Derek Long

🐅🏀

[Minnesota Timberwolves @Timberwolves]

Minnesota is always rooting for you, Naz Reid.

[Minnesota Timberwolves @Timberwolves]

7 seasons. 2 words. NAZ REID.

[Andrew Dukowitz @adukeMN]

Liatu King and Nia Coffey guess which name is a real lake or fake lake in Minnesota…

Though mini game for King

[Hitting the Hardwood @HittingHardwood]

Though it might be a long shot, the Wolves are in the running for LeBron James 👀👑

And if The King did decide to come to Minnesota, he would be in line to experience something he hasn’t played with for a decade 🐺

@adukeMN explains ⤵️ https://t.co/kgrR1yxWsy

[Brad Stulberg @BStulberg]

One of the most popular chapters in my new book: "Having fun is the greatest competitive advantage there is. You can work hard, be a badass and have fun. Intensity and joy, struggle and fun, can coexist, and in the best performers, they almost always do." https://t.co/QMMhSCRaNL

[Big Baller Brandon @BrandonBeck4]

Remember your post could be the post that convinces LeBron James to come to the Wolves, it’s time for everyone lock in and get your best posts off

[Bill Simmons @BillSimmons]

The 4th of July is like one super-slow home run trot around the bases as the English stare us down from the mound. Suck it, England!

[SixOneTwoTees @SixOneTwoTees]

Happy 4th everyone! Grateful for our independence from those awful navy jerseys

Use discount code ‘4TH’ to save 17.76% until MIDNIGHT

[Derek Long @long_derek]

@Tallsdurf A dream 😍

[lex @maplewedgie]

uncs we need you

[Mike Conley @mconley11]

An incredible run! Thank you to the @Timberwolves organization, team, and fans for embracing me and my family, and making Minneapolis feel like home.

[Danny Kelly @DannyBKelly]

ball don’t lie is universal

[Andrew Dukowitz @adukeMN]

Olivia Miles is a fan @mrjohnsonpaints 🤝👏

Signing some photos for some fans in the future

[Dane Moore @DaneMooreNBA]

The simplest way I can put it with Anthony Edwards versus LaMelo Ball:

I believe Edwards has the best chance in this class of becoming the best player on a team and that Ball has the best chance at becoming a player who makes your team's best player better.

[Derek Long @long_derek]

💯

[Brad Stulberg @BStulberg]

Norway wins the most medals at the Winter Olympics, with a population of just 5.6 million. People say it’s because Norway is a winter wonderland, but they’re also elite at triathlon, beach volleyball, cycling, and as the world is now seeing, soccer.

A big part of their success is how they treat youth sports—and it’s the opposite of what we do in the US and Canada. Here’s what we can learn from Norway:

1. Scorekeeping:

In the US: Youth sports tend to be hyper competitive even at early ages. Leagues almost always keep score.

In Norway: Scorekeeping isn’t even allowed until age 13.

Removing winners and losers keeps the focus on the process not outcomes. It keeps kids engaged longer because it minimizes pressure (and tears) and maximizes fun, learning, and growth. The goal isn’t to win a third grade championship. It’s to love sport and keep playing.

2. Trophies:

In the US: If you give everyone a trophy, you’re creating snowflakes who will never gain a competitive edge.

In Norway: Whenever trophies are awarded, they are handed out to everyone.

If getting a trophy makes young kids feel good, we should give them trophies. Maybe they’ll come back and play again next year!!

As for the creation of snowflakes with no competitive edge—Norway’s athletes are tough as nails and all they do is win.

3. Prioritizing Fun:

In the US: Far too often, the goal is to win.

In Norway: The national philosophy is “joy of sport.”

Youth sports in the US are driven by adults, ego, and money. Youth sports in Norway are driven by fun.

Only half of kids in the US participate in sports. The number one reason they drop out: because they aren’t having fun anymore. In Norway, 93% of kids participate in youth sports. Fun is the foremost goal.

4. Playing Multiple Sports:

In the US: There’s pressure to specialize early and play your best sport year round.

In Norway: Try as many sports as you can before specializing as late as college.

Norway encourages kids to try all types of sport. This reduces injury and burnout and increases all-around athleticism. It also helps promotes match quality, or finding the sport you are best suited for as your body develops, which is impossible if you commit to a single sport too early.

5. Affordability

In the US: There is increasingly a pay-to-play model with high fees for leagues, equipment, and travel. This excludes many kids from playing.

In Norway: It’s a national priority to keep youth sports affordable and therefore accessible for all.

Kids aren’t priced out, which creates opportunities for everyone to participate (and develop into athletes), regardless of their parents’ income level.

Norway’s sporting success isn’t just speculation or a nice story. A large body of research supports their approach:

• Studies show athletes who specialize later in life have a significantly higher chance of becoming elite.
• Soccer players whose motivation is primarily internal (versus external) have more than a 3x better chance of making it to an elite level.
• The number one predictor of whether or not kids stay in sport is are they having fun.
• Parents connect winning to having fun whereas kids say having fun is about being with their friends and learning.

We could learn a lot from Norway:

In the US, 70% of kids drop out of youth sports by age 13. This not only diminishes an elite-athlete pipeline, but it also destroys an opportunity for healthy habits and all the character lessons kids can learn from sport.

In Norway, lifelong participation in sport is the norm. The goal isn’t to have the best 9U team. It’s to develop the best athletes. Those are two very different things. And Norway has the medals to prove it.

[Minnesota Timberwolves @Timberwolves]

high fashion.

📸 » Getty

[Derek Long @long_derek]

DAWG

[Kevin Garnett @KevinGarnett5KG]

Olivia Miles is one of the best rookies in ALL of basketball… @nba or @wnba 😤

[Derek Long @long_derek]

@TGrayTruther Why does everyone hate Bell?

[Timeless Sports @timelesssports_]

One of the coolest father and son moments in all of sports.

Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. hit back-to-back home runs in 1990. ⭐️

[Derek Long @long_derek]

Beauty

[TNT Sports U.S. @TNTSportsUS]

ALEX FREEMAN'S HEADER PUTS THE @USMNT UP 2-0 ON AUSTRALIA 💥🔥