GQ

Contributor

Samples of Work

The Giannis vs. Harden MVP Feud Is Rooted in How the NBA Is Transforming

“Harden’s principle is the same principle of the dominant post players, just in a smaller body. Condense the game into a one on one matchup, slow it down, and allow the bigger, stronger, more talented individual to work. Antetokounmpo also isolates, but nowhere to the extremes that Harden does, since the idea behind his domination is keeping his body moving as to catch defenses off-guard.”

Black Panther and the Search for Home

“T’Challa seemed to be the only one who understood that the violence of an individual like Killmonger is nothing compared to the greater potential for violence from a society that molds a person. His gift is the ability to differentiate a symptom from the problem. Where everyone else in a position of power was dismissive, T’Challa, by listening, gives his adversaries a chance to answer the question of who and what corrupted them.”

How to Forgive Your Father

“It’s hard to teach your body to let go of the violence done to it. It’s hard to forgive and let go of hate that’s defined you for most of your life. But these days, I feel too ashamed to hold on to it.”

Jimmy Butler Told You So

“It's fitting that Jimmy Butler's recollections of a visit to a place like Venice concerns a fight with a seagull. In a league full of outsize personalities, Jimmy Butler is one of the NBA's fiercest and most enigmatic stars. For years he made his name as a scrappy, demanding, and sometimes inconsiderate player and teammate. The ultra-competitor. The abrasive leader who upset those around him wherever he went (Chicago, Minnesota, Philadelphia). He was the guy who wasn't afraid to tell the truth as he saw it, even if that meant reportedly chastising young teammates for being “soft,” as he notoriously did while on the Timberwolves.”