NFL

The Tennessee Titans traded their first round pick in the NFL draft to the Los Angeles Rams. The draft takes place on April 28-30 so the Rams now have two weeks to decide who will go #1. They are leaning toward California Berkeley’s quarterback Jared Goff and North Dakota State QB Carson Wentz. The Titans were all set to make the trade (which included another 1st round and a few 2nd, 3rd round swaps) on Wednesday night but they didn’t want to steal the thunder from Kobe’s final game so they announced this high profile trade on Thursday instead.

WNBA

To no one’s surprise, the first three players selected in the WNBA draft went to the three incredible seniors from the University of Connecticut. With all of its basketball accolades, UConn had never before filled the first three slots of the draft. Breanna Stewart, Moriah Jefferson and Morgan Tuck helped UConn win the NCAA Championship 4 years in a row and should immediately have an impact on their new WNBA teams, Seattle, San Antonia and Connecticut respectively.

NBA

Justin Bieber fans are rooting for the Cleveland Cavaliers to sweep the Detroit Pistons in the first round of the NBA playoffs. If the Cavs go to 5 games, Bieber will have to reschedule his April 26th sold out concert at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. Bieber fans might get lucky though as the Cavs have swept their first round series for the last 3 years.

NBA

Oh What a Night! In one of the most exciting nights in the NBA, the Golden State Warriors made history and Kobe Bryant ended an historic era.

After 20 seasons, Kobe Bryant officially played his last game in the NBA Wednesday night. Every Laker seemed to have one goal in mind: pass the ball to Kobe. He put the ball in the air 50 times, the most shots of any NBA player in more than 30 years, and came away with 60 of the Lakers’ 101 points.

Hundreds of member of the media came to cover the game including celebrities such as Jay-Z, Kanye West, David Beckham,  Adam Levine, and Snoop Dogg. Los Angeles 101, Utah 96

Us East Coasters had to stay up very late to watch the Golden State Warriors win their 73rd regular season game, eclipsing the record set by Michael Jordan’s 1995/6 Chicago Bulls.

Steph Curry made it look easy. Shot after shot went effortlessly into the basket, and early on in the game, Curry became the first NBA player ever to score 400 3-pointers in a single season (actually ended with 402). Prior to this season, no player had ever even reached 300 3’s (previous record was 286 set by Curry himself last season).  Curry is quietly becoming a legend. Golden State 125, Memphis 104

NBA

All eyes are on Los Angeles, where Kobe Bryant will play his final professional basketball game Wednesday night against the Utah Jazz. An unprecedented number of journalists and members of the press will flock to the Staples Center to cover the game. Nearly 500 media members have been issued credentials, a staggering number for a regular season game. Bryant will end his 20th season at home. Upstate, the Golden State Warriors will be playing in their own potentially historic game, as they try to topple the all-time season record held for the last 20 years by the Chicago Bulls. It’s a good night to be a basketball fan.

NFL

Josh Gordon isn’t getting back into the NFL this winter. The NFL has denied the wide receiver’s petition for reinstatement after he recently failed a drug test. His next chance to rejoin the world of professional football is August 1st. That’s the soonest he can apply for reinstatement. As for his future in Cleveland, the Browns won’t make any decisions on the player until after he’s been reinstated.

Several days ago, former New Orleans Saints defensive end Will Smith was shot and killed in an altercation following a minor traffic accident late Saturday night in New Orleans. Footage from traffic cameras indicated Smith bumped into a Hummer that stopped abruptly, then sped away. He was pursued by the Hummer, whose driver allegedly shot Smith multiple times at an intersection several blocks away. Smith’s wife was in the car with him and suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the leg. On Tuesday, the New Orleans Police Department stated they found a fully loaded 9-millimeter handgun inside Smith’s vehicle. The shooter’s attorney believes the presence of the gun in Smith’s car will help exonerate his client from 2nd-degree murder charges.

NBA

The Cleveland Cavaliers have clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference with their victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday. LeBron James downplayed the importance of clinching the top seed prior to the game, but he was clearly gunning for a victory Monday night. Ever since he announced he was entering “Post Season Mode,” a sort of magical mental state where LeBron plays consistently like LeBron, he’s been focused. “He’s just taken it to a whole other level the last three or four weeks, playing at a very high level, shooting the ball very well, shooting it with confidence and also getting it to the basket,” the Cavs coach said. “”I hope he can keep it up. If he plays like this, man, we’re going to be tough to beat.” That kind of high caliber performance made a difference against the Hawks. James scored 34 points, and his teammate Kyrie Irving scored 35. It is the third time in team history that the Cavs have clinched the number one seed in the East. Cleveland 109, Atlanta 94

NFL

Suspended Cleveland Browns Wide Receiver Josh Gordon has reportedly failed his most recent drug test. The player has been suspended the last year for violating the league’s substance abuse policy on multiple occasions. Gordon is seeking reinstatement with the league, but this latest indiscretion may prove problematic. If he’s really trying to turn things around, he may want to reconsider the company he keeps. Gordon has also been linked to troubled Quarterback Johnny Manziel, who the Browns cut earlier this off season. Manziel has been spotted partying in West Hollywood every night in recent weeks. Bizarrely, he recently told reporters that he was living with Super Bowl MVP Von Miller, who responded on Twitter, saying that Manziel is “his brother,” but he’s definitely not living with him. Instead, reports indicate that Manziel is actually living with none other than Josh Gordon. And the soap opera continues…

GOLF

In an epic meltdown, former Masters’ 2015 winner Jordan Spieth gave up a big lead between the 10th and 12th holes on Sunday to drop from first to tied for second place.  Danny Willett, the #12 player in the world stepped up and won his first major championship and the honor of wearing the green jacket.

NBA

The Golden State Warriors not only tied the 1995/6 Chicago Bulls 72 game win record but also accomplished this feat by finally beating the San Antonio Spurs at home. The Warriors haven’t beaten the Spurs on their home court since 1997. After 32 straight regular season losses against the Spurs at home, the Warriors pulled off an important win to set up a dramatic final regular season game Wednesday night against the Memphis Grizzlies. If the Warriors win Wednesday, 10:30 pm EST, they will have eclipsed Michael Jordan’s 1995 Bulls win record and secured their place in history.

GOLF

Thursday marked the beginning of the Masters, one of four major golf tournaments throughout the year and widely regarded as the most prestigious (maybe it’s because the winner gets a cool green jacket and there are many hallowed traditions at Augusta). To no one’s surprise, last year’s winner,  22 year old Jordan Spieth lead the board after the first day but the tournament continues throughout the weekend so it could be anyone’s tournament by Sunday.

NBA

The Golden State Warriors kept their dream of 73 wins alive by beating the San Antonio Spurs Thursday evening. With their 70th win, the Warriors also secured the #1 seed in the Western Conference. Golden State has 3 games left and must win all 3 to surpass the record 0f 72 wins set by the 1995/6 Chicago Bulls. Warriors 112, Spurs 101.

NFL

Mark Sanchez, who the Denver Broncos acquired in a trade shortly after Peyton Manning announced his retirement, really, really wants the starting job. “I will bet on myself and compete my butt off. I will be friendly and professional with whoever is there. But I want this bad. Really bad. I want what they experienced last year,” Sanchez said.

This week he held his own passing camp with Broncos skill-position players including Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. His goal is to develop a rapport with the team and get his foot in the door with the organization. He’s likely going to have some stiff competition, however. The Broncos are rumored to be eyeing a trade for San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, and could very well pick another high profile QB early on in the draft. The proposed deal with Kaepernick would reportedly require the struggling player to take a $12 million pay cut over the next two years, something he quite possibly won’t be compelled to do.

Cleveland Browns quarterback (Robert Griffin III) RGIII is ready to get back on the field. After spending the entire 2015 season on the Washington Redskins’ bench, Griffin feels he has something to prove. “I am not trying to let any baggage hold me down from the past, but I do have a massive chip on my shoulder,” he told reporters. “I know this team has a massive chip on its shoulder.” The Browns have never won the Super Bowl and have famously had trouble at the quarterback position, Johnny Manziel’s recent struggles being just the tip of the iceberg. The team has had 24 starting quarterbacks since 1999. “I know the history, a little bit, of Cleveland,” Griffin said. “And guys sometimes don’t want to come here. I wanted to come here. I wanted to be here, and I wanted them to know that.”

NCAA

To no one’s surprise, the UConn women won yet another National Championship. This is their 4th consecutive National Title, the only Division I team to accomplish this feat. Kind of amazing to think the Seniors on the Team have won the title every year of their college experience. And, also to no one’s surprise, Senior Breanna Stewart won the Final Four’s most outstanding player award, her 4th time taking home this honor. Congrats UConn. UConn 82, Syracuse 51.

BASKETBALL

The pressure is now really on the Golden State Warriors. With their overtime loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves Tuesday night, their run to beat the Chicago Bull’s record 72 wins got more difficult. The Warriors need to win every one of its next 4 games to make history.

NCAA

Villanova’s Kris Jenkins made history with a buzzer-beater 3-pointer to win the Championship game and give Villanova it’s 2nd National Title. With only seconds left and down by 3, UNC’s Marcus Paige splayed his legs midair in an impossible 3-pointer to tie the game and seemingly send the teams to overtime. But then with only seconds left, Senior Ryan Arcidiacono (named final four most outstanding player), passed the ball to Jenkins setting up the game winning shot.  It was a game for the ages and a shot for the ages. Congratulations Villanova.

In one of the most heart warming stories of the tournament, Jenkins not only became a national hero to Wildcat fans, but got to play against his brother, UNC’s reserve guard Nate Britt. Britt’s parents became legal guardians for Jenkins so he could excel athletically and academically. Nate and Kris consider each other brothers.  As Nate told a reporter,  “Most people didn’t know Kris is my brother, Well, he’s my god-brother technically, but he’s my brother. We’ve created a bond that’s pretty much unbreakable. … I don’t think I’ve played against him (five-on-five) since I was 10 or 11. When we play pick-up, we’re always on the same team because we have this chemistry together.” For a great story of how this all came about, read here.

NCAA

March Madness is almost officially over. Villanova and University of North Carolina will face off Monday night in the Championship game.  UNC had a relatively easy 17 point win over Syracuse to secure it’s seat in the Finals, but Villanova was the talk of the weekend. Villanova simply destroyed Oklahoma in the weekend’s final four matchup.  Statistically, the win was the best recorded in the history of the tournament. Villanova won by an astounding 44 points and will play for the championship on Monday night. It’s their first appearance back in the finals in 31 years. Monday night Championship Game 9:19 pm EST (TBS).

This is a particularly exciting finals for me as it’s the first time I picked  the final two teams. Here’s my ESPN bracket to prove it.

In the Women’s matchup, no surprise to anyone who follows the game, number 1 seed UCONN is in the finals again.  If they beat Syracuse on Tuesday night, they will secure their 4th straight National Title. Tuesday 8:30 pm EST.

NBA

The Golden State Warriors bounced back from a rare home loss on Friday night with a big win Sunday over the Portland Trail blazers. The Warriors need to win 4 of their last 5 games to overtake the 72 game win record set by the 1995/6 Chicago Bulls. To add even more drama to this exciting chase, former Bull and Hall of Famer, Scottie Pippen,  claimed his team would sweep the Warriors in a 7 game series.