Motez Bishara

The Guardian • 4th October 2021

‘We wanted to make history’: Michael Jackson’s bizarre year in Bahrain

In 2005, a Bahraini prince welcomed the deposed king of pop and wrote a Hurricane Katrina charity single with him. But Jackson’s erratic behavior sent plans off course.

CNN • 2nd April 2020

A fierce critic of Turkey, Enes Kanter has more than just losing the NBA season on his mind

One of the NBA's most popular players has been facing a range of tumultuous challenges off the court, including death threats and the criminal trial of his father back home in Turkey.

The National • 24th February 2020

How Kenya's growing yoga movement is empowering the country's poor

Thanks to a grassroots initiative that began over a decade ago, Kenya has emerged as the yoga capital of Africa, churning out talented yoga instructors while broadening the country’s appeal beyond safaris and white-sand beaches.

CNN • 27th January 2020

For Kobe Bryant, being a great basketball player was never enough

The NBA legend leaves a complicated legacy in his aftermath, but his accomplishments cannot be denied.

CNN • 27th June 2019

'A fight was ready to breakout anytime': Yankees, Red Sox greats recall epic dust-ups from past decade

A lookback on the greatest rivalry in sports, through the lens of five of prominent players -- David Wells, David Cone, Bronson Arroyo, Bernie Williams and Alex Rodriguez -- from an era of peak hostility a decade ago.

CNN • 4th May 2019

'Hoop Dreams' at 25: Gates and Agee brushed by murders, remain bonded

Released in 1994, "Hoop Dreams" is considered one of the greatest documentaries of all time. While essentially creating the reality show format by shadowing two inner-city players, it exposed rife corruption in youth basketball -- a plague that now falls under intense scrutiny with an FBI investigation.

The National • 22nd April 2019

Ben Abeba: Meet the Scottish pensioner who opened a futuristic restaurant in the mountains of Ethiopia

Former schoolteacher Susan Aitchison moved to Lalibela to start a new life – and she hasn't looked back since.

CNN • 19th December 2018

How Alex Rodriguez turned his life around

The former Yankees slugger is a case study on public redemption.

CNN • 13th November 2018

How 'Last Chance U' and American Football are reshaping television

Viewers can't get enough of the grit and drama surrounding the brutal sport, and production companies led by Amazon and Netflix are taking notice.

CNN • 17th October 2018

How Gay Bowl became America's liveliest tournament

For most of the 1,000 or so participants of Gay Bowl -- who include several college football players and even some ex-pros -- the long weekend represents a celebration of football, the sport they love, which in many ways shaped their lives.

Espn.Com • 13th May 2018

How Saudi Arabians experienced WWE's 'Greatest Royal Rumble'

The WWE's major push into Saudi Arabia is a prime example of the complicated clash between long-held Saudi values and the desire among many younger citizens -- who suddenly include women -- to embrace more elements of Western culture.

ESPN • 12th January 2018

The NBA is in London, so why no UK stars in the league?

Question: How does a nation with limited basketball culture develop NBA players? Answer: If that nation is Great Britain, it's complicated.

Espn.Com • 9th January 2018

The challenge of being an NBA fan in the UK

As an NBA fan who moved to London in 1996, keeping up with my favorite sport from the UK had its extreme challenges.

CNN • 4th October 2017

Forget the NFL: Women's basketball takes powerful stand on social justice

The NFL may be stealing all the headlines when it comes to its National Anthem spat with US President Donald Trump, but women's professional basketball has been consistently taking an even greater stand on its biggest stage.

The Blizzard • 13th June 2017

Son of the King: The troubled story of Pele's son Edinho

In some ways it’s ironic that the son of one of the most idolised sporting stars on the planet is fighting to save his own reputation. In other ways, it’s entirely understandable.

CNN • 1st June 2017

The forgotten football club that gave birth to the great Zinedine Zidane

You'd never guess by the looks of its stadium, but French sixth-tier champion AS Cannes was once a breeding ground for world football's greatest minds. This once-proud team nestled in the luxurious Cote D'Azur boasts such luminary alumnus as Zinedine Zidane, Arsene Wenger and Patrick Vieira.

CNN • 12th December 2016

Where is the European Colin Kaepernick?

As American sports figures sound off on politics, their European counterparts stay largely silent.

CNN • 17th November 2016

Canada's great sporting bromance

How Steve Nash and Owen Hargreaves fulfilled each other's dreams.

CNN • 12th July 2016

Twenty years after Dunblane, Andy Murray pleads to end gun violence

Wimbledon champion Andy Murray has joined a host of athletes who are weighing in on gun violence following the recent troubling incidents in the U.S.

CNN • 20th June 2016

Why can't U.S. Soccer have its own LeBron?

When will the U.S. finally be able to hail one of its own as a bona fide soccer phenom, a stratosphere currently reserved for Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and perhaps his Barcelona teammates Luis Suarez and Neymar? Maybe quicker than you think.