The distance from Tropicana Field to George M. Steinbrenner Field is just over 20 miles, but the Tampa Bay Rays are embracing their new home that’s technically on the road.
One of the strangest ballpark transformations in MLB history will be realized by players and fans in West Florida on Friday afternoon, when the Rays play their first of 81 regular-season games inside the Yankees’ spring training home. New York welcomed Tampa Bay as its guest for the 2025 campaign in November, following devastation from Hurricane Milton that severely damaged Tropicana Field.
The unique transformation of Steinbrenner Field — which has a seating capacity of 11,026 — as the destination for Rays home games occurred earlier this week, and the multi-company project included rebranding the venue with more than 3,000 installation pieces.
The Rays shared videos of the Steinbrenner Field makeover ahead of their Opening Day meeting with the Colorado Rockies.
LeBron James is one of the greatest athletes in American history, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, the face of Team USA at the Olympics, an imposing figure with a legitimate claim to GOAT status.
The after-school slapfight metaphor is the right one; at a time when we have some incredibly compelling sports stories — the NCAA tournament, Opening Day, NBA playoff pushes, Alex Ovechkin’s Gretzky chase — the Stephen A.-LeBron kerfuffle is soaking up an inordinate share of the oxygen in the room.
(Yes, we know this article is only contributing to that. We’re aware of the irony.)
You know who the participants are in this little drama — James, the perennial All-Star and face of the NBA for decades, and Smith, the current face of ESPN who’s “opinionated” in the way the ocean is “damp.” Their current feud began a few weeks ago, when James approached Smith before a game to take issue with the way Smith had been railing on James’ son.
In military terms, James is still fighting the last war, and confronting Smith publicly was a serious tactical error. James came of age before social media, when an athlete’s glare was enough to send most journalists scurrying to craft an apology. These days, riling up an athlete is a straight path to some of that precious viral #content.
“That was LeBron James coming up to me, unexpectedly I might add, to confront me about making sure that I mind what I say about his son,” Smith later said on First Take, larding his words with absurdly over-the-top gravitas. “Can’t repeat the words because they ain’t suited for FCC airwaves. That’s what he was doing.”
(Put aside the fact that James shouldn’t have been wasting time defending his son in the first place. In this, Stephen A. is well within his rights as a commentator — Bronny is a literal NBA player, not some anonymous kid trying to avoid the spotlight. The possibility for criticism — even misguided or biased criticism — is what all those zeroes in the paycheck are for.)
The moment that James stepped to Smith, he stepped onto Smith’s unfriendly home court. In basketball, Stephen A. could get 100 possessions against LeBron and never score a point. But in the arena of debate, particularly a debate where the other person isn’t even in the same state? Well, that’s where Stephen A. puts up Wilt numbers. Facts, courtesy, common sense — they ride the bench in Stephen A.’s world; attitude and volume are what win games. LeBron was screwed the moment he thought he could silence Stephen A.
Earlier this week, James talked about the incident on Pat McAfee’s show. “He’s gonna be smiling from ear to ear when he hears me talking about him,” James said, understanding that he was only feeding the beast even as he criticized it. From there, Smith criticized James for criticizing Smith for criticizing James’ family … and round and round it all goes.
The thing is, unlike in real, legitimate sports, media slapfights have no shot clock, no time limit, no finish line. We’re in an era now where the actual games matter less than what the loudest members of the audience think about those games. Highlights come and go, but hot takes burn on and on. James knows that by criticizing Smith, he’s only giving Stephen A. exactly what he wants — the opportunity to rage, claim victimhood and fill airtime.
And unlike real, legitimate sports, we don’t come away from a pitched media battle of noise and attitude feeling inspired or ecstatic. It’s all just so damn pointless and exhausting, and we always swear we’re done with it all … right up until the next spat flares up.
LeBron James is one of the greatest athletes in American history, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, the face of Team USA at the Olympics, an imposing figure with a legitimate claim to GOAT status.
The after-school slapfight metaphor is the right one; at a time when we have some incredibly compelling sports stories — the NCAA tournament, Opening Day, NBA playoff pushes, Alex Ovechkin’s Gretzky chase — the Stephen A.-LeBron kerfuffle is soaking up an inordinate share of the oxygen in the room.
(Yes, we know this article is only contributing to that. We’re aware of the irony.)
You know who the participants are in this little drama — James, the perennial All-Star and face of the NBA for decades, and Smith, the current face of ESPN who’s “opinionated” in the way the ocean is “damp.” Their current feud began a few weeks ago, when James approached Smith before a game to take issue with the way Smith had been railing on James’ son.
In military terms, James is still fighting the last war, and confronting Smith publicly was a serious tactical error. James came of age before social media, when an athlete’s glare was enough to send most journalists scurrying to craft an apology. These days, riling up an athlete is a straight path to some of that precious viral #content.
“That was LeBron James coming up to me, unexpectedly I might add, to confront me about making sure that I mind what I say about his son,” Smith later said on First Take, larding his words with absurdly over-the-top gravitas. “Can’t repeat the words because they ain’t suited for FCC airwaves. That’s what he was doing.”
(Put aside the fact that James shouldn’t have been wasting time defending his son in the first place. In this, Stephen A. is well within his rights as a commentator — Bronny is a literal NBA player, not some anonymous kid trying to avoid the spotlight. The possibility for criticism — even misguided or biased criticism — is what all those zeroes in the paycheck are for.)
The moment that James stepped to Smith, he stepped onto Smith’s unfriendly home court. In basketball, Stephen A. could get 100 possessions against LeBron and never score a point. But in the arena of debate, particularly a debate where the other person isn’t even in the same state? Well, that’s where Stephen A. puts up Wilt numbers. Facts, courtesy, common sense — they ride the bench in Stephen A.’s world; attitude and volume are what win games. LeBron was screwed the moment he thought he could silence Stephen A.
Earlier this week, James talked about the incident on Pat McAfee’s show. “He’s gonna be smiling from ear to ear when he hears me talking about him,” James said, understanding that he was only feeding the beast even as he criticized it. From there, Smith criticized James for criticizing Smith for criticizing James’ family … and round and round it all goes.
The thing is, unlike in real, legitimate sports, media slapfights have no shot clock, no time limit, no finish line. We’re in an era now where the actual games matter less than what the loudest members of the audience think about those games. Highlights come and go, but hot takes burn on and on. James knows that by criticizing Smith, he’s only giving Stephen A. exactly what he wants — the opportunity to rage, claim victimhood and fill airtime.
And unlike real, legitimate sports, we don’t come away from a pitched media battle of noise and attitude feeling inspired or ecstatic. It’s all just so damn pointless and exhausting, and we always swear we’re done with it all … right up until the next spat flares up.
Here’s what the four-time NBA champion had to say on Friday’s edition of the “Draymond Green Show” podcast with co-host and ex-Golden State guard Baron Davis:
“I think there’s been so much chatter about JK and what he needs to do and how he needs to find his lane and this, that and other,” Green prefaced to Davis.
“What I will say with GP being out is, if I’m Jonathan Kuminga, forget what everybody’s talking about, forget what everybody’s saying, I’m saying, ‘GP, I want to guard the best guard when I come in the game. I want to be the point-of-attack defender. I’m [going to] hawk this guard. I’m going to change the momentum of the game. I’m going to embrace that.’”
Green wants the 6-foot-8, 210-pound Kuminga to use his frame and two-way potential to emerge as the lockdown defender the Warriors need with Payton out for a lengthy period.
That will be a tough – but feasible – task for Kuminga.
Before partially tearing a left thumb ligament against the Miami Heat, Payton was a Swiss Army Knife in coach Steve Kerr’s rotation. Over 58 games, Payton averaged 6.6 points, 3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game on 58.5 percent shooting from the field with 2.6 steals and 0.8 blocks per 100 possessions.
Conversely, Kuminga is known for his scoring and has averaged a career-high 16.3 points per game on a career-low 45.3 percent shooting during the 2024-25 NBA season.
“Because we know [Kuminga] can score, right, like we know what he is capable of on the offensive end,” Green told Davis. “Imagine him embracing [Payton’s] role and saying, ‘I’m guarding the best [player]. I’m picking up [from full court]. I’m going to work myself to exhaustion because I’m going to defend so hard.’
“That’s how you win championships. And so, if I’m Jonathan Kuminga, that’s my mindset. And I think he’s more than capable of being that and doing that. And if he does, golly – changes everything.”
There always is plenty of chatter surrounding Kuminga’s game, potential and role. So, Green publicly advised Kuminga to ignore everyone and focus on stepping up in Payton’s absence, which is something totally up the four-year wing’s alley.
The Warriors’ trading fan-favorite wing Andrew Wiggins to the Miami Heat hit close to home for Golden State icon Draymond Green.
The four-time NBA champion explained how Wiggins’ involuntary departure emotionally impacted his children during a segment on “The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis.”
“My kids cried when they found out Wiggs was gone because his kids and my kids have a great relationship,” Green told co-host and ex-Warriors guard Baron Davis. “They cried when they found out. And I told Wiggs, because I saw him right after the deadline and All-Star break, ‘Man, my kids were crying when they found out your girls were gone.’
“He was like, ‘Bruh, that’s the only thing Amyah (Wiggins’ eldest daughter) kept saying, “Wait, so I don’t get to see my friends anymore?”’ So, there’s so much more than just basketball there.”
The moment sure was bigger than basketball.
Green, Wiggins and their loved ones grew close after the two were teammates in Golden State from the 2019-2020 campaign until Feb. 5, the day Golden State acquired then-Miami star Jimmy Butler.
And Wiggins, an 11-year NBA veteran, shone on the court with the Warriors. He earned the lone NBA All-Star appearance and championship of his career thus far with the franchise during a thrilling 2021-22 run and averaged 16.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists throughout his 307-game tenure in Golden State.
Green and his children definitely will miss Wiggins. However, Green is glad Wiggins is flourishing in Miami – averaging a strong 19.9 points per game – and wasn’t too upset the ex-Golden State wing helped the Heat to a 112-86 win over the Warriors on Tuesday at Kaseya Center.
“To see your brother on the other side, it was definitely weird,” Green said about facing Wiggins on Tuesday. “Obviously, I’m pissed off we lost a game we needed and wanted to win, but I’m also happy to see Wiggs play well. Because again, the love that’s there, it’s bigger than just a game. …”
Family comes before hoops for Green. And Wiggins is family.
Mar 9, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans head coach Taylor Jenkins looks on against the New Orleans Pelicans during the first half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
In a move that shocked the NBA, the Memphis Grizzlies have fired head coach Taylor Jenkins with just nine games remaining in their season. The 44-29 Grizzlies are tied with the Lakers for the 4/5 seeds in the West and head into some critical games this weekend, including against those Lakers on Saturday.
“I’m genuinely appreciative of Taylor’s contributions to this team and this city over the past six seasons,” Memphis general manager Zach Kleiman said in a statement. “This was a difficult decision given the consistent and tangible development of our players and overall success under Taylor’s leadership. I wish Taylor the very best going forward.”
There had been growing frustration in Memphis with Jenkins and the team’s direction. Memphis is 8-11 since the All-Star break with the 16th-ranked offense and 20th-ranked defense in the league. They had been average. While injuries to players such as Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. contributed to that, there was some frustration that there was less buy-in from the players in Jenkins and his system.
It’s still a massive leap from frustration to firing the coach with the most wins in franchise history — he went 250-214 as head coach — just before the playoffs. The Grizzlies reportedly did this in person on Friday morning.
Jenkins quickly becomes one of the top coaches on the market this summer when other teams make changes, although all those other teams will wait until the season ends to make their change.
Each week during the 2024-25 NBA season, we will take a deeper dive into some of the league’s biggest storylines in an attempt to determine whether trends are based more in fact or fiction moving forward.
Fact or Fiction: Playoff Scars. The Thunder lack them.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are enjoying one of the greatest regular seasons in NBA history, which is remarkable, considering they also entered this campaign as the league’s youngest team. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Co. are shattering championship expectations for the development of a roster on the rise.
With that comes questions about their postseason prowess, as was the case last year, when we warned you about the Thunder’s lack of Playoff Scars (or a team’s number of playoff games and series victories in its previous four years) in comparison to champions past. Having won a single playoff round in 2024, did Oklahoma City develop the requisite battle wounds to more seriously compete for the title this season?
Are the Thunder ready to be champions? (David Butler II-Imagn Images)
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / Reuters
The short answer: No. The Thunder have played 10 playoff games over the past four seasons, winning only last year’s first-round series sweep of the New Orleans Pelicans. They lost in six games of the second round to Luka Dončić’s Dallas Mavericks, who made the NBA Finals, before the Mavericks traded Dončić.
(Pause for laughter.)
By every other indicator the Thunder are as serious a title threat as there is or ever was. Their net rating (12.8) is higher than any in history other than Michael Jordan’s 72-win 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, a champion. They are on pace to become the seventh team to win 68 games, and four of the other six are champions.
They have won 75% of their games against opponents with winning records and are even better on the road, marks of a great team. Only the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics are within Oklahoma City’s stratosphere by most metrics this season, but one thing separates Boston from the others: Playoff Scars.
Playoff Scars, 2025 Contenders
Among teams with winning records, only the Detroit Pistons and Houston Rockets, who have not been in the playoffs since 2019 and 2020, respectively, possess fewer Playoff Scars than the Thunder or Cavaliers.
The Celtics, meanwhile, have even more postseason wounds than they have shown here. Boston’s Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Al Horford have each appeared in more playoff games than Oklahoma City’s entire starting lineup combined. Only Tony Parker and Kobe Bryant appeared in more playoff games than Tatum and Brown at their ages. With six conference finals appearances in the past eight seasons and a pair of NBA Finals showings over the previous three years, Boston is among the most battle-tested ever.
OKC pales in comparison to every other champion this century, save for the 2008 Celtics and 2020 Los Angeles Lakers, each of whom had their turnaround aided by the additions of two Hall of Famers.
Take a look at the Playoff Scars (again: a team’s number of playoff games and series wins in its previous four seasons) for every champion since 2003, when the NBA expanded to four best-of-seven rounds …
Playoff Scars, NBA Champions (since 2003)
By this measure the Celtics should be overwhelming favorites to repeat as NBA champions. They have developed as many Playoff Scars over the last four seasons as any champion of the past two decades, save for the 2006-07 San Antonio Spurs and 2017-18 Golden State Warriors, a pair of dynastic teams.
The 2014-15 Warriors are our baseline for a rising juggernaut that broke through to a championship before anyone thought they were ready. They were led by Stephen Curry, a 26-year-old MVP. They featured Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, a pair of 24-year-old future Hall of Famers, who at the time had one All-Star appearance between them. Through “Strength in Numbers,” they won 67 games.
The Thunder boast Gilgeous-Alexander, their 26-year-old MVP favorite. Rising stars Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, who have one All-Star appearance between them so far, are on the verge of their 23rd and 24th birthdays, respectively. They are deep, and they are on pace to do the 2015 Warriors one win better.
Sixty-eight wins would put these Thunder in rarefied air, among the seven most successful regular seasons in history. The six previous teams to do it all required more Playoff Scars to accomplish the feat.
Playoff Scars, G.O.A.T teams
Oklahoma City can hang its hat on this, evidence that these Thunder are already accomplishing something that their (lack of) Playoff Scars suggested they could not. That they can be this good without the benefit of playoff experience may be all the proof we need that they are prepared for what is to come.
Determination: Fact. Playoff Scars. The Thunder lack them. BUT! But! But … they may not need them.
Each week during the 2024-25 NBA season, we will take a deeper dive into some of the league’s biggest storylines in an attempt to determine whether trends are based more in fact or fiction moving forward.
Fact or Fiction: Playoff Scars. The Thunder lack them.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are enjoying one of the greatest regular seasons in NBA history, which is remarkable, considering they also entered this campaign as the league’s youngest team. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Co. are shattering championship expectations for the development of a roster on the rise.
With that comes questions about their postseason prowess, as was the case last year, when we warned you about the Thunder’s lack of Playoff Scars (or a team’s number of playoff games and series victories in its previous four years) in comparison to champions past. Having won a single playoff round in 2024, did Oklahoma City develop the requisite battle wounds to more seriously compete for the title this season?
Are the Thunder ready to be champions? (David Butler II-Imagn Images)
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / Reuters
The short answer: No. The Thunder have played 10 playoff games over the past four seasons, winning only last year’s first-round series sweep of the New Orleans Pelicans. They lost in six games of the second round to Luka Dončić’s Dallas Mavericks, who made the NBA Finals, before the Mavericks traded Dončić.
(Pause for laughter.)
By every other indicator the Thunder are as serious a title threat as there is or ever was. Their net rating (12.8) is higher than any in history other than Michael Jordan’s 72-win 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, a champion. They are on pace to become the seventh team to win 68 games, and four of the other six are champions.
They have won 75% of their games against opponents with winning records and are even better on the road, marks of a great team. Only the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics are within Oklahoma City’s stratosphere by most metrics this season, but one thing separates Boston from the others: Playoff Scars.
Playoff Scars, 2025 Contenders
Among teams with winning records, only the Detroit Pistons and Houston Rockets, who have not been in the playoffs since 2019 and 2020, respectively, possess fewer Playoff Scars than the Thunder or Cavaliers.
The Celtics, meanwhile, have even more postseason wounds than they have shown here. Boston’s Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Al Horford have each appeared in more playoff games than Oklahoma City’s entire starting lineup combined. Only Tony Parker and Kobe Bryant appeared in more playoff games than Tatum and Brown at their ages. With six conference finals appearances in the past eight seasons and a pair of NBA Finals showings over the previous three years, Boston is among the most battle-tested ever.
OKC pales in comparison to every other champion this century, save for the 2008 Celtics and 2020 Los Angeles Lakers, each of whom had their turnaround aided by the additions of two Hall of Famers.
Take a look at the Playoff Scars (again: a team’s number of playoff games and series wins in its previous four seasons) for every champion since 2003, when the NBA expanded to four best-of-seven rounds …
Playoff Scars, NBA Champions (since 2003)
By this measure the Celtics should be overwhelming favorites to repeat as NBA champions. They have developed as many Playoff Scars over the last four seasons as any champion of the past two decades, save for the 2006-07 San Antonio Spurs and 2017-18 Golden State Warriors, a pair of dynastic teams.
The 2014-15 Warriors are our baseline for a rising juggernaut that broke through to a championship before anyone thought they were ready. They were led by Stephen Curry, a 26-year-old MVP. They featured Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, a pair of 24-year-old future Hall of Famers, who at the time had one All-Star appearance between them. Through “Strength in Numbers,” they won 67 games.
The Thunder boast Gilgeous-Alexander, their 26-year-old MVP favorite. Rising stars Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, who have one All-Star appearance between them so far, are on the verge of their 23rd and 24th birthdays, respectively. They are deep, and they are on pace to do the 2015 Warriors one win better.
Sixty-eight wins would put these Thunder in rarefied air, among the seven most successful regular seasons in history. The six previous teams to do it all required more Playoff Scars to accomplish the feat.
Playoff Scars, G.O.A.T teams
Oklahoma City can hang its hat on this, evidence that these Thunder are already accomplishing something that their (lack of) Playoff Scars suggested they could not. That they can be this good without the benefit of playoff experience may be all the proof we need that they are prepared for what is to come.
Determination: Fact. Playoff Scars. The Thunder lack them. BUT! But! But … they may not need them.
