Game 5 of the NBA Finals was a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, an Oscar-worthy motion picture, an Emmy-earning TV show and a Tony Award-winning performance all wrapped into one.

In most professional sports, championships are determined by some type of tournament. Usually, a league’s best teams/competitors engage in a series of matchups until the top two faceoff for all the glory.

And then there were two.

In February of 2003, I recall hopping in the whip for a road trip down I-55S to Memphis, Tenn. It was my second trip to Memphis in an eight-month span, alongside Mike Dickson, my good friend and former co-host of Boxing Addictz and In the Clench YouTube boxing shows. Both trips were to get a…

The 2019 NBA Draft Lottery, aka the Zion Williamson sweepstakes, was the first since the NBA Board of Governors switched up the odds to discourage teams from tanking. Previously, the team with the worst record received a 25 percent chance at the top pick. The second-worst team received a 19.…

Barring a blockbuster discovery that Zion Williamson is Communist Russian Al-Qaeda operative, the Duke superstar is a lock to be the first overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. That means there is currently more anticipation for the NBA’s draft lottery, than the draft itself.

While much of the basketball world is debating whether Kevin Durant has finally surpassed LeBron James as the best all-around player in the NBA, one thing remains indisputable. James Harden is the most talented offensive player on the planet. Though he may not possess the height of the nearl…

For years Damian Lillard has been overshadowed by an overabundance of talented point guards in the Western Conference. Steph Curry, Russell Westbrook and James Harden (who plays both guard positions) have racked up MVPs, scoring titles and become some of the most well-known athletes in the w…

When four-time NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins signed with the Golden State Warriors, many basketball fans declared the 2018-19 season a mere formality. Cousins brought an embarrassment of riches to Warriors, a team that has won three championships in the past four seasons.

Magic Johnson shocked the basketball world Tuesday night by announcing his resignation as the Los Angeles Lakers’ president of basketball operations.

The worlds of sports and music are undeniably intertwined. The only thing better than an amazing sports highlight is an amazing sports highlight set to perfectly paired background music. When it comes to professional sports, there is no stronger, more seamless connection than the link betwee…

And then there were two.

Shout out to the Mizzou women’s basketball team. The Tigers (23-10) team qualified for its fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.

It is not uncommon for NBA superstars to flex their influence so they can land a one way ticket to a new destination. In recent seasons we’ve seen Anthony Davis pull a power move on the New Orleans Pelicans, Kawhi Leonard spur his way out of San Antonio, Kyrie Irving force a cross over from …

In an era of discontent and deeply partisan politics, it’s not often that Americans are able to experience moments when the nation comes together with a common interest. That’s why it has been such a sight to see people from all walks of life on one common accord. Men and women, blacks and w…

Wednesday, Feb. 20 was expected to be a spectacular night for NCAA athletics. After weeks of hype, two of its most storied programs were scheduled to meet on the basketball court: Duke vs North Carolina; Durham vs Chapel Hill; “Coach K” Mike Krzyzewski vs Roy Williams; Zion Williamson vs the…

NBA All-Star Weekend has come and gone and what a weekend it was. All the best high-flying, dime-dropping, long-range firing basketball players in the world met in Charlotte to show off their talents. In terms of the major American sports, no league puts on an all-star show at the level of t…

"I have nothing to do with the Knicks. I don’t know who traded (Kristaps) Porzingis. That got nothing to do with me. I’m trying to play basketball. Y’all come in here every day, ask me about free agency, ask my teammates, my coaches, rile up the fans about it.” – Kevin Durant

Trade deadline tracker:

Mardi Gras can’t arrive quickly enough for New Orleans residents.Just one week removed from the shady no-call that cost the Saints a trip to the Super Bowl, Pelicans superstar Anthony Davis delivered another Cajun Sparkle-coated kick to the gut.  

I broke my NFL boycott for one week and boy am I sorry

Last season, the Boston Celtics came within one game of reaching the NBA Finals. Despite losing Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward to injury, Al Horford, Jayson Tatum, Jalen Brown and Terry Rozier nearly shocked the world by pushing LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers to the brink of elimi…

It is no secret that Houston’s James Harden and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo are the current frontrunners for the 2019 NBA MVP award. Harden has been terrifying opposing defenses. The bearded wonder leads the league in scoring at 33.7 points per game. He recently dropped more than 40 po…

Many players in the NBA would give their left pinky toe in order to play for the Golden State Warriors. Kevin Durant endured the scorn of the world by joining the Warriors in 2016. David West passed on tens of millions of dollars with other teams to sign with the Warriors for the league mini…

Although the Illinois Fighting Illini entered its matchup with the Missouri Tigers with a paltry 4-7 record, it’s safe to say the squad from Champaign, Ill. was probably prepared to pop bubbly Saturday night. After all, the Illini were on a five-game winning streak against the Tigers and led…

Out of all of the great players roaming the courts in today’s NBA, it is nearly impossible to deny that Steph Curry has had the greatest impact on the style of play across the league.

“Styles make fights.”

Every time there’s a controversial decision, mismatched fight or failed drug test in the sport of boxing, naysayers line up to proclaim the death of the sweet science. Imagine if sports fans read eulogies for the NBA every time the Golden State Warriors played the Phoenix Suns. What if NFL f…

As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, it only seems appropriate to give thanks to the man upstairs for the gift of sports. After all, in addition to stuffing our faces with turkey, dressing, collard greens and sweet potato pie, many of us will spend the holiday weekend on the couch watchin…

Jimmy “Buckets” is finally on the move.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. is back yet again. The undefeated, former multi-division boxing champion is making yet another come back into the squared circle. In recent months, Mayweather has suggested he would meet Manny Pacquiao or Khabib Nurmagomedov in the ring. However, neither of those men wil…

I don't want to be a perpetual advocate for basketball violence but it might be time for Russell Westbrook to serve up a spicy, crispy two-piece to Patrick Beverley’s jawbone. Tuesday night, Westbrook and Beverly got into a skirmish after Beverley dove wildly for loose ball and clipped Westb…

The first week of the NBA season was an exciting affair. There was a little bit of everything, including high-flying plays, lights-out shooting, drama, high-scoring games and even some good ol’ fisticuffs.

The start of NBA season reminds me of a popular Christmas song by Andy Williams: “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.”

NBA season is upon us! By the time the next issue of The St. Louis American hits newsstands, the League will be in full force.

The worst kept secret in boxing is finally official. WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder will face off against Tyson Fury in a spectacular heavyweight showdown on Dec. 1. Though he does not currently possess a title around his waist, Fury (27-0-0, 19 KO), is the lineal heavyweight champi…

Buffalo Bills cornerback Vontae Davis made waves when he abruptly retired during halftime of the Bills Week 2 game against the Los Angeles Chargers. According to Bills’ coach Sean McDermott, Davis “pulled himself out of the game.” He informed his coaches that he was “done” and no longer had …

There’s a famous saying about assumptions that is not quite suitable for this fine, family-friendly paper, so let’s talk about expectations instead. A professional athlete failing to live up to expectations can make perfectly rational people make irrational judgments about them.

When it comes to boxing skills, technique and fluidity are two of the most praised attributes for fighters to possess. When analyzing prospects, we pontificate over the sharpness of the fighters’ jabs or the compactness of their hooks. Defensively, we want to know about foot speed, angles an…

Boxing fans are accustomed to weird occurrences. In fact, every Ripley’s Believe It or Not museum should have a wing set aside for the sweet science. What other sport can you find personalities as big and brash as Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Don King?

ESPN should take a cue from CNN. Tune into “The Most Trusted Name in News” at any given time and you’ll see liberal and conservative talking heads screaming at each other about the latest crazy thing to happen in Washington D.C. Is it annoying? Absolutely. But in this politically charged cli…

The St. Louis Metro Area has been churning out elite basketball talent faster than Black Twitter can church out celebrity memes. Bradley Beal (Wizards), Jayson Tatum (Celtics), Patrick McCaw (Warriors), Otto Porter Jr. (Wizards), Jordan Barnett (Bucks), Jeremiah Tilmon (Mizzou), Torrence Wat…

Many people in our community are no longer checking for the NFL due to fallout from the Colin Kaepernick situation. However, Saturday’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony featured athletes from yesteryear, before the NFL turned into the No Fun League Stand Up, Shut Up and Play League. Three of …

LeBron James may have taken his talents and his family to Los Angeles this offseason, but he left a colossal legacy back in his home state of Ohio. Sure, James will forever be considered an Ohio legend for bringing the Cleveland Cavaliers franchise its first NBA championship in 2016. However…

The moment Giancarlo Stanton put pen to paper (2015) on his enormous 13-year, $325 million contract with the Miami Marlins, his financial future was set. That’s because Stanton, now with the New York Yankees, knew that 12 of the 13 years were fully guaranteed.

“Ain’t no loyalty in this game.” – DeMar DeRozan

The NBA’s free agency period started off with a bang, with LeBron James’ and DeMarcus Cousin’s earth-shattering announcements. Since then, most of the offseason moves have consisted of star players re-signing with their teams or mediocre players relocating via free agency or trade. 

The fact that LeBron James exited Cleveland for Los Angeles wasn’t a complete surprise. Rumors that James coveted joining the Lakers had been swirling around the league for quite a while. After all, he owns two multi-million dollar homes in L.A. His production company, Spring Hill Entertainm…

Since the NBA Finals was essentially a scrimmage between a varsity squad and a C-team, much of the excitement for basketball fans has been in anticipation of the 2018 NBA Draft and impending free agency period. Last week, league execs gathered together to fawn over the next generation of NBA…

Sports and the “shoe game” have been intertwined ever since Charles “Chuck” Taylor and Converse rolled out the All-Stars aka “Chucks” way back in the early 1920s. It took approximately 50 years for the first NBA athlete to land a signature shoe deal when Kareem Abdul Jabbar received his own …