The ESPN Daily: Alex Morgan and Drew Brees win big, Patrick Mahomes shows out and USWNT brings the energy to The ESPYS…

Sport

THINGS TO CARE ABOUT

The NFL’s next great defender? We’re in an era of extreme young defensive talent in the NFL — from tackle machines like the Colts’ Darius Leonard to backfield terrors like the Chargers’ Joey Bosa. Our ESPN+ NFL experts take a look ahead to 2022 to figure out which of the NFL’s young defenders are poised to be the next big thing. Read More

The MLB trade deadline is approaching …
… and all it takes is one right move for a pretender to become a contender. Of course, the wrong move — or no move at all — could lead to complete disaster and that worst of all possible seasons: the one where you’re not good enough to make the playoffs but not bad enough to get a good draft pick. On ESPN+, our MLB experts figure out which teams should buy and which teams should sell at the deadline. Read More

Ain’t no party like a USWNT party … Work hard, play hard. That’s the motto for the newly minted champs. The U.S. women’s national soccer team has been taking its show on the road and is seemingly everywhere at once. Seriously, trying to keep up with the players’ celebration tour is as exhausting as keeping track of all 13 of their goals against Thailand … too soon? So we took the liberty of compiling all their antics in one place. You’re welcome. Read More

THAT ESPYS ENERGY

All they do is win … The USWNT is pretty familiar with the whole “winning” thing. Wednesday night was no exception as the back-to-back Women’s World Cup champs took home more hardware. Co-captain Carli Lloyd opened their Best Team acceptance speech and passed the mic to Megan Rapinoe for some closing remarks, because everything is more fun with some Rapinoe.

‘Gratitude, humility and respect’… Drew Brees counts these as the three most important attributes in life. The unlikeliest of all-time great quarterbacks — just 6 feet tall, barely recruited out of high school — credits the game of football for instilling them in him over the years. He also took a moment to shout out the USWNT for inspiring us all. Yeah, what Brees said.

The best looks of sports prom 2019 … From Patrick Mahomes’ shoe game to Kyle Kuzma’s Canadian tuxedo-chic ensemble (it’s called fashion, look it up) the stars went all out on The ESPYS red carpet. Proof:Watch

THINGS TO WATCH

OVERHEARD

“I’m one of the lucky ones who came home. Broken, but I’m still here, and I still can. So I will continue every day for those who can’t.”

— Veteran Kirstie Ennis, who lost her left leg after a helicopter crash while serving in Afghanistan , after receiving the 2019 Pat Tillman Award at The ESPYS Watch

REMEMBER WHEN?

On this date in 1990, Bo Jackson made a very nice catch on a ball in the outfield, and then decided to casually defy the gravity of the entire planet Earth by running up a wall.

WHAT’S ON TODAY?

Wimbledon women’s semifinals (8 a.m. ET, ESPN): It’s getting down to the wire for the women’s singles bracket in London. No. 8 Elina Svitolina and No. 7 Simona Halep face off first, while No. 11 Serena Williams looks to defeat unranked Barbora Strycova at 10 a.m. ET.

Astros at Rangers (8 p.m. ET, ESPN): We’ve got a Texas showdown in the first game after the All-Star break. The Astros are far and away the best team in the American League West, but the Rangers are still very much in the hunt for a wild-card spot as the second half begins in earnest.

Apex Legends Pro-Am (9 p.m. ET, ESPN App/ESPN Esports Twitter/YouTube/Twitch): The best Apex Legends players are dropping in Kings Canyon alongside some sports stars and ESPN personalities, and the winning trio will be donating $25,000 to the V Foundation. Tune in to see if folks who haven’t played a video game since grade school stand a chance against streamers who do it for a living!Watch

NBA summer league (6 p.m. ET, ESPN2/ESPN App): More action from Vegas? Yes, please. Summer league rolls on with another full slate of games — six to be exact. We’re here for it.

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