Category: The Ringer

The Ringer by Mirin FaderDec 24, 20197:44 am

Jrue Holiday’s season of change

They waited with terror, not knowing what would happen. Ruminating on what could happen. Suddenly, they realized just how unpredictable life could be. How arbitrary it all seemed. How things could be fine one day, then twist into chaos the next. Back in 2016, Jrue Holiday’s wife, Lauren, a former star midfielder for the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, underwent medical testing. She had been experiencing terrible headaches and was six months pregnant with their daughter at the time. Then, one word from the doctors changed everything. Tumor.
The couple let the word sink in. In a moment, their entire world had shifted. A world where Lauren had been a two-time Olympic gold medalist and FIFA World Cup champion and where Jrue was a star point guard for the New Orleans Pelicans. The doctor told them the brain tumor was benign. The road ahead was no less daunting, as both Jrue and Lauren were still in shock, still fearful for the future. “I don’t think people realize how strong she was in a situation where her life and her child’s life were possibly in danger,” Jrue says. Change, Jrue was learning, could come at any moment. For anyone. Change, he soon realized, was the new normal for the Holidays. There would always be a before and an after. The way things were and the way things would be.

The Ringer by Mirin FaderDec 24, 20197:36 am

Darius garland and the cavs are coming up clutch

It was as if Darius Garland were a kid again, counting down seconds on the shot clock. 3 … He’d dribble on the concrete court outside of his home in Gary, Indiana, picturing this moment: zooming past a defender to set up the game-winning shot. 2 …
He’d launch a buzzer-beater from God knows how far, well beyond the 3-point line his mother, Felicia, painted on the driveway. 1 …“Kobe!” Garland would scream in those moments, leaving a silky follow-through in the air for emphasis, as Bryant often did, as if to say: In case you didn’t know, I am that dude. Other times, young Garland would yell: “Derrick Rose!” or “Dame Time!” “You work for those big-time moments,” Garland says.

The Ringer by Mirin FaderDec 23, 201910:06 am

THE SUMMER OF AUSTIN REAVES

Austin Reaves stood off to the side as cameras flashed brightly in the distance. He was just out of frame, watching his teammates pose during the Los Angeles Lakers’ media day earlier this month. LeBron James and Anthony Davis, with 27 All-Star appearances combined, walked in front of a white backdrop, getting ready to take a photo together. Then a cameraman called upon Reaves, a third-year guard who went undrafted out of Oklahoma two summers ago, and signaled for him to join in.

The Ringer by Mirin FaderDec 23, 20199:53 am

DAVANTE ADAMS AND THE RACE AGAINST TIME

Davante Adams anxiously awaited the news. Despite having played nine seasons in the NFL and being arguably the most decorated active wide receiver in the league, he eagerly awaited something most people would think is an afterthought at this point of his career. He needed to know whether he had made first-team All-Pro. Adams doesn’t ordinarily care for awards, for recognition. His motivation has always come from within. From seeing how far he can push himself past his own lofty standards. But this time was different.

The Ringer by Mirin FaderDec 22, 20194:58 pm

DAVANTE ADAMS IS PEAKING IN EVERY WAY POSSIBLE

Davante Adams could feel his daughter’s eyes on him. Watching him. Intently focused on his arms, his legs. His face. Then-15-month-old Daija couldn’t look away as her dad worked out in the middle of a gym inside their Danville, California, home last April. So he strapped Daija into a bouncer a few feet away that allowed her to jump and jump until her little legs grew tired. Normally, when bench-pressing heavy weight in front of his Packers teammates, Davante would struggle to complete one rep. But with Daija watching, he easily completed three. She’s watching me, he thought to himself. I have to show her that her daddy can do this. That her daddy is strong.

The Ringer by Mirin FaderDec 22, 201911:06 am

IF YOU DON’T KNOW KEEGAN MURRAY YET, YOU WILL SOON ENOUGH

Keegan Murray calls for the ball. A sweat stain lines the back of his gray shirt. He’s been shooting jumper after jumper in a gym about 10 minutes away from downtown Chicago. Midrange off the dribble. Five spots of 3s. Jab left and pull up. He often won’t move to the next spot until he executes each drill perfectly. Until each release feels just right. It’s drizzling outside on this late-April morning. The sky is a deep gray-blue. A park sits across the street. This unassuming gym, which has a sign near its entrance that reads “To whom much is given, much will be required,” is where he’s been training for this week’s NBA combine in Chicago. Murray is one of the most intriguing participants in attendance. He leapfrogged from a barely recruited prep to a superstar sophomore at Iowa, to a projected lottery NBA pick in next month’s draft. Some mock drafts even have him projected to be a top-five pick.

The Ringer by Mirin FaderDec 22, 201911:01 am

THE DRIVE BEHIND JABARI SMITH JR.

It was pitch black outside, but Jabari Smith Jr. didn’t need to see. He just needed to feel. His feet knew where to jump, his arms knew when to pump. It was 5:30 in the morning, an hour before Jabari, then in eighth grade, was supposed to wake up to get ready for school. But something tugged at him to hop out of bed and jump rope outside his home. To push himself harder. His mother, Taneskia Purnell, didn’t realize what was happening at first; she kept hearing a loud, persistent noise. It was cold when she went outside and found him, wiry body bouncing up and down, rope whipping in the wind. She wished he would let himself sleep just a little bit longer. But he was too determined. Too awake. “I’m OK, Mama. Don’t worry,” he told her. “I’m OK.”

The Ringer by Mirin FaderDec 22, 201910:45 am

There’s Heartbreak Behind Puka Nacua’s Sudden Rise to NFL Stardom

The words replay in Puka Nacua’s head, again and again: “I … AM … SPEED. “I … AM … SPEED. “I … AM … SPEED.” He borrowed the mantra from Lightning McQueen, the underdog rookie from Cars, and has repeated it to himself before every Los Angeles Rams game this season, convincing himself that he belongs on this NFL stage, despite falling to the fifth round of the draft in part because he ran too slowly in the 40-yard dash.

The Ringer by Mirin FaderDec 22, 201910:16 am

The Twins Who Went From “Best-Kept Secrets” to Likely NBA Lottery Picks

Ausar Thompson is finding his rhythm. It’s just shy of 8:30 a.m., and he’s launching midrange jumpers, slowly inching back to the 3-point line. His workout hasn’t officially begun, but he’s already laser focused, tracking each make and miss. He wakes with that kind of concentration, telling himself before sunrise: “You’re not going to stop once in this workout.” On this morning in January, he makes good on his promise. Pat Quinn, his shooting coach, fires him crisp chest pass after crisp chest pass, and Ausar bends low, releasing shot after shot, finishing each with a silky follow-through.

The Ringer by Mirin FaderDec 22, 20197:48 am

Amid the Women’s Basketball Boom, What Has Happened to the NBA’s Female Coaching Pipeline?

Jenny Boucek is huddled over her laptop, engrossed in game film. It’s a Friday morning in early April, and Boucek, an assistant coach for the Indiana Pacers, is analyzing clip after clip, hours before the team’s game against Oklahoma City later that night. She combs through statistical reports, hardly stopping for a beat to rest. Each hour is meticulously planned, and the morning quickly blurs into afternoon. Then she’s hustling through an on-court prep session at 2:20 p.m., meeting with her fellow coaches at 2:50, heading into a team meeting at 3:50, then back to the court for individual workouts at 5. After the game, a 126-112 Pacers win, she breaks down film and edits video late into the night, preparing not just for the next day’s practice, but also for Sunday’s game against Miami. Boucek is the defensive mastermind for a Pacers team that’s currently down 3-2 in the Eastern Conference semifinals to the Knicks. She’s responsible for in-game defensive decision-making and is constantly orchestrating split-second adjustments.