Speaker 1: In Case You Missed It with Christina Williams is an
Speaker 1: iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports
Speaker 1: and Entertainment. Welcome to another edition of the Case You
Speaker 1: Missed It with Christina Williams here on iHeartRadio, and I've
Speaker 1: been in Miami for the whole week, and you guys
Speaker 1: know how Unrivaled kicked off this week. So I'm super
Speaker 1: excited about today's guest. She's a five time gold medalist
Speaker 1: and twenty twenty three, she was raped number one overall
Speaker 1: by the Indiana Fever, wrapped up the Rookie of the Year.
Speaker 1: She's a two time WNBA All Star, and let's not
Speaker 1: forget about her winning a national championship in South Carolina
Speaker 1: in twenty twenty three as well. Please welcome to the show,
Speaker 1: Aliah Boston, Alia. Thank you for being.
Speaker 2: Here, of course, thank you for having me.
Speaker 1: All right, So Unrivled kicked off this week and it's
Speaker 1: been so much buzz around the league. I want to
Speaker 1: know what's your initial thoughts about Unrivaled after just going
Speaker 1: through the games in the first week.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's super exciting. It's definitely a different feel than
Speaker 2: being in the league, and so I think I love
Speaker 2: that the most because you still get to play basketball,
Speaker 2: but it's not the same five on five, But I'm
Speaker 2: enjoying it.
Speaker 1: Team Final is absolutely killing it. You guys are undefeated
Speaker 1: in week one. What's been working for this team?
Speaker 2: I think it's that we just play together. We like
Speaker 2: to push pace, we like to play fast, get the
Speaker 2: ball in the pain. But we also have snipers all
Speaker 2: around the perimeter, and I think you were able to
Speaker 2: see that every single game because they've just taking their
Speaker 2: shots and knocking them down.
Speaker 1: What was the initial thing that made you want to
Speaker 1: say yes to the invitation to play at Unrivals?
Speaker 2: Just the opportunity when you think about it, have being
Speaker 2: able to have that ownership, especially as being the first
Speaker 2: group to be a part of this. I think that
Speaker 2: was definitely so enticing because I think when you look
Speaker 2: at Unrival right now, where it's at, the viewership, the
Speaker 2: brand deals that they have, the partners that they have,
Speaker 2: it's only going to grow. It is only going to grow.
Speaker 2: The talent is going to continue to roll in. It's
Speaker 2: going to be such an exciting lead that everyone's going
Speaker 2: to be tuned into and everyone's going to want to
Speaker 2: be a part.
Speaker 1: Of so I had a chance to visit the facilities
Speaker 1: this week and I saw all of the different things
Speaker 1: that on Rival had to offer its players. In your opinion,
Speaker 1: I know that the players union and the WNBA on
Speaker 1: the middle of CBA discussions. Do you think that, you know,
Speaker 1: Unrivaled is really laying out the blueprint for what could
Speaker 1: come and the WNBA in the next round of the
Speaker 1: CBA discussions.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think on Rival is doing a great job
Speaker 2: of just showing what it is to continue to have
Speaker 2: every single player cover on every single team per se.
Speaker 2: I know for the league though, it's it's definitely a
Speaker 2: lot more teams than Unrivaled and we're not just in
Speaker 2: one space like we are here in Miami, and so
Speaker 2: I definitely understand the differences between them, but I think
Speaker 2: that they're showing what it's like to once again take
Speaker 2: care of every single athlete on every single team. So
Speaker 2: I'm super excited. But I do think the league is
Speaker 2: doing a great job. I think, especially for me, I'm
Speaker 2: only two years in and I know that people before
Speaker 2: have had different experiences than I have, but I think
Speaker 2: as time progresses, it's it's definitely gonna improve.
Speaker 1: Your draft class is really one of the first draft
Speaker 1: classes to enter the WNBA to actually benefit from NIL.
Speaker 1: When we look at the momentum that women's sports is
Speaker 1: carrying over, how much do you think that factors into,
Speaker 1: you know, continuing the momentum and the growth of women's sports.
Speaker 1: I think the factors a lot. I think being able
Speaker 1: to have NIL and experience that and take that over
Speaker 1: to league, I think it just puts more eyes on
Speaker 1: women's athletes, but in a different way. It's not just
Speaker 1: on the court, but you see them in ads, you
Speaker 1: see them in commercials and people are like, oh, hey,
Speaker 1: I like her, that was a nice commercial. I remember
Speaker 1: seeing her there. Let me watch her how she plays
Speaker 1: on the court. And then they follow the Phantom College
Speaker 1: into league and so on. So, Alita, I visited Saint
Speaker 1: Thomas a couple months ago, and when the car took
Speaker 1: us out of the airport, I saw a massive billboard
Speaker 1: of view that close out of the airport and I
Speaker 1: was like, oh, okay, so talk about your roof. You're
Speaker 1: from Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands. Talk about how much you
Speaker 1: carry with that your culture with you through your career
Speaker 1: and through your life.
Speaker 2: Yeah. So I grew up Sat Thomas moved when I
Speaker 2: was twelve, but I think St. Thomas has definitely been
Speaker 2: a big piece. Like my family still lives there, my parents,
Speaker 2: my grandparents, everyone still live there when my sister and
Speaker 2: I were growing up in the States, and I mean
Speaker 2: it's just been an important piece every time I go home,
Speaker 2: being able to see my family, being able to see
Speaker 2: people that tell me they download the ESPN app where
Speaker 2: they got the WNBA League Pass so that they can
Speaker 2: continue to watch. And that's definitely been an important piece.
Speaker 2: And I carried everywhere with me.
Speaker 1: One of the things I realized when I was visiting, actually,
Speaker 1: like everyone knows each other on the Islands.
Speaker 2: Yes, it's like very small. Everyone knows each other. There's
Speaker 2: always someone that that can do something for you because
Speaker 2: everyone knows each other.
Speaker 1: When you think about like where you came from and
Speaker 1: just the success you've had in women's basketball, do you
Speaker 1: think about possibly like going back to, you know, help
Speaker 1: to grow girls and athletes where you're from.
Speaker 2: I think that's what I've been doing with my camps,
Speaker 2: Like I've been trying to make sure that young girls
Speaker 2: know that they can continue to dream big and they
Speaker 2: can continue to accomplish things. Because I grew up right here,
Speaker 2: but for me and my sister was different, Like my
Speaker 2: parents would send us away to the States for camps
Speaker 2: and then we'd come back home. And so for me,
Speaker 2: it was like, I'm trying to bring that where they
Speaker 2: don't have to feel like they have to move away
Speaker 2: or they have to go to camps in the States,
Speaker 2: where they can have the camp brought to them with
Speaker 2: high level coaches that push them, that make sure they know,
Speaker 2: like this what it takes to get to that next level.
Speaker 2: And so that's what I hope to do. I've been
Speaker 2: doing it for a couple of years now, so I'm
Speaker 2: excited for it.
Speaker 1: I as love that you're pouring into the next generation
Speaker 1: of young girls and athletes everywhere. So looking at the
Speaker 1: Indiana Fever in the off season, they appointed a new
Speaker 1: head coach and Stephanie White. What was that transition like
Speaker 1: for you and have you been in touch with Steph.
Speaker 2: Yes, I've been in touch with Steph and the whole staff.
Speaker 2: It's been pretty exciting. I'm super excited to have them
Speaker 2: join us set the Fever. I think we have such
Speaker 2: a special group and I think they're the coaching staff
Speaker 2: and stuff can really elevate us and take us to
Speaker 2: the next level of where we're hoping to be. We've
Speaker 2: definitely had a lot of meetings, a lot of conversations.
Speaker 2: We've been able to watch film together, talk about what
Speaker 2: we hope for me, what we hope for the Fever,
Speaker 2: been able to work out with Keith. So it's been
Speaker 2: all way great. It's been very community this offseason, so
Speaker 2: going well.
Speaker 1: Thinking about your time here at MIIBLE, A lot of
Speaker 1: players say they're using this time here to work on
Speaker 1: their game, to add things to their bag so that
Speaker 1: when they go back to their teams respected teams in
Speaker 1: the season that they could just be better. What are
Speaker 1: some things that you're looking forward to working on here
Speaker 1: at Unlivolves.
Speaker 2: I think just once again continue to get great finishing
Speaker 2: around the rim, making sure that I have my touch
Speaker 2: around the basket, because I feel like that's always been
Speaker 2: my bread and butter, so just continue to make sure
Speaker 2: that that stays up to par. And then expanding my game.
Speaker 2: Just being confident taking the shots, taking my jumpers, even
Speaker 2: if they don't go in initially, but understanding that, hey,
Speaker 2: you are taking these so you're confident, especially when you
Speaker 2: go back with the Fever. That no matter what was
Speaker 2: you're put in, you've already experienced that.
Speaker 1: And going back to that investment part, I mean, unrivaled
Speaker 1: just really set in the tone. But the Adeada Fever
Speaker 1: announced the seventy eight million dollars do practice facility, set
Speaker 1: to open in twenty twenty seven. In your opinion, as
Speaker 1: one of the star phases of the team, what does
Speaker 1: that mean to just have a team that's willing to
Speaker 1: invest in its players.
Speaker 2: That's super exciting. I said before that having our own
Speaker 2: practice court, I thought was super important that we had that,
Speaker 2: especially with me coming in two years ago, and now
Speaker 2: they're building this whole facility. I mean, it's definitely a
Speaker 2: blessing our owners. Super thankful to them for investing. I
Speaker 2: think they see the potential and they know exactly what
Speaker 2: we have on this squad and what we deserve. And
Speaker 2: I think it just goes to show that, you know,
Speaker 2: you continue to invest in the teams, to continue to
Speaker 2: invest in the players, and the results will come.
Speaker 1: All right, I'm going to take a quick break and
Speaker 1: when we get back more from this conversation with Ellie Boston.
Speaker 1: WBA free agency kicks off this week and a lot
Speaker 1: of players in our livel College joke that this is
Speaker 1: a time where chemisty you can build chemistry with players
Speaker 1: and kind of pitch your teams or you know, trying
Speaker 1: to get players to come to your team. If you
Speaker 1: were a GM, what would you pitch to free agents
Speaker 1: about playing at the Beaver.
Speaker 2: I feel like the first thing I'd pitch is that
Speaker 2: you guys don't like to play against us, so you
Speaker 2: might as well come play with us. Period.
Speaker 1: I love that. I absolutely love that. And also this
Speaker 1: past week, I mean, obviously there was a lot of
Speaker 1: serious news coming out from your teammate, Caitlin Park with
Speaker 1: the whole situation, with the Smocker situation. As an athlete,
Speaker 1: how have you been able to take precaution when it
Speaker 1: comes to your safety and just thinking about like leveling
Speaker 1: up that security to protect yourself.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that was super, super scary. So I'm glad that
Speaker 2: she is safe and that they were able to catch
Speaker 2: him and honestly just take the precautions that they have
Speaker 2: to do with that. I think just as an athlete,
Speaker 2: you always want to make sure that you are watching
Speaker 2: your surroundings. I think that's always important, but especially with
Speaker 2: social media nowadays, people just try to find their way
Speaker 2: and try to continue to speak and obviously that can
Speaker 2: get to a different level like it did with Kaitlin.
Speaker 2: But I think thinking about the Indiana Fever and thinking
Speaker 2: about the people that they have surrounding us, even here
Speaker 2: at on Rivaled, like they have taken the precautions. They've
Speaker 2: made sure that everyone is saved, everyone is covered, and
Speaker 2: if you have any problems, like you're able to reach out.
Speaker 2: But as athletes, I mean it's hard. You want to
Speaker 2: do your everyday thing, you want to live your everyday life,
Speaker 2: but you also have to make sure that you're just
Speaker 2: keeping an eye on what you're doing, but also not
Speaker 2: be afraid to say, hey, I don't really like this,
Speaker 2: someone kind of said something weird to me, and just
Speaker 2: being able to tell those that you trust.
Speaker 1: General manager Amber Cox is a friend to this show.
Speaker 1: She was recently on this show and she has talked
Speaker 1: about being excited for the future and building a team
Speaker 1: around yourself and Kitlyn Clark looking at the future, what
Speaker 1: it cites you the most about you know this duo
Speaker 1: and you know taking that team.
Speaker 2: To the next level. Super excited. I feel like there's
Speaker 2: no ceiling when it comes to us and the fever franchise.
Speaker 2: I think being able to look at what Kaylen, the
Speaker 2: addition of Kaylan was for us this year, I think
Speaker 2: you just saw how it just continued to elevate us.
Speaker 2: So when you think about us, when you think about
Speaker 2: us as a duo, I mean, I feel like we
Speaker 2: really figured out and got our foot on the same
Speaker 2: path the second half of the season, Like we were
Speaker 2: really able to figure it out together. And now that
Speaker 2: we have and we understand each other's play, where we
Speaker 2: like to be what we like, I mean, I think
Speaker 2: it's just gonna be hard because when you look at
Speaker 2: Kaitlyn when she has the ball in her hands, she
Speaker 2: sees the floor so well and she knows whether that's
Speaker 2: passing it to me or whether that's passing up the
Speaker 2: floor and just making sure that we finish those shots.
Speaker 2: I mean, she makes great decisions when the ball's in
Speaker 2: her hands, and so I feel like there's no ceiling
Speaker 2: for that.
Speaker 1: In twenty twenty three, you won a national championship under
Speaker 1: head coach Don Staley, and big news this week he's
Speaker 1: now the highest paid coach in women's basketball. So what
Speaker 1: was it like, you know, under that time being coached
Speaker 1: by Don Staley and any thoughts on like her getting
Speaker 1: the highest paid contract.
Speaker 2: First and foremost, it is so deserving for coach Daily,
Speaker 2: I think no one else deserves to have that type
Speaker 2: of recognition because she is just so amazing. I feel
Speaker 2: like I've said it so many times that Costaile was
Speaker 2: like a second mom to me. Got on campus and
Speaker 2: I was seventeen, and from that moment on, Costale just
Speaker 2: took me under her wing. So when we do captains,
Speaker 2: the way you do it is you go up there,
Speaker 2: you say why you want to be a captain, and
Speaker 2: then they put you through a ringer of questions and
Speaker 2: then it goes like that. I remember my freshman season,
Speaker 2: I didn't go for captain because I'm like, I need
Speaker 2: to figure I need to figure this out. We had
Speaker 2: great captains, Tying Kiki amazing, and my next year cos
Speaker 2: Daly was like, don't be afraid to use your voice.
Speaker 2: You can be a leader on this team. And her
Speaker 2: telling me that at such a young age. I remember
Speaker 2: I called my mom after and my dad. I was like,
Speaker 2: I don't know. I'm like, she's talking about being a
Speaker 2: captain and not being afraid to use my voice, and
Speaker 2: I was like, oh my gosh, I was like, I
Speaker 2: don't know. I was like, I'm just trying to figure
Speaker 2: stuff out. But at the same time, it goes to
Speaker 2: show the confidence that she instills in you from such
Speaker 2: a young age, like she is not waiting for senior
Speaker 2: year or junior year and be like, hey, I think
Speaker 2: you do this. If you want to do it, She's like, listen,
Speaker 2: I know you have the voice. I know you have
Speaker 2: the confidence. You just have to be able to step
Speaker 2: into that role and embrace it.
Speaker 1: When I think about don Staley's legacy and how she
Speaker 1: prepares you all for the WNBA, and not only that,
Speaker 1: just the suctress of the players from South Carolina and
Speaker 1: the WNBA, yourself, Asia Wilson, and the list goes on.
Speaker 1: What does that say about the South Carolina program?
Speaker 2: What doesn't it say? I feel like it just says
Speaker 2: that Coach Daley develops you. And I think it's crazy,
Speaker 2: like when you think about it, like you don't have
Speaker 2: to worry about like freshman year coming in, like my
Speaker 2: goal was definitely to go to the WNBA. But you
Speaker 2: can just see the development over time in everyone's game
Speaker 2: that comes through the South Carolina program, and that's the
Speaker 2: most exciting thing For me, it just shows that once
Speaker 2: she takes her time and she develops you to where
Speaker 2: you need to be, and you always feel confident and
Speaker 2: ready when you get to the league, like it doesn't
Speaker 2: feel like there's a major adjustment where it's like, oh
Speaker 2: my gosh, I don't know if I'm ready for this,
Speaker 2: Oh my gosh, I don't know if I'm going to play.
Speaker 2: It's like when you play under Coach Day, she develops
Speaker 2: you to the point where when you get to lead,
Speaker 2: even if you don't start, you're gonna be like, listen,
Speaker 2: I'm ready for this. I know I'm made for the
Speaker 2: moment because Coach Daily has already helped me with.
Speaker 1: That side of basketball. You're starting to establish yourself and
Speaker 1: the media as a broadcaster, as an analyst, as an anchor.
Speaker 1: Where did that passion come from to be able to
Speaker 1: be in front of the camera.
Speaker 2: Honestly, I feel like I've always been someone that likes
Speaker 2: to be in front of the camera, whether that's like
Speaker 2: broadcasting or anything. I'm always like trying to sneak my
Speaker 2: way in somewhere. But when I was in college, I
Speaker 2: was trying to figure out what I wanted to do,
Speaker 2: and I remember at first, I wanted to be a lawyer,
Speaker 2: and I was like, I'm going to be a lawyer.
Speaker 2: I feel like that's the typical thing everyone always says,
Speaker 2: like I want to do. But then they were like, yeah,
Speaker 2: you have to go to law school and I was
Speaker 2: like no, thank you. And I was like it's okay.
Speaker 2: I'll be a therapist because I feel like a lot
Speaker 2: of people come to me and I talk to a
Speaker 2: lot of people. And then I was like, oh, you
Speaker 2: have to go back to school for that. Again, I
Speaker 2: was like, I actually don't think this is my career path.
Speaker 2: And so I was talking abot a you coach, and
Speaker 2: he was like, why don't you just go into broadcasting.
Speaker 2: He was like, you love to talk, you might as
Speaker 2: well just talk all the time about basketball. And I
Speaker 2: was like, honestly, you're right because they always tell you like,
Speaker 2: have a second plan when the ball stops bouncing, and
Speaker 2: I feel like I always want to be connected to sports,
Speaker 2: especially basketball in that way. And I was like okay.
Speaker 2: So I remember I did have my majors communications and
Speaker 2: I was like, I'm going to get into broadcasting. And
Speaker 2: then once I got to the league, I talked to
Speaker 2: my agents about it and They were like, we're not
Speaker 2: gonna wait until the ball stops bouncing for you getting
Speaker 2: to this broadcasting. We're gonna kick it off right after
Speaker 2: your season's over. And that's why I was blessed to
Speaker 2: be able to work with NBC for my first year
Speaker 2: and then even worked with ESPN for the National Championship
Speaker 2: games in the final four, and so now we're back
Speaker 2: at it again this year, and so I mean, it's
Speaker 2: just super exciting, so blessing. I think just God has
Speaker 2: put the right people in my path to be able
Speaker 2: to say, like, hey, if my coach had never really
Speaker 2: thought about telling me I talk too much, I'm like,
Speaker 2: you know, maybe I would not have been I would
Speaker 2: not have gotten too broadcasting right away. And so it's
Speaker 2: definitely definitely just a blessing.
Speaker 1: Obviously, because you play sp things differently and you're able
Speaker 1: to use that as an advantage when you are on air.
Speaker 2: I do I think just the way I think about basketball,
Speaker 2: Like I think about basketball all the time, Like I
Speaker 2: watched so many games. I remember I was talking to
Speaker 2: someone and they were like, Wow, you really love basketball.
Speaker 2: Like you just watch games. You just turn games on
Speaker 2: and you're just sitting there watching I'm like, well, that's
Speaker 2: how one I learned as a player because I'm able
Speaker 2: to see different stuff, And honestly, when I look at
Speaker 2: other people play, I'm like, oh, I need that. Ooh,
Speaker 2: that'd be nice to learn. And then it's like now
Speaker 2: when I get to analyzing, I'm like, hey, this is
Speaker 2: what I think they need to see and this is
Speaker 2: what they should be doing, and it kind of just
Speaker 2: flows and it just comes freely when I watch.
Speaker 1: I know you're an Adidas athlete in Kannas Parker or
Speaker 1: someone I think of when I think of, like how
Speaker 1: she just transitioned so smoothly into having a media career.
Speaker 1: Has she given you any advice on, you know, just
Speaker 1: how to navigate through that kind of world she has?
Speaker 2: But I think she also tells me like she wants
Speaker 2: me to be able to experience that, and if I
Speaker 2: ever need anything or if I ever want to talk
Speaker 2: about I think she's absolutely there but allowing me to
Speaker 2: find my own way. And I'm saying like, here, this
Speaker 2: is what comes with it, this is the highest kind
Speaker 2: of lows, this is how it goes down. But I mean,
Speaker 2: she's always there for me no matter what.
Speaker 1: Aleah heading into year three, of your WNBA career. What
Speaker 1: do you want fans to know? What can we expect
Speaker 1: from you?
Speaker 2: You know, I always think about this question. Everyone always,
Speaker 2: you know, talks about your game and talks about like
Speaker 2: what they want to expect for themselves. But I feel
Speaker 2: like I just want them to expect that I'm going
Speaker 2: to come in every single night and give it my all,
Speaker 2: because obviously I'm working on my game, I'm working on
Speaker 2: expanding my game, I'm continuing to work on my consistency,
Speaker 2: making sure I'm efficient around the basket especially, But I
Speaker 2: feel like I always put so much pressure on myself,
Speaker 2: and I feel like a lot of the pressure is
Speaker 2: to make sure that the outside people feel that I
Speaker 2: am working hard, and for me, it's like I need
Speaker 2: to make sure that I'm doing this, I'm coming and
Speaker 2: working hard for myself and that I'm not putting too
Speaker 2: much pressure on myself to oppress the outside world because
Speaker 2: I know the work I'm put in, I know the
Speaker 2: work that my team is and I putting in, how
Speaker 2: we push each other, and so every night I come out,
Speaker 2: I need to just come out working hard, making sure
Speaker 2: that I'm giving in my all and not with the
Speaker 2: expectations of anything that's to impress other people.
Speaker 1: If that makes sense, that makes complete sense. Just tuning
Speaker 1: out the noise of the crowd and just locking in
Speaker 1: and focusing. I think it's scary hours I locked in, Abeah.
Speaker 1: I'm looking forward to seeing what you all, what you accomplished,
Speaker 1: not only in Unrival this season, but also with the
Speaker 1: Indiana Fever. Thank you so much for joining us this
Speaker 1: week on In Case you missed It with Christina Williams.
Speaker 2: Thank you for having me.
Speaker 3: Pray.
Speaker 1: Take another quick pause, and when we get back, we're
Speaker 1: going to dive into the startup free agency and we're
Speaker 1: going to get into the things that I love. This week,
Speaker 1: welcome back to In Case you missed It with Christina Williams.
Speaker 1: And I just want to thank Eliah Boston once again
Speaker 1: for coming through to the show. This week will be
Speaker 1: all about for her her season at Arrivals and of
Speaker 1: course with the Indiana Fever now moving right along. As
Speaker 1: you guys know, free agency has officially kicked off in
Speaker 1: the WNBA, and if you're a basketball fan, you know
Speaker 1: this is the time where things start to get a
Speaker 1: little interesting. Players are going to be moving, teams will
Speaker 1: shake things up, and you know, we got to talk
Speaker 1: about it, so let's dive right in. All right, So,
Speaker 1: as you guys know, in the first half of the month,
Speaker 1: teams began to extend qualifying offers and core qualifying offers
Speaker 1: to players, while some players didn't receive qualifying offers and
Speaker 1: are now hitting the open market. Kennedy, Carter, Queen egg Bow, Olivia, Popa, Charisma, Osbourne,
Speaker 1: and Leeming are all available to sign with news teams.
Speaker 1: This opens up a lot of possibilities, and you can
Speaker 1: bet that teams will be looking to make a splash,
Speaker 1: so we'll keep our eyes close on these players. Now
Speaker 1: here's where it gets a little bit interesting. As of
Speaker 1: this week, twenty twenty seven's draft picks can officially be traded.
Speaker 1: That means that teams now have more assets to work
Speaker 1: with than they did previously. We've seen big trades go
Speaker 1: down during last season. One thing I think about most
Speaker 1: notably was obviously Marina getting traded to Connecticut and how
Speaker 1: that benefited the Connecticut Sun Mayosha Hines Allen's getting traded
Speaker 1: to the Minnesota Links in that team reaching the finals.
Speaker 1: So I see that teams are now taking trades more
Speaker 1: serious and thinking about different ways they can use those
Speaker 1: assets to make their teams better and deeper to contend
Speaker 1: for championships. So going back to this year's free agency,
Speaker 1: don't be surprised if we start to see some moves
Speaker 1: come through before players actually start to sign their deals
Speaker 1: on February one. Teams are always trying to shape things
Speaker 1: up and build for the future, so I think that
Speaker 1: we can expect a lot of action over the next week. Now,
Speaker 1: let's move on and talk about one name in particular,
Speaker 1: And honestly, I think that this is a free agent
Speaker 1: that kind of went under the radar in early buzz
Speaker 1: and chat's about big name free agents, and so Britney Grinder,
Speaker 1: and this was a huge one, y'all. Brittany Grinder, after
Speaker 1: spending her entire career with the Phoenix Mercury since they
Speaker 1: drafted her number one over on twenty thirteen, has decided
Speaker 1: to test free agency for the first time in her career. Now,
Speaker 1: Phoenix fans, I know that you are probably holding your
Speaker 1: breath right now, but honestly, this opens the door for
Speaker 1: some real shakeups in the league. Will she stay in
Speaker 1: Phoenix or could she be looking for a new home,
Speaker 1: a new challenge elsewhere And speaking of Phoenix, this could
Speaker 1: also signal what we've all been kind of feeling. Could
Speaker 1: Diana Tarazzi be getting ready to retire Now, there was
Speaker 1: a report that came out of Phoenix that said that
Speaker 1: that is the expectation that Diana to Rozzie will be retiring,
Speaker 1: and so maybe that is the motivation for Brittany grinted
Speaker 1: to want to start else Goo, to start fresh with
Speaker 1: a new squad. But we'll see. I mean, it's reported
Speaker 1: that she's open to have in those discussions. But you know,
Speaker 1: Phoenix kind of hinted at the end of the season
Speaker 1: that if this is it, that whole campaign dedicating the
Speaker 1: practice course to Diana to Rozzie. But if this is
Speaker 1: it for DT, I think that she's given the game everything.
Speaker 1: She's won at every level, She's done everything that she's
Speaker 1: needed to do, and so I'm here for the new
Speaker 1: era for the Phoenix Mercury. So if Brina leaves, we
Speaker 1: might be witnessing the end of an era in Phoenix,
Speaker 1: and it's going to be fascinating to see what happens next.
Speaker 1: So yeah, there's a lot of uncertainty now, and I
Speaker 1: guess that's what makes this time of the year so
Speaker 1: exciting because pre agency is just getting started and over
Speaker 1: the next few days there could be some huge changes
Speaker 1: that we see. Now in addition to those stories, the
Speaker 1: obviously you know that teams had started to extend core
Speaker 1: qualifying offers to their players and some of the names
Speaker 1: that we should be looking out for is Jewel Lloyd.
Speaker 1: Annie Constable had previously reported that Lloyd had requested a
Speaker 1: trade out of Seattle, and we know that Seattle had
Speaker 1: coreed Gabby Williams, who was an unrestricted free agent, and
Speaker 1: so Jewel can be looking for her next home now.
Speaker 1: I think that she would be a great fit on
Speaker 1: the Chicago sky that is where she is from. She
Speaker 1: is from Chicago. I would love to see Jewel go
Speaker 1: back home and be that veteran point guard presence for
Speaker 1: the young players like Angel Reaes and Camilla Cardoso. So
Speaker 1: we'll keep our eyes on Jewel Lloyd. Now. What also
Speaker 1: gets interesting with the core qualifying offers is that Alyssa
Speaker 1: Thomas was coreed by the Connecticut son Now throughout the
Speaker 1: off season and towards the end of the WNBA season,
Speaker 1: Thomas has repeatedly and publicly stated that the priority should
Speaker 1: be getting assets to Connecticut. In terms of practice facilities,
Speaker 1: we've seen other teams like the Dallas Wings, the Indiana Fever,
Speaker 1: the Golden State Battleries make that a priority, the Chicago
Speaker 1: Sky and breaking ground on new practice facilities. Another thing
Speaker 1: that is interesting is Kelsey Plumb in her future. Will
Speaker 1: she stay in Las Vegas or will she go elsewhere?
Speaker 1: And again, teams have the upper hands in this situation
Speaker 1: because these players are cored and so you know they're
Speaker 1: going to get something back. So too softly has made
Speaker 1: it clear she does not want to play for the
Speaker 1: Dallas Wanks next season. And so there's going to be
Speaker 1: a lot of trades happening throughout the week, and so
Speaker 1: we're going to be paying attention to all of that
Speaker 1: and more for free agency. All right, So now it's
Speaker 1: time for the things that I love this week, and
Speaker 1: so here's the things that I love this week. Obviously,
Speaker 1: I'm down here in Miami for and the weather absolutely sucked.
Speaker 1: So the weather is something that I did not like
Speaker 1: this week. But what I did love is to be
Speaker 1: able to be out here and see all of women's
Speaker 1: basketball fans come together for our rival, to be in
Speaker 1: a space where people love women's sports. I kind of
Speaker 1: missed that feeling after the w NBA season, so to
Speaker 1: see people being community to come out here to make
Speaker 1: plans and trips to see our rival was jope. I
Speaker 1: had a chance to visit the practice facilities and just
Speaker 1: get a first hand look at the investment and how
Speaker 1: the players are just taken initiative for themselves to make
Speaker 1: things better. I think from top to bottom, the entertainment
Speaker 1: factor was huge. I was entertained at every game that
Speaker 1: I went to this week. I think that they were
Speaker 1: very intentional about every aspect of that game and using
Speaker 1: some of the top talent on broadcast and lean announcers
Speaker 1: things like that, which made it really really fun. We
Speaker 1: had a chance to speed to play in a stewart
Speaker 1: this week at shoot around at media availability, and here's
Speaker 1: what you had to say about unrivaled and all for
Speaker 1: the best of the best of the players.
Speaker 4: We want to play, but we want to make sure
Speaker 4: that everyone has the opportunity to get better and whether
Speaker 4: it's you want to get better on the court or
Speaker 4: you want to focus on some things in the weight room,
Speaker 4: Like the staff is top notch, like the best of
Speaker 4: the best, and it's cool for players to come in
Speaker 4: when especially those that don't have a routine and I
Speaker 4: don't have like a set schedule to kind of create
Speaker 4: that and see the others that do have it.
Speaker 1: And then also I had a chance to catch up
Speaker 1: with Sabrina and y'll Nescu just about how she's adjusting
Speaker 1: to rival. She's playing for a Phantom BC and they're
Speaker 1: weak one, they're down go to like they are not
Speaker 1: playing well as a team. And so I had a
Speaker 1: chance to talk sad about just this process of adjusting
Speaker 1: to a different style of play and how she's been
Speaker 1: able to approach that. And here's what she had to
Speaker 1: say about that.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's great.
Speaker 3: Obviously, I wasn't really sure what to expect, just from
Speaker 3: like a completely different format game. Not having the preseason
Speaker 3: games was a little tough because I just didn't know
Speaker 3: what to expect.
Speaker 2: But I enjoyed it.
Speaker 3: It was really fun, super fast paced. Obviously, the floor
Speaker 3: is just open, like you can take whatever you want.
Speaker 3: It's a lot different, at least just for me, from
Speaker 3: the WU season, Like you can't get double teamed, you
Speaker 3: can't get trapped, there's no hedges, like you're just kind
Speaker 3: of coming down the floor and able to get kind
Speaker 3: of manipulate the defense however you want if you take
Speaker 3: care of the ball and get the right shots. And
Speaker 3: so I'm kind of happy to kind of get that
Speaker 3: first game out of the way and now understand kind
Speaker 3: of how this game is played every season.
Speaker 1: Every off season, you have one thing that you work on.
Speaker 1: What is something that you're working on here a rival
Speaker 1: that you want to get better at.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, I don't think I'll really be able
Speaker 3: to get to it until probably next month as I
Speaker 3: like get back into playing, just with kind of the
Speaker 3: fact that I'm like getting my legs back under me,
Speaker 3: you know, after having surgery. But I would say continuing
Speaker 3: to just get really good in the in the mid range. Obviously,
Speaker 3: I've kind of perfected the floater that's done, got that
Speaker 3: one check. Now it's just kind of understanding that I
Speaker 3: kind of get into that mid range and can really
Speaker 3: elevate over a lot of the players that guard me,
Speaker 3: and that's usually my best shot as well. And so
Speaker 3: for me, it's gonna be continuing to you know, create
Speaker 3: good separation going downhill to the paint, but also understanding
Speaker 3: there's so many counters that I can get out of
Speaker 3: that and wanting to get my mid range back to
Speaker 3: what it was like it used to be in college.
Speaker 1: I really love that she was able to talk about
Speaker 1: what she wants to work on because I usually get
Speaker 1: to talk to somebody at the start of every training camp,
Speaker 1: and so to be able to be in the thick
Speaker 1: of what her office and looks like. We know that
Speaker 1: Subrina's never played in her off season, so to see
Speaker 1: her to make adjustments. She did say that clip that
Speaker 1: you just heard that she's working on her mid range games.
Speaker 1: So watch out for Subrinda in twenty twenty five. We
Speaker 1: saw what she had in her bag during the twenty
Speaker 1: four season with adding the floater. So I'm excited to
Speaker 1: see the next level unlocked for sab and that was
Speaker 1: my trip in Miami for Unrivaled. I'm looking forward to
Speaker 1: see how the rest of the season goes. All right,
Speaker 1: that's gonna be it for today. Make sure you stay
Speaker 1: tuned to this show for updates as everything unfold. You know,
Speaker 1: all the right here, keeping you in the loop. I'll
Speaker 1: catch you next time in case you missed it. With
Speaker 1: Christina Williams is an iHeart women's sports production in partnership
Speaker 1: with Deep Blue Sports and entertainment. You can find us
Speaker 1: on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get
Speaker 1: your podcasts.