ESPN Daily ESPN

As the last pick of the 2022 NFL draft, Brock Purdy accepted the title of Mr. Irrelevant as he entered the league for the San Francisco 49ers. He’s already gone 17-4 as a starter, with 44 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. He’s had a Pro Bowl appearance and of course, ended the season with an appearance in the Super Bowl.

With the NFL draft continuing through the weekend, we will know who our next Mr. Irrelevant is on Saturday night.
So today, ESPN writer Ryan Hockensmith joins us to explore Purdy’s relationship to the Mr. Irrelevant title and tells us the history of Paul Salata, the former NFL underdog who turned the final pick of the draft into an event in itself.
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The NFL Draft is one of the most anticipated events on the NFL calendar. Fans of losing franchises wait to see who will be their next savior, and fans of winning franchises look to see who will bolster their Super Bowl hopes. While first round picks get all the buzz, it's the later picks that make or break a teams’ fortunes. 

So today ESPN’s resident football expert Mina Kimes joins the show to break down who will be drafted where, and which teams’ futures will be determined this weekend.
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Los Angeles Angels manager Ron Washington is the definition of a baseball lifer. The 71 year old has been a scrappy utility player, a pennant winning manager, and a coach with a knack for unlocking his players full potential.

But there have also been downs in Washington’s career: a failed drug test, an extramarital affair, and a decade of thinking he would never manage again. Through it all Washington has done what he’s best at. Teaching the game. 

Today, senior ESPN journalist Howard Bryant, who has known and covered Washington for 30 years, tells us the story of his career. And explains why this current job could be his greatest achievement yet.

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No one was surprised to learn that Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert experienced the same darkness retreat that Jets QB Aaron Rodgers made famous, or maybe infamous. And no one was surprised that the reaction was just as polarizing for Gobert, as it was for Rodgers.

But what is it about the Timberwolves center that makes the Frenchman so dislikable to his peers? What exactly is it about his specific je ne sais quoi that has the man who’s won three Defensive Player of the Years awards, and a bank account to match, viewed as such a problem?

ESPN NBA writer Tim McMahon actually knows Gobert quite well from his time reporting on him and breaks down the many things that sets Rudy apart from his peers in the NBA and the one thing that might be the key to his continued dominance.
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10 years ago this week, TMZ published bombshell recordings of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling’s private conversation with his mistress, V. Stiviano. Sterling’s racist and sexist dialogue captured the world’s attention, and less than a week later, new commissioner Adam Silver had banned him from the NBA for life, forcing a sale of the Clippers.

Today ESPN senior NBA writer, Ramona Shelburne, who covered the story and hosted the 30 for 30 podcast, The Sterling Affairs: Takes us back through the events of the scandal, explains how it was a seminal moment in the NBA, and ahead of the release of the FX mini-series Clipped, and tells us what it was like transitioning from a reporter to a producer.
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As the playoffs are about to start, all eyes are on the NBA. Instead of the focus being on the court, the attention is all on former Raptor’s reserve Jontay Porter. Porter was caught manipulating his time and performance on the court that tilted multiple prop bets in a specific direction and, shockingly, resulted in one bettor taking home a $1 million payday. It was later found that Porter had also placed bets himself, breaking the leagues sports betting bylaws. 

So today, Brian Windhorst joins the show to break down the dangers of Jontay Porter’s story, where this saga heads next, and gives a NBA Playoff preview along the way. 
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