Return of the king in L.A., an Iraq War vet turned walk-on and learning from disaster in the NFL

LISTEN UP

The price of eligibility … James Wiseman is a potential No. 1 pick in the NBA draft this season, but right now, the focus is whether he should be on the court for the Memphis Tigers. He’s at the center of a bizarre controversy surrounding his eligibility, with the NCAA ruling him ineligible last week. In today’s ESPN Daily podcast, Jay Bilas joins Mina Kimes to break down Wiseman’s situation, the role coach Penny Hardaway played and what this means for college athletes and athletics as a whole.. You can listen to it right here.

RETURN OF THE KING?

L.A. rising … Los Angeles used to have one dominant NBA franchise. Now it has two, and none too soon — L.A. fans were almost forgetting what it was like to have a dynasty. Both the Clippers and Lakers are on top in this week’s edition of our NBA power rankings, and it’s almost a shame that only one of them can make it to the Finals because it’s looking like each could take down the best the East has to offer.

THINGS TO CARE ABOUT

The Iraq War vet turned walk-on … Joshua Griffin spent a decade in the military, including time in Iraq and Afghanistan. He’s still an active-duty staff sergeant … and he’s the oldest player in college football. Here’s the incredible story of how Griffin, after years away from the game he loved, walked on to Colorado State’s football team as a running back. Read More

Why KSI vs. Logan Paul was a win for boxing … It wasn’t Ali-Foreman — or even Mayweather-McGregor, to be honest — but the bout between YouTubers KSI and Logan Paul delivered in spades. After all, fights are the best when they’re between two people with a lot on the line and hordes of fans backing them up, and KSI and Paul had plenty of both. Boxing needs new fans, and it’s possible that this fight had a hand in creating some. Read More

Learning from disaster … Pobody’s nerfect, as those horrible motivational posters say a bit too cutely, but in the NFL, it’s doubly true. With the single exception of the 1972 Dolphins, every Super Bowl champion has had to eat some humble pie on the way to a title. What set them apart from the rest was that they learned from defeat. Bill Barnwell has some things for the current contenders to take away from their biggest disasters so far this season. Read More

THINGS TO WATCH

play

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson says he was surprised by the stoppage in the main event at UFC 244, but understands the doctor’s concerns over the cuts around Nate Diaz’s eye.

OVERHEARD

“He talks so much. He said so many cuss words I ain’t never heard of, and I’m 22 years old.”

— JuJu Smith-Schuster on Jalen Ramsey Read more

REMEMBER WHEN?

On this date in 2004, Kobe Bryant dropped a poster dunk for the ages on Dwight Howard.

WHAT’S ON TONIGHT?

Federer vs. Berretini (9 a.m. ET, ESPN App); Djokovic vs. Thiem (3 p.m. ET, ESPN App): Both Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are on our air tomorrow at the Nitto ATP Finals, but you can catch men’s doubles action as well, starting at 7 a.m. ET on the ESPN App.

No. 14 Oregon at No. 13 Memphis (9 p.m. ET, ESPN): Memphis is 2-0 amid controversy surrounding center James Wiseman’s eligibility. The Tigers are going up against an Oregon squad that’s also undefeated.