Sports Illustrated Kids (October 2018)

OCTOBER 2018 | SIKIDS.com






































































% . # " )
)" /,+ ' *"0 & & #


















* + " % - ) 0 & % + & *

simagazineoffer.com





(c) 2018 Time Inc. Sports Illustrated is a trademark of Time Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.

OCTOBER
2018


VOLUME 30
NUMBER 9

Photograph by
GREG NELSON







GOLDEN ARC
2018–19 NBA James Harden and the

Rockets couldn’t get a
Preview handle on Kevin Durant
and the Warriors in
School is in the 2017–18 Western
session at Conference finals.
31 James Naismith Our prediction for this
season? K.D.’s team will
High. Who’s at the top
win a third straight title.
of the class? Who’s in
detention? We’ve got a
study guide on all
30 teams, along with
the newest (and oldest)
rivalry in the league.





YOUR 24-HOUR NHL PREVIEW
16 SPORTS MARATHON 44 The results of this
The last weekend of season will be determined
October is the only time by who gets the better of
all four major leagues are four increasingly hostile
certain to be playing. Our series. And we have some
TV schedule gives you a serious (and seriously silly)
taste of everything. predictions for you.

PRIME TIME HALLOWEEN
18 After winning 50 They grew up to
three majors in be athletes, but back in
14 months, golfer the day these pros were
Brooks Koepka is no superheroes and canine
longer an underdog. sleuths in search of candy.

FROM THE PAGES OF
FAVORITES SPORTS ILLUSTRATED
OPEN MIND
2 Freeze Frame 22 Images of Arthur
7 Sports Cards Ashe from 1968 capture the
12 October Birthdays young tennis champion just
13 Future Stars as he was starting his public
14 LOL fight for equality.
26 Posters

52 What’s the Call? COVER
Illustration by Jeremy Enecio
53 Games
54 Art Gallery
55 Comic Cards
56 Buzz Beamer






SI K I D S . C O M / 1
SIKIDS.COM / 1

Aloha, Home Plate



August 26, 2018 • Williamsport, Pennsylvania

Victory! In the third inning of the championship game of the Little League World
Series, Hawaii’s Taylin Oana (12) scored the first of two runs on a wild pitch to
give his team a 3–0 lead over the squad from South Korea. That score would
hold up, as Ka’olu Holt threw a two-hit shutout. It was Hawaii’s third LLWS title.

Photograph by
ROB TRINGALI





Down and Dirty



July 13, 2018 • Hyrynsalmi, Finland

If you think your local soccer field has some mud patches, you should see the
Swamp Soccer World Cup. Swamp soccer is just like a regular game—except the
field goes knee deep. Originally designed as exercise for Finnish soldiers, it’s
now played recreationally in Europe and Asia.

Photographs by
KIMMO RAUTMAA/SHUTTERSTOCK (CENTER); KIMMO BRANDT/EPA-EFE/SHUTTERSTOCK (4)



TIME OUT OF JOINT
The Elam Ending
would eliminate
buzzer beaters in
favor of an untimed
game-winning shot in
every matchup.








































BURNING QUESTION THE END OF a basketball game should
be the most exciting time in sports.
Double-digit leads can be erased in
SHOULD BASKETBALL minutes. One superstar can single-

handedly demoralize an opponent.
Too often, however, games wrap
GAMESHAVE up with the most frustrating of

spectacles: nonstop free throw
attempts, as the trailing team
DAVID DOW/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES UNTIMEDENDINGS? annual winner-takes-all competition
fouls to stop the clock.
The Basketball Tournament, an


broadcast on ESPN, may have found a
BY
SAM
PAGE
solution. This year’s tourney used the
Elam Ending, named for Ball State



SIKIDS.COM / 9

professor Nick Elam, who came up bucket. Players
with the idea back in 2007. The Elam who normally
Ending calls for the game clock to shut don’t get to take
off with three or four minutes left. the final shot can
Then the two teams race to whatever live the experience
number is seven more than the of throwing up the

current leading squad’s score. ball and walking
In Game 3 of last season’s NBA straight to the
Finals, for instance, the clock could dressing room.
have stopped with three minutes to go When every
and the score 97–96 in favor of the game ends on a
Cavaliers. Then, the first team to get to game-winning
104 points would be the winner. shot, however,
Would Kevin Durant hit a dramatic game-winning
game-winning three in the face of the shots become less
defense? Or would LeBron James go special. Taking
into shutdown mode, keeping away the clock also
SAME OUTCOME,
Golden State stuck at 103 for two reduces some of the tension. Whether glamorous.
NEW TWIST
minutes as he ground out the win? it ticks down while Batman defuses a Imagine a bad Errick McCollum
In real life, Durant did make a bomb or James Harden drives to the call leading to a (brother of
three-pointer to get the Warriors past hoop, a timer makes everything more free throw that Portland’s CJ)
helped Overseas
the 104-point barrier. Instead of exciting. Under the Elam Ending, a automatically
Elite to a fourth
that shot marking a walk-off win, buzzer beater becomes impossible. ends the game straight win at
though, it led to a J.R. Smith miss That means the desperate full-court with no hope of TBT, which this
year used the
followed by several intentional fouls heave that somehow goes in would an answer—or a
Elam Ending.
of Steph Curry. also go extinct. make-up call.
Not only does the Elam Ending So should the NBA switch? For The clock may make basketball
remove the tedium of basketball’s final most games, the Elam Ending does boring for the outside observer.
minutes, it replaces it with the best sound better. But there are inevitable But for the fans and players of the
ending possible: a game-ending outcomes that would make it seem less trailing team, it’s hope.








UNBOXED The Under Armour Curry 3


ZER0 II is a futuristic
PRESENTED BY
high top with a knit tongue
for max comfort. The
Taking the lid off the pull tab runs all the way

coolest sports gear. around the shoe, serving
as eyelets for the laces
while providing a sleek
How do you spend the racing-stripe effect.
summer after winning
your third NBA title in four KICKS TRICKS: Let’s say
years? If you’re Steph you’re out for a run and BRIAN MCWALTERS/TBT (MCCOLLUM); COURTESY OF UNDER ARMOUR (SHOE)
Curry you play in a pro golf it starts raining, but you
tournament (he missed don’t let that stop you going to end up with wet pieces of newspaper and
the cut), try to recruit because you’re tough shoes. So what’s the stick them inside. You’ll
DeMarcus Cousins to the and dedicated. Or maybe easiest way to dry them be amazed how much
Warriors (he got his man), you just like to jump in out? Take out the insoles, moisture the paper
and release a new shoe. puddles. Either way, you’re then crumple up a few will absorb.






10 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS

&RS WKH ODWHVW JUHDWHVW LQ VWRUH RQOLQH DQG RQ WKH )LQLVK /LQH DSS


¿ Q LV K OLQ H F R P

OCTOBER
WATCH
BIRTHDAYS


▶ Boston Red Sox
READYFOR AWILD TIME? 7 rightfielder Mookie

Betts celebrates his
26th birthday.
(National League wild-card game: October 2, ESPN;
American League wild-card game: October 3, TBS)
Los Angeles Sparks
8 guardChelsea Gray is 26.
Since 2012, MLB
has used an Rightfielder Andrew
elimination game 10 McCutchen of the
to determine the San Francisco Giants
wild-card team in each turns 32.
league, and the stakes
make for exciting ▶ Pittsburgh Steelers
baseball. In the NL 11 linebacker T.J. Watt
game last season, the celebrates his 24th birthday.
Diamondbacks gave up
a 6–0 lead, held a Calgary Flames center
12 Sean Monahan is 24.
one-run advantage in
the eighth inning, then
won 11–8. Two winners Dallas Mavericks
14 shooting guard
of the play-ins have
Wesley Matthews turns 32.
made the World Series,
and they did it in the
▶ Arsenal midfielder
same year: The Giants 15 Mesut Özil is 30.
beat the Royals to win
the ’14 Fall Classic. ▶ Seattle Storm
16 guard Sue Bird
celebrates her
38th birthday.
Stanley Cup

Finals Rematch READ Leftfielder
25 Juan Soto
(October 10, 8 p.m. ET, Lu of the Washington
check listings) Nationals turns 20.
(Available
Capitals captain
October 23,
Alex Ovechkin ages 10 and up) Cincinnati Bengals & SCHUSTER CHILDREN’S PUBLISHING (LU); WINSLOW TOWNSON (BETTS); JUSTIN BERL/GETTY IMAGES (WATT); SHAUN BOTTERILL/GETTY IMAGES SARAH SACHS/ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS/GETTY IMAGES (DIAMONDBACKS); DAVID E. KLUTHO (FLEURY, OVECHKIN); CAITLYN DLOUHY BOOKS/SIMON
(far right) finally 29 quarterback
The fourth
brought an NHL Andy Dalton is 31.
and final
title to D.C., (ÖZIL); ADAM PANTOZZI/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES (BIRD); MELISSA MAJCHRZAK/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES (BOOKER)
installment in the Track series
helping his ▶ Phoenix Suns
by Jason Reynolds focuses on
team beat Vegas 30 shooting guard
Lu, the co-captain of the
4–1 in the finals. In Devin Booker turns 22.
Defenders team. On the way to
the first week of the 2018–19 season,
the championships, Lu and his Left wing
Washington will try to make it five wins in a
friends face challenges, and 31 Nick Foligno
row over the Golden Knights, while
changes to their routines— of the Columbus Blue
Marc-André Fleury (above left) and his and learn about the importance Jackets celebrates
team will attempt to prove their first-
of having integrity. his 31st birthday.
season dominance was no fluke.



12 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS

SPORTSKIDS

OF THE MONTH





SADIE
DANIEWICZ, 10

Preston, CT
SOFTBALL
In 10 games as a
pitcher for the Preston/Jewett
City All-Star team, Sadie tossed
five consecutive no-hitters and
allowed one hit in two other
games and two hits in another.
She struck out 101 batters total.




KHARISMA
WATKINS, 8

Fort Myers, FL
TRACK AND FIELD

At the USATF Junior
Olympics in July, Kharisma set an
age-group national record in the
8-under 200 meters (28.21) and
won the 400. One week later she
won the 8-under 100, 200, and 400
ON OUR RADAR at the AAU Junior Olympics, setting

meet records in the 200 and 400.

KASIR GOLDSTON ELLIE



DE ANDRADE, 15

HEIGHT: 5'10" BIRTH DATE: MARCH 17, 2003 Cohasset, MA
GOLF
BIRTHPLACE: ALBANY, NY SPORT: BOXING
As a ninth grader in her third season
on varsity, Ellie was the top player
■ Kasir, who goes by Mazzi, earned Junior and Prep Open, earning
at Notre Dame Academy. She
silver in the men’s junior 63-kg weight a spot on Team USA’s High helped the team to the 2018 MIAA
class and was corecipient of the best Performance Team.
Division I sectional golf title and
men’s junior fighter award at the Junior ■ He also took first in the intermediate
was second individually. She has a
Nations Cup in Serbia in August. 132-pound division at the 2017 Junior
44–5–1 record in varsity league play.
■ He won the 64-kg class in his age Olympics. He won the intermediate
group at the Monkstown International 119-pound class in ’16 and the bantam ARE YOU A SPORTSKID?
Box Cup in Ireland in June. 106-pound class in ’15. If you think you have what
LEBRECHTMEDIA (KASIR) 132-pound junior division at the national champion, winning the it takes to be a SportsKid
■ Last December, Mazzi won the
■ Mazzi was a 2017 Silver Gloves
of the Month, submit
your nomination at:
12-to-13-year-old 125-pound division.
2017 USA Boxing Elite and Youth
SIKIDS.com/SportsKid
National Championships and
(He was also a champion in 2015.)

SIKIDS.COM / 13

Submit your caption at SIKIDS.com/
FunnyPhoto. Your entry could appear
in a future issue of the magazine.







FUNNY PHOTO The winning caption “LOOK! I’M BESIDE MYSELF!”


from SIKIDS.com:
— Oren, 13, Pennsylvania






“My hat’s off to you, Mr. Dawkins.”
— Sam, 11, Colorado


“This hat really brings out your
eyes . . . and hides the fact that you
don’t have the rest of your body.”
— Lauren, 10, Massachusetts


“A tip of the hat to a Hall of
Fame career.”
— Truman, 7, Washington


“Verrrrrrrrry gentle. . . . He might
wake up!”
— Alex, 12, Connecticut


“Yeah, no one needs to see that
bald patch.”
— Musa, 12, California


“Thank you for adjusting my hat for
me—I have no arms.”
— David, 10, Michigan




When a person Having to explain
SOUND OFF chews with his something simple multiple
mouth open and shows times. I was always taught that
all his food. Shut your mouth! listening and being engaged when
I was riding on a chairlift next
Whatisyour to someone, and he was eating a someone is speaking to you eliminates When
a lot of questions. I invited a group
a waiter tries to
biggestpet banana. A banana! That’s the worst of friends over for a dinner that I was impress you and show
kind of food to see in someone’s
cooking. Some couldn’t remember
you how smart he is by
peeve? mouth. And in between bites of the time and showed up late not writing down your order
banana, he was eating
because they didn’t listen or read
Tic Tacs. I mean, come on. my text messages. My suggestion because he can remember it JOE ROBBINS/GETTY IMAGES (FUNNY PHOTO, FUNCHESS); FRANCOIS XAVIER MARIT/AFP/GETTY IMAGES (SHIFFRIN); JEAN CATUFFE/GETTY IMAGES (SHIBUTANI)
I couldn’t take it! would be to practice patience with all. And what happens? Your
MIKAELA SHIFFRIN your friends and take a deep breath order is completely wrong! It
U.S. skier* and explain yourself again. happened to me last night.

DEVIN FUNCHESS ALEX SHIBUTANI
U.S. figure skater*
Carolina Panthers
wide receiver
*Interviews by Kid Reporter
Carlo Vellandi

















14 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS

SPARE TIME


















FOOD
Mexican




SPORT OTHER
THAN BASEBALL
Football



CARTOON
JONATHAN HOUSE (RYAN WITH PICKLE MASCOT); OTTO GREULE JR/GETTY IMAGES (RYAN ACTION); ALEX TRAUTWIG/MLB PHOTOS/GETTY IMAGES (STANTON); ISTOCKPHOTO/GETTY IMAGES
SpongeBob
SquarePants
THEREAL DILL BOOK AS A KID


(TACOS, ICE CREAM, MODEL); NICKELODEON NETWORK/EVERETT COLLECTION (SPONGEBOB); HARPERCOLLINS (BOOK); GABE GINSBERG/GETTY IMAGES (DICAPRIO)
Where the Wild
Baseball-loving NFL punter JON RYAN has Things Are

embarked on what he hopes will be a
second career as a team owner.

By Matt Weyrich


GROWING UP IN Regina, Colonna, so it is perhaps unsurprising

Saskatchewan, Jon Ryan didn’t get that the team has come up with a
ICE CREAM
many channels on his TV. There was, few wacky promotional ideas. Cookies ’n’ Cream
however, one program he could rely From Jurassic Park Night to the
on airing almost every night: wildly popular Tackle Jon Ryan Night
Toronto Blue Jays games. (a bunch of kids literally tried to bring SUBJECT IN
MIDDLE SCHOOL
Ryan may have followed a path that him down on the field, and they
Science
led him from Canada to the NFL, caught him!), he’s not afraid to rack
but he always dreamed of owning a his brain for new ways to lure people
baseball team. In April of last year, to the ballpark. ATHLETE
that fantasy came true when the punter Ryan and business partner Alan GROWING UP
purchased a collegiate summer league Miller thought the Pickles were the Mark McGwire
team called the Portland Pickles. perfect team with which to kick-start
Says Ryan, who played for the their “baseball empire.” After all, the EMOJI
nearby Seattle Seahawks from 2008 36-year-old Ryan knows he’s nearing
through ’17, “As I got older and [have] the end of his football career.
been able to play in the NFL for as “Right now, we’re concentrating
long as I have . . . it seemed like a on Portland,” Ryan says. “[But] my ACTOR
reality, like something I might be partner and I want to branch out, Leonardo DiCaprio
able to actually do.” maybe purchase a couple more teams
Interview by Matt Weyrich
Ryan is married to comedian Sarah and go from there.”



SIKIDS.COM / 15

10p.m. 11p.m. 12a.m. 1 a.m. 2a.m. 3a.m. 4a a
10p.m. 11p.m. 12a.m. 1 a.m. 2a.m. 3a.m. 4


9p.m.
8p.m. 9p.m.
8p.m.
7P.M.
7P.M.
6P.M.
6P.M.
5P.M. Game 4 of the World Series
5P.M.
4P.M. MLB: Teams and exact time TBA, Fox
4P.M.
3P.M. We’ve seen four sweeps in the last
3P.M.
15 years, but even if this prime-
Florida Gators vs. time tilt is not a clincher, it’s the
Georgia Bulldogs
World Series. You gotta watch!
NCAA football: Since 2012, the winner has
alternated each year between
3:30 p.m. ET, CBS
First contested in the American League and the
1904, this matchup has
National League. The Astros won
last season, so could this be the
traditionally been a
neutral-site game.
year of the Diamondbacks?
These teams will face off
Cubs? Braves? Tune in.
in Jacksonville for the 86th
time, with quarterback
Jake Fromm leading the
way for the defending SEC
and Rose Bowl champion
Toronto Maple Leafs
Bulldogs. Georgia is the
NHL: 7 p.m. ET, check listings
pick to win the SEC East
A team that made the
in 2018, but strange
conference finals last
things can happen in
season (the Jets) faces a
rivalry games. Winnipeg Jets at
team expected to make a
run for the Stanley Cup this
season. The Leafs and the

Why is the last top rookie from 2016–17,
Auston Matthews, will

weekend in October the try to pick up some early


best weekend for fans? momentum against a
nonconference foe.

It’s the only time all four
L.A. Lakers at
major leagues are certain San Antonio Spurs

NBA: 8:30 p.m. ET,
to be playing. Here’s a check listings


schedule that lets you take We’re more than a little
curious to find out how

it all in—with some bonus LeBron James will mesh
with his new teammates in

events to round out your L.A. This early-season
game against the Spurs,
viewing experience. the second meeting
between the two teams in
six days, should be telling.


YOUR 24-HOUR SP












16 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS

a.m. 5a.m. 6a.m. 7a.m. 8a.m.
a.m. 5a.m. 6a.m. 7a.m. 8a.m.
9a.m. 10a.m.
9a.m. 10a.m.
11a.m.
11a.m.
12p.m.
12p.m.
1p.m.
1p.m.
WTA Finals
2p.m.
2p.m.
Women’s tennis: singles
3p.m.
3p.m.
final at 7:30 a.m. ET, Manchester
City 4p.m.
4p.m.
check listings at Tottenham
5p.m.
5p.m.
Can 2018 French Open
English Premier League
champion Simona soccer: noon ET,
check listings
Halep ace the finale As captain of his
of the women’s season?
This event, which national team, Harry
features the top eight
Kane led England to the
singles players and Now his focus is back
World Cup semifinals.
doubles teams in the
world, has been held in
with Spurs. They’ll
Singapore since 2014.
try to stop a
The tournament takes
three-game
place on an indoor hard
skid against
court and has a purse
Man City,
worth—wait for who this
it—$7 million! spring won
the Premier
League time for some playoff racing.
championship
for the third time
in seven seasons.








First Data 500


NASCAR: 2:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN
Rev up those engines; it’s
Philadelphia Eagles vs.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Drivers in the Monster Energy
Cup Series will be more than
NFL: 9:30 a.m. ET, NFL Network
halfway through the
Break out the tea and
postseason by the time they
crumpets for breakfast:
This game comes to you
reach Martinsville Speedway,
and only eight will remain in
from across the pond.
contention for the
Eagles running back and
championship. Martin Truex
London native Jay Ajayi
Jr. came in second here last
returns home to play the
year, then wrapped up the
third of three games the
title three weeks later.
NFL scheduled in England
this season. and play! (TRUEX); SIMON BRUTY (AJAYI); JOHN W. MCDONOUGH (JAMES); JONATHAN KOZUB/NHLI/GETTY IMAGES (MATTHEWS) SPORTSWIRE/GETTY IMAGES (HALEP); ROB NEWELL/CAMERASPORT/GETTY IMAGES (KANE); BEN MARGOT/SHUTTERSTOCK DAVID ROSENBLUM/ICON SPORTSWIRE/GETTY IMAGES (FROMM); ROBERT BECK (ASTROS); DAVID KIROUAC/ICON
Catch a few laps, and then,
enough TV. Go outside

PORTS MARATHON












SIKIDS.COM / 17

Brooks KOEPKA












team
PGA Tour



spotlight
Long overlooked and
overshadowed, the 28-year-old

Floridian has enjoyed one of
the most exciting stretches in
recent memory. After winning
three majors (two U.S. Opens

and the PGA Championship)
in 14 months, he’s no longer
an underdog.





he night of the first round of
the U.S. Open in June, Brooks
Koepka counted the people
counting him out. The
defending champion was
T watching from the living

room of his rental house in Southampton,
New York, as Golf Channel flashed through
the leader board—at five over par, Koepka
was tied for 46th—and then showed a
graphic of “notable” players, in this order:
Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Justin Rose,
Jordan Spieth, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy,
Rickie Fowler, Jason Day, Tiger Woods, and
Phil Mickelson. No Brooks Koepka.
The forgotten man seethed. “I just won
the event, top 10 in the world, and there’s 10
guys on that list, and not one of them is me,”
he says.
Koepka collects slights the way he once
collected Pokémon cards. He catches them
all. He dreamed of attending Florida, but the
Gators did not recruit him; he went instead
to Florida State. He was never invited to play
in the Walker Cup as an amateur. He did not

qualify for an automatic spot on the 2015



18 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS

Photograph by
Robert Beck



















































































BIG-ROUND BROOKS
Koepka plays best
when it matters most:
He has the fewest
total victories among
PGA Tour golfers who
have won three majors.

Presidents Cup team GLIMPSES OF GREATNESS
Koepka tamed a windy U.S. Open course
and did not get selected
in June (right), winning by a stroke before
as a captain’s pick, holding off a furious Woods rally to claim
despite having eight the PGA Championship (below), his third
top 10 finishes that major victory.
year. After an injury to

Jim Furyk opened
another slot, Koepka
was snubbed—again.
A fan approached
him at the Players
Championship in May
and asked for a photo.
He was preparing to
smile when she handed
him her phone. Could
he snap a shot of her
with Johnson—
Koepka’s best friend in
golf and the world
No. 1? “It happens all
the time,” Koepka says.
“I honestly just want
to take a selfie
sometimes.”
At 28, Brooks Koepka Koepka then went to the Challenge bought the high-tech TrackMan
is now officially notable. He won his Tour, the minor leagues of Europe. swing analysis system that has been
second consecutive U.S. Open in June He ate horsemeat in Kazakhstan and popular with pros for nearly a decade,
and held off Tiger Woods to win the swam with sharks in South Africa. but his mostly collects dust. Koepka
PGA Championship in August. He He also slept four-to-a-bedroom on likes to roll up to public courses,
now has more major wins (three) the road and carried his own bag carrying a generic bag.

than other Tour victories (one). But if until his father and stepmother There his monstrous drives draw
you have based your entire self-image footed the bill for a caddie. little notice. Yet for all his talk of
on being an underdog, what do you Eventually he won enough to make being overlooked, Koepka also
do when you become a favorite? the European tour and then to come cherishes his anonymity. At the
home, but he had loved the grind, Travelers Pro-Am after the U.S. Open,
THE LONG GAME toiling abroad, imagining life in he skipped the practice
No one predicted Koepka’s success— the spotlight. round on the Wednesday
except Koepka. He grew up in Standing six feet and at before the tournament so
West Palm Beach, Florida, hoping 186 pounds, he sees himself he could catch up on
to play pro baseball or hockey. Dan as an athlete first and a golfer sleep. He did head to
Gambill, his best friend, thought second. He works with caddie the range that night—
Koepka could be a good college golfer. Ricky Elliott and a team and not just to hit balls.
Koepka’s father, Bob, hoped his son of three coaches to “It’s about getting the
could play well enough on the pro determine a strategy, handshakes out of the
circuit to occasionally get invited then buys in fully. He way,” he says. “If you KOHJIRO KINNO (U.S. OPEN); ERICK W. RASCO (WITH TROPHY)
to tournaments. does not carry a yardage [don’t] do that, you get
Brooks, though, believed he would book. He asks Elliott distracted in the morning.
dominate the PGA Tour. After college only for a yardage number You’re trying to get focused, and
he tried to get his Tour card through and where to hit the ball. people are like, ‘Hey, how’s it

qualifying school but narrowly failed. This year Koepka finally going? Congratulations.’ ”



20 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS

EYES ON THE PRIZE
Koepka’s focus has been a look back at
unflappable. With the entire 2018 on the links
golf world rooting for Woods to
make a comeback at the From fantastic firsts to spectacular seconds to compelling
PGA Championship, Koepka stayed comebacks, this season has included its share of drama.

on track. “There’s more stuff going
on inside him than you think,” Here are three stories that dominated the headlines.
Elliott said after the victory. “But
he’s able to siphon out everything he
doesn’t need and put his energies FRANCISCO MOLINARI
toward what he does.” ON A ROLL
That’s helped Koepka this year. He won his first PGA Tour event,
Of the four 2018 majors, he was the Quicken Loans National, on
only healthy for the final three. (He July 1. Three weeks later, the
tied for 39th, shooting two over par, 35-year-old won the British Open
by two strokes, becoming the first
at the British Open in July.) It hasn’t
player from Italy to ever claim a
been that long since he was
men’s major golf championship.
watching the Masters from his “Unthinkable,” Molinari said of
couch in April, sidelined with a playing the final two rounds of
wrist injury. Even as Koepka the Open without a single bogey.
questioned his future in the sport
this spring, he was the defending
U.S. Open champion, a golfer with ARIYA JUTANUGARN
the sense that he should be able to
accomplish so much more. WINS SECOND MAJOR
The 2016 Rolex Player of the Year
And he has. Koepka seemed
and LPGA Tour money leader won
surprised when informed that his
her second major, the U.S. Women’s
72-hole score (264) had been the
Open, in June. Through the end of
lowest in PGA Championship August, the 22-year-old had three
history. And when he was asked victories this season and was

about the legacy he’s building— second in the Women’s World Golf
three majors at age 28 puts a man Rankings. Jutanugarn, who is from
SIMON BRUTY (MOLINARI); TOM DULAT/R&A/GETTY IMAGES (JUTANUGARN); DAVID E. KLUTHO (WOODS)
on a certain pedestal—he admitted Thailand, also led the ’18 official
he hadn’t yet considered the money list by nearly $1 million.
gravitas of the feat.
“Three majors at 28, it’s a cool
feeling,” Koepka said. “It really is. TIGER WOODS
You know, hopefully I can stay IS FINALLY BACK
healthy. I’ve kind of had some
He missed the 2016 season and
trouble with that the past two years, underwent his fourth back surgery
three years. I’m excited for the next in April ’17. Woods then played
few years. As a fan of golf, you just his third PGA Tour event in
should be excited. Tiger’s come 28 months last December, tying for
back, what Dustin’s doing, Justin ninth. Since then, the 14-time major
[Thomas], Rory, Spieth. It’s a great champion has finished in the top 10
time to be a golf fan.” five times, including tying for sixth
at the British Open and coming in
It’s a great time to be Brooks
second at the PGA Championship.
Koepka, too.
—Stephanie Apstein and

Joan Niesen



SIKIDS.COM / 21

A KING
IN QUEENS
An hour after beating
Okker (above), Ashe was
back on court in a doubles
semifinal (top right). While
out at Forest Hills, he signed
autographs for some
young fans
(bottom right).

22

FROM THE PAGES OF



AUGUST 27, 2018









Images of Arthur Ashe capture


the young tennis champion just



as he was starting his public


ight for equality.



PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOHN G. ZIMMERMAN




EGINNING ON the afternoon of September 9, 1968,
B renowned photographer John G. Zimmerman
chronicled 36 hours that changed tennis.
At 5:40 p.m., Arthur Ashe, an instructor of computer
programming at West Point, beat Tom Okker of the
Netherlands in five sets to win the U.S. Open at Forest Hills.
With the victory, Ashe became the first black man to win
a Grand Slam tournament. In an interview afterward,
the 25-year-old Ashe, the son of a Richmond policeman,
was asked about the racial conflicts of the time and said,
“Everybody is conscious of black power, white power, purple
power, whatever you say. I am black, so I’m sorta caught up
in black power, I guess. The question is, ‘Which road do I
take?’ Well, I’m definitely not conservative, and definitely not
moderate in these matters. I guess I’m a militant, but there
are varying degrees of militancy. I guess I’m somewhere in

[the middle].”
The 1968 Open was also the first in which both
professionals and amateurs competed, and Ashe, an amateur,
won expenses (about $20 per day), while Okker, a pro, took
home $14,000. An hour after the singles final, Ashe returned
to the court with partner Andrés Gimeno for a doubles
semifinal against Clark Graebner and Charlie Pasarell. At
12–12 in the fourth set, the match was postponed due to
darkness. The following day, Ashe and Gimeno triumphed,
only to lose in the final a few hours later. Ashe had played
162 games in less than 24 hours. He then flew to Las Vegas
with the Davis Cup team for an exhibition. Zimmerman, on
assignment for Life magazine, went along. His photos are
being shown for the first time in a new book, Crossing the
Line: Arthur Ashe at the 1968 US Open, published by Hannibal
in cooperation with the John G. Zimmerman Archive. They
capture not just a sport in transition, but a man as well. Ashe
would evolve from an athlete who could go unrecognized on
the subway to a prominent civil rights advocate before his

death in 1993. Zimmerman’s photographs are a rare look at a
star being born.





23

FROM THE PAGES OF






























































NOTABLE AND
UNNOTICED
On the day of the singles final,
Ashe shared the spotlight at the
awards ceremony with his father,
Arthur Sr. (top left), and fielded
questions from reporters (right).
The next day, he took the subway
to the postponed doubles
final (bottom left).






































24

AUGUST 27, 2018














































VEGAS
ATTRACTION
After the Open, Ashe and
his Davis Cup teammates
hopped on a plane (above)
for Nevada, where Ashe was
introduced by entertainer
Harry Belafonte at Caesars
Palace (bottom). Ashe and
Belafonte later worked
together to fight
racism.













































25

Become a


Gridiron




Know it All





























JAMES NIKITA
HARDEN vs. KUCHEROV



Houston Rockets, guard Tampa Bay Lightning, right wing


29 AGE 25


6'5", 220 pounds HEIGHT, WEIGHT 5'11", 178 pounds

Los Angeles, California HOMETOWN Moscow, Russia

The Beard NICKNAME The Russian Rifle


Cookies ’n’ cream FAVORITE ICE CREAM Chocolate


LINGO + SKILLS + STATS Often boxes in the offseason. Harden Installed synthetic ice in his garage
and teammate P.J.Tucker spent time in the summer of 2017 so he could
STRATEGIES + TRIVIA this summer in a boxing gym in TRAINING HABIT work on his shooting technique
Tempe,Arizona. (Harden attended without leaving his home.
Arizona State, which is inTempe.)

“You’ll be so Was sixth in the NBA in field goal Was ninth in the NHL in shots taken

attempts last year. Harden has led last year.
much smarter the NBA in free throw attempts in SHOOTER
each of the past four seasons.
when you read it.”
Despite penchant for firing shots at Despite penchant for firing shots
will, was fourth in the NBA in assists NICE PASS at will, was sixth in the NHL in
—Peter King, Editor-in-chief,
last season (8.8 per game). He led assists last season, with 61.That’s
The MMQB, and Sports the league in 2016–17. the fourth most in franchise history.
Illustrated NFL expert
Was raised by a single mother, Monja Got into hockey after his mother,
Willis. WhenJames was 12, he left her Svetlana, got a job working as a
a note asking for a few dollars. He THANKS, MOM cleaner at an ice rink. She used GREG NELSON (HARDEN); SCOTT AUDETTE/NHLI/GETTY IMAGES (KUCHEROV)
AVAILABLE WHEREVER also wrote, “P.S. Keep this paper. money earned there to buy him a

BOOKS ARE SOLD Imma be a star.” She still has it. pair of secondhand skates.

Kobe Bryant. But growing up, Harden Pavel Datsyuk. Kucherov called
was also a big fan ofJason Kapono, FAVORITE PLAYER his fellow Russian, a former
who starred nearby at UCLA. Detroit Red Wings star, his hero.


©2017 Time Inc. Books.
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS is a trademark
26 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS
of Time Inc. All rights reserved.

Career

HIGHLIGHTS


2017–18 After averaging a career-high 30.4 points
per game, Harden was named NBA Most Valuable
Player. He led the Rockets to a franchise-best 65–17
record and an appearance in the Western Conference
finals, where they lost to the Warriors in seven games.
The previous season, Harden had finished second in
the MVP voting after averaging 29.1 points per game
and leading the league with 11.2 assists per game.
2011–12 Harden helped guide the Oklahoma City
Thunder to the NBA Finals. He averaged 16.8 points per
game primarily as a reserve and was named Sixth Man
of the Year. Following the season, he was traded to the
Rockets after he and the Thunder couldn’t come to an
agreement on a contract extension.
2008–09 As a sophomore
at Arizona State, Harden
averaged 20.1 points per
game and was named
Pac-10 Player of the Year.
He declared himself eligible
for the 2009 draft and
was selected by the
Thunder with the
third pick of the
first round.

OCTOBER 2018
Photograph by
SCOTT AUDETTE/NHLI/
GETTY IMAGES
























NIKITA



KUCHEROV



















TAMPA BAY

RIGHT WING

H7DKA@7 :3E 4D3@6 @7I


5>AF:7E 3@6 #7 DA@wE 3D7 9A>6



+:7 :3>>E 3D7 8;>>76 I;F: 43>>7DE


+:7 5AA>7EF 5>;CG7 F:7 .3DD;ADE ;E



I7>5A?;@9 3@AF:7D ?7?47D +:3F


?73@E A@7 F:;@9 *G??7D ;E AH7D



3@6 E5:AA> ;E 435= ;@ E7EE;A@ 3F





PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY BRYCE WOOD; NATHANIEL S. BUTLER/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES (BACKGROUND); LEBRON: DAVID LIAM KYLE/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES; ROBERT DUYOS/SUN SENTINEL/MCT/GETTY IMAGES;





DAVID LIAM KYLE/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES; KYRIE: RON ELKMAN/SPORTS IMAGERY/GETTY IMAGES; JESSE D. GARRABRANT/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES; THEARON W. HENDERSON/GETTY IMAGES


































































A BL M H K R +:7 FIA 9D73F7EF 8D3@5:;E7E


;@ % :;EFADK 3D7 3F ;F



393;@ +:7 7>F;5E 3@6 #3=7DE


K>I>:ML 3D7 973D;@9 GB FA D7@7I



43E=7F43>>wE 9D73F7EF D;H3>DK




R *:KD ><AM>E





34

@>G>K:MBHG G>QM ')&' )+0& + &0*&1% %&$%

Formerly teammates in
Cleveland, Irving and James
are the centers of attention
in the NBA’s richest rivalry—
just as Bird and Magic were.




1A> >:KER =:RL

The Boston Celtics first met
the Lakers in 1948 when they
were members of the Basketball
Association of America. (The BAA
would merge with the National
Basketball League in 1949 and
change its name to the National
Basketball Association.)
At the time, the Lakers were
based in Minneapolis. (That
for his new creation on one of his explains why the team is called
favorite games from his childhood, the Lakers despite the fact that
duck on a rock. Los Angeles isn’t known for its
Today’s topic is rivalries. And lakes; Minnesota, however, is
when it comes to NBA rivalries, called the Land of 10,000 Lakes.)
one stands above the rest: Behind George Mikan, a 6' 10"
Celtics-Lakers. giant who was the first pro
There’s an old saying that basketball superstar, the Lakers
those who don’t learn from their won league titles in five of their
history are doomed to repeat it. first six seasons.
Apparently the rest of the NBA Then the Celtics, who were led by
hasn’t been paying attention to Hall of Fame coach Red Auerbach,
what’s been going on in Boston took over as the top team. Boston

and Los Angeles. Not only do the won its first championship in 1957,
Celtics and Lakers have two of the and the Celtics won it all again two
richest histories in the game, years later—by beating Minneapolis.
they’ve also spent the last few The Lakers moved to Los Angeles
elcome to years putting together rosters in 1960, and they quickly forged a
hoops history that give them two of the new identity to go with their new
class here brightest futures as well. home. And that didn’t sit well with
at James They have two of the hottest the Celtics. “So far the Lakers aren’t
Naismith young coaches in the game: the champions of anything,”
High! Boston’s Brad Stevens and Luke Auerbach scoffed in 1963. “The
If you’re wondering why Walton of Los Angeles. And this Laker organization has said that
the school is named for James
rivalry has historically been filled
‘Los Angeles is the Basketball
ANDREW D. BERNSTEIN/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES man who invented basketball, in much brighter than LeBron James has been in this league for two
with star power—stars don’t shine
Capital of the World.’ Los Angeles
Naismith, it’s because he was the
1891. (We’ve come a long way since
years and it’s the basketball capital
and Kyrie Irving.
It’s not hard to imagine Boston
of the world!”
that first game, which was played
The animosity was mutual. Said
and Los Angeles facing off in the
with peach baskets for goals.) And
Fred Schaus, the Lakers’ coach: “I
2020 NBA Finals. It would be a
why is the school mascot the Ducks?
very familiar matchup.
Because Naismith based the rules
respect Auerbach as a coach. But I
35

# : F BE B: K

?H>L scorching Jerry West, The 1977–78
season was
rough. For
who was an
It’s a rare year when All-Star in each the only
time in his
of his 14
neither the Celtics seasons, lost 20-season
nor the Lakers are Hall of six times career,
Famer John
an elite team. They’ve Havlicek in the Finals Kareem
combined to make won six titles to Boston. He Abdul-
63 conference finals fire in the 1960s. finally got a Jabbar
appearances. And it’s He added ring in 1972, wasn’t
an All-
pretty common for two more, when the Star. And the
Lakers—who
both of them to be in 1974 and were coached Celtics lost
’76—when the
among the league’s Lakers were by former 50 games
best. They have met 12 in a period Celtics star Bill for the first
times in the Finals. With mild of decline. Sharman—beat time in their
nine victories in those the Knicks. history.
matchups, the Celtics
hold the head-to-head
lead—at least for now. 1960 1970 1980





7>KH BL : A>KH
don’t like him. I just plain warmups Russell
Tatum started 80
don’t like him. And he knows gruffly told West,
games and was
it.” At one point Schaus and “Those balloons named to the
Auerbach were seated next to are staying up.” All-Rookie first
team last
each other for more than an They did. Boston
season.
hour—and they never even won 108–106. The aging
said hello. Celtics hadn’t even been
The Lakers won the favored to win their
Western Conference six times conference. “Sixty-nine
in the 1960s behind Hall of was the year we were

Famers Jerry West and Elgin supposed to get there
Baylor. And each time, they instead of Boston,”
lost in the Finals to Boston, said Phil Jackson, then
which had Bill Russell, the a member of the New
dominant big man of his day. York Knicks and later a
(In Game 7 of the 1962 Finals, Hall of Fame coach. DICK RAPHAEL/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES (WEST); FOCUS ON SPORT/GETTY IMAGES (HAVLICEK, ABDUL-JABBAR, BIRD AND JOHNSON); GREG NELSON (TATUM)
Russell scored 30 points and “But the Celtics found a way. flamboyant Lakers attack, which was
had 40 rebounds.) They always found a way.” dubbed Showtime. And Bird was the
The teams’ last meeting of toughest player on a hard-nosed
the decade came in the 1969 *:@B<:E MBF>L Boston team. “You know how it went
Finals. Game 7 was in Los The next great era in the Celtics- back then,” Kurt Rambis, a Lakers
Angeles, and the Lakers’ Lakers rivalry was ushered in by two forward, remembered in 2015. “We
owner ordered hundreds of men who joined the league in 1979: were run-and-gun, highlights, and
balloons with world Boston’s Larry Bird and Magic flash. The Celtics were all work,
champion lakers printed Johnson of Los Angeles. plodders, and tougher than us. That
on them and put them in a net When they arrived on the scene, wasn’t exactly true, but that’s what
above the court, ready to flow the NBA was struggling. In 1980 the people believed.”
down to celebrate a long- Finals weren’t even shown on live Johnson and Bird were the two
awaited title. During television. But Johnson led a most captivating players of their day,


36

')&' )+0 & + &0*&1% %&$%










Every NBA
Finals series With Kevin
in the 1980s Garnett on
featured board, in 2008
either Bird the Celtics
or Magic— ended a 21-year EHHDBG@ ?HKP:K=
and in three Finals absence.
seasons During that The basketball world had to
both of them time Kobe wait more than 20 years for the
made it. Bryant and the Celtics-Lakers playoff rivalry to
Lakers made be renewed. L.A. had Kobe Bryant
eight Finals
appearances and Shaquille O’Neal. Boston had
and won Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and
five titles. Ray Allen. The Celtics took the
2008 title, and the Lakers got
revenge two years later.
1990 2000 2010 But by 2014 something funny
had happened. Boston and Los
Angeles had not only both fallen
to the point that they missed the
but they didn’t face off in the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar after playoffs, but each team also failed
Finals until their fifth season. L.A.’s 111–100 victory. to win 30 games.
Boston won the 1984 title in Bird and Johnson met one The Celtics traded their entire
seven games. After the series more time in the Finals, in Big Three, amassing a trove of
Lakers coach Pat Riley was so 1987, and the Lakers came draft picks. Within two years
upset that he decreed that out on top. By then the they began to see results. Last
his players were no longer NBA playoffs had become year’s trade for Irving and the
allowed to socialize must-see TV; the days signing of free agent Gordon
with the Celtics. of tape-delayed Hayward gave Boston veteran
“We used to work coverage seemed talent to go alongside its

out in the summer a distant youngsters. Even though Irving
with DJ,” said Magic, memory. and Hayward missed the playoffs
referring to Boston guard “The with injuries, forward Jayson
Dennis Johnson. “Coop [Lakers hostility Tatum and guards Jaylen Brown
sixth man Michael Cooper] and I was a big and Terry Rozier led the team to
BOB ROSATO (BRYANT AND GARNETT); CHRISTIAN PETERSEN/GETTY IMAGES (BALL)
were good friends with him. But part of the the conference finals.
after that loss Riles said no more reason people tuned in The Lakers also began building
friendly games, no more picking and got excited,” said a strong young nucleus behind
each other up and driving around, Magic Johnson. “Larry guards Lonzo Ball and Brandon
not even casual conversation. and I were part of that.” Ingram and forward Kyle Kuzma.
It was all business.” But the rivalry became Adding LeBron to the mix makes
The next year Los Angeles friendly—at least off the Los Angeles a threat to return to
finally found a way to get court. They starred together the playoffs this year. And if L.A.
past Boston, winning in commercials and released can add another star next
Game 6 of the Finals on the ;:EE @:F>K dueling sneakers (Converse summer, the Lakers will be a
hallowed parquet of Boston Weapons). Their relationship force to be reckoned with.
Lonzo was second
Garden. “Celtic pride was in among rookies was chronicled in books, And that means we could
this building, but so were with 7.2 assists documentary movies, and easily see a new chapter written
we,” said Lakers center per game. even a Broadway play. in the NBA’s greatest rivalry. Q

37



SIKIDS.COM / 37

&*+&% ")1& 0 went down,
averaging


Win the East 5.7 assists in
Crucial Class: HEALTH The Celtics entered (but lose the Finals) the postseason.
With Hayward
last season feeling very optimistic. Then returning, there
ATLANTIC into the first game, newly acquired Luckily, coach Brad Stevens
and Irving
came opening night. Five minutes
could be some real
SF Gordon Hayward broke his
battles for playing time.
ankle and was lost for the season.
Then All-Star PG Kyrie Irving went
is almost as good at juggling
down in April with a knee injury.
Still, Boston rode its young stars to
up plays (and no one is
a spot in the Eastern Conference lineups as he is at drawing
better at that than the Boy
EAST his scoring from 13.9 ppg in the Wonder). The C’s are the
finals. SF Jayson Tatum upped
team to beat in the East if
regular season to 18.5 in the
they stay healthy. And
playoffs. G-F Jaylen Brown went
from 14.5 to 18.0. And PG Terry maybe even if they don’t.
Rozier filled in beautifully after Irving &- ) ## ) A-



+&)&%+&/ -1,/0 ' # #' "/0 % . 0&)"DGB<DL )&&"#0% G>ML


Crucial Class: CHEMISTRY Crucial Class: Crucial Class: Crucial Class:
Last year was a familiar story STATISTICS DRAMA BUSINESS
for the Raptors. A great No team It seems like MANAGEMENT In 2013
regular season—they won has embraced there’s always the Nets made one of the
a franchise-record analytics more drama in worst trades in history,
59 games—was than the 76ers. New York City, and giving up three first-round
followed by a quick Former GM Sam the past few years picks for aging stars Kevin
playoff exit. (The Hinkie went all-in on have been no Garnett and Paul Pierce.
Cavaliers swept advanced stats and exception. Since As a result, Brooklyn
Toronto in the data, which led to the summer has had a terrible
second round.) The a strategy known as of 2017, the time trying to
Raptors decided the Process. In short, Knicks have reload
to shake things up. the Process involved said goodbye to its
First they fired coach losing as many games their president roster.
Dwane Casey and as possible and (Phil Jackson), But new
replaced him with acquiring high draft coach (Jeff general MITCHELL LEFF/GETTY IMAGES (HAYWARD); GREG NELSON (LOWRY); DAVID DOW/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES (EMBIID); ISSAC BALDIZON/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES (PORZINGIS); PAUL BERESWILL/GETTY IMAGES (DINWIDDIE)
Nick Nurse. Then picks such as Hornacek), and manager
they broke up C Joel biggest star (PF Carmelo Sean Marks has
their All-Star Embiid Anthony). New coach shown that he’s
backcourt of and G-F Lose the David Fizdale is one of the willing to be patient
PG Kyle Ben East finals most respected bosses in and build around
Lowry Simmons. the game, and Anthony’s young players like
and SG Now Hinkie departure allowed the team PG Spencer
DeMar DeRozan. is gone. And to commit to building around Dinwiddie, a
Toronto traded DeRozan while the front office is still PF Kristaps Porzingis. 2014 second-
to San Antonio for SF Kawhi heavy into analytics, the The Unicorn will miss the round pick
Leonard, who didn’t seem Sixers’ current plan doesn’t first few months of the who became
too excited about the move. involve losing. Embiid was an season as he recovers from a dependable
If Leonard is happy and the All-Star and Simmons was a knee injury. Expectations starter last
team adapts to Nurse, the Rookie of the Year last season aren’t high in New York, but year. As long as Marks can
Raptors will be dangerous. as Philly won 52 games. No that’s just what the young avoid the allure of making
If not, it will be another matter how you analyze it, Knicks need to grow: a the kind of quick-fix deal
short postseason. this team will be good for stress-free environment. that sent Brooklyn into a
&- ) ## ) B a long time. &- ) ## ) C tailspin, the Nets’ future
&- ) ## ) B+ looks bright.
&- ) ## ) C



38 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS

$ #. ," 2 (0 +)& +-&01,+0 # - # % 3 )&"/0 & 2))0


Crucial Class: SPELLING Crucial Class: Crucial Class: SPEECH Crucial Class: HISTORY
O.K., the last name of the GOVERNMENT LeBron James is one of the The Bulls were
Bucks’ all-everything big man For the last four seasons, most vocal leaders in all just 27–55
is A-N-T-E-T-O-K-O-U-N-M- the Pistons were run by of sports. Now that he’s in last year. The EAST
P-O. But if that’s too hard, you Stan Van Gundy, who was Los Angeles, the last time
can just use his first name, the coach and president. big question in Chicago was
Giannis, or his nickname, the His teams made the playoffs Cleveland is that bad was
Greek Freak. Last season, just once, so he was let go which Cavs in 2003–04,
the 7-footer was more in the offseason. The new player is which capped
freakish than ever, averaging commander in chief is Dwane going to a miserable six- CENTRAL
26.9 ppg and 10.0 rpg while Casey, who was fired by fill that season period
occasionally playing point the Raptors despite being leadership brought on
guard. But his Bucks were named NBA Coach of the void. PF by the end of
inconsistent. Year. Casey’s Kevin Love the Michael
If SG Khris biggest task will has the most Jordan era.
Middleton, who be to get the most talent, and by The Bulls’
scored 24.7 ppg out of PF Blake signing a four- current
GREG NELSON (ANTETOKOUNMPO); DAVID E. KLUTHO (LOVE); CAMERON BROWNE/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES (GRIFFIN); GARY DINEEN/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES (MARKKANEN); ANDY LYONS/GETTY IMAGES (OLADIPO)
in the playoffs, Griffin, who year contract problems
can become a was acquired extension in the can be
steady sidekick during last offseason, he demonstrated traced to
and new season. his commitment to the the departure of another
coach Mike The organization. But Love’s superstar: SF Jimmy
Budenholzer former on-court form has dipped Butler, who was traded to
(another spelling mayor since joining the Cavs from the Timberwolves before
toughie) can of Lob City in Minnesota four years ago. last season. Chicago took
bring some Los Angeles dunked For years he was the focal a lot of heat for not getting
much-needed just 13 times in 25 point of the Timberwolves, enough in return, but one
defensive games with Detroit. and he never led them to the of the players the team got,
guidance, More troubling is postseason. Without James PF Lauri Markkanen,
that guy with the hard-to- that he still hasn’t on the floor—and in the locker showed promise. The
spell name has a chance to developed a mid- room—Love will likely once 7-footer nailed 36.2%
frustrate sportswriters deep range jumper to offset again find himself outside of his three-pointers and
into the playoffs. the loss of his hops. looking in at playoff time. averaged 15.2 points.
&- ) ## ) B &- ) ## ) C+ &- ) ## ) C- &- ) ## ) D





% % - " / 0 PF Domantas
Sabonis. But
Oladipo made
Win the Central
his first All-Star
Crucial Class: CHOIR Want to find team and led
the breakout star of the 2017–18 the Pacers to a
season? If he’s not in the gym, 48–34 record—a six-win
check the recording studio. improvement over 2016–17.
SG Victor Oladipo has long The addition of G-F Tyreke Evans,
been known as one of the who averaged 19.4 ppg for the
most talented singers in Grizzlies, gives Indiana a versatile
the league. Last year his veteran who will be one of the
play on the court finally best sixth men in the league.
caught up with his vocal He can also be a much-needed
skills. The Pacers go-to guy if Oladipo
were expected to is out: Indiana was 0–7
struggle after trading in games its sweet-singing
SF Paul George All-Star missed.
to Oklahoma City
for Oladipo and &- ) ## ) B+

. * % + & % Win the Southeast on Twitter,

Wall called
out Gortat
for not talking
UTHEAST 4&7 /!0 previous job, in Oklahoma City, he
to Wall in person.
Coach Scott
Brooks has plenty
Crucial class: DEBATE Who
of talent in D.C. And at his
knows how good the Wizards
could be if they could just stop
learned to handle a roster with more
summers ago, PG John
SO arguing with each other. Two than one outspoken star. Beal
averaged a team-high 22.6 ppg
Wall memorably said he
and SG Bradley Beal—the and made his first All-Star Game
last year. He and Wall form the
team’s two best players—had a
EAST “tendency to dislike each other on the best backcourt in the East. If they
can stop locking horns, they
court.” Last year, Wall and C Marcin Gortat
could lead the Wizards on a
got into a squabble when Gortat implied the
team had been moving the ball better when deep postseason run.
Wall was out injured. After some back-and-forth &- ) ## ) B+



$ $ %" 1 )#&++ %,/+"10 &)# % &* $& + # % + % 4(0


Crucial Class: Crucial Class: Crucial Class: P.E. Crucial Class:
ECONOMICS AP PHYSICS We all know Aaron Gordon CALCULUS
The Heat are a There’s a law in is a physical force. He Calculus
strange team. physics called made that clear in the 2016 is the
They don’t have the Pauli Slam Dunk Contest when study of
a bona fide exclusion he leaped over the Magic’s the rate
star, but they principle. mascot—while of change.
will still spend It states taking the ball And in
enough money that under both of his Atlanta,
on payroll that two legs. Last season, the rate of
they’ll have things can’t his fourth in the change has
to pay the be in the league, Gordon been mind-
league’s luxury same place finally started boggling. Four
tax. Despite at the same developing into years ago, the
that mediocre time. an all-around Hawks
roster, Miami That player instead had four
found a way makes of one who All-Stars Win Rookie of the
Year: Trae
to win the sense, relies solely on and the Young
Southeast last right? athleticism. He best
year—even though SG Dion Someone launched 5.9 record in the
Waiters missed more than should tell that three-pointers East. Those four
half the season. Give credit to the Hornets, per game (up have all departed, leaving a
to coach Erik Spoelstra, who who went out and signed from 1.8 in roster that was good for just
has weathered the loss of PG Tony Parker when they 2015–16) and 24 wins last year. New coach
Miami’s Big Three without already have an All-Star made 33.6% Lloyd Pierce will rely on rookie
stumbling. A healthy Waiters, at the position, Kemba of them (up PG Trae Young, arguably the GETTY IMAGES (WALKER); FERNANDO MEDINA/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES (GORDON); BART YOUNG/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES (YOUNG) STEPHEN GOSLING/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES (WALL); ISSAC BALDIZON/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES (WAITERS); KENT SMITH/NBAE/
who continues to improve, Walker. Of course, Walker from 29.6). most developed scorer in last
will help. But until the front will be a free agent after He was rewarded with a summer’s draft, to revitalize
office manages the team’s the season, but the Hornets new four-year, $76 million an offense that ranked 26th in
finances better—and gets need to try to re-sign him. contract. To be worth it he’ll efficiency last year. The good
the fiscal flexibility to add He’s easily the biggest have to become the leader on news is, he could be a star.
players—the Heat will hover weapon on a team that is a team that hasn’t made the The bad news is, even if he
around .500. looking at a third straight playoffs since 2012. is, the Hawks still have three
&- ) ## ) B- missed postseason. &- ) ## ) C- fewer stars than in 2015.
&- ) ## ) C &- ) ## ) D-





40 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS

% . &)# %* * % %+&% &0-2/0 $ $' * $/&77)&"0 ## ** 3"/& (0

-")& +0 Crucial Class: SPEECH Crucial Class: Crucial Class: GERMAN

The last time San Antonio GOVERNMENT Let’s start with
Crucial missed the playoffs, Mike Conley is one of the basics. WEST
Class: P.E. in 1997, the top point guards in the Repeat after
No team first-round league—when he plays. The us: Danke
likes to run pick Lonnie 31-year-old has missed schön, Dirk.
more than New Walker hadn’t 109 games in the past three It’s pronounce SO
Orleans. The been born. seasons, including 70 last dahnk-a
Pelicans led That 21-year year because of foot injuries. shoon, and UTH
the NBA last postseason run Memphis was 7–5 when he it means
year in pace is the second played and 15–55 when he thank you
(which Win MVP: longest in didn’t. In recent seasons, very much. WE
measures Anthony Davis history—and it’s the 11-year pro No current
the in danger. The has evolved as a player has ST
number of Spurs traded scorer, and the served his
possessions per perennial All- Grizzlies will team longer than PF Dirk
game). And it paid off, as Star SF Kawhi need that trend Nowitzki, who is coming
they finished the season Leonard, who to continue. back for his 20th season.
on a roll and swept the was unhappy They The 40-year-old, who
Trail Blazers in the first with the team, were came to Dallas from
round of the playoffs behind to Toronto one Würzburg, Germany, in
another strong season from for SG of 1998—when current
C Anthony Davis. The DeMar DeRozan. Last just two teams Dallas PG Dennis
Brow averaged 28.1 ppg year PF LaMarcus that didn’t Smith Jr. was one. If
and continued to develop his Aldridge averaged a average 100 Nowitzki represents the
three-point shot. However, stellar 23.1 ppg and the points per past, Smith is the future.
the guy who ran the Pelicans’ Spurs barely snuck into game last He averaged 15.2 ppg as
offense, PG Rajon Rondo, the postseason. He’ll need year. Memphis a rookie, and if all goes
signed with the Lakers. The another big year—and picked up a few solid well, he and 2018 first
new man at the point is Elfrid DeRozan will have to veterans in the offseason, rounder G-F Luka Doncic
Payton, who is a step down seamlessly blend in to the but its most valuable will be around a long
when it comes to passing Spurs’ system—to keep addition would be a time—but probably not as
and defense. San Antonio’s streak alive. healthy Conley. long as Nowitzki.
&- ) ## ) B &- ) ## ) C+ &- ) ## ) C &- ) ## ) C-





&,*+&% /, ("10 Lose the Western shooting only threes

and layups was


Ariza; he only took one
Crucial class: MATH This is pretty basic Conference finals epitomized by SF Trevor
stuff, but the Rockets reminded us last year shot all year that didn’t
that 3>2. Houston relied on the three- come from behind the
pointer more than any team in history. arc or in the paint. Ariza signed
The Rockets launched more threes with the Suns in the offseason, and
(3,470) than two-pointers (3,436), and PF Luc Mbah a Moute joined the
they made 36.2% of them. How did they Clippers. Houston has plenty
get so many looks from behind the arc? of offensive firepower to
Their offense usually consisted of withstand the loss of those
SG James Harden two—but their absence will
or PG Chris Paul be felt on defense. And if the
Rockets are going to unseat
driving to the the Warriors, they’ll have to
GREG NELSON (5) hole while three State down.
do it by shutting Golden
shooters spotted
up. Houston’s
commitment to &- ) ## ) A

&"# &$ +0 Westbrook and SG

Paul George. But
things never quite
clicked. In a first-round
loss to the Jazz, Oklahoma
ST 1%2+!"/ Win the Northwest City averaged 97.5 points

per 100 possessions when
WE Crucial class: MATH 116.7 when he was on the bench.
Anthony was on the floor and
Adding and subtracting
negative numbers can be
NORTH tricky. If you take away -1, it’s Couple that with his massive salary, and the
team had little choice but to cut ties, sending
the same thing as adding 1.
him to the Hawks. OKC got PG Dennis
That’s the principle known
as addition by subtraction,
offensively with the Hawks, but with the
and the Thunder are Schröder in the deal. He was erratic
Thunder he won’t be expected to carry a
WEST done in the offseason. The heavy load. And that could make him a
confident that’s what they’ve
much better complement to Westbrook
team released PF Carmelo
and George than Anthony was.
Anthony, who had joined OKC to
be part of a Big Three with PG Russell &- ) ## ) A-



,+ ':77 %- )+2$$"10 $ %% *&+ '&)+# %


1&* "/4,)3"0 1/ &) ) 7"/0
Crucial Class: CIVICS Crucial Class:
In his first season in Utah, GEOGRAPHY The Nuggets
SG Donovan Mitchell had one of the league’s Crucial Class: Crucial Class:
clearly made it a most far-flung rosters last CHEMISTRY AV CLUB
priority to be a year, as they fielded players By trading for PG Damian
good citizen. from the U.S., Canada, the SG Jimmy Butler Lillard is well-
He went Democratic Republic of the before last season, known for his hip-
on Twitter Congo, Spain, and Serbia. the Timberwolves hop work, and his
to find a The Serbian representative put together backcourt mate, CJ
Fourth of July has fans in Denver most one of the most McCollum, is known
barbecue, then excited. C Nikola Joki ´c exciting core for his entertaining
showed up, to continued to dazzle units in the NBA. podcasts. Now if
the delight of as a scorer (18.5 Butler was third- they can just have
the Jazz fans ppg), rebounder team All-NBA their work be as
who were (10.7 rpg), in 2016–17 pleasing to the
hosting it. and passer with the Bulls. eyes as it is to the
And he went (6.1apg). C Karl-Anthony ears. Both guards
viral for PG Towns was the had excellent
paying to fix Jamal 2015–16 Rookie regular
the phone Murray, from of the Year, seasons,
of a Canada, and SF Andrew but Finish ninth and just
stranger upped his Wiggins won it the Portland miss the playoffs
with a scoring season before. But was
learning average the T-Wolves barely swept in GREG NELSON (GEORGE, TOWNS, LILLARD); EZRA SHAW/GETTY IMAGES (MITCHELL); GARRETT ELLWOOD/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES (JOKIC)
disability. Mitchell also from 9.9 to made the playoffs the first round
impressed on the floor, 16.7 in his and were dropped of the playoffs
finishing second in the second season, in the first round by the Pelicans, who were
Rookie of the Year race. He highlighting amid rumors that Butler was the No. 6 seed. The team
and C Rudy Gobert are a how young and unhappy with the work ethic reportedly thought about
formidable duo. Utah was explosive the Nuggets of his young teammates. If trading McCollum but didn’t,
36–19 when they played can be. If they stay Minnesota’s talented trio and a lack of salary cap space
together and beat the healthy, their five-year can mesh, the sky is the kept Portland from making any
Thunder in the playoffs. playoff drought will end. limit. If not, another early major additions—which, in the
departure is looming.
loaded West, is the same as
&- ) ## ) B+ &- ) ## ) B &- ) ## ) B taking a big step back.
&- ) ## ) C+




42 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS

#&* % # *E:D>K0 #&* % # *<EBII>K0 ' & % / LNGL * ) $ %+&DBG@L


Crucial Class: Crucial Class: ALGEBRA Crucial Class: Crucial Class:
ECONOMICS Solving for X is not a FRESHMAN SCIENCE
The Lakers problem for the Clippers. ORIENTATION The 2017–18
got their SG Lou The Suns were terrible last Sacramento WEST
man, Williams won season, losing a league- season seemed
LeBron the players high 61 games. That like one ongoing
James, association landed them the top pick experiment.
who X-Factor in the draft, which they Coach Dave
agreed Award as the used on athletic 7-footer Joerger used 31
to a four- league’s best Deandre Ayton. Phoenix different starting PACIFIC
year sixth man. also swung a draft-night lineups. Only five
deal in Despite only deal for Mikal of those
the offseason. starting 19 Bridges, groups
But Los Angeles games, Williams a forward started
didn’t land another led Los Angeles who helped more Win the lottery
elite free agent. in scoring Villanova to than
GARRETT ELLWOOD/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES (KUZMA); ANDY LYONS/GETTY IMAGES (WILLIAMS); BRIAN BABINEAU/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES (AYTON); ROCKY WIDNER/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES (FOX); GREG NELSON (DURANT)
Thanks to some solid (22.6 ppg) two national four
financial planning, and assists titles. games, and
though, the Lakers (5.3 apg). Assuming they none of the
have the funds to go after a But while have a smooth 31 really worked. The Kings
big name in free agency next the Clippers’ transition to finished last in scoring, and
summer. Until then, LeBron bench is the league, their leading scorer, PF
will be playing alongside strong, their they’ll team Zach Randolph, averaged a
a collection of journeyman starting five is with SG Devin paltry 14.5 ppg. They added
veterans and promising not imposing. Booker (24.9 an offensive threat, PF
youngsters. While PG Lonzo The departure of ppg) to give Marvin Bagley III (21.0 ppg
Ball was the most hyped free agent DeAndre Jordan the Suns at Duke), in the draft. But
rookie in L.A. last year, to Dallas means that the last three exciting talents— Sacramento will need
PF Kyle Kuzma was the of the high-flying dunkers none of whom is older than improvement from
most effective. He averaged who turned Los Angeles into 21. There are certain to be PG De’Aaron Fox, a
16.1 ppg and 6.3 rpg, and Lob City is gone. What’s left bumps in the road, but at 2017 first-rounder, who
he should thrive even more is a team now sorely in need least that road is leading shot poorly (41.2%) and
playing with James. of an identity. somewhere promising. struggled defensively.
&- ) ## ) B- &- ) ## ) C &- ) ## ) C- &- ) ## ) C-




&# % *+ + foot injury and

won’t be available
until late in
P:KKBHKL Win the Finals (again) putting a scoring
the season. But

and rebounding
machine into the
Crucial Class: HISTORY No
team has ever won the West Warriors’ lineup in the
five years in a row. The Warriors, playoffs doesn’t seem fair. PG Steph
who have been the conference’s Curry and PF Kevin Durant each
representative in the Finals in averaged 26.4 ppg while dealing with
each of the past four seasons, injuries. But they were both healthy in
have a shot at making history— the playoffs, where Golden State lost
and their chances got a lot better just five games en route to its third title
when they added another star in four years. With Cousins waiting in the
to their roster. Golden State wings, a fourth title—and an even higher
signed free agent C DeMarcus place in the sport’s pantheon—
Cousins to a one-year contract. seems certain.

The four-time All-Star is nursing a &- ) ## ) A+

CENTRAL STRUGGLE
Pesky forwards like
the Predators’ Viktor
Arvidsson (33) only
stoke the flames
of the growing
Nashville-
Winnipeg
rivalry.



































NHL


BAD























































44 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS

New NHL powerhouses mean


new conflicts. he results of this

season will be determined by whoever


gets the better of these increasingly


hostile rivalries. By Sam Page





Nashville

PREDATORS JETS







During the Predators’ surprise
2017 Stanley Cup finals run,
ESPN’s LZ Granderson claimed on TV that he followed
the team back “when they were the Atlanta Thrashers.”
One problem: The Nashville Predators might now be the
closest NHL franchise to Atlanta, but they have never been
any team but the Predators. Granderson can be forgiven for his
confusion, though. The Predators nearly moved to Canada in
2007. The Thrashers became the new Winnipeg Jets in ’11. The
original Jets moved south to become the Arizona Coyotes. And
the original Atlanta team—the Flames—now also plays in Canada.
Perhaps this revolving door of relocation should create some
sympathy between the fans of these Central Division powers.
But after last season. . .probably not.
The Predators and the Jets
finished first and second in
the NHL in points, with

117 and 114, respectively.
Thanks to the playoff system
the NHL adopted after realignment
in 2013, Nashville and Winnipeg had to
meet in the second round. The series went
the distance with the Jets taking Game 7.
This rivalry had kicked off unofficially
before last season, on November 14, 2015. P.K. Subban,
In a game the Predators won 7–0, the Nashville
teams combined for 156 penalty minutes.
At one point, the penalty boxes overflowed defenseman,
with six members of each team. when asked
“That was the tipping point of that about Winnipeg’s
rivalry,” says Chris Mason, Predators deafening greeting
broadcaster and a former goaltender for
both teams. “It just seemed every game for him
after that—it’s just fireworks.” FREDERICK BREEDON/GETTY IMAGES

The Predators boast maybe the best
defensive top four in the league, and the Jets have the forwards
to match them. Who are hockey fans in Atlanta to root for?



SIKIDS.COM / 45

Pittsburgh

BLUE JACKETS PENGUINS






This offseason, the Penguins
signed defenseman Jack Johnson
to a five-year, $16.25 million contract. Johnson was a

1
Blue Jacket for the previous 6 ⁄4 seasons.
“I’ve been looking to be in a winning culture and a
place where the expectations to win are as high as they
can be,” Johnson said about joining Pittsburgh.
At the same press conference, Penguins GM Jim
Rutherford speculated about Columbus holding Johnson
out of the lineup at times last season. Rutherford’s and
Johnson’s comments earned strong rebukes from Jackets
GM Jarmo Kekäläinen and coach John Tortorella.
This rivalry didn’t need the extra fuel. Since the 2013
NHL realignment moved the Blue Jackets to the East,
they’ve been a thorn in the Penguins’ side. Now Columbus
is a legitimate threat.
“Against Pittsburgh, it has a different feeling, more than
anybody else in our league right now,” says Blue Jackets
defenseman Seth Jones. “There always seems to be a scuffle
or fights. Just the intensity—it seems a little bit faster.”
That intensity showed on December 21, 2017, in a game AL TIELEMANS (CROSBY); JAMIE SABAU/NHLI/GETTY IMAGES (BLUE JACKETS)
in which Jackets captain Nick Foligno fought Evgeni
Malkin and Jones wrestled with Sidney Crosby.
“It’s not a surprise,” Malkin told reporters after the
game. “It did not start yesterday; it started a long time
ago. We hate each other.”












Tampa Bay


LIGHTNING











To onto

MAPLE




LEAFS

GOLDEN KNIGHTS February, Knights forward


Ryan Reaves had a
different message. “I would

love,” he said, “to see this
team in the playoffs.”
Reaves got his wish
when Doughty turned out
KINGS to be wrong. The Knights

finished first in the Pacific,
SEAN M. HAFFEY/GETTY IMAGES (KNIGHTS-KINGS); MARK BLINCH/NHLI/GETTY IMAGES (LEAFS-LIGHTNING)
with 109 points—and drew
the first wild-card team,
McNabb in the expansion goalie Jonathan Quick the Kings.
On June 18, 2017, the Kings draft. The Saskatchewan with three goals in the A budding rivalry took
released their protection native emerged from a first 12 minutes. the next step when Vegas
list for the upcoming training camp overstuffed After the Knights also swept L.A. en route to a
expansion draft. Brayden with defensemen to make won the teams’ second Stanley Cup finals
McNabb’s name was the team. matchup in December, appearance. McNabb
not on it. Then, when McNabb Kings defenseman Drew scored the only goal in
Ten months later— played his former team in Doughty made a bold Game 4.
nearly to the day—McNabb the Knights’ 19th game of prediction: “There’s no “I have a lot of close
scored a goal that ended the season, the expansion way they are going to be a friends on that team,
L.A.’s season. team no one expected to be better team than us by the so at the end of the
What happened in good pummeled the end of the season.” day I think they’re more
between no one would traditional Pacific Division But after a chippy happy for me than angry
have predicted. The power. Vegas outshot L.A. home-and-home series at me,” McNabb said.
Golden Knights selected 40–29 and chased Kings between the teams in “I suppose.”









Since
When the 2009–10: hit free agency in Interestingly, the
Maple Leafs signed consecutive Lightning were rumored as
John Tavares this offseason, they instantly had Steven seasons. The Leafs contenders to land Tavares.
a team capable of challenging the Lightning Stamkos took a serious run Obviously neither team
for Eastern Conference supremacy. They 622 points at both players, reunited the former
also reignited a friendly rivalry that dates first trying to sign childhood teammates.
back to their new star’s childhood. John Stamkos two That’s good news for NHL
Growing up, Tavares and Tampa Bay Tavares offseasons ago fans. The Tampa Bay–
center Steven Stamkos both wore the before landing Toronto matchup, while not
number 19. When the two Ontario natives 621 points Tavares this a traditionally significant
ended up on the same summer league team, summer. Stamkos one, could become
coached by Stamkos’s dad, Tavares got to keep watched the Tavares supremely important. With
19, while Stamkos switched to 91, the number they sweepstakes with interest. another first pick, Toronto’s
both wear in the pros. Despite missing the birthday “I just said to him, Auston Matthews (near
cutoff by five days, Tavares even tried to enter the 2008 ‘Make sure you watch left), also in the mix, these
draft to challenge Stamkos as the No. 1 pick. what you do on Twitter,’” games should be the

That difference in draft years, however, meant that they Stamkos told ESPN. season’s most exciting.



SIKIDS.COM / 47

NHL
QUICK












PICKS
















❥ Here are ve serious


predictions . . . and

four silly ones.







Stanley Cup












The Tampa Bay Lightning
have seemed poised to win
their second Stanley Cup
for a few seasons now. Last
year they had one of the
NHL’s three 100-point scorers
(Nikita Kucherov) and the
Norris Trophy winner for best
defenseman (Victor Hedman).
The St. Louis Blues, meanwhile,
figure to rebound nicely after
punting at the 2018 trade
deadline. In the offseason,
though, they traded for Ryan
O’Reilly, one of the game’s
best two-way centers. If
the goaltending can hold
up in St. Louis, the team
should challenge in the
ultracompetitive Central.




A Bolt out of the Blue
Ondrej Palat (18) and the Lightning are chasing their second
Stanley Cup, while Jaden Schwartz and the Blues seek title No. 1.

LONG SHOTS...





Hart Trophy
CONNOR MCDAVID



He’s a sure bet to
lead the league in
points again. The
Oilers just need to play
well enough not to
torpedo his candidacy.


Calder Trophy
DANIEL SPRONG



Playing wing on
Pittsburgh is the
easiest way to
accumulate massive Aggressive Expansion Ovi’s Nonstop Celebration
point totals as a
rookie. Significant PT The Golden Knights had 109 No one enjoyed the Caps’ Stanley
with Evgeni Malkin or points and a finals berth in their Cup win more than Alexander
Sidney Crosby first season. That leads to an Ovechkin. And why should the fun
means goals. unprecedented 329 expansion stop just because the calendar
applications to the league office, changes? This season expect him
from towns as unlikely as Homer, to celebrate every goal by taking
Norris Trophy Alaska, and Santa Claus, Indiana. the trophy for a lap.
VICTOR HEDMAN MARK LOMOGLIO/ICON SPORTSWIRE/GETTY IMAGES (BLUES VS. LIGHTNING); ANDY DEVLIN/NHLI/GETTY IMAGES (MCDAVID); GAVIN BAKER/ICON SPORTSWIRE/GETTY IMAGES (SPRONG); SCOTT AUDETTE/NHLI/GETTY IMAGES (HEDMAN); ROY K. MILLER/



No one has repeated ICON SPORTSWIRE/GETTY IMAGES (VASILEVSKIY); DANIEL BARTEL/ICON SPORTSWIRE/GETTY IMAGES (FOSTER); TWITTER (MARCHAND); CHRISTOPHER MAST/ICON SPORTSWIRE/GETTY IMAGES (EXPANSION HATS); DAVID E. KLUTHO (OVECHKIN)
as Norris winner
since 2008. But
Hedman has the
rare combination of
all-around game and
gaudy numbers that
voters love.



Vezina Trophy
ANDREI VASILEVSKIY



Hey, we Nonemergency Goalies
picked Tampa, Getting Grosser
right? With After 36-year-old accountant Scott
one season The NHL had to censure Bruins Foster made seven saves on seven
of a starter’s star Brad Marchand last year for shots as an emergency backup last
workload licking opponents (seriously). Ever year for the Blackhawks, we predict
under his creative, Marchand gets around more teams try to catch lightning
belt, Vasilevskiy the ban by licking a sweaty sock in a bottle, such as the Sabres
should come after warmups. It’s the same putting a 54-year-old geography
back stronger. flavor with half the hassle! teacher in net.




SIKIDS.COM / 49

JOE MURPHY/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES (JACKSON ACTION); COURTESY OF THE CRABBE FAMILY, NATHANIEL S. BUTLER/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES (CRABBE ACTION); COURTESY OF THE GUY FAMILY, ROY K. MILLER/ICON SPORTSWIRE/GETTY IMAGES (GUY ACTION);
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: COURTESY OF EUGENIE BOUCHARD, JULIAN FINNEY/GETTY IMAGES (BOUCHARD ACTION); COURTESY OF THE YOUNG FAMILY, MELISSA MAJCHRZAK/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES (YOUNG ACTION); COURTESY OF THE JACKSON FAMILY,














Sugar, spice, and everything
nice! Wimbledon finalist
Bouchard was once Bubbles
from The Powerpuff Girls.





COURTESY OF TINA CHARLES, NED DISHMAN/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES (CHARLES ACTION); COURTESY OF THE RIPPON FAMILY, MADDIE MEYER/GETTY IMAGES (RIPPON ACTION)










Before he leaped tall forwards in a single
bound, the fifth pick of the 2018 NBA draft
posed as Clark Kent with mom Candice.





























This former Robin looked like a
member of the Flying Graysons
when he earned figure skating team
bronze at the 2018 Olympics and
won Dancing with the Stars.

Boo! These days the

The New York Liberty New England Patriots
defensive lineman is
center was America’s

50 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS favorite purple dinosaur! scaring opposing QBs.

A couple of years after the
movie hit theaters in 1992,
this future Brooklyn Nets
guard made an awfully
adorable Aladdin.
























They grew up to


be athletes, but


back in the day


these pros were


superheroes and


canine sleuths in


Zoinks, Scoob! The fourth search of candy.
pick of the 2018 NBA draft,
Jackson’s got some work to do
now—with the Memphis Grizzlies.




SIKIDS.COM / 51

WHAT’S

THE CALL? Illustrations by
Sean Tiffany






DOUBLE TROUBLE

The Big State University Bulldogs are
playing the Tech College Terriers in a hockey
game under NCAA rules. Big State star forward
Skyler Jackson streaks down the ice with the
puck, while Tech’s Rich MacDonald desperately
tries to keep pace and make a defensive play.
MacDonald first slashes Jackson on the arm,
then trips him. The referees see both infractions BUTTERFINGERS
happen and raise their arms with the intention The Pembroke Pirates are playing
of sending MacDonald to the penalty box for the Harrisburg Hot Shots in a
four minutes—two for each foul. However, basketball game under NBA rules.
Jackson powers to the net and scores Harrisburg point guard Alec King
before play stops. Do the Bulldogs dribbles toward the three-point
still go on the power play? line and then stops. While looking
for a teammate to pass to, he
accidentally fumbles the ball. He
has to take two steps to recover
it, then immediately starts to
dribble toward the hoop. The
Pirates want a whistle. You’re the
referee. What’s the call?















FLAGSTICK-Y SITUATION
Georgia Wyatt is participating in a golf tournament under USGA
rules. While she attempts an extremely long putt for an eagle, her
caddie, Amelia Herring, stands by the hole. When Herring notices the
approaching ball might actually go in the cup, she removes the
flagstick so that the ball won’t hit it and bounce out. Another golfer
complains that Herring isn’t allowed to move the flagstick. You’re the
tournament official. Does Wyatt receive a penalty?

ANSWERS ON PAGE 55






52 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS