Sports Illustrated Kids January/February 2023

FINALLY IT’S 2023. I thought 2022 was never going to end. FIFA put on its most controversial World Cup yet. Tom Brady refused to ride into the sunset. And the Houston Astros once again banged the proverbial trash can of victory in all of our faces. I’ve shredded my old calendar and incinerated the shreds. A new year also means a chance for improvement. You probably suspect that’s impossible in my case. But I’ve set the bar low for myself: Last year’s New Year’s resolution to cut back on jellybeans fell apart on January 4, 2022. So in the spirit of new beginnings, here’s not just one but five personal goals for these next 12 months: 1. Stop calling for people to be fired. When a team struggles, it’s easy as a…

DON’T GET ANGRY, Las Vegas fans. The headline is part of the joke. (Though let’s be honest, Raiders do look horrible.) Former Indianapolis Colts center Jeff Saturday tweeted those three immortal words on October 30, 2022, when the Raiders were losing to the Saints 24–0. Little did Saturday know that he would be off the couch and on the field, facing the Raiders, just a couple of weeks later. Colts owner Jim Irsay shocked the football world when he named Saturday his team’s interim head coach in November, after firing Frank Reich. The move drew widespread scrutiny, as Saturday had never before coached above the high school level. Ultimately, the critics seemed right. Indianapolis suffered its most embarrassing loss of the season—54–19 to Dallas in December—under Saturday, dropping the team to 4-7-1. Saturday’s first…

January 5 Connecticut Sun forward Jonquel Jones turns 29. 13 LPGA golfer Nasa Hataoka is 24 years old. 15 Team USA softball pitcher/infielder Ally Carda will be 30. 21 Montreal Canadiens forward Kirby Dach turns 22. 26 Red Bull driver Sergio Pérez is 33. February 4 Barcelona midfielder Alexia Putellas celebrates her 29th birthday. 11 Dansby Swanson will be 29 years old as well. 23 Running back Rhamondre Stevenson of the New England Patriots turns 25. 24 American tennis star Jessica Pegula is 29. 28 Dallas Mavericks point guard Luka Dončič turns 24 years old. SAM MORRIS/GETTY IMAGES (SATURDAY); ERICK W. RASCO (JONES); MINAS PANAGIOTAKIS/GETTY IMAGES (DACH); DIEGO SOUTO/QUALITY SPORT IMAGES/GETTY IMAGES (PUTELLAS); DAVID E. KLUTHO (STEVENSON); GREG NELSON (DONČIČ)…

BIRTHPLACE: SOUTHLAKE, TEXAS BIRTH DATE: SEPTEMBER 4, 2006 SPORT: SWIMMING When he stepped to his block before the 400-meter individual medley final at the 2022 Junior Pan Pacific Championships, Maximus Williamson had a clear mind and no expectations. He swam the event in 4:17.58—the fastest time for a 15-year-old U.S. swimmer in 21 years, second only to Michael Phelps. “I shocked myself,” says Maximus. “It’s really hard to comprehend.” A ’22–23 National Junior Team member, Maximus won four state titles as a freshman and will look to add to that at Keller High this season. Are YOU a SportsKid? If you think you have what it takes to be a Future Star, have an adult submit your nomination at SportsKid@si.com…

Asher writes: Hey, Kip! When I was watching the World Cup, I realized that not many people were taking shots from outside the penalty area. I think it would make the slow games that ended as 1–1 more interesting if goals scored from outside the penalty area were worth two points! Make sure to say “Hi” to Buzz for me! Dear Asher, As an American cartoon columnist, I have to be careful about endorsing any rule changes to make soccer more exciting. I don’t want European cartoon heavyweights like Peppa Pig or Tintin coming after me for disrespecting the beautiful game. Just between you, me, and the other people reading this sentence, however, I say go for it. One disappointing aspect of top-level soccer is the importance of penalty kicks, given how difficult…

Giannis Antetokounmpo Has Khris Middleton Defining a sports sidekick is tough. Sometimes it means the second-best player on a team, even if those two stars rarely play together (think Evgeni Malkin). Other times, it refers to half of a famous duo, like Scottie Pippen. But Malkin is too self-sufficient—and Pippen too good. So here’s a new high bar for sidekicks: the Bucks’ Khris Middleton. Kendrick Perkins called Giannis Antetokounmpo Robin after Middleton dropped 38 points in a playoff game in 2021. A month later, Antetokounmpo had his Batman moment in the Finals. Giannis couldn’t have won that title without Middleton, but there’s a clear No. 1 and No.2. Wayne Gretzky Had Jari Kurri Oilers/Kings 1980–’88, ’92–’96 In basketball, you can’t just stand near the hoop and hope a teammate will bank it off your…