History has its eyes on her

The GIST: Kenyan track star Faith Kipyegon is attempting to do what no woman has ever done before: run a mile in under four minutes. Here’s what you need to know about her boundary-pushing and potentially historic race before tuning in to Nike’s YouTube channel tomorrow at 1:15 p.m. ET. Let’s lace ’em up.

💨 Why Kipyegon?: Defying the odds is almost second nature for the middle-distance star. The girl who grew up running barefoot in Kenya currently holds the world record for the mile (4:07.64) and the 1500m (3:49.04), an event that she’s also won three Olympic golds in.

• By studying her world record mile from July 2023, scientists determined Kipyegon is capable of running a 3:59.37 mile…if the conditions are perfect.

🧪 What sets this race apart: Kipyegon’s attempt is all about pushing the limits, so she’ll run in optimized conditions that minimize human error. Kipyegon will follow a Wavelight automated pace-setting system around the track to keep her on target and will also race behind and in front of human pacers, reducing wind resistance.

• To maximize speed and further limit drag, Nike is providing Kipyegon with a custom fly suit along with “super spikes” built specifically for the event. Look good, feel good, run fast, right?

👀 Zooming out: With all of these technological advantages, Kipyegon won’t be eligible for a world record, but that’s hardly the point. “Breaking four” is the pinnacle of achievement in track — and now, one of the world’s greatest middle-distance runners is 7.64 seconds from setting a new standard for what women can achieve. Goosebumps.

The GIST: The NBA Finals just wrapped, but the offseason machine never sleeps — just ask the ever-growing list of traded players who’ve swapped threads in the last few days. And that’s not the only hoopla to keep an eye on: The 79th NBA Entry Draft begins tonight at 8 p.m. ET. It’s time to capture the flag(g).

⚙️ How it works: Fifty-nine players (instead of the usual 60) will hear their names called over the next two days, with the top 14 selections determined during May’s ping pong ball-powered Draft Lottery. The odds (1.8%) were not in the Dallas Mavericks’ favor, but the beleaguered squad was handed a lifeline and will be on the clock first. Ready the chime.

😈 Duke superstar Cooper Flagg is anticipated No. 1 pick: The Blue Devils freshman is one of the best prospects in recent years — and for good reason. Flagg led a top-seeded Duke program in every major statistical category this season and is expected to make an immediate impact in the pros at just 18 years old. No wonder squads were tanking to try and get him.

👀 Storyline to watch: Rutgers freshman Dylan Harper is a near-lock to be taken by the San Antonio Spurs at No. 2 — the real question is how far his college teammate, Ace Bailey, will fall. A projected top-three pick, Bailey refused pre-draft workouts — an odd choice, but one that could see him taken by his preferred team, the Washington Wizards, at No. 6. Consider the tea spilled.

🌎 Clean energy needs you…like now.

Here’s why: The proposed House Republican tax bill will take a sledgehammer to the country’s clean energy investments — and the results will be catastrophic, from destroying jobs to costing American families thousands of dollars.

Just like a missed layup in crunchtime, this bill really hurts the climate justice cause:

☀️ Solar and wind power is 50% cheaper than fossil fuels and reduces pollution and health risks

💰 Americans will save $38B on electricity bills by 2030 if these tax credits remain

❌ Attacks on clean energy so far this year have already threatened or cancelled 90K jobs, with 400K more at risk

What can you do? Contact your senator and tell them to vote “No.” Simple as that.

The GIST: Looking for more tea? Enter: The WNBA, where a cuppa is served on the daily, from buzzy off-court headlines to spicy on-court action. Order up.

🥵 Indiana Fever’s DeWanna Bonner reportedly has no interest in returning to the team: The league veteran has missed the last five games due to personal reasons. One of the six-time All-Star’s preferred landing spots? The Phoenix Mercury, where she’s already won two titles — and would reunite with her partner-in-hoops and -life, Alyssa Thomas.

👶 Rookie class continues to shine: The odds-on favorites for this season’s Rookie of the Year are hooping — Dallas Wing Paige Bueckers has found her stride in June, putting up 12 points in last night’s 68–55 win over the Atlanta Dream, while Washington Mystic Kiki Iriafen added another double-double to her résumé in a tightly-contested 68–64 victory over the Minnesota Lynx.

❤️‍🩹 Injuries continue to wreak havoc on the defending champ NY Liberty: The Libs have lost three of their last four games; however, there is some reprieve coming with Sabrina Ionescu (neck) expected to be back just in time to play her hometown team, the surging Golden State Valkyries, tonight 10 p.m. ET.

🔥 The league’s 15th expansion team might have a name: According to trademarks filed by the WNBA last week, Portland will resurrect the name used by the city’s first women’s pro team in the early 2000s.

• In other expansion news, the Valkyries are the league’s most valuable franchise ($500M), eclipsing both the Liberty and Fever and becoming the first women’s sports team to reach the mark. Cha-ching.

Pride Month is almost over, but creating representation merch that feels real and not rainbow-washed takes time — and we’re in a better-late-than-never state of mind. Without further ado…

🧢 The already-iconic She’s Gay, Marcus hat

👜 And the Sports are for the Girls, Gays, and Theys tote.

10% of proceeds from this collection will benefit You Can Play, a nonprofit working to make sports more inclusive for LGBTQIA+ fans and athletes. Supplies are limited, so shop now.