| | | | | | | Presented By SiriusXM | | | | Axios Sports | | By Kendall Baker · Feb 06, 2023 | | π Good morning! Happy Monday. Today's word count: 1,605 words (6 minutes). Let's sports... | | | | | | 1 big thing: π The Kyrie blockbuster |  | | | Photo: Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images | | | | The Nets shipped Kyrie Irving to the Mavericks on Sunday in a blockbuster move that could change the trajectory for two NBA franchises and set the stage for a busy trade deadline week. The trade: Irving, 30, joins MVP candidate Luka DonΔiΔ in Dallas, where they'll form the league's most ball-dominant backcourt. The Nets add depth and versatility, while getting out of a toxic relationship. - Nets send: Irving, Markieff Morris
- Mavericks send: Dorian Finney-Smith, Spencer Dinwiddie, unprotected 2029 first-round pick, two second-round picks
Wild stat: Irving and Kevin Durant signed with the Nets in the summer of 2019. In the three-plus seasons since joining forces, they appeared in just 74 games together. The backdrop: Irving requested a trade on Friday after failing to reach an agreement with the Nets on a contract extension. If Brooklyn didn't make a deal, they risked losing him for nothing in free agency. - The Mavs now take on that risk. Acquiring Irving instantly improved their title odds, but he may ultimately be a five-month rental if he signs elsewhere this summer.
- Dallas was desperate to find DonΔiΔ a co-star after the Kristaps PorziΕΔ£is experiment failed and they lost Jalen Brunson to the Knicks. They ended up with the NBA's most polarizing player.
Between the lines: The Mavericks weren't the only team in the mix for Irving, who will become the first All-Star starter to be traded midseason since Carmelo Anthony in 2011. - The Lakers offered Russell Westbrook and two first-round picks, per The Athletic's Shams Charania ($); the Suns offered a package centered on Chris Paul and picks, per TNT's Chris Haynes.
- "Maybe It's Me," tweeted LeBron James after the news broke. When asked on Saturday if Irving could turn the Lakers into title contenders, James said, "That's a duh question."
What's next: The Nets plan to flip the Dallas picks and other assets for win-now players ahead of Thursday's trade deadline. That is, unless Durant demands they trade him, too (like he did six months ago). Go deeper: Seven thoughts on the trade (The Ringer) |     | | | | | | 2. π Flag football debuts in Vegas |  | | | Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images | | | | The NFC beat the AFC, 35-33, in this weekend's Pro Bowl Games in Las Vegas, a revamped event featuring a series of skills competitions and three separate flag football games. What happened: The AFC, coached by Peyton Manning, won five of the eight skills competitions. But the NFC, coached by Eli Manning, won two of the flag games to emerge victorious. Sunday's hero: Kirk Cousins. What they're saying: A theme among players and fans was how much they enjoyed being able to see players' facial expressions and personalities — no longer hidden under their helmets. But not everyone liked the new format. "This sh*t is stupid." — Josh Jacobs, Raiders RB Payouts: Every member of the NFC team earned $84,000 for winning, while AFC players (including Jacobs) took home $42,000 each. The big picture: The Pro Bowl was long overdue for a makeover, and shifting to flag was a way to inject new life into the event. Whether that "worked" will ultimately come down to TV ratings. - Dwindling interest reached a new low last year, when the Pro Bowl drew its smallest audience since 2006 (6.7 million). We'll know in the coming days how this year's event compared.
- Attendance was up slightly, for what it's worth. Last year's Pro Bowl drew 56,206 to Allegiant Stadium, while this year's event drew 58,331.
πΊ By the numbers: 2022 All-Star/Pro Bowl viewership, per SBJ... - ⚾️ MLB All-Star: 7.5M
- π NFL Pro Bowl: 6.7M
- π NBA All-Star: 6.3M
- ⚽️ MLS All-Star: 1.5M
- π NHL All-Star: 1.2M
| | | | | | | | 3. ⚽️ Snapshot: Premier League |  Table: Axios Visuals It was a weekend of upsets in the Premier League, with first-place Arsenal losing to 18th-place Everton and second-place Manchester City falling to fifth-place Tottenham. Elsewhere: Go deeper: The danger lurking behind the Premier League's wealth (NYT) | | | | | | | | A message from SiriusXM | | Stream SiriusXM now and get 3 months for free | | |  | | | | Stream more than 425 channels on your devices for free on the SXM App, including expertly curated ad-free music, live sports, personalized stations and more. Next steps: Sign up now to get 3 months free. Cancel anytime. Learn more about the offer and start streaming. See offer details. | | | | | | 4. ⚡️ Lightning round |  | | | Photo: Tracy Wilcox/PGA TOUR via Getty Images | | | | ⛳️ Rodgers wins at Pebble: Aaron Rodgers won the Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Sunday alongside his professional partner, Ben Silverman, an accomplishment that Rodgers said has "always been on my bucket list." π Duke gets revenge: Duke beat UNC, 63-57, at home on Saturday, their first meeting since last year's Final Four thriller. It was the third time in their last six meetings that both teams were unranked. π NFL concussions up: Concussions rose by 18% this NFL season, per the league, which said the increase was driven partly by new protocols that "broadened and strengthened" the definition of a concussion. π₯ Undisputed: Featherweight Amanda Serrano (44-2-1, 30 KOs) and junior lightweight Alycia Baumgardner (14-1, 7 KOs) won Saturday night in Manhattan to become undisputed champions. ⚾️ Fernando forever: The Dodgers will retire Fernando Valenzuela's No. 34 in a ceremony this summer. The two-time World Series champion and 1981 Cy Young winner will be the 12th Dodger to have his number retired. | | | | | | | | 5. πΊπΈ Photos across America | | Photo: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images SUNRISE, Fla. — Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk was named All-Star Game MVP in his home arena, leading the Atlantic Division to victory with four goals and three assists across their two games. Photo: Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — No. 21 Indiana upset No. 1 Purdue, 79-74, at home on Saturday, and fans stormed the court to celebrate the Hoosiers' first win over a No. 1 team in a decade. Photo: M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images HARTFORD, Conn. — Aliyah Boston and No. 1 South Carolina beat No. 5 UConn, 81-77, on Sunday in a rematch of last year's national championship. That's 29 straight wins for the Gamecocks. Photo: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images LOS ANGELES — Martin Truex Jr. won NASCAR's season-opening exhibition race at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, emerging victorious at the Busch Light Clash after 150 sloppy laps. | | | | | | | | 6. π Photos around the world | | Photo: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images LONDON — Harry Kane's goal in Sunday's 1-0 win over Manchester City was the 267th of his Tottenham career, breaking Jimmy Greaves' club record that had stood for 53 years. Thibaud Flament breaks away to score France's first try. Photo: David Rogers/Getty Images ROME — Defending champion France held off Italy on Sunday in their first match of the Six Nations Championship, the annual rugby event featuring France, Italy, England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Photo: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images MANLY, Australia — A record 4,600 swimmers participated in the 41st annual Cole Classic Ocean Swim on Sunday, raising over $100,000 for charity. Photo: Alexis Boichard/Agence Zoom/Getty Images COURCHEVEL MΓRIBEL, France — The Alpine Ski World Championships kicked off with Sunday's opening ceremony. The two-week event begins today, and Mikaela Shiffrin is chasing history. | | | | | | | | 7. πΊ Watchlist: Scorching hot superstars |  | | | Photos: John Fisher/Getty Images; Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images | | | | The Trail Blazers host the Bucks tonight (10pm ET, NBA) in a battle between two scorching hot superstars. - Giannis Antetokounmpo: He's averaging 33.3 points, 13.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists since the calendar flipped to 2023 (12 games), with as many 50-point games (3) as he had in his entire career previously.
- Damian Lillard: Dame's last 13 games have been on another level: 38.4 points and 7.5 assists a night, with seven 40-point games and the most efficient 60-point game in NBA history.
More to watch: | | | | | | | | 8. ❄️ The Ocho: Arctic Winter Games | | The knuckle hop is one of 16 traditional disciplines at the Arctic Winter Games. GIF: Giphy. The Arctic Winter Games took place this past week in Alberta, Canada, featuring events perfectly tailored to "The Ocho," Jeff writes. Details: The seven-day, Olympic-style competition for circumpolar peoples — those indigenous to the Arctics — dates to 1970, and this year marked its return after a five-year hiatus due to the pandemic. - Participants: One each from the U.S. (Alaska), Europe (SΓ‘pmi) and Greenland, plus five from Canada (Northwest Territories, Yukon, Nunavik, Alberta North and Nunavut).
- Events: While many of the sports are standard fare (think: skiing), there are also 16 traditional indigenous disciplines that "prepared people for living on the land and the hunt that lay ahead."
A few examples: - Knuckle hop: Hop as far as you can on just your knuckles and toes, testing your capacity to endure pain.
- Snow snake: Launch a spear-like stick as far as you can along a snowy surface, mirroring the hunt of animals.
- Kneel jump: From your knees, jump forward onto your feet as far as you can to mimic what you'd do if the ice started to crack beneath you while ice fishing.
- Stick pull: Two opponents essentially play tug-o-war with a greased stick, simulating what it's like to catch a fish by hand.
π₯ Results: Yukon finished first with 169 total medals (61 gold). Alaska was second and Alberta North was third. | | | | | | | | 9. ⚽️ Premier League trivia |  | | | Photo: Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images | | | | Harry Kane is just the third player with 200 Premier League goals. - Question: Who are the other two?
- Hint: Their playing careers briefly overlapped.
Answer at the bottom. | | | | | | | | 10. πΏ Top plays: Weekend edition |  | | | Empoli keeper Guglielmo Vicario. Photo: Silvia Lore/Getty Images | | | - ⚽️ Triple save!
- π For the win!
- π Pure wizardy
- π McDavid's a sniper
- π Posterized
- ⚽️ Incredible solo effort
- π₯ Suni Lee!
- π Filthy handles
- π Kendrick Nunn!
- π One-handed oop
Watch all 10. | | | | | | | | A message from SiriusXM | | Get free access to music, sports, news and more | | |  | | | | Subscribe to SiriusXM Streaming and get access to 3 months of free: - Expertly curated ad-free music.
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More info: Listen on your phone, at home and more with the SXM App. See offer details. | | | | Talk tomorrow, Kendall "Just another manic Monday" Baker Trivia answer: Alan Shearer (260 goals) and Wayne Rooney (208) π Have a great day! Follow us for more (@kendallbaker and @jeffreytracy). Friends can sign up here. Thanks to Carolyn DiPaolo for copy edits. |  | | Are you a fan of this email format? Your essential communications — to staff, clients and other stakeholders — can have the same style. Axios HQ, a powerful platform, will help you do it. | | | | | | Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters.
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