Tim Kawakami and David Lombardi join The San Francisco Standard

We’re launching sports coverage by welcoming two of the biggest names in Bay Area sports media: Tim Kawakami and David Lombardi. Both are joining The Standard from previous roles at The New York Times-owned outlet The Athletic. 

The reason we’re kicking off sports coverage is because of you, our readers. Everything we do at The Standard is driven by your input, and this has been one of your top requests. With some of the country’s best teams, including the 49ers and Warriors, we know how much sports matter to the Bay Area. And now we’re excited to expand our site to bring you more of what you love. Tim and David will be publishing smart analyses of games, teams, players, and the businesses behind them starting next week.

Tim is one of the deans of sports journalism, both locally and nationally, having covered teams in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia for the past 35 years. He helped launch The Athletic Bay Area in 2017 and served as a columnist and editor-in-chief while also hosting his podcast, “The TK Show.” He regularly brings on some of the most powerful people in sports, from Warriors owner Joe Lacob and coach Steve Kerr to 49ers owner Jed York and quarterback Brock Purdy. 

Tim was previously a sports columnist and beat writer at the San Jose Mercury News, the Los Angeles Times, and Philadelphia Daily News. He is a Bay Area native, born in Oakland and raised in San Francisco and Burlingame. He now lives in Mission Bay, just a quick walk from the homes of the Warriors and Giants.

David comes to The Standard after seven years as a 49ers reporter at The Athletic, a tenure that coincides with those of 49ers general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan. His work offers in-depth analysis of players and examinations of team strategy (both on-field and within the salary cap), as well as features on prominent figures within the 49ers’ sphere. He’s built an enormous audience on social media, frequently publishing widely viewed dispatches on his YouTube channel and amassing hundreds of thousands of followers across his platforms.

David is a Stanford graduate with a master’s in broadcast journalism from Boston University. He previously worked as a football reporter for Scout.com and ESPN. Born and raised in Visalia, Calif., David now splits his time between the Mission and Tennessee.