Yahoo Sports AM: Who runs the league? 4 generations battling for NBA supremacy

Yahoo Sports AM: Who runs the league? 4 generations battling for NBA supremacy

Yahoo Sports AM is our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here to get it every weekday morning.

🚨 Headlines

🏆 USA 4, Canada 3 (OT): The U.S. women's hockey team beat Canada in dramatic fashion to win gold at the world championships. It's the 11th title for the Americans, who are closing in on Canada's haul of 13.

Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

💨 Big-time blowouts: The Thunder became the sixth NBA team to win a playoff game by 50+ points with a 131-80 thrashing of the Grizzlies; the Reds destroyed the Orioles, 24-2, in the biggest beatdown of the MLB season.

⛳️ Back in the winner's circle: Justin Thomas sank a 21-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole at the RBC Heritage to end a nearly three-year PGA Tour title drought. He also became the first wire-to-wire champion this season, holding the lead after the first round (-10) and the last (-17).

🍼 Papa Ohtani: Reigning NL MVP Shohei Ohtani and his wife, Mamiko Tanaka, welcomed a new baby girl on Saturday.

⚽️ Rodman steps away: Washington Spirit star Trinity Rodman is taking an indefinite leave of absence to address her continuing back issues. Earlier this month, she said she doesn't think her back "will ever be 100%."

🏀 4 Generations: Who runs the league?

(Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)

The longevity of LeBron James and others his age has provided us with a never-before-seen NBA revelation: four generations of superstars, all playing at once, each with championship aspirations.

Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

From Yahoo Sports' Ben Rohrbach:

There used to be a pattern to these things. One generation would cede control as another seized it, and a third would rise behind them. Rinse and repeat forever. Or so we thought.

There are two factions battling for control of today's NBA, and a generation on both sides of them looking to disrupt our expectations for this year's tournament. They are the legends among us, ages 22 to 40, spanning two decades of drafts.

❶ The Old Guys (2003-09 NBA Drafts): Nobody used to be this good for this long. If there is a fountain of youth, it runs through James' veins. He has altered what we thought possible, and Stephen Curry is following his lead. Nobody even thought James Harden could still do what he's doing at the age of 35.

Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

LeBron James: 40 (1st pick in 2003)

Al Horford: 38 (3rd pick in 2007)

Stephen Curry: 37 (7th pick in 2009)

Russell Westbrook: 36 (4th pick in 2008)

James Harden: 35 (3rd pick in 2009)

❷ The Getting Old Guys (2010-14 Drafts): The longevity of the generation before them and the rapid rise of the generation behind them has limited this generation's championship window to only a few years. Can this group of players, who are getting older themselves, reclaim their era?

Jimmy Butler: 35 (30th pick in 2011)

Kawhi Leonard: 33 (15th pick in 2011)

Rudy Gobert: 32 (27th pick in 2013)

Giannis Antetokounmpo: 30 (15th pick in 2013)

Nikola Jokić: 30 (41st pick in 2014)

❸ The New Guys (2015-19 Drafts): Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jayson Tatum and Donovan Mitchell are the best players on the three title favorites, while Luka Dončić and Jalen Brunson lead two legit contenders. All five are between 26 and 28 years old — the precipice of a player's prime, traditionally speaking. Does the NBA belong to them now?

Jalen Brunson: 28 (33rd pick in 2018)

Donovan Mitchell: 28 (13th pick in 2017)

Jayson Tatum: 27 (3rd pick in 2017)

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 26 (11th pick in 2018)

Luka Dončić: 26 (3rd pick in 2018)

❹ The Next Guys (2020-24 Drafts): Over the coming weeks, someone from the NBA's 25-and-under group will alter our opinion of their trajectory. Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton did it last year when they led their teams to the conference finals. Who will be the story this time?

Tyrese Haliburton: 25 (12th pick in 2020)

Evan Mobley: 23 (3rd pick in 2021)

Anthony Edwards: 23 (1st pick in 2020)

Cade Cunningham: 23 (1st pick in 2021)

Paolo Banchero: 22 (1st pick in 2022)

NBA Playoffs: Bracket | Scores | Headlines

🏆 The NCAA winter champions

Oklahoma celebrates winning the women's gymnastics championship on Saturday in Fort Worth. (C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

The NCAA's winter season concluded over the weekend, with gymnastics becoming the 10th and final sport to crown its Division I champions.

Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

Gymnastics: Michigan (men) won its first title since 2014 behind Olympic medalists Fred Richard and Paul Juda, while Oklahoma (women) won its third title in four years and seventh overall.

Basketball: Florida (men) won its first championship since going back-to-back in 2006-07, while UConn (women) won its first since capturing four straight from 2013-16 and record 12th overall.

Ice Hockey: Western Michigan (men) won its first-ever championship in its Frozen Four debut, while Wisconsin (women) won its record eighth title.

Texas is back on top. (Mollie Handkins/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Swimming & Diving: Texas (men) won its record 16th title in its first season under Michael Phelps' longtime coach, Bob Bowman; Virginia (women) captured its fifth straight title behind Olympic medalists Alex and Gretchen Walsh.

Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

Wrestling (men only): Penn State's dynasty continues. The Nittany Lions have now won four straight championships and 12 of the last 14 overall.

Indoor Track & Field: USC (men) won its first title since 1972, while Oregon (women) won its first title of the decade after winning seven in the 2010s.

Notre Dame fencer Magda Skarbonkiewicz was crowned champion in women's saber. (Alysa Rubin/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Fencing (co-ed): Notre Dame won its fourth title in the past five years, and 10th since the championship became co-ed in 1990. Only Penn State (13) has more in that time.

Skiing (co-ed): Utah won its fourth title in the last five years, and 15th since the championship became co-ed in 1983. No other school has more than 10 in that time.

Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

Rifle (co-ed): West Virginia is back in the winner's circle with its first title since 2017 and 20th overall. Alaska (11) is the only other school with more than four.

Bowling (women only): Youngstown State beat defending champion Jacksonville State to win its first bowling title, which has been an NCAA sanctioned championship since 2004.

🏟️ Double duty: One arena, two playoff teams

(Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)

11 venues are shared by NBA and NHL teams, but only two are hosting playoff games in both leagues this year: Crypto.com Arena* (Lakers, Kings) and Ball Arena (Nuggets, Avalanche).

Madison Square Garden (Knicks), TD Garden (Celtics) and Little Caesars Arena (Pistons) will host NBA playoff games, but not NHL playoff games.

American Airlines Center (Stars), Capital One Arena (Capitals) and Scotiabank Arena (Maple Leafs) will host NHL playoff games, but not NBA playoff games.

0-for-2: Wells Fargo Center (76ers and Flyers), United Center (Bulls and Blackhawks) and Delta Center (Jazz and Utah Hockey Club) won't host any playoff games after both co-tenants missed the postseason.

Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

*34 years later… The Lakers and Kings are hosting Game 1 playoff games in the same building for the first time since 1991, when Magic Johnson and Wayne Gretzky shared the spotlight at the Great Western Forum.

📊 By the numbers

(Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

🥎 13,207 spectators

Stanford smashed the NCAA softball single-game attendance record on Saturday with 13,207 spectators at "The Big Swing" game against Cal. The Cardinal are playing in the university's football stadium this season while their new $50 million softball stadium is being built.

🏒 60 assists

Colorado's Cale Makar became the third-fastest defenseman in Stanley Cup Playoffs history to reach 60 career assists (79 games), trailing only Bobby Orr (69) and Al MacInnis (71). Decent company, I guess.

Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

🏀 0 counting stats

Bucks forward Kyle Kuzma did a whole lot of nothing in Saturday's loss to the Pacers, recording 0 points (0-5 FG, 0-2 FT), 0 rebounds, 0 assists, 0 steals and 0 blocks in 21 minutes. Silver lining: He also had 0 turnovers!

🏎️ 99 points

Oscar Piastri won Sunday's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix to secure his third victory of the season and move into first place in the drivers' championship for the first time in his career. Piastri (99 points) is 10 points ahead of McLaren teammate Lando Norris (89), who is two points ahead of Red Bull's four-time defending champion Max Verstappen (87).

Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

⛳️ 3rd career start

Ingrid Lindblad held off the field on Sunday to win the LA Championship in only her third career LPGA start. "I said, if I win, I'm gonna bump myself up to first class tomorrow," the former LSU star joked Saturday. "But there are no seats in first class tomorrow."

📺 Watchlist: Marathon Monday

Runners cross the finish line during last year’s Marathon. (Omar Rawlings/Getty Images)

Today is the third Monday in April, which in Boston means just one thing (well, two, actually): a world-famous marathon and a late-morning Sox game.

Double feature: Patriots' Day begins with the 129th running of the Boston Marathon* (9am ET, ESPN2), followed by Red Sox vs. White Sox in a rare pre-noon start (11:10am, MLB). The idea is that after the game, fans can walk across the street to watch the final mile of the race.

Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

More to watch:

🏀 NBA Playoffs: Pistons (0-1) at Knicks (7:30pm, TNT); Clippers (0-1) at Nuggets (10pm, TNT) … Two of the best first-round matchups.

🏒 NHL Playoffs: Canadiens at Capitals (7pm, ESPN); Blues (0-1) at Jets (7:30pm, ESPN2); Avalanche (1-0) at Stars (9:30pm, ESPN); Oilers at Kings (10pm, ESPN2)

⚾️ MLB: Padres at Tigers (6:40pm, FS1) … San Diego (MLB-best 16-6) and Detroit (13-9) are both currently in first place.

⚽️ Premier League: Tottenham vs. Nottingham Forest (3pm, USA) … A win would move Forest into third place.

*Chasing history: Kenya's Hellen Obiri is attempting to become the first woman this century to three-peat in Boston. She won in 2023 with a time of 2:21:38 and repeated in 2024 with a time of 2:22:27.

🏀 NBA trivia

The Hakeem Olajuwon Defensive Player of the Year Trophy. (Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)

The NBA has announced the finalists for its seven major awards: MVP, DPOY, ROY, Most Improved, Coach of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year and Clutch Player of the Year.

Question: Can you name the only player named a finalist for two awards?

Hint: DPOY and Most Improved.

Answer at the bottom.

🍿 Baker's Dozen: Top 13 plays of the weekend

(Yahoo Sports)

Watch all 13.

Trivia answer: Hawks guard Dyson Daniels

We hope you enjoyed this edition of Yahoo Sports AM, our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.

Click here to read article