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With the month of May offering sports fans a full slate of events, including the NBA playoffs, Stanley Cup playoffs, Women’s College World Series, the Kentucky Derby, Champions League final and many more, there’s a lot to look forward to. So much so that ESPN The Magazine has dubbed May the “Month of Mayhem.” On the cover of the latest issue are Toronto Raptors stars DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, who after years of playoff disappointment are hell-bent on owning the road to the NBA Finals. ESPN’s Rachel Nichols sat down with DeRozan and Lowry to talk about their on-court evolution, tight bond and pride for the Great White North.

The Mag’s “Month of Mayhem” features other various NBA playoff pieces as well. In “Trust the Progress,” ESPN’s Micah Adams argues that the 76ers’Joel Embiid is even better than people thought. Additionally, senior writer Sam Alipour met up with Rockets big man and resident Francophile Clint Capela for a test of his culinary skills and to find out what he’s stirring up for the playoffs. And NBA writer Baxter Holmes looks at how the Warriors crush their opponents in “The Most Frightening 3 Minutes in the NBA.”

Additional “Month of Mayhem” highlights:

Petra Kvitova Will Not Be Broken  

Over a year after a violent attack almost ended her career, the two-time Wimbledon champ opens up about her injury, the recovery and how she plans to confront the clay at Roland Garros. By Bonnie D. Ford

House Money  

All it took for the Vegas Golden Knights to beat the odds—and 50 years’ worth of expansion-franchise failure—was a little luck, a lot of rotation and a few aces up their sleeves. By Emily Kaplan

The Toughest Out

The medical record of Georgia outfielder Kendall Burton is formidable. Her will to play softball? Even more so. By Wayne Drehs

A Quest for Pitch Perfection

Kelly Barnhill has logged a perfect game and a handful of no-hitters this season. So what’s the NCAA’s best pitcher still out to prove? By Jessica Mendoza  

Also in this issue:

“Crazy Talk”: Peter Keating’s column looks how there’s rarely a good reason to trade an elite talent, no matter the return package. Case in point: the Giants and Odell Beckham Jr.

“Skin Deep”: Tom Junod attempts to analyze Mike Tomlin, a coach who’s been celebrated and derided—but rarely understood.

“What Beats an Ace? This Guy”: Ahead of his 3,000th hit, Angels slugger Albert Pujols explains to writer Jerry Crasnick how he’s gotten the better of baseball’s best.

“To Live and Rhyme in LA”: Lakers guard Lonzo Ball brings Sam Alipour and The Mag into the studio to talk about his music career, fatherhood and LeBron’s next landing spot.

“The Walk-In”: Even with a midseason move from the glitz (and warmth!) of LA, Jordan Clarkson hasn’t lost his swag—or his patented hoodies. Stacey Pressman talks to the Cavs’ new guard.

 Silencing the Heritage”: The lineage of the black activist athlete was lost in the time of O.J., Jordan and Tiger. In this exclusive excerpt from his new book, The Heritage: Black Athletes, a Divided America, and the Politics of Patriotism, Howard Bryant explains how that lineage was found again.

“How She Got That Body”: In her 10th year as a pro, Hawaiian surfing royalty Coco Ho tells Charlotte Gibson how she’s perfected her stance on training, breathing and body confidence.

“Pratima’s Dream”: Raised in a maintenance shed on a golf course in Nepal, Pratima Sherpa aspires to become her country’s first woman professional golfer. By Tom Rinaldi and Kristen Lappas, in collaboration with SC Featured and espnW.

 

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