My Sports Ins and Outs For 2026

…And Coulibaly; France’s next best painter plays in the NBA. Ok, he may not be there yet, but I believe in him. Watch how Wizards’ Bilal Coulibaly uses art to meditate. And then maybe do some of your own meditating after a holiday with the family. 

If you were watching football this week and wondering why the Santa suits looked so fresh, you can thank designer Nigel Xavier and Netflix. I know Santa’s agent reads this newsletter, so let’s get Xavier and her (bet you thought I was going to say him) in touch for next year. 

One year ago, Wemby played chess in Washington Square Park with a bunch of random park goers. Molly Morrison handled the post-game interview with the French phenom, and wrote about it for the one year anniversary. Also, since we’re talking about Vic, is he for everyone? My answer is: yes. 

'Tis the season of a year wrap-up. Here are 8 of the best sports storylines of 2025. Great underrated stories, to be honest, though, I think we could stand to include some more women. Here are all the things we learned about sports, from Yahoo. 

Scientists are studying the olympic gymnast to credentialed NFL photographer evolution we’ve seen. First it was Suni Lee photographing her hometown team, the Minnesota Vikings, and then this Sunday, it was Simone Biles, who photographed her husband’s team, the Chicago Bears. Scientists are me, by the way.

One of the best things about gearing up for the start of a new year is that you get to make as many lists as you want. They can be about anything. The best type of list, though, is the ‘Ins and Outs’ list. If you aren’t familiar, these are things each list’s author is embracing and rejecting in the coming new year. Here’s my 2026 Ins and Outs list for sports. 

Ins

-Hoopers randomly tickling opponents at the FT line

-Pop-Tarts

-Acknowledging this moment might be as good as it ever gets for your team, and that’s ok. 

-Paige Bueckers’ logo

-Fights (no one gets hurt)

-Side quests (for me, ‘Rubik’s Cube,’ for Scottie Barnes, the theater)

-Having me on your podcast 

-Corey Kispert

-More Caleb Hearon and Kylie Kelce collabs

-The Seahawks. More specifically, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Nick Emmanwori 

-Proper (and fun) studio shows, like Good Morning Football

-Aging (hashtag it’s lowkey a blessing)

Outs 

-Hot takes and hateration

-Firing coaches after 2 years

-Paying for too many streaming services (we can make a difference if we all do it together…who is with me???)

-Contract disputes (Please, WNBA, I’ll do anything) 

-The Marty Supreme jacket (unless I get one) 

-Inauthentic celebrity/athlete endorsements (no shade, get that money, but they’re starting to lose their luster) 

We are in the midst of a strange phenomenon. It’s one I expect we will see more of in 2026, unless the NCAA remembers it's in charge of stuff. 

Last week, NBA player James Nnaji announced he’d join men’s Baylor college hoops. As a player. Leaving everyone really confused. Because Nnaji, who was drafted 31st by the Pistons (and played in summer league for the Knicks), never signed an NBA contract, he’s allowed to go back to school. [Billy Madison voice].

Now, some reports claim the Bulls’ Trentyn Flowers would follow suit. And it gave fans pause, because Flowers actually played NBA minutes. Apparently there’s a loophole that might allow it all to go down. Except after the reports that five schools were interested in Flowers came out, at least three of those same schools denied the claim. So now, everyone’s more confused. 

They’re also really mad at the NCAA. For a lot of reasons, actually. 

For reasons I assume involve fans being brutal, James Nnaji is now private on Instagram. Some people are blaming the retirement of many legendary coaches’ on this. 

My biggest question is: do these guys remember this means they have to go to school again? Maybe they do. Maybe they love higher learning and figured they could play basketball and keep writing essays? 

I don’t have the answers, and I don’t know what is or is not ethical here. Or even what’s true. I am simply presenting you with the facts. Plus, as I mentioned above, hot takes are out in 2026, so that’s all I got to say on the matter.