WEBVTT - 13 Is Pushing It with Stef Dolson 0:00:00.740 --> 0:00:02.740 Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we're still 0:00:02.800 --> 0:00:07.150 recovering from hearing Brandi Carlile sing Alanis Morissette's Uninvited live. 0:00:08.110 --> 0:00:11.670 Full body chills, y'all. It's Friday, August 28th, and on 0:00:11.690 --> 0:00:15.370 today's show, longtime WVET and Seattle Storm Center Steph Dolson 0:00:15.450 --> 0:00:17.230 joins us to discuss what she wants to get out 0:00:17.270 --> 0:00:19.400 of her final years in the league, why it's so 0:00:19.460 --> 0:00:22.560 important to have WNBA fans who actually know and love 0:00:22.600 --> 0:00:24.900 the game, the type of leadership she wants to see 0:00:24.940 --> 0:00:27.730 from Kathy Engelbert and Adam Silver moving forward, and how 0:00:27.770 --> 0:00:32.590 she handles talking to teammates about contentious issues. Plus, bench pointers, 0:00:33.060 --> 0:00:36.519 dreaming of another chip, and bracing for the lead. It's 0:00:36.540 --> 0:00:44.709 all coming up right after this. Welcome back, Slices. Here's 0:00:44.729 --> 0:00:49.370 what you need to know today. Let's start with the WNBA. 0:00:49.700 --> 0:00:52.410 On Thursday, it was confirmed that Dawana Bonner will sign 0:00:52.430 --> 0:00:54.790 with the Atlanta Dream for the conclusion of the WNBA 0:00:54.870 --> 0:00:58.110 regular season and playoffs. The move comes after Bonner and 0:00:58.130 --> 0:01:00.830 the Phoenix Mercury reached a buyout agreement earlier this week 0:01:01.130 --> 0:01:03.490 in order for the 17-year vet to sign with a 0:01:03.570 --> 0:01:06.670 playoff-bound team in what could be her final season in 0:01:06.690 --> 0:01:10.670 the league. Bonner cleared waivers on Wednesday evening, and per ESPN, 0:01:10.709 --> 0:01:13.709 her deal will be at the prorated maximum, equivalent to 0:01:13.750 --> 0:01:17.240 about $ 116, 000. Shout out to friend of the show Richard 0:01:17.300 --> 0:01:19.980 Cohen for doing the math, or as he would say, maths, 0:01:20.580 --> 0:01:23.190 explaining on Blue Sky that the prorated salary is based 0:01:23.230 --> 0:01:25.590 on the number of days remaining in the regular season. 0:01:26.110 --> 0:01:27.550 We'll link to his post in the show notes if 0:01:27.569 --> 0:01:30.570 you want to check it out. More WNBA. The Golden 0:01:30.610 --> 0:01:33.290 State Valkyries set a new franchise record on Wednesday with 0:01:33.350 --> 0:01:37.090 bench players scoring 54 points in the team's 89-64 win 0:01:37.110 --> 0:01:39.990 over the Connecticut Sun. Per StatMuse, the New York Liberty 0:01:40.010 --> 0:01:42.210 still hold the league-wide record for most points by a 0:01:42.230 --> 0:01:44.980 team off the bench in a game with 69 against 0:01:45.000 --> 0:01:48.080 the Mystics back in 2016. Leading from the bench for 0:01:48.100 --> 0:01:51.020 the Valks was Janelle Salon, who hit four three-pointers and 0:01:51.060 --> 0:01:54.200 finished the night with 15 points. Fellow bench players Kayla 0:01:54.220 --> 0:01:57.870 Charles and Kaitlyn Chen added 14 points and 10 points, respectively. 0:01:58.690 --> 0:02:00.610 No surprise that Salon was leading the way, by the way. 0:02:00.930 --> 0:02:03.370 She set a new WNBA record for points scored off 0:02:03.410 --> 0:02:05.790 the bench in a single season on Monday, with seven 0:02:05.830 --> 0:02:08.740 games still left to play. Heading into Thursday's game against 0:02:08.780 --> 0:02:10.579 the Liberty, Salon had put up 485 points off the bench. 0:02:12.580 --> 0:02:16.040 And just for reference, next closest this season, teammate Tiffany 0:02:16.080 --> 0:02:19.240 Hayes with just 310. All of this talk of the 0:02:19.260 --> 0:02:21.799 Valks bench reminded me of something Veronica Burton said during 0:02:21.840 --> 0:02:24.260 my interview with her earlier this month. Take a listen. 0:02:24.880 --> 0:02:27.780 I think there's this idea that players on the end 0:02:27.800 --> 0:02:30.300 of a WNBA team or at the end of the 0:02:30.340 --> 0:02:34.160 bench like can't compete. And I think that's like one 0:02:34.180 --> 0:02:36.680 of the oldest lies in the book because you give 0:02:36.700 --> 0:02:38.920 people opportunity and the skill set is there. It is 0:02:38.960 --> 0:02:40.820 so hard to make this league. It is so hard 0:02:40.840 --> 0:02:43.829 to play in the WNBA. like people that don't play 0:02:43.870 --> 0:02:45.790 are still very good basketball players. And so when you 0:02:45.810 --> 0:02:47.970 give them a chance and a lot of those players 0:02:48.270 --> 0:02:50.970 have honestly been out working a lot of starters, you know, 0:02:51.010 --> 0:02:52.500 they want it. 0:02:53.280 --> 0:02:57.120 Love that. More WNBA. Sunday's game between the Indiana Fever 0:02:57.180 --> 0:03:01.480 and Chicago Sky averaged 3.31 million viewers on NBC and Peacock, 0:03:01.560 --> 0:03:04.690 making it the most watched regular season WNBA game since 0:03:04.720 --> 0:03:08.810 the league's inaugural season in 1997. It's also the third 0:03:08.889 --> 0:03:12.590 most watched regular season game ever. behind only two opening 0:03:12.610 --> 0:03:16.810 weekend games from June of 97, which also aired on NBC. Now, 0:03:16.850 --> 0:03:20.590 the Fever won Sunday's contest 113-90, with Kaitlyn Clark making 0:03:20.630 --> 0:03:24.399 a career-high eight three-pointers and scoring 37 points in the victory. 0:03:24.780 --> 0:03:27.100 The game was highly anticipated in part because it marked 0:03:27.120 --> 0:03:30.520 the first time Chicago's Dejanay Carrington and Indiana's Sophie Cunningham 0:03:30.600 --> 0:03:33.800 went head-to-head since Carrington fouled Cunningham and was ejected from 0:03:33.860 --> 0:03:37.480 a game earlier this month. No major fireworks between those two, 0:03:37.880 --> 0:03:40.280 but of course this was the Ennis Cantor freedom game. 0:03:41.310 --> 0:03:44.310 How nice that a near-record number of WNBA fans were 0:03:44.370 --> 0:03:48.370 forced to watch his dumb shittery. More WNBA. All 15 0:03:48.370 --> 0:03:50.810 teams are in action this weekend before the FIBA World 0:03:50.850 --> 0:03:54.510 Cup break officially begins on Monday. And while every WNBA 0:03:54.550 --> 0:03:57.530 team has now either officially clinched or been eliminated from 0:03:57.590 --> 0:04:00.120 playoff contention, there's still a lot on the line when 0:04:00.130 --> 0:04:03.660 it comes to seeding possibilities. Action gets underway tonight with 0:04:03.720 --> 0:04:06.440 four games, including what will likely be DeJuan and Bonner's 0:04:06.460 --> 0:04:09.320 debut in an Atlanta Dream jersey. The Dream are currently 0:04:09.340 --> 0:04:11.860 in fourth place and are hosting the Portland Fire in 0:04:11.900 --> 0:04:15.340 a game that tips off at 7.30 p.m. Eastern. To 0:04:15.360 --> 0:04:18.600 the NWSL. North Carolina's Ashley Sanchez had a big night 0:04:18.660 --> 0:04:21.500 on Wednesday, scoring a brace in the Courage's 2-0 win 0:04:21.580 --> 0:04:24.670 over Angel City and extending her lead in the NWSL's 0:04:24.730 --> 0:04:28.409 Golden Boot Race. Sanchez now has 15 goals on the season, 0:04:28.589 --> 0:04:31.990 followed by Orlando's Barbara Banda with 12 and Washington's Trinity 0:04:32.029 --> 0:04:35.650 Rodman with 10. Sanchez's two goals also helped her tie 0:04:35.830 --> 0:04:39.030 and then break North Carolina's franchise record for most goals 0:04:39.089 --> 0:04:42.650 in a season. Lynn Biandolo held the previous record of 14, 0:04:42.650 --> 0:04:46.969 which she set in 2019. More NWSL. This weekend's slate 0:04:46.990 --> 0:04:49.409 of games kicks off with Gotham FC hosting the Portland 0:04:49.430 --> 0:04:52.890 Thorns tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern. And get this, tonight's 0:04:52.930 --> 0:04:56.950 game marks both Gotham and Portland's 300th regular season game 0:04:57.029 --> 0:04:59.870 in club history. They're the first of the five remaining 0:04:59.930 --> 0:05:03.230 original NWSL franchises to hit the mark. Shout out to 0:05:03.250 --> 0:05:06.810 the always incredible Jen Cooper for that fun fact. Also tonight, 0:05:06.850 --> 0:05:09.570 the San Diego Wave is hosting Racing Louisville, with that 0:05:09.630 --> 0:05:12.670 match getting underway at 10 p.m. Eastern. San Diego's coming 0:05:12.690 --> 0:05:14.970 off a 4-2 win against Utah last weekend, in which 0:05:15.029 --> 0:05:18.799 Trinity Byers contributed to all four goals, two goals and 0:05:18.830 --> 0:05:22.159 two assists. Looking ahead to Saturday, the Kansas City Current 0:05:22.220 --> 0:05:25.320 are hosting the North Carolina Courage, starting at 6.30 Eastern. 0:05:25.779 --> 0:05:28.719 The Current, as always when playing at CPKC Stadium, will 0:05:28.740 --> 0:05:32.320 be looking to maintain their home undefeated regular season streak, 0:05:32.779 --> 0:05:37.630 which dates back to July 6, 2024. Speaking of CPKC, 0:05:37.830 --> 0:05:39.660 did you see that they lit the stadium up bright 0:05:39.740 --> 0:05:44.180 pink for Dolly on Wednesday? So good. Looking ahead, the 0:05:44.260 --> 0:05:46.620 NWSL is about to lose a bunch of players to 0:05:46.640 --> 0:05:50.099 the upcoming U-20 Women's World Cup. Twelve players across the 0:05:50.140 --> 0:05:52.560 league will be traveling to Poland for the tournament, which 0:05:52.600 --> 0:05:55.780 kicks off on September 5th. But not every player who 0:05:55.800 --> 0:05:58.580 was selected by their national team was released by their club. 0:05:59.110 --> 0:06:02.270 After naming the U-20 roster earlier this month, manager Vicky 0:06:02.310 --> 0:06:05.060 Jepsen said it was upsetting that multiple teams— both in 0:06:05.100 --> 0:06:08.510 the NWSL and overseas, refused to allow certain players to 0:06:08.550 --> 0:06:10.990 miss time for the tournament. As a result, the U.S. 0:06:11.010 --> 0:06:13.510 squad will be without top stars like Claire Hutton and 0:06:13.610 --> 0:06:16.410 Alex Piper, who both play for Bay FC, along with 0:06:16.450 --> 0:06:20.310 San Diego's Kimi Escanio and Seattle's Jordan Bugg. So Bugg 0:06:20.350 --> 0:06:23.010 has to stay, but Seattle will still see an impact, 0:06:23.180 --> 0:06:25.220 as the team is losing the most players of any 0:06:25.339 --> 0:06:29.200 NWSL team to the tournament. Emery Adamas, Ainsley McCammon, and 0:06:29.300 --> 0:06:31.680 Evan Osteen were all named to the U.S. team and 0:06:31.740 --> 0:06:36.130 released to play. To tennis and the U.S. Open. Czech 0:06:36.150 --> 0:06:39.390 duo Karolina Muhova and Jakub Menchik won the mixed doubles 0:06:39.430 --> 0:06:43.250 title on Wednesday night, defeating Belinda Bencic and Flavio Caboli 0:06:43.350 --> 0:06:46.030 in the championship on a tiebreaker. Earlier in the night 0:06:46.050 --> 0:06:49.200 during their semifinal match, which also finished with a tiebreaker, 0:06:49.640 --> 0:06:52.159 Muhova and Menchik were a point away from being ousted, 0:06:52.460 --> 0:06:55.140 but they put up a comeback, erasing two match points 0:06:55.540 --> 0:06:57.340 and then winning four points in a row to nab 0:06:57.360 --> 0:07:01.159 a spot in the championship match. Also worth noting... Just 0:07:01.200 --> 0:07:05.230 how close married couple Alina Svitolina and Gael Monfils were 0:07:05.270 --> 0:07:08.790 to winning their first U.S. Open trophies. Individually, they've each 0:07:08.830 --> 0:07:11.030 made it to the semis in the U.S. Open singles, 0:07:11.110 --> 0:07:13.970 but they've never won. And they once again came up 0:07:14.050 --> 0:07:16.970 short in the mixed doubles, falling to Bencic and Caboli. 0:07:17.570 --> 0:07:20.210 Monfils has announced this as his last U.S. Open since 0:07:20.250 --> 0:07:22.920 he's retiring. Would have been such a fairytale story for 0:07:22.940 --> 0:07:26.800 them to go out on top. We got to take 0:07:26.840 --> 0:07:29.420 a break. When we come back, it's Steph Dolson. I 0:07:29.460 --> 0:07:39.720 caught up with her earlier this week. Joining us now, 0:07:39.760 --> 0:07:41.620 she plays for the Seattle Storm and played for the 0:07:41.660 --> 0:07:45.760 Laces and unrivaled in season one. She led UConn to 0:07:45.850 --> 0:07:48.990 a 144-11 record over her four-year career, which included four 0:07:49.030 --> 0:07:52.470 Final Four appearances and back-to-back national championships. Her senior year, 0:07:52.510 --> 0:07:56.170 she grabbed 371 rebounds, second most in school history and 0:07:56.170 --> 0:07:59.150 93 blocks, third most in a single season. Before she 0:07:59.190 --> 0:08:02.230 was drafted sixth overall by the Washington Mystics in the 0:08:02.230 --> 0:08:05.810 2014 WNBA draft, a gold medalist in 3x3 basketball at 0:08:05.830 --> 0:08:08.990 the 2020 Summer Olympics. She helped the Chicago Sky to 0:08:09.010 --> 0:08:12.610 their first and so far only title in 2021, a 0:08:13.090 --> 0:08:17.970 descendant of a 17th century beaver pelt trader. Back in 2014, 0:08:17.970 --> 0:08:19.940 I served her breakfast on the set of Numbers Never 0:08:20.000 --> 0:08:23.560 Lie at ESPN headquarters in Bristol. It's Steph Dolson. Hi, Steph. 0:08:24.300 --> 0:08:26.320 Hi, how are you? That was a long list. 0:08:26.940 --> 0:08:29.170 Yeah, you probably don't even remember, but it was I. 0:08:29.880 --> 0:08:34.270 along with Trey Wingo, that served you and Shabazz Napier 0:08:34.490 --> 0:08:37.570 breakfast at Numbers Never Lie, which I believe was a 0:08:37.590 --> 0:08:39.950 callback to him complaining about going to bed hungry because 0:08:39.970 --> 0:08:42.209 of NCAA's antiquated rules about meals. 0:08:43.170 --> 0:08:44.819 I don't remember that, but I do remember being at 0:08:44.880 --> 0:08:47.040 ESPN with Shabazz, so that I do remember, but it 0:08:47.059 --> 0:08:47.819 was a long time ago. 0:08:48.100 --> 0:08:49.700 It was a long time ago. I was filling in 0:08:49.800 --> 0:08:52.599 for Jamel, so that was the first time we met, 0:08:52.679 --> 0:08:54.469 and you were such a blast. You had such a great, 0:08:54.570 --> 0:08:56.950 fun personality, and that has been the case ever since. 0:08:57.500 --> 0:08:59.350 you know, we had two of your teammates on recently 0:08:59.370 --> 0:09:01.070 and I was thinking about you while interviewing them. We 0:09:01.110 --> 0:09:03.829 had Dom Malanga and Awafam and you've got a big 0:09:03.910 --> 0:09:06.510 role as a veteran center, helping those to kind of 0:09:06.530 --> 0:09:08.050 learn the ropes. How's that been for you? 0:09:08.480 --> 0:09:11.180 Yeah, it's been really fun. Those two especially are just like, 0:09:11.500 --> 0:09:15.450 they're overjoyed about playing basketball and being here and, Um, 0:09:15.570 --> 0:09:18.410 I've enjoyed just being their vet, teaching them, um, trying 0:09:18.429 --> 0:09:20.880 to let them learn a little bit, you know, um, 0:09:21.240 --> 0:09:23.480 with what they're doing, but I try to just sneak 0:09:23.540 --> 0:09:24.880 in some information every now and then. 0:09:25.300 --> 0:09:30.240 Yeah. They seem joyful and they seem, um, I guess 0:09:30.300 --> 0:09:32.420 they have to be uniquely open to everything because it's 0:09:32.460 --> 0:09:34.020 not just a new league. It's a new country and 0:09:34.059 --> 0:09:36.490 new culture and everything else. Have you had a little 0:09:36.550 --> 0:09:38.470 fun with the culture shock for them? Have you been 0:09:38.550 --> 0:09:42.050 able to have them try weird foods or introduce them 0:09:42.090 --> 0:09:43.750 to things about the U S that maybe they weren't 0:09:43.790 --> 0:09:44.250 familiar with? 0:09:44.920 --> 0:09:48.000 Not particularly. I think I'm so old that I'm not 0:09:48.080 --> 0:09:50.119 sure that we do. I wouldn't say that we do 0:09:50.220 --> 0:09:53.370 much together. Okay. You know, it's not like a 34 0:09:53.370 --> 0:09:55.449 year old going to hang out with a 29 year old. 0:09:55.610 --> 0:09:57.349 The two of them are what, 20? 0:09:57.330 --> 0:09:58.170 Literally children. 0:09:58.170 --> 0:09:58.680 19 and 20. 0:09:58.670 --> 0:09:58.829 Yeah. So. 0:10:00.660 --> 0:10:03.020 I think that's the biggest culture shock if you will 0:10:03.260 --> 0:10:05.420 it's just the different ages every time i'm with them 0:10:05.440 --> 0:10:08.929 i'm like you guys are really 20 years old um 0:10:09.110 --> 0:10:11.230 so yeah not much in terms of culture that. 0:10:11.170 --> 0:10:14.209 Way that's fair just a couple tiktok dances which i've 0:10:14.230 --> 0:10:16.590 seen and you rightly assuming your place at the end 0:10:16.610 --> 0:10:19.439 to really break it down um You know, it's always 0:10:19.460 --> 0:10:21.179 tough to be on a team three building. You want 0:10:21.210 --> 0:10:24.589 to win every night, of course, but you can find 0:10:24.650 --> 0:10:26.210 the things that you want to learn or take away 0:10:26.250 --> 0:10:28.570 from this season personally or professionally. And what is that 0:10:28.670 --> 0:10:29.709 for you throughout this year? 0:10:31.030 --> 0:10:33.650 For me personally, I think it's just being a vet. 0:10:33.710 --> 0:10:37.079 I think every team has taught me something new. Um, 0:10:37.360 --> 0:10:39.420 and the older I get, the more I'm learning, um, 0:10:40.280 --> 0:10:42.900 and hopefully transitioning into my next phase of life and 0:10:42.940 --> 0:10:45.390 my career, um, is just learning how to be a 0:10:45.429 --> 0:10:49.430 good vet, a leader, um, teaching them my experience again, 0:10:49.510 --> 0:10:51.849 watching them grow and seeing where I can help, but 0:10:51.890 --> 0:10:55.110 where I can let them learn themselves. Um, and with 0:10:55.130 --> 0:10:58.000 this group, because it's so young, uh, it's obviously been 0:10:58.010 --> 0:11:01.040 a tough season, but we've kept a really positive attitude 0:11:01.160 --> 0:11:03.680 and it's been a joy to be around these people. 0:11:04.290 --> 0:11:06.250 Yeah, it seems like it. Not just on the court 0:11:06.309 --> 0:11:08.890 putting up a fight, even in losing efforts, but the 0:11:08.929 --> 0:11:12.150 fun extracurriculars, whether that's, you know, Flage making fun of 0:11:12.490 --> 0:11:16.650 Awa for saying mayonnaise or it's Natisha Heideman's run club. 0:11:17.090 --> 0:11:19.410 There's a lot of ways that you're interacting with the 0:11:19.429 --> 0:11:22.450 community and building a team that will be better and 0:11:22.490 --> 0:11:24.589 stronger in the future. Are you going to make it 0:11:24.630 --> 0:11:25.990 to a run club? Is that your vibe? 0:11:26.920 --> 0:11:30.140 Uh, not my vibe. I neither like running nor a 0:11:30.300 --> 0:11:33.380 lot of people. Large crowds is not my thing. So 0:11:34.059 --> 0:11:35.910 I have told her that I will support from afar, 0:11:35.929 --> 0:11:39.690 but I'm very happy for her. She, um, you know, 0:11:39.750 --> 0:11:41.850 she's such a huge part of this community and they 0:11:41.890 --> 0:11:44.460 love her. Um, so I'm just happy that she kind 0:11:44.500 --> 0:11:47.480 of found another outlet that she's able to do and, um, 0:11:47.840 --> 0:11:49.600 enjoy the city with, with these people. 0:11:49.990 --> 0:11:52.170 Yeah, she's putting everybody to shame who's like, I don't 0:11:52.190 --> 0:11:54.570 have time. She's like, I'm a full-time WNBA player and 0:11:54.610 --> 0:11:57.730 I still have a run club mid-season. We're all like, oh, 0:11:57.770 --> 0:12:02.130 we can't get that Pilates in. You're on your fourth team, 0:12:02.410 --> 0:12:05.190 fifth stop in the WNBA in more than a dozen years. 0:12:05.210 --> 0:12:08.099 You're in your 13th season, which is wild. I'm so 0:12:08.140 --> 0:12:10.620 grateful to have you on in this pivotal moment, this 0:12:10.780 --> 0:12:13.199 moment in the history of the league, because you've been 0:12:13.220 --> 0:12:15.560 a part of it for almost half of its existence. 0:12:16.179 --> 0:12:18.860 What does 30 years of the WNBA mean to you? 0:12:19.670 --> 0:12:21.569 It means everything. I mean, when I was in high school, 0:12:21.590 --> 0:12:23.670 I didn't even know if I would be in the WNBA. 0:12:24.410 --> 0:12:26.790 Wasn't sure where I'd play in college. And once Gino 0:12:26.840 --> 0:12:32.040 hit me up, hit me up. Once Gino recruited. 0:12:32.880 --> 0:12:33.800 Me. 0:12:33.900 --> 0:12:35.860 No, once he recruited me, I was like, oh, OK, 0:12:35.880 --> 0:12:37.800 like I actually have a chance to play professionally. So 0:12:38.220 --> 0:12:41.080 for me, it's just an opportunity to do something that 0:12:41.100 --> 0:12:43.860 I love every day. The more it's grown, the more 0:12:43.920 --> 0:12:46.640 fun it's been. All these arenas that we get to 0:12:46.679 --> 0:12:49.550 play in now with the how packed they are. It's just, 0:12:50.130 --> 0:12:52.630 it's such a fun environment and I'm just excited and 0:12:52.670 --> 0:12:56.170 happy and proud of myself that I'm able to still 0:12:56.210 --> 0:12:57.860 be playing and still be a part of this league. 0:12:58.620 --> 0:13:01.020 Yeah, it is a hard league to make, hard league 0:13:01.059 --> 0:13:03.060 to stick in and you're still at it. You know, 0:13:03.080 --> 0:13:05.420 there's so much enthusiasm for the league this year. There's 0:13:05.460 --> 0:13:09.809 so much investment in Team facilities, cool merch, marketing, more 0:13:09.870 --> 0:13:13.050 media coverage, and of course a new CBA that really 0:13:13.190 --> 0:13:16.390 fundamentally changes the economic realities of players in the league. 0:13:16.429 --> 0:13:18.329 Another great reason to want to stick around for as 0:13:18.370 --> 0:13:21.910 long as you can. Does this year feel really different 0:13:22.470 --> 0:13:24.010 to you from even just last year? 0:13:24.690 --> 0:13:26.530 Yeah, I think it's just grown more. I mean, I 0:13:26.570 --> 0:13:30.719 think the visibility, the fan bases, the money, of course, 0:13:30.770 --> 0:13:34.280 is great. But for me, I've never done anything for money. Like, 0:13:34.320 --> 0:13:37.620 that's not my driving force. I just continue to play 0:13:37.660 --> 0:13:39.190 because I love it and I love to learn and 0:13:39.210 --> 0:13:41.810 I love to teach. And so I want to do 0:13:41.830 --> 0:13:43.569 it as long as I can. But I also would 0:13:43.590 --> 0:13:46.810 never take spots from younger girls coming in to be 0:13:46.830 --> 0:13:50.290 a part of this league for the future. But this year, yeah, 0:13:50.390 --> 0:13:53.219 it's been different for sure. There's been so much buzz 0:13:53.260 --> 0:13:55.439 and excitement and it's been a great time. 0:13:55.460 --> 0:13:59.220 It sounds like you're sort of thinking about when you're 0:13:59.240 --> 0:14:01.780 going to be done. Do you have a time set? 0:14:01.840 --> 0:14:03.500 Do you have a goal? Do you have like a 0:14:03.559 --> 0:14:05.120 number of years you want to be in the league? 0:14:06.090 --> 0:14:08.250 Uh, not necessarily. I think like two years ago I 0:14:08.270 --> 0:14:10.589 kept saying three years. And so I'm on that third year. Um, 0:14:11.450 --> 0:14:13.179 but I definitely would love to do another year. Um, 0:14:15.160 --> 0:14:17.500 I think my body feels great. I mean, I had 0:14:17.540 --> 0:14:21.420 a full healthy season this year. Um, and I feel like, yes, 0:14:21.460 --> 0:14:23.560 I'm getting older, but I'm getting stronger and I feel 0:14:23.600 --> 0:14:26.590 really good. Uh, so, you know, if the opportunity is there, 0:14:26.630 --> 0:14:28.970 I would love it. Um, but yeah, definitely not too 0:14:28.990 --> 0:14:32.830 many years. My body is 13 is pushing it. So yeah, that's, 0:14:32.850 --> 0:14:33.910 that's a long time. 0:14:34.230 --> 0:14:37.110 Yeah. Um, What about coaching? It sounds like you like 0:14:37.130 --> 0:14:37.930 the teaching aspect. 0:14:38.370 --> 0:14:41.770 Yeah, I'm hoping to get into coaching after I'm done. 0:14:42.070 --> 0:14:43.710 I feel like I'm already kind of a coach half 0:14:43.730 --> 0:14:46.880 the time on these teams because I can't keep my 0:14:46.900 --> 0:14:50.340 mouth shut. I just always have to say something, which 0:14:50.360 --> 0:14:53.260 I think makes for a good coach. So hopefully that 0:14:53.280 --> 0:14:56.310 will be my transition to the next part of my life. 0:14:57.070 --> 0:15:00.130 Oh, that's awesome. You know, with all this increased excitement 0:15:00.230 --> 0:15:03.290 around the league, there's some bad, too. And the WNBA 0:15:03.330 --> 0:15:05.710 has always been at the center of political and social 0:15:05.750 --> 0:15:08.500 issues since the very beginning. I believe that if you're 0:15:08.510 --> 0:15:11.520 a woman in a patriarchal society, your mere existence is political, 0:15:11.960 --> 0:15:14.660 even when you haven't said or done anything. And W 0:15:14.680 --> 0:15:18.400 players do say and do things. They stand for things. 0:15:18.740 --> 0:15:21.150 W players stand for a particular kind of woman that 0:15:21.230 --> 0:15:23.290 is the kind that sometimes pisses off people who would 0:15:23.310 --> 0:15:27.470 prefer we stay in our quote-unquote lane. So... Before we 0:15:27.510 --> 0:15:29.270 get into the specifics of it, I wonder how you 0:15:29.310 --> 0:15:32.550 read the timing of the latest interruptions to play. The 0:15:32.600 --> 0:15:36.300 sex toys, the anti-trans rallies and displays, using the league 0:15:36.380 --> 0:15:39.780 for political gain. Why is this happening now? 0:15:40.620 --> 0:15:45.340 I don't know. I think it's just how visible we are, maybe. 0:15:45.980 --> 0:15:50.490 I think we've grown so fast and have gotten a 0:15:50.590 --> 0:15:52.590 lot of new fans that don't really know the game 0:15:52.630 --> 0:15:55.270 as much. I think they're not necessarily fans for the 0:15:55.310 --> 0:15:58.250 right reasons sometimes. And I think they just want to 0:15:58.370 --> 0:16:01.210 poke and prod and get a reaction out of players 0:16:01.270 --> 0:16:05.560 and things to become relevant or to cause chaos. And 0:16:06.040 --> 0:16:08.740 so for us, it's like, you know, we love the visibility. 0:16:08.780 --> 0:16:11.800 We love more fans, but we want fans who love 0:16:11.840 --> 0:16:15.150 women's basketball and who love women's sports. and who genuinely 0:16:15.190 --> 0:16:17.070 want to watch us play and not just tear us 0:16:17.090 --> 0:16:20.990 down or nitpick every little thing that we do. And 0:16:21.010 --> 0:16:23.369 I feel like we have a really good amount of 0:16:23.410 --> 0:16:25.690 those fans, but there's still going to be those few 0:16:25.870 --> 0:16:30.330 that just kind of find something to start or complain about. 0:16:30.450 --> 0:16:33.380 And it's kind of a lose-lose sometimes. But I mean, 0:16:33.420 --> 0:16:35.120 for me personally, I try to just not even think 0:16:35.480 --> 0:16:38.440 about it. I just go out and play and focus 0:16:38.500 --> 0:16:39.360 on being happy. 0:16:40.220 --> 0:16:40.540 Yeah. Yeah. 0:16:40.950 --> 0:16:43.890 I think sometimes, too, there's so much conversation that's stirred 0:16:43.970 --> 0:16:47.430 up simply because of a lack of information. You know, 0:16:47.480 --> 0:16:50.520 Steph White having to explain what she said about Dejanay 0:16:50.560 --> 0:16:53.280 Carrington when most of the people complaining had no idea 0:16:53.340 --> 0:16:56.780 she coached Dejanay Carrington the season before. And just that 0:16:56.820 --> 0:16:59.420 little bit of information does change your perspective on why 0:16:59.460 --> 0:17:01.300 she would say that about her as opposed to feeling 0:17:01.330 --> 0:17:04.869 like she's defending the opponent. Well, they were just on 0:17:04.910 --> 0:17:06.670 the same team as of, you know, a year or 0:17:06.710 --> 0:17:10.780 two ago. So you understand and... that context is so 0:17:10.960 --> 0:17:13.040 often missing in the conversation around women's sports. And I 0:17:13.080 --> 0:17:14.850 think part of that is because so much of it 0:17:14.880 --> 0:17:16.510 is online and people don't know what to trust and 0:17:16.530 --> 0:17:20.170 what's real. And there's not enough coverage from major journalistically 0:17:20.230 --> 0:17:23.490 sound outlets and people rely on, you know, an Instagram 0:17:23.530 --> 0:17:25.750 post that they see. And when it comes to the 0:17:25.810 --> 0:17:29.330 latest interruptions, it does feel like they're all to your point, 0:17:29.830 --> 0:17:32.970 intending to provoke as opposed to educate or otherwise. And, 0:17:33.369 --> 0:17:34.949 you know, you've been outspoken in your support of the 0:17:34.970 --> 0:17:37.250 trans community and You wore a t-shirt to the game 0:17:37.290 --> 0:17:40.149 against Indiana Fever where those anti-trans rallies first started up 0:17:40.190 --> 0:17:43.110 in Seattle. Why is it important for you to be 0:17:43.230 --> 0:17:44.629 public and vocal with that stance? 0:17:45.330 --> 0:17:48.449 I think for me, it's just they are a community 0:17:48.490 --> 0:17:51.159 that has so much hate on them for no reason. 0:17:51.220 --> 0:17:52.600 And I think for me, when I saw that there 0:17:52.640 --> 0:17:57.060 was the anti-trans rallies, I'm like, why are we doing this? 0:17:57.240 --> 0:17:59.639 Women's sports and coming to these games, you're supposed to 0:17:59.660 --> 0:18:04.080 feel protected and safe and We as a league, I think, 0:18:04.119 --> 0:18:06.240 have tried to do our best at keeping that. So 0:18:06.270 --> 0:18:07.630 when I saw that they were going to have these 0:18:07.690 --> 0:18:10.449 anti-trans rallies, I just wanted to make sure that the 0:18:10.490 --> 0:18:13.629 trans community knew where I stood and knew that, as 0:18:13.710 --> 0:18:15.690 Tosh Cloud said the other day, like I see them, 0:18:15.869 --> 0:18:18.790 I love them and I will always support them because 0:18:19.070 --> 0:18:21.929 they belong in sports. They belong in women's sports. And 0:18:21.970 --> 0:18:23.600 so for me, it was just important to kind of 0:18:24.380 --> 0:18:27.260 show that. And that was really the best way I 0:18:27.300 --> 0:18:28.100 could in that moment. 0:18:28.580 --> 0:18:30.680 Yeah, I think there's such a sadness to the idea 0:18:30.720 --> 0:18:34.790 that these spaces that have been historically wonderful places for 0:18:34.850 --> 0:18:38.090 not just LGBTQ fans or marginalized groups, but just women, 0:18:38.430 --> 0:18:41.169 just any woman of any kind who wants to go 0:18:41.210 --> 0:18:45.859 somewhere and feel safe and included and loved and surrounded 0:18:45.910 --> 0:18:50.600 by joy and empowerment and embodiment and watching women thrive. 0:18:51.460 --> 0:18:54.320 It's so special and it's so unique to women's sports. 0:18:54.340 --> 0:18:56.220 There are so few spaces that we get to feel 0:18:56.260 --> 0:18:58.060 that way. And The fact that they would be tainted 0:18:58.100 --> 0:19:00.100 by this is really upsetting to me. And the first 0:19:00.119 --> 0:19:03.800 time I really thought about last year was when some 0:19:03.840 --> 0:19:07.760 woman wore these fake paper nails to a game to 0:19:07.820 --> 0:19:10.560 protest Dejanay Carrington, who didn't even have long nails. It 0:19:10.600 --> 0:19:13.420 was just a total dog whistle. And I thought about 0:19:13.460 --> 0:19:16.619 all the people around her section that must be thinking, oh, 0:19:16.680 --> 0:19:18.660 this is usually this place I go for just joy, 0:19:18.700 --> 0:19:21.260 and instead there's this. And I wonder if you think 0:19:21.640 --> 0:19:24.419 the league, whether that's Adam Silver and Kathy Engelberg or 0:19:24.460 --> 0:19:27.470 anyone else at the top, have done enough to respond 0:19:27.510 --> 0:19:31.230 to these agitators and disruptors or are handling this recent 0:19:31.290 --> 0:19:32.150 rash in the right way? 0:19:32.810 --> 0:19:36.450 I think they could do more, for sure. I know 0:19:36.770 --> 0:19:38.270 people say it's hard to be at the top, but 0:19:38.310 --> 0:19:42.810 I think there's so many moments that are missed for 0:19:42.930 --> 0:19:45.910 Cathy or Adam to just say something, you know, have 0:19:45.950 --> 0:19:48.989 a stance, have our backs, have as players, you know, 0:19:49.030 --> 0:19:50.800 we can only do so much with our words and 0:19:50.820 --> 0:19:53.740 our actions. And I think it means more when it 0:19:53.780 --> 0:19:57.720