Here's A Riddle 🤡
What has a deadline that comes before its beginning and ending?
This post!
😬😬😬
Yesterday was the NBA trade deadline. Today, the Winter Olympics is beginning in Italy. And on Sunday, the NFL season is ending with the Super Bowl.
Let’s get into it!
NBA Trade Deadline 🏀
So… yesterday was WILD.
But first: what even is the trade deadline?
During the NBA season, teams are allowed to trade players with each other. Maybe your team needs a better shooter. Or wants to get younger. Teams can swap players (and future draft picks) to try to make their rosters better.
But they can’t do it forever. The league sets a deadline at a specific day and time. And once that clock hits zero, that’s it.
No more trades until after the playoffs.
And this year a LOT happened before that clock ran out.
The biggest moves:
James Harden → Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs are trying to win it all this season, and they just added one of the best scorers in NBA history. In return, the Clippers got younger with Darius Garland. He’s awesome… but also injured.
Ivica Zubac → Indiana Pacers. The Pacers landed the Clippers’ starting center in exchange for two young players and a couple of future draft picks. Indiana’s reloading for next year when Tyrese Haliburton returns from injury.
Kristaps Porzingis → Golden State Warriors. The Warriors sent Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield to the Atlanta Hawks to get the 7-foot-2 big man. Steph Curry has a new teammate!
Jaren Jackson Jr. → Utah Jazz. The Grizzlies traded one of their stars to Utah for future first-round picks (and a few role players).
Anthony Davis → Washington Wizards. This was the wildest one: a massive, nine-player deal between the Mavericks and Wizards and Hornets as Dallas rebuilds around Cooper Flagg.
But the trade everyone was waiting for? It didn’t happen.
Giannis Antetokounmpo. Two-time MVP. One of the best players on the planet. Stayed right where he is in Milwaukee.
The Bucks had been getting calls from teams like the Heat, the Timberwolves, the Warriors, and the Knicks. Milwaukee said no. For now.
But this story isn’t over. Giannis is injured and might sit out the rest of the season. So while the Bucks held onto him at the deadline, most experts expect he will be traded this summer.
Rosters are locked, the playoff push is on, and every game matters. 🍿
Speaking of which…
🎥 Want to see the best game from last night? No Steph for the Warriors. No Devin Booker for the Suns. Yes DRAMA!
Let’s move on to the…
Winter Olympics ⛷️🏔️
TODAY IS THE DAY! (Well, if you’re reading this on Friday…)
The 2026 Winter Olympics are officially here. The opening ceremony is happening today at San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy.
Now, we like to be precise, so we should tell you that some events have actually already started.
Curling began on Wednesday, and a few other sports got going early too.
That’s normal for the Olympics. Some events need a head start because there are so many to fit in.
Yep, 16 different sports.
Want to know them all?
Alpine Skiing — racing down mountains at insane speeds
Biathlon — cross-country skiing + rifle shooting. Yes, really
Bobsled — rocket down an icy track in a sled at up to 90+ mph
Cross-Country Skiing — long-distance skiing across flat and hilly terrain
Curling — sliding stones on ice toward a target (it’s way more intense than it sounds!)
Figure Skating — spins, jumps, and sparkly outfits
Freestyle Skiing — basically skiing’s wildest tricks
Ice Hockey — you know this one 🏒
Luge — lying flat on your back on a tiny sled, flying feet-first down an icy track
Nordic Combined — ski jumping + cross-country skiing, back to back
Short Track Speed Skating — speed skating on a shorter loop with tight turns and big crashes
Skeleton — like luge, but face-first and headfirst. Seriously
Ski Jumping — launching off a giant ramp and soaring through the air. Also seriously
Ski Mountaineering — 🆕 You saw the video earlier this week… athletes race uphill and downhill on skis through mountain terrain
Snowboarding — halfpipe, slopestyle, big air, cross
Speed Skating — racing around an oval track at incredible speeds
💭 Which sport are you most excited to watch over the next few weeks? Drop your answer and tell us why in the comments!
🧠 Now, trivia: Which US state is sending the most athletes to the Winter Olympics? Think about it for a second...
The answer: Colorado! With over 30 athletes.
That’s out of 232 total Olympians on the US team from 32 different states. 🇺🇸
One last thing: the first medals will be awarded tomorrow (Saturday)!
Right before the…
Super Bowl 🏈🏟️
Sunday. Super Bowl LX. (That’s 60 in Roman numerals.)
Seattle Seahawks vs. New England Patriots.
Ask your parents if this matchup sounds familiar… It should! Because these two teams played in Super Bowl XLIX (49) in 2015.
That game ended with one of the most famous plays in NFL history.
Patriots leading 28-24 with 26 seconds left. Seahawks with the ball near the Patriots’ end zone. Touchdown wins the game.
🎥 Watch what happened next!
Let’s just say… Seahawks fans have not forgotten.
So what are the big storylines this time around? Here are a few to watch:
Sam Darnold’s moment. The Seahawks’ quarterback has had one of those careers where people kept counting him out. Now he’s got a chance to win it all.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba (aka JSN). The Seahawks’ star wide receiver led the entire NFL in receiving yards this season. He’ll be the toughest matchup on the field.
Drake Maye on the big stage. The Patriots’ young QB is only in his second year… and he’s already playing for a championship. No pressure, right?
A new dynasty? The Patriots are going for their SEVENTH Super Bowl title. No franchise has ever won that many. Pats and Steelers both have six.
Experts think the Seahawks should win by 4-5 points.
Before we get your prediction…
There are two traditions that might be even bigger than the game itself.
#1: The Commercials 📺
Super Bowl commercials are a whole event of their own. Companies spend up to $10 million for 30 seconds of airtime. Some of the funniest and weirdest commercials of the year show up during the Super Bowl.
And some people watch just to see the ads!
#2: The Guessing Games 🎲
Every year, people try to predict things about the Super Bowl… not just who wins. Things like:
The coin toss. Will it be heads or tails? Tails has won two of the last three!
The national anthem. People try to guess exactly how long it’ll take!
The Gatorade bath. You know the tradition: when a team wins, the players dump a giant cooler of Gatorade on their coach’s head. The question is: what color will it be?
Ready to make some predictions?
Remember your predictions and see how many you get right!
That’s all for today! What a weekend we’ve got ahead of us.
And you know we’ll be back next week to break it all down!
Smallball is just for fun.
All trademarks, images, and videos are used for educational and fair use purposes only.
If you have any questions or concerns, please just email us.














Curling.
Olympics: always excited about ice skating and ski jumping but now also skeleton and luge. Thanks for the awesome descriptions!