As we approach the final days of heatwaves and sun and begin to prepare for the fall and winter seasons, let's take a look at the copious sports headlines that captivated us this summer.
Starting with the National Basketball Association, the NBA saw its best player switch teams in what many deemed a controversial decision. A few weeks after the season ended for LeBron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers, a brand new $153 million deal moved James out of Cleveland and 2,300 miles west to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers are filled with young talent, including NBA Summer League MVP, Josh Hart, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, and others. They look to be a new team that will compete with the defending champions (The Golden State Warriors) in the western conference this season.
As we move off the hardwood and skate onto the ice, the National Hockey League experienced many firsts this summer as well. In the Stanley Cup finals, the Las Vegas Golden Knights, in their first ever season as an NHL team, reached the finals. The Washington Capitals won their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. Superstar and future hall-of-famer, Alexander Ovechkin, certainly basked in the glory of a championship victory. One viral video even shows him sleeping with the trophy.
Hopping onto the pitch now, the FIFA World Cup made for a full month of good soccer. This year, the USA missed out on this tournament and watched as 32 other teams competed for the trophy in Russia. Leo Messi was the first to play in a world cup in his teens, twenties, and thirties. But this year, a different teenager stole Messi's spotlight, a 19-year-old forward for France: Kylian Mbappé.
France and Mbappé met Croatia in the World Cup Finals. Unfortunately, Croatia didn't win, but they still had a parade to celebrate. Proud fans packed the streets and celebrated their team's unexpected performance and amazing World Cup run. France also had a parade to celebrate, but the FIFA World Cup Champions trophy was in attendance for their parade.
Off the soccer field and onto a new type of grass, we witnessed Wimbledon in full force this summer. Serena Williams made an impressive comeback to a sport she has dominated for much of the 21st century; making it seem like she never even left. Williams gave birth to a baby girl only ten months before she was back on the court in the Wimbledon finals. She played an amazing tournament considering the circumstances, but she wasn't able to add to her 23 Grand Slam titles this time. Angelique Kerber took the match in straight sets. In the men's tournament, Novak Djokovic became third oldest to ever win Wimbledon as he took the victory over Kevin Anderson.
In what was an extremely exciting summer in sports, we hope the fall season will be able to match it as well!
