Here is some of my published work:

For Sports Illustrated/SI.com:

Magazine and Daily Cover Features:

MVP. Mama. Mortician. And More. As Sylvia Fowles nears retirement, she and some of those closest to her look back on a legendary WNBA career on and off the court. Consider this her living eulogy.

The Birth, Death and Rebirth of Ballsack Sports What does the life cycle of an immensely popular Twitter account dedicated to providing egregiously fake NBA news say about the state of sports media—and media in general—in 2022?

The Return and Rebirth of AD Two years of long-haul COVID. Two WNBA seasons missed. For the Liberty’s No. 2 pick from 2019, it was a chance to figure out who they are.

Forty Years Ago an HBCU Played in the First Women’s Final Four. Today the Program Is Gone.  Cheyney State made the first women’s NCAA tourney final in 1982. I visited America’s oldest HBCU 40 years later to learn about their historic run, a program that fails to exist today and the quest to keep the ’82 team’s legacy alive.

In It for a Minute They dreamed their whole lives of making it to the NBA. And when the opportunity finally came, they played one minute—yes, one minute—before it was all over. But, oh, was it worth it.

Meet Mr. Net In his 54 years as the franchise’s official scorer, Herb Turetzky has seen it all—and he’s got the stories and the memorabilia to prove it.

Faith of a Nation: Deni Avdija Hopes to Be Israel’s First NBA Star Basketball has given Israelis several memorable moments of national import. But it’s never given them an NBA star they can call their own. Deni Avdija, a 19-year-old wing averaging four points per game in EuroLeague, would like to change that.

Arik Gilbert is the Gatorade Male High School Athlete of the Year Size, strength, athleticism: They made him the top tight end recruit. Add a humble and generous, spirit and you have the makings of a lifelong leader. My cover-story profile on the Gatorade Male High School Athlete of the Year. (Sept. 2020, flip-cover)

Enterprise WNBA Features:

The Rise of the Aging Rookie: Meet the WNBA’s Veteran Debutants This season has seen seven rookies who are at least 26 years old, all veterans of the game finally getting the chance to play Stateside.

Jackie Young Learned to Trust Herself, and It’s Paying Off in Threes for the Aces A favorite for this year’s Most Improved Player, the former No. 1 pick could be the piece that pushes the Aces to the WNBA title.

Brittney Griner’s Off-the-Court Impact Remains in Phoenix The star WNBA center has given back to the unhoused community since 2016. Even in her absence, the mission has grown to other basketball markets.

 

‘They’re Our Teammates’: American Players in Ukrainian League Show Support on Court One professional basketball player shares what it has been like for her and her BC Prometey teammates as their field of play shifts from Ukraine to Bulgaria.

A Mid-Spring Night’s Dream: How Rhyne Howard Went No. 1 at the WNBA Draft I followed Rhyne Howard, the No. 1 pick in the ’22 WNBA draft, as she went through a post-draft circuit made up of interviews, photoshoots and even a game of Pop-a-Shot.

The Incomparable Journey of Jewell Loyd After a challenging year and ongoing obstacles, the Storm All-Star guard known as “The Gold Mamba” has come into her own. A written profile and video feature on Seattle’s star guard.

Awak Kuier Is Ready to Soar The slam-dunking star out of Finland has no limits and is a likely top-five WNBA pick. But beyond the crowd-pleasing slams and blocked shots, there’s a deep appreciation for her family’s journey from Sudan and a desire to keep pushing both herself and others forward.

The Wings Have Arrived Sooner Than Expected With a young core led by Arike Ogunbowale, Dallas could be playoff-bound ahead of schedule. A behind the scenes look into one of the WNBA’s most intriguing franchises.

Excerpted for the magazine — Orange Crush: How One Hoodie Became the WNBA’s Defining Symbol The neon sweatshirt became the most popular item in league history. A look into how a simple hoodie has become far more than a blasé, league-branded article of clothing.

How Sylvia Fowles Has Remained the Lynx’s Stabilizing Force  Fourteen seasons in, she’s still finding ways to improve—and dominate. A year after dealing with a substantial calf injury, the future Hall of Famer explains what continues to motivate her.

Kahleah Copper Is the Sky’s Elite Player-Coach She’s still arguably the league’s most underrated scorer, and perhaps most underrated overall player. But it’s not just because she’s an improved player; it’s because she is also now a coach.

Enterprise NBA Features:

For our Sports and the Pandemic package — Masked Mascots and Distanced Dancers: Game Days Under COVID A day in the life of the Detroit Pistons staff shows the depth and the breadth of the challenges that come with trying to stage an event in a pandemic.

For our 2021 NBA playoffs preview package —The NBA’s Superfans Are Ready for the Postseason After a year away from their beloved arenas, Brooklyn’s Mr. Whammy, Los Angeles’s Clipper Darrell, and other in-arena staples talk about what they’ve been doing during crowd-less games, and the anticipation building for a somewhat-normal playoffs.

The NBA Cookbook: What Luka Doncic and Other Stars Are Cheffing Up at Home Sports Illustrated solicited recipes from players around professional basketball to learn more about what they were cooking during the sport’s coronavirus hiatus.

Princepal Singh Is Ready for the Big Stage India is a budding basketball nation with many talented players but it has never had an Indian-born player play in the NBA. Singh is next in line trying to make the dream a reality.

A Tale of Two Bubbles A select few have taken part in both the NBA and G League Disney World bubbles. Players and coaches opened up about their experiences.

Kobe Bryant and the Story of El Camino Real  The restaurant was one of Bryant’s favorites, and he was its most famous customer. A year after the Lakers’ star’s death, manager Rodolfo Garcia reflects on Kobe’s visits and the fans that visited to pay respect after the tragic day.

When the Show Stops: How NBA Mascots Are Coping During the Coronavirus Crisis  At a time of social distancing, with no crowds to charm and no community events to attend, what do NBA mascots do? Here is a glimpse of how mascots are adjusting to life without the NBA.

NBA Bubble Gives New Life to Local Restaurants During Pandemic — After players advocated to help local businesses while in the bubble, the NBA partnered with a handful of Black- and Latinx-owned restaurants to deliver food when needed. A look into how the bubble has boomed local Orlando restaurants.

The Life of Barbers in the NBA Bubble — Barbers from around the country are getting a chance to showcase their skills in the NBA bubble. My look into an essential service provider helping get NBA players ready for action.

How the NBA Bubble Became a Content Hub for Players Media access has been limited throughout both the NBA’s and WNBA’s campus environments. But player-created content has seemingly filled a void left by traditional outlets. A look into the rise of player content creators.

NBA Players Are Going Back to School During the Coronavirus Crisis More than three dozen NBA players have turned to online courses during the COVID-19 pandemic. A look into the ways the NBA community is taking advantage of the league’s sudden hiatus.

How Vince Carter’s 2000 NBA Dunk Contest Inspired a Generation of Professional Dunkers For the 20-year anniversary of the night that Vince Carter resurrected the NBA dunk contest, I wrote about how Carter’s performance that night birthed the industry of professional dunking.

Inside the Art of NBA Jersey Swapping I talked with a number of players who swapped jerseys with Dwyane Wade to learn about the growing number of NBA jersey exchanges. Where are their jerseys now? How did they ask for them? What else is in their collection? And what does it mean to them to swap jerseys?

Historical Features: 

Life After MJ: What It Was Like to Be on the 1999 Chicago Bulls Seven months after winning their sixth championship in franchise history, the Chicago Bulls didn’t have enough players to practice when training camp got underway in January 1999. A look into life after Michael Jordan.

Tales from the Bench of the 1990s Chicago Bulls Even the rotating cast of bench players for the 1990s Bulls were treated like rock stars. But they had to work hard for that honor. I talked with a number of ex-Bulls to learn about what it was like to come in and out of Michael Jordan’s orbit.

What Ever Happened to the NBA Legends Game?  Once a staple of All-Star Weekend, the NBA Legends Classic was replaced by a younger, more dynamic alternative—just like its players.

Inside One of the Most Bizarre Trades in NBA History In the early 1980s, the Pacers were looking for a new owner and trying to attract some attention. They decided to make a splash trade, just for a marketing executive and not a player. The inside story of the most unusual trade in NBA history.

The First NBA Free Agent to Sign Never Expected This Kind of Movement I caught up with Tom Chambers, the first unrestricted free agent in NBA history, to tell the story behind the origins of unrestricted free agency and learn how the movement he started in the summer of 1988 has changed in the decades since.

How Muhammad Ali Hooked Sportswriters and Changed Coverage of Athletes Muhammad Ali was difficult to cover, but he might have also been a reporter’s dream. A deep-dive into how legendary sportswriters Red Smith and Dick Young covered the boxer, why their coverage of Ali changed over time and how the sporting press provided a window into many Americans’ views of race and the Vietnam War.

Remembering the Short-Lived, Ill-Fated Senior Professional Baseball Association 30 years ago, a number of the best baseball players from yesteryear tried extending their careers in the Senior Professional Baseball Association. I caught up with a number of them to hear their stories about the league league and ask if a senior pro league could return again.

Remembering the Time Luis Tiant Was Traded for 500 Teddy Bears Ahead of MLB’s trade deadline, I wrote about one of the strangest trades in the history of baseball, telling the story of how Cuban ace Luis Tiant was dealt for 500 Ruxpin Teddy Bears.

Enterprise Misc. Features:

The Next Face of Lacrosse: Grant Ament Begins His PLL Career in a Season Unlike Any Other Grant Ament, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 PLL college draft, has already been dubbed the Chris Paul of professional lacrosse. But the 23-year-old is adjusting to the life of a professional athlete amid a pandemic knowing he hasn’t accomplished anything yet.

Even With No NCAA Tournament This Year, ‘One Shining Moment’ Lives On The composer of the famous song reflects on a year without March Madness and his feelings on the wave of team-specific montages that were produced despite no NCAA tournament occurring.

How Academic Powerhouse Swarthmore Became the NCAA’s Last Undefeated Men’s Basketball Team Its co-captain is in the American Chemical Society and published a paper in an issue of Environmental Science & Technology. Its shaped shaped countless Nobel Prize winners, MacArthur geniuses and Rhodes Scholars. Swarthmore basketball is in the middle of their best season ever. The story behind their recent success.

How the PLL Developed Its First Expansion Team, Waterdogs Lacrosse Club None of the four legacy North American sports leagues have a team with a dog in their primary logo. An inside look at the PLL’s expansion process and how it named, designed and conceived of its latest team.

Inside Eric Orze’s Resilient Journey to the Mets New York’s fifth-round draft pick this year dealt with cancer twice en route to realizing his pro baseball dreams.

Subscriber-Only Stories:

For the debut edition of “Full Frame,” a subscriber-only newsletter — A 54-Year Super Bowl Streak Comes to an End  Legendary Sports Illustrated Walter Iooss Jr. dives into the process behind some of his most memorable Super Bowl photos and discusses why his famed streak is ending ahead of Super Bowl LV.

As Kobe Bryant Goes Into the Hall of Fame, a Photographer Looks Back on Covering Him Photographer John W. McDonough has documented classic images of Kobe Bryant flying around the rim and others displaying Bryant’s trademark ferocity while sitting on the bench. A look into what it was like photographing the late Lakers star.

WNBA Draft Portraits Reveal ‘Bliss and Joy’ of Life-Changing Night  The frenzy of the draft created a “fun challenge” for photographer Taylor Ballantyne. She details what WNBA draft is like.

Dennis Rodman and the ‘Rare Bird’ SI Cover John W. McDonough describes photographing the forward (and his blue macaw).

Game Stories: 

Sue Bird and a ‘Fairy Tale’ New York Ending The Storm legend received a warm embrace throughout her last scheduled game in her home state, and sealed her team’s win to add to the festivities.

After a Turbulent Year, UConn Left Still Chasing a Return to the Top The Huskies navigated an irregular season just to get to the title game, but the program’s championship drought goes on. My feature from Minneapolis following UConn’s NCAA championship loss to South Carolina.

Paige Bueckers Takes Over As UConn Holds Off NC State in an Instant Classic  The star guard was making shot after shot in the double-overtime marathon outing as the Huskies secured their 14th straight Final Four appearance. My dispatch from Bridgeport, Conn.

UConn Locks in to Dispatch Indiana and Prove ‘Elite’ Once Again The Huskies are on to yet another Elite Eight after a big win in a de facto home game. My game story from Bridgeport, Conn.

Drew Brees Was Perfect on a Record-Setting Night That He’ll Never Forget When Drew Brees signed with the New Orleans Saints in March of 2006, he said he did it because he “just felt that energy in New Orleans.” My story on the energy felt during the night he set the all-time passing TD mark.

Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs Outlast 49ers to Win Super Bowl LIV For two years, Patrick Mahomes has been the centerpiece of the Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive explosion. He’s thrown 50 touchdown passes in a single regular season, overcome a brief knee injury and won an NFL MVP. Now, he’s also a Super Bowl champion. When the clock struck 0:00 during Super Bowl LIV, I published this story to lead the website on the Chiefs’ title-winning performance.

Derrick Henry Runs Wild as Titans Stun Lamar Jackson, Top-Seeded Ravens Throughout the entirety of the 2019 regular season, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson dominated the NFL like few singular players ever had. That changed on an unusually warm night in January. My instant buzzer gamer on the Titans’ stunning divisional round upset over the No. 1 seed Ravens.

More of my writing for SI.com can be found here.

For CNN.com:

Sports features:

The state of soccer in the US with 2026 World Cup on the horizon  The president of US Soccer, the president of Atlanta United and America’s star striker weigh in on the future of men’s soccer in America

Meet the high school teacher bidding to make American rowing history  A profile on Bryce Carlson, a high school teacher planning to row alone across the Atlantic Ocean

CNN.com news stories:

The hat said Napoleon is said to have worn at the Battle of Waterloo sells for more than $400K  A piece of French history proves to still be of immense value

The World Health Organization will stop classifying transgender people as mentally ill   A decades old health code finally changes

For the Center for Journalism Ethics: 

Technology completes ethics of natural disaster reporting  On how changes in technology are shaping how reporters cover natural disasters

Solutions to low media trust not clear cut  Journalism ethicists and academics try to solve the problem of media trust

Issues with using flash polls in debate analysis  An exploration into why certain media outlets highlight post-debate flash polls

My academic work also focuses on sports and sports media history. If you would like to read about the following topics let me know and I would be happy to provide a copy of my academic research:

-Senior Honors Thesis- ‘Twin Giants’ Around the Ring: Red Smith, Dick Young and Changing Coverage of Muhammad Ali

-How Jews and African-American’s relationship on the baseball diamond compared with their relationship off the field during the middle of the 20th century

-The New York Times’ coverage of September 11 in their New York Yankees’ coverage during the conclusion of the 2001 baseball season