Rumor has it
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
Leveling The Playing Field
Hello, Friday!
No balloon arches here, but expect WNBA free agency to really, ahem, pop off tomorrow, the first day players can officially sign. Rumors and reports are already flying — scroll on while waiting for more news to drop.
— Skiing legend Lindsey Vonn, sharing an update on her lengthy recovery process after a terrifying crash at February’s Milano Cortina Olympics. Wishing her the best.
NBA
🏀 May the best player win?
The GIST: The NBA postseason picture is taking shape ahead of the regular-season finale on Sunday. And while the Eastern Conference middle-of-the-standings traffic jam is intriguing, the league MVP race is providing the real drama.
- The culprit? A little something called the 65-game rule. Let’s discuss.
🤔 What is the 65-game rule?: Introduced in 2023, the “65-game rule” aimed to course-correct the load management era, in which healthy players sat out of games to rest. In order for players to be eligible for most major awards, including league MVP, they must compete in at least 65 of their team’s 82 games and log at least 20 minutes in each of those tilts.
🏆 The impact on the MVP race: Four players dominated MVP conversations this season: Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Denver Nugget Nikola Jokić, San Antonio Spur Victor Wembanyama, and LA Laker Luka Dončić. Could the 65-game rule decide the MVP? It’s entirely possible.
- ✅ SGA has played in 68 games this season, making him eligible to defend his MVP crown after averaging 31.1 points per game.
- ↔️ Triple-double savant Jokić and defensive juggernaut Wembanyama are both on the cusp of eligibility. And while neither are 100% healthy heading into their team’s last two tilts, they’ll both need to play in at least one game this weekend to meet the league requirement.
- ❓ Last week’s hamstring injury sidelined Dončić for the rest of the regular season, but an “Extraordinary Circumstance Challenge” could keep the Lakers superstar eligible after he missed two games in December for the birth of his daughter. Watch this space.
⛳ Defending champ Rory McIlroy shares an early lead at the Masters
Freed from the career grand slam pressure, the world No. 2 Northern Irishman posted his best opening round at Augusta National in 15 years yesterday, finishing five under par alongside No. 33 Sam Burns. But there’s still plenty of golf to play these next three days with the 91-player field set to be cut to 50 (plus ties) after today’s second round.
- One of the favorites pre-tournament, No. 24 Bryson DeChambeau is in danger of not making the cut after a frustrating first round. Maybe it was that homemade club.
🏒 Colorado Avalanche clinch Presidents’ Trophy with late-night win
Awarded to the NHL’s best regular-season team, the Presidents’ Trophy is officially heading to the Mile High City after the Avs topped the Calgary Flames 3–1 last night. As for the infamous curse, Colorado is notably one of just eight teams in league history to win the Presidents’ Trophy and the Stanley Cup in the same season.
- Elsewhere, two of the best players to ever wear skates — Pittsburgh Penguin Sidney Crosby and Washington Capital Alex Ovechkin — will face off tomorrow at 3 p.m. ET before meeting again Sunday at the same time. A double dose of legacy.
🇺🇸⚽ No. 2 USWNT hosts No. 5 Japan tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. ET
The USWNT have a tall task ahead, playing rival Japan three times in seven days for the squad’s biggest test of 2026 — a FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifying year. Striker Sophia Wilson is back rocking the stars and stripes, hoping to solidify her place in the crowded American forward pool. Is that…espresso in the air?
📺🏀 Men’s and women’s March Madness draw major viewership numbers
A whopping 18.3M people on average watched Michigan defeat UConn during Monday’s title game, making it the most-watched championship since 2019. As for the women, South Carolina vs. UCLA is officially the third most-watched women’s championship ever, with 9.9M viewers tuning in to see the Bruins hoist the trophy.
🏐 LOVB Playoffs: Austin vs. Atlanta — Today at 4 p.m. ET — Victory+
- The two-round LOVB Playoffs begin with two spots in next week’s LA championship on the line. Defending champ (and friend of The GIST Madisen Skinner’s) Austin kick off the fun against Atlanta before No. 4 Salt Lake faces top-seeded Houston at 6:30 p.m. ET. Aces.
🎓🏒 NCAA men’s hockey championship: Wisconsin vs. Denver — Tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. ET — ESPN2
- Perhaps inspired by their national champion women’s team, unseeded Wisconsin defied the odds and overpowered No. 2 North Dakota 2–1 in yesterday’s semi. That sent them to their first title game since 2010, where they’ll take on Denver fresh off yesterday’s 4–3 double overtime win over No. 1 Michigan.
🏒 PWHL: Montréal Victoire vs. Boston Fleet — Tomorrow at 7 p.m. ET — YouTube
- Boston’s TD Garden will serve as the backdrop for this clash between the top teams in the PWHL. The squads are separated by just one point in the standings and boast the league’s two best tendys: Montr éal’s Ann-Renée Desbiens and Boston’s Aerin Frankel. So seated.
So much content, so little time. Here are the sports articles and interviews that had GIST HQ talking this week.
🏀 No Way in Hell They Wanna See Us by Dillon Brooks (The Players Tribune)
⚽ ‘Hard not to feel scammed’: World Cup fans say FIFA misled them with ticket allocations, seat maps (The Athletic)
🏒 For Laila Edwards, accolades are ‘cool,’ but being a role model is more important (Andscape)
⚾ Accountability Culture Is Dead. ABS Is the Exception. (The Ringer)
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