Andscape

Before the French Open began a few weeks ago, the burgeoning friendship of Naomi Osaka and Taylor Townsend showed something that garnered even more social media attention than their joyous vacation trip last fall.

The chatter surrounding Ja Morant is commonly drowned out by one recurring sound: cha-ching. Despite its namesake’s injuries and trade rumors, the Nike Ja 3 has become one of the most dominant sneakers in basketball, moving at a rate that contradicts the noise around Morant’s career. Morant’s Nike Ja 3 signature shoe — a model first seen in the 2025 NBA Playoffs — reigns as one of the hottest sneakers on the market even as its successor, the Nike Ja 4, is expected to release soon.

In 2002, the same year Serena Williams completely dominated the world of professional tennis en route to her first “Serena Slam” of holding all four major titles simultaneously, the movie Paid In Full was released. No one knew then — certainly not Serena herself — that nearly a quarter century later, the cult classic’s defining soliloquy would embody her life. Mekhi Phifer’s character, Mitch, was based on the infamous and legendary Harlem drug kingpin Rich Porter.

Mikel Brown Jr. reached the NBA with a head start few rookies have. Long before being selected sixth overall by the Brooklyn Nets at Tuesday’s NBA Draft, the 20-year-old guard had been embedded in Adidas’ ecosystem through a name, image and likeness deal that began in high school.

As a kid growing up in Detroit in the 1950s and ‘60s, David Roberts loved baseball. He lived a few miles from the Detroit Tigers’ home stadium. But young Dave was a Cleveland Indians fan – because his grandfather told him the Tigers, due to racist ownership, had been one of the last Major League Baseball teams to sign a Black player. Cleveland, meanwhile, had integrated the American League in 1947 with Larry Doby, a few months after Jackie Robinson’s debut.

The best way to encapsulate the complex, game-changing legacy of Clive Davis, the legendary label head who died Monday at 94, is through his discovery and meticulous shaping of Whitney Houston into a global pop star. The year was 1983.

Andscape explores the intriguing teams, people and themes around the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America. PHILADELPHIA — Shortly after Haiti lost its World Cup match to Brazil last week, I approached Jean Claude Edwards and his daughter, Tamikha, as they walked back to their hotel. They were among the few thousand Haitian fans who had attended the match at Philadelphia Stadium, where they celebrated Haiti’s first World Cup appearance since 1974.

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Quiet as it’s kept, there are not many American cities that love the game of basketball and have a rich hoop history like Washington, D.C. Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers Edwin Bancroft Henderson, Earl Lloyd, Elgin Baylor, Morgan Wootten, Adrian Dantley, Dave Bing and John Thompson II made their names in Washington.

CHICAGO — Will AJ Dybantsa be selected first overall in the 2026 NBA draft by the Washington Wizards? Will the Wizards pass on the former BYU star forward, leaving him to be selected by the Utah Jazz with the next pick? Will there be another surprise that lands Dybantsa somewhere unexpected? The answer will be revealed tonight at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, and the heralded draft prospect believes he should be the top pick.

Tennessee State guard Aaron “AK” Nkrumah didn’t expect to even be at the NBA’s G League draft combine in May. Days before the event, Nkrumah received a late invitation to attend after a spot opened. Once there, impressed scouts with his athleticism, versatility and hustle, earning a promotion to the NBA draft combine and transforming from an under-the-radar prospect into a player on NBA draft boards.