Happy Tuesday.

It’s been great reading all the feedback from yesterday’s debut edition of TDA Sport.

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I’ve got 10 seconds

Quote of the day

“Heroes do not die.”
The Ukrainian Olympic Committee’s tribute to former Olympic weightlifter Oleksandr Pielieshenko, who died on the front line of Russia’s war in Ukraine. The two-time European champion represented Ukraine at the 2016 Rio Olympics. He joined Ukrainian forces in the early days of the invasion.

Stat of the day

13
The number of losses suffered by Manchester United in the current season of the English Premier League (EPL), the highest football league for men in England. It’s the most defeats in a single EPL season since 1989/90 for the team, who lost 0-4 to the 14th ranked team Crystal Palace on Monday.

Random fact of the day

The upcoming Paris Olympics will be the first ever to achieve full gender parity, meaning women athletes will have as many places in the Games as male athletes. The first time Paris hosted the Games, in 1900, women represented 2.2% of participants.

I’ve got 1 minute

The NSW Government has announced a new $30 million program to support women’s sport.

The new program, called ‘Level the Playing Field’, is inspired by the Matildas' success at the FIFA Women’s World Cup last year, where they placed fourth.

The Government will be giving grants worth between $200,000 and $2 million to 26 projects, which will do a range of things including upgrading sporting facilities across the state.

Government statement

Sport Minister Steve Kamper said: “Most importantly, we are providing safer, more comfortable and more inclusive facilities, breaking down the barriers that have traditionally prevented many women from participating in sport.”

TDA reached out to NSW’s Shadow Minister of Sport, but did not hear back at the time of publication.

I’ve got 2 minutes

Victor Wembanyama has been named the Rookie of the Year for the 2023/24 season of the NBA, the professional basketball league in the U.S. for men.

The 20-year-old from France plays for the San Antonio Spurs. He was drafted as the overall No.1 pick last year — this means that of all the new players entering the NBA for the first time (draftees), he was the first selected by the Spurs, who had the 'first pick' of the draft.

In 71 games this season, Wembanyama averaged 21.4 points and 10.6 rebounds per game.

NBA Rookies

A rookie is a first-year player who has never played an NBA game before the eligible season.

The NBA awards the annual Rookie of the Year title to the top rookie of the regular season, which includes 82 games played between October to April.

How do they select the winner?

The winner is selected by a global panel of sportswriters, journalists, and broadcasters.

Players are awarded five points for a first-place vote, three points for second place, and one point for a third-place vote.

Wembanyama received all 99 first-place votes, totalling 495 points. He is only the sixth player since the award debuted in 1952 to receive every single first-place vote.

Wembanyama’s career so far

Wembanyama has received praise from the likes of NBA legends, including Lebron James, Kevin Durant, and Shaquille O’Neal.

He became the first rookie to ever finish a season with at least 1500 points, 250 blocked passes, and 100 three-pointers.

Wembanyama is also set to finish within the top three nominees for the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year award.

A message from our sponsor

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Looking back…

Here are some scores we think you should know about from the last 24 hours. There’s always a lot of sport, so this is just a selection.

Looking forward…

Here are some things to watch in the next 24 hours. Again, there’s always a lot of sport - this is just a selection.

TDA asks