San Antonio Spurs

Think of Rudy Gobert if Rudy Gobert could dribble and shoot. That’s Victor Wembanyama.

The defending NBA champions could have run it back with the same team and probably felt pretty good about it. Instead, the Lakers decided they could get even better and did just that.

As the NBA trade deadline approaches, some teams find themselves in unfamiliar spots, and each team has its own unique problems that it faces on the way to making the playoffs, vying for a title or racing to the bottom for the No. 1 overall pick.

Thank you, Manu, one last time for all the great memories. You’re a first-ballot hall of famer without a doubt. The words are insufficient to truly describe your value to not just basketball but to the sporting world.

But instead, Spurs fans and basketball fans alike were treated to an emotional display of sport, an outpouring of love for Popovich. And this power of athletics to unite communities emotionally is exactly what I love about sports.