WEBVTT - Trash Talk Has Commenced with Napheesa Collier 0:00:00.800 --> 0:00:03.480 Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we're screaming 0:00:03.600 --> 0:00:07.360 Happy Black History Month louder than ever this year. It's Monday, 0:00:07.360 --> 0:00:09.600 February third, and on today's show, we'll be talking with 0:00:09.680 --> 0:00:13.440 unrivaled basketball co founder and Minnesota Links superstar and Avisa 0:00:13.480 --> 0:00:16.360 Collier about playing in her own league while helping run it, 0:00:16.560 --> 0:00:20.400 the WNBA's unidentified tamper rules, and having a quarter of 0:00:20.400 --> 0:00:23.960 the w's players in one place during free agency, plus 0:00:24.000 --> 0:00:27.480 all the latest w trades and deals. Aposto Bam Lives, 0:00:27.720 --> 0:00:31.760 We're Forever twenty two and we celebrate spreadsheet excellence. It's 0:00:31.800 --> 0:00:45.920 all coming up right after this. Welcome back and Happy Monday. 0:00:45.960 --> 0:00:47.640 Here's what you need to know today. 0:00:49.280 --> 0:00:50.240 In the WNBA. 0:00:50.400 --> 0:00:54.880 Well, y'all, free agency is free agencying, and a lot 0:00:55.040 --> 0:00:57.520 has happened since we last spoke. So let's run through 0:00:57.520 --> 0:01:00.560 the non exhaustive highlight, shall we. We're going to give 0:01:00.600 --> 0:01:03.480 you a team by team look at player movement now. First, 0:01:03.720 --> 0:01:06.080 what started out last week as a two team deal 0:01:06.160 --> 0:01:08.760 with the big headline of Alyssa Thomas heading to Phoenix 0:01:09.080 --> 0:01:12.360 turned into a four team trade between the Sun, the Wings, 0:01:12.480 --> 0:01:15.080 the Fever, and the Mercury we'll start with the Mercury, 0:01:15.240 --> 0:01:17.680 already newsmakers for the departure of Brittany Griner. 0:01:18.040 --> 0:01:20.399 Then they end up adding two of the biggest. 0:01:19.959 --> 0:01:23.160 Fish in the free agency pond, the aforementioned Alissa Thomas, 0:01:23.200 --> 0:01:25.679 and as we learned on Saturday, they also get the 0:01:25.800 --> 0:01:28.800 Unicorn Satu SABII. Now you'll hear plenty more on how 0:01:28.800 --> 0:01:32.240 that four team deal affects other teams coming up. Heading 0:01:32.240 --> 0:01:35.880 to Indiana a shocker in the Hoosier State, as Dewana 0:01:35.959 --> 0:01:39.600 Bonner is not following her fiance Alisa Thomas to Phoenix. 0:01:40.040 --> 0:01:42.679 Multiple outlets reported on Sunday that Bonner is headed to 0:01:42.680 --> 0:01:45.880 the Indiana Fever to play for her former Connecticut Sun 0:01:45.920 --> 0:01:49.480 head coach Stephanie White. The fifteen year VET, six time 0:01:49.560 --> 0:01:53.400 All Star and two time WNBA champ joins newly signed 0:01:53.480 --> 0:01:57.680 three time WNBA champ Natasha Howard, plus Sophie Cunningham, who 0:01:57.800 --> 0:02:00.760 arrived in Indy in the Satu Sabli deal. There, of course, 0:02:00.800 --> 0:02:05.760 alongside Caitlin Clark, Galia Boston, Kelsey Mitchell, Fever also grabbed 0:02:05.760 --> 0:02:06.760 the number nineteen. 0:02:06.480 --> 0:02:07.520 Pick in the upcoming draft. 0:02:07.560 --> 0:02:09.160 You put all that together, and all of a sudden 0:02:09.480 --> 0:02:12.880 Indy's looking like a squad, so no more. 0:02:12.720 --> 0:02:14.480 Alyssa, Thomas and dB together. 0:02:14.560 --> 0:02:16.919 But there is good news on the hoops and gay 0:02:16.960 --> 0:02:20.400 shit front because in Texas, the Dallas Wings got Djna 0:02:20.520 --> 0:02:23.880 Carrington and Melissa Smith in that four team deal, a 0:02:23.960 --> 0:02:27.000 win for love and for the gays. The Wings also 0:02:27.040 --> 0:02:29.760 get Ty Harrison the trade who was originally reported as 0:02:29.760 --> 0:02:32.680 heading to Phoenix before that deal expanded to four teams. 0:02:33.040 --> 0:02:35.600 Wings also get the number twelve overall pick in the 0:02:35.680 --> 0:02:39.080 upcoming draft to the Land of Rain and Tall Trees, 0:02:39.080 --> 0:02:41.440 where we found out that the Seattle Storm re signed 0:02:41.600 --> 0:02:44.639 WNBA president and nine time All Star Necka Ogou Mackay 0:02:44.919 --> 0:02:48.000 after she texted the news to her sister, fellow baller 0:02:48.000 --> 0:02:51.600 and ESPN reporter Chenay live on air. Cute way to 0:02:51.600 --> 0:02:54.720 give little Sis the scoop. So the Storm moved forward 0:02:54.760 --> 0:02:57.640 with Neka Skyler, Digg and Smith and the picks and 0:02:57.680 --> 0:02:59.960 assets that they got in the Kelsey Plum Jewelloyd deal 0:03:00.680 --> 0:03:01.440 down in Atlanta. 0:03:01.560 --> 0:03:02.560 The Dream weren't done. 0:03:02.639 --> 0:03:05.040 After signing nine time All Star Britney Grinder last week. 0:03:05.120 --> 0:03:07.440 They also signed three time All Star Brianna Jones, who 0:03:07.480 --> 0:03:10.359 spent the first eight seasons of her w career in Connecticut. 0:03:10.600 --> 0:03:13.480 The Dream also added Shatory Walker Kimbro, who spent the 0:03:13.560 --> 0:03:15.480 last four years with the Washington Mystics. 0:03:16.040 --> 0:03:23.840 Speaking of Washington, the Mystics are real quiet. Not much 0:03:23.880 --> 0:03:25.560 to report. Out West. 0:03:25.600 --> 0:03:27.600 We know the La Sparks picked up two time champ 0:03:27.720 --> 0:03:30.440 Kelsey Plum and now they've re signed Odyssey Simms, who 0:03:30.520 --> 0:03:33.240 originally joined the team last year on a hardship contract. 0:03:33.800 --> 0:03:40.640 Upstate from the Sparks, the Valkyries well in the Midwest. First, 0:03:40.640 --> 0:03:43.400 my Chicago Sky brought back two time champ and five 0:03:43.440 --> 0:03:46.160 time All Star Courtney Vanderslut. Then over the weekend it 0:03:46.200 --> 0:03:49.240 was reported that they've also nabbed Rebecca Allen and Keia Nurse. 0:03:50.000 --> 0:03:52.520 In the Desert, you'll recall that the Las Vegas Aces 0:03:52.640 --> 0:03:55.720 acquired two time champ Jewel Lloyd, and also they nabbed 0:03:55.720 --> 0:03:59.080 the number thirteen draft pick in the upcoming draft. And 0:03:59.360 --> 0:04:04.480 out east, the Connecticut Sun. This team is damn near unrecognizable, 0:04:04.760 --> 0:04:08.120 having lost or traded their entire twenty twenty four starting five. 0:04:08.440 --> 0:04:11.520 But some good news came for the Sun on Sunday. 0:04:11.840 --> 0:04:14.960 Fitting I suppose, as Soursos told the ESPNS, Alexa Philip 0:04:15.000 --> 0:04:17.120 who they're getting Eight time All Star and three time 0:04:17.120 --> 0:04:19.839 Olympian Tina Charles, who spent the first four seasons of 0:04:19.839 --> 0:04:23.159 her career in Connecticut, winning League MVP back in twenty twelve. 0:04:23.600 --> 0:04:26.480 Charles is the league's all time leading rebounder and second 0:04:26.520 --> 0:04:30.000 overall all time in scoring, behind only Diana Tarassi. She's 0:04:30.040 --> 0:04:32.200 thirty six years old, but she still put up nearly 0:04:32.240 --> 0:04:34.919 fifteen points and ten boards a game last season for 0:04:34.960 --> 0:04:37.480 the Dream. Now, once all the details of the Sun's 0:04:37.480 --> 0:04:39.920 four team trade with the Wings, Fever, and Mercury shook out, 0:04:40.040 --> 0:04:42.520 the Sun also ended up with Rebecca Allen, Natasha Cloud, 0:04:42.640 --> 0:04:44.800 j C. Sheldon, and the number eight pick in the 0:04:44.880 --> 0:04:48.640 upcoming draft. Fun fact, by the way, from across the timeline, 0:04:48.880 --> 0:04:53.000 no non expansion WNBA franchise has ever finished a season 0:04:53.200 --> 0:04:55.520 without playing at least two players who started a game 0:04:55.560 --> 0:04:57.719 for them in the prior season. As of now, the 0:04:57.720 --> 0:05:00.719 Connecticut Sun are down to just Marina May, who started 0:05:00.720 --> 0:05:03.040 three games for them last season after being traded there. 0:05:03.680 --> 0:05:06.560 As for the Links in Liberty, last year's finals contenders, 0:05:06.839 --> 0:05:09.000 they're mostly staying put and running it back, with the 0:05:09.040 --> 0:05:11.279 exception of Van der Slut leaving New York for the Sky. 0:05:11.760 --> 0:05:14.240 We'll link to ESPN's Free Agency tracker in the show 0:05:14.279 --> 0:05:17.200 notes and keep you posted on any future Wheelan and Dlan, 0:05:17.839 --> 0:05:21.760 and we'll link to slice Alana Rebitzer's WNBA free agency charts. 0:05:21.839 --> 0:05:24.800 She dabbled in a little interactive data visualization to show 0:05:24.839 --> 0:05:25.480 player movement. 0:05:25.560 --> 0:05:28.479 You can check them out more WNBA news. 0:05:28.600 --> 0:05:30.760 Last week we reported that the Indiana Fever will play 0:05:30.800 --> 0:05:34.040 a preseason exhibition game against the Brazilian national team at 0:05:34.080 --> 0:05:37.039 Caitlin Clark's alma mater, Iowa. Well, now we know my 0:05:37.120 --> 0:05:40.600 Chicago Sky will also take on Brazil, but at LSU 0:05:40.800 --> 0:05:42.600 Skystar Angel Reese's. 0:05:42.200 --> 0:05:43.239 Old stomping grounds. 0:05:43.520 --> 0:05:45.839 That game will be May second, inside the Pete Marovitch 0:05:45.839 --> 0:05:48.320 Assembly Center and we're sure to see plenty of fans 0:05:48.320 --> 0:05:51.120 pop in Reese's pieces at that one. And while we're 0:05:51.120 --> 0:05:53.360 on the topic of Angel responsorships, did you guys see 0:05:53.360 --> 0:05:57.080 her McDonald's deal. You can now order the Angel Ree Special. 0:05:57.560 --> 0:06:00.000 It's the first meal offered by McDonald's for a few 0:06:00.279 --> 0:06:05.080 athlete pretty baller more hoops on Sunday, rating WNBA MVP 0:06:05.279 --> 0:06:08.280 Asia Wilson's number twenty two jersey was raised to the 0:06:08.400 --> 0:06:11.599 rafters of Colonial Life Arena at South Carolina ahead of 0:06:11.600 --> 0:06:14.280 the second rank Game Cocks eighty three sixty six win 0:06:14.680 --> 0:06:17.840 over Auburn. Wilson was the program's first National play of 0:06:17.839 --> 0:06:20.400 the Year and first four time All American, and she 0:06:20.520 --> 0:06:22.520 was the first three time SEC Player of the Year. 0:06:22.400 --> 0:06:23.159 In league history. 0:06:23.400 --> 0:06:25.440 Wilson let the game Cocks for their first Final four 0:06:25.520 --> 0:06:28.800 and first national championship, and upon graduating in twenty eighteen, 0:06:28.839 --> 0:06:32.159 became the program's first number one overall WNBA draft pick. 0:06:32.640 --> 0:06:35.760 Asia's Boo bam Adebio, fresh off a game winner for 0:06:35.760 --> 0:06:39.160 the mnba's Miami Heat Saturday night, was in attendance, and 0:06:39.200 --> 0:06:41.200 she gave him a little sly acknowledgment. 0:06:41.760 --> 0:06:44.760 I wouldn't be who I am today without the love, 0:06:45.120 --> 0:06:49.279 support and sacrifices of so many people. And what a 0:06:49.320 --> 0:06:53.320 blessing to have those most special to me courtside today, 0:06:53.760 --> 0:07:00.880 especially my favorite Olympian from out of town, Wink. 0:07:01.279 --> 0:07:05.039 Long live Apostre bam And speaking of twenty two is 0:07:05.080 --> 0:07:08.039 being honored on two to two, Kaitlyn Clark's number twenty 0:07:08.080 --> 0:07:10.560 two Jersey was retired at Carver Hawky Arena at the 0:07:10.640 --> 0:07:13.160 University of Iowa on Sunday, as Well, the all time 0:07:13.200 --> 0:07:16.040 leading scorer in NCAA Division One history, led the Hawkeyes 0:07:16.080 --> 0:07:18.760 to back to back trips to the National Championship, going 0:07:18.760 --> 0:07:20.200 on to be the number one pick in the twenty 0:07:20.240 --> 0:07:22.960 twenty four WNBA Draft and earning All Star and Rookie 0:07:23.000 --> 0:07:25.640 of the Year honors. The ceremony took place after Iowa 0:07:25.640 --> 0:07:29.600 was huge seventy six sixty nine upset of number four USC. 0:07:30.040 --> 0:07:32.960 Former Hawkeyes head coach Lisa Bluter was in attendance and 0:07:33.080 --> 0:07:34.400 spoke about knowing that this. 0:07:34.360 --> 0:07:37.680 Moment would come for Kaitlin Clark. Take a listen, just 0:07:37.720 --> 0:07:40.920 a couple of short years ago, I came into the arena. 0:07:41.000 --> 0:07:42.840 You were in here getting your shots off before the 0:07:42.880 --> 0:07:46.800 practice like you always are. And now you tell you 0:07:47.200 --> 0:07:50.080 pause for a second, and you looked up there and 0:07:50.160 --> 0:07:52.440 you looked at those jerseys. I went over to you 0:07:52.560 --> 0:07:55.640 with my m around your shoulder and said, Kaitlyn, someday 0:07:56.080 --> 0:07:56.640 your name is. 0:07:56.640 --> 0:07:57.280 Going to be up there. 0:07:57.440 --> 0:07:58.240 Your jerseys can. 0:08:01.000 --> 0:08:03.320 By the way, shout out to Lucy Olson, who went 0:08:03.560 --> 0:08:06.640 nuts in that game against the Trojans, dropping twenty eight 0:08:06.680 --> 0:08:10.200 points the hard way. She didn't hit a single three pointer. 0:08:10.480 --> 0:08:12.320 All her buckets came at the free throw liner from 0:08:12.360 --> 0:08:15.080 the floor. She also posted four assists and four boards 0:08:15.080 --> 0:08:18.320 in the win. Olson transferred from Villanova to Iowa, and 0:08:18.360 --> 0:08:20.440 head coach Jan Jensen hoped she'd be able to make 0:08:20.520 --> 0:08:22.240 up some of the scoring that left when Clark was 0:08:22.280 --> 0:08:24.920 drafted to the WNBA. I'd say she's doing a pretty 0:08:24.920 --> 0:08:28.960 good job. Quick shout out to Des Moines based store Raygun, 0:08:29.520 --> 0:08:31.840 not to be confused with and certainly not named in 0:08:31.880 --> 0:08:36.280 honor of the Australian breakdancer Raygun. The retailer temporarily rebranded 0:08:36.320 --> 0:08:39.720 its Iowa City store as Forever twenty two and dropped 0:08:39.760 --> 0:08:42.240 new Clark merch To commemorate the weekend, a post on 0:08:42.280 --> 0:08:45.360 the store's Instagram announced it's like the spirit Halloween of 0:08:45.400 --> 0:08:49.960 women's basketball. In NWSL news, we officially lost another one 0:08:50.160 --> 0:08:52.920 US women's national team player. World Cup winner and Olympic 0:08:52.960 --> 0:08:55.520 gold medalist, Crystal Dunn signed a two year deal with 0:08:55.559 --> 0:08:59.120 Paris San Germain, officially moving on from GOTHAMFC after just 0:08:59.120 --> 0:09:02.040 a season. Done previously played abroad with Chelsea, and while 0:09:02.080 --> 0:09:03.679 it was brief stint, she did help them lift the 0:09:03.720 --> 0:09:06.640 Women's Super League trophy in twenty eighteen. Now she'll head 0:09:06.640 --> 0:09:09.640 to France, the home country of her husband Pierre Soubrier. 0:09:10.080 --> 0:09:12.200 They'll of course bring their three year old son Marcel, 0:09:12.320 --> 0:09:14.240 but no word yet on whether they'll be allowed to 0:09:14.240 --> 0:09:18.040 bring their chickens. Family obviously a priority for Done, because 0:09:18.080 --> 0:09:20.559 in a statement released by PSG on Friday, she said quote, 0:09:20.559 --> 0:09:22.760 I'm so happy to be able to start this new adventure. 0:09:23.040 --> 0:09:25.760 My family supports me and comes with me, so it's 0:09:25.800 --> 0:09:27.920 important for me to find a club that has confidence 0:09:27.960 --> 0:09:30.040 in me as a player, but that also accepts that 0:09:30.080 --> 0:09:32.400 I come with my family. I have a connection with 0:09:32.480 --> 0:09:35.920 France and I already feel at home end quote accepts 0:09:36.040 --> 0:09:40.520 that I come with my family. Another cryptic comment from 0:09:40.520 --> 0:09:45.240 a player leaving Gotham FC worth noting Gotham hired Subrier 0:09:45.440 --> 0:09:48.640 as a consultant shortly after signing Done. He'd long been 0:09:48.679 --> 0:09:51.000 a trainer with the Thorns and the Spirit, and before 0:09:51.080 --> 0:09:53.440 joining Gotham had been cleared to return to the league 0:09:53.600 --> 0:09:56.800 following a year's suspension for administering a medication that contained 0:09:56.800 --> 0:09:59.240 coding in twenty twenty two as a trainer with the 0:09:59.280 --> 0:10:02.360 Portland Thorns. Coding requires a prescription and should only be 0:10:02.400 --> 0:10:06.440 administered by a physician. To gymnastics Jordan Childs scored her 0:10:06.480 --> 0:10:08.640 second perfect ten of the season and tenth in her 0:10:08.679 --> 0:10:11.800 UCLA career on Saturday, lifting her number six Bruins to 0:10:11.800 --> 0:10:14.559 a comeback win over number five Michigan State. Chiles was 0:10:14.600 --> 0:10:17.640 battling illness all week, including one hundred and four fever 0:10:17.760 --> 0:10:20.160 on Wednesday, but she called it her flu game and 0:10:20.160 --> 0:10:22.440 showed out on her Prince themed floor routine to secure 0:10:22.480 --> 0:10:24.160 the win. You can watch it via the link in 0:10:24.160 --> 0:10:28.160 our show notes. Athletes Unlimited Basketball tips off on Wednesday, 0:10:28.240 --> 0:10:30.360 and the first draft of the season is today at 0:10:30.360 --> 0:10:34.440 noon Eastern. Team captain Sidney Colson, Kirsten bell A, Vina Westbrook, 0:10:34.480 --> 0:10:37.120 and Isabelle Harrison will put their GM hats on and 0:10:37.160 --> 0:10:39.120 pick the players they want to rock with in week one. 0:10:39.480 --> 0:10:42.240 You can catch the draft live on AU's YouTube page. 0:10:42.320 --> 0:10:44.719 We'll link to it in our show notes. Also, keep 0:10:44.720 --> 0:10:47.560 an eye out for more w signings of AU hoops players. 0:10:47.600 --> 0:10:50.800 Because we already mentioned Kia Nurse and Odyssey Simms. I'm 0:10:50.800 --> 0:10:53.000 starting to think we got a little second Tampa Bay 0:10:53.080 --> 0:10:57.040 down in Nashville, maybe like a little Tampa town in 0:10:57.080 --> 0:10:59.320 college hoops. There's a special matchup going on at seven 0:10:59.360 --> 0:11:01.800 pm Eastern TI Tonight, number ten, Duke travels to number 0:11:01.880 --> 0:11:04.800 seventeen NC State for one of this year's annual Play 0:11:04.880 --> 0:11:08.559 for K games, benefiting cancer research and healthcare. The name 0:11:08.600 --> 0:11:10.760 Play for K is an honor of k Yao, a 0:11:10.880 --> 0:11:13.199 Natesmith and Women's Basketball Hall of Famer and the NC 0:11:13.280 --> 0:11:16.600 State women's basketball head coach from nineteen seventy five until 0:11:16.640 --> 0:11:19.320 her passing in two thousand and nine. Yao was diagnosed 0:11:19.320 --> 0:11:21.800 with breast cancer in nineteen eighty seven, but continued to 0:11:21.840 --> 0:11:23.040 coach despite the disease. 0:11:23.360 --> 0:11:25.520 Starting in two thousand and six, she dedicated one of the. 0:11:25.480 --> 0:11:28.640 Wolfpack's home games each year to raising awareness and money 0:11:28.679 --> 0:11:31.480 for the fight against women's cancers. In the almost twenty years, 0:11:31.559 --> 0:11:34.560 sense more than a thousand schools have held Play for 0:11:34.679 --> 0:11:37.520 K games, with funds going to the k Yo Cancer Fund, 0:11:37.679 --> 0:11:40.520 started by Yoo before her death. It's truly an incredible 0:11:40.520 --> 0:11:44.080 example of community action. Oh and the action between these 0:11:44.120 --> 0:11:46.040 two acc fos should be really good too. 0:11:46.240 --> 0:11:49.480 Catch it Live on ESPN. Two unrivaled games. 0:11:49.240 --> 0:11:51.280 Tonight give you a couple more reasons to kick it 0:11:51.320 --> 0:11:53.960 on the couch, with Phantom BC playing Miss BC at 0:11:53.960 --> 0:11:57.520 seven thirty Eastern, followed by Vinyl BC against the undefeated 0:11:57.600 --> 0:11:59.800 Lunar Owls. The myst were the last team in the 0:11:59.880 --> 0:12:02.000 l League to get a W. They finally got off 0:12:02.000 --> 0:12:04.200 the schneid with a victory on Saturday over the Vinyl. 0:12:04.480 --> 0:12:07.280 Both of tonight's games will be available live on tnt 0:12:07.840 --> 0:12:10.199 oh when in case you missed it. Rose BC ford 0:12:10.240 --> 0:12:12.600 Asrey Stevens, was at the center of a very cute 0:12:12.600 --> 0:12:15.160 moment at Unrivaled this weekend. The whole crowd sang her 0:12:15.200 --> 0:12:18.160 Happy Birthday on Saturday night after her team's win. Happy 0:12:18.200 --> 0:12:21.720 belated Aquarius Queen will throw the video in our show notes. 0:12:24.080 --> 0:12:26.080 We got to take a quick break when we come back. 0:12:26.200 --> 0:12:30.200 Hoo do who It's Unrivaled Basketball co founder and Lunar 0:12:30.240 --> 0:12:32.319 Owl's BC player and a FISA collier. 0:12:32.559 --> 0:12:33.920 We caught up with her at the tail end of 0:12:34.000 --> 0:12:35.240 last week Justice. 0:12:34.960 --> 0:12:38.760 WNBA Free Agency t was eaten up, stick around. 0:12:45.840 --> 0:12:46.480 Joining us now. 0:12:46.520 --> 0:12:49.520 She's a four time WNBA All Star, former WNBA Rookie 0:12:49.520 --> 0:12:51.319 of the Year, last year's Defensive Player of the Year, 0:12:51.320 --> 0:12:54.560 and runner up for WNBA MVP, a two time Olympic Champ, 0:12:54.640 --> 0:12:55.440 Ncuba Champ. 0:12:55.480 --> 0:12:57.679 You're a league, Turkish Super League, FIBA, Europe. 0:12:57.440 --> 0:13:00.880 Super cup Champ Unrivaled co founder Mama to Mela, lover 0:13:00.960 --> 0:13:03.160 of mystery novels and one of the baddest hoopers in 0:13:03.160 --> 0:13:03.440 the world. 0:13:03.520 --> 0:13:06.359 It's DEFEASA call your fee. Thanks so much for joining. 0:13:06.160 --> 0:13:08.439 Us, Thanks for having me. That was a great introduction. 0:13:09.160 --> 0:13:10.560 Thank you. I had to keep it real short. 0:13:10.600 --> 0:13:12.400 You have a lot of accolades, and we have only 0:13:12.440 --> 0:13:15.280 so much time, but I just have to tell you personally, 0:13:15.320 --> 0:13:17.240 like in the last couple of years, you become one 0:13:17.280 --> 0:13:19.600 of my favorite players to watch. So I'm so excited 0:13:19.640 --> 0:13:22.520 to get the chance to actually talk to especially about Unrivaled, 0:13:22.520 --> 0:13:25.080 because we've been fan growing over here ever since a 0:13:25.120 --> 0:13:27.040 lot of the information started to come out about who 0:13:27.120 --> 0:13:29.720 was playing and everything else. What's been the biggest surprise 0:13:29.800 --> 0:13:31.800 now that the season's actually up been running. 0:13:32.280 --> 0:13:35.840 Thank you. I think just how fast like the momentum 0:13:36.200 --> 0:13:38.720 has like it caught on and how fast like people 0:13:38.840 --> 0:13:42.000 kind of embraced it, you know, obviously, like we think 0:13:42.000 --> 0:13:44.360 it's a good idea. We started it, we we knew 0:13:44.400 --> 0:13:47.160 how successful like it could be if everyone bought in. 0:13:47.640 --> 0:13:51.280 But to see like the fans and the girls and 0:13:51.320 --> 0:13:53.720 just ever like the women here, just everyone buying into it. 0:13:53.920 --> 0:13:56.440 I wouldn't say it's surprising, but it's really like heartwarming 0:13:56.600 --> 0:13:59.120 and kind of just validates everything that we've put into 0:13:59.120 --> 0:14:00.479 this for the bests. 0:14:00.760 --> 0:14:02.360 Yeah, just two years, that's wild. 0:14:02.520 --> 0:14:04.760 I mean, so we had your husband Alex on the show, 0:14:04.840 --> 0:14:07.400 and I know you guys ran a lot of practice 0:14:07.720 --> 0:14:11.400 basketball runs to test for you know, points and how 0:14:11.400 --> 0:14:13.480 to do the cameras and everything else. What's been surprising 0:14:13.520 --> 0:14:14.319 basketball wise? 0:14:14.360 --> 0:14:17.680 If anything, I would say how fast it is. So 0:14:18.200 --> 0:14:20.200 of course, you know, like we're gonna have shorter quarters 0:14:20.200 --> 0:14:22.280 and the fourth quarter is like so exciting. But I 0:14:22.280 --> 0:14:24.320 think that's a little bit surprising is how much fun 0:14:24.400 --> 0:14:26.680 like I'm having in the fourth quarter because you know, 0:14:26.920 --> 0:14:29.920 something I've never done before. And then also just how 0:14:29.920 --> 0:14:32.840 good you have to get at your skills, Like you 0:14:33.000 --> 0:14:35.080 have to improve in your ball handling, you have to 0:14:35.120 --> 0:14:37.560 improve in your skill sets in your defense. It forces 0:14:37.600 --> 0:14:40.440 you to get better. So we build the model to 0:14:40.520 --> 0:14:42.320 access all those points and for you to get better 0:14:42.360 --> 0:14:45.120 all around. But I think just seeing it in like 0:14:45.200 --> 0:14:48.160 actually happening and how fast it's happening. I mean, we 0:14:48.240 --> 0:14:49.960 just finished our second weekend and I can already see 0:14:49.960 --> 0:14:52.560 an improvement in people, and I feel an improvement in myself. 0:14:52.600 --> 0:14:54.000 So that's been really good to see. 0:14:54.160 --> 0:14:56.360 You couldn't have known that the league's first season would 0:14:56.360 --> 0:14:59.600 tip off shortly after you and co founder Breonna Stewart 0:14:59.680 --> 0:15:01.760 were going to head in the w finals. 0:15:01.840 --> 0:15:02.920 Makes for a great story. 0:15:03.560 --> 0:15:06.720 But was it a frosty couple first days or weeks 0:15:06.840 --> 0:15:08.960 of planning right after the finals? 0:15:09.200 --> 0:15:11.520 No, not at all. I mean during the finals, for sure, 0:15:11.560 --> 0:15:15.040 like we weren't talking. We were like we were just 0:15:15.080 --> 0:15:17.760 so locked into we both wanted to win, of course, 0:15:18.360 --> 0:15:21.040 But after that, like is totally cool. I mean I 0:15:21.080 --> 0:15:24.200 feel like I would. I have no hard feelings, she 0:15:24.240 --> 0:15:25.960 has no hard feelings. It's basketball at the end of 0:15:26.000 --> 0:15:27.920 the day, and you do whatever you can to win. 0:15:28.480 --> 0:15:30.640 And so I think we both understand that we played 0:15:30.640 --> 0:15:32.840 the game for a long time and so it wasn't 0:15:32.840 --> 0:15:34.160 weird at all when we came back together. 0:15:34.640 --> 0:15:37.160 What's your dynamic as co founders, Like, who brings what 0:15:37.280 --> 0:15:38.600 strengths to the table? 0:15:39.160 --> 0:15:41.120 That's a good question. I've never gotten that one before. 0:15:41.440 --> 0:15:44.320 I think we bring honestly a lot of similar strength, 0:15:44.400 --> 0:15:47.240 just because I feel like we're on like pretty parallel paths, 0:15:47.280 --> 0:15:49.040 you know, going to the same college and we're both 0:15:49.120 --> 0:15:51.440 mothers and the game. We're both elite players in our game, 0:15:52.320 --> 0:15:54.920 so I think we just kind of validate each other's perspective. 0:15:55.280 --> 0:15:57.120 Where you hear from one person, you believe it. Of 0:15:57.120 --> 0:15:59.720 course with two people saying the same thing, just like 0:15:59.800 --> 0:16:02.040 the way that we see the holes that's in what's 0:16:02.040 --> 0:16:05.200 happening in the WNBA or in the game in general, 0:16:05.920 --> 0:16:07.360 the way that we think we can make it better 0:16:07.400 --> 0:16:10.720 and why other elite players would buy into this. So 0:16:10.800 --> 0:16:13.080 I think again, I think we just validate each other's 0:16:13.080 --> 0:16:15.560 points in that you know, we're the top people doing 0:16:15.560 --> 0:16:16.960 this and we can get other top people to do 0:16:17.000 --> 0:16:17.440 it as well. 0:16:17.840 --> 0:16:19.840 Did you talk to a handful of players and just 0:16:19.920 --> 0:16:21.840 test out, like would you guys be willing to do this? 0:16:21.920 --> 0:16:24.440 Like if we do this league, would you play? How many? 0:16:24.440 --> 0:16:26.480 Did you feel like you needed to kind of get 0:16:26.480 --> 0:16:29.680 a taskit approval from before you felt comfortable going forward. 0:16:30.040 --> 0:16:31.880 We didn't do it in that way where we're like, 0:16:32.000 --> 0:16:33.960 if we did this, you know, do you want to 0:16:34.000 --> 0:16:36.440 do it? We had already started the ball rolling and 0:16:36.480 --> 0:16:38.760 then it was just getting those first dominoes to fall, 0:16:38.800 --> 0:16:40.720 Like we are doing this and if we have you 0:16:40.800 --> 0:16:42.960 behind it, it's going to make it that much more successful, 0:16:42.960 --> 0:16:45.120 and then you know, you will get the ball rolling 0:16:45.120 --> 0:16:47.800 where we can get other players. And so getting that 0:16:47.840 --> 0:16:50.400 buy in from the initial players was really crucial. So 0:16:50.400 --> 0:16:53.640 we went after you know, obviously top people first. That's 0:16:53.680 --> 0:16:55.760 a league of it's a league of all top people. 0:16:57.800 --> 0:16:59.840 And also there's a little bit of a challenge because 0:16:59.840 --> 0:17:01.640 it's something that's never been done before. It's kind of 0:17:01.640 --> 0:17:04.720 hard to explain. Even when we before we started playing 0:17:04.720 --> 0:17:06.119 the games, like a lot of the fans thought it 0:17:06.160 --> 0:17:08.320 was still half court. It's just like a comset that 0:17:08.520 --> 0:17:11.080 is a little bit hard to explain. So getting them 0:17:11.080 --> 0:17:12.800 to buy in on that, I thought was just like 0:17:12.880 --> 0:17:14.760 showed a lot of faith in what we're doing. And 0:17:15.119 --> 0:17:19.119 you know, so yeah, that was that was like feels 0:17:19.119 --> 0:17:21.320 like forever ago. But it was cool in those initial 0:17:21.359 --> 0:17:23.080 days when you're trying to get that initial buy in. 0:17:23.560 --> 0:17:26.160 How are you balancing playing and the co founder role. 0:17:26.600 --> 0:17:28.800 I think I compartmentalized, Like when I'm at the gym 0:17:28.880 --> 0:17:31.840 and I'm with my team, I'm strictly a player. It 0:17:31.880 --> 0:17:33.800 is like kind of murky sometimes when players will come 0:17:33.880 --> 0:17:35.040 up to me and be like, can we do this 0:17:35.119 --> 0:17:37.200 or can we do this? I'm like I'll ask the 0:17:37.200 --> 0:17:40.840 guys upstairs, I don't know, and then kind of at 0:17:40.840 --> 0:17:42.439 the end of the day, when I'm talking to Alex, 0:17:42.520 --> 0:17:45.280 my husband, like about what's going on on the other side, 0:17:45.600 --> 0:17:47.360 then you kind of put on the other hat of 0:17:47.560 --> 0:17:49.600 like you just see behind the scenes a lot more 0:17:49.640 --> 0:17:51.560 of you know, fis that need to be put out 0:17:51.600 --> 0:17:53.520 or what's going on where so cool? 0:17:53.680 --> 0:17:58.159 Does it make you more empathetic to your w team, presidents, 0:17:58.240 --> 0:18:00.800 commission everything else, or does it make you feel like, 0:18:01.320 --> 0:18:03.359 now I've figured out how to get this done and 0:18:03.359 --> 0:18:04.720 now I want to go back and tell them how 0:18:04.720 --> 0:18:05.080 to do it. 0:18:06.840 --> 0:18:08.760 I'm not definitely not cocky enough to think that I 0:18:08.760 --> 0:18:11.280 can tell them how to run the league. It is 0:18:11.359 --> 0:18:13.280 very different. You know, they are handicapped by a lot 0:18:13.280 --> 0:18:15.159 of things just with the NBA that we don't have 0:18:15.200 --> 0:18:18.040 to deal with. But at the same time, I do 0:18:18.119 --> 0:18:20.320 think that we have things here that can be implemented 0:18:20.359 --> 0:18:23.199 in the WNBA. I really like our business plan a lot, 0:18:23.280 --> 0:18:25.160 and I like the way that, you know, how we're 0:18:25.200 --> 0:18:28.399 able to treat the players. So we built this because 0:18:28.440 --> 0:18:30.400 we think there are things that can be improved upon 0:18:30.600 --> 0:18:32.439 and we want that. We want to ride to like 0:18:32.600 --> 0:18:35.440 raise the level of all women's sports, So hopefully this 0:18:35.480 --> 0:18:37.439 can just be an example of some things that can 0:18:37.440 --> 0:18:37.880 get better. 0:18:38.320 --> 0:18:38.480 Yeah. 0:18:38.520 --> 0:18:41.320