The Desk

Stories

Sports, business, music, and the rooms they share.

A professional basketball player walking out of a dim arena tunnel toward court lights

Exclusive

Nia Okoro Is Walking Away From the Game On Her Own Terms

Sloane Park · Aug 19

Exclusive

Nia Okoro Is Walking Away From the Game On Her Own Terms

The four-time champion is retiring at the peak of her leverage — and rewriting what an exit looks like for women's basketball.

Sloane Park · Aug 19

An athlete in a tailored suit at a glass conference table overlooking a city

Business

Andre Vale and a Design Billionaire Are Building a Members Club in Austin

Maya Chen · Aug 18

A tennis stadium at dusk with a lone player on court under floodlights

Sports

Lila Chen's Quiet Year Away Ends at the U.S. Open

Jordan Ibarra · Aug 17

A dim recording studio mixing console under a warm lamp

Music · Video

Track by Track: Marlo Vee on the Last Album He Made With His Brother

Chris Adeyemi · Aug 16 · 18:24

A dark glass sports drink bottle on black marble under a spotlight

Business

How Nia Graves Turned Childhood Royalties Into a Seven-Figure Sports Drink

Maya Chen · Aug 15

A college football stadium at golden hour with campus buildings beyond the stands

Business

Inside Marcus Hale's Bet on America's College Towns

Sloane Park · Aug 14

An empty television interview studio with two leather chairs and broadcast cameras

Sports

Jamal Reed Is Structuring a Three-Year Deal Built for Optionality

Jordan Ibarra · Aug 13

A wet city street at night with a red carpet and flash-bulb lights

Entertainment

'Night Tide' Just Became the Biggest R-Rated Movie Ever

Dez Holloway · Aug 12

A long walnut conference table in a high-rise boardroom at night with a basketball on the table

Business · Video

Family Office: How the Okonkwos Built a Quiet Sports Dynasty

Maya Chen · Aug 11 · 22:07

A professional stadium at night under floodlights with a glowing pitch

Sports · Video

Tessa Wade Gets Real About Money, Success, and the Future of Women's Hoops

Sloane Park · Aug 5 · 16:40

A man in a navy suit at a glass conference table in a penthouse office

Business · Video

Dario Ellison on Building a Billion-Dollar Blueprint Off the Court

Dez Holloway · Aug 8 · 24:11

Two leather chairs in a dark interview studio under a spotlight

Watch Now · Video

How NBA Money Quietly Rewired Friendships, Family, and the Room

Dez Holloway · Aug 10 · 19:03

A luxury rooftop pickleball court at sunset overlooking a city skyline

Sports

Why Emerging Leagues Are the New Front Office Obsession

Jordan Ibarra · Aug 9

A hip-hop performer in silhouette on stage above a crowd of phones

Music · Video

The Night the Underground Rap Economy Hit a Real Stage

Chris Adeyemi · Aug 7 · 14:22

Business

Andre Vale and a Design Billionaire Are Building a Members Club in Austin

The forward's next play is not another sneaker. It is a private sports club for operators who would rather close than be seen closing.

Maya Chen · Aug 18

Sports

Lila Chen's Quiet Year Away Ends at the U.S. Open

After a season of silence, the former world No. 4 takes a protected ranking into Flushing Meadows — and a different idea of what winning is for.

Jordan Ibarra · Aug 17

Music · Video

Track by Track: Marlo Vee on the Last Album He Made With His Brother

Five years after the tapes were shelved, the Compton rapper walks The Table through a record that was never supposed to be a memorial.

Chris Adeyemi · Aug 16 · 18:24

Business

How Nia Graves Turned Childhood Royalties Into a Seven-Figure Sports Drink

A session singer's daughter spent a decade watching checks arrive for a voice that was not hers. Then she put the money in a bottle.

Maya Chen · Aug 15

Business

Inside Marcus Hale's Bet on America's College Towns

The former shortstop is buying main streets, not stadiums — and arguing that Saturday passion is an asset you can underwrite.

Sloane Park · Aug 14

Sports

Jamal Reed Is Structuring a Three-Year Deal Built for Optionality

The scoring guard's next contract is less a payday than a runway — shorter term, heavier bonuses, and a front office that wants him movable.

Jordan Ibarra · Aug 13

Entertainment

'Night Tide' Just Became the Biggest R-Rated Movie Ever

A mythic war picture with no franchise and no sequel plan did the unfashionable thing: it opened, then it stayed.

Dez Holloway · Aug 12

Business · Video

Family Office: How the Okonkwos Built a Quiet Sports Dynasty

A retired big man and a former toy executive spent twenty years turning likeness into infrastructure. The result looks less like a brand and more like a country.

Maya Chen · Aug 11 · 22:07

Sports · Video

Tessa Wade Gets Real About Money, Success, and the Future of Women's Hoops

The guard who turned a mid-round pick into a market is done pretending the league's boom arrived evenly.

Sloane Park · Aug 5 · 16:40

Business · Video

Dario Ellison on Building a Billion-Dollar Blueprint Off the Court

The quiet partner behind two decades of superstar decisions explains why 'the decision' was never the interesting part.

Dez Holloway · Aug 8 · 24:11

Watch Now · Video

How NBA Money Quietly Rewired Friendships, Family, and the Room

A year inside the afterlife of a max contract — the people who stayed, the people who invoiced, and the ones who didn't know how to ask.

Dez Holloway · Aug 10 · 19:03

Sports

Why Emerging Leagues Are the New Front Office Obsession

Pickleball, women's soccer, and a dozen half-built circuits are drawing athlete capital that used to wait for an NBA franchise to come up for sale.

Jordan Ibarra · Aug 9

Music · Video

The Night the Underground Rap Economy Hit a Real Stage

A sold-out room, a split that actually cleared, and a new class of operators who treat a rap show like a small business with better lighting.

Chris Adeyemi · Aug 7 · 14:22