was Great To Behold

Braylon Mullins of the UConn Huskies celebrates after hitting the game-winner against Duke.

College Basketball

Two Dazed Freshmen Authored The Tournament’s Immortal Moment

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Amaya Battle #3 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers celebrates with her team after making a go-ahead shot against the Ole Miss Rebels in the fourth quarter during a second round game of the 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament held at Williams Arena on March 22, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Minnesota’s Buzzer-Beater Sounded Like Home

Barry Petchesky

BUFFALO, NEW YORK - MARCH 12: Tage Thompson #72 of the Buffalo Sabres follows through on his shot during an NHL game against the Washington Capitals on March 12, 2026 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images)

That Puck Must Have Said Something About Tage Thompson’s Mother

Ray Ratto

Scott Sabourin of the Tampa Bay Lightning fights Sam Carrick of the Buffalo Sabres on March 8, 2026. The shadows look cool.

The Sabres And Lightning Brawled, Scored, And Cemented A Wild New Rivalry

Victor Wembanyama celebrates while headed to the bench.

Wait, Whoa, The Spurs Are Way Ahead Of Schedule

LIVIGNO, ITALY - FEBRUARY 15: Ikuma Horishima of Team Japan crosses the finish line backwards after a fall as he competes in the Men's Dual Moguls 1/8 Finals against Nick Page of Team United States (not pictured) on day nine of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Livigno Air Park on February 15, 2026 in Livigno, Italy. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

Olympics

This Backward Guy Medaled

Dave McKenna

Caleb Williams #18 of the Chicago Bears celebrates after an NFL Wild Card game against the Green Bay Packers

The Bears Live For The Fourth Quarter

Lauren Theisen

Macklin Celebrini #71 of the San Jose Sharks skates with the puck against the Los Angeles Kings during the third period at Crypto.com Arena on January 07, 2026 in Los Angeles, California

Here’s The Latest Cool Thing That Macklin Celebrini Did

EDMONTON, CANADA - DECEMBER 21: Connor McDavid #97 of the Edmonton Oilers shields the puck from Jeremy Lauzon #5 of the Vegas Golden Knights during the second period of the game at Rogers Place on December 21, 2025, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Leila Devlin/Getty Images)

Connor McDavid, Speed Demon

Defector Staff

Fans cheer as Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers bats during the third inning against the Milwaukee Brewers in game one of the National League Championship Series at American Family Field on October 13, 2025 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Year In Review

Our Favorite Sports Moments Of 2025

Audi Crooks #55 of the Iowa State Cyclones takes a shot as Layla Hays #12 of the Iowa Hawkeyes blocks in the first half of play at Hilton Coliseum on December 10, 2025, in Ames, Iowa.