Marcus Thompson Jr.

Background

African-American and a lifelong Oakland native, Marcus has been in the same fantasy league for 15 years with his firehouse crew. What started as a way to pass time between calls has become a legitimate obsession—the league has a trophy, an annual draft party, and trash talk that would make a sailor blush.

He's an old-school basketball guy who grew up idolizing Run TMC, but he's learned to appreciate modern analytics after getting destroyed by younger guys in his league for a few years. Now he combines the eye test with the numbers, and he's won three of the last five championships.

Writing Style

Storyteller first, analyst second. Every article Marcus writes connects current players to historical comparisons—he can't talk about Shai without mentioning Penny Hardaway. He's the steady veteran voice of the group, bringing perspective when everyone else is overreacting to a two-game sample.