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Sports Columnist

Ann Killion

Born in San Francisco and raised in Marin County, Ann Killion has covered Bay Area sports for more than a quarter of a century. An award-winning columnist and a veteran of 11 Olympics, several World Cups and the Tour de France, Ann joined The Chronicle in 2012. Ann has worked for the San Jose Mercury News, the Los Angeles Times and Sports Illustrated. She is a New York Times best-selling author, having co-written "Solo: A Memoir of Hope" with soccer star Hope Solo,"Throw Like A Girl" with softball player Jennie Finch and two middle-grade books on soccer, “Champions of Women’s Soccer” and “Champions of Men’s Soccer.” She was named California Sportswriter of the Year in 2014, 2017 and 2018. She has two children and lives in Mill Valley.

Stories By Ann Killion

Paris Games could save Olympic movement, if it can overcome looming threats

The Paris Games promise to reinvigorate an Olympic movement that has languished for more than a decade, but external dangers and controversies will be omnipresent this summer. Ann Killion

Will Warriors find a way to fit core pieces into next season’s puzzle?

Stephen Curry isn’t going anywhere, but the decisions the Golden State Warriors face this offseason about championship-era teammates Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are complex. Ann Killion

Get ready Bay Area, the expanding WNBA tsunami is headed this way

Interest in the WNBA continues to mount, as Monday’s high-profile draft demonstrated. Next year, an expansion team will open the door for the Bay Area to join the party. Ann Killion

How Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy has navigated first year in NBA’s toughest job

Mike Dunleavy might have the most challenging job in the NBA: Getting the most of Stephen Curry’s late career while also finding a through-line to the Golden State Warriors’ future. Ann Killion

Tara VanDerveer steps away from the women’s game she brought to prominence

Tara VanDerveer’s legacy goes far beyond her success at Stanford. She will be recalled as one of the pillars upon which the game of women’s basketball grew and thrived. Ann Killion

Could Clark-Reese be WNBA’s Magic-Bird rivalry? Ingredients are there

The trend we are witnessing in women’s basketball is following a pattern we once saw in the men’s game, leading to the Magic Johnson-Larry Bird rivalry that changed the NBA. Ann Killion

Are surging Warriors ready to launch in NBA postseason after clinching play-in spot?

The Golden State Warriors expected more than a No. 10 seed in the West this season, but they’re getting hot. Will it lead to bigger things now that they’re locked into the NBA play-in round? Ann Killion

Giants’ season of change gives fans a strange brew of old and new on Opening Day

The San Francisco Giants gave fans the joy of an Opening Day win, familiar faces and a better ballclub vibe. But to start a new season, not every change at Oracle Park was reason to smile. Ann Killion

Sacramento A’s roundtable: Will fans go? Will Bay Area get a second team again?

With the Oakland Athletics heading to Sacramento in 2025, we asked Chronicle baseball experts what to expect there for John Fisher’s team and whether the Bay Area will get an expansion team. John Shea, Scott Ostler, Susan Slusser, Ann Killion

USWNT embraces its legacies in calling out Korbin Albert’s anti-LGBTQ behavior

The USWNT faces a pre-Olympic challenge of regaining its excellence while also promoting its core values after teammate Korbin Albert’s anti-LGBTQ behavior in social media. Ann Killion

As women’s March Madness joins sports’ elite events, where’s Stanford?

The college women’s tournament gave us a fabulous weekend of basketball and earned millions of new fans during its Sweet 16 and Elite Eight. Bay Area fans might ask: Where did Stanford go? Ann Killion

Bay Area gets in line for Bay FC: ‘This isn’t a moment. It’s a movement’

Bay FC sold out its first home game and much of the crowd of 18,000 simply couldn’t wait to get in the gates and embrace their new team for the first time Saturday. Ann Killion

Steph Curry’s exasperation says it all: Warriors are over Draymond Green’s antics

Wednesday’s tense scene in Orlando made it clear the Golden State Warriors are at long last sick of Draymond Green’s outbursts. Most importantly, Stephen Curry has had enough. Ann Killion

Giants take steps to bring magic back, but off-field losses could break the spell

San Francisco Giants fans should feel terrific about the season that starts Thursday. Their team has checked so many boxes. So why does there still seem to be some uneasiness about the team? Ann Killion

‘God, she’s good’: Stanford’s Kiki Iriafen ready to shine in NCAA Tournament

A nonfactor in her first two NCAA Tournaments, Kiki Iriafen scored 17 points and had nine rebounds in Friday’s first-round win. Her contributions will be vital if Stanford is to play deep into March. Ann Killion

Giants laud Renel Brooks-Moon at Oracle open house, but don't explain her departure

San Francisco Giants CEO Larry Baer touted popular former Oracle Park PA announcer Renel Brooks-Moon as “an icon,” but the team did not explain her departure from the organization. Ann Killion

A real-life Ted Lasso taught Bay FC’s GM how to lead: ‘It’s all about people’

Long before she was Bay FC’s GM, Lucy Rushton got hired in the male-dominated world of English soccer. Reading F.C.’s chief scout, Brian McDermott, put her at ease. Ann Killion

Giants’ latest messaging malfunction? Parting with Renel Brooks-Moon, popular PA announcer

The San Francisco Giants parted ways with public-address announcer Renel Brooks-Moon, Oracle Park’s voice of a dynasty, adding to a growing number of unpopular and messy exits from the organization. Ann Killion

Deserved? Disrespected? Stanford women drop to No. 2 seed in NCAA Tournament

For the first time in the college careers of any player on the roster, the Stanford women did not receive a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Does that matter? Ann Killion

Women’s pro soccer is back in Bay Area. This time, it’s poised to stick

This weekend, for the third time in Bay Area history, a women’s pro soccer team will debut. Bay FC should have staying power, thanks to the strength of the NWSL. Ann Killion