The rapid rise of Anthony Davis

Anthony Davis is the invention of a God who already built Kevin Durant and decided to get more creative.

Lee Jenkins | Dec 2, 2014

The rapid rise of Anthony Davis /

This story appears in the Dec. 9, 2014, issue of Sports Illustrated. Subscribe to the magazine here.

Anthony Davis returned to New Orleans after the best performance of his professional career and discovered that no one had seen it. The local Fox Sports affiliate broadcasts 77 Pelicans games but bypassed the Nov. 22 matchup at Utah, a middling opponent on a college football Saturday. League Pass subscribers could have watched Davis pulverize the Jazz with 43 points and 14 rebounds, but basic-cable viewers were out of luck. The next morning Davis received inquiries from several friends in town, including his barber, wondering what they missed and how they might catch a replay. Davis had to study the video anyway, so he invited a small group to his home in Metairie for a screening.

They sat on an L‑shaped sofa in the living room and relived their pal’s recital: runners off the glass, floaters in the lane, pull-up jumpers and two-handed jams. Davis blew by center Enes Kanter with a furious first step. He put guard Alec Burks on his rear with a block. He led fast breaks, finished alley-oops and converted a putback on a fourth try. Such sights have become common in this, the year of Anthony Davis—2014 A.D.—with all his powers accessible in 48-minute packages. The guests were awed. The host, however, was unmoved. “What do you say in that situation?” Davis wonders. “Hey, guys, check out this play I just made, it’s really good!” He shakes his head.

With little more than five minutes remaining in the third quarter, something finally happened to raise his illustrious eyebrows. Utah point guard Trey Burke ran a pick-and-roll on the right side with power forward Trevor Booker, and as Burke dribbled around the screen, Davis inched toward him. Burke threaded a pass to Booker at the right elbow, under one of Davis’s interminable arms, and Booker rushed unimpeded to the rim for the slam. Davis stopped the video and hit rewind, to the dismay of his audience. “They were looking for the dunks,” says Pelicans rookie Russ Smith, who swung by the postmortem. “He was looking for the mistakes.” Davis kept rewinding. “We were dropping on defense,” he explains. “I stayed up too high and gambled for the steal. That’s why Booker got behind me.”

Every few years the NBA presents a new prodigy, supernaturally gifted and relentlessly driven. Ant—as he is called, sans irony, like a bouncer named Tiny—is listed at 6' 10", 220 pounds (“245 now,” he interjects), with a wingspan longer than Yao Ming stands and a gait that can cover the floor in a dozen cartoonish strides. He is the invention of a God who already built Kevin Durant and decided to get more creative. Teammates compare Davis to a Gumby doll, a pogo stick and a variety of other outlandish toys, all elastic or spring-loaded. “I can throw the ball off the top of the backboard,” says point guard Jrue Holiday. “He’ll catch it.” The league has always attracted its share of acrobats, contortionists and high risers but never a postmodern giant quite like Davis, dribbling between his legs, elevating off one foot, sinking fadeaways and swatting them with equal assurance.

His game is a blend of art and economy. With LeBron James still acclimating in Cleveland and Durant rehabbing in Oklahoma City, Davis was the best player in the NBA through the first month of the season. At week’s end he ranked in the top 10 in points, rebounds, steals, blocks and field goal percentage. His Player Efficiency Rating was 33.3, according to basketball-reference.com, on pace for the highest ever. “He doesn’t take a bad shot,” says Pelicans coach Monty Williams, because for Davis, a leaner in traffic constitutes a clean look. Davis is doing all this, mind you, without anything resembling a go-to move. “He’s not like Kobe or Carmelo, where you put together a [defensive] plan for him and say, ‘If he gets the ball in this area, it’s a bucket,’ ” explains Kings center Ryan Hollins. “He doesn’t hurt you in one place. He hurts you everywhere.”

Davis is 21, a fact printed right there in the program but still met with incredulity around the NBA. “You’ve got to be s------- me,” says a Brow-beaten forward, recently pureed by Davis’s incessant spin moves and back cuts. “I want to check the birth certificate.” In many ways Ant acts his age. He sketches cartoons with Smith (“Russ went for SpongeBob, which is easy,” Davis moans. “I did Dil Pickles, from Rugrats”), regales the Pelicans with magic tricks (“I used to watch Criss Angel and David Blaine on YouTube”) and nicknames his pregame meal, tortellini and chicken breast, the double double. (“My chef is working on the triple double.”) Since New Orleans drafted him first, out of Kentucky in 2012, Davis claims to have never been on Bourbon Street, preferring pizzas to po’boys. During a dinner at Mellow Mushroom last season, the manager invited him to the kitchen, and instead of observing he helped the staff roll pies.

In other ways, though, Davis is 21 going on Tim Duncan. After piggybacking Team USA to the gold medal at the FIBA World Cup last summer in Spain, he returned to the Pelicans’ facility within 48 hours. He conducts his individual workouts before practice so teammates see him when they enter the gym. He interrupts timeouts with unfiltered announcements such as, “Can you believe this is what I wanted to do all my life and now I’m actually doing it?” Some look at him sideways, but not Williams, who played for San Antonio in the late 1990s when Duncan used to whisper, “Dude, we get paid to do this.”

Becoming the NBA’s next megastar, Davis’s clear destiny, requires far more than oversized appendages. The Pelicans estimate that he picks off about 10 points per game through sheer activity and intelligence—beating opponents down the court, cutting when they’re stationary, finding open spaces and suctioning up loose balls. “The reads, the timing, the motor, the way he always moves his body with a purpose,” says forward Ryan Anderson. “That’s what’s really special."

The chorus is growing in volume and number. In an annual preseason survey, general managers voted James the player they would select first if starting a franchise, with Davis and Durant tied for second. A popular basketball blog, The Friendly Bounce, launched the “Anthony Davis Alert” to update his exploits. ESPN already flexed another Pelicans game. Davis used to be approached by kids—“I love you, but my mom has no idea who you are,” was a common refrain—and now their parents are joining the crush. The club boosted security protocols around Davis this season to get in line with the league’s elite. He stays home more often, thanks to his new pool table.

Never mind that Davis hasn’t been to the playoffs yet and might very well fall short again. He finds himself in the same sweet spot occupied by Durant five years ago and James 10, where nobody is asking if he can “be a killer” or “win the big one.” The energy-drink commercials, the signature shoes, that’s all to come. At the moment he remains a phenomenon to behold, which is enough for everybody but him. “It makes you smile to see yourself becoming the player you want to be,” Davis says. “When people talk about the greatest ever, I want to be in that conversation. I’m nowhere close to it. No . . . where . . . close. But it’s where I want to go.”

America is littered with instasensations—from Silicon Valley to the sports world—who cannot handle the trappings of a sudden ascent. Davis is different. He’s experienced it before.

*****

Davis grew up on the South Side of Chicago, six blocks from Murray Park, where Derrick Rose was honing his dribble drive. But Davis was not allowed to walk six blocks, much less play at any of the nearby parks, for fear of the gangsters and drug dealers patrolling the Englewood area. Anthony Davis Sr., a carpenter, built a full-length basketball court in the backyard of the family’s three-story house so his son and two daughters could go one-on-one in peace. When the weather turned cold, Davis retreated to the gym at St. Columbanus School, where his uncle was athletic director. First he was just the little kid who sprinted onto the floor at timeouts and entertained the crowd with push shots. Then he graduated to more important jobs: taking tickets at the door, selling nachos at the concession stand, keeping the clock. His uncle rewarded him with a key.

High school and college players held pickup games at St. Columbanus, including one named Antwan Collins, who lost an older brother in a shooting. “I met Ant right after it happened, and for some reason I took to him,” says Collins. “I didn’t know if he’d be great at basketball. I just wanted him to have a good, long life.” Collins, who is 12 years older than Davis, drove him to and from the pickup sessions, which could stretch past midnight. Collins demanded to guard Davis, ensuring that the kid was constantly challenged but never discouraged.

Davis loved to hoop—he’d set up in the corner and launch threes—but he ignored recruiting rankings, quit AAU after eighth grade and attended a charter school with 200 students and no gym. The Wolves of Perspectives High practiced in a church that had breakaway rims and holes in the court before eventually upgrading to a middle school cafeteria. Cortez Hale was the 25-year-old coach with seven players on the roster. When Hale arrived at Perspectives, the athletic director told him, “You do have this one sophomore who wears goggles. He could be pretty good.”

“I’ll look out for him,” Hale said.

Warren Skalski/Chicago Tribune/TNS/Landov

The story of Davis’s astonishing growth spurt, from a 6' 2" sophomore who struggled to beat his big sister, to a 6' 10" senior who topped the recruiting lists, has been well told. He embraced his newfound length, after initially declining to dunk, and preserved his innate guard skills. But his profile did not automatically rise with his frame. Although Davis piled up points in the Blue Division of the Chicago Public League, notable teams play in the Red, and he finished his junior season with a single scholarship offer, from Cleveland State. “The plan was to go there,” Davis recalls, “then to the D‑League or overseas.” The vaunted AAU program MeanStreets invited Davis to try out, but he was intimidated during the first practice and informed his father in the car afterward that he would not return. “What are you talking about?” coach Jevon Mamon told Davis. “You have all the talent and ability. This may be different than what you’re used to, but trust us. You can do it.”

In April 2010, Davis played his first game for MeanStreets, in Merrillville, Ind. Daniel Poneman, a 19-year-old Chicago-based scout who lived with his parents in Evanston, showed up at halftime. He recorded the action on a Flip video camera. “I can be prone to hyperbole,” Poneman acknowledges, “but I was seeing things I’d never seen before: block a three, lead the break, dunk it, block another shot, lead another break, lay it in.” Poneman conducted a postgame interview—in which Davis said he intended to be a high school coach someday—then hurried home to upload the footage to his Facebook account. He didn’t have enough material, so he included clips of Jamari Traylor (now at Kansas), under the heading "MeanStreets Monsters." Poneman tagged about a dozen college coaches, most of whom called or texted by morning, with some variation of the same question: Oh, my God, is this real?

Davis was famous overnight, and in a sense, everything changed. When word reached Perspectives, many wondered if there was another Anthony Davis. But instead of transferring to one of the many Red Division schools that called or the prep factories back east, Davis returned to Perspectives. “He became like another assistant coach,” Hale says, recruiting playground all-stars, monitoring players’ grades and admonishing them for missed workouts. “I needed to be more aggressive that year,” recalls former teammate Manuel Whitfield. “Anthony would stand under the basket and make me dunk on him over and over again.” Technically, Davis played inside, but Perspectives was short on point guards, so he often brought the ball up before repositioning down low. He still gravitated toward the perimeter, raining threes at practice, sometimes with his backpack on.

NBA's No. 1 Draft Picks in the Lottery Era

1985: Patrick Ewing

1986: Brad Daugherty

1987: David Robinson

Damian Strohmeyer, David E. Klutho, Manny Millan, John W. McDonough/SI

1988: Danny Manning

1989: Pervis Ellison

1990: Derrick Coleman

1991: Larry Johnson

1992: Shaquille O'Neal

Manny Millan, John W. McDonough(2), Walter Iooss Jr./SI

1993: Chris Webber

1994: Glenn Robinson

1995: Joe Smith

1996: Allen Iverson

1997: Tim Duncan

1998: Michael Olowokandi

1999: Elton Brand

John W. McDonough/SI

2000: Kenyon Martin

2001: Kwame Brown

2002: Yao Ming

2003: LeBron James

Walter Iooss Jr.(2), John W. McDonough, Bill Frakes, Bob Rosato/SI; Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

2004: Dwight Howard

2005: Andrew Bogut

2006: Andrea Bargnani

2007: Greg Oden

2008: Derrick Rose

2009: Blake Griffin

2010: John Wall

2011: Kyrie Irving

2012: Anthony Davis

The Wolves prompted punch lines among college coaches. “They won six games his junior year,” says Kentucky coach John Calipari. “But they knocked it out of the park his senior year. They won seven.” Davis, however, graduated with a quality he might not have gained at a powerhouse like Oak Hill: Perspective. “I struggled with the losing,” he admits. “A lot of guys didn’t really want to play, and when something bad happened I’d jump all over them. But I knew it would make me a better leader.” He is informed that Whitfield, on the club team at Division III Babson College, recently dunked over a 7-footer. He claps proudly.

Davis is unusually nostalgic for his age. When he is on social media someone from the South Side inevitably refers to him as the kid who sold nachos, or sends him the MeanStreets Monsters video on YouTube. He opens the link for amusement and inspiration. Last summer Davis drove to St. Columbanus for pickup. This time Collins and Davis were on the same squad, and they won the first seven games running about a hundred pick-and-rolls. Collins works as a counselor at the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center, where he tells troubled children about a brother who perished in Englewood and another who prospered. “My brother would have loved A.D.,” Collins says, “just like I do.”

Those who watch Davis on a nightly basis, outracing guards and outleaping centers, believe he is spurred by an image of himself that’s now nearly five years old. “Anthony didn’t have all the stuff these other guys had since sixth grade,” Monty Williams says. “Everything happened so fast. He still remembers very clearly what people thought of him before. I think he still sees himself that way.”

*****

The lobby of the Saints’ headquarters in Metairie is full of glass display cases brimming with trophies, helmets and footballs. One case is devoted to the Pelicans, who share the facility with the Saints, and the prized artifact is four Ping-Pong balls. In 2011–12, when the Pelicans were still the Hornets, they went 21–45. The Cavaliers finished with an identical record, third worst in the NBA, so a coin flip was held to determine which team would get what four-number combinations in the draft lottery. The Cavs won, and if they hadn’t, Anthony Davis, rather than Dion Waiters, would play for them now. Cleveland entered the lottery with more combinations, but New Orleans owned the only one that mattered, 4967.

General manager Dell Demps had followed Davis for nearly a year, dating to his first practice at Lexington, when he tossed one jump hook way over the rim and slammed another off the backboard. “If we throw the ball to Anthony Davis in the post again, we’re all running!” Calipari hollered. Davis was mortified but motivated. He asked assistant coach Kenny Payne for extra tutoring, and they embarked on a crash course in jump hooks, drop steps and up-and-unders. “You want to stop eating McDonald’s and start eating steak?” Payne asked. Davis averaged a modest 14.2 points in his lone college campaign, but he muted Calipari and led the Wildcats to the national championship. “There were things he did that made me sit down,” Calipari says. “A touch pass, a lefty hook, a Ginóbili layup.”

Demps and Williams, who both played and worked for San Antonio, saw how the Spurs built around Duncan. New Orleans acquired Anderson in 2012 to space the floor for Davis, Holiday in ’13 to set him up and center Omer Asik in ’14 to ease his defensive burden. Some of the moves were debatable—Demps sent draft pick Nerlens Noel and a future first-round choice to Philadelphia for Holiday—but the Pelicans sought players whose primes would coincide with Davis’s. The plan was not always easy to understand, even for Davis. Williams limited his minutes as a rookie and bypassed him in late-game situations, protecting his confidence and his body.

When Davis got to New Orleans, he was 215 pounds and could not lift his own weight. “We’re going to move iron, brother,” Carlos Daniel, the team’s director of athletic performance, told him. Daniel’s program was old-fashioned, heavy on curls and squats, bench presses and leg presses, but it was effective. Davis started wearing sleeveless shirts to the training room and stealing glances in the mirror. As a rookie Davis tried backing down 250-pounders, to no avail. He bent like a willow tree. Williams gave him a mantra, “Pick-a-spot,” which reminded him to face up, drive and fire. But by Year Two, Davis was able to hold his position inside, and Williams said, “I’m taking the cuffs off. You’ve got to play.”

Davis was an All-Star last season, still fast enough to lap centers, but suddenly sturdy enough to muscle power forwards. He beefed up to 240 pounds for the World Cup, using the event as a dry run, and appeared unstoppable. The NBA braced for Year Three, when so many immortals arrive. Davis is getting his first glimpse of defenses geared entirely to stop him. They front him in the post, tag him on pick-and-rolls and leave the weakside corner to double him. When he catches at the elbow, where the Pelicans like to isolate him, opponents step back and give him the 15-footer. “You’ve just got to knock that down,” Kobe Bryant told Davis after a game against the Lakers this season. He can hit that 15-footer, thanks in part to player development coach Kevin Hanson, who successfully raised Davis’s release. He can also hit it because he used to take that shot all the time, before he ever dreamed of jump hooks.

His hero back then was his cousin Keith Chamberlain, a St. Columbanus regular who plays for the Reno Bighorns of the D-League. On Nov. 18, Chamberlain and a teammate drove two hours from Reno to Sacramento because the Pelicans were visiting the Kings. “We looked up at the scoreboard in the fourth quarter and he had 25,” Chamberlain recalls. “We didn’t notice. But there were so many tip-ins, putbacks, energy plays, instinct plays, dives, lobs. It’s scary to think about what he’ll be when he figures everything out.”

Notable Unibrows in Sports History

Anthony Davis

Joe Flacco

Alex Ovechkin

Wally Moon

Andy Etchebarren

Major League Baseball Photos/MLB Photos via Getty Images

Jose Bosingwa

Carlos Tevez

Miroslav Satan

Stan Javier

Bill Buckner

Ramon Rivas

Gheorghe Muresan

Bobby Holik

Roman Cechmanek

Nery Castillo

Marouane Fellaini

Jack Clark

Miguel Indurain

Sebastian Abreu

Sammy Stewart

Warren Brusstar

Davis misses family badly, so he was thrilled to see his cousin in Sacramento, and his parents a week later in New Orleans. The Pelicans were facing the Kings again, but this time Davis did not have 25 in the fourth. He finished with 14 on 4-of-12 shooting in a dispiriting loss. Afterward his mother and father waited for him in the hallway outside the family room at Smoothie King Center. Anthony Sr. and Erainer look like a regular couple, 6' 2" and 5' 10", instead of genetic engineers. “I hear people comparing him to Hakeem Olajuwon,” Anthony Sr. says, raising his own eyebrows. Anthony Sr. played at Hyde Park Academy in Chicago and still texts his son before every game: “Have fun. Get the team engaged.” He frets over free throws, which is hardly a problem for Davis, who is shooting 80.4% from the line.

Eventually Davis emerged from the locker room and strode briskly down the hallway in a hoodie and jeans. He looked annoyed, bordering on angry. It was just one early-season dud, amid a raft of highlights, but he continued past the family room. His dad did not stop him, or remind him of all the stunning things he had already accomplished, because suffering is another part of star-making. Ten years ago, while everybody fawned over James, he fumed as the Cavaliers struggled. Five years ago it was Durant’s turn to stew, each time the Thunder fell in the final minutes. Now, the mantle is passed to Davis, who will continue to earn plaudits and endure disappointments. The Pelicans are a .500 team, in a brutal conference, and Davis can console himself with the knowledge that he is young and gifted and adored. But the great ones never do.

He kept walking.

2014 Sports Illustrated Covers

Ohio State

December 29, 2014 | The Buckeyes are down to their third-string quarterback for coach Urban Meyer, who is two victories away from claiming his third national title. *This is a double issue: Dec. 29, 2014 0 Jan. 5, 2015.

Oregon

December 29, 2014 | Oregon’s high-powered offense led by Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota looks to lead the Ducks to their first national championship.

Florida State

December 29, 2014 | Florida State, winners of 29 straight games, are led last year’s Heisman winner Jameis Winston and a resiliency unmatched in college football.

Alabama

December 29, 2014 | The Crimson Tide are back in the title hunt, seeking their fourth national championship in the last six seasons.

Jon Lester

December 22, 2014 | Jon Lester’s arrival in Chicago, along with a six-year $155 million contract, has expectations high for the "lovable losers," who are now 12-1 favorites to win the 2015 World Series.

Colin Kaepernick

December 22, 2014 | The San Francisco 49ers three-year NFC Championship game appearance run is coming to end and head coach Jim Harbaugh’s tenure with the team could soon be coming to an end as well.

Madison Bumgarner

December 15, 2014 | San Francisco Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner had a postseason for the ages, giving up only six earned runs while pitching a record 52 2/3 innings helping the Giants to their third World Series title in the past five seasons. He is seventh MLB pitcher to be awarded Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year.

Anthony Davis

December 8, 2014 | The Pelicans do-it-all forward Anthony Davis is headed for superstardom, complete with an offensive game that’s hard to defend and a fearless defensive presence around the basket.

Melvin Gordon

December 8, 2014 | Wisconsin’s record-setting running back Melvin Gordon has his sights on the FBS single-season rushing record and the Heisman Trophy.

Jordy Nelson

December 1, 2014 | Big, strong and fast, Jordy Nelson is perhaps the NFL's best deep threat and undoubtedly one of the league's best receivers, even though he hasn't always been recognized as such. On pace to finish atop the franchise's all-time leaders in receptions and receiving yards, Nelson, who's on this week's SI cover, is a solid bet to make his first Pro Bowl this season, and he's helped the Packers (8-3) become a Super Bowl contender once again.

Jonas Gray

November 24, 2014 | The Patriots may have a found another diamond in the rough, this time with undrafted running back Jonas Gray, who ran for 199 yards and 4 touchdowns in a Monday night victory over the Colts.

P.K. Subban

November 24, 2014 | One of the NHL’s best defensemen, P.K. Subban of the Canadiens. hopes to help bring the Stanley Cup to Montreal for the first time since 1993.

J.J. Watt

November 17, 2014 | The NFL’s most dominate defensive player, Texans All-Pro J.J. Watt, wants to focus on nothing else but the next play and piling up victories.

November 17, 2014 | The Arizona Cardinals are sporting the league’s best record, despite injuries across the board, including to their starting quarterback.

College Basketball preview: Duke

November 10, 2014 | Freshman Jahlil Okafor and the Blue Devils have the nation’s No. 1 recruit class and will look to avoid last season’s disappointment after losing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Mercer.

College Basketball preview: Kentucky

November 10, 2014 | With nine talented McDonald's All-Americans on the roster and sky-high expectations, preseason No. 1 Kentucky leads a pack of teams looking to reach the Final Four in Indianapolis.

College Basketball preview: Wisconsin

November 10, 2014 | Paced by the nation’s most efficient offense, Wisconsin and Wooden award candidate Frank Kaminsky look to dethrone Michigan State as the Big Ten’s top team.

College Basketball preview: Texas

November 10, 2014 | With five returning starters plus freshman Myles Turner, Texas may just have enough to end Kansas and its 10-year stranglehold on the Big 12.

College Basketball preview: Arizona

November 10, 2014 | The Wildcats are paced by a ferocious defense and another stellar recruiting class but can they break through to get to the Final Four?

The World Series

November 10, 2014 | San Francisco’s third World Series victory in five seasons can be credited by a dominate pitching performance by Madison Bumgarner and a shrewd front office that is built to win.

The World Series special issue

November 3, 2014 | SI's special digital edition on the heels of the San Francisco Giants winning Game 7 of the World Series over the Kansas City Royals.

The World Series, Royals and Giants

November 3, 2014 | As the World Series comes to a close, the Giants and Royals try to play the kind of baseball that got them this far: playing stingy defense to go along with outstanding pitching.

Seattle Seahawks

November 3, 2014 | Admit reports of locker room turmoil, the Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks win over the Panthers on Sunday have quieted their critics…..for now.

NBA Previews

October 27, 2014 | The Cleveland Cavaliers squarely have a target on their backs after LeBron James and Kevin Love joined the team. But does that make them the favorites for the championship?

Kansas City Royals

October 27, 2014 | The World Series between the Royals and Giants may lack power hitting prowess, but will feature plenty of running, timely hitting and outstanding pitching.

Dak Prescott

October 20, 2014 | Mississippi State quarterback and Heisman candidate Dak Prescott has the Bulldogs sitting on top of the polls after a shocking run through some of the top teams in the SEC.

Homeless Athletes

October 20, 2014 | There are thousands of homeless athletes around the United States and an SI investigation found that most of them thrive and survive with the help of sports.

Ole Miss and Mississippi State

Jason Parkhurst/SI (Ole Miss), Simon Bruty/SI

October 13, 2014 | The Magnolia State was front and center of the college football universe last Saturday, with Ole Miss and Mississippi State scoring historic victories and throwing the college football playoff into complete chaos.

Kansas City Royals

October 13, 2014 | Lacking power, but plenty of speed, the Kansas City Royals are four victories from their first World Series appearance since 1985.

Adam Jones and Alex Ovechkin

Jonathan Bielaski/SI (Jones), Simon Bruty/SI (Ovechkin)

October 6, 2014 | Hoping to avoid early playoff exits, fans of the Beltway teams pins its championship hopes on Orioles outfielder Adam Jones and Capitals center Alex Ovechkin.

Adam Wainwright and T. J Oshie

October 6, 2014 | The St. Louis Cardinals and St. Louis Blues, led by Adam Wainwright and T. J Oshie, look to get past last year’s disappointing playoff exits.

Clayton Kershaw and Anze Kopitar

October 6, 2014 | Although Los Angeles has no NFL team, Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw and Kings forward Anze Kopitar are making sure that fans in the area don't miss America's most popular sport.

Derek Jeter

September 29, 2014 | As New York Yankees shortshop Derek Jeter closes the book on a 20-year career, he reflects on what has changed in the time that he has been in pinstripes.

Marcus Mariota

September 22, 2014 | Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota is almost certainly going to be a first-round NFL draft pick next year, but why are scouts so high on him?

Ray Rice

September 15, 2014 | The focus is now on the National Football League and how they handled the situation involving former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice.

Andrew Luck

September 8, 2014 | The case can be made that Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck is already one of the NFL’s best at his position. Just don’t tell him that.

Andrew McCutchen

September 8, 2014 | The National League’s reigning MVP Andrew McCutchen is leading the Pirates back to another possible playoff berth.

Tony Romo and Nick Foles

Trevor Paulhus/SI (Romo); Al Tielemans/SI (Foles)

September 1, 2014 | The NFC East features two of the most talented signal callers in the league in Tony Romo and Nick Foles. But if neither team’s defense shows up, both might be sitting at home watching the playoffs this season.

Russell Wilson and Colin Kaepernick

Rod Mar/SI (Wilson); Robert Beck/SI (Kaepernick)

September 1, 2014 | The NFC West title goes through Seattle, but the 49ers and quarterback Colin Kaepernick will try to reach the NFC Championship for a fourth straight year.

Drew Brees and Matt Ryan

William Widmer SI (Brees); Al Tielemans/SI (Ryan)

September 1, 2014 | Atlanta and New Orleans both have enough offensive firepower to outscore anyone. And outscoring, and not stopping opponents might be enough to win the NFC South.

Jay Cutler and Matthew Stafford

Simon Bruty/SI (Cutler); Joe Vaughn SI (Stafford)

September 1, 2014 | Two quarterbacks, Chicago’s Jay Cutler and Detroit’s Matthew Stafford, look to detrone the Packers in the NFC North and lead their teams to a division title.

Mo'ne Davis

August 25, 2014 | Mo'ne Davis, a 5-foot-4 inch, 111-pound eighth grader is not only taking the Little League World Series by storm, but the rest of the nation is starting to take notice as well.

Kobe Bryant

August 25, 2014 | Lakers star Kobe Bryant knows the end of his career is near, but is doing to things to prolong a Hall of Fame legacy and to set up for his future.

Kansas City Royals

August 25, 2014 | After nearly 30 years of missing the playoffs, the AL Central leading Kansas City Royals are on the brink of joining the postseason party.

Florida State

August 18, 2014 | Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston seeks to become the first back-to-back winner in almost 40 years. The Seminoles are also big favorites to repeat as national champions.

Alabama

August 18, 2014 | Alabama wide receiver Amari Cooper hopes to bounce back from a disappointing 2013 season, by leading the Crimson Tide back to the title game.

Oklahoma

August 18, 2014 | Oklahoma quarterback Trevor Knight looks for a repeat performance after bursting on the scene by shredding Alabama’s defense in the Sugar Bowl.

UCLA

August 18, 2014 | UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley passed up NFL riches to try to lead UCLA back into the national spotlight.

Ohio State

August 18, 2014 | Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller looks for a better end of the season, after two consecutive losses knocked the Buckeyes out of the championship picture.

The 60th Anniversary Issue

Mark Kauffman/Sports Illustrated; Photomosaic by Robert Silvers

August 11, 2014 | With over 3,000 covers spanning the last seven decades, Sports Illustrated's 60th anniversary issue pays tribute to the readers as the cover features a mosaic with thousands of reader submitted photos.

Brett Hundley

Dustin Snipes/SI; Illustration by: Nicole Zigmont

August 4, 2014 | UCLA quarterback and Heisman Trophy hopeful Brett Hundley passed up NFL riches to try to lead the Bruins back to national prominence.

LeSean McCoy

Simon Bruty/SI; Illustration by: Nicole Zigmont

August 4, 2014 | The NFL’s leading rusher in 2013, LeSean McCoy credits offseason workouts for the reason he has been able to stay healthy.

Jamaal Charles

Carlos M. Saaverda/SI; Illustration by: Nicole Zigmont

August 4, 2014 | Jamaal Charles, SI’s No. 1 fantasy running back, accounted for 35 percent of the Kansas City Chiefs offense, while leading the team in rushing and receiving.

Eddie Lacy

Jeff Hanisch/USA Today Sports; Illustration by: Nicole Zigmont

August 4, 2014 | The NFL’s offensive rookie of the year looks to improve on an 1,100 yard rushing season.

Rory McIlroy

July 28, 2014 | Rory McIlroy keeps things in perspective as he is shooting to complete the career Grand Slam at next year’s Masters.

Drew Brees

July 28, 2014 | As Saints quarterback Drew Brees enters his 14th NFL season, he relies on flexibility, core stability and rotational strength to keep in shape.

LeBron James

July 21, 2014 | Cleveland has reason to believe again after LeBron James decided to rejoin the Cavaliers. SI takes a closer look at how James' return came together and what it means for Northern Ohio.

Ernie Banks

July 7-14 | When you think of the Chicago Cubs, the first name that usually comes to mind is Ernie Banks. Banks, along with former Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Nate Newton, are featured in SI's "Where are they now?" double issue. In the issue, Banks explains why the Cubs haven't won a World Series since 1908. "First of all, Wrigley Field. It's a different place to play," Banks tells SI's Rich Cohen. "I mean, the wind blows all kinds of ways. Foul lines are very close to the wall."

Nate Newton

July 7-14 | Nate Newton and his fellow Dallas Cowboys linemen helped running back Emmitt Smith win four rushing titles.

George Springer

June 30, 2014 | This week's Sports Illustrated cover features Houston Astros rookie right fielder George Springer, who is trying to help the team climb out of baseball's cellar. Springer, who has 14 home runs and 39 RBI in only 59 games this season, along with major league hits leader Jose Altuve, still have some work to do as Houston sits at 33-45, good for last place in the American League West as of June 25. Check out the Sports Illustrated print edition this week (subscribe here) for SI.com writer Ben Reiter’s piece on how scouting and modern-day metrics are potentially building the Astros toward championship contention in the future.

Chuck Noll

June 23, 2014 | Chuck Noll, the coach behind the Pittsburgh Steelers' famed "Steel Curtain" defense, was undoubtedly one of the greatest coaches ever to man an NFL sideline. In 23 seasons, Noll compiled a 209-156-1 record, but the Hall of Fame coach will be remembered most for leading the Steelers to four Super Bowl victories in six years. Noll died in his sleep at his Pittsburgh-area home last week at the age of 82. This week's Sports Illustrated features remembrances from SI senior writer Tim Layden and former Pittsburgh running back Rocky Bleier, who anchored the backfield of those championship Steeler teams.

Stanley Cup

June 23, 2014 | The goal by defenseman Alec Martinez at 14:43 of double overtime in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final capped one of the most remarkable championship runs in NHL history. En route to winning their second Cup since 2012, the gritty, resilient Los Angeles Kings became the league's first team to win three Game 7s on the road during the same postseason, and the first to play as many as 26 games before securing the coveted chalice. They also survived seven playoff games in which they could have been eliminated, and rallied from two-goal deficits four times, including the first two matches of their final series against the New York Rangers. In this week's issue of Sports Illustrated, Brian Cazeneuve explores how General Manager Dean Lombardi has built a model franchise and budding dynasty with a shrewd philosophy.

NBA Finals

June 23, 2014 | San Antonio demolished Miami so quickly in the NBA Finals that it required real effort to catalog all of the ways the Spurs had distinguished themselves from their previous title teams, from past NBA champions, and from the other 29 teams that competed for a title this season. Boiling down the Spurs' standout characteristics into a laundry list of adjectives might look something like this: dominant, international, systematic, deep, explosive, fluid, unselfish, balanced, disciplined, focused, redemptive and fun. In a cover story for the June 23 issue of Sports Illustrated, Lee Jenkins touches on many of these attributes as he traces San Antonio's return from a devastating 2013 Finals loss to Miami.

NHL and NBA

Robert Beck/SI, Greg Nelson/SI. Inset photos by: Robert Beck/SI and John W. McDonough/SI

June 16, 2014 | The cover of Sports Illustrated this week announces the NHL's return to that most coveted of all states: hotness. The league has reached this scorching status for, presumably, the first time since 1994, when the cover on which this week's issue riffs ? WHY THE NHL'S HOT AND THE NBA'S NOT ? originally ran as an SI cover.

Cristiano Ronaldo

June 9, 2014 | There is no small effort involved in getting the three best soccer players in the world (Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Suárez) and the captain of the U.S. national team (Clint Dempsey) on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine in the same week. But that's exactly what SI did for our World Cup 2014 preview issue, which features four different covers, all of which are mixed evenly in the distribution of magazines to subscribers and newsstands this week. It's a historic moment for soccer in SI, the 19th time the sport has appeared on the cover of the magazine since it started being published weekly in 1954. Messi, Ronaldo and Suárez are making their first appearances on the cover, while Dempsey is on the front for the second time.

Clint Dempsey

June 9, 2014

Luis Suarez

June 9, 2014

Lionel Messi

June 9, 2014

New York Rangers

June 2, 2014 | From out of the shadow of tragedy, the Rangers have gone on a stirring playoff run that has fueled the passion of their devoted fans, summoned memories of the team's epic journey to the Stanley Cup in 1994 and become one of the most compelling stories of the NHL's postseason. In this week's issue of Sports Illustrated, Brian Cazeneuve examines how the Broadway Blueshirts, with new coach Alain Vigneault and a mix of veteran stars and homegrown talent, have shed decades of mediocrity.

Troy Tulowitzki

June 2, 2014 | Troy Tulowitzki has been the best player in baseball through the first two months of the season, and that hot start has landed him a regional cover of Sports Illustrated. In this week's issue, staff writer Ben Reiter profiles the early National League MVP favorite, who has been tattooing the ball all season, especially in the friendly confines of Coors Field.

Adam Silver

Painting by Tim O'Brien, photo reference by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

May 26, 2014 | The first 100 days of new NBA commissioner Adam Silver's administration has been like no other in sports history. In this week's SI cover story, staff writer Lee Jenkins explains how a life both privileged and unconventional prepared Silver for this moment.

Kevin Durant

140513110302-20covv12-durant-promo-single-image-cut.jpg — John McDonough/SI

May 19, 2014 | After winning the NBA's Most Valuable Player award for the first time in his career, Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant appears on the cover of this week's Sports Illustrated. In the Sports Illustrated cover story, Durant is profiled by SI's Chris Ballard, who examines the Thunder star's quest for the only missing piece of hardware in his trophy case: an NBA title.

Carlos Gomez

May 19, 2014 | Flamboyant, outspoken and one of baseball's best players: Carlos Gomez has raised a lot of attention as the table-setter for the Brewers, and his rise from former top prospect to MVP candidate has him gracing one of the regional covers of the May 19 issue of Sports Illustrated.

Johnny Manziel

Brad Penner/USA Today, Michael J. Lebrecht II/SI (background)

May 19, 2014 | Some went wild when the Cleveland Browns selected Johnny Manziel at No. 22 overall, but many Clevelanders remain wary of Johnny Football. Mark Bechtel details that tension in this week's issue of Sports Illustrated.

Mike Trout

May 12, 2014 | Baseball's best player now has his own national Sports Illustrated cover. This week's issue features Mike Trout, the Angels' superstar and the best young player in the game, as he pushes forward with a career that has already been historically great. Along the way, SI senior writer Tom Verducci tries to answer the question of just how good Trout can be.

Jose Abreu

May 12, 2014 | Jose Abreu, whose power has already made him a force to be reckoned with in the majors, landed SI's regional cover this week.

Johnny Manziel

May 5, 2014 | The most polarizing figure in the 2014 NFL draft graces the cover of Sports Illustrated's NFL draft preview issue. Former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel has been called everything from a future All-Pro to a bust waiting to happen. What's the reality? TheMMQB's Peter King sat down with five of the best quarterback evaluators in the business to get a definitive read on Johnny Football.

Max Scherzer

April 28, 2014 | Why would a man turn down $144 million? In this week's cover story, that's the question Albert Chen asked Max Scherzer, who rejected a lucrative extension offer from the Detroit Tigers.

Boston Strong

April 21, 2014 | The people of Boston made a strong showing? would you expect anything else?? when SI put out a casting call for a photo shoot last Saturday at the Boston Marathon finish line on Boylston Street, steps from where two bombs exploded on Patriots' Day last year. A crowd of 3,000, including runners who were near the blast, first responders and mayor Marty Walsh, arrived by 7 a.m. to celebrate the city's?and the race's?resilience in the face of the terror attacks. This week's bonus feature from SI Senior Writer Scott Price, "Start at the Finish" focuses on the marathon and examines the lives of more than 15 people who were affected by the bombing, all of whom bring a different perspective to the race. He writes, "The Boston Marathon can't help but regenerate itself. It will always be new because there's something about its history and civic fervor, its oddly attractive personal toll, even its most catastrophic moment, that makes converts of us all." Also part of this week's Boston package is "The Point After," written by David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox. His firsthand account explains how proud he is of the city and its citizens, and how incredible the recovery process has been in the last 12 months. Says Ortiz: "If I had to make a speech this year on Patriots' Day, I'd say, 'God continue to bless America.' Because even though it began with so much pain and tragedy, the last 12 months have been a blessing." Behind the scenes (VIDEO): 'Boston Strong' cover shoot, one year later BISHOP: A year after the Marathon bombings, Bill Iffrig reflects on tragedy

Connecticut

On Monday night, the UConn Huskies defeated the Kentucky Wildcats 60-54 to win the school's fourth national championship. It was the end of a remarkable and improbable run for the Huskies, which were a No. 7 seed coming into the NCAA tournament and had to defeat the Nos. 2 (Villanova), 3 (Iowa State) and 4 (Michigan State) seeds in the East regional. In the national semifinal, they defeated the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament, the Florida Gators, before taking down the Gators' SEC rivals for the title. Shabazz Napier, who was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, averaged 26.2 points per game in the Huskies' six-game stretch. In the cover story, senior writer Michael Rosenberg describes UConn's journey "from the brink of the abyss to a fourth national title."

Kentucky

Kentucky and Wisconsin, winners of the Midwest and West regionals, respectively, each earned a cover of Sports Illustrated this week. In the Final Four previews, our writers make a case for each of the Final Four teams ? and take you inside Kentucky's incredible run to Dallas.

Wisconsin

Masahiro Tanaka

Chuck Solomon/SI, Photo Illustration by Stephen Skalocky

Sports Illustrated's 2014 MLB season preview is here, led by the newest Japanese star, Masahiro Tanaka. The Yankees' $175 million investment and former star in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball is the national cover for SI¹s preview issue, which also features three additional regional covers. Angels superstar Mike Trout, new Mariners slugger Robinson Cano, and Cardinals stalwart Yadier Molina landed the other three covers.

Yadier Molina

Simon Bruty/SI, Photo Illustration by Stephen Skalocky

Sports Illustrated's 2014 MLB season preview is here, and Cardinals stalwart Yadier Molina graces one of the regional covers.

Robinson Cano

Robert Beck/SI, Photo Illustration by Stephen Skalocky

Sports Illustrated's 2014 MLB season preview is here, and Mariners slugger Robinson Cano graces one of the regional covers.

Mike Trout

Sports Illustrated's 2014 MLB season preview is here, and Angels superstar Mike Trout graces one of the regional covers.

Florida

The Gators have rattled off 26 straight wins, picking up an outright SEC championship along the way. The No. 1 overall seed looks strong heading into the NCAA tournament and will face favorable matchups in the South regional.

Syracuse

Syracuse struggled down the stretch, but don't forget about a team that started the season 25-0. Canadian import Tyler Ennis has proved his ability to make game-winning plays throughout the regular season and will be ready to do the same in the Big Dance.

Wichita State

140318113151-12covv24-wichst-promo-single-image-cut.jpg — Al Tielemans/SI, Darren Carroll/SI (Carr inset), Scott K. Brown/SI (McDaniel inset)

In the regular season, no team could stop the Shockers, as they finished 34-0. The Shockers face an incredibly difficult road to the Final Four in a Midwest region stacked with talent, and they're picking up doubters left and right -- but maybe that's just what they want.

Michigan State

140318113136-12covv24-michst-promo-single-image-cut.jpg — Al Tielemans/SI, Erick Rasco/SI (Cleaves inset)

Gary Harris has been the go-to guy for the Spartans all season, and now he's got a fully healthy team behind him. Never bet against Tom Izzo in March.

Arizona

Arizona spent eight weeks at No. 1 before losing Brandon Ashley ? and some games. But now the Wildcats have rediscovered their mojo and are ready to make a run in the tournament.

Connecticut

The defending national champion UConn Huskies enter the tournament with a perfect 34-0 record, and hope to finish it off with the fifth perfect season in school history and a record ninth women's NCAA title.

Doug McDermott

After surpassing 3,000 points in his already illustrious collegiate career, Doug McDermott lands on the cover of Sports Illustrated this week. The image is inspired by a cover of Larry Bird, "College Basketball's Secret Weapon," from Nov. 28, 1977. In this issue's cover story, "The Hypnotic Doug McDermott," Luke Winn explains McDermott's calm and recounts the landmark moments from his four years at Creighton. You will learn incredible details about college basketball's best player.

Rising Stars: Doug McDermott (SI VIDEO)

Pete Rose

This week's Sports Illustrated cover is a trip back in time. Pete Rose, the all-time MLB hits leader and one of the most polarizing figures in the sport's history, graces the cover of the March 10 issue. The reason for Charlie Hustle's stint on the cover? The upcoming release of Kostya Kennedy's Rose biography, "Pete Rose: An American Dilemma." In his book, Kennedy provides a detailed look back at Rose's life, as well as a portrait of the Hit King in retirement, and re-evaluates Rose's lifetime ban from baseball for gambling.

Mikaela Shiffrin

18-year-old Mikaela Shiffrin overcame her nerves and escaped a near-fall to win gold in the Olympic slalom, becoming the first U.S. women's slalom medalist since 1972 and the youngest Olympic slalom gold medalist. With her youth, Shiffrin is poised to become the face of Team USA for future Winter Olympics.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

For the first time in a decade, NASCAR's favorite son finished on top of its signature race as Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the checkered flag in the Daytona 500. The victory offered hope of better times for the ever-popular Earnhardt, who won just his third race since 2006. Earnhardt's second win in the Daytona 500 gave him one more than his dad.

Jonathan Toews - Canada

For the third time in the five Olympics since NHL players began participating, Canada claimed the gold medal in men's hockey. The Canadians dominated the competition, eliminating the U.S. in the semifinals before blanking Sweden 3-0 in the gold-medal game, including a goal from Jonathan Toews. With the NHL refusing to commit to future Olympics, this could be the last truly insurmountable Olympic hockey championship squad.

Jabari Parker and Mike Krzyzewski

Al Tielemans/SI, Jamie Squire/Getty Images (inset)

Freshman phenom Jabari Parker chose to attend Duke despite having interest from schools closer to home. In his intimate profile, Jeff Benedict explains Parker's decision and describes his tight-knit relationship with coach Mike Krzyzewski. The two appear together on one of Sports Illustrated's regional covers this week.

Wichita State

The Wichita State Shockers appear on the other regional cover. The Shockers, one of two remaining undefeated teams in Division I (Syracuse is the other), face every opponent's best game after their Final Four run a year ago.

Michael Sam

Defensive end Michael Sam wanted the NFL team that drafts him to have no doubts about his sexuality. Now he is poised to become the league's first openly gay player. His Missouri teammates accept him. Will the pros?

Michael Bennett, Brandon Mebane and Peyton Manning

After dropping the boom on Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII, Seattle Seahawks defenders Michael Bennett and Brandon Mebane appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated to commemorate Seattle's first NFL title. "This was Seattle's first championship since they joined the league as an expansion franchise in 1976," writes senior writer S.L. Price in this week's cover story. "Before their run to the Super Bowl in 2006 [an XL loss to the Steelers], they had gone a record 21 years without a playoff win, and until this season always seemed a step behind their rivals in San Francisco. But the unique identity created in 2010 by owner Paul Allen, GM John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll ? brainy, upbeat and tough -- proved perfect for transforming unheralded talent into a smart and singularly fierce outfit."

Bode Miller

For the first time ever, Sports Illustrated has four Olympic Preview covers. U.S women's Alpine skier Mikaela Shriffin, U.S. figure skater Gracie Gold, U.S. men's Alpine skier Bode Miller and U.S. snowboarders Jamie Anderson and Arielle Gold all appear on this week's covers. Each athlete brings his or her own unique story to the Olympics and gives viewers a reason to stay tuned throughout the upcoming games.

Gracie Gold

Mikaela Shiffrin

Jamie Anderson and Arielle Gold

Richard Sherman

Richard Sherman, the talk of the NFL since the NFC title game, appears on one of Sports Illustrated's national covers this week.

Peyton Manning

In advance of Super Bowl XLVIII, Peyton Manning and the Broncos appear on one of Sports Illustrated's national covers this week.

LaGarrette Blount

With Championship Sunday upon us, this week's issue of Sports Illustrated features the New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos.

Seahawks

With Championship Sunday upon us, this week's issue of Sports Illustrated features the New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos.

Wes Welker

With Championship Sunday upon us, this week's issue of Sports Illustrated features the New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos.

Florida State, BCS Champs

January 13, 2014 | The SEC's reign of unchallenged dominance is over. Florida State brought that to an end with its 34-31 comeback victory over Auburn in the BCS National Championship Game on Monday night, placing the Seminoles back atop the college football world. Fresh off the win, Florida State adorns the national cover of the Jan. 13 issue of Sports Illustrated. In the cover image, Seminoles wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin leaps into the air to snag the game-winning touchdown pass with 13 seconds remaining. Senior writer Andy Staples shares the story of the game from Pasadena, Calif. ? a dramatic, down-to-the-wire contest in which the Seminoles compiled the largest comeback in the 16-year history of the BCS title game ? and puts the monumental win in context.

Philip Rivers

140108102432-02covv15chargers-promo-single-image-cut.jpg — Joe Robbins/AP

January 13, 2014 | Don't write off the San Diego Chargers as Super Bowl contenders, writes Andy Benoit in this week's issue of Sports Illustrated. Leading the Bolts' surge is Philip Rivers, who has experienced a renaissance under first-year coach Mike McCoy.

Knowshon Moreno

140108102435-02covv17broncos-promo-single-image-cut.jpg — Illustration by Guy Stauber

January 13, 2014 | Moments before the Broncos kicked off against the Chiefs on Dec. 1, Denver Broncos RB Knowshon Moreno had a moment to remember. As the national anthem blasted from the stadium's speakers,tears streaked down Moreno's face. It prompted the question: What could bring a running back in the midst of a breakout year on one of the best teams in the NFL to tears? In this week's issue of Sports Illustrated, senior writer Tim Layden finds the truth behind Moreno's tears.

Andrew Luck

January 13, 2014 | Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts playing in Super Bowl XLVIII in New York? It could happen, says Andy Benoit in this week's issue of Sports Illustrated. Fresh off an improbable comeback over the Chiefs, the Colts are rolling ? and Luck is the reason why.

Published Dec 2, 2014

LEE JENKINS

Lee Jenkins joined Sports Illustrated as a senior writer in 2007. Since 2010 his primary beat has been the NBA, and he has profiled the league's biggest stars, including LeBron James and Kevin Durant.