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The Celtics Have 18 Championships. The Lakers? 17. (And Maybe One More.)
The Celtics won their record-breaking 18th championship this week, breaking a tie with the Los Angeles Lakers. But what if they’re still tied?
By Sopan Deb
I’m particularly interested in culture and things that make me go, “Hmm,” whether that’s in music, books, television, art or otherwise.
Since joining The Times in 2017, I have written about the N.B.A. and covered several N.B.A. finals. I’ve also sat down with celebrities and conducted interviews that bring surprising results, including a wide-ranging discussion with the cast of “Arrested Development.”
Before joining The Times, I covered Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign for CBS News. I’ve also worked at NBC News, The Boston Globe and Al Jazeera America.
I have a bachelor’s degree from Boston University. I am the author of the memoir, “Missed Translations: Meeting the Immigrant Parents Who Raised Me” and the novel “Keya Das’s Second Act.”
As a Times journalist, I share the values and adhere to the standards of integrity outlined in The Times’s Ethical Journalism Handbook, which means I don’t participate in political campaigns or give political donations. And, I don’t accept money or favors from anyone who might be involved in my coverage. I aim to be accurate and fair, thorough and thoughtful. While working, I identify myself as a reporter for The Times.
Email: [email protected]
X: @sopandeb
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The Celtics won their record-breaking 18th championship this week, breaking a tie with the Los Angeles Lakers. But what if they’re still tied?
By Sopan Deb
Edward Thomas Ryan, who died at 85, wrote that he was “afraid of being ostracized.” The revelation set off a wave of online tributes.
By Sopan Deb
Crowd work has grown more common, with some comedians now focusing their acts on it and sharing clips of their exchanges with audience members. But some comics say it takes away from the craft.
By Sopan Deb
Why an obscure 1990s rock song has such staying power.
By Tina Antolini, Lynn Levy, Diane Wong and Sopan Deb
The hacking group ShinyHunters has claimed responsibility for stealing the user information of more than 500 million Ticketmaster customers.
By Sopan Deb
Mr. Kingston, a singer and rapper, best known for his 2007 hit single “Beautiful Girls,” was taken into custody on Thursday. His mother was also arrested.
By Sopan Deb
Alexander McClay Williams was 16 when he was executed in Pennsylvania for the murder of a 34-year-old white woman. His conviction was overturned in 2022.
By Sopan Deb
George Lucas wants them to fade into oblivion. But some fans spent more than a decade digitally restoring the original “Star Wars” trilogy, preserving the movies as they were shown in theaters.
By Sopan Deb
Three of the four were part of a U.S. Marshals task force. The felon whom they sought was also killed.
By Sopan Deb, Livia Albeck-Ripka, Eduardo Medina and Remy Tumin
The cast behind the 1999 horror classic was paid mere thousands for a movie that grossed almost $250 million. Now, it’s being rebooted, which was news to the actors.
By Sopan Deb
The all-Black Tennessee A&I basketball team won three back-to-back national championships at the height of the Jim Crow era, but were never invited to the White House. That changed on Friday.
By Remy Tumin and Sopan Deb
The legislation expands protections and creates a new charge of “stirring up hatred.” Critics, including J.K. Rowling, said the law was “wide open to abuse.”
By Sopan Deb
When Troy Nelson died, his shelves were filled to the rafters with memorabilia from the popular franchise. Soon, the massive collection will be boldly going, going, gone.
By Sopan Deb
Parents of a dozen students at a school near Montreal accused an art teacher in a lawsuit of reproducing portraits from a class assignment and putting them on items that he offered for sale online.
By Sopan Deb
It took researchers only two days to find the wreckage of the Milwaukee, a steamship that sank in 1886 after colliding with another ship. They were guided by details from newspaper accounts of the accident.
By Sopan Deb
The recall could affect owners of Dodge Chargers and Chrysler 300s. The airbags have the potential to explode and hurl shrapnel.
By Sopan Deb
Mr. Gething, 50, was narrowly elected leader of Wales’s governing Labour Party this week, and then was elected first minister by the Senedd, or Welsh Parliament.
By Sopan Deb
For the first time since the first World Happiness Report was issued in 2012, the United States was not ranked among the world’s Top 20 happiest countries. The drop was driven by people under 30.
By Sopan Deb
After a conviction arising from the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, Couy Griffin was removed from his county commissioner post in New Mexico and banned from holding public office again.
By Sopan Deb
He defied the odds to turn “Benji,” a live-action film series from a dog’s perspective, into a smash hit, and turned the film industry on its head in the process.
By Sopan Deb
Hundreds of thousands of Instagram users responded to a recent prompt asking them to post pictures of their younger selves. Photo quality varies.
By Sopan Deb
There is some lead in the sealing material used in the cup, the company says. But experts say it’s inaccessible to people drinking from one, and caution that at-home lead tests are unreliable.
By Sopan Deb
The photographer who took the portrait of the jazz artist Miles Davis, which inspired the tattoo, had filed a lawsuit based on copyright infringement.
By Sopan Deb
Our reporter uncovers the secrets behind the Sesame Street character’s favorite treat.
By Tina Antolini, Lynn Levy, Diane Wong and Sopan Deb
In a 50-year acting career, Mr. Graham appeared in several shows, including “Starsky and Hutch” and “The Incredible Hulk.” But it was in science fiction where he made his biggest mark.
By Sopan Deb
After the rodent-shaped hole, which had delighted residents for weeks, was plugged with plaster or concrete, residents braved the bitter cold to dig it out.
By Sopan Deb
Multiple employees at the storied music criticism site “will be leaving the company,” according to a memo from Anna Wintour.
By Sopan Deb
Brosnan faces two counts of entering restricted areas of the park near hot springs.
By Sopan Deb
A snake breeder, Mr. Barczyk amassed an online following in the millions with cheerful videos that captured his passion for snakes, lizards and other types of reptiles.
By Sopan Deb
Instead, artificial intelligence technology will scan carts, the company says, eliminating annoying bottlenecks at the exit.
By Sopan Deb
Few people were aware of the 1994 single “Insomniac” by the rock duo Billy Pilgrim, and it quickly sank into obscurity. But a cappella groups can’t stop singing it. We set out to find an explanation.
By Sopan Deb
A limited-edition tumbler has caused physical confrontations, parking-lot camp-outs and other mayhem at Target stores around the United States.
By Sopan Deb
Willis Gibson, a competitive Tetris player prodigy from Oklahoma, advanced so far in the original Nintendo version of the game that it froze. “I can’t feel my fingers,” he said afterward.
By Sopan Deb
What could happen to the original version of Mickey Mouse and others after they entered the public domain on Jan. 1? Hint: think Winnie the Pooh wielding a sledgehammer.
By Sopan Deb
A Sol de Janeiro moisturizer has garnered attention after reviews claimed it attracted Wolf spiders. Experts say it’s likelier that the season is leading to more human-spider interactions.
By Sopan Deb
She was on the band’s first two albums, but she was dismissed in 1995. She died in a car crash in Texas on Friday.
By Sopan Deb and Aimee Ortiz
Andrew Royer involuntarily confessed to a murder in Indiana, judges ruled. Despite holes in the case, he served more than 16 years in prison.
By Sopan Deb
Alan Swanson and Willie Bennett were falsely implicated in the 1989 murder of Carol Stuart, a case that transfixed the nation and highlighted Boston’s history of racism.
By Sopan Deb
Using laser communication, NASA streamed a cat video from almost 20 million miles away, or 40 round-trip flights to the moon.
By Sopan Deb
Philip Norman, the author of books about Paul McCartney, John Lennon and the Beatles as a group, discovers that Harrison was, among other things, a puzzle.
By Sopan Deb
Rory Stone, a Scottish cheesemaker, claims to have made the world’s stinkiest cheese. Customers can’t get enough.
By Sopan Deb
Carmelo Anthony, the former Knicks star, and the Kid Mero, a.k.a. the comedian Joel Martinez, have a new show in which they will discuss their favorite subjects: Basketball and New York.
By Sopan Deb
Cherokee language on the packaging of the Wilma Mankiller doll said “Chicken Nation” instead of “Cherokee Nation.” Critics said Mattel made other errors.
By Sopan Deb
The music streaming service released a new feature — Sound Towns — with its yearly summary of listener preferences and linked many people to an unexpected city.
By Madison Malone Kircher and Sopan Deb
If you have ever wondered what the “Sesame Street” Muppet is really eating, we have the answer.
By Sopan Deb
When Geoffrey Holt died in June, his will revealed a secret: He had $3.8 million, and he was leaving all of it to the town of Hinsdale, where he had been living quietly in a trailer park.
By Sopan Deb
Mr. Brown kept time for a group that combined funk, disco, R&B and jazz to create some of the most memorable pop songs of the 1970s.
By Sopan Deb
A prolific illustrator, he was most closely associated with the image that made the “Jaws” paperback a runaway best seller, and the blockbuster film it inspired an enduring classic.
By Sopan Deb
After worries that a man had been sickened by his soft drink, the authorities said that it was an isolated incident and not a cause for wider concern.
By Sopan Deb and Melina Delkic
In a recent episode of “The Simpsons,” Homer suggested he would abandon one of his best-known bits: throttling his son. It is the latest example of the show tailoring itself to evolving tastes.
By Sopan Deb
The Monty Python-inspired show wants to give audiences a reason “to laugh and enjoy and be taken away by this lunacy, in the best way possible.”
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A new book by the author Jim Cullen explores the uncanny parallels between the careers of these two musicians, and how they were products of their time and place.
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Two state legislators want to declare this the state cocktail. “I’ve had a couple of calls from people: ‘Don’t you have more important work to do?’” one said.
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The South Orange and Maplewood school district tried to help students who felt left out on Halloween. The governor’s response: “Seriously?”
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For a decade, marketers have found success on social media by roasting customers, and even flirting with them. But with Gen Z, and platforms like TikTok on the rise, the jokes may be wearing thin.
By Sopan Deb
Former U.S. citizens who live abroad have filed a class-action lawsuit saying the $2,350 fee to relinquish their nationality was exorbitant.
By Sopan Deb
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By Sopan Deb
The assistant general manager of the Calgary Flames, he was given a year to live in 2019. He and his wife used the time to document life with the disease.
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A fire that broke out on Wednesday burned multiple waterfront buildings, including an art gallery with works by members of the Wyeth family of artists.
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By Sopan Deb
The Americans, perennial favorites but without many top N.B.A. stars, were stopped short of the gold medal game. The team will look much different at the Paris Olympics.
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Discontent is not new for star players, but it has become very public for the Philadelphia 76ers at a moment when their fans are running out of patience.
By Sopan Deb
Wade, the former Miami Heat guard, will cap his basketball career with a Hall of Fame induction this weekend. Some are hoping his next phase is as a political star.
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The team donated $50,000 to a super PAC supportive of Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida. The union said that does not mean Magic players support him.
By Sopan Deb
The league embraces progressive causes supported by players. But some team owners pull in the opposite direction, as apparent in the Orlando Magic’s donation to Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida.
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Basketball is central to the plot in new shows, including “Flex” and “The Half-God of Rainfall.”
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Promoted as a celebration of the league’s cultural relevance, the convention also highlighted the N.B.A.’s business ambitions.
By Sopan Deb
The crowds had thinned by the second round, but several players lingered in the stands waiting to hear their names called. Dozens of fans waited to cheer them on.
By Sopan Deb and Hiroko Masuike
Paul, who has spent the past three seasons in Phoenix, is expected to be traded to Washington and then to Golden State.
By Sopan Deb
A two-day camp trains current and former basketball players in the lucrative art of broadcasting, podcasting and throwing verbal bombs on camera.
By Sopan Deb and Allison Zaucha
Paul, a 12-time All-Star, was on a promotional tour for a book he wrote about his grandfather and his N.B.A. career.
By Sopan Deb
Morant, the Memphis Grizzlies star, was suspended for 25 games for recklessly waving a gun in a video shared on social media in May. It was the second time he had done so.
By Sopan Deb and Tania Ganguli
Jordan, the former star of the Chicago Bulls, purchased the team in 2010.
By Sopan Deb and Tania Ganguli
This was featured in live coverage.
By Sopan Deb
This was featured in live coverage.
By Sopan Deb
This was featured in live coverage.
By Sopan Deb
This was featured in live coverage.
By Sopan Deb
Miami, usually outgunned by the Denver offense, made 17 3-pointers to even the N.B.A. finals at one game apiece.
By Sopan Deb
Jokic, the Nuggets center, may be the best player in the N.B.A., but he avoids the spotlight. Still, in his own way, he has endeared himself to a city hungry for someone to believe in.
By Sopan Deb
Commissioner Adam Silver said he could announce the findings now, but it would be “unfair” to the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat, who are still competing.
By Scott Cacciola
A team with N.B.A. championship aspirations fell short against Miami. Tough calls and new contracts await.
By Sopan Deb
Anthony, known as one of the top scorers in league history, had struggled in recent years and did not play the 2022-23 season.
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Gilbert Arenas’s N.B.A. career never recovered after he brought guns into a locker room. Now he’s puzzled by the gun troubles of Morant, the star Memphis Grizzlies guard.
By Sopan Deb
Ja Morant, the Memphis Grizzlies guard, apologized Tuesday after days of backlash for a video that appeared to show him brandishing a gun for the second time.
By Sopan Deb
The top pick is widely expected to be Victor Wembanyama, a 19-year-old French basketball star.
By Sopan Deb
Golden State isn’t used to getting eliminated this early in the playoffs. Now, it will face questions about how to sustain its run since 2015 as a top contender.
By Sopan Deb
Golden State’s stars made several uncharacteristic errors down the stretch against the Lakers in Game 4. The role players haven’t helped much either.
By Sopan Deb
The Lakers star LeBron James, 38, has made it clear that he intends to team up with his son in the N.B.A. someday.
By Adam Zagoria
Curry and James are meeting in the playoffs, perhaps for the last time. Together and apart, they have redefined a generation of basketball.
By Sopan Deb
Atlanta’s Trae Young, Boston’s Jaylen Brown and the Nets’ Mikal Bridges are learning to handle the praise and the pressure of rising stardom.
By Sopan Deb