Andscape

Russell Westbrook, a force of nature and inevitable first-ballot Hall of Famer, retired from the NBA on Wednesday in a manner worthy of his career — with praise and prestige from a man named Michael Jordan. I mean, why not? Jordan Brand has often been a defining part of the Westbrook mystique.

Andscape senior NFL writer Jason Reid speaks to coordinators leaguewide about what meaningful advancement looks like for Black coaches at the highest level of football “I’m qualified, and I’m ready for it.” Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph is clear about his hope to lead an NFL team again, even as his priority remains the Broncos.

Zero. It isn’t a score. It isn’t a handicap. It isn’t the number of putts a player hopes to take from 6 feet. Instead, zero is the number of African American golfers who competed this year in the four men’s professional major golf championships. Zero. In a sport enjoying unprecedented popularity, record participation and financial success, it is a number that feels almost impossible to believe. Millions of Americans are playing golf. Equipment sales continue to climb.

Just weeks before his death, Nipsey Hussle stopped by Power 106 in Los Angeles to speak with Justin Credible and DJ Sourmilk of the L.A. Leakers. The biggest takeaway from the interview, one of the last of his short yet transcendent life, was that Nipsey genuinely appeared excited. Already a legend on Crenshaw and Slauson and across Los Angeles, the 33-year-old was taking his star power on a national, upward turn.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Doc Rivers felt nervous on the morning he expected a call from the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame about whether he would be inducted as a coach in the Class of 2026. Rejection a year earlier during his first bid did nothing to ease his tension. The 64-year-old felt his anxiety grow as his phone stayed silent. “It’s so funny. They tell you a time period.

While warming up for a home game with the Las Vegas Aces in 2024, forward Alysha Clark couldn’t believe who was sitting courtside. “I stopped and I was like, ‘Oh my God, it’s Mychal,’” said Clark, now a member of the Dallas Wings.

DE LUZ, Calif. — Before a recent offseason workout, Isaiah Stewart looked at the Memphis Grizzlies logo on his new light blue long-sleeve shirt and smiled. “I’m representing,” he said. Stewart spent the past six seasons of highs and lows with the Detroit Pistons, becoming their longest-tenured player. But after front-office turnover in 2024 and a limited playoff role this past season, the 25-year-old felt his days in Detroit were numbered and prayed for change.

An ongoing series of photo essays by Black photographers that highlight Black excellence in sport. Cincinnati-based photographer Romain Mayambi’s ongoing series “Athletes in Unconventional Spaces” was inspired by a baseball field. “I remember coming across this beautiful baseball field where the dirt looked absolutely perfect, and I thought to myself, ‘I need to shoot something fun here,’” Mayambi said. He decided to photograph jiu-jitsu fighters on the field, thinking it would be a one-off shoot.

Andscape senior NFL writer Jason Reid speaks to coordinators leaguewide about what meaningful advancement looks like for Black coaches at the highest level of football Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero says he is ready for a head coaching opportunity, but his focus is on 2026.

‘The American Carnival’ is a yearlong cultural examination of the impact of the Super Bowl halftime show far beyond entertainment. Through history, politics, race, economics and music, the series explores how 12 minutes on the most-watched stage in the country often say more about America than the game itself. Every opponent’s game plan for Aaron Donald always started and ended the same. What’s the point in preparing for the inevitable?