Tag: The Players’ Tribune

Riley Leonard pens message to Notre Dame fans in The Players’ Tribune

Hear from the Irish’s QB.

[autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag] has experienced it all in what will be his only season as Notre Dame quarterback. After a celebrated career at Duke, he opted to use up his college eligibility with the Irish, with whom he experienced incredible highs and the lowest of lows.

Leonard details all of that in a piece for The Players’ Tribune directed towards Irish fans. While some of it touches on his earlier life and his path to becoming a faith-based individual, the parts Irish fans likely will be most interested in are about his decision to come to the Irish and his experience in the immediate aftermath of the stunning loss to Northern Illinois that opened the home schedule.

No matter how the 2024 Irish’s season ends, Leonard forever will be seen a key reason the team made the College Football Playoff during its first year under the 12-team format. And if you’d like to hear more from him, here’s a recent interview he did with NBC Sports’ Nicole Auerbach:

Best of luck to Leonard for the rest of the season.

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Josh Giddey reflects on time with Thunder, speaks about future in The Players’ Tribune

“More success is on the way.”

Oklahoma City Thunder fans don’t have a pleasant history when it comes to players publishing on The Players’ Tribune, but Josh Giddey is looking to break that stereotype.

Giddey wrote a column in The Players’ Tribune on Thursday, where he reflected on his first two seasons with the Thunder and thanked fans for their support.

The 20-year-old spoke glowingly of his teammates in the piece along with singing praise for head coach Mark Daigneault and general manager Sam Presti.

“Sam’s probably the best in the business at what he does, with what he’s done with all the picks and trades he’s made, and all the players he’s drafted. I think the best part about it, though, is that he’s never rushed. He never panicked or diverted from the path he saw the team going on.”

Giddey also praised the fanbase, noting how loud they’d get during home games, which the team fed off of in several points in the season in the midst of their playoff push.

“The atmosphere at Paycom is unbelievable when we’re rocking. Then this year we started winning a bit more, and something crazy happened. Haha. I didn’t even think this was possible, but the crowd took it to another level. You’re going to earn the name Loud City, no matter what kind of night we’re having. “

Lastly, Giddey signed off by expressing his excitement about the future of the Thunder, saying he thinks they’re just tapping into their potential as a young core coming off of a play-in tournament appearance.

“I love our group, man. And from the bottom of my heart, I love this city. We’re not even close to the team that we can be. And I think that’s a great position for us to be in.

More success is on the way.

See you in October.”

It’s a nice surprise to see Giddey be so grateful during his time with the Thunder. The 20-year-old will be a crucial part of OKC’s success in the future as he’s part of the young core.

As mentioned earlier, it’s also nice to see a positive OKC Players’ Tribune article, considering Kevin Durant famously used the platform to announce his decision to leave the Thunder for the Golden State Warriors in 2016.

To read the full piece, click here.

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Q&A: Stanford’s Haley Jones is on the precipice of an exciting new chapter, but first she wants to go out on top

Haley Jones has a lot to look forward to, but she’s trying to stay grounded.

Haley Jones is doing her best to stay in the moment.

The 2021 Final Four Most Outstanding Player and national champion has a chance to do something special one last time. Stanford is projected as a No. 1 seed for a third straight Women’s NCAA Tournament. The senior would love nothing more than to reach a third Final Four and go out on top.

But no matter when Jones’ illustrious college career comes to an end, she’ll be ready for what’s next.

Jones will be one of the first names off the board in April’s WNBA draft. She’s also dipping her toes into another future career, launching a podcast with The Players’ Tribune called Sometimes I Hoop. The podcast allows Jones to shine a light on her fellow basketball stars through conversations about their experiences on the court and interests away from the game. She’s already interviewed players like Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark.

FTW had a chance to chat with Jones about the podcast, her own hobbies, March Madness and more.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.