AG

Senior Editor, @PlayersTribune

[B/R Football @brfootball]

9/10 African nations at the 2026 World Cup have advanced to the knockouts.

Incredible 👏🇨🇻🇸🇳🇨🇮🇬🇭🇲🇦🇩🇿🇪🇬🇨🇩🇿🇦

[yzyupdates @yzyupdates]

OG Anunoby game-winner x Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1 😭😭🔥🔥

Absolute cinema

[Paul Pierce @paulpierce34]

Never seen this a team best players all on rookie deals in the chip

[Liim Lasalle @LiimLasalle]

One hunderd thou wow on this

[Conor Williams @sadfilmcritic]

I’m in The Whitney Review of New Writing with a review of AH!MERICA, a book of Allen Ginsberg’s lectures on William Blake, Whitman, Bob Dylan at the Naropa Institute.

[Mils 🤍 @_milssssssss]

Naomi Osaka and Taylor Townsend hosted a dinner party for the black tennis players! 🥹🖤

[The Introverted Joy 🤍 @joyalana_]

Eve performing ‘Hot Boyz’ verse (2001)

[vampire workday @imbobswaget]

sisqo talking about his inspiration for writing the thong song simply one of the best things i’ve ever heard

[Devika Girish @devikagirgayi]

Here's a little dream come true, the product of so much heart, thought, and effort by some of the best people I know. Every step of our process has been guided by the belief that FILM CRITICISM MATTERS.

[Reverse Shot @reverse_shot]

The great Lucrecia Martel's powerful NUESTRA TIERRA (OUR LAND) opens today. Revisit @agsims_ ' review:

[The Players’ Tribune @PlayersTribune]

Keldon Johnson on embracing his role as the sixth man: “I remember a couple years ago, I had a hard conversation with Pop. One morning, we were getting ready to play Dallas, and he pulled me to the side and told me that he thought it would be best for the team if I started coming off the bench. I said, ‘Yeah, of course. Whatever’s best for the team, I’ll do it.’ And I truly meant that, too.

But I’m also just human, man. And I was like 24 years old. If I said that I fully bought into this role from the jump, I’d be lying. I had averaged 22 points in the NBA. I’d won a gold medal with Team USA at the Olympics. So I just didn’t understand. I couldn’t wrap my head around it. And ultimately, I didn’t take it well. I sulked. I let the outside noise affect my play. I didn’t present the best version of myself as I was coming off the bench for the rest of that season. And I knew that I was much better than that.

I’ve been reflecting on that part of my journey a lot lately, with the position we’re in right now.

To backtrack a little bit…. When I was drafted in 2019, that was probably one of the most stressful nights of my life. I’d had a great year at Kentucky, and I thought I was going 9 or 10. In my mind, my floor was 15 to Detroit. The crazy thing is, I didn’t even work out for San Antonio. We talked a little bit on FaceTime, but I honestly didn’t think I’d still be on the board at 19 when the Spurs picked. Definitely not at 29, where I ended up going. I don’t know why I slipped so much, but thank God I did, because I landed at a proven organization with vets who could mold me.

That situation could have gone one of two ways. Thankfully, it went the good way.

Dejounte was young, too, but he knew the ropes better than me, and he made sure that I did everything the right way. I can’t thank him enough to this day for how much he’s helped my career. Same thing with DeMar DeRozan. Those guys really embraced me and took me under their wing as a young guy, and showed me how it was done. I feel like I had such a great group of vets, whether it was LaMarcus Aldridge, Patty Mills, Rudy Gay — all those guys went out their way to make sure I was solid. I feel like they knew how good I could be before I even knew how good I could be. They didn’t let me skip any steps, which was huge for my career early on.

And yeah, fast-forward to summer 2024, and I got to thinking back on my first couple years here in San Antonio, and how I could get that spark back, get back to being me. That’s when I started to see the bigger picture. We had picks. There were all these signs that we were building something that was gonna be special, all these bright green flags.

But there was this one red flag.

Me.

In that moment, I had to take a hard look in the mirror. And man, I just got embarrassed. I hated that feeling — the feeling that I had let my vets down, and especially let my younger teammates down.

This organization believed in me since day one, when Pop and our GM at the time R.C. Buford took a leap of faith on a player who was sliding in the draft and didn’t even have a workout at their facility. They had a plan, and I was a big piece of that plan. I just needed to get out of my own way. Period.

I knew that I could either be the person who tries to fight the change, who makes it about them and their ego, and tries to do everything their way (which never really works). Or, I could trust the process. And the Spurs never gave me a reason not to trust it. So I bought into my role, and I put my best foot forward each and every night. Whatever I had to do to be the best version of myself, I did it. And I feel like this season has been a testament to that.

I’m just really at home here. I think that’s probably obvious, right? The cowboy hat isn’t a gimmick. San Antonio is all me. Being a country boy, that’s just a part of who I am. From Huntington Prep to Oak Hill Academy to Kentucky, I feel like I just carried that country boy vibe with me everywhere I went.” https://t.co/WnVP4cXPll

[The Players’ Tribune @PlayersTribune]

Listen up, San Antonio!! Keldon here. Since it’s almost playoff time, I wrote y’all a little something from the heart just to say what this means to me. Thanks for all the love!! https://t.co/PwexQlzia9

[The Players’ Tribune @PlayersTribune]

In 2022, Zach Randolph wrote about his love for the city of Memphis: “Listen man, Memphis is one of the most underrated cities in the country. They have so much underground talent in that city that hasn’t even been tapped yet. I know that for a fact. Memphis has so much creativity and history, just on the music side, from the blues to Isaac Hayes, to even Elvis.

There’s no denying it’s a cultural city.

But it’s a hard working town, you feel me? With blue collar, hard working people.

It has its tough spots and rough moments, but the thing that makes Memphis special is that they accept all their people. People who got knocked down and got up resilient. People who ain’t got the prettiest journey story. Bottom line is, you can be you in Memphis — you don’t have to act a certain way.

So when I got there, I felt like I fit right in.” https://t.co/UkGgadYRQP

[lauren betts @laurenbetts12]

I want to be open about my struggle with depression. I’m in a much better place now, but I hope this helps anyone else who is going through the same thing. 🩵 @PlayersTribune

https://t.co/SUzIR8YWrK

[The Players’ Tribune @PlayersTribune]

Hey y’all, A.J. Green here. This is for Rondale. ❤️ https://t.co/xPQn50vyiB

[JJJ @jarenjacksonjr]

Memphis, it’s been REAL!!! 💙 @PlayersTribune
https://t.co/p8rIJnOgqP

[The Players’ Tribune @PlayersTribune]

In his goodbye letter, @IlkayGuendogan reminisced about winning the @ChampionsLeague with @ManCity. Today, he faces his former team: “There is a family behind every dream, and they are just as important as the player. My parents worked so hard to give us a good life. My father was a truck driver for a beer company. My mother was a cook in a swimming-hall cafe. My grandfather first came to Germany to work in the mines. For me to be standing there in front of the entire world as a champion, as a Gündoğan, it was a huge emotion.

I have to say, none of this would have been possible without Pep. There are times when he is so demanding of how we play and so intense that it can be a bit difficult, mentally. But once everyone gets on the same page and we are in harmony on the pitch, his system is so efficient that it almost feels effortless....

I came here limping on one foot, but I leave here feeling like I am flying in the clouds.

After the treble, and after the spectacular parade in the Manchester rain, I thought to myself: How could it ever have worked out better than this? What more could you have achieved? How could you write something more perfect?

And the answer was, You couldn’t....

I lived these dreams because of the coaches who pushed me (sometimes very hard!) to new levels, the teammates who sacrificed everything they had to play such beautiful football, the fans who traveled thousands of miles to support us, the club who gave me a chance to be a part of this ambitious project, and all the doctors and physios who did such an incredible job keeping us healthy.

I’m sure most people will probably remember the goals and the assists and the finals from this incredible era. But I will cherish something a bit different.

Yes, the football was sensational at times.

But the people were even better.

I will remember you all for the rest of my life.” https://t.co/naCWiJvg6A

[Kayshon Boutte @KayshonBoutte1]

I’m sharing my story with @PlayersTribune in the hopes it helps someone else going through the same thing

https://t.co/p2qENUAOUf

[Criterion Collection @Criterion]

BLACK DEBUTANTES: FIRST FEATURES BY BLACK WOMEN DIRECTORS 💜 Coming to @criterionchannl in December! https://t.co/kQhSn13NHS

[AJ Dybantsa @AJ_Dybantsa]

One of won 🤝🏾 @PlayersTribune https://t.co/zd05W7tKLY