From MJ's infamous retirement pick-up games in Chicago, or Kobe Bryant becoming the youngest starter in NBA All-Star history at 19, to Lebron's one-foot floater from 15 feet away to beat the buzzer. These are the stories, from the locker room to the court, from some of the best players in the league.

From the Cubs' bunt heard 'round the world, to the Learjet that got Sammy Sosa in a toga, to how the 1994 players strike canceled the World Series for the first time in 90 years. Here are the stories, both on and off the field, of America's pastime from the players, coaches and managers who played the game.

Did you know that Will Ferrell and Sacha Baron Cohen made out in front of actual NASCAR fans at Talladega Superspeedway? Or that Sly Stallone accused “The Karate Kid” screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen of ripping off his “Rocky” script? Or that Bill Murray ad-libbed his entire performance in "Kingpin"? These stories and more from the making of some classic sports flicks.

It's been called the game of kings—and more than a few presidents—and it's Scotland's greatest contribution to the world after the raincoat. From Jack Nicklaus's historic '86 Masters win to Tiger's first hole-in-one and beyond, these oral histories will keep you in the fairway every time.

Series of violations called by a male chair umpire against Tennis superstar Serena Williams opens up a debate about the rules of the game, gender, and power. The debates are real and the takes divided.

The NFL is a myth-maker. Stories of the Steelers’ dynasty, Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre under center in Green Bay, and Odell Beckham Jr.’s famous catch have helped turned the league into a giant. Hear about its stars and their scars in their own words. (Originally published Sept. 5, 2017.)

The 2018 Winter Olympics, playing out in the unpredictable shadow of North Korea, might be unlike any other Games. But don’t let geopolitics steal the show. The Games will be as exciting as the politics.

Bill Belichick might be the best coach in NFL history. He's intelligent, paranoid, and mysterious. How has he built the Patriots dynasty and won five Super Bowls? He'll never say.

Can eSports compete with the NBA or NFL? The Overwatch League, with teams in 12 cities worldwide, thinks it can. Can it live up to its own hype?

USA Gymnastics is in the middle of an existential crisis. For decades its gymnasts were sexually abused and the organization didn't or wouldn't stop it. With the main culprit in jail and gymnasts demanding change, can one of US sports' premier institutions save itself?

Does anyone know what a catch is in the NFL? Dez Bryant, Jesse James, and Calvin Johnson have their own opinions. No one can agree on how to interpret football's most confusing rule, and yet it continues to decide games.

Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant. The Monday Night Wars. The Attitude Era. The Rock and Stone Cold. The Wrestlemania moments, heel turns and feuds that took wrestling from regional shows to global tours.

It's hard to choose one athlete to define an entire year but Sports Illustrated does it every year. They are champions, groundbreakers, legends, and record-holders. Sometimes it's not just one, either. A yearbook for Sports Illustrated's Sportsperson of the Year.

Kobe scoring 81. Vince Carter dunking over Frederic Weis. Lil' Penny. The NBA is built on stars, dynasties, and big moments. It’s created its own culture, with stories you need to hear.

Landmark rivalries like Alabama-Auburn. Upstart programs like Boise State and Oregon. Campus legends like Michael Vick and Johnny Manziel. The traditions and history that make college football a religion.

The Ball family is loud and lives in the spotlight. Is LaVar Ball, the patriarch, shrewd or crazy for raising three sons he says are headed for NBA stardom and promoting them endlessly? Is Lonzo the Lakers’ next great point guard? Who are LiAngelo and LaMelo? Will Big Baller Brand disrupt the sneaker market or go bust? Can you build a basketball dynasty by speaking it into existence?

Are parents and leagues taking the threat of chronic traumatic encephalopathy seriously enough? There's a lot more to learn about CTE but fans and doctors already know it's a threat to the future of football, hockey and other contact sports.

How do you remember the athletes who never got to finish their careers—from Roberto Clemente, who died helping earthquake survivors in Nicaragua after notching his 3,000th hit, to Hank Gathers, who collapsed on the court for Loyola Marymount, to Sean Taylor, murdered in the middle of an All-Pro season with the Washington Redskins? It's mourning on the playing field for stars who never got to say goodbye.

Pro football is back in Los Angeles but it’s not thriving -- yet. Can the NFL’s return to LA work? Will LA ever feel like home for the Rams and Chargers?

Barstool Sports is crass and controversial and can't be ignored. Will losing an ESPN partnership slow it down or fuel it? Does Barstool need to change? Should it?

Is US Soccer a sleeping giant, or too ambivalent to ever be a great soccer nation? Will missing the 2018 World Cup cripple the USMNT? Or allow US Soccer to get back on the right track?

Everything Jerry Jones touches turns to gold. The most powerful owner in the NFL has got everything he wants, except what he wants most.

Jerseys aren't just for players. They pop up in the stands, in bars, and on the runway. They are culture, and couture. Whose jersey are you wearing?

They called him Slick Rick. One of the best coaches in college basketball history. And charming -- like teflon to the NCAA. But even he couldn't win when the FBI got involved.

An unprecedented weekend in sports. Donald Trump called for NFL players to be fired if they kneeled during the national anthem. And then more kneeled than ever before. The president said the Golden State Warriors aren’t welcome at the White House, and they RSVP’d no anyway.

Air Jordans. Chuck Taylors. Air Force Ones. Reebok Questions. Fila Grant Hills. Some sneakers are as popular as the players. And they aren’t just worn on the court. They’re cultural icons.

Can a sports TV anchor call the president a white supremacist without starting a war between the White House and her network, and between the network and the rest of the media? Is there any winning move for the network caught in the middle? Should ESPN stick to sports? Is that even an option anymore?

From dopers to sign-stealers to football-deflaters, sports is littered with famous cheaters. But where do you draw the line? Where does ultra-competitiveness and ingenuity end and cheating begin?

Sloane Stephens rumbled to the 2017 US Open title, dominating Venus Williams and Madison Keys. Will this be a one-tournament surprise or can Stephens take the mantle from Serena and Venus as the face of women's tennis?

Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett is no longer just an NFL star. He's a political activist in a football uniform. He's the heir apparent to Colin Kaepernick, and he's too good and too loud to be ignored.

No one wields more power on a college campus than head football coaches. They are recruiters, Xs-and-Os schemers, and fundraisers. While players come and go, they remain as the face of the program and the school.

They are the TV voices booming over dinner. The radio soundtrack for a long evening drive. The voices fans fall asleep to. Every baseball fan grew up with one. How about that!

TV deals have made the English Premier League the wealthiest soccer league in the world but can money buy happiness? The EPL has expanded its global footprint and priced out some British fans. Is English soccer better off if the rich clubs get richer but the grassroots teams feel left behind? The EPL has more money and more problems.

Alex Rodriguez was a wunderkind, a cheater, a no-doubt Hall of Famer, an MLB pariah. But baseball's most controversial star has found a way to redefine himself again and again. His latest makeover: a budding TV career.

Video games like Madden, FIFA and NBA 2K haven't just sold millions of copies, they've taught their sports to a new era of fans and bred the next generation of stars. They've changed how fans consume sports from bar to arcade to living room.

How will football be played in 20 years? Will eSports be mainstream? How will we watch the NHL? Will unicorns roam the NBA? The future is coming sooner than you think.

Summer League is a Las Vegas basketball bacchanal. For years, it was a niche convention for NBA insiders, and the fringe playing for a way in. After ratings and attendance jumps, it's the NBA's breakout star. Its pull into mainstream has helped turn the league into a nearly year-round sport.

With two more Grand Slam titles at age 35, Roger Federer has 19 for his career and no plans to slow down. For some, watching him is a religious experience. To many, he’s simply the greatest male tennis player ever.

Writing an epitaph for Chuck Blazer isn't easy. He was a criminal who lived large and a key federal witness who helped bring FIFA's corruption into the light. As his life began to crumble, Blazer became soccer's anti-hero.

Aaron Judge is 6-7 and 282 pounds. He mashes 500-foot home runs and plays Gold Glove right field. Even if the Yankees rookie isn't the next Derek Jeter, he's already MLB's breakout star.