Last Mamba Amalia Holguin Is Ready to Show the World What Kobe Bryant Taught Her As the final member of the heralded Team Mamba squad to finish her high school career,  the Texas-bound guard is ready for a bigger stage.

For years, Amalia Holguin was known as the Littlest Mamba, the youngest AAU player coached by Kobe Bryant. Then, she was the Last Mamba, the only one of that roster left playing high school ball. And now, as she leaves to play in college, she is ready to be known simply as Amalia Holguin

aw shucks (thank you!)

Last Mamba Amalia Holguin Is Ready to Show the World What Kobe Bryant Taught Her As the final member of the heralded Team Mamba squad to finish her high school career,  the Texas-bound guard is ready for a bigger stage.

This is an exceptional piece by @emmabaccellieri.bsky.social about a child who lost her coach — who happened to be an icon.

www.si.com/college-bask...

thank you so much for reading + sharing!

Last Mamba Amalia Holguin Is Ready to Show the World What Kobe Bryant Taught Her As the final member of the heralded Team Mamba squad to finish her high school career,  the Texas-bound guard is ready for a bigger stage.

Amalia Holguin was the youngest AAU teammate of Gigi Bryant. Now, six years after the grief of that helicopter crash and everything that followed, she is the last of that cohort to go off to college. On becoming something bigger than The Littlest Mamba:

Never

OR NOT!!!!!!

Those who can’t get over Game 1 of the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals (me) are doomed to repeat it

In awe of the deal Freddie Andersen apparently made with the devil last week

Garret Anderson Exemplified the Immense Value of Extraordinary Consistency The late outfielder was remarkably dependable in almost every aspect, from his uncanny hitting ability to his even-keeled nature.

A beautiful Garret Anderson obituary from Verducci

Celebrating the Players That Made Women's Basketball | KQED We'll celebrate the players and coaches who made women's basketball into the phenomenon it is today, and get a preview for the upcoming season, with Robinson and Baccellieri.

🎙️ON AIR:

We're talking to @heyjordanr.bsky.social and @emmabaccellieri.bsky.social about the people who made women’s basketball into the phenomenon it is today, and we'll get a preview of the upcoming season.

❓How have you seen the culture around the WNBA change?

📻 Listen:

Jeff Passan's new podcast wants to make you a better baseball fan Jeff Passan hopes his new podcast will give fans baseball’s smartest conversations that don’t feel like homework.

"He has seen Staff’s face zero times, and he has decided, as a matter of creative principle, to keep it that way."

that's right baby

Developing a new take: If you repeat at the Masters, they should let you choose any past champion in attendance to put the jacket on you

I live to sandwich-influence 🫡

We Caught Up With the Viral Pacers Couple—Here’s What They’d Like the Internet to Know Meet Grace and Michael, the couple who became a meme Thursday night for their conversation caught on the Pacers’ broadcast. So, what were they talking about?

“We were talking about the academic rigor of a liberal arts education, and essentially how it can be updated for the current economic status and job market."

A perfect @tomdierberger.bsky.social interview
www.si.com/nba/pacers/v...

Thank you so much for reading! (+ for sharing so many great photos here!! what a blast to scroll through)

TONIGHT! TONIGHT! TONIGHT! 7PM DSK

SQUAWKIN LIVE XX
FEW TIX LEFT

Come see @sportsillustrated.bsky.social stalwart @emmabaccellieri.bsky.social & Soul Power breakout star @sportyprof.bsky.social w/ @davidjroth.bsky.social & I at @squawkinsports.bsky.social!

SEE YA THERE: tinyurl.com/4w5zkvw5

The Angel Reese Trade Is the Sky’s Latest Blunder Chicago’s history of mismanaging assets shows a clear pattern of incompetence when it comes to prioritizing players.

The Angel Reese trade exposes the Sky's central flaw: they mismanage their most valuable assets—their players.

More on today's deal and Sky's history of failing to retain and build around their stars:

www.si.com/wnba/angel-r...

After a Hard Reset, UCLA Decided to Win a National Championship on Its Own Terms Many doubted if the Bruins were tough enough to win it all. It turns out they had so much heart for each other that they played heartlessly against opponents.

The UCLA women won the title their way: with ruthless tenacity, and a whole bunch of love. www.si.com/college-bask...

SQUAWKIN’ LIVE XX
THIS THURSDAY 7PM
HOOPS, HOPS & HOPE

WITH TWO A-LISTERS (also @davidjroth.bsky.social & I

Join: @sportyprof.bsky.social
@emmabaccellieri.bsky.social talking all the ball.

Tix available but close to capacity. Prost!

tinyurl.com/yeysv4ct

Lot of surprising things from this Final Four, to put it lightly, but gotta say I'm really struck by "Sarah Strong and Lauren Betts proving these programs seemingly do not have even one usable back-up jersey for their biggest stars"

Sorry to everyone covering the men who had to endure The Chainsmokers. The halftime entertainment here is Ilona Maher delivering bowls to Red Panda... a real win for women everywhere imo

UCLA Has Improved in One Major Way in This Final Four: It Can Play Ugly Don’t be fooled by the Bruins’ sweet dispositions. This team can be tough and gritty when it needs to be, as shown in a 51–44 slog against Texas on Friday.

“It’s really all about toughness at this point. And finding a way to make a winning play, even if it’s a winning play you wouldn’t have predicted or chosen.” UCLA would not have chosen to play such an ugly game. It won anyway.

Geno Auriemma Made It All About Himself and That’s a Real Shame It’s not exactly clear what happened between the Huskies coach and Dawn Staley after South Carolina beat UConn, but he made it publicly personal.

“I never want it to be Geno and Dawn, Geno and this, Geno and that… I’ve tried really, really hard over the years to not make it about that ever again.” That was Geno Auriemma on Thursday. So where was that on Friday? Column from Phoenix:

South Carolina Gets by With a Little Help From Dawn Staley’s Friends WNBA coaches, Olympians, Lisa Leslie? You never know who's going to show up at a Gamecocks practice.

Three-point shooting tips from Karl Smesko, post play pointers from Lisa Leslie, and general inspiration from Olympic sprinters. Wrote about Dawn Staley's list of guests for team visits this year and what it's brought South Carolina

🥹 amazing!!!! I hope they enjoy

I meant to reach out to you when I was writing it!!! glad you enjoyed 🥰

Home Sweet Dome: The Rebuilt Tropicana Field Deserves Its Flowers After a hurricane forced them to spend last season in a minor league park, the Rays learned that be it ever so humble, there’s no place like dome.

“I’ve stayed in hotel rooms that are nicer than my house. But home is still home.” Wrote about what the Rays learned in their season away from Tropicana Field, and what it means for them to return, if only for a little:

South Carolina Is Back in the Final Four, but This Is Not Your Typical Dawn Staley Team The Gamecocks have unlocked a new brand of basketball this season, a faster, higher-scoring product that is not quite like anything Staley has coached before.

From last night in Sacramento, on South Carolina getting to the Final Four as usual, only with different players and a very different playbook

UCLA Returns to the Final Four With a More Confident Lauren Betts Leading the Way The Bruins had a shaky start to their win over Duke, but their star center has learned how to step up as a game-changing presence when things get tough.

UCLA coach Cori Close darted out to wave down Grandview High School coach Josh Ulitzky. They both knew what it meant to lead a team whose star was Lauren Betts. Yet they had not coached the same player, and they had not coached the same person, either.

On the growth of Lauren Betts: