With the 2024-25 NBA season fast approaching, Athlon Sports has rebooted its annual season preview magazine, publishing the 160-page primer for the first time since 2010. LeBron James is featured on the cover of the magazine's national edition, while Jayson Tatum, Jalen Brunson, Stephen Curry and Victor Wembanyama are featured on four regional covers.
“The NBA’s continued upward trajectory is incredible,” said Thomas Neumann, Athlon Sports editor in chief. “It’s a cultural phenom and the on-court battles have never been better. The season is unpredictable and full of parity. The league has had six different champions in six years — something that hasn’t happened since the late 1970s. We wanted to capture this feeling — and highlight the many stories to look forward to this upcoming season.”
In the magazine, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times contributes an incisive article on the challenges, expectations and opportunities awaiting new Lakers coach JJ Redick, while Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News offers a compelling feature stargazing ahead to Year 2 of Wembanyama's alien invasion in the Alamo city.
The magazine features contributions from numerous prominent NBA writers, including award-winning national reporter Marc Stein and Mark Medina of Fox Sports Radio, CBSLA and Spectrum SportsNet. The magazine also contains comprehensive predictions and detailed season previews for all 30 teams, plus a section dedicated to fantasy basketball.
Notable quotes:
Lakers’ JJ Redick Lacks Coaching Résumé — but not Confidence or Vision
“My motivations for doing this? It starts with a very simple foundation of service,” said JJ Redick. “I think the greatest moments, especially towards the end of my career, were about helping players. And so it starts with the desire to serve players, to serve the Lakers organization, to serve our fans. It’s also about competition and performance, collaboration, leadership. These are the things that drive me.”
Victor Wembanyama
“I never thought at any point I wasn’t in the best place,” said Victor Wembanyama. “I wish we didn’t lose 60 games. But as much as it is hard today, I know it’s (good) for the long term. It’s going to look better when we win.”
“We’re not going to build something great by saying we want to win championships or go to the playoffs,” Wembanyama said. “It’s set a new brick every day, and then we’ll build a house.”
This NBA preview special edition can be found on newsstands nationwide as of Sept. 30 or can be ordered here.
About Athlon Sports:
Athlon Sports, founded in 1967, is the leading publisher of preseason guides for over 50 years. Its digital content reaches nearly 50 million sports enthusiasts a month across the web and social media channels. Athlon Sports is owned and operated by The Arena Group (NYSE American: AREN), an innovative technology platform and media company with a proven cutting-edge playbook that transforms media brands. Arena’s unified technology platform empowers creators and publishers with tools to publish and monetize their content, while also leveraging quality journalism of anchor brands like TheStreet, Parade, Men’s Journal and Athlon Sports to build their businesses. The company aggregates content across a diverse portfolio of over 265 brands, reaching over 100 million users monthly. Visit us at thearenagroup.net and discover how we are revolutionizing the world of digital media.
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