Sports Illustrated US October 01 2022 by Frankio

S t e p h a n i e G i l m o r e

1 7 H O T E L B R A N D S • 6 , 0 0 0 G L O B A L D E S T I N A T I O N S • O N E L O Y A L T Y P R O G R A M

J U D G E C R E D

In July the Yankees slugger became the second fastest player in history to hit 200 homers, reaching the mark in 671 games. O C T O B E R 2 0 2 2 V O L U M E 1 3 3 | N O 9 L E A D I N G O F F P 1 0D E PA R T M E N T S S C O R E C A R D P 1 6 F A C E S I N T H E C R O W D P 2 8 P O I N T A F T E R P 8 0 E R C K W R A S C O

O3 C T O B E R 2 0 2 2 L I N E U P

C H I C K E N F O R A L L

Breaded Chicken, $ sales L52W w/e in 05/07/22 *

. A l l f o r More crispy chicken. More family faves.

H B I E N

Y A L E X P R E W I T T 5 3

S E

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The common narrative is that the Yankee bet big on himself by turning down a huge extension. He doesn’t see it that way but it’s going to pay off for him

B Y J O P K O O T B A L L

No longer the LOLMets, the Big Apple’s other team is on the verge of the playoffs and suddenly looks a whole lot less dysfunctional

B Y T O M A S K E T B A L L

LIN EUP O I L E D F O R C H O I C E S E A T U R E S

I A N M A C K AY

G A B R IE L T AY L O R

B Y S T E P H L B

His quest to ﬁnd ways to experience old loves led him back to the road, where he set his sights on a world record

Fifteen years after the death of Washington safety Sean Taylor, his brother is playing to honor the All Pro’s legacy while creating one of his own

V E R D U C C I B

The King has an audacious plan: to play alongside one (or maybe both) of his sons in the NBA. And they don’t give a damn what anyone thinks of that dream Y

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A A R O N J UD G E

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NE W Y O R K ME T S

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C H R I S B A L L A R D S P O R T S I L L U S T R A T E D ( I S S N 0 0 3 8 8 2 2 X ) I S P U B L I S H E D M O N T H L Y B Y T H E A R E N A M E D I A B R A N D S L L C P R I N C I P A L O F F C E 2 0 0 V E S E Y S T R E E T N E W Y O R K N Y 1 0 2 8 1 1 0 0 8 O W N E D B Y A B G S L L C P R I N C I P A L O F F I C E 1 4 1 1 B R O A D W A Y 2 1 S T F L O O R N E W Y O R K N Y 1 0 0 1 8 P E R I O D I C A L S P O S T A G E P A D A T N E W Y O R K N Y A N D A D D I T I O N A L M A I L I N G O F F I C E S P O S T M A S T E R S E N D A L L U A A T O C F S ( S E E D M M 7 0 7 4 1 2 5 ) N O N P O S T A L A N D M I L T A R Y F A C I L T I E S : S E N D A D D R E S S C O R R E C T I O N S T O S P O R T S I L L U S T R A T E D M A G A Z I N E P O B O X 3 7 5 7 6 B O O N E A 5 0 0 3 7 0 5 0 8 U S S U B S C R I B E R S : I F T H E P O S T A L S E R V I C E A L E R T S U S T H A T Y O U R M A G A Z N E I S U N D E L I V E R A B L E W E H A V E N O F U R T H E R O B L I G A T O N U N L E S S W E R E C E V E A C O R R E C T E D A D D R E S S W I T H N T W O Y E A R S C A N A D A P O S T P U B L I C A T O N M A I L A G R E E M E N T N O 4 0 6 2 4 0 7 4 Y O U R B A N K M A Y P R O V I D E U P D A T E S T O T H E C A R D I N F O R M A T I O N W E H A V E O N F I L E Y O U M A Y O P T O U T O F T H S S E R V I C E A T A N Y T I M E M A I L I N G L S T: W E M A K E A P O R T I O N O F O U R M A L N G L I S T A V A I L A B L E T O R E P U T A B L E F I R M S I F Y O U W O U L D P R E F E R T H A T W E N O T I N C L U D E Y O U R N A M E P L E A S E C A L L O R W R I T E U S © 2 0 2 2 A B G S L L C A L L R I G H T S R E S E R V E D R E P R O D U C T I O N I N W H O L E O R N P A R T W I T H O U T P E R M I S S I O N S P R O H I B I T E D S P O R T S I L L U S T R A T E D I S A R E G I S T E R E D T R A D E M A R K O F A B G S L L C C U S T O M E R S E R V I C E A N D S U B S C R I P T I O N S : F O R 2 4 / 7 S E R V I C E P L E A S E V I S I T S I C O M / M Y A C C O U N T Y O U C A N A L S O C A L L 8 7 7 7 4 7 1 0 4 5 O R W R I T E S A T P O B O X 3 7 5 7 6 B O O N E I A 5 0 0 3 7 0 5 0 8

D A V D E K L U T H O S P

A N I E A P S T E I N M

Their talent plus their dad has given Bronny (left) and Bryce James an unprecedented set of options for the future F

L E B R ON A ND S O N S

A bike crash left him in a wheelchair

SU E BI R D •13 time WNBA All Star •All time leader in games and assists •Five Olympic gold medals S T E P H C H A M B E R S / G E T T Y I M A G E S

S T R O N G G O O D B Y E S I N A P R I L 2 0 0 2 T H E S E A T T L E S T O R M M A D E S U E B I R D T H E T O P P I C K I N T H E W N B A D R A F T . L E S S T H A N T W O M O N T H S L A T E R , S E R E N A W I L L I A M S W O N T H E F R E N C H O P E N F O R T H E F I R S T T I M E , B E G I N N I N G A S T R I N G O F F O U R S T R A I G H T G R A N D S L A M W I N S T H A T B E C A M E K N O W N A S T H E S E R E N A S L A M M U C H C H A N G E D I N T H E W O R L D O V E R T H E E N S U I N G T W O D E C A D E S , B U T T H E G R E A T N E S S O F B I R D A N D W I L L I A M S W A S A C O N S T A N T . T H E Y A N N O U N C E D T H E I R R E T I R E M E N T S T H I S Y E A R , J O I N I N G A P A I R O F O T H E R L U M I N A R I E S W H O C A L L E D I T A ( L O N G , D I S T I N G U I S H E D ) C A R E E R T H I S F A L L L E A DING OF F

L E A D I N G O F F

•Four

•Third

S Y LV I A F OW L E S time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year all time in blocks Olympic gold medals E R I C A D E N H O F F / I C O N S P O R T S W I R E / E T T Y I M A G E S

S E R ENA W I L L I A MS •23 Grand Slam singles titles •Ranked No. 1 for 319 weeks •Four Olympic gold medals V I S I O N H A U S / G E T T Y I M A G E S

A L LY S ON F E L I X •11 Olympic medals, more than any female track athlete •Won silver in 200 meters and bronze in 400 meters 17 years apart (2004 and ’21) •20 time medalist in world championships H A N N A H P E T E R S / G E T T Y I M A G E S F O R W O R L D A T H L E T I C S L E A D I N G O F F

SCORECARD 1 6 S P O R T S I L L U S T R A T E D | S I C O M

EWSM A K ER S p 2 6G A M E PL A N p 2 2 FACE S IN T H E CROW D p 2 8

He had ende d h i s at h le t ic c a re er i n glor y. Shor t ly a f ter 9 p.m. on Mond ay, Sept . 4, 1972 , i n t he f i na l s w i m m i ng e vent at t he Mu n ic h Oly mpic s, t he 40 0 me ter me d le y relay, Spit z entere d t he w ater for t he la st t i me. Sw i m m i ng t he but ter f ly leg, he helpe d propel t he U S tea m to v ic tor y, comple t i ng

I w a s cover i ng t he Oly mpic s w i m m i ng compe t it ion a s a w r iter for Sports Il lust r at ed wh ic h mea nt , rea l ly, t hat I w a s cover i ng Ma rk Spit z . On t he beat w it h me were t wo G er ma n bor n SI col lea g ue s, photog rapher Hei n z K lue t meier a nd repor ter A n it a Ver sc hot h We k ne w Spit z wel l a nd he k ne w u s wel l, a nd when I i nv ite d h i m to have d i n ner, he accepte d. A n it a a ske d a rou nd a nd c a me up w it h K ä fer Sc hä n ke, I

M A D E H I S T O R Y , W H E N T H E O L Y M P I C S C H A N G E D F O R E V E R

1 O7 C T O B E R 2 0 2 2

M UNICH MEMORY

F I F T Y Y E A R S O N , T H E A U T H O R R E C A L L S C O U N S E L I N G M A R K S P I T Z I N T H E S A D H O U R S A F T E R T H E S W I M M E R

I L L U S T R A T I O N B Y T H E S P O R T I N G P R E S S

B Y J E R R Y K I R S H E N B A U M

F H E ’ D had a m i nd to, Ma rk Spit z cou ld have celebrate d on a fa r g ra nder sc a le. He cou ld have whoope d it up w it h coac he s, tea m mate s a nd h i s leg ion of fa n s who now were e ver y where i n Mu n ic h But he w a sn’t a pa r t y a n i ma l, a nd e ven on t h i s n ight of epoc ha l t r iu mph, he wou ld n’t be come one. Ni ne d ay s of pre ssu re ac t u a l ly, fou r yea r s of pre ssu re had be en l i f te d f rom h i s shou lder s, leav i ng h i m rel ie ve d a nd happy but w it h emot ion s i n c he c k . For h i m, t he cobble d toge t her, late n ight d i n ner at K ä fer Sc hä n ke wou ld be celebrat ion enough

a per sona l feat t hat re def i ne d per fe c t ion: se ven e vent s, se ven gold me d a l s, se ven world re cord s

A f ter w a rd, he c ha nge d i nto st re e t c lot he s a nd w a s su r rou nde d by wel l w i sher s i n a ha l lw ay of t he Oly mpic Sc hw i m m ha l le R a k i sh ly ha nd some, w it h a re cent ly acqu i re d je t blac k mu st ac he se t of f by a mov ie st a r sm i le, he accepte d cong rat u lat ion s, sig ne d autog raph s a nd pose d for photos Fi na l ly, t he c r u sh of ad m i rer s t h i n ne d.

a st yl i sh re st au ra nt open u nt i l t he we e hou r s. Hei n z w a s br i ng i ng a d ate, so it wou ld be t he f ive of u s.

Spit z had a m i sc h ie vou s side, a nd I t h i n k he may have i nv ite d her ma i n ly to ke ep t he r u mor s goi ng But be c au se of t he late hou r a nd on t he cou n sel of her m i nder s, Ha r shba rger de c l i ne d. He d id n’t se em d i sappoi nte d.

O r may be si x A t t he la st m i nute, Spit z a ske d a member of t he U S women’s s w i m m i ng tea m, 1 5 yea r old Jo A n n Ha r shba rger, to joi n u s. T here had be en ne w s repor t s of a roma nce be t we en t he 22 yea r old Spit z a nd Ha r shba rger, wh ic h he laughe d of f. “I’m too you ng for Don na de Va rona , ” he sa id moc k r uef u l ly, refer r i ng to t he 25 yea r old A mer ic a n s w i m m i ng st a r, “a nd I’m too old for Jo Ha r shba rger.”

1 8 S P O R T S I L L U S T R A T E D | S I C O M S C O R E C A R D

We d roppe d Spit z of f out side t he U S compou nd i n t he Oly mpic V i l la ge a l it t le before 3 a .m. He w a s sc he du le d to hold a pre ss con ference at 9. I told Ma rk I’d se e h i m t here, a nd we w atc he d h i m head for t he ele v ator

T he s t ando f f be t w een Ger man police (abo v e) and t he t er r or is t s las t ed near l y 18 hour s .

T H S P A G E N E I L L E F E R P R E V O U S S P R E A D K U R T S T R U M P F / A P ( T E R R O R S T N E L L E I F E R P O L C E ) ; J O H N G Z I M M E R M A N ( S P I T Z ,

2 )

A t 4 a .m., nea r to where we’d sa id good n ight to Spit z , eight ter ror i st s, member s of Blac k September, a n e x t rem i st a r m of t he Pa le st i ne L iberat ion O rga n i z at ion, c a r r y i ng a ssau lt r i f le s a nd e x plosive s, sc a le d a t wo me ter h igh per i me ter fence of t he V i l la ge T he y cou ld n’t have k now n how c lose t he y had be en to com i ng face to face w it h t he Je w i sh hero of t he Ga me s.

Summer Olympics, an event intended to put a more humane face on Germany. In contrast to the previous Olympics held in Germany, the notorious 1936 Games that glorified Hitler and reeked of racism and antisemitism, the Munich Olympics were friendly, open and relaxed. Perhaps too relaxed

T he Pa le st i n ia n s g u n ne d dow n a w re st l i ng coac h a nd weight l i f ter i n t he Israel i qu a r ter s a nd took n i ne host a ge s. T hose n i ne were k i l le d a long w it h f ive of t he ter ror i st s a nd a Mu n ic h pol ice of f icer i n a bu ngle d re sc ue at tempt later t hat n ight at t he c it y ’s Fü r sten feldbr uc k A i r Ba se.

No pl a n s for d i n ne r u nt i l I me nt ione d it to h i m? Shot dow n a sk i ng for a d at e? T h i s w a s Ma rk Spit z on t h i s n ig ht of a l l n ig ht s No wor r ie s He w a s me l low Ma rk

Mu n ic h a l so a f forde d a c ha nce at re dempt ion for Spit z . Fou r yea r s ea rl ier i n Me x ico Cit y, a s a c a l low, w i se c rac k i ng 18 yea r old, he had boa ste d t hat he wou ld w i n si x gold me d a l s. In stead, he c hoke d, w i n n i ng t wo a s a member of U. S. relay tea m s wh i le se t t l i ng for a si lver a nd a bron z e i n i nd iv idu a l e vent s He w a s r id ic u le d by some of h i s ow n tea m mate s.

It w a s a f ter 11 when we a r r ive d at t he re st au ra nt . Enter i ng, Spit z w a s g re e te d by rol l i ng applau se.

The Munich massacre shattered what to that point had been a joyous

On a r r iv a l i n Mu n ic h, de ter m i ne d t h i s t i me to ke ep h i s foot out of h i s mout h, he had a n nou nce d t hat he wou ld n’t t a l k to t he pre ss du r i ng t he s w i m m i ng compe t it ion but , w i n or lose, wou ld hold a pre ss con ference a f ter h i s la st e vent Unt i l t hen, rep or t e r s br i s t le d at t he m a ny t i me s he t old t he m, “No c om me nt . ” H i s pre ss emba rgo, I w a s happy to lea r n, d id n’t apply to me. For whate ver rea son, Spit z se eme d to t r u st me My pre v iou s stor ie s for SI had appa rent ly be en me t w it h h i s approv a l, e ven i f what I w rote had n’t a lw ay s be en f lat ter i ng. I had ment ione d h i s occ a siona l la z i ne ss at workout s a nd h i s head spi n n i ng s w i ngs be t we en bra ggadoc io a nd bout s of de ep i n se c u r it y. Howe ver, I d id n’t d i sm i ss h i m, a s some ot her w r iter s d id, a s si mply a spoi le d brat at lea st not i n t hose word s.

O f ten i n Mu n ic h, I w a s at Spit z’s side. My ent ré e to h i m gave me acce ss to muc h el se If I w a s c ha l lenge d by se c u r it y, Ma rk sa id, “It ’s O.K .; he’s w it h me,” a nd I w a s w ave d t h rough. I w a s h i s shadow a nd some t i me s h i s con f id a nte. I k ne w repor ter s a ren’t suppose d to

D u r i ng d i n ner, f re e d r i n k s c a me ou r w ay, but he d id n’t touc h a d rop. On ot her occ a sion s he cou ld be c hat t y, some t i me s overly so, but not ton ight . Di n ner w a s lei su rely he a ske d Hei n z about u nder w ater photog raphy a nd t i me f le w by.

T R AGIC DAY

DID YOU KNOW? HAVE SERVED IN THE U. S . M IL I TA RY Take your right ful place in histor y. Register your ser vice or the ser vice of a militar y woman you know. Scan the QR Code to learn more . For 25 years , the Militar y Women’s Memorial has stood at the gates of Arlington National Cemeter y, honoring the generations of women who have ser ved our nation .

H E I N Z K L U E T M E E R

“ W hat shou ld I say?”

Wel l, a l l r ight , I k now I c rosse d l i ne s, but I w a sn’t w r i ng i ng my ha nd s. For a l l t he negat ive t h i ngs Spit z w a s repute d to be a nd of ten w a s, I saw h i m a s a s y mpat he t ic f ig u re, ne ver more so t ha n i n Mu n ic h. I t hought he w a s bei ng fa i le d t here by some of t he elder s a rou nd h i m a nd ne e de d a f r iend I c a n’t say t hat I w a s t hat f r iend, but at t i me s I ac te d l i ke I w a s.

A fe w hou r s a f ter ou r d i n ner at K ä fer Sc hä n ke, I w a s prepa r i ng to depa r t for t he long aw a ite d Spit z pre ss con ference In t he lobby of t he Mu n ic h Sheraton I ra n i nto Pe ter Jen n i ngs, of A BC . He gave me t he shoc k i ng ne w s. T here w a s now, obv iou sly, a bigger stor y i n Mu n ic h t ha n Ma rk Spit z .

Spit z w a s u shere d of f t he st a ge. O ut side t he P re ss Center, a USOC v a n w a s w a it i ng to t a ke h i m to a pre sc he du le d i nter v ie w w it h G er ma n tele v i sion I oppor t u n i st ic a l ly de c ide d to sk ip t he re st of t he pre ss con ference a nd rema i n w it h Spit z i n t he hope of u si ng my c losene ss to h i m more na ke d ly I bel ie ve d t hat bei ng w it h h i m m ight ge t me i nto t he Oly mpic V i l la ge, wh ic h w a s on loc kdow n. I mot ione d to A n it a to come w it h me

2 0 S P O R T S I L L U S T R A T E D | S I C O M S C O R E C A R D

“Ju st say what you fe el,” I sa id “But I don’t t h i n k you shou ld say, ‘No com ment . ’ ”

The German TV interview went well, and the USOC van then took us to the Olympic Village, which was ringed with police. At the entrance gate, a guard boarded the van. He studied Spitz’s credential, looked at his face, then checked the credential again. Finally, he said, “ You go in ” Spitz may have been the most recognizable figure in all of Munich, but the guard was taking no chances.

Now it w a s my t u r n. T he g u a rd took one look at my pre ss c re dent ia l

I s ou g ht t o put Spit z ’s m i nd at e a s e . I t old h i m t h at w h at t he a s s e mble d me d i a , my s e l f i nc lude d , now mo s t w a nt e d w a s a br ie f i ng

“ You don’t k now, do you?” I cou ld tel l t hat he d id n’t “Don’t k now what?” he sa id.

ge t too c lose to t hei r stor y subje c t s, a nd I’ l l leave it to t he jou r na l i sm e t h ic s pol ice to de ter m i ne whe t her I c rosse d l i ne s

I w a s w rong. In a moment a n of f ic ia l approac he d, ready to e scor t Spit z to t he st a ge. I sa id, “Ma rk , you do k now t hat t he y ’re not goi ng to be a s i ntere ste d i n t he s w i m m i ng. T he y ’re goi ng to a sk you about what ’s happen i ng w it h t he Israel i s.”

T he coac he s had n’t hea rd about t he hor ror i n t he Oly mpic V i l la ge eit her, a nd I told t hem what l it t le I k ne w. Spit z w a s no longer mel low Ma rk . He sa id he d id n’t w a nt to go before t he m ic rophone, where he t hought he’d be too ea s y a t a rge t “ T he y ’d ju st t a ke me host a ge t he y wou ld n’t k i l l me, wou ld t he y?” he a ske d. T hat may sou nd l i ke pa ra noia , but t he t r ut h w a s, at t he t i me nobody k ne w t he e x tent of t he ter ror ist t h reat

f r om aut hor it ie s ab out t he e v e nt s u n fold i n g i n t he Ol y mpic V i l l a ge . I s a id I t hou g ht t h at t he pr e s s c on f e r e nc e w it h h i m w ou ld b e put on hold

T he f i r st que st ion to h i m w a s i nde e d about h i s reac t ion to t he a ssau lt a ga i n st t he Israel i at h le te s a nd coac he s. “I t h i n k it ’s aw f u l . . . ” he bega n, add i ng, i n a pa n ic, “No com ment . ” He slu n k bac k f rom t he m ic rophone, wea r i ng a st r ic ken look . O t her que st ion s fol lowe d, but repor ter s yel le d t hat t he y had t rouble hea r i ng h i s a n s wer s. Spit z’s appea ra nce before t he world pre ss w a s i n sha mble s

A s I a r r ive d at t he P re ss Center it w a s f i l l i ng w it h jou r na l i st s. Soon I saw Spit z enter i ng f rom a side door w it h t h re e coac he s T he y were i n good spi r it s. I w a l ke d over to t hem. Ma rk t ha n ke d me for d i n ner. “I had a rea l ly good t i me,” he sa id.

C O U R T E S Y O F J E R R Y K R S H E N B A U M

b e e n pl a n n i ng t o s t ay on i n Mu n ic h for a c ouple more d ay s, but Oly mpic a nd U S of f ic i a l s h ad de c ide d t h at for se c u r it y re a son s, it wou ld b e b e s t for h i m to le ave t h at ve r y d ay.

A r r a nge me nt s we re b e i ng m ade for h i m t o f ly home t o Ca l i for n i a b y w ay of L ondon

O C T O B E R 2 0 2 2

It w a sn’t ju st t he Mu n ic h Ga me s

Fol low i ng a one d ay su sp e n sion of c omp e t it ion a nd a me mor i a l c e re mony i n t he Oly mpic St ad iu m, t he Ga me s re su me d.

O f t e n i n M u n i c h , I w a s a t S p i t z ’ s s i d e . I f I w a s c h a l l e n g e d b y s e c u r i t y , M a r k s a i d , “ I t ’ s O . K . ; h e ’ s w i t h m e , ” a n d I w a s w a v e d t h r o u g h . I w a s h i s s h a d o w a n d s o m e t i m e s h i s c o n f i d a n t e .

c ove r s t or y on t he w ay s Spit z ’s l i fe h ad c h a nge d si nc e t he Oly mpic s D u r i ng ou r v i sit , He i n z a nd I joi ne d t he c ouple ab oa rd Ma rk ’s ne w 39 fo ot sc ho one r, Sum ark 7. Ma rk w a s e xc it e d t h at some of h i s I nd i a n a t e a m m at e s we re c om i ng t o t he we dd i ng “I wonde r w h at t he y ’ l l t h i n k of my b oat , ” he c huc k le d e x p e c t a nt ly. He sa id he w a s su re t he y ’d b e i mpre s se d b y Su z y. Hei n z a nd I a g re e d Ma rk a nd Su z y Spit z h ave b e e n m a r r ie d 49 ye a r s a nd h ave t wo son s. Ma rk rep or t e d ly h a s done we l l i n re a l e s t at e I h ave n’t se e n h i m i n a ge s, t hou g h we’ve sp oke n a c ouple of t i me s b y phone . I a ske d h i m w h at he w a s up t o. He sa id he’d b e e n g iv i ng sp e e c he s. “I t e l l a fe w a n nydot e s a nd i f some t h i ng i n t he ne w s i s b ot he r i ng me , I g ive t he m a pie c e of my e a r,” he sa id. H i s o c c a sion a l m a l aprop s a side , Spit z d id a go o d job a s a n o c c a sion a l com ment ator for A BC Spor t s, a nd i n i nt e r v ie w s he h a s sp oke n fe e l i ngly ab out h i s e x p e r ie nc e s i n Mu n ic h.

Eig ht mont h s l at e r, Spit z m a r r ie d Su z y We i ne r, a for me r UCL A s t ude nt a nd some t i me mo de l he h ad b e e n f i xe d up w it h shor t ly a f t e r t he Ga me s. Be fore t he nupt i a l s, my e d it or s saw t he i mp e nd i ng m a r r i a ge a s a go o d t i me t o do a

I k ne w he w a s r e fe r r i ng on l y t o Spit z b e i n g t he r e a nd not t o t he c a r n a ge t h at fol low e d , a nd I s a id y e s

T he phone i n t he hotel room w a s con st a nt ly r i ng i ng. Once, Ma rk ’s d ad, A r nold, a n s were d a nd

a nd com ma nde d, “O ut . ” I hea rd t he fa m i l ia r word s, “It ’s O.K ., he’s w it h me,” but t he Spit z ma g ic no longer worke d A s A n it a a nd I were e x it i ng, Ma rk a ske d me to me e t h i m later at t he hotel where h i s pa rent s were st ay i ng. St a nd i ng toge t her on t he pavement , we w atc he d t he v a n pa ss t h rough t he gate a nd d i sappea r i n side t he Oly mpic V i l la ge.

I n S ept e mb e r 20 07, my w i fe , Su sa n, a nd I v ac at ione d i n G e r m a ny I n Mu n ic h we h ad d i n ne r at K ä fe r S c h ä n ke , s t i l l one of t he c it y ’s mo s t p opu l a r d i n i ng sp ot s.

I me nt ione d to t he m a ît re d’ t h at b e i ng at t he re s t au r a nt w a s no s t a lg ic for me b e c au se I h ad gone t he re w it h Ma rk Spit z a f t e r he won h i s f i n a l gold me d a l at t he 1972 Oly mpic s. I wonde re d w he t he r he h ad he a rd ab out Spit z h av i ng h ad d i n ne r at t he re s t au r a nt t h at n ig ht To my su r pr i se , he t old me t h at he h ad b e e n pre se nt , a s a w a it er. He re me mb e re d t he o c c a sion we l l

A fe w hou r s later, Spit z la nde d i n L ondon. Before proce e d i ng to t he U. S., Ma rk pose d for a G er ma n ma ga z i ne for t he icon ic poster of h i m, ha nd s on h ips, i n h i s st a r spa ngle d s w i m su it , h i s se ven gold me d a l s ha ng i ng f rom h i s ne c k .

told Ma rk it w a s a repor ter for t he A ssoc iate d P re ss. He k ne w he shou ld t a l k a nd a ske d me to help h i m prepa re a st atement I once more i nc he d ac ross t he l i ne, but t he word s t hat went out over t he A P w i re were most ly h i s: “A s a hu ma n bei ng a nd a s a Je w, I a m shoc ke d a nd saddene d by t he out ra ge ou s ac t i n t he Oly mpic V i l la ge ”

K ir s h enb aum (ab o v e , r igh t) s a w S pi t z c ele br a t e hi s s e v en t h an d f in al m e d al .

2 1

t hat had st a rk ly c ha nge d. Ne ver wou ld se c u r it y at a ny f ut u re Oly mpic s be a s la x a s it had be en i n t he ea rly d ay s here.

W he n I got t o t he hot e l ro om, t he re w a s a lot goi ng on Ma rk h ad

G OL DEN GU Y S

“ T hat w a s a wonder f u l n ight , w a sn’t it?” he sa id.

golden era of sports, Zagaris is still going at it. He’s been San Francisco’s team photographer for nearly 50 years, and his career is chronicled in the breathtaking Field of Play. Reading the book is to study the evolution of the game, from when it was played in outdated places like Kezar (below, in 1964) to the every Sunday a spectacle it has become Zagaris has been there each step of the way, using his status as a team employee to get that same incredible access, attained without lying to the law. He’s in the locker room as players are given pregame injections. He’s under the stands as Joe Namath cavorts with Reggie Jackson (he’s shot more than just the Niners). He’s on the field as Fred Biletnikoff applies stickum to his socks while actor James Garner looks on.

F I E LD O F P L AY B y M i c h a e l Z a g a r i s L i k e m a ny phot o g r aphe r s w ho c o v e r e d t he golde n e r a of s p or t s , M ic h ae l Z a ga r i s t o ok a d v a nt a ge of l a x s e c u r it y t o ga r ne r s ome i nc r e d i ble ac c e s s. A s a Bay A r e a t e e n a ge r f u l l of, a s he s ay s , “a l it t le a mbit ion a nd a loa d of bu l l s , ” he ’d for ge pr e s s c r e de nt i a l s a nd t a l k h i s w ay ont o t he f ie ld at K e z a r St a d iu m , t he n t he home of t he 49 e r s, c h a r m i ng s u s pic iou s c op s b y a sk i ng w he t he r he c ou ld phot og r aph t he m for a c omple t e l y m a de up b o ok pr oje c t c a l le d Sun d ay Gl a di ator s .

G A M E P L A N : T H E S M A R T F A N ’ S G U I D E T O R I G H T N O W

T H E S T U N N I N G W O R K O F A L O N G T I M E P R O F O O T B A L L P H O T O G R A P H E R T R A C E S T H E C H A N G I N G G A M E

C O U R T E S Y O F M C H A E L Z A G A R I S ( 2 )

Unlike many photographers who covered the

C O OL S HO T S

2 O3 C T O B E R 2 0 2 2 S C O R E C A R D

Z a ga r i s h a s b e c ome suc h a m a i n s t ay t h at he’s de ve lop e d f r ie nd sh ip s w it h t he me n he c ove r s O ne of t he b e s t a ne c dot e s i n t he b o ok a nd t he w r it i ng i n it i s a l mo s t a s i mpre s sive a s t he phot og r aphy i nvolve s qu a r t e rbac k Jo e Mont a n a , w ho w a s at t he t i me b e i ng dogge d b y r u mor s of c o c a i ne u se . A t t he a i r p or t i n D e nve r, i n 1985 , t he qu a r t erbac k saw Z a ga r i s a nd pl ay f u l ly c huc ke d a snow ba l l at h i m ( l ef t) Z a ga r i s duc ke d a nd f i re d bac k , “E x h ibit A !” A f t e r c apt u r i ng t he pic t u re , of c ou r se . Mark Be chtel

R E A D

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Purina trademarks are owned by Société des Produits Nestlé S.A. Any other marks are property of their respective owners. P r o P l a n S p o r t .c o m S t re n g t h a n d s t a m i n a o u t t h e re s t a r t w i t h h i g h p e r f o r m a n c e n u t r i t i o n i n h e re . 30% Protein & 20% Fat to Maintain Lean Muscle Optimizes Oxygen Metabolism (VO2 Max) for Increased Stamina S TA R T S H E R E I T A L L ® ®

H E R E I S s ome op t i m i sm w it h i n t he c ol le ge fo ot ba l l c oac h i ng i ndu s t r y t h at t he ne x t si l l y s e a s on c yc le m ay b e le s s t u mu lt uou s t h a n l a s t y e a r ’s , w he n F lor id a a nd L SU f i r e d t he i r c oac he s a nd sit t i n g c oac he s at p o w e rhou s e s Ok l a hom a a nd Not r e Da me upr o ot e d . But , a s w e k now, ju s t b e c au s e c hu r n i sn’t e x p e c t e d do e sn’t me a n it w on’t h app e n S o f or now he r e ’s w h at w e ’r e he a r i n g ab out nu me r ou s s p ot s t h at c ou ld b e i n pl ay b y s e a s on’s e nd .

2 6 S P O R T S I L L U S T R A T E D | S I . C O M

A R E S I T T I N G O N T H E H O T T E S T S E A T S ?

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i t t h e m o s t e x p e n s i v e b allo t ini t ia t i v e s in c e ﬁ gur e s h a v e b e e n k e p t T h e p r e v io u s r e c o r d w a s a 2 0 2 0 ini t ia t i v e d e alin g w i t h ap p b a s e d dr i v e r s , w hic h r ai s e d a m e r e $ 2 24 3 millio n

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A U B U R N : T he on l y c e r t a i nt y for t he T i ge r s i s u nc e r t a i nt y, a nd t he r e a l r e a d y h av e b e e n mu lt iple c a n a r ie s i n t he c oa l m i ne t h i s of f s e a s on D e fe n si v e c o or d i n at or D e r e k Ma s on t o ok a pay c ut a f t e r one y e a r t o joi n Ok l a hom a St at e ’s s t a f f. T he n , he a d c oac h Br y a n Ha r si n (a b o ve) s u r v i v e d a b o o s t e r c oup bac k i n Fe br u a r y. Ha ng i n g ov e r a l l of t h i s i s at h le t ic d i r e c t or A l le n Gr e e ne ’s i mp e nd i n g c ont r a c t , w h ic h e x pi r e s i n e a rl y 2 02 3 a nd h a s not y e t b e e n e x t e nde d .

S I S P O R T S B O O K

c a s in o s , t h e o t h e r b y app b a s e d c o mp anie s) ar e o n t h e b allo t ? T hr o ugh t h e e n d o f J un e (t h e m o s t r e c e n t d a t a a v ailable) , t h e t w o s id e s h a d alr e a d y r ai s e d $ 2 5 6 4 millio n , m ak in g

H e a v y S t a k e s

A R I Z O N A S TAT E : He r m E d w a rd s’s pr og r a m i s s qu a r e l y i n t he c r o s sh a i r s of t he NC A A . T he s p e c t e r of a n i nv e s t igat ion i s c le a rl y h a r m i n g r e c r u it i ng, a nd it ’s on l y a m at t e r of t i me b e for e t h at show s on t he f ie ld L O U I S V I L L E : I f S c ot t Sat t e r f ie ld s t r u ggle s, it ’ l l b e a re a l t e s t of a c l a s sic hot se at c oac h l i fe r a f t: t he i mp e nd i ng re c r u it i ng c l a s s. I n t he pa s t , a go o d c l a s s w a s e nou g h t o save m a ny c oac he s But how muc h s w ay do e s it h ave i n a one t i me t r a n sfe r p or t a l h app y e r a?

He f i n i she d h i s ju n ior fo otba l l se a son w it h 17 sac k s, 31 t ac k le s for lo s s a nd a s t at e c h a mpion sh ip i n h i s f i r s t ye a r a s a s t a r t e r. O n t he

Ph oto g ra p h by S I M O N B R U T Y

FACES IN THE CROW D

To he lp bu i ld e ndu r a nc e he gave t r ac k a t r y. Now, a he ad of h i s se n ior ye a r, t he de fe n sive e nd say s he no longe r h a s a s t h m a R u n n i ng t r ac k he lp e d Ha rb or m a n a ge h i s bre at h i ng, c ont rol h i s sp e e d a nd

I N H I S f i r s t ye a r c omp e t i ng i n yout h fo otba l l, Nyc kole s Ha rb or c ol l ap se d on t he f ie ld. Ha rb or w a s t o o f a s t , a nd h i s a s t h m a c ou ld n’t ke ep up w it h h i m. He sc ore d a t ouc hdow n, but i n s t e ad of c e lebr at i ng he t r ie d t o c a l m h i s bre at h. H i s lu ngs hu f fe d for a i r, a nd he fe lt d i z z y.

a s se r t it to h i s adv a nt a ge . T he 6' 6", 2 45 p ou nd e d ge r u she r, w ho a l so l i ne s up at re c e ive r a nd t ig ht e nd , h a s b e c ome a f ive s t a r, t wo sp or t at h le t e w it h no i nt e nt ion s of g iv i ng up e it he r pu r su it .

2 8 S P O R T S I L L U S T R A T E D | S I C O M

t r ac k Ha rb or r a n a n e ye p oppi ng 10. 32 se c ond 10 0 me t e r d a sh at t he My r t le Be ac h (S.C .) I nv it at ion a l i n A pr i l, ga r ne r i ng t he at t e nt ion of ESPN ’s G et Up He b e s t e d t h at t i me w it h a 10. 22 on ly 0.03 se c ond s slowe r t h a n Ty re e k H i l l’s h ig h sc ho ol p e r son a l b e s t at t he A AU Ju n ior Oly mpic s i n Au g u s t , w he n he won t he 20 0 me t e r t it le (20.96) i n t he 17 t o 18 a ge g roup i n Gre e n sb oro, N.C . T he ESPN se g me nt ble w up Ha rb or ’s phone du r i ng c l a s s T h at k i nd of at t e nt ion w a sn’t some t h i ng he w a nt e d a s a k id a f t e r t he c ol l ap se , he d id n’t w a nt t o m a ke a big sp e c t ac le of h i m se l f but t h at ’s a l l c h a nge d now He h a s d r aw n more t h a n 35 of fe r s f rom Powe r 5 sc ho ol s, n a r row i ng h i s l i s t dow n t o M ic h iga n, USC , M i a m i, S out h Ca rol i n a , L SU, Ma r y l a nd a nd G e or g i a . Ha rbor de sc r ibe s h i m sel f a s a “show ma n” who u nder st a nd s t he f u l l scope of h i s t a lent s “ You got a big c rowd?” he a sk s “I’m gon na produce.” Amn a Subh an

Ever yone gat here d a rou nd h i m. A t 8 yea r s old, it f rea ke d h i m out

NYCKOLES HARBOR B i r t h p l a c e : W a s h i n g t o n , D C D a t e o f B i r t h : J u l y 5 , 2 0 0 5 S p o r t : F o o t b a l l S c h o o l : A r c h b i s h o p C a r r o l l H i g h O v e r a l l R e c r u i t i n g R a n k i n g : N o . 9

“I w i l l be k now n a s one of t he g reate st to play footba l l a nd t he g reate st e ver i n t rac k , ” say s Ha rbor, t he top ra n ke d at h le te i n t he 2023 footba l l re c r u it i ng c la ss.

Flynn, a freshman at Stanford, scored three goals in a 10 8 defeat of Greece to lead the U S women’s national team to its ﬁrst youth world championship since 2014. She was the MVP of the ’19 Youth Pan American Games with a tournament high 38 goals in seven matches.

Wong, a sophomore at Florida, won the U S Classic all around title, scoring a 54 40 to edge Shilese Jones by 0 35 points while also taking gold in the balance beam and vault An alternate on the 2020 U S Olympic team, Wong won silver in the all around at the ’21 world championships and was an eight time All American for the Gators as a freshman.

E C A R D

partner ” Business is now booming As news of the catch and release has spread, people are now calling to book The Outcast a season in advance Lochlahn March

LEAN N E WO N G S p o r t : G y m n a s t i c s H o m e t o w n : O v e r l a n d P a r k , K a n s .

t h e s h a r k to d i e “As you get older, you start to respect your opponent a little more,” says Michalove, 46.

J E N NA FLYN N S p o r t : W a t e r P o l o H o m e t o w n : S a n J o s e C O R

“You realize that it’s not so much your opponent, but your business

1 ,1 0 0 p o u n d s, a l m o st t w i c e t h e c u r rent state m a r k Ex h a u ste d , h e ta g g e d t h e s h a r k, to o k a few p i ct u re s a n d s et h e r f re e fo rg o i n g a p ote nt i a l re c o rd , a s t h at wo u l d h av e re q u i re d

M i c h a l o v e e st i m ate s s h e we i g h e d j u st u n d e r

O F F T H E coast of Hilton Head Island in July, Chip Michalove took out his charter, The Outcast, in search of a massive hammerhead that somehow had eluded him the previous afternoon This time the shark took his bait and ripped 400 yards of ﬁshing line in about a minute The captain gave chase and, with the help of the two anglers aboard, they reeled in the colossus

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To s u b m i t a c a n d i d a t e f o r F a c e s i n t h e C r o w d e m a i l f a c e s @ s i . c o m

B Y C H R I S B A L L A R D P H O T O G R A P H B Y J E F F E R Y A . S A LT E R B RYC E , L E B R O N A N D B R O N N Y JA M E S S T V I N C E N T S T M A RY H IG H A K R O N , OH IO , J U LY 1 L E B R O N J A M E S H A S A N AU DACIOUS DR E A M: TO P L AY I N TH E N B A W ITH O N E O F H I S S O N S — H E CK , M AY BE E V E N B OT H OF T H E M . A N D I F T H E Y G O A L ONG , A N D T H E B A S K ET B A L L G OD S GI V E H I M T H AT GI F T ? DA M N W H AT A N Y B ODY T H I N K S OF I T

B ro n ny d o e s n’t u s e his g ive n m o ni ke r, b ut his d u n ki n g s c re a m s Le B ro n J r

Now Ja mes is enter i ng t he ne x t pha se of h is ca reer, a nd h i s l i fe, ju st a s h i s olde st son prepa re s to emba rk on h i s ow n jou r ne y a s a n adu lt Trad it iona l ly, t h i s i s where pa rent a nd ch i ld pa r t way s, one reced i ng f rom t he spot l ight a s t he ot her st r ide s i nto it .

I me nt ion t h i s b e c au s e Ja me s now h a s t w o t e e n a ge son s a nd, a s happ en s for a l l pa rent s who h it t h i s p oi nt , t he c h a n ge s c a n b e s t a r t l i n g “He l l y e a h , it ’s b i t t e r s w e e t t o s e e y o u r k i d s g r o w i nt o t h e i r o w n , ” h e s a i d w h e n I b r o u g h t i t u p t h i s s u m m e r, i n h i s h om e t o w n of A k r on , O h i o. A t t he t i m e , Ja m e s w a s sit t i ng w it h h i s s on s Br on ny, 17, a nd Br yc e , 1 5 , a nd we we re c om m i s e r at i ng ab out br a i n c he m i s t r y a nd i nde p e nde nc e a nd a l l t he r e s t . (I h ave t w o t e e n a ge d au g ht e r s my s e l f.) Ja me s w e nt on t o t a l k ab out h i s o w n e x p e r ie nc e g r o w i n g a p a r t f r om h i s m om , a nd how he now t r ie s t o fo c u s on w h at m at t e r s mo s t for h i s k id s, “ b e c au se it ’s h a rd a s he l l t o f i nd h appi ne s s i n t h i s l i fe t h at we’ve b e e n brou g ht i nt o.”

T H E FAT H E R

. S P O R T S I L L U S T R A T E D S I C O M O C T O B E R 2 0 2 2 3 2 D A V D E K L U T H O

T E E NA G E R ’ S B R A IN S ET H I NG OF A T R A IN W R E C K

While it’s impossible for any of us to judge someone else’s happiness, it would seem that, at 37 and enter ing his 20 th year of pro basketball, James has done as much as anyone to achieve that ideal He’s evolved into a statesman and advocate; become a billionaire; plowed money, time and infrastructure back into his hometown; lifted up childhood friends; brought titles to every team he’s played for; defied the ravages of time; and, along with his wife, Savannah, raised three children who seem remarkably normal, all things considered.

SPE A K

O f c ou r se , t h i s sc e n a r io re s t s on a se t of a s su mp t i o n s , i n c l u d i n g t h a t B r o n n y, a 6' 2" c o m b o g u a r d who’s genera l ly ra n ke d i n t he top 50 of h i s c la ss, w i l l be good enough to reach t he NBA . A nd, f u r t her more, t hat he even wants to play basketba ll for a liv ing, which h a s b e e n a s su me d but not ye t s t at e d Then there are the larger, 10,000 foot questions, like: How do you feel about a father putting such public expectations on his son? And: After all this buildup, what if Bronny doesn’t make the league? Or: What if he does, but it’s largely due to his father’s influence? Does that make this a feel good story supportive dad helps son reach his dreams or a case of superstar nepotism?

W hen Ja mes f i rst f loated t he pla n i n Febr ua r y, tel l i ng T he Athlet ic t hat “my la st yea r w i l l be played w it h my son” a nd t hat “ it ’s not about mone y at t hat poi nt , ” t he NBA world set about i nter pret i ng. W hat d id t h is mea n for LeBron? For t he La kers? For league ba la nce?

T H E N A M E O F

But Ja me s ha s some t h i ng el se i n m i nd. He a i m s to s t ic k a r ou nd t he N B A long e nou g h t o ov e rl ap w it h Br on ny, w ho’s c u r r e nt l y e nt e r i ng h i s s e n ior y e a r of h i g h s c ho ol I f t he y pu l l it of f , it w ou ld m a k e t he m t he f i r s t f at he r s on duo t o pl ay t o ge t he r i n a n N B A ga me , a nd on l y t he fou r t h s uc h pa i r i n g i n t he fou r m ajor U. S. me n’s sp or t s (p a ge 36).

Fo r s t a r t e r s , i t ’s l o w i n m y e l i n , t h e c o a t i n g t h a t a l l o w s v a r i o u s r e g i o n s t o c o m m u n i c a t e w i t h o n e a not her. Mea nwh i le, t he pref ront a l cor te x is de velop i n g at w a r p s p e e d , s o t h i n gs t h at a c h i ld onc e t o ok f or g r a nt e d l i k e t h e i d e a t h a t t h e i r p a r e nt s k n o w w h at t he y ’re t a l k i ng a b out s udde n l y s e e m r ip e f or reeva luat ion. T hus, in addit ion to ac t ing on seemingly e ve r y i mpu l se , a t e e n i s prog r a m me d t o bre a k aw ay f rom t he i r pa re nt s T h i s i s n at u r a l a nd he a lt hy, but t h at do e sn’t m a ke it a ny e a sie r for a pa re nt e ve n a w i ld ly successf u l a nd wea lt hy one, li ke LeBron Ja mes.

BIOL

NG ,

A n y w a y, l o t s o f p e o p l e w e i g h e d i n , f r o m l o t s o f a ngles, a nd by t he t i me I caught up w it h t he fa m i ly i n Ju ly, at a we ekend ba ske t ba l l t ou r n a me nt , Bron ny, w h o s e e v e r y s c r i m m a g e a nd socia l media post was a l r e a d y b e i n g d i s s e c t e d , h a d m o v e d e v e n f u r t h e r i nt o t he publ ic e y e w h i le t h e r e s t o f u s w e r e l e f t t o w o n d e r w h a t , i f a n y, g r a n d s c h e m e L e B r o n h a d i n m i nd . O GIC A L LY I A

Br on ny f i r s t e nt e r e d t he publ ic c on s c iou sne s s i n fou r t h g rade, play i ng w it h h i s A AU tea m. He z ippe d a r o u n d t h e c o u r t , h e a v i n g u p t h r e e s a n d l o o k i n g a b i t l i k e a t i n y v e r s i o n o f h i s f a t h e r B y 1 1 , E S P N r e p or t e d h e h a d s c h o l a r s h ip o f f e r s f r o m K e n t u c k y a nd D u k e . . . w h ic h r a n k le d L e Br on b e c au s e , wh at the hell , the ki d’s only 11?

Eventually Gabe adjusted and by high school saw it as a positive “like he’d been s w i n g i n g a h e a v y b a t t h e whole time,” as his dad puts i t . B u t G a b e ’s e x p e r i e n c e w a s i n h e r e n t l y d i f f e r e n t from his backcourt mate’s, for he was on the periphery

This fall Bronny will play his senior season at the Sierra Canyon School in Los Angeles, where the family moved after LeBron signed with the Lakers in 2018 He will be joined by Bryce, a sophomore, playing on a high school team together for the first time. The weekend I visit, they are all returning to Ohio for The Battle, a youth basketball showcase at St V ’s Really, though, i t ’s a Ja m e s f a m i l y e v e n t . B ro n ny w i l l p l ay w i t h t h e Blue Chips in the U 17 division the tournament format allows him to reunite with his old team and Bryce with Strive for Greatness, a U 16 squad LeBron sponsors

F R O M L E F T D A V I D E K L U T H O J E F F E R Y A S A L T E R

Indeed, when Bronny joined Inst agra m, in 2019, he amassed a million followers in under 48 hours w it hout rea l ly doi ng a ny t h i ng ot her t ha n bei ng Bron ny. He’s now up to 6.4 million, despite post ing only 17 t imes. If he decides to go to col lege we’l l get to t hat later h is endorsement dea ls under t he new NIL laws w i l l li kely br e a k r e c or d s . I ndu s t r y e s t i m a t e s p e g h i s v a lu e a t upw a rd of $6 m i l l ion a yea r.

S P O R T S I L L U S T R A T E D S I C O M O C T O B E R 2 0 2 2 3 4

For the boys, it’s a chance to hang with teammates, show out on the court and, for Bronny in particular, advance his profile. For LeBron, it’s more complicated.

T h r o u g h o u t i t a l l , L e B r o n a n d S a v a n n a h r e t a i n e d t i e s t o A k r o n . T h e y r a i s e d t h e b o y s n e a r b y, a n d B r o n n y w h o n e v e r r e a l l y h a s g o n e b y L e B r o n Jr a t t e n d e d t h e Old Tr a i l Sc ho ol. L i ke a l l pa r ent s, t hey set cer t a in r u les. No cel lphone s u nt i l you’re 1 3. No

I n s t a g r a m t i l l 14 No pl ay i ng f o o t b a l l , f o r s a f e t y r e a s o n s S a v a n n a h s a y s t he y t r ie d t o b e “ v e r y nor m a l i n a n abnor m a l sit u at ion, i f t h at m a ke s s e n s e . ” T he y a l s o h a d t o b e w at c h f u l a nd u nde r s t a nd t h at “ it ’s a bi g, w i d e w o r l d o u t h e r e , a n d w e h a v e t o d o o u r j o b t o prot e c t t he m ”

own father. (LeBron took his mother Gloria’s surname.) Either way, the attention kept coming. “It was like the Beatles,” says Brook Cupps, whose son, Gabe, joined Bronny on the AAU’s Blue Chips in fifth grade Gabe was from a tiny farming town, but suddenly his games were on YouTube, where an analyst broke down his pre pubescent skill set. “It was s o m e t h i n g I ’d n e v e r b e e n e x p o s e d t o , ” h e s a y s “A l l that pressure to perform.”

“I WA S B OR N IN T O [B BU T M Y D A D IS COOL

of the spotlight. And Bronny? The recruiting website on3.com recently declared him “the most famous high school basketball player ever.”

The rest of it, though, LeBron loved He coached He cheered He joined the boys for layup lines, thunder ing home dunks as they lofted up underhand runners. When Bronny dropped one of his first in game dunks, at 14, Dad, mainlining on parental pride, burst onto the court from his baseline seat, flexing After his team’s alley oop, James sprinted onto the floor for a celebra tory hip bump, doing so with such alacrity that he lost his shoe in the process. At the time, he drew fire from some critics, who labeled him an over the top sports d a d r u n a m o k ( l e b r o n ja m e s w e n t b o n k e r s , read one headline.) Others, though, saw goofy, paternal joy from a man who has had no relationship with his

W E N T Y Y E A R S A G O , L eBron was t he teenager

t ra nsf i x i ng t he nat ion. A f ter lead i ng St. Vi ncent St. Ma r y High to consec ut ive st ate t it les he appea red o n t h e c o v e r o f t h i s m a g a z i n e u n d e r t h e t a g l i n e the chosen one T he stor y quotes Danny A inge say i ng Ja mes wou ld go f i rst i n t he NBA d ra f t , a s a ju n ior. That year he met Savannah B r i n s o n , w h o p l ay e d s o f t b a l l at a rival high school, and the two stayed together through all that followed: the Cavs years, The Decision, the titles in Miami. In 2004, she gave birth to a boy, LeBron James Jr , followed three years later by Bryce Maximus. In ’13, the couple married. One year later, Zhuri Nova arrived.

ENOUGH T O L E T ME TA K E W H AT E V ER PAT H I WA N T.”

through various facial expressions. Br yce, who is gangly a nd wea rs gla sses, look s more ner vous, u nsu re what to do w it h h is long a r ms. Fold them? Hang them by hi s side? He sha kes t hem out bet ween poses Gloria says that much of her son’s parenting is driven by t he absence in his ow n life “he’s a lways been ada m a nt t h a t h e ’d n e v e r b e t h a t [ k i nd of ] f a t he r,” s h e says and it shows. T hroughout t he af ternoon, LeBron i s at tent ive He pic k s a pie ce of l i nt of f Br yce’s sh i r t He models poses. His ch i ld ren watch, t hen i m it ate.

T he f at her lo ok s at h i s t wo son s. T he y a re w i lt i ng. “He y, we ne e d some a i r over here.” An assistant blots Bronny’s face, holding a tiny fan that flutters impotently in the face of the sweltering heat

Once upon a t ime, LeBron might have been glued to

Present ly, t he t hree head to t he far basket, each w it h a ba l l, a nd f a l l i nt o a n e a s y rhy t h m: O ne sho ot s; t he ot her s m i m ic T he y cou ld b e a ny d ad a nd k id s at t he Y, on ly t h is dad is h it t i ng over t he backboa rd bou nce shot s f rom out of b ou nd s. Wobbly le f t y ju mp er s g ive w ay t o u nde rh a nd spi n ne r s a nd vol le y ba l l se t shot s and, f ina lly, dunk at tempts Br yce, of f one foot, cradles a o n e h a n d e r B r o n n y e x p l o d e s f o r a t w o h a n d e d , one step ja m. T hen LeBron, w it h t he a lpha dad move, br ings t he f u l l force of his 250 pou nds cra shing dow n on t he r i m , h a ng i ng for a mome nt . “A l l r ig ht , we’re

It ’s 3:30 p m on t he Fr iday before t he tou r na ment , half an hour into a photo shoot in the empt y St. V ’s gy m i n dow ntow n A k ron. A nd it ’s a n a n n iversa r y of sor t s. Twent y yea rs ago, Ja mes f irst appea red on t he cover of Sports Illust r at ed Today, he ha s chosen to wea r a c utof f T sh i r t w it h a pr i nt of t hat issue.

A t t h e m o m e n t , B ro n n y a n d B r y c e a re p o s i n g i n o u t f i t s p l a n n e d b y t h e i r s ty l i s t . G re e n s h o r t s m a t c h green bleachers, which match green trimmed shoes But the sweat is intruding LeBron grimaces One of Ja m e s’s c re w t h e re a re , b y my c o u n t , 11 p e o p l e o n hand, including a PR rep, the head of his foundation and a makeup artist brings over an industrial sized black fan A torrent of air fires forth

his phone. But those who know him sense a change he thinks big picture, look ing outside the game. So, at least for t he moment , dad st u f f comes f i rst. T he notes he’s been scr ibbl i ng on a yel low lega l pad t h roughout t he a f ter noon? T he y ’re not t rade scena r ios but d r i l ls for t he Blue Chips pract ice he’ll r un later in t he a f ternoon.

B r yc e a n d B ro n ny g et p o i nte rs fro m o n e of th e g re ate st, at h o m e a n d o c c a s i o n a lly a s a c o a c h (l ef t, a s s isti n g with th e B lu e C hi p s)

A SK E T B A L L ],” SAYS B R O N NY. “ T HE PAT H WA S A L R E A D Y CHOSEN.

L E B R O N , B R O N N Y A N D B R Y C E

Me a nw h i le , le a g ue dy n a m ic s c hu r n on . O ne d a y ea rl ier, on Ju ne 30, Ke v i n Du ra nt dema nded a t rade, t hen t he NBA f ree agent w i ndow opened a nd a l l hel l broke lo o s e Now, dom i no e s a re f a l l i ng D u r i ng t he course of t he a f ter noon, t he Ja zz t rade Rudy G ober t to the Timber wolves for a massive haul. Ever y few minutes more speculation emerges about Durant or Kyrie Ir ving, who is repor ted ly hopi ng to joi n Ja mes i n L A

By now, Bronny is pract iced at posing, a nd he c ycles

T E E N A G E D R E A M

At t he sa me t ime, LeBron curates t hat ex posure. He ha s u lt i mate c reat ive cont rol over Top Cl a s s, wh ic h i s produced by his media company, Uninterr upted. Same for T h e Sh op, h i s rou ndt able t a l k show on YouTub e A s G l or i a p ut s it , L e Br on a nd S a v a n n a h a c t a s t he “ bu f fe r ” b e t we e n t he k id s a nd f a me .

So far, the James family has taken a novel approach, both overtly public and intensely private LeBron posts Instagram videos of the family: Taco Tuesdays, dad and sons shooting hoops in the driveway, dance par ties, birthdays. He tweets out the boys’ highlights, with all caps enthusiasm In 2019 cameras began following Bronny and his Sierra Canyon teammates for Top Class, an Amazon Prime documentary series. Even that choice o f s c h o o l s m e a n t v i s i b i l i ty ; S i e r ra Ca ny o n h o l d s a n annual media day, appears on ESPN and travels for international exhibition tours Bronny has already lived much of his life in front of a camera

T h e c o n c e p t m a k e s s e n s e: I f t h e m e d i a a n d t h e publ ic a re goi ng to f a sh ion a n i ma ge for you r f a m i ly, r at he r t h a n w at c h it pl ay out , w hy not t a ke c ont rol?

“ T hat ’s why I s t a r t e d Un i nt er r upte d,” Ja me s say s. “I got sic k a nd t i red of med ia c ha ng i ng t he na r rat ive or pick i ng t hei r ow n na r rat ive about what I wa s doi ng.”

It is, he f ig u res, a head st a r t he ca n g ive h is k ids “I k now [t here’s] a lot of pressu re on t hem ” But Bron ny e njoy s a n a nc i l l a r y b e ne f it , t o o one u n av a i l able t o p r e v i o u s g e n e r a t i o n s: t h e v a l u e o f t h e b r a n d h e ’s e s t a b l i s h i n g. He c o u l d r a k e i n t h a t N I L m o n e y o r le ve r a ge h i s n a me t o pu sh i nt o ot he r pa s s ion s , l i k e v ideo ga mes. (He’s a lready pa r t nered w it h Fa Ze Cla n, one of t he bigge s t n a me s i n e sp or t s.) He c ou ld e ve n

M A R K / M A R T Y / G O R D I E H O W E N H L R O M L E A O

A nd yes, Bronny says he hopes to play in the NBA, but he’s not counting on it “I’ll see what happens I’m going to be play ing basketba ll If [I] go dow n t hat pat h, t hen it is what it is.” If t he NBA doesn’t pa n out, “I’m cool.”

“Um m m ” “H m m m ” Fa c e s c r un c h

S P O R T S I L L U S T R A T E D S I C O M O C T O B E R 2 0 2 2 3 6 F

N N / G E T T Y I M A G E S F O C U S O N S P O R T / G E T T Y M A G E S D

› Gordie played alongside his sons with the Hartford Whalers, where one night in 1980 the defensive minded offspring, each in his 20s, started at forward alongside 51 year old Dad, forming an all Howe attack line

E B R O N , B R O N N Y A N D B R Y C E

F T E R T HE P H O T O S H O O T we gather at a table in the cafeteria of St. V ’s to talk. LeBron sits between Bronny and Bryce. It is, I’m told, Bryce’s first interview, and one of Bronny ’s first real sit downs. The boys are polite and well spoken but reticent At some questions they scrunch up their faces or purse their lips; one will look to the other brother, or to Dad. Like when I ask about their mom and her role as a parent.

O R I G I N A L S Y N C

You c a n ne ve r k now t he sit u at ion a not he r pa re nt face s. T he s w i rl of i n f luence s a nd fac tors. Ever y c a se i s d i f f e r e nt . But f or m o s t t h i s pl a y s o ut on a m ic r o sca le Not so Ja mes He a nd Sava n na h must pa rent i n f ront of t he world, even more so t ha n most celebr it ies B e c au s e , r e a l l y, h o w m a n y hu m a n s a r e a s g lo b a l l y re c og n i z able a s L eBron? A doz e n? May b e fe we r?

go t he r out e of P r i nc e H a r r y a nd Me g h a n M a r k l e , bre a k aw ay a nd s t a r t h i s ow n e mpi re . He’s roy a lt y, t o o, a f t e r a l l.

Br on n y i s r e s p e c t f u l a nd lo ok s h i s q u e s t ione r i n t h e e y e; i f h e ’s b u c k i n g f or t e e n a ge i n d e p e n d e n c e , h e ’s a w f u l l y go o d a t h id i n g it . He a d d r e s s e s d i r e c t quest ions succinc t ly So: Yes, he’s st ick ing w it h hoops “I w a s bor n i nto it , so I fe el l i ke t he pat h w a s a l ready chosen,” he says. “But my dad is cool enough to let me t a ke w h at e ve r pat h I w a nt i f I w a nt e d t o not pu r sue ba sk e t ba l l But I t h i n k ba sk e t ba l l i s goi ng t o b e my t h i ng, for s u re ” (Br yc e s ay s he t h i n k s it ’s h i s t h i ng a s we l l, t hou g h w it h le s s c onv ic t ion. “I ju s t t r ie d it , a nd it t u r ne d out I re a l ly l i ke d it .”)

go o d , ” he pro c l a i m s, mot ion i ng t o t he b oy s. A l l t he while, his persona l v ideographer f ilms, preser v ing t he t y p e of mome nt s he w i she s s ome one h a d c ap t u r e d f rom h i s ow n c h i ld ho o d L e Br o n’s up b r i n g i n g i s w e l l c h r o n i c l e d: He a n d Glor i a goi n g it a lone , mo v i n g f r om c ouc h t o c ouc h u nt i l she l a nde d a $22 a mont h apa r t me nt . R e l at ive s t a bi l it y f ol lo w e d b y i nt e n s e f a m e . G lor i a s a y s s he w a s not p e r fe c t , but she t r ie d She r e p e at e d c e r t a i n m a nt r a s, “ l i ke b e i ng hu mble a nd b e i ng p o sit ive a nd a p pr e c i a t i n g t h i n g s a nd n o t l e t t i n g c i r c u m s t a nc e s d ic t ate who you a re or where you go i n l i fe,” she say s. She a lso t r ied to g i rd h i m for what m ight come “One t h i ng I sa id a lot wa s ‘Be ca ref u l what you w ish for ’ ”

F T : B E T T M

U G P E N S I N G E R / G E T T Y M A G E S

LeBron jumps in, laughing “Y’all afraid of Mommy?!”

looks at Bronny. “ You have to be even more cautious, because you just don’t know. And that is a scary thing, being a Black father with a kid that drives. . . . These kids are so well known, and they ’re leaving the house, and [our] daughter’s in school.” The only time he feels 100% safe, he says, is when his kids are at home.

H R O N I C I T Y

Bronny says he tried to move away from t he “Junior” d e s i g n a t i on e a r l y. “I w ou ld a l w a y s ge t n ic k n a m e s . Bron ny ju s t s t uc k w it h me . But I a l so w a nt t o bu i ld my ow n na r rat ive a nd ta ke my ow n pat h a nd not have t he sa me L e Bron L eBron pat h ”

Bronny is reserved in public, less so around peers. He loves gaming and snowboarding and filming pranks and dance moves. He now dates and has a license. His dad deems him “a good driver,” prompting 7 year old Zhuri, who is listening in on the conversation from a nearby seat that she keeps scooting closer, to announce, “I’m a good biker!” (Her parents say she hasn’t shown any interest in playing basketball.)

Only three major father son pairings predate a potential LeBron Bronny overlap

› T h e h i g h li g h t o f t h e M a r in e r s ’ 19 9 0 s e a s o n : A g a in s t t h e A n g e l s o n S e p t . 1 4 , K e n J r. (t h e n 2 0 ) a n d h i s d a d (4 0 ) h o m e r e d o n c o n s e c u t i v e a t b a t s C a li f o r n i a ’s D a v e W in ﬁ e l d j o k e d : “ N o w i t ’s k e e p in g u p w i t h t h e G rif feys ”

K E N G R I F F E Y J R . / K E N G R I F F E Y M LB

› Tw o d a y s a f t e r 2 2 y e a r o l d T im J r m a d e h i s ML B d e b u t w i t h B a l t im o r e , o n O c t . 1 , 2 0 0 1 , t h e O ’s a c q u ir e d h i s 4 2 y e a r o l d d a d f r o m t h e M o n t r e a l E x p o s R o c k a n d s o n p l a y e d t w o g a m e s n e x t t o e a c h o t h e r in t h e o u t ﬁ e l d

“ We a l l supp or t e ac h ot her. We w a nt e ac h ot her to b e g re at . My job i s t o se nd it bac k to h i m” he no d s at Br on ny “a nd h i m t o s e nd it t o h i s l it t le br ot he r, l it t le brot he r t o h i s l it t le si s t e r ”

T I M R A I N E S J R . / T I M R A I N E S M LB

T hroughout our conversat ion, LeBron listens, prods a nd occa siona l ly steps i n. I get t he i mpre ssion he ha s t wo goa l s. Fi r s t , t o g ive t he b oy s e x p e r ie nc e w it h a n out side i nt er v ie w, but w it h Dad pre sent sor t of l i ke b ow l i ng w it h t he bu mp e r s up S e c ond , l i ke a ny pa r e nt , Ja me s i s t r y i ng t o mo de l t he pro c e s s. He k now s h is k id s a re w atc h i ng e ver y t h i ng he say s a nd how he say s it . In some moment s it feels l i ke he’s spea k i ng to t hem as much as he is to me, reinforcing fa mily idea ls LeBron and Savannah make a point to do this During a recent vacation to Turks and Caicos they sat around the table at night, discussing the state of the world and translating it to the boys’ circumstances. LeBron worries about daily challenges like if his sons are ever pulled over on the road “You can’t have any expectations just because you’re . . . LeBron’s son,” he says at St. V ’s. He

S o t h e y d r a w t h e c i r c l e t i g ht e r. L e Br on u s e s t h e me t aphor of a supp or t rop e for a mou nt a i n c l i mb e r “We a ll k now we can climb it on our ow n, but it ’s much ea sier when you do it toge t her. I’m you ng enou gh to k now a lot of t h i ngs t h at t he y ’re goi ng t h rou g h, but I’m a lso sma r t enough to st ay out of some of t he st u f f. It ’s not my job t o b e i n t he i r bu si ne s s a l l t he t i me

Viewed t his way, perhaps Ja mes’s decla rat ion about pl ay i ng w it h Bron ny i s ju s t a not he r c a r abi ne r i n t he suppor t rope pa r t of a la rger, coord i nate d pla n t he y c o oke d up.

A c t u a l l y, n o Tu r n s o u t t h a t c a m e a s a s u r p r i s e t o e ve r yone Bron ny say s he h ad n’t he a rd ab out t he idea u nt i l h i s d ad sa id it publ ic ly, t hough he de em s it “ pre t t y c o ol.” (Ne it he r d id Sav a n n a h e x p e c t it . “No, we h ad n’t t a l k e d ab out it , ” she s ay s w he n we sp e a k sepa rately “I mea n, yes, because obv iously you ask t he b oy s w h at t he y w a nt t o b e w he n t he y ’re 10, 11 ye a r s old . I wa nt t o b e in th e N B A . A nd I t h i n k t h at ’s ju s t

J O H N W M C D O N O U G H

L E B R O N , B R O N N Y A N D B R Y C E

It ’s a lot t o i m a g i ne: L e Br on at 43 , pl ay i n g i n a n NBA ga me w it h bot h of his sons But t hen, Tom Brady i s s t i l l rol l i ng at 45 . W hy c a n’t it h app e n?

Still, the wheels are already turning. The free agency de a l s a nd t r ade s s w i rl i ng a rou nd u s? “I’d def i n it e ly be look ing at who got f irst rou nd pick s in 2024, 2025, t hings of t hat nat u re; 2026, ’27 I pay at tent ion to t hat t y pe of st u f f ”

L eBron sm i le s “I fe e l l i ke I c ou ld pl ay for qu it e a wh i le So it ’s a l l up to my body, but more i mpor t a nt ly, my m i nd . I f my m i nd c a n s t ay sh a r p a nd f r e sh a nd mot i v at e d , t he n t he sk y ’s not e v e n a l i m it for me . I c a n go b e yond t h at . But we sh a l l se e . ”

Ja me s con f i r m s a l l of t h is. No, he had n’t d isc u sse d i t . “ We d o n’t e v e n r e a l l y t a l k a b o u t t h e f u t u r e t o o muc h I put it i n t he a i r b e c au s e I l i ke t o t a l k t o t he basketba ll gods out t here and see if t hings can come to f r u it ion. I’ve a lways set out goa ls i n my ca reer, t a l ked to t he ba ske tba l l go d s, a nd t he y ’ve l i s t ene d to a l l of t hem. Hopef u l ly t he y c a n l i sten to t h i s la st one, too.”

T H E K I N G R A N S O M E

H E F I R S T M O R N I N G of t he tournament in A k ron d aw n s w a r m a nd mu gg y Nor m a l l y, t h i s w ou ld b e a t e r r i b l e t i m e t o h o l d s u c h a n e v e n t : a h o l i d a y we e ke nd , i n t he m idd le of Oh io, du r i ng a he at w ave . “ W i t h o u t B r o n n y, w e ’d h a v e l i k e f i v e p e o p l e , ” s a y s Da r re n D u nc a n, t he t ou r n a me nt ’s or ga n i z e r. And most of the morning , the stands are half full By 1:30, however, the energy has shifted Fans pack the bleachers, and a line of young men with high tech cameras, hailing from hype sites like Slam and Overtime, materialize on the court as if framing a fashion runway, ready to upload f o o t a g e w i t h i n m i n u t e s . T h e n o u t c o m e the Blue Chips, led by Bronny. Wearing his No. 0 jersey around his neck like a cape, he kicks off the layup line with a huge windmill dunk (He is an exceptional dunker ) And now the DJ is bumping tunes; and kids in Cavs jerseys crane their necks; and at half court LeBron, wearing a Blue Chips T shirt and a black durag, watches with approval in what is, if you think about it, a surreal scene: standing in the gym he refurbished, in the city he’s helping to prop up, down the street from the charter school he founded, in a state inexorably tied to him, while, for the moment, playing the role of a dad assistant coach. T he ot he r t e a m, a hy p e r at h le t ic a l l s t a r

Lo n g b efo re his ki d s w e re d o i n g th e p re p s h o w c a s e thi n g , Le B ro n to o k St V ’s to L A a n d of fe d M ate r D e i Pre p o n n ati o n a l T V

somet hing t hat was nea r a nd dea r to LeBron’s hea r t.”)

I do t he mat h 2027 ? a nd no d at Br yce. “Is t here a c h a nc e you’d s t ic k a rou nd for t h i s g uy, t o o? ”

A mong t he m a ny, m a ny m i le s t one s of h i s c a r e e r, t h i s on e w o u l d b e s i n g u l a r. Pl e nt y o f N B A pl a y e r s have fat hered NBA sons. R ick Barr y produced three. In fac t, we a re cur rent ly enjoy ing a golden age of juniors, t he lea g ue te em i ng w it h Trent s a nd Ha rd aw ay s a nd Sabonises But whi le a few dads have overlapped w it h their k ids like when Dell Curr y, as a Charlotte analyst, c a l le d Steph’s a nd Se t h’s ga me s; or when Doc R iver s coached his son Aust in, w it h t he Clippers none have playe d toge t her, for a l l t he rea son s you’d e x pe c t: lon ge v it y a nd pr e c o c it y, luc k , a nd t he pu r e m at h of it Ja me s, t hough, ha s a rea l i st ic shot . W hen I a sk about det a i ls, he waves away t he quer y. “I li ke to t hrow t hings out in t he a ir waves, but I’m not one to [say] what ’s goi ng to happen i n t he ne x t t wo to t h re e yea r s. I a m a v i siona r y, but I’m a l so a g uy t hat l ive s i n t he moment . ”

D u r i n g B r y c e ’s g a m e , L e B r o n w a s a s p e c t a t o r, s e at e d i n a c h a i r b y t he e nd l i ne , doi n g h i s b e s t , a s a l l pa rent s must, to st ay i n his la ne W hen he watches h i s b oy s pl ay, he say s, “I t r y t o re l a x , but I c a n’t ” S o he crossed a nd uncrossed his a r ms. St roked his bea rd. Occasiona lly hollered about a ca ll. On t he cour t, Br yce h it a t h re e a nd ende avore d to ke ep pac e w it h bigger, s t r onge r opp one nt s He got f r u s t r at e d at t i me s a nd e x c i t e d a t o t h e r s b a s i c a l l y, w h a t y o u ’d e x p e c t a t 1 5 . S a v a n n a h , w h o w a s A l l C i t y a s a p i t c h e r, s a y s Br yc e i s more l i ke he r “ he’ l l c l ap bac k i f you t a l k t o h i m” w h i le Bron ny i s more a re f le c t ion of h i s d ad: “c a l m, c o ol a nd c ol le c t e d ”

Gab e c a l l s Bron ny “sup e r f u n t o pl ay w it h.” It ’s a t he me I he a r e c ho e d t h rou g hout t he we e ke nd , f rom yout h scouts and players and coaches, like Joey Gruden of Day t on E l it e “I l i ke h i s ga me , ” Gr uden say s a f t e r t he Blu e C h ip s d i s m a nt le h i s t e a m . “ C r e d it f or n o t t r y i ng t o do t o o muc h de spit e t he sp ot l ig ht . ”

S P O R T S I L L U S T R A T E D S I C O M O C T O B E R 2 0 2 2 4 0 D A V I D E K L U T H O 2

squad f rom Ca nada, get s out ea rly in t he f irst qua r ter. Du r ing t imeout s L eBron hovers out side t he hudd le a s Brook Cupps d raw s on t he wh iteboa rd. Cupps bu z z c ut , gl a s se s, s t e ady h a s done t he bu l k of t he c oac h i ng over t he ye a r s, w it h Ja me s d roppi ng i n w hen h i s s c he du le a l lo w s , pr o v id i n g p oi nt e r s a nd dol i n g out Sk it t le s . For now, L e Br on i s t he g u y of fe r i ng w at e r a nd t owe l s, a sk i ng how m a ny t i me out s a re le f t a nd deliver ing high f ives T hi s LeBron is weirdly relatable, e ve n i f he’s s t i l l 6' 9", w it h rou g h ly 5% b o dy f at . (It ’s st rangely comfor t ing t hat James spor ts a black lumbar supp or t a rou nd h i s m idd le , a c onc e s sion t o a ge a nd t he c r app y e r gonom ic s of fold i ng c h a i r s )

I n d e e d , o v e r t h e c o u r s e o f t h e w e e k e n d B r o n n y r a re ly show s emot ion ot her t ha n a sly sm i le. Smo ot h a nd gracef u l, he f i nds t he open ma n a nd e x plodes for v e r t i c a l r e b ou nd s He m i s s e s h i s f i r s t t h r e e t h r e e p oi nt e r s a ga i n s t t he Ca n a d i a n t e a m but t he n he at s up i n t he se c ond h a l f. He f i n i she s a bac k do or a l le y o op w it h a t wo h a nde d du n k , t he n c h a se s dow n a n opposing gua rd, soa r ing up a nd spik ing a n at tempted lay up, a play u n ner v i ng i n it s si m i la r it y to one of h i s fat her ’s icon ic cha se dow n block s Across fou r ga mes i n t he tou r ne y he avera ge s 12 poi nt s a nd fou r a ssist s.

but Sie r r a Ca nyon i s a p owe rhou se; t wo of Bron ny ’s f r e sh m a n y e a r t e a m m at e s , Br a ndon B o s t on Jr a nd Z ia i re W i l l ia m s, a re a l ready i n t he NBA . T h i s w i l l be t he f i r s t se a son t he t e a m i s h i s to le ad. Wat c h i ng h i m ove r t he w e e k e nd , w h at s t ic k s out i s not h i s at h le t ic i s m (t hou g h h i s le api n g abi l it y i s el ite) or h is shoot i ng (n ice relea se; r u ns hot a nd cold) or a ny t r ad it iona l sk i l l se t , but r at her t he fe e l i ng you ge t w he n w at c h i ng h i m: T hi s i s s om e on e I ’d want to pl ay w ith

A l l of t h i s i s g re at , but w h at mo s t p e ople w a nt t o k no w i s: S o, h o w go o d i s h e goin g to b e? T h at ’s h a r d to a n s wer, at le a s t r ight now O ver t he ye a r s, Bron ny h a s c on si s t e nt ly r a n ke d a s a fou r s t a r re c r u it (out of f i v e). H i s h i g h s c h o ol s t a t s a r e n o t o v e r w h e l m i n g,

Showc a s e e ve nt s s uc h a s T he Bat t le a re ju s t t h at: s ho w c a s e s . Gu a r d s t e nd t o b e b a l l dom i n a nt , h a n d l i ng a nd at t ac k i ng a nd sho ot i ng. Ever yone lo ok s to ge t t he i r s. Not Br on ny, t hou g h . He g r ab s de fe n s i v e r eb ou nd s, t a k e s one d r i bble a nd t he n pa s s e s a he a d t o op e n w i n g s h o o t e r s He f l i e s d o w n t h e c o u r t i n t r a n s i t i on a n d p i t c h e s o u t f or c or n e r t h r e e s . Non e of t h i s i s s u r pr i s i n g, g i v e n h i s l i n e a ge , b ut it ’s s t i l l he a r t e n i ng t o w at c h. He re’s a k id w it h t he we ig ht of t he world on h is shou lders, a nd he’s ma k i ng t he r ight basketba ll play, resist ing t he urge to rack up numbers.

Ja m e s i s v o c a l , i f n o t h i n g l i k e t h e e a r l y d a y s He encourages Bronny, always, to “Rebound and push!” He applauds defensive rotations and tells Gabe and Bronny to “Back up! Make them hit a jump shot!” He hollers, “Pass! One more! One more!” during a hockey assist Ea rlier in t he mor ning, Br yce played his f irst ga me A t 1 5 , he i s long a nd s t r i ng y, a nd he we a r s gogg le s. Most e ver yone I me e t i n L eBron’s orbit com ment s on how much Br yce ha s sprouted up over t he la st yea r or so, some t h i ng t he i nt e r ne t h a s a l so not ic e d He now s t a nd s e ve n w it h h i s olde r brot he r.

L E B R O N , B R O N N Y A N D B R Y C E

W it h L eBron, we k now h i s pa re nt a l d re a m a nd , t o b e hone s t , a s a d ad , I t h i n k it sou nd s pre t t y awe s om e . But it a l s o c om e s w it h p a r t i c u l a r l y out s i z e d e x p e c t at ion s How c a n Bron ny me e t a s t a nd a rd t h at i s, b y it s n at u re , si ng u l a r? To su r pa s s h i s f at he r he’d l it e r a l ly ne e d t o b e t he b e s t e ve r. “It ’s u n for t u n at e , ” say s Sav a n n a h. But she a l so k now s it ’s u n avoid able , so she rem i nds her son: You don’t have to do what your dad did You don’t nee d the same ac c olade s “A nd who’s to say t hat he won’t [re ac h t hose height s]? ” she a sk s “But don’t bl a n k e t me w it h my d a d’s ac h ie v e me nt s a nd t h i n k t h at aut om at ic a l ly I’m supp o se d t o do t he sa me t h i ng, or e ve n su r pa s s it . L e t me do me . ”

And what of those who say his comments about play ing with Bronny place unfair expectations on his son? LeBron leans forward, animated. “I don’t give a s what nobody says. Our quest and our journey is not predicated

Some famous sports parents address this burden by dissuading their kids from following in their footsteps; others try to manage each step of the way And, really, w h o a re a ny o f u s t o s ay w h a t i s t h e r i g h t s t ra t e g y ?

Parenting a teenager is hard enough without the world watching. There is no playbook. My daughters are 15 and 13, multisport athletes, and they are wonderful and terrifying at the same time Most days, I’m just doing the best I can. I’ve coached their teams and supported their endeavors and cut off their screen time and made mistakes and tried to learn from those mistakes but then made the same mistakes again

B r yc e , li ke his s i b li n g s , kn o ws th e ra re p re s s u re s of b e i n g ra is e d by p a re nts a s w e ll kn o wn a s Le B ro n a n d S ava n n a h (a b ove , i n Akro n).

H I R T E E N Y E A R S A G O , during his induction into t he ba sketba l l Ha l l of Fa me, Michael Jorda n stood at a pod iu m a nd add re sse d h is daughter Ja sm i ne a nd his t wo sons, Jef f rey a nd Ma rcus. Jorda n assured t hem t hat a suppor t s y stem stood ready, a nd t hat t he y were equ ipped to ma ke good dec isions He sa id somet h i ng el se, too: “I wou ld n’t w a nt to b e you g uy s b e c au se of a l l t he e x p e c t at ion s you h ave t o de a l w it h.”

He pau se s. “But L eBron i s a ver y power f u l per son. W ho k now s w h at he c a n pu l l of f ? ”

O f c o u r s e , t h e r e ’s a f l i p s i d e t o t h i s , s a y s t a l e n t e v a lu ator Ju st i n Bra nt le y, a for mer nat iona l scout i ng direc tor at NCSA At hlet ic Recr uit ing. “I see it as a gif t a nd a c u r s e , ” s ay s Br a nt le y, w ho’s w at c he d Br on ny since si x t h grade a nd is prov iding play by play for t he Bat t le ga me s. “He w ou ld n’t t r y t o t a k e ove r ga me s. He a lw ay s t r ied to play t he r ight w ay, a nd somet i me s i n g r a s s r o o t s b a s k e t b a l l y o u n e e d s o m e o n e w h o ’s goi ng t o t a ke ove r a nd t a ke t he ne x t si x shot s You’ l l se e h i m m a ke t he r ig ht re ad , e ve n w he n you’re l i ke , I w i sh h e woul d h ave at ta c k e d . ”

For t he record, Bra nt ley t hin k s Bronny ca n succeed at t he h ig he s t le ve l “ he i s so f u nd a me nt a l ly sou nd , a nd you c a n i m a g i ne how go o d he’ l l b e a rou nd g uy s

He points out t hat he’s had no mentors in t his rea lm. He do e sn’t c a l l up ot he r N BA d ad s or t a l k shop w it h D e l l C u r r y. “Nob o dy,” he say s. “My whole c a re er ha s been built of f t r ia l a nd er ror I a in’t have nobody when I ca me i n at 18 [who] had a n open door pol ic y for me, to help g u ide me t hrough what I wa s about to go i nto. S o it ’s b e e n t r i a l a nd e r ror . . . ju s t b e i ng a sp onge . ”

L eBron a g re e s He s t re s s e s t h at he ne ve r t old h i s b o y s t o p l a y. “I ’ v e a l w a y s l e t t h e m j u s t s e e i f t h e y had a love for [ ba ske tba l l]. Be c au se, at t he end of t he day, not h i ng is goi ng to come to f r u it ion i f you’re just doi ng it b e c au s e you fe e l l i ke it ’s w h at you r pa re nt s a re doi ng Na h, it ’s goi ng t o f i z z le out t o o f a s t ”

w h o u n d e r s t a n d s p a c i n g a n d b a s k e t b a l l ” b ut n o t e v e r y one i s s o s u r e . O ne s uc c e s s f u l A AU d i r e c t or I sp e a k t o, w ho a sk s not t o b e n a me d , for fe a r of ge t t i n g on L e Br on’s b a d s i d e , w or r i e s a b o ut Br on n y ’s s i z e , b a s e d on t he c om mon a s s u mp t ion t h a t , a t 17, he i s done g r ow i ng. “I t h i n k he ’s a go o d pl aye r, but I w a s at t he N BA c ombi ne l a s t ye a r a nd m ay b e t wo or t h re e g uy s were u nder 6' 3", a nd t he y had 45 i nc h ve r t ic a l s a nd Ol y mpic s p e e d A t [ h i s] si z e , t o ge t t o t he N BA i s goi ng t o b e ve r y, ve r y d i f f ic u lt . ”

D IF F E R E N T F O L K S

f r o n t o f f i c e s , a n d i n t h e w e e k s t h a t f o l l o w I t a l k t o v a r i o u s e x e c s a b o u t LeBron’s intention to play with Bronny. “I’m sure, when that day comes” when Bronny becomes draft eligible “you h a v e t o t h i n k a b o u t i t : C a n w e g e t LeBron for the mid level exception? ” s ay s o n e f ro n t o ff i c e e x e c ( L e B ro n’s r e c e n t e x t e n s i o n w i t h t h e L a k e r s means he’ll control his own destiny in

Instead, James tries to see each slight as an opportu nity, to “let that give you drive and motivation ” He picks up his phone “I like to write down quotes ” He scrolls through and finds one, from Arnold Schwarzenegger: “Everybody pities the weak. Jealousy, you have to earn.”

S O R

2024 25.) “But do you draft Bronny first, even if he’s not good, because you might get LeBron on the cheap? That ’s kind of wild.” He pauses. “I don’t think he’s a first rounder, but I don’t think he’s nothing ”

For he r pa r t , Sav a n n a h i s ad a m a nt ab out ke epi ng p e r sp e c t ive “O f c ou r se Dad i s w a nt i ng [Bron ny] t o play on t he sa me cour t event ua l ly, maybe on t he sa me t e a m . T h a t w o u l d b e t h e i c i n g o n t h e c a k e f o r h i s c a re e r, a nd probably [a s] a f at he r,” she say s. “But for me, I just wa nt [Bronny] to be happy. If you a re happy play i ng i n ga m i ng compe t it ions i n L ong Beac h, t hen t h at ’s w h at I w a nt y ou t o do. I f y ou’r e h app y b e i n g a f r a n c h i s e p l a y e r f o r a n N B A t e a m , t h a t ’s w h a t I w a nt y ou t o do. . . . A lot of p e ople a r e doi n g t h i n gs a nd m o v i n g t h r ou g h l i f e a nd a r e n’t ne c e s sa r i ly h app y ”

T S I L L U S T R A T E D S I C O M O C T O B E R 2 0 2 2 4 2 J O H N W M C D O N O U G H

T h i s i s t he se n se you ge t f rom t he Ja meses: T hey understa nd t he weight placed on t heir children t hat burden Jord a n spoke of a nd t he y a re t r y i ng to meet it head on “[My k ids] hear t he na r rat ive out t here on t hem,” L eBron tel ls me. “Even t hough t hey don’t t a l k about it, t he y hea r t he na r rat ive; t he y se e w he re t he y a re ” H e p a u s e s . “A n d t h e b e s t t h i n g about it? They have a prove you w rong ment a l it y, l i ke t hei r fat her.”

Overall, the consensus is that it’s too early “People around the league aren’t spending any time thinking about this right now,” says one Western Conference general manager. “There’s so much drama every day. Things move so fast ”

on what everybody said. You going to have five people that love you out of 10. Then you have five people that hate you out of 10. That’s just the way of the land. No matter what you do ” He’s fired up now “ You can be a guy who literally goes to work at Starbucks, and there’s going to be four or five customers that come in and hate the way that you made that chai tea latte. It’s just how it works. And the faster you can realize that happens, the better off you’ll be, because you’re not going to respond or give that too much energy.” (“Don’t give it no energy” is a motto he mentions repeatedly.)

L B R

O N , B R O N N Y A N D B R Y C E

T hen t here’s t he d i f f ic u lt y of t r y i ng to proje c t t wo ye a r s a he ad. W i l l t he re b e a ne w c ol le c t ive ba r ga i n i ng a g re e me nt? W i l l t he le a g ue add a t h i rd rou nd t o t he d r a f t? A nd w he re w i l l L eBron a nd Bron ny b e a s pl aye r s? N B A t e a m s a re go o d at proje c t i ng up w a rd t r aj e c t o r i e s a n d d o w n w a r d t r aj e c t o r i e s b u t t h i s? T his requires plot t ing bot h Bronny ’s rise a nd LeBron’s d e c l i ne on t he s a m e g r a ph , a n d t h a t ’s p a r t i c u l a r l y cha llenging “You’re t a l k ing about a rguably t he great e s t pl ayer e ve r, so no fore c a s t i ng mo de l e x i s t s,” say s t he GM. “[L eBron] h a s de f ie d e ve r y t h i ng. For mo s t pl aye r s, you m ig ht pre d ic t a 10% de c l i ne p e r ye a r at t h at a ge , but I ’m not s u r e y ou c a n s ay t h at for h i m . T he 40 yea r old ver sion of h i m m ight be i nc re d ible ” A n d a l s o m o t i v a t e d . T h i n k a b o ut it: S o mu c h of what sust a i ns el ite at h letes at L eBron’s age is ment a l. Ever y sea son t a ke s it s tol l t he g r uel i ng prepa rat ion

T H E A U D I E N C E T H E Y ultimately need to convince resides in NBA

A not her se t of t a l k i ng head s w i l l c la i m t he opposite: A f ter t h is per for ma nce, he’s sk ippi ng col lege for su re. Me a n w h i l e , t h e h i g h l i g h t f a c t o r i e s p o s t c o m p i l a t i o n s w i t h c a p t i o n s l i k e , “ O H M Y G O O D N E S S BRON N Y,” a n d s o on e n ou g h Br on n y pr o duc e s h i s 17 t h I n s t a g r a m p o s t a n d h i s d a d i s s h a r i n g i t a n d t hen d roppi ng fo ot a ge of t he t h re e b oy s work i ng out t oge t he r, one du n k i ng a f t e r t he ot he r, w r it i ng, “ We work ing! T hat ’s a ll we k now. We don’t want s giv ing [sic] to us, we E A R N it! #Ja mesGa ng,” a nd t h is sends a jolt of e xc it e me nt t h rou g h t he i nt e r web s S o on e nou g h , i n e a rl y A u g u s t , a f t e r L e Br on t e l l s me, “T he greatest t h i ng I ca n see r ight now is my t wo boy s on t he sa me tea m,” Br yce a nd Bron ny sha re t he f lo or for t he f i r s t t i me i n a n A AU ga me a nd L eBron i s o v e r w h e l m e d , t w e e t i n g, “ T h i s i s I NS A N E!! I ’m EMO T IONA L A F!!WOW.” A nd t he f ut u re i s ge t t i ng a b it c l e a r e r: W h e n I c h e c k i n w i t h L e Br on i n l a t e

A u g u s t h e s a y s t h a t B r o n n y n o w “ w a nt s t o go t h e c ol le ge rout e ” By t his point, t he t ra in is ga ining stea m, a nd it feels li ke t here’s no t ur ning back , a nd, watching it play out, I t hin k back to a moment on t he Sat u rday night of t he tourna ment, a f ter t he ga mes had f inished A ll t he fa ns h ad gone home Fi n a l ly t he pl aye r s c ou ld d rop t he i r p o s e s a nd r e l a x . Br yc e ’s t e a m he a de d out for pi z z a , go of i ng of f a s t he y w a it e d for a t able . O t he r s qu ad s ret ur ned to t he Cour t ya rd Ma r r iot t dow ntow n, where t he y c om m a nd e e r e d t he p o ol a nd r a n t h r ou g h t he ha l lw ay s a nd had ice f ight s u nt i l 2 a m , spr i nt i ng up a nd dow n t he h a l lw ay s, a s t e e n a ge r s do, re ve l i ng i n t h at t w i l ig ht mome nt b e t we e n c h i ld ho o d a nd m a n hood when a ny t h i ng seems possible a nd you ca n st i l l le ave muc h of t he wor r y i ng a nd t he pl a n n i ng t o t he adu lt s a nd t hei r mye l i n r ic h br a i n s, t r u st i ng t hat , i n t he e nd , t he y k now w h at t he y ’re doi ng.

F i r s t , t h o u g h , a d e c i s i o n a b o u t c o l l e g e l o o m s . B r o n n y c o u l d e s s e nt i a l l y c h o o s e h i s s c h o o l O r go o v e r s e a s f o r a y e a r, p l a y a g a i n s t g r o w n m e n a n d toughen up. Sa me i n t he G L ea g ue route. Or he cou ld just t ra in a nd w it h his fat her’s resources, t hat mea ns t r a i n i ng w it h t he b e s t of t he b e s t .

By th e ti m e J a m e s w o n a titl e with th e C avs , i n 2016 , ESPN h a d a l re a dy re p o r te d th at D u ke h a d of fe re d B ro n ny (l ef t, with Zh u ri a n d B r yc e) a s c h o l a rs h i p ID J A ME S P L A C E UNFA IR E X P E C TAT I O N S O N HI S S ON ? B R O N : “ I D O N ’ T G I V E A S - - - W H AT N O B O D Y S AY S . ”

a n d r e c o v e r y a n d t h e c on s t a nt d r a m a of t h e N B A Ja me s i s on t rac k to pa s s K a re em A b du l Jabba r ea rly i n 202 3 a s t he a l l t i me le ad i ng scorer. He’s a l re ady a bi l l iona i re. He ca n c ha se Jorda n’s si x t it le s, but muc h o f t h a t i s o u t o f h i s c o n t r o l Pl a y i n g w i t h h i s s o n , t hou g h? Now th at i s a f la g he c a n r u n to, a re a son to st ic k a rou nd e ven i f t he L a ker s a re out of t he hu nt or h i s b o d y i s ba l k y. It fe e l s r e a l . Sh a r e d . L i k e , I got t a b e th e re for my k i d I c an’t l et him d own . (A l so: Ja me s told me he d r aw s i n spi r at ion f rom Br ady “He to ok a chu n k of me when he ret i red, a nd t hen when he ca me bac k I w a s l i ke , ‘I ne e de d t h at for su re . ’ ”)

It i s, a f t e r a l l, one t h i ng Bron ny c ou ld ac c ompl i sh t h at h i s f at he r ne ve r d id.

S T H E R E S T o f t h e c o u n t r y s e t t l e s i n t o Fou r t h of Ju ly ba rbe c ue s, Bron ny c r u i se s i n h i s la st ga me, on t he t hi rd day of t he tou r na ment, scor i ng 14 p oi nt s w it h f i v e a s s i s t s , a blo c k a nd a s t e a l . Tw o w e e k s l a t e r, he ’ l l t u r n he a d s at t he Ni k e Pe ac h Ja m tour na ment a nd t he bu zz w i l l grow, bleeding out f rom t he on l i ne publ ic at ion s t h at c ove r y out h s p or t s i nt o la rger media out let s. ESPN w i l l specu late t hat Bronny is going to Duke and move him up to No. 24 in his class.

When I sit with them, the family is undecided LeBron talks through the options, giving each equal weight, and says they ’ll decide in a family sit down. Savannah tells me Bronny “wants to have a collegiate career,” and I get the sense that she would like that as well. “I think it would be really cool for him to start with collegiate basketball, just to start his legacy there,” he says.

H O U S E O F T H E R I S I N G S O N S

A A

T H E Y A N K E E S S L U G G E R BET ON H I M S E L F ? T H AT ’ S T H E E A S Y NA R R AT I V E A R OU N D W H Y H E T U R N E D D OW N A M A S SI V E C ON T R ACT OF F E R BU T M AY BE I T ’ S NOT A BET I F, A F T E R Y E A R S OF WOR K A N D S T U DY, H E ’ S A H I T T I NG M A S T E R C OM I NG I N T O H IS OW N AT T H E R IGH T T I M E R O N J U D G E B Y T O M V E R D U C C I P H O T O G R A P H S B Y E R I C K W R A S C O

W h e r e Ju d g e ’s b a t m e t E o v a l d i ’s f a s t b a l l i s t h e pr e e m i ne nt me t aphor f or t h i s Ye a r of Ju d ge It i s a moment in t ime a nd space where a hit ter e xecutes his craf t in a way t hat is, as t he w riter Dan Jenk ins def ined it i n gol f i n g t e r m s , d e a d s ol i d p e r f e c t. T he i nt e r s e c t ion of a rou nd bat t r ave l i ng 85 m i le s p e r hou r a nd rou nd ba l l t r ave l i ng 93 m i le s p e r hou r o c c u r s ab out 1 2 t o 18 i nc he s i n f r ont of home pl a t e i n a n i mp a c t a rea of about 12 squa re cent i meters opposi ng forces

“E ov a ld i a nd e ve n t he R e d S ox i n ge ne r a l t he y l i k e t o t h r o w m e up a nd i n w it h t he he a t e r,” Jud ge s a y s . “ T he y [f i r s t] l i k e t o s t ay w it h s t u f f s of t aw ay. S of t aw ay, dow n a nd aw ay, dow n a nd aw ay . . . se e i f t he y c a n s t e a l a n e a rly s t r i ke . A nd t he n t he y a lw ay s l i k e t o c ome bac k i n a nd ge t me a l it t le of f ba l a nc e a nd m a ke me b e c on sc iou s of it so t he y c a n go bac k t o t h at aw ay pit c h.

T U M B L E E V E R S O S L I G H T LY B E L O W T H E O U T S I D E C O R N E R O F H O M E P L AT E . B A L L O N E .

T h at A u g. 1 2 pit c h m i g ht h av e b e e n ju s t a not he r one of t he 12 , 593 pitches Judge had seen to t hat poi nt i n h i s c a r e e r w it h t he Ya n k e e s, i nc lud i n g 10 4 f r om Eova ld i, e xcept for what happened ne x t. W hat no one saw r a n ke d at le a s t a s a m a z i ng a s t he u n m i s t a k able p e rc u s si ve pu n i sh me nt Jud ge de l i ve r e d t o t he ne x t pit c h It w a s t he a d v a nc e d c a lc u lu s k now n b y on l y a n e l it e h it t e r pa r t home w ork , pa r t i nt u it ion , pa r t pat t e r n re c og n it ion f rom t ho s e 1 2 , 0 0 0 pit c he s. It i s t he re a son Jud ge i s c h a si ng home r u n h i s t or y.

“So when t hey went w it h a split ter dow n a n d a w a y f o r a b a l l , I j u s t h a d a f e e l i n g. O.K., I don’t think they want to go down there a g a i n t o g o 2 0 o n m e . T h e y m i g h t t r y t o c om e up an d in h e re an d “It k i nd of worke d out ” Jud ge sm i le s at h i s ow n l it ot e s. E ov a ld i t h re w a n up a nd i n fa stba l l d i rec t ly where catcher Ke v i n Plaweck i set t he t a rget a nd pre c i se ly w he re Jud ge e x p e c t e d t he pit c h He h it it 11 3 8 m i le s p er hou r, ha rder t ha n a ny ba l l h it a l l sea son by a ny r ight ha nded h it t e r on a n up a nd i n f a s t ba l l . It s o a r e d c o m p l e t e l y o u t o f Fe n w a y P a r k , l a n d i n g a t o p a p a r k i n g g a r a ge a c r o s s t h e s t r e e t Eov a ld i rema i ne d i n a st ate of a ma z ement a f ter t he ga me, tel l i ng rep or ter s, “It ’s ju st , he’s on f i re r ight now. He’s loc ke d i n at t he pl at e I fe lt l i ke I lo c at e d t h at pit c h ” T h e b l a s t g a v e J u d g e 4 6 h o m e r u n s t h rou g h 11 3 t e a m ga me s, a pac e m at c he d by only Barr y Bonds in 2001 (48, on his way t o a re c ord 73) a nd Bab e R ut h (46 i n 1921, o n h i s w a y t o 59 i n a 1 5 4 g a m e s e a s o n) No player ha s h it 60 home r u ns si nce MLB bega n te st i ng for steroid s i n 20 03. A nd no A me r ic a n L e a g ue pl aye r h a s c ome w it h i n t h r e e of t he l e a g u e r e c or d of 61 s i n c e R o ge r M a r i s se t it i n 1961 “S e v e nt y t h r e e i s t he r e c ord , ” Jud ge s ay s. “I n my b o ok . No m at t e r w h at p e ople w a nt t o say ab out t h at e r a of ba s e ba l l , for me , t he y w e nt out t he r e a nd h it 7 3 h o m e r s a n d 7 0 h o m e r s , a n d t h a t t o m e i s w h a t t he re cord i s T he A L re cord i s 61, so t hat i s one I c a n k i nd of t r y to go a f ter. I f it happ en s, it happ en s. I f it do e sn’t , it ’s b e e n a f u n ye a r so f a r.”

T H E S P L I T- F I N G E R E D FA S T B A L L FA I R LY

W I N K E D AT A A R O N J U D G E A S I T

S P O R T S I L L U S T R A T E D S I C O M O C T O B E R 2 0 2 2 4 7

P A S S E D H I S F I E L D O F V I S I O N . J U D G E D I D N O T FA L L F O R I T S FA L S E C H A R M . H E WAT C H E D T H I S C H A N G E U P D I S G U I S E D A S A FA S T B A L L F R O M R E D S O X P I T C H E R N AT H A N E O VA L D I

At 6' 7", Aaron Judge is larger than life partly because he plays smaller than he should. By mid August he already had 13 stolen bases, four more than anyone his height previously had in a season And he’s excelling at a position that historically has been dominated by smaller players. Judge is on track this year to do something only two other (much shorter) players have ever done: hit 50 homers, lead the majors in slugging and play at least 50 games in center ﬁeld.

TA L L TA SK S

T h is sea son is def i ne d by t he i nterse c t ion of force s i n Jud ge’s c a re er. O f t he w i s dom gle a ne d f rom t ho se 12,000 pitches. Of t he Yankees’ of fering him a contract e x t en sion of $21 3 . 5 m i l l ion ju s t b efore O p en i ng Day a nd t hen, to his disappoint ment, going public w it h t he ter m s of it a f ter he t u r ne d it dow n. O f h i s i mpend i ng f re e a ge nc y. O f t he adv ic e he re c e ive d f rom a for me r t e a m m a t e a b o ut h o w t o pr o t e c t w h a t h a d b e e n h i s i nju r y prone b o dy O f ac c ompl i sh i ng b y Ju ly 28 t he one goa l t h is yea r t hat ma kes h i m proudest a nd ha s not h i ng t o do w it h h it t i ng home r u n s.

S D I D M A R C U S A U R E L I U S , Ma rk Tw a i n a nd Joa n D id ion , A a r on Jud ge k e e p s a not e b o ok . It u s e d t o b e a ph y s i c a l n o t e b o ok , b ut w he n h e f ou nd ca r r y i ng it a rou nd to be a bit of a pa i n, he s w itc he d to keepi ng a d igit a l version on h is phone. He w i l l log ke y s w i ng t hou g ht s f rom h i s p e r son a l h it t i ng c oac h a nd how he felt at t he plate du r i ng espec ia l ly good ga mes Eac h t i me he op e n s h i s d ig it a l not eb o ok , t he f i r s t p a ge g r e e t s h i m w it h a r e m i n d e r: “.17 9.” T h a t w a s Jud ge’s bat t i ng ave r a ge i n 2016, w he n he s t r uc k out i n 4 4% of h i s t r ip s t o t he pl at e du r i ng a l at e se a son ca ll up A f ter overhauling his sw ing t hat w inter, Judge h i t a r o o k i e r e c o r d 5 2 h o m e r u n s t h e n e x t s e a s o n A f ter t hat he took a blac k ma rker a nd w rote “.179” i n h i s si z e 17 spi ke s t o re m i nd h i m se l f of t he s t r u ggle . He ha s si nce moved t he nu mer ica l rem i nder f rom h is sho e s t o t he t it le pa ge of h i s not eb o ok “St i l l gl a r i ng at me r ig ht at t he t op i s ‘.179,’ ” he s ay s. “No m at t e r how m a ny home r s, w h at ’s goi ng on, or we’re i n f i r s t pl ac e , I k now it c a n c h a nge i n t he bl i n k of a n e ye . ” H i t t i n g , i t t u r n s o u t , i s a b i t l i k e h o w D i d i o n d e s c r i b e d w r i t i n g : “ a n a t t e m p t t o f i n d o u t w h a t m at t e r s , t o f i nd t he p at t e r n i n d i s or de r, t o f i nd t he g r a m m a r i n t he sh i m me r.” D e spit e t ho se 52 home r s i n 2017, Jud ge s t r u ggle d i n o t h e r w a y s t o f i n d t h e p a t t e r n i n t h e d i s o r d e r t h at pit c he r s pr e s e nt e d h i m T h at s e a s on he s t r uc k out 5 0 t i me s f l a i l i ng at br e a k i ng c he s out of t he

pit

M I C K E Y M A N T L E Heigh t : 5' 11" 1956: 52 HR, 705 SLG, 144 games in CF 1961: 54 HR, 687 SLG, 150 games in CF A A R O N J U D G E Heigh t : 6 ' 7 " 2022 (through Aug 21): 46 HR, 652 SLG, 57 games in CF W I L L I E M AY S Heigh t : 5' 10 " 1955: 51 HR, 659 SLG, 152 games in CF 1965: 52 HR, 645 SLG, 147 games in CF S P O R T S I L L U S T R A T E D S I C O M O C T O B E R 2 0 2 2 4 8 B E T T M A N N / G E T T Y M A G E S

T he si mpl i st ic na r rat ive i s t hat Judge “ be t on h i m self ” by t ur ning dow n $213. 5 mi llion. He does not see it t h at w ay “It w a s ne v e r a ga mble for me , b e c au s e no m at t e r w he t he r w e got a de a l done or d id n’t ge t a de a l done I w a s s t i l l goi n g t o b e pl ay i n g w it h t he Ya n k e e s t h i s ye a r,” he s ay s. “I n my m i nd t he re w a s no ga mble. I’l l be play i ng for t he Ya n kees, work i ng a s h a rd a s I c a n t o he lp u s w i n a World S e r ie s A l l t h at ot he r s t u f f, t h at ’s w hy I’ve got a n a ge nt . ”

colliding in a w indow t he size of t hree postage stamps. No one c r e at e s t h i s p e r f e c t c onv e r ge nc e , k now n a s “ b a r r e l s ” w h e n d o n e a t o p t i mu m f o r c e a n d a n g l e , more t h a n Jud ge

work for h is body, i nclud i ng st retc h i ng e xerc ise s, hot a nd c old t ub t he r ap y se s sion s, a nd sau n a s.

“S o w he n I s t ep out t he re i n a ga me it ’s Oh , th at ’s a l l t h i s g u y h a s? ” Ju d ge s a y s “I s a w t h a t a hu n d r e d t im e s alre a dy.”

Ju d ge h i t a c a r e e r h i g h 2 8 7 l a s t s e a s o n He c u t h i s s t r i ke out r at e to a c a re e r low (2 5%) He f i n i she d fou r t h i n M V P vot i ng. He w a nt e d more . S o on a f t e r

S P R AY HI T T E R

H e m ay lite ra lly sta n d a b ove th e m a ll , b ut J u d g e ’s te a m m ate s s ay his eve n ke e l e d l e a d e rs hi p is key to th e Ya n ke e s’ h o p e s of c e l e b rati n g a Wo rl d S e ri e s

zone four t h most in t he majors. He hit .224 on brea k i ng pitches over his f i rst f ive sea sons. He watched too m a ny h it t able pit c he s go b y e a rly i n c ou nt s.

“ I s t a r t e d w a t c h i n g v e t e r a n g u y s . I w atc he d DJ L eMa h ieu He’ l l go i n a nd t a ke f i v e s w i n g s o f f t h e t e e , f i v e f l i p s , a n d g o out t he r e i n t he ga me a nd go 3 for 4. A nd t h a t w a s a l e s s on f or m e . It ’s q u a l it y o v e r q u a n t i t y. It ’s h e l p e d m e o u t t h e p a s t t w o ye a r s e sp e c i a l ly ”

“ W h e n h e t o l d m e t h a t , ” Ju d ge s a y s , “I w a s l i k e , L e s s i s m o r e? W h a t ’s h e t a l k i n g a b ou t? O nc e I s t a r t e d l e a r n i n g t h a t I w a s l i k e , O. K . , t h a t ’s p r o b a b l y why I ’m b l o w i n g out c e r tain mu s c l e s.

“I do a l l my re c ove r y s t u f f, w h ic h you don’t t h i n k about when you’re 2 4 or 25,” he say s “You just t h i n k , I pl aye d my gam e . I’m goin g to e at, go ba c k to b e d an d I ’ l l w a k e u p f e e l i n g g r e a t . No w it ’s t he l it t le t h i n g s , e ve n i f it ’s 20 m i nut e s a f t e r t he ga me of s t re t c h i ng.”

A L B E L L O / G E T T Y M A G E S

A A R O N J U D G E

Mor e o v e r, i nj u r ie s w r a c k e d h i s 6' 7 " , 2 82 p ou nd b o d y He m i s s e d 37 % o f t h e Ya n k e e s ’ g a m e s f r o m 2 0 1 8 t h r o u g h ’ 2 0 . H e s u f f e r e d a b r o k e n w r i s t i n ’18. A n obl ique s t r a i n i n ’19. A c r ac k e d r i b a nd c ol l a p s e d l u n g i n ’ 2 0 . It w a s a f t e r Ju d g e r e t u r n e d i n ’ 19 f r om t he o bl i q u e s t r a i n t h a t v e t e r a n t e a m m a t e E dw i n E nc a r n ac ión pu l le d h i m a side a f t e r a ga me . E n c a r n a c i ó n n o t i c e d h o w o f t e n J u d g e wou ld h it i n t he i ndo or bat t i ng c a ge , e ve n du r i ng ga me s

“I f I st r uc k out , I’d b e i n t he c a ge , ” Jud ge say s. “H it t i ng, h it t i ng, h it t i ng. I f my s w i ng d i d n’ t f e e l r i g h t , I ’d b e b a c k i n t h e c a g e . I n g a m e h i t t i n g , p r e g a m e h i t t i n g , p o s t ga me h it t i n g ”

t he sea son ende d, he repor t e d to t he Ya n ke e s’ t r a i n i n g c omple x i n Ta mp a a nd w ork e d w it h one of t he t e a m’s sp e e d t r a i ne r s “I sa id , ‘He y, I se e g uy s i n t he m i nor le a g ue s w it h 4 0 s t ole n ba se s a nd I k now I’m f a s t e r t h a n t h at g uy. W h at c a n I le a r n f rom you? ’ ” Jud ge say s. T h e y b r o k e d o w n h i s r u n n i n g f o r m a n d s t u d i e d h o w t o g e t a b e tt e r f i r s t s t e p. If t h e re i s a d e f i n i t i v e s t o r y a b o u t w h a t m o t i va t e s Ju d g e , t h i s i s i t . A l m o s t

He a l s o h a s i nc or p or at e d p o s t ga me m a i nt e n a nc e

Enc a r n ac ión told h i m, “A l l t ho se s w i ngs y o u’r e t a k i n g? It ’s m a k i n g y o u t i r e d a n d it ’s goi n g t o ge t y ou hu r t . A nd a l l y ou a r e d oi n g i s pr a c t ic i n g b a d s w i n g s . You d on’t n e e d t o t a k e a t hou s a n d s w i n g s You j u s t ne e d t o t a ke a c ouple a nd go out a nd pl ay. L e s s i s more . ”

E nt e r i n g S e p t e m b e r, Ju d ge h a d p l a y e d i n m or e t h a n 9 0% of t h e Ya n k e e s ’ g a m e s o v e r t h e p a s t t w o y e a r s . He p r e p a r e s f o r ga me s now b y t a k i ng “a c ouple” of s w i ngs of f t he t e e; a fe w more of f f l ips; a fe w more of f “shor t BP,” i n w h ic h t he pit c he r s t a nd s o n l y a b o u t 4 0 f e e t a w a y ; a n d a f e w m o r e a ga i n s t a h i g h v e lo c it y m a c h i ne t h at s pit s out f a s t ba l ls at 110 m i le s per hou r a s wel l a s na st y, h igh spi n sliders Judge a lso w ill simply track t he pitches w it hout s w i ng i ng so t h at h i s e ye s g row ac c u s t ome d t o more ve lo c it y t h a n he w i l l se e l at e r.

“Especia lly hit t ing higher in t he lineup,” says Judge, w ho u su a l ly bat s se c ond , “ i f I c a n ge t on ba se a nd I ca n ge t i nto scor i ng posit ion or e ven have t hat t h reat t o t he pit c he r t h at I m i g ht s t e a l , [t he g u y s] b e h i nd me m ig ht ge t b e t t e r pit c he s t o h it . ”

Judge has a cha nce to lead t he majors in r uns, home runs, R BIs and total bases, which has been done by only Rut h, L ou G eh r ig, Ted W i l l ia ms a nd Mic ke y Ma nt le since R BIs beca me of f icia l in 1920. But ask him which p a r t o f h i s s e a s o n b r i n g s h i m t h e m o s t p r i d e , a n d Ju d ge w ho h a d s w ip e d 1 3 b a s e s i n 14 t r i e s b y t he m idd le of Aug u st , t h re e t i me s a s ma ny a s a ny ot her player 6' 7 " or t a l ler i n h istor y ha s a si mple a ns wer: “Stolen ba se s.”

C O NTRACT I WAS

b e s t t r a it , say s, “ T he e ve n ke e l. I w i sh you c ou ld se e h i m some day s when he’s DHi ng. He’s so loose. We’re h a ng i ng out on t he c ouc h w at c h i ng t he ga me on T V a nd t a l k i ng ab out t he ga me , a nd w he n it ’s h i s t u r n for a not he r at bat he ge t s up of f t he c ouc h a nd go e s out a nd h it s a not he r home r u n.”

“I could have taken it out on the orga nization and taken it out on the fan base a n d t a k e n i t o u t o n m y t e a m m a t e s , ” Judge says. “But I k ind of t ur ned it into a p o sit ive . L i ke , ‘He y, we d id n’t ge t it d on e No w I c a n t u r n m y f o c u s b a c k to t he sea son a nd do what I c a n do to help t h is tea m w i n a s ma ny ga me s a s we c a n.’ T hat ’s what I de c ide d to do.”

A G IN G W E L L

“Not h i ng f a z e s h i m,” say s Ya n ke e s f i r s t b a s e m a n A n t h o n y R i z z o “ Yo u d o n’ t k n o w i f h e ’s 4 f o r 4 w i t h f o u r homers or 0 for 4 w it h four st r i keout s. T h a t ’s a m a z i n g , b e c a u s e h e c a r r i e s t he w hole we ig ht of b e i ng t he f ac e of t h e f r a n c h i s e I t h i n k j u s t h o w h e ’s ha nd led h i msel f t h is yea r, w it h a l l t he quote unquote noise, t urning dow n t he money, t hat being made public what he t u r ne d dow n a nd ju s t goi n g out a nd pro duc i ng e ve r y d ay i s a m a z i ng ” Cole, when a sked to ident i f y Judge’s

immediately after hitting 39 homers and slugging .544, the biggest position player in baseball history went to the minor league camp to become a better base runner.

Judge’s free agent case will be bolstered by his improved baserunning and strong glove

H E Y A N K E E S O F F E R E D Judge

H I S I S T H E i nt er se c t ion. A l l road s le d here . T he 179 T he $2 31 5 m i l l ion T he 12 , 0 0 0 pit c he s “A lo t of t he w ork he ’s done up t o t h i s p oi nt , no t j u s t t h i s y e a r, i t ’s s h o w i n g i t s e l f , ” Ya n k e e s h i t t i n g coach Dillon Lawson says. “His abilit y to ha nd le more t y p e s of pit c he s i s mo s t i mpr e s s i v e It ’s h a v i n g t he i n f o r m a t i o n a n d n o w b e i n g a b l e t o u s e i t b e c a u s e he’s more sk i l le d. May b e t he mo s t i mpre s sive t h i ng i s he’s fou nd a w ay to i mprove w it hout goi ng out side of h i s s t r e ng t h s. Guy s w it h p ow e r t y pic a l ly h ave t o lo se some p owe r to ga i n more c ont ac t He’s kept it ”

$30.5 million a year. Eleven play e r s e a r n m o r e , i n c l u d i n g t w o o n h i s own team. (The Yankees will be paying Gerrit Cole and Giancarlo Stanton more over the next six years ) They made the proposal just before Judge’s deadline to get a deal done by Opening Day. Imme diately after Judge’s rejection, New York G M B r i a n C a s h m a n a n n o u n c e d t h e terms of the offer in a press conference for the sake of transparency. Judge did not appreciate such candor.

S P O R T S I L L U S T R A T E D S I C O M O C T O B E R 2 0 2 2 5 0 A A R O N J U D G E

“I k now t h i s: P r e pa r i ng t o f ac e Jud ge i s a lot d i f f e r e n t n o w,” s a y s Ky l e S n y d e r, t h e R a y s ’ p i t c h i n g coac h “It ’s ha rder He covers so ma ny more pitc he s ” T h rough 1 3 me e t i ngs t h is yea r, cover i ng 21 3 pitc he s, t he R ay s t h re w Jud ge on ly 2 3% f a s tba l l s, i nc lud i ng on ly e ig ht h ig h f a s tba l l s i n t he z one . “I love t he lit t le chess match t hat some people don’t

. . .

T h is h istor ic sea son is happen i ng at a t i me when it ha s ne ver b e en more d i f f ic u lt to h it si nc e t he mou nd w a s lowere d i n 1969. (T he overa l l ML B bat t i ng aver a ge t h rou g h t h re e qu a r t e r s of t he s e a s on w a s . 2 43 , w h ic h wou ld b e t he fou r t h lowe s t si nc e 19 0 0.) Fou r s e a m f a s t ba l l s w e r e ave r a g i n g 93 9 m i le s p e r hou r, a n a l l t i me h ig h a nd f u l l y t w o m i le s a n hou r f a s t e r t ha n just 14 yea rs ago. T he nu mber of pitches clocked at 10 0 mph a nd f a s t e r mor e t h a n t r iple d f r om on l y t h r e e y e a r s a g o S l i d e r s w e r e s p i n n i n g 316 R P M s f a s t e r t h a n t he y we re se ve n ye a r s a go

STI LL G O I N G TO B E P LAYI N G FO R TH E YAN KE E S TH I S YEAR . ”

I f a l l t h at d id not m a ke for a d i f f ic u lt e nou g h h it t i n g e n v i r on me nt , Ju d ge ’s h e i g ht c r e a t e s pr o bl e m s f or u mpi r e s c a l l i n g l o w pit c h e s a ga i n s t h i m . F r om t h e s t a r t o f 2 0 17 t h r o u g h m i d A u g u s t , Ju d g e h a d 309 pitches below t he zone misca l led a s st r i kes 22% more t han any ot her hit ter. Judge bears such treatment

“ IT WAS N EVE R A GAM B LE FO R M E , ” SAYS J U D G E O F H I S

w it h l it t le pr ot e s t . “He t old me h a sn’t b e e n t h r o w n out of a ga me he re or i n t he m i nor le a g ue s,” L aw son say s. “H i s t e mp e r a me nt pl ay s i nt o h i s c on si s t e nc y.” Hav ing such a big st rike zone can be a v ulnerabilit y, b u t , s a y s t e a m m a t e Jo s h D o n a l d s o n , “He c o n t r o l s t h e s t r i k e z on e r e a l l y w e l l . I r e m e m b e r I t a l k e d t o Ne l s on C r u z i n M i n n e s o t a , a n o t h e r g u y w it h l on g a r m s T he y h ave t o fo c u s on s t ay i ng t ig ht w it h t he i r move me nt s I f t he i r a r m s ge t aw ay f rom t he i r b o dy at a l l t he y get ja m med. Judge u nderst a nds rea l ly wel l t he ef for t le ve l he ne e d s to pro duce a qu a l it y s w i ng.”

Jud ge s ay s . “ W hy c e r t a i n pit c he s a r e t h r o w n . W hy guys sw ing at cer t a in pitches T he dif ferent sit uat ions i n a ga me t hat come up a lway s i nt r ig ued me a s a k id “Now, it ’s a lot of late night s of v ideo, watching past at bat s , w at c h i n g g u y s si m i l a r t o me a nd how t he y pit c he d a ga i n s t t he m i n re c e nt out i ngs. It ’s a l so not being a f ra id to ta ke t he cha nce a nd k now ing I’ve done my home work . Now it ’s ju s t go out t he re , re c og n i z e t he pit c h a nd do d a m a ge . ” Judge had never faced Roya ls r ight ha nded reliever Ja c k s on K o w a r b e for e he s t e pp e d i n w it h t he ba s e s loade d Ju ly 29 K ow a r t h row s h i s c ha ngeup to r ight h a n d e d b a t t e r s m o r e o f t e n o n f i r s t p i t c h e s (4 8 %) t h a n he do e s l at e r i n t he at bat (38%). K o w a r t h r e w a c h a n g e u p f i r s t p i t c h . Ju d g e w a s r e a d y f o r i t . He sm a she d it for a g r a nd sl a m “He i s g re at at how to apply h i s me c h a n ic s ba se d on what t he pitcher is doi ng,” L aw son says. “How do I apply it a gain st a sto c k pitc h er? A g uy with r i d e? A g uy w ith sink? A sli d e r m on ste r? He h a s show n me he h a s a sk i l l se t a nd t r u ly re f i ne d it It lo ok s re a l ly si mple But i f y ou’r e not at t he p oi nt he i s i n h i s c a r e e r y ou c a n’t do t h i s s t u f f.

By m id A u g u s t , Jud ge w a s le a d i n g t he m ajor s i n slugg i ng aga i nst bot h fa stba l ls a nd brea k i ng pitches. He h it 1 5 of h i s f i r s t 46 homer s of f bre a k i ng pit c he s; h i s pre v iou s h ig h w a s e ig ht A f t e r 117 ga me s he h ad more h it s of f t he f i rst or second pitch of a n at bat (45) t h a n i n a ny s e a s on of h i s c a r e e r, a t e s t a me nt t o h i s prepa r at ion a nd i nt u it ion.

see f rom t he out side bet ween t he bat ter a nd pitc her,”

STRATE GY. “W hether we got a deal done or didn’t

T h i s i s h i s se a son i n t he sh i m mer. How it end s i s ye t to be w r it ten t he nu mber of home r u n s he h it s, whet her t he Ya nkees w in t he last ga me of t he yea r, t he f ina l nu mber a nd payer of his ne x t cont rac t But what he a lready has achieved is an equilibrium in his career, a soundness of body and mind t hat is behind a historic season. In t his way, too, he resembles Marcus Aurelius, t he Stoic k now n as t he last of t he Five Good Emperors of R ome , w ho one d ay pu l le d out h i s not e b o ok a nd w rot e , “Give you r he a r t t o t he t r ade you h ave le a r nt , a nd d r aw re f re sh me nt f rom it . ” H E L O L M E T S , E W YOR K S E R T E A M D T O A K E T H E T F T E R T H E Y V E U F F E R E D O M A N Y N E E N T E R A S C K IN G T HE T R E ND in his 21st year an was in to turn around this franchise

T h i s i s what happ en s when a h it t er d i scover s t he pat ter n in disorder, t he gra mma r in t he shimmer T he e x qu i s it e l y c r a f t e d s e nt e nc e a nd t he s w i n g a ga i n s t t he 0 1 E ov a ld i f a s tba l l a re so p e r fe c t a s t o b e l ie t he t oi l t h at m ade suc h b e aut y p o s sible . W h at i s ge n iu s i f not t he c a mou f l a ge of e f for t?

A sk Judge how he wa nt s t h is sea son to end, a nd he w i l l t a l k ab out not h i s f i n a l t a l l y of home r u n s , but w he t h e r t h e Ya n k e e s w i l l w i n t h e Wor l d S e r i e s “I w a nt t o b e a World S e r ie s c h a mpion,” he say s. “Not on l y onc e , but t w ic e , t h r e e t i me s i f I c a n a s m a ny t i me s a s I ge t a c h a nc e . ”

hired

wayward

DI NG BLOWS , C A N ON

NO LONGE R T

OT H

’

“It rea l ly h it me t he t y pe of i mpac t I’ve had when I s t a r t e d se e i ng L it t le L e a g ue r s we a r i ng 99,” he say s “I d id n’t se e t o o m a ny 99s w he n I w a s g row i ng up. I saw a lot of nu mb e r 2 s, but not to o m a ny 99s.

OF DYSF U NCT ION ? A A R O N J U D G E B U

“ T he ga me sma nsh ip,” Cole say s, “ i s where he con t i nues to get bet ter. He t a kes pitches out of a pitcher ’s p o c k e t . He d id it t o S c he r z e r. M a x f i r e d 9 7 up a nd i n D ot t e d it up A nd he sp oi le d it T he f ac t t h at Ma x h a d n’t t h r o w n 97 a l l ga me a nd t he f a c t t h at A a r on had n’t se en a f a stba l l i n l i ke a n hou r a nd 45 m i nute s m ade it a m a z i ng.”

IS P OISE

C OM PET

C ON FOU

T here i s some t h i ng el se he w a nt s T h i s w i sh of h i s is appa rent on t he tele v ision mon itors t hat ha ng f rom t he cei l i ng of t he Ya n kees’ clubhouse. T he y a re i n f u l l v ie w f rom Judge’s loc ker. On a n Aug u st a f ter noon he c a n s e e t he f a c e s of L it t l e L e a g u e r s , w h i c h a r e t he f ac e s of hop e , lo ok i ng for s ome one or s ome t h i ng t o fol low. He is moved to hea r how ma ny of t hem rega rd A a ron Jud ge a s t he i r f avor it e pl aye r, a nd how m a ny of t he m we a r h i s nu mb e r.

“It ’s l i ke w hat p e ople say ab out over n ight succ e s s. You don’t k now t he y e a r s of w ork t h at w e nt i nt o it . T h i s h a s b e e n ye a r s of work i n t he m a k i ng.”

“Seei ng t hat, a nd seei ng t h is l it t le k id i n Kent uck y, or i n Ne w York , i n F lor id a , i n C a l i for n i a t he y ’r e watch i ng e ver y si ngle t h i ng you do. Ever y l it t le t h i ng you say. It put s it i n p er sp e c t ive. D o t he r ight t h i ngs, play t he ga me t he r ight way a nd hopef u l ly you inspire one of t ho se k id s to do t he r ig ht t h i ng i n 10, 1 5 ye a r s w he n t he y ’re i n you r sp ot ”

SE A S ON

December

SE DE C A DE

MLB manager,

’

S P O R T S I L L U S T R A T E D S I C O M O C T O B E R 2 0 2 2 5 2

Showalter,

PL AYOF FS . BU

Who’s Laughing B Y S T E P H A N I E A P S T E I N P H O T O G R A P H S B Y E R I C K W R A S C O

But he ca n invest in t hem in ot her ways, so increa s i ng st a f fer s’ pay ju st se eme d l i ke good bu si ne ss. T he t e a m c om m i s sione d a n i ndu s t r y w ide s t ud y i n l at e 2020 a nd qu ick ly rea l i zed A lderson’s suspicions were cor re c t T he Me t s de c l i ne to spe a k spe c i f ic a l ly about f igures, but one person fa milia r w it h t he outcome says that by the follow ing spring, “the over whelming major it y” of employees had received a salar y bump. A lderson ref uses to ta ke credit for t he increases but says severa l pe ople told h i m t he ra i se had be en “ l i fe c ha ng i ng ” Perhaps obv iously, it a lso improved mora le “Lots of people a re w i l l i ng to do whate ver it t a ke s, i nclud i ng work for not hing or for a sma ll amount to get t heir foot i n t he door,” A lderson say s. “But e vent u a l ly it wea rs of f Event ua l ly it becomes a job A job w it h a cer t a i n amount of cachet, but you can’t eat cachet and you can’t suppor t a fa m i ly on cachet. So at some poi nt you owe

Cohen, a Mets minor it y ow ner since ’12, saw A lderson a s a re sp e c te d f ig u re who wou ld he lp leg it i m i z e h i s bid for major it y cont rol.

He bega n cut t ing costs a ny where he could, slashing player sa la r y by more t ha n $50 m i l l ion i n 2012 , t he deepest gash in major leag ue histor y. A mid t he chaos, A lderson lost employees to higher paying teams. He will ne ver k now how ma ny prom isi ng ca nd idates t u r ned h i m dow n because t he Met s lowba l led t hem

Fe wer t ha n 10 0 pe ople i n t he world have acc u mu late d more wea lt h t ha n Cohen; Forbe s e st i mate s h i s net wor t h at $17 4 billion, some t hree t imes more t ha n t he ne x t r ic he s t M L B t e a m ow ne r s H i s p e e r s w e r e concer ne d enough about h i s d i spropor t ionate m ight t o a d d a n a d d it ion a l lu x u r y t a x t h r e s hold t he s o called Cohen Ta x to last w inter’s collective bargaining a g re ement (“It ’s be t ter t ha n hav i ng a br idge na me d a f t e r y ou , ” t he ow ne r l i k e s t o jok e ) T he le a g ue h a s a l so c appe d spend i ng i n t he d ra f t a nd i nter nat iona l amateur markets, meaning Cohen is somewhat limited i n how muc h he c a n d i spen se to player s.

t he sa me way wa rd orga n i zat ion. In November 2020, W i l p o n s o l d t h e t e a m f o r $2 4 b i l l i o n t o C o h e n , a hedge f u nd ma nager whose busi ness prac t ices made s om e of h i s f e l lo w o w n e r s n e r v ou s: H i s f i r s t f i r m , SAC Capit a l Adv isors, pleaded g u i lt y i n ’1 3 to c r i m i n a l a nd c i v i l c h a r ge s of i n s i d e r t r a d i n g a nd p a i d a record $1 8 bi l l ion set t lement (Cohen wa s ne ver per s on a l l y c h a r ge d w it h a c r i me , b ut a s p a r t of a U. S . S e c u r it ie s a nd E xc ha nge Com m i s sion se t t lement i n w h ic h he d id not ad m it w rongdoi ng, he w a s ba r re d f rom ma na g i ng ot her p e ople’s mone y for t wo yea r s W hen t hat per iod e x pi red, t he SEC approved h i m to resu me operat ions. Some of t he employees who were charged w ith crimes had their conv ictions overturned.)

No w he w a s b a c k , t a s k e d a g a i n w it h s t a bi l i z i n g

O N E O F H E P TA D E C A B I L L I O N A I R E St e v e C ohe n’s f irst acts as ow ner of t he Mets was to give almost ever y one a ra ise. T his wa s not ac t ua l ly his idea. Tea m presi dent Sandy A lderson had spent nearly eight years as t he club’s GM before stepping back to deal with a recurrence of a n u n s p e c i f i e d f or m of c a n c e r, a nd w he n C ohe n brought h i m bac k i n 2020 a nd promoted h i m, one of t he f irst items on A lderson’s to do list was a dollar sign.

A l d e r s o n h a d i n i t i a l l y j o i n e d t h e Me t s i n 2 0 1 0 a s a s u g g e s t i o n b y t h e c o m m i s s i o n e r ’s o f f i c e t o l e n d s t a b i l i t y t o a f ra n c h i s e re e l i n g f ro m t h e c o l l a p s e o f B e r n i e Ma d o f f ’s Po n z i s c h e m e ; t h e t r u s t e e f o r t h e victims sued then owner and major Madoff investor Fred Wilpon for $1 billion, saying that he knew or should have known the returns were fraudulent. (Wilpon denied t h e a l l e g a t i o n s ; i n ’12 , h e s e tt l e d f o r $ 1 62 m i l l i o n .) Wilpon had to take out $65 million in loans, including $25 million from MLB, just to make payroll

O S P O R T S I L L U S T R A T E D S I C O M O C T O B E R 2 0 2 2 5 4 J I M M C I S A A C / G E T T Y M A G E S N E W Y O R K M E T S

In 2019, lef t ha nder Ja son Va rga s t h r e a t e n e d t o f i g h t a r e p o r t e r. It took ma nager Mickey Ca llaway t wo pre ss con ference s to hone h i s apol og y for cursing at t he same repor ter.

T h e Me t s h av e n o t a l way s d e m a n d e d e x c e l l e n c e Sometimes they almost seem to court the opposite. Few fans have suffered as many excruciating, confounding blows as the ones in Flushing. But during Cohen’s intro ductory press conference, he said he wanted to create a culture of “professionalism and integrity ” Alderson says they are achieving that goal using “resources and rigor.” And indeed they are one of the best teams in the National League and are poised to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016 Most surprising of all, they have been . . . a normal baseball team. There have been no ridiculous stories sucking the oxygen out of the room for weeks at a time. Can this possibly continue? Are attitude, personnel and money and one competent season enough to erase decades of dysfunction? And what happens when the Mets stop being the Mets?

T ’ S N O T E A S Y t o b e t he or a nge h a i re d s t ep c h i ld i n a ma rke t t hat a l so cont a i n s a 27 t i me c ha mpion

T he Met s ma ke it ha rder Si nce Wi lpon took cont rol of t he tea m i n 1987, t he club ha s t weeted more photos of

it to you r employees. If you’re goi ng to dema nd e xcel lence, t hen you have to be prepared to ack nowledge it ”

d i ldo s (1) t h a n it h a s won t it le s (0) W i l p o n b e c a m e s o l e o w n e r i n 2002; since t hen sca rcely a yea r has gone b y w it hout a u n ique ly Me t s y catast rophe Some of t he most nota ble: In ’07 t he tea m led t he d iv ision by seven ga mes w it h 17 to play, t hen m i s s e d t h e p l a y o f f s . I n ’ 0 9 V P o f player development Tony Berna zard tore of f his shir t a nd cha llenged t he D o u b l e A B i n g h a m t o n M e t s t o a f ig ht . I n May ’18 C it i Fie ld c au g ht f i r e w h i le t he t e a m w a s on a r oa d t r ip. Fou r mont hs later players f led t h e Fe n w a y P a r k v i s i t o r s d u g o u t m idga me to e sc ape a rat

Ca llaway was f ired af ter t he season; a y e a r l a t e r, T h e A t h l e t i c r e p or t e d t h a t f i v e w ome n r e c o u n t e d s e x u a l h a r a s s m e n t b y h i m T h e t e a m r e p l a c e d h i m w i t h C a r l o s B e l t r á n , t h e n p r o m p t l y f i re d h i m, too, a f ter he w a s i mpl ic ate d i n t he A st ros’ sig n stea l i ng sca nda l. I n s o m e w a y s , e v e n u n d e r n e w o w n e r s h ip, t h e y remain t he Mets of yore Cohen’s f irst GM, Jared Porter, was f ired af ter ESPN repor ted t hat he had sent explicit, unwa nted tex t messages to a fema le repor ter; t he ma n who replace d h i m, Zac k Scot t , w a s f i re d a f ter he w a s arrested for a llegedly driv ing under t he inf luence af ter leav ing a team f undraiser (Scot t was later acquit ted of t he cha rges.) A rev iew of work place cult ure conducted by law f i r m W i l merHa le, h i re d i n Ma rc h 2021, le d to t he dismissa l of t he heads of t he lega l depa r t ment a nd hu ma n re sou rce s t hat Ju ne I n May 2 021, t he pl ay e r s i nve nt e d a f ic t ion a l h it t i ng coach, Don n ie Ste venson, a nd bega n at t r ibut i ng t hei r succe sse s to h i m; t wo d ay s later, t he tea m f i re d a c t u a l h it t i n g c o a c h e s C h i l i D a v i s a nd Tom S l a t e r. A f e w d a y s a f t e r t h a t , s h o r t s t o p F r a n c i s c o L i n d o r re p or t e d ly g r abb e d s e c ond ba s e m a n Je f f McNe i l b y t he t h r o a t i n t he t u n ne l b e h i n d t he du gout du r i n g

R C H S C H U L T Z / G E T T Y M A G E S

M A X I N ’ O U T

S i g ni n g S c h e rze r (21) to a re c o rd d e a l s h o w e d th at th e M ets wh o s e p ayro ll is n o r th of $262 m illi o n a re willi n g to s p e n d o wn e r C o h e n’s m o n ey (fa r l ef t)

a n a r g u m e nt o v e r d e f e n s i v e p o s it i on i n g. A f t e r t he ga me, L i ndor l ie d to repor ter s t hat t he t wo had se en a rodent a nd d i sc u sse d whe t her it w a s a rat or a rac coon In Aug u st , a m id a 9 19 st re tc h, L i ndor, se cond baseman Jav ier Báez and out f ielder Kev in Pillar began b o o i n g t h e f a n s b a c k b y f l a s h i n g a t hu m b s d o w n whene ver t he y succe e de d wh ic h w a s not of ten. T he tea m f i n i she d 7 7 85 a nd m i sse d t he playof f s for t he f i f t h st ra ight yea r

C e r t a i n l y C o h e n b r i n g s h i s o w n d y s f u n c t i o n . I n a d d i t i o n t o t h e i n s i d e r t r a d i n g, h i s f i r m h a s a t l e a s t t w i c e b e e n t h e s u b j e c t o f g r i e v a n c e s f i l e d b y fema le employe e s w it h t he Con ne c t ic ut Com m i ssion of Hu m a n R i g ht s a n d O p p or t u n it i e s , a n d a n o t h e r w o m a n s u e d P o i n t 7 2 f o r g e n d e r d i s c r i m i n a t i o n . (A c c or d i n g t o s ome one f a m i l i a r w it h t he sit u at ion , bot h g r ie va nces a nd t he law su it have been set t led for u nd i s c l o s e d t e r m s Poi nt 7 2 h a s d e n ie d a l l c l a i m s ) T h e b e s t s e l l i n g B l a c k E d g e , b y S h e e l a h K o l h a t k a r, w h ic h c h ron ic le s t he dow n f a l l of S AC , pa i nt s a pic t u r e of a m e r c u r i a l m a n w ho r o s e t o t he t op of h i s indust r y by choosing which r u les to follow His image a mon g ba s e ba l l f a n s a s a n av u nc u l a r go of ba l l i n a ha l f z ip, t a k i ng sugge st ion s on Tw it ter to br i ng bac k Old T i me r s ’ Day a nd t h r o w i ng mone y a r ou nd , h a s ser ved to spor tswash his legac y as a Wall Street v illian.

S o it ’s h a r d t o bl a me r i g ht y C h r i s B a s s it t f or t he a la r m he felt upon being t raded to New York f rom t he A’s i n Ma rc h “It sou nded l i ke it w a s a me ss,” he say s “ T hen I got to spr i ng t ra i n i ng a nd w a s l i ke, ‘Oh, t h i s i sn’t l i ke t hat at a l l.’ ”

T h i s w i n t e r, t h e t e a m’s r e p o r t e d f i r s t c h o i c e t o r e p l a c e S c o t t w a s f o r m e r Na t i o n a l s a s s i s t a n t GM A d a m Crom ie, a merger s a nd acqu i sit ion s law yer i n P it t sbu r g h w ho h a s b e e n out of t he ga me for h a l f a de c ade (A lder son e vent u a l ly se t t le d on Bi l ly Eppler, who w a s t he A ngel s’ GM f rom 201 5 t h rough ’20.)

Most p e ople a rou nd t he te a m t r ac e t he c ha nge to t he sa me place R ight y Ta iju a n Wa l ker su m s it up a s wel l a s a nyone: “It st a r t s w it h Buc k ”

B u c k S h o w a l t e r , w h o i n D e c e m b e r r e p l a c e d

S P O R T S I L L U S T R A T E D S I C O M O C T O B E R 2 0 2 2 5 6 N E W Y O R K M E T S

Al o n s o’s c o ntri b uti o n s ex te n d w e ll b eyo n d th e b at te r’s b ox: Th e All Sta r s lu g g e r a ls o w a s a b l e to p ro c u re a b illi a rd s ta b l e fo r th e c lu b h o u s e

A nd t he Met s’ relat ionship w it h t he med ia rema ins u nc om for t able at b e s t . T he t e a m i n it i a l ly a g r e e d t o ma ke se vera l f ront of f ice st a f fer s av a i lable for i nter v i e w s f o r t h i s s t o r y b e f o r e r e s c i n d i n g t h a t a c c e s s , say i ng t hat A lderson cou ld spea k for t hem. T he tea m a l s o de c l i ne d t o m a k e C ohe n a v a i l a ble , e x pl a i n i n g t h a t h e w a s b u s y w it h w h a t s om e Me t s e mpl o y e e s r e f e r t o a s h i s “d a y j o b,” r u n n i n g Poi nt 7 2 , h i s n e w he dge f u nd. A spoke sper son d id prov ide a st atement f rom Cohen: “ T h i s i sn’t t he t i me for a v ic tor y lap a s we ne e d to st ay foc u se d on t he re st of t he sea son, but I cou ld n’t be more proud of t he tea m a nd t he energ y of t he fa n s at Cit i Field [sic] i s ele c t r ic ”

P O O L E R B E A R P E T E

TA N D I N G AT H I S locker at Nat iona ls Pa rk on t he a f t e r no on of t he t r ade de ad l i ne , L i ndor rol l s h i s e y e s r e me mb e r i n g l a s t s e a s on’s a b s u r d it ie s “ T he r e we re so m a ny d i f fe re nt t h i ngs l a s t ye a r,” he say s. “It w a sn’t a profe s sion a l or ga n i z at ion, I fe lt l i ke . ” L i ndor playe d 2021 u nder t he weight of a 10 yea r, $341 m i l l ion cont rac t sig ne d before he steppe d onto t he f ield i n Q ue en s He had spent h i s ent i re c a re er to t hat p oi nt i n C le ve la nd, a nd he say s he st r u ggle d to ad apt to t he e x pe c t at ion s of Ne w York .

T h i s y e a r ’s g r o up i s d i f f e r e nt , h e s a y s: “ G u y s go ab out t he i r bu si ne s s t he r i g ht w ay y ou a i n’t got t a wor r y about it a nd t hen once t hey ’re done, t hey t u r n t he pa ge. P rofe ssiona l. I l i ke t hat . ”

Indeed, in ’11, when Senator Chuck Grassley (R , Iowa) b e ga n c ompl a i n i ng loud ly t h at t he SEC w a s le t t i ng S AC o p e r a t e s u s p i c i o u s l y, C o h e n s e n t s o m e o f h i s e xe c ut ive s t o Gr a s sle y ’s of f ic e t o t r y t o pl ac at e h i m. “Ste ve i s ver y c iv ic m i nde d,” M ic hae l Su l l iv a n, now Cohen’s ch ief of st a f f, told Gra ssle y ’s st a f fers, accord i ng to Kol hat k a r. “He’s t h i n k i ng about t a k i ng a st a ke i n t he Ne w York Me t s.”

But Showa lter is not qu ite t he red a ss ba seba l l l i fer t hese l i nes wou ld suggest. He most ly avoids t he club house, st r iding quick ly t hrough it w it h his head dow n when he ne e d s to enter, be c au se, he say s, “ T hat ’s t he players’ locker room ” He move d a l l t he supp or t st a f f out a nd h ad a l a r ge c lo se t t u r ne d i nto a lo c ker ro om for t he m, c omple t e w it h a ne a rb y bat h ro om so t he y d id not ne e d t o t r a ip s e ove r t o t he bat k id s ’ a r e a i n towel s a nd shower shoe s W hen t he ba l lpa rk op era t i o n s s t a f f a s k e d w h a t t h e y s h o u l d d o w i t h a l l t h e e q u i p m e n t t h a t h a d p r e v i o u s l y b e e n s t o r e d t h e r e ,

Showa lter shr ugged. “Put it outside my of f ice,” he said. “I don’t c a re . ” S o for mont h s, t he l i ke ly N L Ma n a ge r of t he Ye a r s que e z e d pa s t do z e n s of r ubb e r bi n s on h i s w ay t o work

In late Ju ly, Show a lter felt it wou ld be u n helpf u l to g i v e h i s pl ay e r s t he s t a nd a rd r a h r a h s p e e c h b e for e t he y f ac e d N L C y You ng c a nd id at e Sa ndy A lc a nt a r a of t he Ma rl i n s. “L i s t e n , ” he s a id i n s t e a d . “ We c a n’t b e a t t h i s g u y. He ’s g r e a t . He ’s pr ob a bl y gon n a w i n e ver y aw a rd L e t ’s go have some f u n a nd nob o dy ge t hu r t a nd k i nd of t a ke i n how g re at he i s I don’t e ven k now why we’re goi ng out t here. Ju st go l i sten to t he

Ni ne mont h s later, en sconce d i n h i s of f ice, he st i l l sha ke s h i s head at t he idea .

He a lso t ries to inf luence what is impor tant to t hem. He spent muc h of spr i ng t ra i n i ng d r i l l i ng r u le s most of t hem had ne ver con sidere d a nd ha s spent muc h of t he s e a s on r e api n g t he b e ne f it s For e x a mple: I f a n opponent wa s d isc ussi ng appea l i ng a play i n wh ich a r u nner lef t t hird ba se too ea rly a nd t here wa s a not her r u n n e r o n b a s e , S h o w a l t e r s a i d , t h e o t h e r r u n n e r s h o u l d t r y t o s t e a l a b a s e I f t h e o p p on e nt t r i e d t o

“ I F IT’ S I M P O RTANT TO TH E P LAYE R S ,regardless of how t r i vial it is , IT B ETTE R B E I M P O RTANT TO YO U , ” S H O WALTE R SAYS .

“I have ne ver sa id, ‘Ma n, I be c a me a be t ter player because of somet hing I read Winston Churchill say, or A ristot le,’ ” he says “Oh wow, I’m supposed to tr y?” He say s he w a nt s to read on ly one say i ng: “Play be t ter ”

I n Ju l y, w he n f i r s t b a s e m a n Pe t e A lon s o s t a r t e d t o a s k w he t he r it w ou ld b e O. K . t o a dd a p o ol t a ble t o t h e c lu b h o u s e , S h o w a l t e r d i d n o t l e t h i m f i n i s h h i s s e nt e nc e b e for e s ay i ng y e s. “I f it ’s i mp or t a nt t o t he player s, rega rd le ss of how t r iv ia l it i s, it be t ter be i mpor t a nt to you,” Show a lter say s.

Lu i s R oja s a s m a n a ger, w a s ju s t a fe w d ay s i nto h i s ne w job when he v i site d Cit i Field for t he f i r st t i me. He ra n i nto A le x Cohen, Ste ve’s w i fe “ W hat do you t h i n k?” she a ske d h i m He br ief ly demu r red, t hen waved at t he blue wa l ls. “It ’s too d a rk , ” he sa id. “A nd a l l t he se [i n spi rat iona l] say i ngs c a n go.”

t h r o w h i m o u t , t h e t e a m w o u l d n o l o n g e r b e a b l e t o a p p e a l b e c au s e t he b a l l w ou ld ’ v e b e e n p ut b a c k i nt o pl ay I n A p r i l , t h e D i a m o n d b a c k s w e r e c o n s i d e r i n g a p p e a l i n g a s a c r i f i c e f l y w h e n i n f i e l d e r J. D. D a v i s (now w it h t he Gia nt s), st a nd i ng on f i rst , took of f for se cond. P itc her Ol iver Peré z to ok a step tow a rd se c ond negating the right to appeal then threw to third T he r u n stood, a nd Dav i s w a s on se cond Showa lter a lso t r ies to leaven t he gr ind of a baseba ll sea son w it h w it t icisms delivered in his F lor ida d rawl. Before a ga me ea rl ier t h i s mont h, he broke h i s c lub hou se r u le to a sk player s one by one, for no appa rent reason, whet her t hey had ever t r ied one of his favor ite snac k s. “He w a s ju st a gha st t hat nobody eat s boi le d pea nut s,” say s rel ie ver Tre vor May.

U R I N G T H AT S A M E G A M E , A lonso dove head

P i t c h i n g c o a c h J e r e m y H e f n e r r a v e s a b o u t t h e “ h u m a n c a p i t a l ” w h e r e h e o n c e s p e n t m o r n i n g s

S P O R T S I L L U S T R A T E D S I C O M O C T O B E R 2 0 2 2 5 8

T he f r ont of f ic e hop e d t o c u lt i v a t e t h a t e n v i r on m e n t w i t h t h e a c q u i s i t i o n s m a d e l a s t w i n t e r. T h e Me t s l e t B á e z , P i l l a r, r i g h t y M a r c u s S t r o m a n a n d r i g ht f ie lde r M ic h ae l C on f or t o w a l k i n f r e e a ge nc y, a nd s p e nt a qu a r t e r of a bi l l ion dol l a r s br i n g i ng i n Ma x S c her z er, out f ie lder St a rl i ng Ma r t e , t h i rd ba se m a n E du a rdo E s c oba r a nd out f ie lde r Ma rk C a n h a , a nd t r ade d for Ba s sit t .

a nt hem a nd have some f u n.” T he h it ters howled w it h mo c k i nd i g n at ion .

C a n h a (n e a r l ef t, c e l e b rati n g with Li n d o r) w a s o n e of th e vete ra n s N ew Yo rk b ro u g ht i n to c re ate a c u ltu re of “ p rofe s s i o n a lis m a n d i nte g rit y ”

T h at n i g ht , t he Me t s c h a s e d A lc a nt a r a a f t e r f i v e i n n i ngs a nd fou r r u n s a nd won 6 4

ga me w i l l f i nd a ny l it t le sit u at ion to beat you w it h,” S c h e r z e r s a y s , “a n d y o u c a n l o s e b a l l g a m e s i f y o u don’t t h i n k of e ver y t h i ng.” T h i s idea ha s t a ken hold; t he Met s’ st a r t i ng pitc hers now d issec t one a not her ’s appea ra nce s i n t he dugout du r i ng ga me s “ T he be st pa r t is it ’s not just one guy,” Bassit t says. “We have f ive ve tera n pitc her s. So e ver y pitc her i s ba sic a l ly l ic k i ng t hei r c hops. T hat ’s t he f u n n ie st pa r t about t he whole t h i ng: It ’s not, l i ke, Ma x a nd fou r rook ies, where Ma x i s t he g uy, so we’re a l l ba sic a l ly lo ok i ng at Ma x a nd Ja ke [deGrom] a nd t hose guys a nd say ing, like, ‘Please me ss up so we c a n ju mp dow n you r t h roat . ’ ” Sc her z er i s t he on ly memb er of t he tea m who ha s w on a World S e r ie s , s o h i s w ord c a r r ie s e v e n mor e weight t ha n h i s cont r ac t (t h re e ye a r s, $1 30 m i l l ion; t he la rgest avera ge a n nua l va lue e ver for a pitcher) or h i s c a re er (eight A l l St a r sele c t ion s, t h re e C y You ng aw a rd s) m ight sugge st “ To be qu ite hone st w it h you, I don’t k now what it t a ke s” to w i n a c ha mpion sh ip, Ba ssit t say s. So when S c he r z e r t old h i m t h at e ve n a s h i s b o dy g r ow s s or e d o w n t h e s t r e t c h , h e s h o u l d t h r o w h i s D a y 2 b u l l p e n on Day 2 r at he r t h a n pu sh i ng it bac k t o Day 3 , Ba ssit t l i stene d “We’re not tr y ing to play until the end of September,” Ba ssit t say s. “ We’re t r y i ng to play u nt i l November.”

“Anything that has value to make us better they’re all for,” says center fielder Brandon Nimmo. “It ’s a busi ness, and sometimes you can go out and buy the better equipment, and it makes working a little bit easier ”

f i r s t i nt o f i r s t ba se , w he re he w a s c a l le d out a nd na r rowly avoided hur t ing himself. Lindor was wa it ing for h i m w he n he re t u r ne d t o t he du gout “He y,” he s a id . “A ppr e c i at e t he e f f or t , but . . . ” L i ndor d id not s ay a ny t h i ng e l s e . He d id not ne e d t o. A lon s o got t he me s s a ge . S o d id a ny one e l s e w ho o v e rhe a r d: We pl ay sm ar t h e re Bassit t not iced a nd privately applauded He worried w h e n h e a r r i v e d i n Ne w Yo r k t h a t h i s n e w t e a m mates did not sha re his emphasis on account abi lit y. “I k ne w t he na me s, but I d id n’t k now t he per sona l it ie s, s o I d id n’t k no w w ho c ou ld h a n d le w h a t , ” h e s a y s “O v e r a l l , I t h i n k , w e h av e a lo c k e r r o om f u l l of g u y s t h a t l i k e t o b e p u s h e d , a n d t h a t ’s e x c i t i n g. I t h i n k t h at ’s hone s t l y one of t he bi gge s t r e a s on s w hy w e ’r e go o d t h i s y e a r.”

H E N T H E M E T S r e t u r n e d f r o m a 10 g a m e , t h re e c it y We st Coa st s w i ng i n Ju ne, a g i f t w a s w a it i n g f or t he m: a pit c h i n g m a c h i ne m a d e b y t he C a n a d i a n c o m p a n y Tr a j e k t t h a t c a n r e p l i c a t e a n y p it c h e r ’s e x a c t d e l i v e r y a nd r e p e r t oi r e . T he d e v ic e , wh ic h si x ot her major lea g ue c lubs a l so ow n, cost s i n the low si x f igures annually for a three year license The tea m had a l ready e x pa nde d t he bat t i ng c a ge, of fere d bat f it t i ngs, beg u n mea su r i ng player s’ g r ip st reng t h a nd inst a l led dev ices in t he weight room to t rack play ers’ e x plosiveness a nd ident if y when t hey need to rest

O f t e n l e a d i n g t h e p r o f e s s i o n a l i s m p a r a d e i s S c h e r z e r T he 3 8 y e a r old r i g ht h a nd e r e nc ou r a ge s h is tea m mates to come up to h i m i n t he moment s fol low i ng h i s out i ngs a nd tel l h i m what t he y saw. “ T h i s

M A R K O F M AT U R I T Y

A F E W T IME S A Y E A R , t he Mets whine about t heir broadca sters Ga r y Cohen, Keit h Her na ndez a nd R on Da rl i ng work for SN Y, t he reg iona l ne t work t hat is major it y ow ned by t he tea m, but t he cre w cr it ic i zes

t he pl a y e r s a s lu s t i l y a s a n y lo c a l c olu m n i s t . T h e y w i l l c h e e r f u l l y s p e n d i n n i n g s b e r a t i n g a defender for being out of posit ion on t he wheel play or g r u mbl i ng ab out a pit c her ’s slow pac e T he i r c a ndor endea r s t hem to f a n s It of ten ha s t he opp osite ef fe c t o n t h e p l a y e r s , w h o c a n n o t u n d e r s t a n d w h y t h r e e me n w ho f l y on t he t e a m pl a ne s e e m not t o r o ot for t h e t e a m . T h e y c o m p l a i n q u i e t l y, a n d s o m e t i m e s not s o qu ie t l y Show a lter add ressed t h is issue ea rly i n t he sea son. “ T he y ’re not ou r enemy,” he say s. “I sa id, ‘Guy s, you cont rol t h at . ’ ” R e m a r k a b l y, t h e r e h a v e b e e n n o f i g ht s w i t h t h e br o a dc a s t e r s t h i s s e a s on But t h a t ’s n o t b e c au s e of Showa lter ’s speech, nor is it because t he tea m is play i n g w e l l; t he pl a y e r s s t i l l d i s l i k e c r it ic i s m , a nd t he Mets’ poet laureates have st ill found plent y to cr it icize. No , t h e r e a s o n f o r t h e h a r m o n y i s m u c h s i m p l e r : Show a lter mute d a l l t he tele v i sion s i n t he c lubhou se Some t i me s it ’s not about at t it ude or mone y or per sonnel. Sometimes it’s about turning dow n the noise.

“ T hat ’s not ha rdw a re or sof t w a re,” say s A lder son. “But it ’s creating an env ironment in which professional communicat ion is appreciated It used to be we’d meet i n t he lu nc h room a nd it ’d be a bu nc h of g rab a ss a nd what have you. T h i s i s a l l bu si ne s s.”

One popular change has been upgrading t he facilit y i n wh ic h t he h it ters a nd pitc hers hold t hei r prega me me e t i ngs. T he tea m adde d st ad iu m seat i ng a nd t wo te le v i sion s, one for v ide o a nd one for rep or t s, plu s a blue a nd ora nge ba rber pole outdoors t hat l ight s up when t he room i s i n u se.

combi ng t h rou gh d at a a nd a f t er no on s work i ng w it h pl ay e r s , he c a n now a s k a ny of 2 0 a n a l y t ic s s t a f f e r s t o r u n r e p o r t s f o r h i m . T h e f r o n t o f f i c e i n c r e a s e d t o 5 7 p e ople i n t h i s s pr i n g f r om 32 i n 2 02 0 ( b e f or e t he p a nde m ic h it)

N E W Y O R K M E T S

IT’S BEEN N EA R LY 15 Y EA R S SINCE STA R G A B R IE L TAY L O R IS DOING A LL HE CA N TO HONOR HIS H E PL AY S

P H O T O G R A P H B Y A R T U R O O L M O S

B Y A L E X P R E W I T T

Gabr iel keeps h is late brot her close to h i m on ca m p u s i n H o u s t o n: H e s l e e p s w i t h a s o u v e n i r t o w e l hanging over his headboard, from t he day Washington re t i re d S e a n’s je r se y, a nd b e fore depa r t i ng for e ver y g a m e h e t a p s a d e c a l of S e a n’s s m i l i n g f a c e on t he wa ll. “T hen I do t his,” t he younger Taylor says, curling h i s t hu mb a nd r i ng f i nge r s w h i le s t r a ig ht e n i ng t he ot he r t h r e e t o for m S e a n’s N F L nu mb e r, 21 “ T he n I w a l k out . ”

Visit ing his pa rent s in Sout h F lor ida mea ns pay ing t r i but e at t he sh r i ne of me mor a bi l i a on p e r m a ne nt d isplay T here a re t rophies, meda ls a nd footba l ls clut ter i ng mu lt iple book shelve s; g ra ss st a i ne d u n i for m s behind glass f ra mes; a nd at least one of Sea n’s durags.

I n h i s mo s t i nt i mat e moment s of mou r n i n g , w hen no one but g ho s t s wer e wat ch i n g , G a br iel Tay lor wou ld br i n g h i s big br other back t o l i fe. It ’s a r it ua l t hat st a r ted when he wa s 9 yea r s old. He wou ld put on t he fo otba l l hel met a nd s c ow l b eh i nd it s r a i nb ow t i nt e d v i s or, s t a l k i n g f r om r o om t o r o om l i ke t he flo or w a s a defen si ve ba ck field . He wou ld sne er t h r ou g h it s g old facema sk , ba rk i ng t ra sh t a l k across a n i nv isible l i ne of scr i m ma ge. He wou ld sla p it s bu r g u nd y shel l , cr ouch i nt o a r e a d y s t a nc e a nd w ig g le h is fi nger s, ea ger to pou nce. “Just wa l k i ng a rou nd the hou s e, ac t i n g l i ke h i m , ” G a br iel s ay s . “G et t i n g i nt o t hat mo de, t hat m i nd s et . . . w her e he d id h i s t h i n g . ”

“ T he f i r s t t i me S e a n he ld G ab e , he c r ad le d h i m l i k e a f o o t b a l l a n d w a s l i k e , ‘ O h m y G o d , a m I d o i n g i t r ig ht? ’ ” say s Gabr ie l’s mot he r, Si mone Tay lor “I re me mb e r [S e a n] lo ok i ng at h i m a nd t h i n k i ng he w a s s o c ut e . ”

St ill, no item connec ts t he 21 yea r old Gabr iel w it h his brot her’s legac y quite li ke t he ga me used Washing ton he l me t . T he c h i n s t r ap b e c a me t ou g he r t o buc k le a s puber t y hit. (“My head’s too big,” Gabriel says.) But t he pr iv at e r it u a l of we a r i ng it c ont i nue d apac e t h rou g h h i s a dole s c e nc e , u nt i l he le f t for c ol le ge “K now i ng t h at I h ave t h at , ” he say s, “ it me a n s a lot . ”

Pa r t of t he re a son i s t h at we a r i ng it he lp s h i m t ap i nt o w ho S e a n w a s a s a pl a y e r: a t i r e le s s w or k e r, a t op not c h t a le nt , a dow n h i l l forc e w it h a de v i l m ay c a re s t y le t h at put t he fe a r of G o d i nt o ba l lc a r r ie r s It a l s o r e m i nd s G a br ie l of t he pl ay e r S e a n b e l ie v e d h i s l it t le brot he r wou ld b e c ome .

A B R I E L W A S B O R N o n S e p t 2 7, 2 0 0 1 , t h e sa me T hu rsday t hat Sea n t hen a t r ue f re sh ma n a t M i a m i , s t a r t i n g o n s p e c i a l t e a m s f o r h i s h o m e tow n t e a m m ade a t r io of t ac k le s i n a road w i n over P it t sbu r g h. D e spit e t he 18 ye a r a ge gap b e t we e n t he br o t h e r s (w h o s h a r e a f a t he r, Pe t e Ta y lor, a nd h a v e dif ferent mot hers), an instantaneous bond was formed.

A l most 1 5 yea rs have pa ssed si nce Sea n Taylor wa s k i l le d b y a bu r gla r at a ge 2 4, on Nov. 27, 20 07, i n t he midd le of his four t h NFL season w it h Washing ton. In t hat t ime, his lit t le brot her ha s never shied away f rom t he s h a do w S e a n le f t b e h i n d G r o w i n g up, G a br i e l p l a y e d o n a M i a m i a r e a y o u t h f o o t b a l l t e a m t h a t honored Sean by put ting his name on t he back of ever y player’s jersey. In high school, at nea rby Gu lliver Prep, h e c o mp e t e d o n S e a n Ta y l o r Me m o r i a l F i e l d . A n d t o d ay, a s a t h i rd ye a r sophomore at R ic e , he proud ly wea r s Sea n’s col lege nu mb er, 26, wh i le ma n n i ng t he sa me sa fe t y posit ion.

S P O R T S I L L U S T R A T E D S I C O M O C T O B E R 2 0 2 2 6 2 G A B R I E L TAY L O R

b e t r a y e d l i t t l e t o t h e p u b l i c b e y o n d a h a r d e d g e d e x ter ior t hat occa siona l ly went over t he l i ne. (See: h is second ha lf ejection from a Januar y 2006 playof f game a ga i n s t t he Buc c a ne e r s for spit t i ng i n r u n n i ng bac k Michael Pit t ma n’s face ) T hose close to hi m, howe ver, r e c a l l a t e nde r s ide , e s p e c i a l l y w he n it c a me t o h i s br ot he r. “He lo ve d G a br ie l b e c au s e he w a s lo ok i n g at h i s M i n i Me,” Si mone say s. A ske d what memor ie s a r e sh a r p f r om t he i r t i me t o ge t he r, G a br ie l r e pl ie s , “O f c ou r se , workout s V ide o ga me s A nd t h i s Ea s t e r p a r t y, I w a s r u n n i n g a r o u n d pl a y i n g h id e a n d go s e e k , a nd a l l of a s udde n , s ome one du n k s a ba l l on t h i s hoop, a nd it st a r t s to come dow n on me. A nd t he f i r s t p e r son w ho r a n t o c at c h it w a s S e a n He save d me I’ l l ne ve r for ge t t h at ”

S e a n, i n h i s d ay, w a s a de fe n sive bac k w it h a r a re ble nd of si z e a nd s p e e d , h i s pl ay e a r n i n g h i m N F L A l l D e c a d e h on or s But h e w a s b e s t k n o w n f or h i s f u l l t h r o a t e d p h y s i c a l i t y A n d , o f t e n , G a b r i e l w a s ada ma nt about embracing t hat st yle; one t ime Simone ret ur ned home to f ind Gabr iel bleeding f rom a sizable c ut a f ter cra sh i ng t h rough a gla ss t able. Si mone say s, “He w a s l i ke, ‘Don’t wor r y; I w a s t r y i ng to t ac k le t he c ouc h c u sh ion s a nd I h it my he ad , but I’m f i ne!’ ”

I N S E A N ’ S D AY

A r e c l u s i v e t y p e w h o g a v e f e w i nt e r v i e w s , S e a n

Ea rly on, Gabr iel cou ld n’t pronou nce Sea n’s na me, instead calling him “Ton ” It was also a good metric for how muc h he idol i z e d h i s brot her A f ter Wa sh i ng ton dra f ted Sea n w it h t he f if t h pick of t he 2004 dra f t, Pete a nd Si mone b ou g ht G abr ie l a c h i ld si z e d bu r g u ndy he l me t , shou lde r pad s, a No. 21 T sh i r t a nd a pa i r of c le at s “He’d we a r t h at w hole out f it a nd r u n a rou nd , t ac k l i ng e ve r y t h i ng a nd e ve r yone , ” Si mone say s.

Gabr iel at tended most of Sea n’s pro ga mes, Si mone says, notably t hat 2006 w ild card contest at Tampa Bay w he n , i n t he f i r s t h a l f, S e a n re c ove re d a f u mble for a t ouc hdow n a nd h a nde d it t o Gabr ie l i n t he s t a nd s “It w a s l i ke he w a s pa ssi ng t hat baton,” Si mone say s T h a n k s t o h i s bu s y i n se a son sc he du le , S e a n w a sn’t

C L O C K W I S E F R O M L E F T : S C O T T C U N N I N G H A M / G E T T Y I M A G E S A R T U R O O L M O S

J O H N M C D O N N E L L / T H E W A S H N G T O N P O S T / G E T T Y M A G E S

G abr iel a nd his fa mily t ra veled to Washington last O ctober as the tea m honored S ea n’s memor y

It w a sn’t long b e fore G abr ie l b e gge d t o t a g a long w it h Sea n a nd Pete on t heir fa mous guerilla workouts. So he would sprint nex t to Sean on highway shoulders, lu g t i re s at bu s dep ot s a nd r u n l adde r s t h rou g h t he s a nd s of We s t Pa l m B e ac h H i s f i r s t t a c k le fo ot ba l l g a m e c a m e a t a ge 4 , a g a i n s t o p p o n e nt s t w o y e a r s older. “He a lway s k ne w t hat ’s what he wa nted to do,” Si mone say s.

T hat ef for t paid of f in par t when Gabriel was named one of f i v e f i n a l i s t s for t he 2 014 SI K i d s Sp or t sK id of t he Ye a r aw a r d , h av i n g s c or e d 1 3 t ouc hdo w n s on 9 0 0 t o t a l y a r d s a s a r u n n i n g b a c k w h i l e b r e a k i n g u p 10 p a s s e s a s a d e f e n s i v e b a c k i n s i x g a m e s A s SI K i d s not e d at t he t i me , “[G abr ie l] s ay s he honor s h i s b i g b r o t h e r b y ‘s t a y i n g f o c u s e d a n d g i v i n g m y a l l on t he f ie ld . ’ ” Yea rs later, in t he course of get t ing to k now Gabr iel, R i c e a s s i s t a n t c o a c h C e d r i c C a l h o u n w o u l d r e a c h a s i m i l a r c on c lu s i on . E v e n t u a l l y. I n 2 019, C a l ho u n , w h o s e r e c r u i t i n g t e r r i t o r y i n c l u d e s S e a n ’s o l d M i a m i t u r f , w a s s c o u t i n g a t G u l l i v e r P r e p w h e n t a l k t u r ne d to t he na me sa ke of t he sc ho ol’s st ad iu m, S e a n Tay lor Me mor i a l Fie ld . R e c a l l s C a l hou n: “ T he coach [Ea rl Si ms] is a rea l ly good f r iend, a nd he goes, ‘He y, C e d , I w a nt t o show y ou s ome t h i n g.’ He put s

O N E S U N D A Y M O R N I N G w h e n G a b r i e l w a s

T h i s w a s t he su m mer of 20 08, n i ne mont h s a f ter Sean died from gunshot wounds suffered during a late night bu rgla r y at tempt at his home in t he Mia mi sub u rb of Pa l met to Bay, where he wa s v isit i ng h is f ia ncé, Jack ie Ga rcía, a nd h is baby daughter, Jack ie

A s w i t h e v e r y o n e c l o s e t o S e a n , h i s d e a t h r e qu i r e d a de g r e e of pr o c e s s i n g “I r e me mb e r lo ok i ng a rou nd at t he f u ne r a l, wonde r i ng w hy e v e r y o n e w a s c r y i n g,” G a b r i e l s a y s . “I d i d n’t u nderst a nd deat h.” But when rea l it y e vent ua l ly hit, it landed w it h brute force. Simone remembers it d i s t i nc t l y : “ G a br ie l w a s on t he l a p t op,” s h e s a y s “A l l of a s u d d e n I h e a r d h i m s t a r t b a w l i ng, a nd he w a s p oi nt i ng t o t he sc re e n. He w a s [watching] some of Sean’s highlights. A nd he was re a l i z i ng t hat h i s brot her w a sn’t com i ng bac k . ”

a l m o s t 7, t h e b l e a r y e y e d b o y a p p e a r e d i n t h e do or f r a me of h i s mot he r ’s b e d ro om w it h a c olor i ng b o ok a nd a he av y he a r t .

S T E P P I N G U P

S P O R T S I L L U S T R A T E D S I C O M O C T O B E R 2 0 2 2 6 4

G A B R E TAY O R

S o on e nou g h, t hou g h, Gabr ie l w a s spr i nt i ng towa rd Sea n’s d rea m for h i m. By h is 10 t h bi r t h d ay he w a s a l re ady we l l ve r se d i n fo otba l l f i l m st udy, reg u la rly request i ng t hat his pa rent s t ape h is Pop Wa r ner ga mes so he cou ld pore over t he fo ot a ge; i n m idd le sc ho ol he onc e d re w t he i re of a n e s p e c i a l l y s t e r n t e a c he r b y r e t r e at i n g t o t he back of t he cla ssroom to c ra n k out push ups af ter hav ing f inished his assignment. “He’d wa ke up e a rl y i n t he mor n i n g,” Si mone r e me mb e r s, “a n d s a y t h a t i f h e ’s n o t w or k i n g, s om e o t h e r l it t le k id i s ge t t i ng b e t t e r t h a n h i m.”

“No, Mom my; you don’t u nderst a nd,” Gabr iel repl ied. “ W hen I’m r u n n i ng, I feel h i m r u n n i ng w i t h m e W h e n I h i t , I f e e l h i m i n m y c h e s t W hen I catch, I feel him in my a r ms. Sea n wa nt s me t o b e g re at . ”

“You ca n st ill be a n a r t ist,” Si mone cou ntered “ S e a n w o u l d ’ v e w a n t e d y o u t o b e w h a t e v e r you w a nt e d.”

a ble t o w a t c h G a br i e l pl a y mu c h i n p e r s on . But he e v ident ly saw enough prom ise at t hei r workout s w it h Pe t e t o m a ke a b old pre d ic t ion, t e l l i ng Si mone onc e , “ G a br ie l ’s gon n a b e g r e a t , b e c au s e w he n I w a s h i s a ge , I w a s so u nc o ord i n at e d; I c ou ld n’t do t he sa me t h i ngs he’s doi ng. For re a l, he’s ju s t d i f fe re nt . ” “He saw somet hing in me t hat I never saw,” Gabr iel says. “But he never told me that before he passed away.”

“I w ish Sean was here,” Simone reca lls Gabriel say i ng a s he c l i mb e d i nto her b e d a nd b e ga n to d r aw. “B e c au s e i f he w a s he re , I c ou ld’ve b e e n t he a r t i s t a nd he c ou ld’ve b e e n t he ba l le r.”

Af ter st r uggling ea rly, G abr iel be ca me a forc e in Ric e ’s se c onda r y in 2 021.

F R O M L E F T C O U R T E S Y O F R C E A T H L E T C S C O U R T E S Y O F T H E T A Y L O R F A M L Y

H E H A D H I S N U M B E R

G abr iel wore the fa milia r 21 on his jerse y dur ing his da ys as a youth fo otball sta r in Mia mi

G a br ie l , a t h r e e s t a r r e c r u it , h a d f low n u nde r t he r a d a r i n p a r t b e c au s e h e w a s on t he s m a l l s i d e f or a s a fe t y t o d ay he ’s l i s t e d at 5' 10" a nd 19 0 p ou nd s , compa red to Sea n’s 6' 2", 212. More t ha n t hat, t hough: He s t opp e d pl ay i n g fo ot ba l l for t h r e e y e a r s t o fo c u s on what he considere d h i s be st spor t , ba ske tba l l (He was nominated for t he 2020 McDona ld’s A ll A merican ga me a nd r e c orde d a qu a d r uple double i n one ga me du r i ng h i s f i n a l s e a s on .)

He r e a g a i n h e c h a n n e l e d S e a n , w i l l i n g h i m s e l f t o w ork out t h r e e t i me s a d ay b e for e he r e p or t e d t o t r a i n i ng c a mp for h i s se cond se a son at R ic e Fit t i ng, t he n, t h at Gabr ie l’s bre a kout , a ga i n s t UA B, c a me on t he he e l s of a n i nt e n se ly e mot ion a l we e k of t r ibut e . It st a r te d t he pre v iou s Sat u rd ay, a f ter a road shut out loss to Te x a s Sa n A nton io, when Gabr iel a nd h i s pa rent s d rove a n hou r up Interst ate 10, napped for a n hou r at a hotel a nd e vent ua l ly caught a red e ye f l ight t hat la nded i n Wa sh i ng ton a rou nd 6 a.m. From t here t he fa mi ly was chauf feured st ra ight to FedE x Field for t he re t i re me nt of S e a n’s No 21 je r se y

T he q u e s t ion w a s g n a w i n g a t G a br i e l l a s t October, coming of f a ca reer per for ma nce 10 tack les, a force d f u mble a nd a pa ss brea k up i n a big w i n over C o n f e r e n c e U S A f o e A l a b a m a B i r m i n g h a m t h a t e a r ne d h i m Ji m T hor p e Pl a y e r of t he We e k h on or s a s t he nat ion’s be st defensive bac k . Sha r i ng t he ne w s w it h his pa rent s over t he phone, Gabr iel listened w it h awe a s Pete e x pla i ned t hat a s a ju n ior at Mia m i, Sea n h i m s e l f h a d b e e n n a m e d a f i n a l i s t f or t h e s e a s on l o n g v e r s i o n o f t h e Ji m T h o r p e Aw a r d . . . b u t t h a t he u lt i m a t e l y f i n i s he d s e c ond ( b e h i nd Ok l a hom a’s Derrick St rait) A year later, considering which footba ll accompl i sh ment s most ma ke h i m fe el l i ke he’s l iv i ng up t o S e a n’s le gac y, Gabr ie l c it e s t h i s mome nt f i r s t . T h a t h o n o r a l s o m a r k e d a t u r n i n g p o i n t a f t e r a s t o r m y s t a r t t o h i s c o l l e ge c a r e e r, b e g i n n i n g w i t h f o u r w e e k s o f i s o l a t i o n i n s u m m e r 2 0 2 0 d u e t o a p o s i t i v e C OV I D 19 t e s t S e c lu d e d i n a d or m r o om , w it h ba rely a ny nat u ra l light a nd w it h mea ls dropped o u t s i d e h i s d o o r, G a b r i e l s a y s h e s h e d u p w a r d o f 2 0 p o u n d s a n d a b i t o f h i s d r i v e . “ I h a d t i m e t o sit a nd t h i n k , D an g, wh at am I e ven d oin g h e re? ” he s a y s . A nd s i m i l a r d ou b t s h au nt e d h i m t h r ou g hout t hat pa ndem ic st u nte d sea son, i n wh ic h he re corde d ju s t f i v e t o t a l t a c k le s i n R ic e ’s f i v e ga me s , w h i le h i s pa r e nt s w at c he d a l l of t he m f r om t he s t a nd s “I h a d t o ge t s e r i o u s a n d m a t u r e up,” h e s a y s “I c ou ld n’t h a v e [m y p a r e n t s] c o m i n g a n d I ’m d o i n g n o t h i n g on t he f ie ld . ”

Not h i ng cou ld t a i nt t hat celebrat ion. Not t he sle ep d e p r i v a t i o n . No t t h e f a c t t h a t Wa s h i n g t o n h a d n’ t bot here d to tel l t he Taylor s about t he ceremony u nt i l f ou r d a y s b e f or e ( Te a m of f ic i a l s l a t e r a p olo g i z e d ) Snappi ng pic t u re s w it h f a n s t hat a f t er no on, sig n i ng autographs, bask ing in t he sea of burgundy 21 jerseys, “It a l l fe lt l i ke home , ” Gabr ie l say s. Je t t i ng bac k t o Hou s t on t h at s a me n ig ht , G abr ie l made it bac k for Mond ay ’s prac t ice a nd soon lea r ne d t h a t h e w o u l d b e m a k i n g h i s f i r s t c o l l e g i a t e s t a r t t h a t S a t u r d a y, a g a i n s t UA B . “A n d h e b a l l e d o u t , ”

on s ome t ap e . A f t e r t h r e e or f ou r pl ay s , he pau s e s it a nd go e s , ‘T h a t ’s S e a n’s br o t h e r.’ I s a i d , ‘He l l n a w, a r e y ou s e r iou s? S e a n h a s a br ot he r?!’ ”

H AT TH E H E C K i s th e Jim T h or p e Award?

“He pl ay s i n [S e a n’s] me mor y He w a l k s t h i s l i fe r e pr e s e nt i ng h i s f a m i l y a nd h i s br ot he r, no doubt . ”

G a b r i e l a l w a y s k n e w, t h o u g h , t h a t h e ’d r e t u r n t o f o o t b a l l , a n d w h e n h e s u i t e d u p f o r G u l l i v e r a s a s e n ior he r e t u r ne d f i v e of h i s 10 i nt e r c e p t ion s f or t ouc hdow n s . H i s mot i v a t ion s w e r e c r y s t a l l i z e d for C a l hou n w he n t he a s s i s t a nt r e t u r ne d t o M i a m i f or a n of f ic i a l home v i sit Ca l hou n, w ho l ive d t wo m i le s f r o m S e a n ’s o l d h o u s e i n P a l m e t t o B a y w h e n t h e s a f e t y w a s k i l l e d , k n e w S e a n’s s t o r y w e l l b y t h e n , a n d “ j u s t s e e i n g t h e s h r i n e t h e y h a d f or S e a n , ” h e s ay s , “ t h at w a s e nou g h ”

He mo s t l y w at c he s t o s t i r t he me mor ie s but a l s o t o gle a n some t ip s Gabr ie l’s ba ske tba l l bac k g rou nd h a s h e l p e d i n c e r t a i n r e s p e c t s o n t h e g r i d i r o n spec i f ica l ly, nat u ra l ma n to ma n covera ge sk i l ls t hat h ave a l lowe d Sm it h t o deploy h i m i n a hy br id n ic ke l r o l e a g a i n s t a n o p p o n e nt ’s b e s t s l o t r e c e i v e r a n d h i s t a c k l i ng t o ok a bi g le ap for w a rd i n 2 021 a f t e r a so so f re sh m a n se a son, c oac he s say. But t he bigge s t t h i ngs st i l l m issi ng f rom h is toolbox a re latera l speed bet ween t he hash mark s and, most impor tant ly, Sean’s c a l l i ng c a rd: a de s t r uc t ive dow n h i l l me nt a l it y “It ’s how he played, like he had no fear on t he f ield,” Gabriel say s. “A nd he’s gon n a le t you k now t h at he’s t he re . ” But f o o t b a l l ’s c u lt u r e h a s a l s o c h a n ge d , i n l a r ge p a r t a s a r e s p o n s e t o i n c r e a s e d p l a y e r s a f e t y c o n cer ns f rom t he t y pe of h it s t hat Sea n used to dole out (“Na h, you c a n’t do t h at no more , ” Tay lor say s. “It ’s t w o h a n d t ou c h n o w.” ) S o G a br i e l hu d d l e s s e v e r a l t i m e s e a c h w e e k w it h Sp e nc e r, h i s p o s it i on c o a c h , p or i ng ove r t ap e of t he Sa i nt s’ Ty r a n n Mat h ieu , t he C h a r ge r s ’ D e r w i n Ja m e s a n d o t h e r e l i t e DB s “My i n s t i n c t i s t o ge t t h e b a l l . [S e a n’s w a s] m or e t o h i t

S H N

N P O S T / G E T T Y M A G E S

A nd when Gabriel ret urns to Sout h Florida on brea k f rom sc hool, he’s of ten accompa n ie d by a sma l l f loc k of fel low O wls who st ay at t he fa m i ly house a nd t ra i n under Pete’s super v ision, at a nea rby g y m “He k nows w here he w a nt s to go, w here he’s he ade d,” Pe t e say s. “It ju s t re m i nd s me of t he ot he r b oy.”

S P O R T S I L L U S T R A T E D S I C O M O C T O B E R 2 0 2 2 6 6 “ W HEN I’M RUNNING, M Y CHEST,” YOUNG GA BR IEL

F O O A L T O N L S A N D S / A G O

A s t h a t q u e s t c o n t i n u e s a n e w c h a p t e r b e g a n Sept . 3, a s R ice opene d a ga i n st USC , w it h ne w coac h L i ncol n R i le y a pa s t gener at ion i s r ight by h i s side: W h e r e a s S e a n , a s a r o o k i e , o n c e a s k e d h i s f a t h e r for he lp s t udy i ng f i l m of R a ndy Mo s s b e fore f ac i ng t he V i k i ngs , t o d ay Pe t e h a s s av e d t he pa s s w ord for G abr ie l’s ac c ou nt on t he s c out i ng d at aba s e Hud l s o t hat he ca n ch i me i n w it h adv ice du r i ng ga me week s. “O u r s c out i n g d a y s a r e Tue s d a y, s o b y Mond a y m y d ad a l re ady k now s w ho’s f a s t , w ho’s not , w h at t he i r t e nde nc ie s a re , ” Gabr ie l say s

“I c a n’t f i n i sh t h i s one , ” Gabr ie l say s. “ T he mu sic c ome s, a nd I bl a n k out , a nd t he n I s t a r t c r y i ng.”

No m at t er w h at Gabr ie l ac c ompl i she s on h i s ow n, he k nows t hat t he comparisons and references to Sean, who wou ld have t u r ned 40 ne x t Apr i l, w i l l never f u l ly c e a s e . A nd t h at not e v e r y i nv o c a t ion c ome s f r om a posit ive place. W hen he was 8, in his f irst Pop Wa r ner season, Gabriel and his fellow Florida Cit y R a zorback s were out f it te d i n ne w gea r by t he rapper T i mba la nd, a fa m i ly f r iend, i nc lud i ng t hose c u stom jer se y s bea r i n g S e a n’s n a m e . “I r e m e m b e r one t i m e I h a d f o u r

you a s h a rd a s he c a n,” Gabr ie l say s. “S o, I’m t r y i ng t o t a ke e ve r y t h i ng I c a n f rom h i m a nd t he n br i ng it i nt o t he ne w ge ne r at ion.”

T H E W

sa fet ies coach Col i n Spencer say s, poi nt i ng to “one of t he b e s t forc e d f u mble s I’ve e ve r se e n,” i n w h ic h t he sa fe t y m i s se d a n op e n f ie ld t ac k le ye t s t i l l m a n a ge d to c ha se dow n t he ba l lc a r r ier a nd pu nc h t he footba l l f ree Defensive coord i nator Br ia n Sm it h, mea nwh i le, c it e s a not he r se que nc e t h at “ lo oke d l i ke he w a s shot f rom a c a n non” a s Gabr ie l’s h ig h m a rk of t he ga me , cha rg i ng f rom t he seconda r y to ma ke a stop nea r t he l i ne of sc r i m m a ge Bu t n o s i n g l e p l a y h a s d e f i n e d w h e r e G a b r i e l i s he a de d mor e t h a n a v ic t or y c l i nc h i n g i nt e r c e p t ion t hat he sna red aga i nst L ou isia na Tech a mont h later, on t he 14t h a n n iver sa r y of Sea n’s deat h Before t hat ga me Gabr iel had been uncommonly quiet, ret reat ing to his locker to r u m i nate w it h a towel d raped over his head. But when the pick settled in his hands he dropped t o t he g rou nd a nd bu r s t i nt o t e a r s. “I ju s t fe lt l i ke I couldn’t lose,” Gabriel says “Like it was all happening ”

R F

A B R I E L TAY L O R

F T H E T A Y L

O N E A F T E R N O O N I N e a r l y A u g u s t , o v e r lu n c h at a f avor it e of f c a mpu s p oke b ow l sp ot , Gabr ie l o p e n s t h e Yo uTu b e a p p o n h i s p h o n e a n d e n t e r s a f a m i l i a r s e a rc h: “S e a n Tay lor h ig h l ig ht s ” S c r ol l i ng t h rough t he resu lt s, he f i nds a n hou rlong compi lat ion of h i s brot he r ’s c ol le ge c l ip s t h at he e s t i m at e s he h a s s e e n 5 0 t i me s a nd a shor t e r one f r om S e a n’s r o ok ie s e a s on , t o w h ic h he h a s c ont r i but e d 6 0 of it s ne a rly 60 0, 0 0 0 v ie w s T hen he c ome s ac ro s s a not her, t it le d “S e a n Tay lor G one But Not For got t e n.”

R O M L E F T C O U R T E S Y

t ouc hdow n s i n t he f i r s t qu a r t e r a nd a k id w a s l i k e , ‘ You’r e gon n a d ie l i k e y ou r br ot he r,’ ” G a br ie l s ay s . F la sh for wa rd a decade a nd he sha res a screengrab of a recent Instagram message in which a troll referenced Sea n, w r it i ng, “N got shot a nd t hat ’s why [ you’re] t e a r i ng yo ac l not goi ng pro.”

Tr ue to Sean’s st yle, Gabriel doesn’t plan to stop shor t of h i s t a r ge t: I n a dd it ion t o he lpi ng t he O w l s s e c u r e t he i r f i r s t w i n n i ng r e c ord a nd r e ac h t he i r f i r s t b ow l ga me si nce 2014 t h is sea son, t he sa fet y ’s sight s a re set on even bigger pr izes dow nf ield. “Jim T hor pe [Awa rd], t h at ’s my m a i n goa l,” he say s. “[A nd] I w a nt t o we a r 21 for t he C om m a nde r s. T h at wou ld b e t he c he r r y on t op of t he c a ke ”

O ff the ﬁeld , S ea n was happy to clutch onto G abr iel (opposite) like he did one of his f umble ret ur n touchdowns ( le f t)

H O L D I N G O N

Sea n’s deat h. “If I w a s a reg u la r k id t he y ’re not gon na refer to Sea n,” Gabr iel says. “But it ’s cool if I’m in a box w it h h i m , b e c au s e [i f p e ople c omp a r e u s] I ’m doi n g some t h i ng r ig ht Eve r y b o dy w a nt s t o b e S e a n S o i f you w a s h a l f of S e a n, you’ l l b e g re at ”

But before a l l t hat Gabr iel ha s one more t h i ng to do He w a nt s t o buy a se t of L ED l ig ht s for h i s b e d ro om, where he w i l l st r i ng t hem above t he deca l of a sm i l i ng Se a n so t hat t he y sp e l l out a si ngle word: l eg ac y.

Mor e t h a n t h e s p or a d i c h a t e , t h o u g h , G a b r i e l i s f u e l e d b y t h e s t e a d y l o v e t h a t p e o p l e c o n t i n u e t o c a r r y f or h i s br o t h e r a nd w h a t h i s m e m or y s t a nd s f o r a n o t h e r e x a mp l e o f w h i c h w i l l c o m e No v. 2 7, before a We ek 1 3 matc hup a ga i nst t he Fa lcons, when Wa s h i n g t on p l a n s t o u n v e i l w h a t Si m on e s a y s t h e fa m i ly ha s been told w i l l be a “st at ue of some sor t ” a s pa r t of a c eremony honor i ng t he 1 5t h a n n iver sa r y of

I FEEL HIM RUNNING W ITH ME . W HEN I HIT, I FEEL HIM IN TOLD HIS MOTHER . “SE A N WA NTS ME TO BE GR E AT.”

I A N M A C K A Y WA S PA R A LY Z E D 14 Y E A R S AG O I N A BI K E CR A S H , BU T H E ’ S C OM E T O S E E T H E R E ’ S H A PPI N E S S I N F I N DI NG N E W WAY S T O E X PE R I E NCE OL D L OV E S . I N H I S C A S E , T H AT M E A N T GET T I NG B ACK ON T H E R OA D

Mack ay dr ives his sip a nd puf f powered cha ir w it h a st raw t hat e x tend s f rom above h i s r ight a r m re st: A ha rd pu f f st a r t s h i m for wa rd, a sof t pu f f t u r ns h i m to t he r ight a nd a sof t sip send s h i m lef t On top of t he challenge of executing these maneuvers while fatigued, Mac k ay c a n no longer re g u l at e h i s b o dy he at . I f h i s temperat u re fa l l s too fa r or c l i mbs too h igh, it cou ld be fat a l A nd t hen t here’s t he r i sk of spa sm s, sore s or i n fe c t ion s f rom t he long r ide (Si nce h i s i nc ident , he ha sn’t sat for more t ha n 12 con se c ut ive hou r s.)

B y 4 a . m . , t h e e n t i r e e n d e a v o r f e e l s p o s i t i v e l y Sisyphean. Ian Mackay leads the procession, a small headlight secured to each side of his rig. For hours he’s been flanked by his girlfriend, one of his former profes sors and a rotating cavalcade of friends and family on wheels. Mackay ’s father drives a trail car, dragging an arrow board, directing cars to pass on the left.

S P O R T S I L L U S T R A T E D S I C O M O C T O B E R 2 0 2 2 7 0 C O U R T E S Y O F I A N M A C K A Y

T h at , a nd t he r e ’s t he me nt a l g r i nd of it a l l . Daw n a p pr o a c he s , a nd M a c k a y s t r u g g l e s t o k e e p h i s e y e s o n t h e m o n o t o n o u s r o a d A s C a m u s w r o t e: “ O n e mu s t i m a g i n e S i s y p hu s h a p p y ” B y n o w M a c k a y ’s s m i le h a s f a d e d . S t i l l h e r ol l s on .

Long i nto the yea r ’s shor test n ig ht , muted l ig ht plays t r ick s on heav y eyes, a nd repet it ion ca n deceive a t i red m i nd . Si x t i me s th is g r oup ha s completed the 1 2 . 29 m i le cou nterclock w i se loop: a lways south a long side the Wi l la met te R iver, ea st pa st the pu mpk i n patch, nor th a long the Colu mbia R iver before cu rl i ng we st nea r St u r geon La ke a nd r u n n i ng south by the da i r y fa r m a nd the cabba ge patch, across the Gi lber t R iver, a nd then , ﬁ na l ly, back to ba se ca mp at the Sauv ie Isla nd Com mu n it y Chu r ch pa rk i ng lot .

I A N M A C K AY

A s t he su n se em s to re si s t r i si ng over t he p e a k of M o u n t H o o d , t o t h e e a s t , t h e r e s o l v e o f t h o s e f e w p e o p l e w h o ’ v e a g r e e d t o b i k e a l o n g s i d e M a c k a y f o r a l l 2 4 h o u r s a l s o b e g i n s t o f a de I n 2 017, S out h K or e a’s C h a n g H y u n C h o i , w h o i s p a r a l y z e d f r o m t h e n e c k d o w n , c o v e r e d a n u n p r e c e de nt e d 173 .98 m i le s i n one d a y, i n a m o u t h c o n t r o l l e d m o t o r i z e d w h e e l c h a i r To top C hoi, a nd to put h i s ow n

These riders form an unlikely constellation: educa t o r s, c o n s t r u c t i o n w o r ke r s, s a l e s p e o p l e a n d s p e e c h therapists wearing cycling jerseys, tutus and everything in between. They ’ve been drawn to this island at the confluence of the Columbia and Willamette, just north of Portland, by the gravitational pull of a 40 year old wearing checkered Vans and a gray beanie, with a goa tee and floor length dreadlocks that are now braided in pigtails to keep from dragging. Fourteen years ago a b i c y c l e c r a s h l e f t Ma c k a y in a wheelchair Now he and his co riders Mackay in an In v a c a re T DX S P 2 , t h e re s t on bikes embarked on these loops at 8 p m on June 21, the s u m m e r s o l s t i c e , a n d t h e y p l a n t o k e e p c i r c l i n g a t 8.5 mph, the fastest Mackay’s ride can manage, until he sets t h e r e c o r d f o r t h e g r e a t e s t distance covered in 24 hours by a motorized wheelchair.

L A P D AW G S

The goal for Ian (far left, with Teena) and his wheeled friends: 15 times around a 12 29 mile course in 24 hours

na me i n t he Guinne s s Book of Worl d Re c ord s, Mac k ay k no w s h e mu s t k e e p m o v i n g. To c ompl e t e h i s go a l of 1 5 laps a rou nd t he i sla nd, to brea k t he re cord a nd t hen some, he’ l l r u n up a ga i n st t hat proverbia l w a l l a ga i n a nd a ga i n S o, he def ie s t hat u nc e a si ng i n ner voice t hat say s it ’s t i me to stop.

H E C A M P U S of UC Sa nt a Cr u z i s ne s t le d i n t he w o o d s on B e n L om on d Mou nt a i n , o v e rl o ok i n g t he sma l l Ca l i for n ia n beach tow n A nd where t he t ree cover opens, near t he music center, t here’s a steep route dow n, c a l le d t he Gre at Me adow Bi ke Pat h.

K e n n e l

A T E D S I C O M O C T O B E R 2 0 2 2 7 2

C H U R C H PA R K ING L O T Teena (above, left) and Celina kept Ian’s tank full at the starting line

S P O

C o l u m b i a R i v e r

T S

W i l l a m e t t e R i v e r P u m p k i n p a t c h

S a u v i e I s l a n d B r i d g e

On this particular day, Mackay saw his readout hit 38 mph as he sped past a student housing cluster in the campus’s lower quarry and then his front wheel skid ded on a patch of sand, sending him headfirst over the handlebars, into a tree On impact, his helmet cracked and his C3, C4 and C5 vertebrae fractured. “I remem ber the sand. I remember leaving the bike and going towards the tree,” Mackay says. “And then it felt like seconds later I remember lying underneath that tree, looking up and noticing I couldn’t move or feel much of my body.” A woman approached, and Mackay asked her to call an ambulance. EMTs arrived, put Mackay in a cervical collar and carted him to a helicopter that flew 30 miles to the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center

S t u r g e o n L a k e

“It ’s weird to say, but there was a peacefulness A serenity,” he says Why hadn’t panic or shock overtaken him? “It felt so out of [my] control that worry or concern R I L L U S T R

D a i r y f a r m

On June 4, 2008, Mackay then a 26 year old under g r a d w h o ’d a l r e a d y b e e n t h r o u g h t w o c o m mu n i t y col lege s before la nd i ng at Sa nt a Cr u z heade d home f r om h i s j o b a s a n a s s i s t a nt a t t h e s c h o ol ’s b o t a n y l ab a nd s t a r t e d h i s de s c e nt . Eac h a f t e r no on , on h i s com mute, he kept a n e ye on h i s bi ke’s sp e e dome ter, hoping to set a new persona l record “For t y t wo [mph] w a s t he f a s t e s t I c ou ld e v e r go but I w a nt e d t o go a l it t le f a s t e r e v e r y t i me , ” s ay s Mac k ay, w ho w ou ld pe d a l over t he l ip a nd t hen go “ f u l l t uc k , ” h i s ha nd s g r ippi ng t he seat post , “ ba n z a i i ng dow n t hat h i l l ”

Mack ay reca l ls ly i ng i n a hospit a l bed, st a f f repeat edly st ick ing him w it h a sa fet y pin, sta r t ing just above h i s navel a nd slowly mov i ng up h i s body to se e when he felt t he pr ick W hen he d id, t he y ’d stop a nd d raw a l i ne ac ro s s h i s sk i n T he f i r s t w a s on h i s c he s t , r ig ht below t he nipples but t hey repeated t he process ever y 1 5 m i nu t e s , a n d e a c h t i m e t h e l i n e m o v e d h i g h e r. M a c k a y n o w u nd e r s t a n d s t h a t h i s s pi n a l c or d w a s s we l l i ng, pu sh i ng pa r a ly si s f a r t her up h i s b o dy “ We have to int ubate you,” doc tors told him, “ because ver y soon you r d iaph ragm w i l l be pa ra ly zed, a nd you’l l no longer b e able to bre at he . ” Mac k ay c lo se s h i s e ye s a s he re t u r n s to t h at d ay.

l o t , h a s b e e n h e a t i n g t u b e s o c k s f u l l o f r i c e i n t h e c hu r c h m ic r ow av e , t uc k i n g t he m ont o he r s on’s l ap for w a r mt h; a nd Mac k ay ’s g i rl f r ie nd , C e l i n a Sm it h , long a go w re st led a f leece a nd a pu f fer jac ket over h is long sleeve shir t Ea rlier in t he evening, his stepfat her, Russ, t ightened a seatbelt a round Mack ay while Teena took his temperat ure, which at t he t ime registered 98°.

T H E F I R S T Y E A R a f ter t he cra sh wa s t he worst of Mack ay ’s life. He’d been 12 mont hs f rom f inishing s c ho ol , w it h pl a n s t o do r e s e a r c h i n t he c a nopie s of t e mp e r at e fore s t s b e fore pu r su i ng a c a re e r a s a c om mu n it y c ol le ge pr ofe s s or T he lo s s of t h at i m a g i ne d f ut u re, a long w it h h i s movement a nd h i s bre at h, w a s sh at t e r i ng. W he n Te e n a r u she d t o h i s side , she a nd Russ had just ret ired; most of t heir t hings were a lready boxed for a move to Por t A ngeles, Wa sh. A f ter t he y a l l lef t t he hospit a l, t h re e mont h s later, t he y went nor t h, t o t h at ne w home a nd a ne w l i fe . Ia n’s f at he r, Z e k e , q u i t h i s j o b i n S a n D i e go a n d c a m e u p w i t h t h e m , t o o. For t he ne x t f ive ye a r s, Te e n a , he r hu sba nd , he r son (sle epi ng i n t he adjac e nt ro om) a nd he r e x (on a c ouc h, or on a f ut on i n Ia n’s ro om) a l l l ive d t oge t he r i n a t wo b e d ro om hou se i n t he wo o d s.

Te e n a r a n f r om one s i d e of h i m t o t he o t h e r a nd bac k “ Te a r s we re rol l i ng dow n h i s e ye s Te a r s we re rol l i ng dow n my e ye s,” she s ay s. Fi n a l ly, she t o ok a br e at h a nd c omp o s e d he r s e l f. She u nde r s t o o d t he n a nd t he re t h at he r l i fe w a s fore ve r c h a nge d.

For t he ne x t t h re e mont h s, Te ena sp ent e ver y p os sible minute at her son’s side, sleeping in a chair beside h i s b e d. For t he subse quent 14 ye a r s, she’s b e en on ly a fe w steps aw ay or c lose enough to reac h h i m w it h a phone c a l l’s not ic e . “I ne ve r le f t , ” she say s.

A r r iv i ng a bit b e fore d aw n, she w a l ke d i nt o w h at she ca lls “ t he f rea k iest, most out of t his world” scene. T he room wa s da rk , l it spa r i ngly by t he colored l ight s o f a l l t h e m a c h i n e s H e r s o n l a y s p l a y e d o u t , i n a gow n, w it h a ve nt i l at or t ub e i n h i s t h roat W it h h i s a r m s a nd le gs s t r app e d dow n at 45 de g r e e a n g le s , he e voke d t he Vit r uvi an Man .

U N D E R N E AT H A P O P U P tent in t he church park i ng lot , t wo t i meke epers on fold i ng c ha i rs re cord t he e x ac t t i me each lap st a r t s, a nd e ver y hou r t he y log Mackay’s mileage, radioed in from anot her rider A s t he cava lcade t u r ns t he cor ner of Nor t hwest Reeder Road a n d a r r i v e s a t t h e c hu r c h , t h e d a r k h a s p a l e d i n t o t h at side w ay s l ig ht of a r u mor e d d aw n . T he bigge s t concer n t hroughout t he night, beyond Mack ay dozing of f a nd lo si ng c ont rol, ha s b e en t hat h i s t emp er at u re m ig ht d rop b e low 94°. Te e n a , w a it i ng i n t he pa rk i ng

T h is mor n i ng, a s her son’s temperat u re da ngles on t he e d ge of d i s a s t e r, Mom u lt i m a t e l y ge t s he r w a y. Sm it h a nd Blau stei n conv i nce Mac k ay to w a r m h i m se l f “A l l r ig ht , I’ l l t a ke 10 m i nut e s,” he say s A t 5:2 0 , h e r o l l s b a c k o u t o f t h e v a n , g i v i n g t h e w e a r i e s t o f s m i l e s . T h e s u n h a s c r e s t e d p a s t t h e m o u nt a i n s ’ p e a k s a s t h e r i d e r s s e t o f f , b a c k d o w n Nor t hwe s t R e e de r R oad for a se ve nt h t i me .

E v e nt u a l l y t h a t h o s p i t a l r o om g r e w f u l l , t h e a i r t h ic k w it h f r a nt ic e ne r g y, love a nd sor row Wave s of v i sit or s f a m i l y, h ippie s , a p o e t , s c ie nc e pr of e s s or s f r om Sa nt a C r u z w ou ld r ol l i n a nd out . A l l e xc e pt one: Te e n a . She w a s a lw ay s t he re , a lw ay s lo c ke d on t h e e y e s o f h e r o l d e s t s o n “o u r o n l y w a y t o c o m mu n ic at e , ” she s ay s, “ w it h ou r e ye s.” T he b oy she’d watched r un a nd sw im a nd bike could no longer move or br e at he on h i s ow n . But he w a s s t i l l a l ive . Te e n a k ne w t hat more t ha n a nyone More t ha n Ia n h i msel f She re f u se d t o lo ok aw ay

I A N M A C K AY

He wa nts to ma ke t his clea r, however: T hat serenit y d id n’t l a s t “ W it h t he re a l i z at ion of t h i ngs de a l i ng w it h nu r s e s a nd do c t or s , t he l ac k of sle e p, t he pa i n a nd t he f c ha nge of lo si ng e ver y t h i ng,” Mac k ay say s, t e a r i ng up “ t h at i n ne r p e ac e we nt aw ay.”

or stress or anger just didn’t make sense at the time. It seemed big. It seemed significant. . . . But I knew on that day, I wasn’t going to be able to change anything.”

G O O G L E M A P S

With his first call from the hospital, Mackay asked his roommate to feed his dog. Then he rang his mother, Teena Woodward, in Santa Barbara, a four hour drive away. “ I ’ m p re tty h u r t , ” h e t o l d h e r a s a n u r s e h e l d the phone to his ear “ You better get up here ” Teena, then 45, frantically filled a suitcase and left in a blur

A s M a c k a y c omple t e s h i s s i x t h l ap, a t 5:0 3 a . m . , however, t he t her mometer shows 95 3° In t he chu rch pa rk i ng lot Te ena t r ie s to t a l k h i m i nto a 10 m i nute brea k; she ha s t u r ned t he heater a l l t he way up i n her wh it e conver t e d v a n a nd ha s t he r a mp dow n, re ady for h i m to rol l i n But Mack ay, by now sl ight ly pu nch d r u n k , b el ie ve s it ’s b e yond f i x i ng T he cold i s i n h i s bones, he says, and he must power t hrough. Teena, just a s st ubbor n a s her son, holds back tea rs of f r ust rat ion a nd concer n. Fi na l ly, she tel l s h i m, “ Ta l k to Dr. B.” Jo s h Bl a u s t e i n , a n o l d c h e m i s t r y p r o f e s s o r t u r n e d pa l of Mac k ay ’s, a long for t he r ide “a nd you r c re w, be c au se I’m not ge t t i ng t h rough,” a nd she w a l k s of f. Ian and Teena are strikingly close “best friends,” as Teena’s mom, 81 year old Bev Dawson, explains. After the crash, Ian came home with the physical capacities of a 6 month old. That regressive state brought mother a n d s o n t i g h t e r t h a n e v e r. It a l s o re t u r n e d t o Te e n a something akin to that universal fear of a new parent. She had to retrain herself to trust that her son would be safe outside of her line of sight And that took years

“A H U M A N BEING,” SOPHOCLES W ROTE , “IS ON LY BR E ATH M ACK AY ’S BR E ATH DESERTED HIM, THE ON LY THING

As the fall of 2009 arrived, she noticed her son begin to turn from the TV to the living room’s tall windows Mackay asked his parents to put a feeder on the sill, and he started to bird watch “that’s a dark eyed junco . . . that’s a spotted towhee” as he had in the days before his crash Teena bought a copy of The Sibley Guide to Birds, and they worked together to identify every bird on their five acres. Now, Ian kept one eye on the world outside.

Doctors couldn’t explain it; it was and remains the only real gain Mackay has made since his injury. But once he got off the ventilator, his voice returned, and

Teena’s lasting image from those early days is of Ian sitting on the sofa in a robe or gown, buried beneath a blanket, illuminated by the light of the television, all of it soundtracked by the robotic beat of a ventilator that vacuum inhale and then two thuds as the mechanical lung releases. For those first 12 months it was a chore to get a word out of Mackay Doctors had implanted a breathing tube into his windpipe, and to speak was an uncomfortable ordeal: He had to deflate a cuff a s m a l l b a l l o o n i n s i d e h i s t h ro a t t h a t k e e p s a i r f ro m escaping then refill it with 7 ccs of water when he was done Still, Teena knew it was more than just the cuff that kept him silent.

“A hu ma n bei ng,” Sophocle s w rote, “ is on ly breat h a nd sh a do w.” W he n Ma c k ay ’s br e at h de s e r t e d h i m , t he on ly t h i ng lef t had be en a shadow He’d spent h i s ea rly 20s sea rch i ng for a pat h, wh ich he t hought he’d f ina lly found. He was conf ident and focused; ever yone

A t t he ho spit a l, t he me s s of m ac h i ne s a nd nu r se s a n d v i s i t o r s , a n d a l l t h e a t t e n d a n t p l a n n i n g , h a d kept t he fa m i ly i n a fog But now t he sol it ude of r u ra l

Wa sh i ng ton gave t hem t he space to feel t he weight of w h at t he y ’d lo s t “I re me mb e r t a l k i ng ab out t he f ac t t hat t he g r ief w a s so bad, b e c au se it w a s a s i f he kept dy i ng,” Te e n a say s. “He w a s lo s t , a nd we ju s t d id n’t k now where we were goi ng.”

c ou ld s e e it . But t he n t he c r a sh d r a gge d h i m home , i nt o a h a z e of pa i n pi l l s , g r ie f a nd si le nc e , h i s w hole w orld r e duc e d t o a fe w r o om s i n t he w i lde r ne s s F i n a l l y, a y e a r a f t e r t h e c r a s h , a b r e a k t h r o u g h : Re h a b b i n g w i t h a n o c c u p a t i o n a l t h e ra p i s t , Ma c k ay t h o u g h t h e f e l t h i m s e l f t a k i n g s m a l l b re a t h s w h i l e working to raise his shoulders One night, as a test, he asked Zeke to remove the ventilator and put a thumb over his throat, with the cuff deflated. When Mackay breathed on his own for more than a minute, “it gave me hope,” he says, and for the next month he experi mented without the ventilator, until he no longer needed it during the day.

Teena could see the son she knew returning, too During t h e v o i c e l e s s y e a r h e w o u l d c l i c k h i s t o n g u e t o g e t Teena’s attention. “But now he’d yell, ‘Mom!’ and it was the most beautiful thing to hear,” she says. “ When he started to talk, he started to come back to being Ian.”

S P O R T S I L L U S T R A T E D S I C O M O C T O B E R 2 0 2 2 7 4

It d i d n’t h e l p t h a t M a c k a y w a s d e s p o n d e n t a n d bit t e r “I d id n’t r e t u r n t he l o v e I w a s b e i n g g i v e n , ” he ad m it s. “I w a s m i se r able . ”

T O U R D E F O R C E

Before Apple int roduced Sir i, in 2010, w it h its voice a nd ge st u re ba sed cont rols, t he bigge st c ha l lenge for a q u a d r iple g i c , t y pic a l l y, w a s a s i mpl e one: h o w t o press a but ton. Teena remembers her son’s f irst stab at t h i s, a nd how he prac t ice d to per fe c t ion w it h a sma l l headset t hat at tached to a Black Berr y and allowed him to ma ke a ca l l w it h h i s sip a nd pu f f st raw A nd t hen: “Hi s f i rst advent u re w a s to h i s g ra ndpa rent s’ hou se, across t he st reet,” Teena says. “I ca l led my mom t hree t i me s to se e i f he w a s t here ye t . I w a s so, so wor r ie d.”

No w, t hou g h , w it h Te e n a’s h e lp, t he t w o f r i e n d s cou ld t raverse t he t ra i ls a rou nd t he Mack ay proper t y. A nd it b e c a me c le a r t hat i n doi ng so Ia n cou ld b e g i n t o h e a l t he e mo t i on a l s c a r s of t he c r a s h S o on e no u g h , h e h a d c o v e r e d t he e nt i r e t y of t he Oly mpic Discover y Trail. “He [rode] the length of it, and t hen he said, ‘Let ’s do t he whole state of Washington,’ ” Te e n a s a y s , g r i n n i n g “I ’m l i k e , ‘ You’r e out of y ou r m i nd.’ But he sa id, ‘No, le t ’s do it . ’ A nd so we d id.”

that runs alongside his family ’s property. Teena would get calls that his battery had run out or that he’d tipped over or that his leg bag was full but then she’d come find him, and he’d get back on his way again.

Teena was still nearby, but that third of a mile journey was a revelation Her son could leave home alone again Mackay began exploring, and in turn he started to rediscover himself. He used a durable chair right out of rehab, and now he tested its limits as he ventured farther and farther down the 135 mile Olympic Discovery Trail

B l a u s t e i n , n o w 5 2 , r e m e m b e r s h o w i n t h e y e a r s before t he c ra sh h i s f r iend w a s so d raw n to t he out doors and to advent ure t hat he would of ten suf fer from e x p o s u r e t o p oi s on oa k . T he y ’d b e h i k i ng, a nd he ’d se e a pla nt of f t he t ra i l a nd ju st d a r t tow a rd it . L ater, Blaustein wou ld ma ke t he t r ip nor t h to v isit his f r iend whenever he could, and in t hat dark, silent liv ing room he wonde re d how Mac k ay wou ld e ve r f i nd pu r p o s e a ga i n a f ter bei ng robbe d of t he mea n s to e x plore.

T H E S U N S I T S ju s t ab ove t he hor i z on, a nd a b e lt of clouds covers t he mounta ins in t he dista nce. A n old pick up t r uck , over f low ing w it h cabbage, rol ls onto t he t wo l a ne road. Tr a f f ic p e a ke d r ig ht a f t e r su n se t , but t he rest of t he night remained quiet. Now, Mackay ’s head l ight s sh i ne a rou nd a cor ner, fol lowe d by Sm it h, Bl au s t e i n a nd a c ouple of ot he r r ide r s At 8:26 a m , more than halfway into the ride, a skel eton crew pulls into the church lot, and the timekeeper

Sixteen years after Mackay (below, third from left) drove a support van for Blaustein, he led a new kind of ride

A N D SH A DOW.” W HEN LEFT H A D BEEN A SH A DOW.

C O U R T E S Y O F A N M A C K A Y

P o r t A n g e l e s p r o p e r t y a s a s o r t o f b a s e c a m p f o r

D A N G E R T HIN G S

asks the distance: 98.5 miles. Russ rushes over with a backup lithium wheelchair battery on a dolly and helps switch it in. Teena feeds her son a banana and a pill to limit his spasms She takes his temperature and is elated to see it’s back up to 96 7 ° For the first time, everyone allows themselves to believe Mackay might just finish.

S P O R T S I L L U S T R A T E D S I C O M O C T O B E R 2 0 2 2 7 6 I A N M A C K AY

Mackay’s main impediments, on and off Sauvie Island: trafﬁc, tiredness at night and his own ﬂuctuating temperature

Mackay remembers t he beginning of his ow n st r ug gle T hat f irst week in t he hospita l, a friend played him a song by t he late fol k si nger Guy C la rk , “ T he Cape,” ab out a k id w ho le ap s f r om h i s ga r a ge w it h a f lou r s ac k k not t e d a r ou nd h i s ne c k , b e l ie v i ng he c a n f ly. He h it s t he g r ou nd but t he n k e e p s on le api ng, ove r a nd ov e r, u nt i l he ’s old a nd g r ay. S p r e a d y ou r a r m s an d h ol d your bre ath / Always t r u st your c ap e . It w a s too ea rly for Mac k ay to t a ke t he le sson to hea r t , but t he word s lodge d t hei r w ay i nto h i s head Rediscover ing your old self, Sa lv ini ex pla ins, st a r t s w it h f i nd i ng t h at one t h i ng t h at ge t s you out of t he hole a nd f i r e s y ou up a ga i n . You ne e d t o lo c at e t he w hy. For Sa l v i n i , it w a s p e ople; he s t a r t e d goi n g t o s upp or t g r oup s for qu a d s, a nd it fe lt l i k e he w a s on a t e a m a g a i n For M a c k a y, it w a s t ho s e d a i l y r id e s dow n t he Oly mpic Discover y Tra i l. T hen, it was more.

A mong t he believers: Kenny Sa lv ini, who a r r ives at t he lot later i n t he mor n i ng w it h h is w i fe a nd todd ler. I n 20 0 4, Sa lv i n i w a s 2 3 a nd h ad ju s t w r app e d up a w rest ling career at Centra l Washington when he broke h i s ne c k i n a sk i i ng i nc ident t hat lef t h i m pa ra ly z e d f rom t he neck dow n. For t he nex t seven yea rs he was a shut i n, spend i ng ha l f t hat t i me i n bed bat t l i ng sores

18 ye a r s a go. T he t wo b e c a me f a s t f r iend s, at t end i ng concer ts a nd going on hikes. Blaustein inv ited Mack ay ov e r for d i n ne r, a nd he s t i l l r e me mb e r s how e f for t lessly t his st udent got his t wo young daughters excited ab out t he nat u r a l world bi rd s a nd pla nt s a nd so on I n 2 0 0 6 , t w o y e a r s b e f o r e t h e c r a s h , B l a u s t e i n i n v it e d M a c k a y t o d r i v e t he s up p or t v a n on a bi k e

As a young man obsessed with all things kinetic s k i i n g , w r e s t l i n g , w a k e b o a r d i n g S a l v i n i s a y s h e believed the mind and body were inextricably linked. But he’s since come to understand they’re distinct “It’s so hard to wrap your head around [the idea] that there might be something else to it,” he says. “It’s a testament to the human spirit that you can go through so much and still find a way. That life still tries to find a way.”

J O S H B L A U S T E I N W A S i n s t a n t l y t a k e n w i t h t h e e n e r g y a n d m a g n e t i s m o f t h e d r e a d l o c k e d s t u d e n t w h o w a l k e d i n t o h i s c h e m i s t r y c l a s s r o o m a t C a b r i l l o C o m m u n i t y C o l l e g e , n e a r S a n t a C r u z ,

“It’s a deep, dark hole,” he says “You wake up wher ever you wake up, and you’re looking at your arms and your feet that are no longer connected to your body, and it’s as close to a mental, emotional and spiritual crisis as there can be I really had to mourn the guy that I was ”

M a c k a y m e t S a l v i n i (“ T he Ho t Q u a d , ” a s Sm it h i nsist s he’s n ic k na med) at a ba rbec ue i n 2012 , on t he a n n i v e r s a r y of a mut u a l f r i e n d ’s i nj u r y. No w, s a y s h i s g r a nd mo t he r, “ t he y ’r e l i k e a c ouple of t e e n a ge girls T hey ’re on t he phone a l l t he t ime! T hey giggle!”

t ou r t h a t he a n d s om e bu d d i e s w e r e t a k i n g a c r o s s Nor t her n Ca lifor nia. A yea r later, Mack ay drove a long again as the group traversed British Columbia. Mackay, who was just t hen get ting serious about bic ycling him sel f, say s he love d t hose e x per ience s but qu ie t ly he w ished t hat he, too, was on a bike, instead of in t he van. L ater, i n t he f i rst fe w yea rs a f ter h is c ra sh, Mack ay h a r d l y t h o u g h t a b o u t t h a t t i m e o n t h e r o a d w i t h h i s f r i e n d B u t t h e n B l a u s t e i n b e g a n t o u s e t h e

T ’ S A L M O S T 5 P. M . when I r ide up beside Mack ay He’s b e e n on t he sa me lo op for 21 hou r s. He h a sn’t s le p t , a n d h i s h a n d s h a v e t u r ne d m a r o on f r om t he s u n . He ’s c on s u me d ju s t t h at ba n a n a , a fe w bit e s of a n a p p l e , a b i t o f a b u r r i t o a n d e n o u g h E n s u r e s t o u n s e t t le h i s s t om ac h He s ay s he ne ve r re a l ly sle e p s mu c h , b u t h e ’s t i r e d n o w i n a w a y t h a t f e e l s n o v e l .

f u r t he r t ou r s of t he nor t hw e s t , a nd he a r i n g s t or ie s f rom t hose t r ips rek i nd led i n Mack ay t hat bit of long i n g. “ T h e r e w a s e n v y w h e n I w a s i n m y c h a i r,” h e say s, “a nd t he y were he ad i ng of f on t h i s advent u re ” Fi na l ly, i n 2016, Mac k ay r a ng Blau stei n a nd made a pitc h: a 10 d ay, 335 m i le bi ke a nd whe e lc ha i r tou r f r o m B .C . t o Po r t l a n d . B l a u s t e i n w a s i n w i t h o u t a

s e c on d t hou g ht , a nd t h a t A u g u s t t he y t o ok a f e r r y nor t h b e fore se t t i ng of f, s t ay i ng a long t he w ay w it h f r ie nd s t h at Mac k ay h ad me t t h rou g h qu ad supp or t g r o u p s (“ S o m e h o w, [ I a n] p l a n n e d i t s o e v e r y d a y e nde d at a bre we r y,” Bl au s t e i n say s w it h a l au g h.)

M u c h c a n g o w r o n g o n t h e r o a d e s p e c i a l l y f o r Mackay, even with his mom always trailing in a sup port van Those rides are “hard, and they ’re beautiful, a n d t h e y ’re d ra i n i n g a n d t h e y ’re hy s t e r i c a l , ” Te e n a says through tears. Mackay wears layer upon layer to keep his body temperature up when it’s cold out. More dangerous, though, is the heat; Mackay ’s temperature needs to stay below 102° (To combat this, he rides with a shade canopy. And ice packs on his groin or under his armpits can usually bring his temp down.) Mackay can’t feel pain the signal gets def lected back to the source when it reaches his spinal lesion, before being s e n t a g a i n T h i s r a p i d p i n g i n g i n c r e a s e s h i s b l o o d pressure, and a headache or a hot flash is his clue that something is wrong somewhere in his body. “You have to become a detective and start figuring it out,” he says. Then there are the physical obstacles beyond his body Rumble strips. Pouring rain. Logging trucks. Mackay recounts one ride on which he hit a rock on a narrow shoulder as he and Blaustein crossed a bridge, send ing his chair into traffic “Now I’m on the freeway, and there’s this giant truck coming and hearing that truck swerving. F , talk about adrenaline,” Mackay says.

Fort Bragg, Calif., over the course of one week, keep ing the same max speed of 8.5 mph, up and down hills. As Mackay wrote on the blog for his nonprofit founda tion, Ian’s Ride: “This wheelchair is my bike I am of the firm belief that more people, not just the mobility challenged, should get outside and pursue a passion.”

T he r e ’s a le s s on he r e t h at M a c k ay a l w ay s s h a r e s w it h fe l low qu ad s: I n t he s t r u ggle to re c over w hat i s lost , we of ten for ge t to ke ep pu r su i ng what we ne ver had in t he f irst place. It took him a whi le to lea r n t his, but he k now s it ’s b e e n e s s e nt i a l i n f i nd i n g h i m s e l f a g a i n “ S o m a n y o f u s t r y t o r e d e f i n e w h o w e a r e , but I t h i n k happi ne ss l ie s i n embrac i ng t he love s you a lw ay s h ad a nd f i nd i ng w ay s t o do t he m i n a d i f fe r ent w ay,” he say s. “I don’t t h i n k t hat you r l i m it at ion s shou ld de f i ne w h at you love a nd w h at you pu r sue . ”

W it h a l l t h is r isk , what is Mack ay cha si ng on t hese a d v e nt u r e s? “I d i d n’t ge t t o e x p e r i e n c e [t h e r i d e s] before I w a s i nju re d but I su re a s hel l have now,” he says “Get t ing to act ua lly live t hat experience I wanted so bad, a nd to do it i n t h i s u nu su a l, qu i rk y w ay it ’s f rea k i ng awe some, ma n.”

In 2018 they hit the road again, riding the 476 miles f ro m Co e u r d’A l e n e , Id a h o , b a c k t o Po r t A n g e l e s i n 13 days They climbed the Cascades and battled the h e a t o f e a s t e r n Wa s h i n g t o n Tw o y e a r s l a t e r, t h e y t o o k o n a 2 7 2 m i l e r o u t e f r o m B r o o k i n g s , O r e . , t o

Mou nt Ho o d p e e k s ab ov e t he hor i z on t o ou r le f t a s M a c k a y t e l l s m e he ’s b e e n r e p e a t i n g t he ph r a s e “embr ac e t he m i ser y.” It ’s a m a nt r a t hat a ny r u n ner, c yclist or g y m rat ca n relate to. But for Mack ay, miser y is a rea lized st ate It goes beyond a bit of pa in He tel ls me he ’s t o o t i r e d t o k e e p t a l k i n g ab out h i m s e l f He a sk s about my pa rent s, my brot hers, my dog. He a sk s

a b o u t m y d u e d a t e , a n d I t h i n k h e m e a n s f o r t h i s s t or y but i n f a c t he ’s r e me mb e r e d t h at my w i f e at home i s preg na nt . A s we’ve be en spea k i ng, he’s be en w incing, but now t hat smile reappears Could Sisy phus b e h app y? Mac k ay rol l s on, at 8 5 mph, bac k t ow a rd t he c hu rc h pa rk i ng lot .

St i l l, he k now s: Two more l ap s a nd t he re c ord i s h i s. Mac k ay t e l l s me of t he u nc a n ny fe e l i n g of t r a n s for m i ng i n a n i n s t a nt f rom a n ac t ive 26 ye a r old t o a ma n w it h t he bod i ly f u nc t ions of a n i n fa nt He w a s de pr e s s e d , but he w a s a n g r y, t o o He ’d b e e n a y e a r f rom graduat ion, ready to go “f ull t uck ” dow n his ow n pat h , a nd t he n he w e nt ove r t he h a nd leba r s a nd he w a s bac k at home a ga i n. He fe lt c he at e d.

“There was so much anger, so much sadness, and I felt so much loss that I didn’t want to talk,” he says. “I [feared that] I would shout out at those who loved me the most, so it was safer not to speak.” (Russ remembers it well: “He was a d k, an a hole But you got to under stand where he was coming from He was pissed off ”)

Among ultrarunners and off road racers there’s a strong sense that the physical is less than half the battle in a daylong race It’s more about going full speed into your mental wall and breaking through, and then being resolute, even while knowing another wall is waiting, right down the road. The best are rarely the fastest, the strongest or the most technically skilled; often, they ’re just people unlucky enough to know real pain, which puts a race into context. At a certain distance, grit is the great differentiator. At a certain distance, talent is superseded by the ability to just go on

A P 1 4 E N D S , and Mackay is two miles from his goal, but the Guinness bylaws are vaguely written, so everyone agrees he must complete a 15th lap to break the record. Mackay sets off again a bit after 6 p.m., with the biggest crew yet “his tribe,” as Salvini puts it riding by his side, and they all roll along Sauvie Island Road while the low light slides off the Willamette

A s t he y approac h t he Sauv ie Isla nd Br idge, Sm it h a nd Blaustein r ide up a longside Mack ay, each put t ing a ha nd on his ca nopy. Zeke sla loms t hrough t he crowd

S P O R T S I L L U S T R A T E D S I C O M O C T O B E R 2 0 2 2 7 8 I A N M A C K AY HOW DID M ACK AY FEEL A FTER HIS R IDE? “ THER E’S A “ R EF LECTI V E , I N TENSE , A M A Z ED, GR ATEF U L , LOV ED,

As we pass by the Sauvie Island Kennel, I ask Mackay how lon g it t o ok t o ge t bac k t o w he r e he’d b e e n . He say s it wa s a f r iend, Todd St abel feldt , whom he ca l ls

T he Quad Fat her, who showed h i m he cou ld keep on liv ing a f ter t his k ind of inju r y. It wa s Sa lv ini, t he t y pe of g u y he w ou ld’ v e b e f r ie nde d e v e n b e f or e h i s f a l l , who made h i m st a r t to fe el l i ke h i s ow n ma n a ga i n. A nd it w a s Sm it h, a spe e c h la ng u a ge pat holog i st he met t hrough her job, who has a l lowed him to imagine get t i ng old (A f ter t hei r f i rst date t h ree yea rs a go, at t he Sp ac e Ne e d le , Ia n a nd C e l i n a now s p e nd e v e r y weekend toget her, and she says: “W hen we’re toget her, t here a ren’t bad days. He is my med ici ne, i n a way.”)

O W H A T I S Ia n Mac k ay c ha si ng?

“Well, my brake guy loses a sk i and we rag doll dow n t he hi l l,” Sa lv ini says “I’ve got on a G oPro, facing me, a nd [on t he v ideo] I look l i ke one of t hose blow ups at t he ca r dea lersh ip w it h t hei r a r ms f la i l i ng. For a sec ond, I’m li ke, Am I gonna get airlif ted of f thi s mountain a gain? But t he y pic ke d me up, r ight e d t he sh ip, a nd it wa s l i ke, Ye ah , I’m not a s f rag ile a s I thought I wa s. ”

Sa lv i n i tel ls a stor y It ’s 2014, t he 10 t h a n n iversa r y o f h i s c r a s h , a n d h e w a nt s t o s k i d o w n t h e f a t e f u l mou nt a i n to ma rk t he d ay. So he ge t s to t he top, a nd f r ie nd s put h i m i n a s e at e d r ig, t e t he r e d t o a not he r sk ier who’ l l ac t a s h i s bra ke s.

Under the shade of an RV canopy, The Hot Quad tells me it ’s the same thing that made his friend put his hands behind his back to get that extra mile per hour down the hill on the Great Meadow Bike Path “I’ve always joked that we don’t get into [our condi tion] by making good decisions,” he says. “Sometimes that doesn’t change.”

W H E E L S O F S T E E L

There are still 10 miles to go before the parking lot, but time is no longer a concern. Each lap has taken less than an hour and a half; Mackay just needs to finish this one in under two Finally, at 7:30, he pulls in, greeted by a cheering crowd and cameramen from local news outlets and a documentary crew filming his feat.

W IDE MI X,” HE SAYS . X H AUSTED A N D STRONG.”

Mackay, in his quest, repeated the phrase “embrace the misery,” which for him is a realized state

He ’s o p e n a b o u t h i s i nj u r y, h i s r e c o v e r y, h i s r e l a t i o n s h ip s a n d h i s f e a r s . He d o e s n’t b a l k w h e n det a i l i ng t he day to day rea l it ies of h is l i fe, l i ke need i ng some one to c lea n h i m a nd t u r n h i m i n h i s sle ep, to avoid be d sore s, or t he emot iona l hu rd le s of Sm it h being bot h his ca regiver a nd his lover. He’s int rospec t ive a nd relent le ssly for t hcom i ng. St i l l, he ca n’t qu ite e x pla i n what d re w h i m to r i sk h i s hea lt h for a re cord t hat no one, including himself, had ever t hought about before he looked it up on a wh i m fou r yea rs a go. Is he t r y i ng to prove how fa r he’s come si nce escapi ng t hat d a rk room? Is he c ra f t i ng a n emblem of h i s i ndepen de nc e? O r i s it t h at i nt a ng i ble it c h t h at a l l at h le t e s need to scratch? His f r iends a nd fa m i ly hem a nd haw at t h is quest ion, cred it i ng a desi re to push h i msel f, or maybe a n i n nate need to e x plore. Some ad m it t he y ’ve ne ver t hought muc h about it W hen I a sk Te ena , she say s I rea l ly shou ld t a l k to Sa lv i n i

O f f t o one side , Te e n a , R u s s a nd Z e ke ob se r ve Ia n i n wonder Z e ke a sk s, “A re we c ra z y?” Te ena a nd her e x t e a r up a nd sh a ke t he i r he ad s

of bikes on a Onewheel electric longboard and raises his ha nds. Ever yone let s out a screa m a s Mack ay ’s St rava t ick s pa st 173.98 m i les. Ever yone e xcept Teena. She’s bik ing along now, in t he middle of t he pack, awestruck, t r y i ng a nd fa i l i ng to stop t he tea rs

A few days later, I text Mackay to see how he’s feeling. “ There’s a wide mix,” he writes. “Ref lective, intense, amazed, grateful, loved, exhausted and strong.”

S a l v i n i t a k e s a m o m e n t “ There’s a quote: Life begins at t h e e n d o f y o u r c o m f o r t z o n e s . [Ian] is most definitely proving t h a t , ” h e s a y s . “ We n e e d t h o s e reminders, that maybe our mind is the only thing that’s limiting us. Maybe it’s not just our bodies.”

Recovery means regaining possession of something l o s t . B u t Ma c k ay i s p a s t t h a t ; h e’s c a p t u r i n g s o m e t h i n g h e d i d n’ t h a v e b e f o re S o I try again, a bit differently: Are we all on Sauvie Island because Ia n Ma c k ay wa n t s t h e w o r l d t o see his place beyond recovery?

P O I N T A F T E R

I t w a s t h e q u e s t io n o f t h e s e a s o n b a c k o n O p e nin g D a y : C o ul d S h o h e i O h t a n i d o i t ? I f it w a s “ p l a y in O c t o b e r,” t h e a n s w e r i s n o : T h e A n g e l s a r e h e a d e d f o r t h e ir s e v e n t h s t r aigh t l o s in g s e a s o n . I f it w a s “ c o n t e n d f o r a n o t h e r A L M V P a w a r d a n d k e e p c h all e n gin g B a b e R u t h f o r t h e m a n t l e o f b e s t t w o w a y p l a y e r,” w e h a v e a r e s o un din g y e s A s A u g u s t w a s e n din g O h t a ni t h e hi t t e r w a s o n e o f t h e A L’s ﬁ v e b e s t o f f e n s i v e p l a y e r s ( b y O P S) O h t a ni t h e p i t c h e r w a s e v e n b e t t e r t h a n h e w a s in 2 0 2 1 , w i t h a l o w e r E R A , a n im p r o v e d w alk r a t e a n d t h e b e s t s t r ik e o u t s p e r nin e in nin g s p i t c h e d m a r k in t h e m ajo r s . O h , a n d h e h a d jo in e d t h e B a b e a s t h e o n l y p l a y e r s w i t h 10 h o m e r un s a n d 10 p i t c hin g w in s in a s e a s o n T hi s o f f s e a s o n w ill b r in g m o r e q u e s t io n s : C a n O h t a ni h o l d o f f A a r o n J u d g e (p a g e 44) f o r t h e M V P ? W h e r e w ill O h t a ni p l a y n e x t y e a r ? ( L o s A n g e l e s c o n s id e r e d d e alin g him a t t h e t r a d e d e a dlin e . ) T h o s e c a n w ai t . Fo r n o w, ju s t e n jo y w h a t ’s l e f t o f a n o t h e r hi s t o r ic s e a s o n O H N D

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8 0 S P O R T S I L L U S T R A T E D | S I C O M SA ME

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