…This tournament is going to be the best. USA Basketball just announced their FIBA Women’s World Cup team, and it’s stacked. Don’t be surprised, however, if France takes it all. (Though they’ll never have Sue Bird on the TODAY show announcing the roster.) You can check out the rosters here. And oh yeah, if you’re mad Olivia Miles or Kelsey Mitchell didn’t make the cut, they weren’t in training camps so they weren’t able to be evaluated on the same level as the others. No need to get mean in the comments section about it. 

If you’re in the mood for retail therapy, these are the best sneaker releases of the month, thanks to Andscape. I’m not in love with any of them, and no, I’m not totally sure I’m not just telling myself that so I don’t consider buying any. 

Vogue’s Nick Remsen hung out with Spanish forward Ferran Torres and they talked about wine, the viral moment at Spain’s parade where he wore a “Make Spain Great Again” hat, and enjoying the fame thing. It’s an interesting look into the life of someone who, for me, is somewhat of a confusing figure. Then again, a lot of people confuse me, so... 

If you’ve ever wondered about the consumer taste and design decisions of professional athletes, our friends Madeline Hill and Charlotte Wilder of the Sports Gossip Show have been on a generational run. Their latest investigations: why do all athlete’s houses all look the same? And Madeline’s Substack, Impersonal Foul, what is with LeBron’s inspirational posts (positive)? 

2027 Super Bowl Week is not basically a festival of games, thanks to the NWSL’s season debut at Sofi Stadium just three days before the big game. Commissioner Jessica Berman said the league is focused on building on the momentum of that week, while also building some tentpole events into the season to fold into broadcast deals. Dare I say, NWSL All-Star Weekend??????? 

The dog days of summer are usually a time when I have to dig deep. But this week, I’m counting my blessings that everyone was a little bit weird, because there’s a lot of funny, peculiar, bizarre, surreal content to cover. It’s probably because our brains are all boiling in this heat, but the reasons aren’t important. Let’s get into it. 

First thing’s first, someone leaked an alleged video of LaMelo Ball’s Charlotte penthouse apartment and I have thoughts. I’m not saying LaMelo Ball was the kid who always knew where to get illegal paraphernalia in high school, but I’m not saying he wasn’t that kid, either. No shame in your house looking like a smoke shop, people love posting up outside of those and hanging out.

One of the silliest traditions in sports came to be because of “DodgeBall” (the film, not the playground game). Do you know about ESPN8: The Ocho? Since 2017 ESPN has spent the month of August telling stories around and broadcasting some of the most unknown sporting events. T-Rex races, cornhole, spinning, disc golf. The Ocho’s got it all. Happy diez anniversary, Ocho!

Kelsey Plum’s tenure in Phoenix is starting strong. Not only did ex-Spark score 20 and then 19 in her first two games, on Wednesday night she went viral for bear-hugging Atlanta Dream head coach Karl Smesko. It’s probably my favorite sports moment of the week. 

Where is the last place you’d ever see the Queen of Fashion? A New York Liberty basketball game? Guess again!!! Anna Wintour was there! Realistically the answer is a Connecticut Sun game, since they play in a random casino in the small town of Uncasville. But this was a close second, until last night. Anyway, I was watching her during the Ellie wave and she did not participate. 

As an AI-hater, a story that was particularly peculiar (but eye-opening and interesting) was this piece in the Guardian by Tumaini Carayol about how pro tennis players (like Emma Raducanu and Iga Swiatek) are, and vehemently aren’t (like Frances Tiafoe and Naomi Osaka) using ChatGPT. No word on Carlos Alcaraz’s stance, but if someone was going to say those braids were a good idea, it was probably AI.

I love “Hard Knocks.” If you aren’t watching it, you should be. But I do have to warn you about Seahawks’ head coach Mike Macdonald, who’s the main focus so far this season (one episode in). Not because he’s doing anything egregious, but because he is so awkward. It sounds like I’m being mean, but I’m not. I really enjoy watching him try to find the words during deep discussions with players. All he really wants to say is “let’s play football” and sometimes that’s all he says, but there’s something so endearing about witnessing him search for something more. These moments aren’t few and far between, but he also tells some great stories. I won’t spoil episodes, but he tells a great one about Rex Ryan. Go steal an HBO login and watch. 

If you didn’t know, the Washington Mystics have dubbed themselves the “Young Hoes.” Their words, not mine! They are one of basketball’s most fun teams right now — because of the product on the court, yes, but also because of the personalities off it. This clip of Sonia Citron explaining the name is a must-watch. And this clip of reporter Jackie Powell and the Mystics’ Lauren Betts went viral the other day because of the matter-of-fact tone the phrase is being used in. 

The dog days of summer have been eventful for NBA players especially. They’re obviously in their offseason, but they’re not really slowing down.

Their travel schedule hasn’t let up. 

They’re still studying film. 

Overcoming obstacles. 

And their hydration is still top of mind. 

The team bonding is still as important as ever. 

Follow me on TikTok, where I’m finally posting, five years late. 

Hit up a major leaguer for some batting practice a la Ed Sheeran. 

Buy Caitlin Clark’s favorite Wilson basketball.