The Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism

The Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism prepares students to be innovators and leaders in all facets of sports media. The center’s unique, experiential curriculum and public programs elevate and amplify discussion of race, gender, politics and the world — just as Shirley Povich did each morning in The Washington Post.

Lamar Jackson, Jayden Daniels and the new landscape for Black quarterbacks

When this NFL season kicked off in 2024, there was a new record set for the number of Black starting quarterbacks in a single week.

The new Big Ten is resulting in sharply higher carbon emissions

Carbon dioxide emissions from Big Ten football team travel for regular-season conference games more than tripled in 2024 compared to 2023 after after the addition of a quartet of West Coast schools, a Capital News Service analysis found. Carbon dioxide is…

From Africa: Pathways to the NBA

Through the eyes of NBA Academy Africa’s players and staff, “From Africa: Pathways to the NBA” details stories of work on the court and in the classroom.

In Africa, NBA’s investment and ambition far outstrip other US pro leagues

KIGALI, Rwanda — Comedian Dave Chappelle, Toronto Raptors President Masai Ujiri and former National Basketball Association All Star Luol Deng all appeared at the Basketball Africa League championship weekend. The three-day stretch in Rwanda’s capital city was supposed to mirror…

From D.C. to Dakar, basketball connections stretch over the Atlantic

KIGALI, Rwanda – On June 1, African basketball fans packed DK Arena in Rwanda’s capital city to witness the apex of the sport on their continent.  It was the championship game of the Basketball Africa League, a league established by…

Dealing with diabetes: African prospect balances condition with NBA dreams

SALY, Senegal – At halftime of Game 1 of the NBA finals, Seifeldin Hendawy paused mid-conversation and reached into his pocket. The NBA Academy Africa star, watching the game on TV,  pulled out an insulin pen, a necessity for managing…

NBA Academy Africa stresses fundamentals in developing talent

SALY, Senegal – Ten players, dressed in blue-and-white NBA Academy jerseys, took their positions on the court. They set up with five players on defense and five on offense, ready to work on their defensive sets, specifically how to defend…

At NBA Academy Africa, academics prepare students for life beyond basketball

SALY, Senegal – A large bubble surrounds two full sized basketball courts in the heart of this beach town just over 50 miles from the country’s capital in Dakar. In the morning and in the evenings approximately 20 young men…

How NBA Academy Africa fuels the future of basketball

SALY, Senegal — Gaetan Teumgue Wafo, a 16-year-old, 6-foot-11 power forward/center from Cameroon, first picked up a basketball in 2021. Now at NBA Academy Africa, Wafo has made significant strides in his physical development with help from the academy’s focus…

NBA Academy Africa newcomers find common ground in unfamiliar world

SALY, Senegal — It’s tough being the new kid. But 17-year-old Zie Cheick Hassan Conde was just that when he arrived at NBA Academy Africa in September 2023. The 6-foot-8 wing was the only player from the Ivory Coast —…