Don’t stop believin’
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
Happy June!
And happy Pride Month — let’s keep the celebrations going with some sports news, shall we?
— LA Sparks star Kelsey Plum, keeping it brutally honest about the fledgling “rivalry” between her old squad, the Las Vegas Aces, and the Sparks after LA’s 96–81 loss on Friday.
NBA Finals
🏀 Don’t stop believin’ (Glee Indiana Pacers version)
The GIST: The NBA Finals are officially set: The Western Conference top seed Oklahoma City Thunder — armed with MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — will take on the comeback king Indiana Pacers beginning Thursday at 8:30 p.m. ET.
- Stay tuned for an official preview on the small-market series later this week, but until then, here’s everything you need to know about Saturday’s Eastern Conference (EC) Finals finale.
🙌 Pacers reach NBA Finals for first time since 2000: Indiana knocked the NY Knicks out of the playoffs on Saturday, topping the ’Bockers 125–108 in Game 6 behind a double-digit effort from seven players, including EC Finals MVP Pascal Siakam.
- Indy was also powered by Tyrese Haliburton, who continues to pair his absolutely not overrated postseason performances with top-tier trolling, including jabs at Knicks superfan Ben Stiller. So much for the five Ds.
💔 NY heads home heartbroken: After reaching the EC Finals for the first time in 25 years, this Knicks season ended the same way as 2000: with a loss to the Pacers. That said, Jalen Brunson and Co. proved the new-look Knicks will be contenders for a while, especially after toppling the defending champ Boston Celtics and showcasing their signature grit throughout the postseason.
- All to say, this series breathed new life into a historic and only growing rivalry, brimming with starpower on and off the court. Don’t worry,
SamanthaKylie — no more games until October.
😂 “Inside the NBA” signs off with profanity-laden broadcast: Thirty-five years and countless memes later, the iconic TNT show aired their final broadcast after Saturday’s Game 6.
- Have no fear, though — the legendary show helmed by Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson isn’t going away forever: “Inside the NBA” will air on ESPN beginning next season. Can’t mess with success.
Question of the Day
While we wait for the Stanley Cup Final and NBA Finals to begin later this week, let us know below which matchup you think will be the most exciting.
🎾 Americans Tommy Paul and Francis Tiafoe nab historic wins at French Open
So nice, they made history twice: Paul and Tiafoe became the first American men to reach the quarter-finals at Roland-Garros since Andre Agassi in 2003. No. 12 seed Paul sailed to a straight-sets victory over No. 25 Alexei Popyrin, while No. 15 Tiafoe continued his tear — he hasn’t dropped a set through the first four rounds. Red, white, and woo.
- It’s also a Party in the USA on the women’s courts — No. 2 Coco Gauff became the first American woman to advance to the quarter-finals with her early-morning win, but at least one more will join her when No. 7 Madison Keys and Hailey Baptiste face off this morning at 7:50 a.m. ET.
⛳ World No. 33 Maja (pronounced My-ah) Stark wins U.S. Women’s Open, her first LPGA major
The Swede’s steady performance across four rounds helped her hold off a third-round surge from World No. 1 Nelly Korda, winning the season’s second major with a confident two-stroke lead over Korda and No. 16 Rio Takeda yesterday. It’s just the second LPGA Tour win for the 25-year-old.
- On the men’s green, World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler continued to cruise his way through the PGA Tour, defending his PGA Memorial Tournament title by four strokes and securing his third win in a month. The only other player to win the Memorial twice in a row? Tiger Woods.
🏎️ Piastri wins Spanish Grand Prix, but Verstappen meltdown steals show
Despite McLaren ’s Oscar Piastri outdueling teammate Lando Norris to extend his title lead yesterday, reigning F1 champ Max Verstappen of Red Bull was the talk of the town after he appeared to intentionally drive into Mercedes’ George Russell, earning him a 10-second penalty and three penalty points — just one away from a race ban. Yikes.
Together With The GIST
🚨 This merch isn’t next, it’s now — like, right now
Sick of hearing that the future of women’s sports is bright? We thought so. Women are and have been running up the score on and off the field. They’re not next, they’re now.
- To celebrate how far women in sports have already come, we teamed up with Bauer and Rookie Made to create a custom merch drop that meets the moment and celebrates our unmatched community. Giving a whole new meaning to the term “iced out.”
Cop the jersey or the t-shirt and show the world you were there to witness this moment in women’s sports. We’d hurry if we were you — this is a limited-edition run, so place your order while supplies last. Go ahead, wear your heart on your sleeve.
- P.S. Ten percent of all sales go to Black Girl Hockey Club, which is building on the momentum to make the game more inclusive. Score.
🇨🇦⚽ Forward Adriana Leon scored an early brace in No. 7 CanWNT’s 4–1 friendly and midfielder Desiree Scott sendoff win over No. 53 Haiti on Saturday — more of that in tomorrow’s 7:30 p.m. ET rematch from Montreal, please.
🏒 Change is coming to the PWHL. All Original Six teams must submit their protected player lists — which can include up to three athletes — by tomorrow at noon ET ahead of the June 9th expansion draft.
⚽ Paris Saint-Germain won their first-ever men’s Champions League trophy on Saturday, demolishing Italian club Inter Milan 5–0 to earn the crown as Europe’s top men’s footy squad.
- Unfortunately, celebrations grew tragically out of hand in France — two fans were killed and hundreds of others were injured as the celebrations turned to chaos.
⚾ The NY Yankees staved off a 2024 World Series rematch sweep, topping the reigning champ LA Dodgers 7–3 in last night’s series finale. Now the baseball world looks ahead to today’s Lou Gehrig Day, commemorating the Yankees great and the continued fight against ALS.
🏀 The NY Liberty netted 19 three-pointers in yesterday’s 100–52 Commissioner’s Cup win over the struggling Connecticut Sun, the second-biggest win margin in league history. Simply dominant.
Peep our squad’s MVPs (Most Valuable Picks):
🎧 What to listen to
This episode of Courage Inc., featuring an interview with Toronto Tempo general manager Teresa Resch. We the North.
💒 Who tied the knot
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and actress Hailee Steinfeld, in a beautiful ceremony over the weekend. Hut, hut, hitched.
🏈 What to look forward to
NFL stars playing flag football at the 2028 LA Olympics. Who’s bringing the popcorn?
Today’s email was brought to you by Alessandra Puccio, Katie Kehoe Foster, Lauren Tuiskula, Rachel Fuenzalida, Monica Schrock, and Briana Ekanem. Editing by Katie Kehoe Foster. Fact-checking by Marga Sison and Mikaela Perez. Ops by Briana Ekanem and Marga Sison. Ads by Katie Kehoe Foster, Alessandra Puccio, and Lisa Minutillo. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula and Alessandra Puccio. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.