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Speaker 1: Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we're googling

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Speaker 1: restaurants in the Pearl District, pre ordering Kate Fagan's new

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Speaker 1: book at Powell's, and scouring vintage shops for a Portland

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Speaker 1: Fire tee.

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Speaker 2: The WNBA is back in the Rose City.

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Speaker 1: On today's show, it's group Chat with l duncan and

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Speaker 1: Monica McNutt. They joined me to talk about a breakout

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Speaker 1: season for the WNBA, Caitlin Clark Mania and postseason expectations,

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Speaker 1: plus w playoff scenarios galore, nostalgia overdoors, and gold medals

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Speaker 1: of a different kind.

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Speaker 2: It's all coming up right after this Welcome back. Here's

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Speaker 2: what you need to know today. It's official.

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Speaker 1: On Wednesday, the WNBA confirmed that Portland, Oregon, is getting

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Speaker 1: a team that will begin play in the twenty twenty

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Speaker 1: sixth season. Portland previously had a WNBA team, the Portland Fire,

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Speaker 1: from two thousand through two thousand and two. We're hoping

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Speaker 1: for a better team name and mascot this time around,

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Speaker 1: and of course for it to last more than a

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Speaker 1: couple of years. Shout out to our girl Jenny Winn

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Speaker 1: at the Sports Bra who threw a pop up block

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Speaker 1: party to celebrate the new team yesterday. Game days at

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Speaker 1: the BRA are going to be lit. We'll talk more

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Speaker 1: about w team number fifteen later in the show with

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Speaker 1: Alan Monica.

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Speaker 2: A couple major.

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Speaker 1: Moments happened Tuesday night after we recorded our show. First,

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Speaker 1: in the Las Vegas Aces win over the Seattle Storm,

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Speaker 1: Asia Wilson broke the record for most rebounds at a

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Speaker 1: single season, surpassing the mark set by Chicago Sky rookie

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Speaker 1: Angel Rees earlier this season before she got injured. Wilson's

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Speaker 1: now at four fifty one and counting with one game left,

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Speaker 1: and yeah, that means she broke the season record for

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Speaker 1: points and the season record for rebounds in the same year.

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Speaker 2: Girls on Fire.

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Speaker 1: Also Tuesday, Tina Charles had a big night, scoring sixteen

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Speaker 1: points and napping fourteen rebounds in Atlanta's eighty six to

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Speaker 1: seventy win over the Chicago Sky, tying the WNBA double

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Speaker 1: double record by recording the one hundred and ninety third

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Speaker 1: of her career. She also became just the second player

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Speaker 1: in WNBA regular season history to reach four thousand rebounds

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Speaker 1: and the only player with over seven thousand points to

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Speaker 1: go with those four thousand boards, and in the La

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Speaker 1: Sparks Phoenix Mercury game. There was an altercation between Sparks

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Speaker 1: rookie Rakia Jackson and Mercury star Britney Griner. Both were

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Speaker 1: ejected late in the first half after nearly coming to

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Speaker 1: blows following a free throw box out that escalated. There

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Speaker 1: were no real punches, you know, just basketball shoves. The

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Speaker 1: real knockout blows came in the comment section after they

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Speaker 1: got bounced. Both were in those comments before the game

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Speaker 1: was even over. I could picture them in the locker room,

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Speaker 1: sitting on their phones typing away. Somebody wrote not Rakia

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Speaker 1: running away, to which she responded, creating space for the

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Speaker 1: size up booky butt mnba Alum. Stephen Jackson wrote, Rikia

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Speaker 1: a Jackson. We can all fight. Britt had time for

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Speaker 1: a lot of people. Someone said that's it. Back to Russia,

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Speaker 1: you go. Grinder responded, come and get me. Then some

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Speaker 1: highly evolved human wrote why is that man always trying

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Speaker 1: to fight these women? Britney responded, because mfors want to

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Speaker 1: try me and they can get this action. And then

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Speaker 1: finally someone wrote Britney wasn't tough in Russia, and Britt wrote,

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Speaker 1: and yo ass would have been someone bitch, So, like

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Speaker 1: I said, they both had time. The WNBA, on the

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Speaker 1: other hand, hasn't had time to offer up any fines

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Speaker 1: or follow up because they've been too busy announcing a

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Speaker 1: new team. So we'll get you updated on suspension, spines,

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Speaker 1: anything else that comes as the results of this kerfuffle

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Speaker 1: when we get the news. Tonight is the final night

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Speaker 1: of the WNBA regular season, and every team is in action.

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Speaker 1: That means six count them, six games. Here's where the

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Speaker 1: playoff picture stands. The New York Liberty officially clinched the

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Speaker 1: number one seed in the playoffs with a win against

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Speaker 1: the Washington Mystics on Tuesday night. This is the franchise

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Speaker 1: is second time is the top seed and first since

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Speaker 1: twenty fifteen. The Minnesota Links are now locked in at

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Speaker 1: number two thanks to their seventy eight seventy six win

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Speaker 1: over Connecticut on Tuesday and their thirteen and one record

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Speaker 1: since the Olympic break. Connecticut and Las Vegas are currently

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Speaker 1: third and fourth and guaranteed home court advantage in the

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Speaker 1: first round of the playoffs, but they could flip flop

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Speaker 1: in the standings based on tonight's results if it comes

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Speaker 1: down to a tiebreaker. Vegas gets it thanks to their

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Speaker 1: three and zero record against the Sun this season. Which

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Speaker 1: ever team finishes fourth will play the number five Seattle Storm,

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Speaker 1: while the third place seed will get number six Indiana.

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Speaker 1: Phoenix is locked in at number seven, so they'll play

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Speaker 1: the Links, but the final playoff spot, which will be

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Speaker 1: in New York's first round opponent.

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Speaker 2: Is still up for grabs. Here we go.

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Speaker 1: Atlanta currently holds the number eight seed with a fourteen

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Speaker 1: to twenty five record, and they control their own destiny

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Speaker 1: with Washington and Chicago both one game back, so if

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Speaker 1: Atlanta beas the Liberty tonight, they're in full stop. If Atlanta, Washington,

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Speaker 1: and Chicago all lose, then Atlanta is in. If Washington

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Speaker 1: wins and Atlanta and Chicago lose, Atlanta is in. If

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Speaker 1: Washington and Chicago win but Atlanta loses, Washington is in.

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Speaker 1: And the only way that my Chicago Sky can grab

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Speaker 1: the number eight is if they win and Atlanta and

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Speaker 1: Washington lose.

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Speaker 2: You got all that? Okay?

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Speaker 3: Good?

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Speaker 1: The four teams that don't make the playoffs participate in

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Speaker 1: the WNBA Draft lottery for the number one pick, and

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Speaker 1: given the absolutely stacked class of prospects coming into the

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Speaker 1: league next season, say missing the playoffs may not be

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Speaker 1: the worst thing that happens to those teams. Will include

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Speaker 1: a schedule for tonight's games in our show notes and

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Speaker 1: get ready going to be another multi screen Night two

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Speaker 1: Soccer and the NWSL A league first. Next Monday, Gotham

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Speaker 1: FC will be honored at the White House for their

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Speaker 1: twenty twenty three NWSL title, marking the first time in

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Speaker 1: NWSL club has been invited to the President's House to

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Speaker 1: celebrate a league title. Given that Gotham initially dropped the

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Speaker 1: ball last ball after the team.

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Speaker 2: Won the title.

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Speaker 1: No parade, no big public fan celebration, It's good to

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Speaker 1: see the team receive this honor. And in Goat News,

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Speaker 1: the legendary Billy Jean King is said to become the

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Speaker 1: first individual female athlete to be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.

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Speaker 1: This award, which is bestowed by US Congress, is considered

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Speaker 1: the highest US civilian honor, along with the Presidential Medal

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Speaker 1: of Freedom, which King was awarded in two thousand and

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Speaker 1: nine by former President Barack Obama. The bill to honor

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Speaker 1: King with the Congressional Gold Medal was introduced last September

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Speaker 1: on the fiftieth anniversary of King's victory in the Battle

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Speaker 1: of the Sexes. She's now set to receive the award

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Speaker 1: after the bill pass the House of Representatives on Tuesday.

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Speaker 1: Now it's headed to President Joe Biden for his signature.

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Speaker 1: We're gonna take a quick break. When we come back,

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Speaker 1: it's group Chat time with the newly married Monica McNutt

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Speaker 1: and dj iPad L Duncan.

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Speaker 2: It's time for group Chat where we take the tea

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Speaker 2: from the text to the airwaves. Joining us today.

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Speaker 1: She's a sports center anchor, Around the Horn, panelist, co

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Speaker 1: host of the YouTube show and podcast The L. Duncan Show,

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Speaker 1: the women's college basketball host for ESPN's College Game Day,

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Speaker 1: and one third of the wildly popular Big Three that

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Speaker 1: covered women's March Madness last year. She's mostly responsible for

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Speaker 1: the hashtag girl dad trend for better or for worse.

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Speaker 1: She had a voice like an angel and once had

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Speaker 1: a record deal. She made a cameo in the movie

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Speaker 1: Ride Along, and she's the best. Damn DJ you simply

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Speaker 1: cannot afford It's L Duncan.

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Speaker 3: What's up?

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Speaker 2: Ell? That was a hell of a bio. Sarah Spanya.

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Speaker 4: Also, to be clear, I'm dj iPad. I literally just

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Speaker 4: played from a playlist.

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Speaker 2: It doesn't matter. The results are good. It's funny joining her.

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Speaker 1: She's a WNBA NBA in College Basketball analyst for ESPN,

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Speaker 1: appearing on First Take Around the Horn, NBA Today Sports Center,

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Speaker 1: among others. She's a studio analyst for the New York Nicks,

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Speaker 1: host of MSGPM on MSG Networks, a former hooper for

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Speaker 1: the Georgetown Hoyas, a workout fiend, and she's still got

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Speaker 1: that newlywed glow.

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Speaker 3: It's not coming Nu, what's up Spain? Hi El So

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Speaker 3: good to be here with you, guys.

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Speaker 2: I am so glad to have both of you real

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Speaker 2: quick on highlight from the wedding.

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Speaker 5: God so many honestly, so I told my planner early on.

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Speaker 5: I was like, I don't care what happens, but I

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Speaker 5: want this. You got to kick everybody out at the

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Speaker 5: end of the night so we can have a final

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Speaker 5: dance together. It's like my favorite thing.

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Speaker 2: Wait, that's really romantic.

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Speaker 3: It was cute.

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Speaker 5: It wasn't like a super like we did something someone

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Speaker 5: like you by snow legrope. So it was like still

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Speaker 5: cheery and fun and like.

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Speaker 1: Just a moment for us, though amazing It's like the

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Speaker 1: opposite of my wedding, where we were still partying with

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Speaker 1: everybody else, still five in the morning.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, it was like, oh no, they met us.

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Speaker 2: I'm for us.

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Speaker 3: It was just right they met us downstairs. Don't look good?

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Speaker 2: Okay, okay?

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Speaker 1: Happy almost WNBA playoffs Tonight are the final games of

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Speaker 1: the season. Let's talk about big picture because mom, the

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Speaker 1: league just announced another expansion team in Portland. It's going

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Speaker 1: to join the teams in Toronto and the Bay Area

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Speaker 1: that are coming in the next couple of years. People

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Speaker 1: have been clamoring for this, especially when we see talented

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Speaker 1: players not.

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Speaker 2: Make a roster. Is the league ready for sixteen seventeen teams?

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Speaker 5: You know, I think we are as close as we've

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Speaker 5: ever been. And I don't say that to skirt the question.

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Speaker 5: I want to be clear. I was honestly hesitant about

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Speaker 5: the concept of expansion until you had twelve robust teams competing,

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Speaker 5: and frankly, with the way things have evolved in the

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Speaker 5: last honestly, what when did the Mystics become a factor

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Speaker 5: in the last three weeks? Like certainly posted a big break,

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Speaker 5: Like the Mystics all of a sudden are in contention

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Speaker 5: like LA and Dallas. Literally Dallas, I think earlier this

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Speaker 5: week was mathematically eliminated like Dallas was. Or excuse me,

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Speaker 5: LA was the first dominava mall. But you really had

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Speaker 5: teams that were still fighting and still are fighting for

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Speaker 5: that eighth spot. And so I do think and even

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Speaker 5: when you think about the teams that struggled this year injuries, right, like,

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Speaker 5: what does LA look like if Cameron brin can stay healthy?

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Speaker 5: What does the what do the mystics look like organizationally

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Speaker 5: if not for this thing around Elena del Don fantastic

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Speaker 5: as she is, but like they're sort of hamstrung. They

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Speaker 5: make those trades midway through the season, like you see

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Speaker 5: Chicago beginning to build, like Dallas didn't have my girl

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Speaker 5: most of the season, right, Like, what did they look

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Speaker 5: like potentially being healthy? So even as you look at

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Speaker 5: the teams that were sort of bottom for fighting for

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Speaker 5: that eighth spot, there's a.

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Speaker 3: Real argument that they are now in a position to compete.

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Speaker 5: Sincerely, So where as close as we've ever been to expansion,

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Speaker 5: I'm getting ready for it.

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Speaker 3: I don't know that I would have picked Portland as

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Speaker 3: that city, but here we go.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean I do think at least a lot

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Speaker 1: has changed since the original iteration of the Portland fire,

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Speaker 1: so I'm also excited to see how the city reacts

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Speaker 1: to getting a team back.

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Speaker 2: Okay, so back to this season. We have seen a

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Speaker 2: lot of records fall.

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Speaker 1: It was only the second season with forty games, but

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Speaker 1: plenty of the best performances what have set a new

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Speaker 1: mark even if they had been in previous years with

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Speaker 1: fewer games. We've also seen a lot of records fall

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Speaker 1: in terms of things like viewership and attendance. So, Elle,

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Speaker 1: how do you think the league has handled this moment

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Speaker 1: stepped into this moment of increased spotlight and attention and attendance.

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Speaker 4: I'm going to take a page from some of the

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Speaker 4: players that tend to tweet whenever some of these really

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Speaker 4: big matchups end up on ION on Fridays, And it's

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Speaker 4: no disrespect to Ion because you know, certainly, I think

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Speaker 4: for all of us, like we work at ESPN, we

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Speaker 4: have a vested interest in making sure that all the

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Speaker 4: big games are on our network. And certainly we know

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Speaker 4: that ESPN has been at the forefront of women's sports

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Speaker 4: in general, but also the w We also understand it's

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Speaker 4: just fans of this space. It's great business that there's competition.

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Speaker 4: Other people need to have media rights, other people need

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Speaker 4: to spend money. That's how we're going to go from

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Speaker 4: some of these paltry salaries to salaries that are more

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Speaker 4: fitting of their talent. But I would say in general

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Speaker 4: leaning in to one specif sort of narrative and storyline,

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Speaker 4: I feel like at the beginning of the season, clearly

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Speaker 4: we were going to go all in on the rookies,

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Speaker 4: in particular the one rookie in Indiana. I'm not sure

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Speaker 4: that we did a great job pivoting though, to expand

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Speaker 4: some of those stories, Like I'm not sure that sort

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Speaker 4: of simply patting ourselves on the back that every time

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Speaker 4: the Fever played a game, every time the Fever and

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Speaker 4: the Sky played a game, that the ratings were like

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Speaker 4: we kind of sort of already expected that, especially coming

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Speaker 4: from the college space. I wish that maybe we had

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Speaker 4: done a little bit of a better job in sort

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Speaker 4: of making sure that some of those other storylines that

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Speaker 4: weren't getting as much attention.

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Speaker 2: Were brought to the forefront.

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Speaker 4: I also think to be a little critical of the

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Speaker 4: league itself that while we want us to lean into

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Speaker 4: sort of the rivalry part of Angel Rees and Caitlin Clark.

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Speaker 4: It's important. It's integral to any sport to sort of

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Speaker 4: have animosity and to build rivalries. I'm not sure that

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Speaker 4: really anyone was in a position to do a great

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Speaker 4: job of sort of explaining why so much of the

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Speaker 4: vitriol that we've seen in social media in particular exists.

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Speaker 4: I'm not sure. And like, the truth is is that

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Speaker 4: you've got leaders in this space, like the China Robinson,

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Speaker 4: like Monica McNutt, like Andrea Carter, like Jenea Gumakay, like

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Speaker 4: Carolyn Peck, like Rebecca Lobo, who have sort of been

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Speaker 4: doing that on their own and trying to sort of

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Speaker 4: like champion that, and like this.

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Speaker 2: Is why this exists.

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Speaker 4: And you don't understand. It's a long history of this

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Speaker 4: group of women feeling like they were underserved, under utilized,

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Speaker 4: and the sort of white savior complex that came along

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Speaker 4: with it. And I just don't think that we were

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Speaker 4: And I say we, I just mean the landscape in

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Speaker 4: general was prepared to have these tough conversations. And now

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Speaker 4: the league itself has done a lot of oh well,

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Speaker 4: we love the rivalry part, but without addressing the other

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Speaker 4: part of it, which is nasty and not good and

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Speaker 4: not okay. And so I think finding the balance of

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Speaker 4: the sort of hot take economy which is important in

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Speaker 4: growing the sport, you know, I mean, MANI like we

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Speaker 4: know you on first take, like the idea they spent

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Speaker 4: forty five minutes talking about WNBA on that kind of

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Speaker 4: stuff is important. But I think finding the right balance

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Speaker 4: of hot take economy mixed with like actual understanding and

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Speaker 4: knowledge of why this entire thing exists in the first

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Speaker 4: place is something that we probably failed at this year

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Speaker 4: and I'm hoping is something that everyone collectively can do

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Speaker 4: a better job of next year.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I completely agree with that, and Monica, I wanted

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Speaker 1: to ask about that because I do think one thing

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Speaker 1: at the beginning of the season that I was saying

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Speaker 1: is you need to have a take to make it

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Speaker 1: onto a lot of these shows, and if you don't

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Speaker 1: watch the game enough, you can't have a take. So

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Speaker 1: a real simple take is Caitlin versus angel or are

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Speaker 1: they being mean to her? Or does she need to

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Speaker 1: play well for the league to succeed, Like these were

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Speaker 1: things that people who didn't want to put the work

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Speaker 1: in could.

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Speaker 2: Talk about not well, but could talk about.

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Speaker 1: That was good in some ways because it did allow

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Speaker 1: it to break through into some shows, and now those

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Speaker 1: shows are thinking about when a WNBA story might be

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Speaker 1: worthy of talking about. And before they literally didn't even

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Speaker 1: they would go down the line of MLBNHL, NFL, whatever,

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Speaker 1: and it wasn't even the thought.

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Speaker 2: Now it's part of the converation. That's great.

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Speaker 1: But I also think the league, not just the media economy,

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Speaker 1: because sometimes you can't protect against fans being unhinged or

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Speaker 1: media trying to be salacious in the way that they

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Speaker 1: delivered things in order to get clicks and hits. The

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Speaker 1: league did not feel like it collectively had a plan

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Speaker 1: for how to work with this new spotlight, and particularly

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Speaker 1: how to work with the racism, misogynore, general misogyny, homophobia

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Speaker 1: that would come and be at a higher level than

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Speaker 1: it's ever been before.

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Speaker 2: Were you surprised, Mom that the players almost didn't have

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Speaker 2: a plan, because.

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Speaker 1: That's usually where the good shit comes from in the

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Speaker 1: WNBA is the players.

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Speaker 5: So that's an interesting twist in that question. Honestly, Spain,

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Speaker 5: I I think the players and my conversation behind the

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Speaker 5: scenes were trying to walk this line of this is

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Speaker 5: good for us.

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Speaker 3: How do we deal?

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Speaker 5: But to your point, so much of who this league

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Speaker 5: has been and these players have been have been standing

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Speaker 5: up for issue that people did necessarily want to talk about.

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Speaker 5: But there's also this is our new sister, and I

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Speaker 5: don't think that players were worried about proving people wrong

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Speaker 5: about being jealous or not. Like within sports and competition,

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Speaker 5: jealousy is an emotion like who cares. But there is

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Speaker 5: this line of Kaitlyn is now part of WNBA, She's

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Speaker 5: part of the fabric.

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Speaker 3: Of who we are. She is not in her solve

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Speaker 3: the problem. It's this section of the fan base. So

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Speaker 3: to me, there was this like.

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Speaker 5: Learning curve for everybody, you know what I mean. And

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Speaker 5: I think, to no fault of her own, the most

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Speaker 5: close to political we've gotten from her is liking the

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Speaker 5: Taylor sweets Swift post right, which brought out the other

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Speaker 5: side of this fan base anyway. And so everybody is

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Speaker 5: not going to step to the podium with the presidential

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Speaker 5: class and presentation of an Ekka Agumakay, who is the

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Speaker 5: president of the WNBA Players Association. Not everybody is going

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Speaker 5: to be a Natasha Cloud who jumps in front of

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Speaker 5: a mic and has plenty to say, right, And so I.

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Speaker 3: Think there was this real growing moment for all.

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Speaker 5: I think back, y'all though, to Sheryl Ree've calling it

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Speaker 5: when Chicago played Minnesota in a preseason game and I

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Speaker 5: wish I could knew the name of this fan off

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Speaker 5: the top of my head stream that game, right, and

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Speaker 5: Scherl Reeves said it. She was like, everybody has to

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Speaker 5: catch up. She said it of the league of pr

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Speaker 5: staffs of teams, and that's exactly what we saw in

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Speaker 5: real time. And so I'm willing to give a ton

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Speaker 5: of grace because I think, let me see, this must

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Speaker 5: have been a June game. I can't remember who's doing

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Speaker 5: the siline report, but Asia Wilson herself was asked about,

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Speaker 5: you know, where this season is going in the eyeballs

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Speaker 5: and she said it, She's like, in the beginning, I

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Speaker 5: think it was a bunch of nonsense that wasn't productive,

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Speaker 5: But now the conversation is beginning to move to the back.

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Speaker 3: So yeah, yeah, So I think.

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Speaker 5: It was a learning carve for even for those of

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Speaker 5: us that love it, right, because I had to grapple

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Speaker 5: with like, well, at least we're talking about the w

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Speaker 5: on first take, right, right.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, yeah, there's conflict there.

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Speaker 1: For those who don't remember, what Monica was referring to

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Speaker 1: was a preseason game where it would have been people's

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Speaker 1: very first look at a number of players, but particularly

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Speaker 1: Angel Reese with the sky and it wasn't broadcast anywhere.

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Speaker 2: So a fan was live streaming it from her phone.

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Speaker 1: And like hundreds of thousands of yeah, literally hundreds of

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Speaker 1: thousands of people were watching on this woman's live stream,

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Speaker 1: and that I think maybe Sue Bird or someone was like,

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Speaker 1: we got to get her, like a GoFundMe.

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Speaker 4: Even is Sarah the historic Boston gay right like this

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Speaker 4: it's Dunton, you fill out the garden and it wasn't

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Speaker 4: on national TV, and I think DJ Carrington was like,

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Speaker 4: what are we doing here? It's wild?

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Speaker 1: Yeah, So it feels like some moments for growth and

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Speaker 1: then some moments where they did a good job of

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Speaker 1: leaning in and understanding the moment. Monica to what do

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Speaker 1: you attribute the especially high level of play this season,

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Speaker 1: all those records that are falling that aren't falling just

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Speaker 1: because it's a longer.

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Speaker 5: Season, man, I just think players are taking such incredible

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Speaker 5: care of their bodies, right, Like, yes, Asia Wilson is

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Speaker 5: going to be MVP. The stats for her have been

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Speaker 5: gaudy this year, but quietly when you look at what

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Speaker 5: the Liberty have been able to do right, like Granda

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Speaker 5: Stewards ring and that's been taking the next step, John

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Speaker 5: Paul Jones getting healthy, even though Seattle is sort of

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Speaker 5: fighting for that fourth and fifth place, like Nako Gumuke

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Speaker 5: is a ten plus year performer in this league, as

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Speaker 5: is Skyler, Digg and Smith. Right Like, the Olympic break

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Speaker 5: to me was huge because I think a lot of

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Speaker 5: teams got healthy and found their second win and really

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Speaker 5: got to it post Olympic break.

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Speaker 3: But overall, I think across sports, across.

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Speaker 5: Men and women, the intentionality and care, the developments and

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Speaker 5: technology and the investments and putting the right team around

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Speaker 5: you have just allowed these players to continue to take

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Speaker 5: the next step in terms of their productivity.

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Speaker 2: Physics, that's a great point.

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Speaker 5: Shout out to mental health too, though I think that's

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Speaker 5: a conversation that we're having about being able to combine

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Speaker 5: both the body and the mind.

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Speaker 2: That's a great point too.

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Speaker 1: The idea of even having things like advanced statistics that

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Speaker 1: allow players to understand where they're most effective on the

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Speaker 1: court and where they play best off of you know,

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Speaker 1: a dribble off of pick and roll off of pass whatever,

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Speaker 1: like all of that that wasn't there even just a

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Speaker 1: couple of years ago.

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Speaker 2: If they really get into that side of the game,

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Speaker 2: it can really improve them.

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Speaker 1: Ell If tonight is indeed the final regular season game

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Speaker 1: for Diana Tarassi, if she's done after the playoffs this year,

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Speaker 1: what will her legacy be?

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Speaker 2: Oh, ma'am.

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Speaker 4: I mean, I think on the court, it's clear, you know,

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Speaker 4: a champion at every level. It's interesting because, like I

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Speaker 4: keep going back to this whenever someone asks me, you

427
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Speaker 4: know why now, Like why is the moment? What is

428
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Speaker 4: the moment? And what's behind the moment? There's a bevy

429
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Speaker 4: of things right like this is one of those twenty

430
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Speaker 4: year lightning in a bottle moments. I keep going back

431
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Speaker 4: to Gino Arima, though, who at the at the Final four,

432
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Speaker 4: brought up why he thinks the moment is and he

433
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Speaker 4: brought up Diana Tarassi is like that first person that

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Speaker 4: he had ever coached that people validated women's basketball because

435
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Speaker 4: of the way that she played, because they they didn't

436
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Speaker 4: see a woman when they watched her play, Like they

437
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Speaker 4: just saw a competitor, you know, they saw a champion,

438
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Speaker 4: they saw someone that had that sort of mama mentality

439
00:19:49,240 --> 00:19:52,080
Speaker 4: hints the nickname. And I think that off the court,

440
00:19:52,359 --> 00:19:56,080
Speaker 4: she'll just go down as a no nonsense, say it

441
00:19:56,200 --> 00:20:01,080
Speaker 4: all like the thing that we love and media, the

442
00:20:01,160 --> 00:20:03,760
Speaker 4: person that will give you an honest answer that's not

443
00:20:03,920 --> 00:20:07,960
Speaker 4: worried about media coaching or training, that's authentic, that's real,

444
00:20:08,040 --> 00:20:11,560
Speaker 4: and who has never changed. She has never changed, not

445
00:20:11,600 --> 00:20:15,440
Speaker 4: even her hairstyle in twenty five years. And I just

446
00:20:15,560 --> 00:20:19,360
Speaker 4: think that she is quintessential when you think about sort

447
00:20:19,359 --> 00:20:21,320
Speaker 4: of these women and what they went through and what

448
00:20:21,359 --> 00:20:24,320
Speaker 4: they had to experience so that the women now would

449
00:20:24,359 --> 00:20:26,399
Speaker 4: have it better, Like she is the person that had

450
00:20:26,440 --> 00:20:30,040
Speaker 4: to almost validate an entire sport with her play so

451
00:20:30,160 --> 00:20:33,800
Speaker 4: that people would draw enough interest to eventually appreciate women

452
00:20:33,840 --> 00:20:35,879
Speaker 4: for where they're at. And I just think that she

453
00:20:36,000 --> 00:20:39,440
Speaker 4: will go down as one of the you know, greatest competitors,

454
00:20:39,520 --> 00:20:42,320
Speaker 4: but also just one of the most fun personally as

455
00:20:42,359 --> 00:20:44,520
Speaker 4: a media person, one of the most fun people to

456
00:20:44,640 --> 00:20:46,640
Speaker 4: listen to, to talk to. Have had a chance over

457
00:20:46,680 --> 00:20:49,320
Speaker 4: the last couple of years as she does these you know,

458
00:20:49,680 --> 00:20:52,560
Speaker 4: stunt castings with Sue berdas they do their alternate views,

459
00:20:53,160 --> 00:20:54,520
Speaker 4: and I've had a chance to just spend a little

460
00:20:54,520 --> 00:20:57,119
Speaker 4: more time with DT, and like, she's just you know,

461
00:20:57,359 --> 00:21:00,159
Speaker 4: you know her, like she's she's d like she is.

462
00:21:00,960 --> 00:21:02,840
Speaker 4: She's a great person who you're always going to get

463
00:21:02,840 --> 00:21:04,640
Speaker 4: the most authentic version of herself.

464
00:21:04,760 --> 00:21:06,479
Speaker 2: So I hope it's not over for her.

465
00:21:06,600 --> 00:21:09,200
Speaker 4: But oh my god, when we talk about people like

466
00:21:09,320 --> 00:21:14,200
Speaker 4: Lebron or Tom Brady and their longevity and their leadership,

467
00:21:14,359 --> 00:21:17,880
Speaker 4: how she doesn't belong on that Mount Rushmore of consistent winners,

468
00:21:17,920 --> 00:21:19,920
Speaker 4: of consistent champions and of great teammates.

469
00:21:20,200 --> 00:21:20,879
Speaker 2: She's up there too.

470
00:21:21,200 --> 00:21:22,800
Speaker 5: Well, hold on, let me ask you all this because

471
00:21:22,800 --> 00:21:24,280
Speaker 5: shut out to the group chat nature. But am I

472
00:21:24,400 --> 00:21:27,600
Speaker 5: the only person that truly, genuinely, from the bottom of

473
00:21:27,680 --> 00:21:29,480
Speaker 5: my heart is ready for her to wrap it up? Though,

474
00:21:30,080 --> 00:21:35,240
Speaker 5: oh shit, you are, Like I listen, I love DT

475
00:21:35,800 --> 00:21:38,120
Speaker 5: and I agree with everything else said. But I think

476
00:21:38,200 --> 00:21:40,760
Speaker 5: as we've ushered in this new wave of fans like

477
00:21:40,960 --> 00:21:44,080
Speaker 5: this version of her, they don't even know, bro, Yeah,

478
00:21:44,080 --> 00:21:44,960
Speaker 5: they don't even know.

479
00:21:45,320 --> 00:21:46,080
Speaker 2: Yeah, But that's so.

480
00:21:46,320 --> 00:21:48,720
Speaker 1: This is like the conversation around Michael when people were like,

481
00:21:48,800 --> 00:21:50,560
Speaker 1: he's not the Michael Jordan anymore.

482
00:21:50,560 --> 00:21:52,640
Speaker 2: He should go, and I'm like, he doesn't owe you shit.

483
00:21:53,080 --> 00:21:54,560
Speaker 2: He gets to go and he wants you.

484
00:21:54,680 --> 00:21:57,200
Speaker 1: So Diana doesn't owe those dumb shit fans who don't

485
00:21:57,240 --> 00:21:58,400
Speaker 1: know who she is anything.

486
00:21:58,560 --> 00:22:00,320
Speaker 2: She gets to plan, so she wants to be done

487
00:22:00,480 --> 00:22:01,800
Speaker 2: and they need to go watch some tape.

488
00:22:02,359 --> 00:22:04,480
Speaker 5: Okay, I agree with you on that, And so I

489
00:22:04,560 --> 00:22:08,000
Speaker 5: guess for me, as I've watched her navigate injuries, as

490
00:22:08,040 --> 00:22:11,560
Speaker 5: I've watched her kind of be hampered, right, that is

491
00:22:11,680 --> 00:22:14,760
Speaker 5: probably like, ah, like she I think she's dynamic. Whatever

492
00:22:14,800 --> 00:22:16,600
Speaker 5: she decides to do next, she's gonna blow it up

493
00:22:16,720 --> 00:22:19,280
Speaker 5: like she's she is a goat of our game and

494
00:22:19,359 --> 00:22:20,000
Speaker 5: a pioneer.

495
00:22:20,640 --> 00:22:22,159
Speaker 3: And if she told me she was coming back to

496
00:22:22,160 --> 00:22:23,800
Speaker 3: the next three season's cool. We gonna sign up and

497
00:22:23,800 --> 00:22:24,440
Speaker 3: still talking about it.

498
00:22:24,680 --> 00:22:27,439
Speaker 5: But I also think, like it's been such an incredible arc,

499
00:22:27,520 --> 00:22:30,560
Speaker 5: and I personally, maybe you like watching your stars kind

500
00:22:30,560 --> 00:22:32,000
Speaker 5: of walk away on their own terms.

501
00:22:32,200 --> 00:22:32,760
Speaker 2: That's it for me.

502
00:22:33,119 --> 00:22:35,160
Speaker 1: I get what you're saying though, And actually, Sue Bird

503
00:22:35,200 --> 00:22:37,160
Speaker 1: and Meghan Rapoena we're talking about this on their show

504
00:22:37,200 --> 00:22:40,600
Speaker 1: a touch more. They both said that when they realized,

505
00:22:40,720 --> 00:22:42,560
Speaker 1: and I think there was someone else they were talking

506
00:22:42,600 --> 00:22:45,240
Speaker 1: to about this, but the person said when they realized

507
00:22:45,280 --> 00:22:47,800
Speaker 1: that their teammates or people in the league did not

508
00:22:49,000 --> 00:22:51,320
Speaker 1: know what they used to be, they didn't want to

509
00:22:51,359 --> 00:22:54,200
Speaker 1: be out there anymore when people thought that they were

510
00:22:54,400 --> 00:22:55,080
Speaker 1: this version.

511
00:22:55,359 --> 00:22:57,520
Speaker 2: And they're like, that's all, that's that's what they were

512
00:22:57,560 --> 00:23:00,720
Speaker 2: all like excited about that thought that was the great whatever,

513
00:23:00,920 --> 00:23:03,040
Speaker 2: and they're like, bitch, you should have seen me when

514
00:23:03,119 --> 00:23:05,560
Speaker 2: I was, you know. And so I get that. I

515
00:23:05,680 --> 00:23:05,960
Speaker 2: get that.

516
00:23:06,160 --> 00:23:08,199
Speaker 1: I do think it's like, first of all, there's been

517
00:23:08,200 --> 00:23:09,920
Speaker 1: too many people that we love retiring lately.

518
00:23:10,040 --> 00:23:11,479
Speaker 2: I just don't need another right now.

519
00:23:11,840 --> 00:23:13,760
Speaker 1: But also I just I do think it's on it's

520
00:23:13,800 --> 00:23:15,760
Speaker 1: on your own terms, and maybe this is the time

521
00:23:15,840 --> 00:23:20,879
Speaker 1: after that final Olympics. Speaking of peaking, though, Elle, can

522
00:23:20,960 --> 00:23:23,359
Speaker 1: you even put into context what we're seeing from Asia Wilson?

523
00:23:23,840 --> 00:23:26,960
Speaker 4: No, you know the thing that the thing that drives

524
00:23:27,000 --> 00:23:29,680
Speaker 4: me crazy in sports. You guys are in sports, and

525
00:23:30,200 --> 00:23:33,760
Speaker 4: I fall victim to it too. But this like apathy

526
00:23:33,840 --> 00:23:38,520
Speaker 4: to greatness, we just sort of it's like, Okay, there's

527
00:23:38,560 --> 00:23:39,240
Speaker 4: no take to have.

528
00:23:39,840 --> 00:23:40,639
Speaker 2: That's their album.

529
00:23:40,680 --> 00:23:43,320
Speaker 1: It's so stupid, but there's no take other than correct, Well,

530
00:23:43,359 --> 00:23:44,400
Speaker 1: she continues to be great.

531
00:23:44,440 --> 00:23:46,280
Speaker 2: Okay, move on, let's fight about something stupid.

532
00:23:47,640 --> 00:23:50,919
Speaker 4: Correct, And it's like she's she's in that unique position

533
00:23:51,040 --> 00:23:53,440
Speaker 4: too that it's like when she's dominating, you know, she's

534
00:23:53,720 --> 00:23:56,360
Speaker 4: she's already a two time MVP. So when she's dominating

535
00:23:56,440 --> 00:23:59,840
Speaker 4: like she is this year, it's a okay, well she's

536
00:23:59,840 --> 00:24:01,399
Speaker 4: our already been MVP. It's it's a little bit of

537
00:24:01,440 --> 00:24:04,040
Speaker 4: like a Yokic situation when he probably should have got

538
00:24:04,119 --> 00:24:06,560
Speaker 4: that third straight MVP, but everyone was like, okay, but

539
00:24:06,680 --> 00:24:07,480
Speaker 4: is there anyone else?

540
00:24:07,520 --> 00:24:08,000
Speaker 2: Because this is.

541
00:24:08,040 --> 00:24:11,920
Speaker 4: Boring to see what she's doing having the year that

542
00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:14,240
Speaker 4: she's having. I've heard a few people try to dismiss

543
00:24:14,359 --> 00:24:18,240
Speaker 4: it as like okay, but like she plays with like

544
00:24:18,400 --> 00:24:21,360
Speaker 4: four other Olympians, I'm like and alas, they are all

545
00:24:21,440 --> 00:24:24,040
Speaker 4: having down years and the only reason they have the

546
00:24:24,080 --> 00:24:26,080
Speaker 4: playoff seating that they have in positioning that they have

547
00:24:26,200 --> 00:24:28,879
Speaker 4: is because Asia Wilson has quite literally strapped them on

548
00:24:28,880 --> 00:24:31,359
Speaker 4: their back and put all the stats aside. She is

549
00:24:31,440 --> 00:24:34,080
Speaker 4: a leader of women like she is a leader of people.

550
00:24:34,359 --> 00:24:36,000
Speaker 4: She is one of those people that says the buck

551
00:24:36,080 --> 00:24:40,200
Speaker 4: starts here. I'm going to hold myself to a standard,

552
00:24:40,240 --> 00:24:41,840
Speaker 4: and I'm going to hold everyone around me to that

553
00:24:41,880 --> 00:24:43,760
Speaker 4: same standard. I'm gonna show up every single day and

554
00:24:43,800 --> 00:24:46,359
Speaker 4: I'm going to quite literally kill myself to hit it.

555
00:24:46,640 --> 00:24:48,720
Speaker 4: And we just don't like those stories, which is why

556
00:24:49,200 --> 00:24:51,920
Speaker 4: once Caitlin after the Olympic break, started having, you know,

557
00:24:52,040 --> 00:24:54,080
Speaker 4: a nice little run and like that, when the history

558
00:24:54,160 --> 00:24:56,560
Speaker 4: just started falling seemingly every time she stepped under court,

559
00:24:56,800 --> 00:24:59,480
Speaker 4: it became could Kate? That was the number one question

560
00:24:59,480 --> 00:25:01,440
Speaker 4: I started get asked, could Kaitlin Clark?

561
00:25:02,880 --> 00:25:03,679
Speaker 2: And I'm like, what are we doing?

562
00:25:03,720 --> 00:25:06,159
Speaker 4: S sure well for people like us, because we're just

563
00:25:06,280 --> 00:25:10,080
Speaker 4: bored by going it's a runaway victory, it's an undefeated victory.

564
00:25:10,160 --> 00:25:12,320
Speaker 4: It's a shack a lla what two thousand and three

565
00:25:12,400 --> 00:25:15,040
Speaker 4: with the Lakers type of MVP performance.

566
00:25:15,280 --> 00:25:18,200
Speaker 3: But no, like, no, it is wild.

567
00:25:18,280 --> 00:25:20,520
Speaker 1: How if you haven't been in the media industry, it

568
00:25:20,680 --> 00:25:22,800
Speaker 1: is so frustrating to watch and be like, we're doing

569
00:25:23,359 --> 00:25:25,640
Speaker 1: this again about someone great? Why do they only talk

570
00:25:25,680 --> 00:25:28,119
Speaker 1: about them without recognizing that the numbers behind the scenes

571
00:25:28,280 --> 00:25:30,520
Speaker 1: tell the people on TV to keep talking about that

572
00:25:30,640 --> 00:25:33,840
Speaker 1: same thing. The people hate watch it. They watch this Cowboys,

573
00:25:33,960 --> 00:25:37,119
Speaker 1: Lebron Caitlin Clark, whatever it is. But also that like,

574
00:25:37,200 --> 00:25:40,000
Speaker 1: we don't decide to just tell different interesting stories when

575
00:25:40,040 --> 00:25:42,119
Speaker 1: we lose interest in the one that doesn't have a

576
00:25:42,200 --> 00:25:43,919
Speaker 1: new take on it, like we don't do that. Instead

577
00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:46,960
Speaker 1: we just find you know, it's it's frustrating to watch,

578
00:25:47,119 --> 00:25:49,520
Speaker 1: but if you're on the inside of it, you're like, yeah,

579
00:25:49,560 --> 00:25:51,320
Speaker 1: that's what they keep telling us to talk about, which

580
00:25:51,359 --> 00:25:53,560
Speaker 1: is frustrating. Monica, Like, I want to hear about your

581
00:25:53,640 --> 00:25:57,920
Speaker 1: take on both Asia, but also like what you thought

582
00:25:57,960 --> 00:26:00,159
Speaker 1: about what she said after the one thousand.

583
00:26:00,040 --> 00:26:03,080
Speaker 2: Point game to her teammates and what that meant how

584
00:26:03,760 --> 00:26:04,520
Speaker 2: she was yeah them.

585
00:26:05,119 --> 00:26:07,880
Speaker 5: So first, okay, two things, real quick back to tie

586
00:26:07,920 --> 00:26:09,440
Speaker 5: all of the things we kind of just said together.

587
00:26:09,920 --> 00:26:12,479
Speaker 5: Even though this year has been bombasting for the w stats,

588
00:26:12,520 --> 00:26:15,960
Speaker 5: the Lord, it's still to me there's this part of like, well,

589
00:26:16,000 --> 00:26:21,320
Speaker 5: women have to be shiny and successful to be discussed,

590
00:26:21,680 --> 00:26:23,560
Speaker 5: not negating any of the stats that Kaylin Clark is

591
00:26:23,600 --> 00:26:26,600
Speaker 5: putting up, but I think it has stopped there because

592
00:26:26,920 --> 00:26:29,000
Speaker 5: we're still dealing with women playing sports at a high

593
00:26:29,080 --> 00:26:31,400
Speaker 5: level right in terms of adding depth to that conversation.

594
00:26:31,520 --> 00:26:32,880
Speaker 3: So that's one thought. Two.

595
00:26:33,920 --> 00:26:36,720
Speaker 5: I read ages book Dear Black Girl this summer. It

596
00:26:36,800 --> 00:26:39,879
Speaker 5: was quickly easy, fantastic. Everything she said to her teammate

597
00:26:39,920 --> 00:26:42,200
Speaker 5: after a thousand points. Even along the way, this season

598
00:26:42,720 --> 00:26:45,119
Speaker 5: could be the next chapters of those books. She has

599
00:26:45,200 --> 00:26:50,480
Speaker 5: been so true to who she is and authentically herself

600
00:26:50,920 --> 00:26:54,560
Speaker 5: a heart that cares of soul and a competitive spirit

601
00:26:54,640 --> 00:26:57,520
Speaker 5: that is on fire and dedicated to lead by example,

602
00:26:57,640 --> 00:27:00,720
Speaker 5: to seek out her teammates. We mentioned earlier some of

603
00:27:00,720 --> 00:27:03,640
Speaker 5: the gaudy stats and the investment that players are making

604
00:27:03,680 --> 00:27:05,840
Speaker 5: into their bodies, but she talks in her book about

605
00:27:05,880 --> 00:27:08,840
Speaker 5: her mental breakdown posts the bubble experience when they came

606
00:27:08,920 --> 00:27:11,600
Speaker 5: up short as the runner ups, like it's just so

607
00:27:11,960 --> 00:27:14,679
Speaker 5: raw that I do think to be in a space

608
00:27:14,720 --> 00:27:18,720
Speaker 5: and an error where the star, the multi time MVP

609
00:27:19,200 --> 00:27:23,159
Speaker 5: is also just a fire human like it should be

610
00:27:23,359 --> 00:27:25,680
Speaker 5: celebrated and enjoy it. And I'm not saying that you

611
00:27:25,760 --> 00:27:27,119
Speaker 5: got to be a great human to be great at

612
00:27:27,160 --> 00:27:29,600
Speaker 5: your sport, but when you do have those stars colliding

613
00:27:29,920 --> 00:27:33,520
Speaker 5: and creating a supernova like it is, I hope that

614
00:27:34,080 --> 00:27:37,280
Speaker 5: young people, especially young women playing a game and watching

615
00:27:37,320 --> 00:27:41,000
Speaker 5: the WNBA and falling for the game, understand that as

616
00:27:41,080 --> 00:27:43,040
Speaker 5: much as it is about what you can do when

617
00:27:43,080 --> 00:27:45,680
Speaker 5: your basketball tool kit on a court, it is a

618
00:27:45,800 --> 00:27:49,560
Speaker 5: team sport and building those relationships for real matters, and

619
00:27:49,760 --> 00:27:52,040
Speaker 5: that is the life skill that translates from the boss

620
00:27:52,040 --> 00:27:52,639
Speaker 5: stops fountain.

621
00:27:52,800 --> 00:27:54,320
Speaker 4: Can I add one thing to what many just said

622
00:27:54,359 --> 00:27:56,000
Speaker 4: to you, because I don't want to give too much away,

623
00:27:56,800 --> 00:27:58,800
Speaker 4: But I do have a book coming out out called

624
00:27:58,840 --> 00:28:04,000
Speaker 4: The Watters to Black Women, and Asia, yes, and Asia participated,

625
00:28:04,520 --> 00:28:07,600
Speaker 4: and essentially this whole book is notable people. And I

626
00:28:07,680 --> 00:28:09,960
Speaker 4: sat with them and then we worked on a letter together,

627
00:28:10,640 --> 00:28:14,080
Speaker 4: and she wrote to herself and I read the book

628
00:28:14,080 --> 00:28:17,159
Speaker 4: as well, her book as well. And there is the

629
00:28:17,280 --> 00:28:19,640
Speaker 4: thing that I know after having talked with Asia, who

630
00:28:19,680 --> 00:28:22,159
Speaker 4: by the way, wrote her letter to herself, is that

631
00:28:22,280 --> 00:28:25,480
Speaker 4: she talked about with me those two transformational periods in

632
00:28:25,520 --> 00:28:27,400
Speaker 4: her life that she had. She's only twenty eight years

633
00:28:27,440 --> 00:28:30,080
Speaker 4: old and she had to reinvent herself twice already, and

634
00:28:30,160 --> 00:28:31,680
Speaker 4: one of them was post the bubble, what she talked

635
00:28:31,680 --> 00:28:33,560
Speaker 4: about in the book, and also when she was at

636
00:28:33,600 --> 00:28:37,720
Speaker 4: South Carolina and she talked to me about how insecure

637
00:28:37,800 --> 00:28:39,680
Speaker 4: she was in many ways, how she wanted to do

638
00:28:39,800 --> 00:28:41,840
Speaker 4: the right thing, she never wanted to say the wrong thing.

639
00:28:42,000 --> 00:28:45,000
Speaker 4: She felt like she belonged to everyone else, She felt

640
00:28:45,040 --> 00:28:47,160
Speaker 4: like she had been given this god given talent that

641
00:28:47,240 --> 00:28:49,600
Speaker 4: she had worked very hard for, but that she only

642
00:28:49,680 --> 00:28:52,560
Speaker 4: wanted to do right by other people, And it really

643
00:28:52,680 --> 00:28:56,760
Speaker 4: required her having a conversation with herself about what she wanted,

644
00:28:56,880 --> 00:29:00,360
Speaker 4: what would make her happy about being unapologetically or and

645
00:29:00,440 --> 00:29:04,360
Speaker 4: how she found that voice within herself and then how

646
00:29:04,440 --> 00:29:06,320
Speaker 4: after they won, she had to find it again.

647
00:29:06,480 --> 00:29:08,040
Speaker 2: And I just think as a.

648
00:29:08,120 --> 00:29:15,200
Speaker 4: Person, her personal journey to becoming this seemingly on paper confident, incredible,

649
00:29:15,640 --> 00:29:18,320
Speaker 4: you know face of the WNBA, And I don't think

650
00:29:18,360 --> 00:29:20,400
Speaker 4: that we give enough credit for the journey and how

651
00:29:20,480 --> 00:29:23,040
Speaker 4: insecure she was, and how sad she was at times,

652
00:29:23,240 --> 00:29:25,240
Speaker 4: and how she had to seek solace in Dawn and

653
00:29:25,400 --> 00:29:28,080
Speaker 4: her grandmother, and how there was many times where she

654
00:29:28,200 --> 00:29:31,560
Speaker 4: did not feel worthy or capable. And so when I

655
00:29:31,600 --> 00:29:34,640
Speaker 4: get to see her, you know, standing in all of

656
00:29:34,720 --> 00:29:37,840
Speaker 4: her of her glory and getting all of her accolades,

657
00:29:37,920 --> 00:29:40,080
Speaker 4: which are all well earned, it just it hits a

658
00:29:40,080 --> 00:29:43,160
Speaker 4: little different knowing, like, after having talked to her, how

659
00:29:43,200 --> 00:29:45,280
Speaker 4: hard it was for her to get to be this person.

660
00:29:45,440 --> 00:29:47,760
Speaker 4: So when I when I watch her put that team

661
00:29:47,840 --> 00:29:51,120
Speaker 4: on her back and demand excellence because that's what she

662
00:29:51,240 --> 00:29:52,920
Speaker 4: demands of herself, it's just really special.

663
00:29:53,280 --> 00:29:55,080
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think those are the kind of stories that

664
00:29:55,200 --> 00:29:57,760
Speaker 1: don't get out enough around women's sports, and so it

665
00:29:57,880 --> 00:30:00,680
Speaker 1: does make people feel one dimension, and so we say,

666
00:30:00,760 --> 00:30:02,880
Speaker 1: what is there to say other than she's going to

667
00:30:02,920 --> 00:30:04,840
Speaker 1: win again and she's great, And instead it's like there's

668
00:30:04,880 --> 00:30:07,200
Speaker 1: a ton to say. We just have to get more

669
00:30:07,280 --> 00:30:11,680
Speaker 1: people knowledgeable enough that those conversations can be had and

670
00:30:12,040 --> 00:30:14,320
Speaker 1: get the fans on board understanding the backstories of so

671
00:30:14,360 --> 00:30:16,720
Speaker 1: many of these athletes. You know, Mon, you said something

672
00:30:17,160 --> 00:30:19,840
Speaker 1: interesting about Kaitlyn Clark and how we sometimes don't have

673
00:30:20,160 --> 00:30:22,440
Speaker 1: in depth conversations because we just have this sort of

674
00:30:22,520 --> 00:30:24,640
Speaker 1: like shiny, here's your stats and you're doing well. Do

675
00:30:24,720 --> 00:30:27,720
Speaker 1: you feel like folks have avoided asking Caitlin Clark tough

676
00:30:27,840 --> 00:30:29,720
Speaker 1: questions this year, you.

677
00:30:29,800 --> 00:30:31,960
Speaker 3: Know, sayin that's a great question.

678
00:30:33,280 --> 00:30:38,720
Speaker 5: I I don't in the context of our WNBA experience,

679
00:30:39,240 --> 00:30:42,120
Speaker 5: I don't think that people have like, oh, pin down

680
00:30:42,160 --> 00:30:45,160
Speaker 5: the WNBA on this tough topic. I think the WNBA

681
00:30:45,280 --> 00:30:49,080
Speaker 5: has stepped to the mic when things have happened, right,

682
00:30:49,320 --> 00:30:51,920
Speaker 5: Like I think about Minnesota and Filando Castile and the

683
00:30:51,920 --> 00:30:54,120
Speaker 5: way those links that links team responded. Obviously, we think

684
00:30:54,120 --> 00:30:58,040
Speaker 5: about the bubble experience and like these women respond, they

685
00:30:58,120 --> 00:30:58,800
Speaker 5: meet the moment.

686
00:31:00,120 --> 00:31:02,320
Speaker 3: The biggest moment for Kaitlyn this year was obviously when

687
00:31:02,600 --> 00:31:04,760
Speaker 3: Djna was like, come on dog like via Twitter or

688
00:31:04,840 --> 00:31:07,920
Speaker 3: via s I don't know. I don't know.

689
00:31:08,000 --> 00:31:10,000
Speaker 5: I've got some folks in the league that are like, yeah,

690
00:31:10,040 --> 00:31:12,400
Speaker 5: that's an organization leadership in Indiana. They don't really want

691
00:31:12,440 --> 00:31:15,400
Speaker 5: to do deep stuff, right, And I hold space where

692
00:31:15,400 --> 00:31:17,480
Speaker 5: everybody maybe doesn't want to do deep stuff. I have

693
00:31:17,640 --> 00:31:22,040
Speaker 5: not heard her duck any questions, but is a postgame

694
00:31:22,080 --> 00:31:24,440
Speaker 5: press conference the place where you go in on something

695
00:31:24,520 --> 00:31:27,240
Speaker 5: that is not timely? Like I do as I look

696
00:31:27,240 --> 00:31:29,320
Speaker 5: at the RGW, things have happened, and these women have

697
00:31:29,360 --> 00:31:30,280
Speaker 5: stepped to the moment.

698
00:31:30,280 --> 00:31:32,480
Speaker 1: Right, And I wonder if we're expecting her to answer

699
00:31:32,600 --> 00:31:35,760
Speaker 1: to things that other rookies or players are not being

700
00:31:35,880 --> 00:31:36,840
Speaker 1: asked right.

701
00:31:37,080 --> 00:31:39,800
Speaker 2: I just talked to Carrie Champion about this.

702
00:31:39,920 --> 00:31:42,000
Speaker 1: It's a little bit about giving grace for a young

703
00:31:42,080 --> 00:31:44,960
Speaker 1: woman who's focused on basketball and just dealing with the

704
00:31:45,000 --> 00:31:46,960
Speaker 1: first season of this and it's a little bit about

705
00:31:47,360 --> 00:31:50,400
Speaker 1: all right, well, timer has started. You only have so

706
00:31:50,560 --> 00:31:53,600
Speaker 1: much time to say. I'm not paying attention to that.

707
00:31:53,960 --> 00:31:56,440
Speaker 1: I don't think about that. I'm just about basketball. If

708
00:31:56,480 --> 00:31:59,920
Speaker 1: you're in a predominantly black league led by a bunch

709
00:31:59,960 --> 00:32:01,920
Speaker 1: of women of color that have paved the way for you,

710
00:32:02,280 --> 00:32:05,080
Speaker 1: and your fan base is engaging in things that you

711
00:32:05,240 --> 00:32:07,400
Speaker 1: do not agree with. At some point you got to

712
00:32:07,480 --> 00:32:10,320
Speaker 1: say I don't agree with it. If you don't, otherwise

713
00:32:10,720 --> 00:32:12,680
Speaker 1: it will be a lot harder for people to defend

714
00:32:12,720 --> 00:32:14,440
Speaker 1: that you are not complicit in those things.

715
00:32:15,800 --> 00:32:19,640
Speaker 4: Can offer this because I was very much I have

716
00:32:19,760 --> 00:32:23,480
Speaker 4: been attacked by a faction. I don't like to say

717
00:32:23,600 --> 00:32:26,760
Speaker 4: Caitlin Clark fans a faction, because I'm a Caitlin Clark fan.

718
00:32:27,240 --> 00:32:29,360
Speaker 2: I have been for years. You are, you are?

719
00:32:29,640 --> 00:32:32,360
Speaker 4: We just like great basketball and she is a great

720
00:32:32,400 --> 00:32:34,680
Speaker 4: basketball player, she is cinema and all of those things

721
00:32:35,000 --> 00:32:37,880
Speaker 4: a faction of them. And months ago when this was

722
00:32:37,960 --> 00:32:40,520
Speaker 4: at its fever pitch when we were watching you know,

723
00:32:41,680 --> 00:32:45,400
Speaker 4: black men cape for her, and I was very critical

724
00:32:45,560 --> 00:32:48,320
Speaker 4: about sort of this white savior complex and how it's

725
00:32:48,440 --> 00:32:51,360
Speaker 4: very unfair to have these women in this league, Like

726
00:32:51,440 --> 00:32:52,440
Speaker 4: what do you want fealty?

727
00:32:52,560 --> 00:32:53,400
Speaker 2: Like you want them to ben to.

728
00:32:53,400 --> 00:32:56,480
Speaker 4: Knee and exchange friendship bracelets. This is not a Taylor

729
00:32:56,480 --> 00:32:59,240
Speaker 4: Swift concert like her editors. I don't you know what

730
00:32:59,280 --> 00:33:01,720
Speaker 4: I mean, and I was critical because I was like, man,

731
00:33:02,040 --> 00:33:06,240
Speaker 4: she has got to see that these people are using

732
00:33:06,440 --> 00:33:08,719
Speaker 4: her like they are not fans of hers, they are

733
00:33:08,960 --> 00:33:12,120
Speaker 4: using her and they are using her name, her hard work,

734
00:33:12,160 --> 00:33:15,040
Speaker 4: and her talent to attack people. And she's got to

735
00:33:15,080 --> 00:33:16,920
Speaker 4: do better. And I'm going to leave this person's name

736
00:33:16,920 --> 00:33:19,560
Speaker 4: out because I'm not sure if they want me to

737
00:33:19,640 --> 00:33:20,640
Speaker 4: share what they shared.

738
00:33:20,440 --> 00:33:22,360
Speaker 2: With me, but it did offer me a different perspective.

739
00:33:23,040 --> 00:33:25,520
Speaker 4: It's a coworker of ours. And this person said, let

740
00:33:25,560 --> 00:33:27,600
Speaker 4: me ask you this though, because at the time she

741
00:33:27,680 --> 00:33:29,720
Speaker 4: had been in the league for like six weeks, and

742
00:33:29,840 --> 00:33:33,320
Speaker 4: she was like, she is from Iowa. She played on

743
00:33:33,480 --> 00:33:37,840
Speaker 4: teams that were predominantly white. She has not been in

744
00:33:38,000 --> 00:33:42,200
Speaker 4: a locker room with people of diverse backgrounds. She hasn't

745
00:33:42,280 --> 00:33:45,720
Speaker 4: been in a locker room that represents the WNBA to

746
00:33:45,880 --> 00:33:49,960
Speaker 4: this point, she will get better. But would you want

747
00:33:50,120 --> 00:33:53,640
Speaker 4: a disingenuous answer from someone who does not have that

748
00:33:53,760 --> 00:33:57,280
Speaker 4: lived experience right now or would you rather her have

749
00:33:57,440 --> 00:34:01,240
Speaker 4: a more informed opinion and when she has had an

750
00:34:01,320 --> 00:34:04,479
Speaker 4: opportunity to build a rapport with her teammates that can

751
00:34:04,520 --> 00:34:06,400
Speaker 4: look at her and say we know that this is

752
00:34:06,480 --> 00:34:08,719
Speaker 4: not you. But people are using your name in this way,

753
00:34:09,120 --> 00:34:11,719
Speaker 4: like which one would you prefer? Would you prefer the

754
00:34:11,880 --> 00:34:16,600
Speaker 4: platitude and the performative nature of I stand against all races.

755
00:34:16,640 --> 00:34:19,040
Speaker 4: You know, it felt a little bit like she was

756
00:34:19,160 --> 00:34:22,520
Speaker 4: damned if she did and dange she didn't in those situations.

757
00:34:22,719 --> 00:34:23,399
Speaker 2: Is it fair?

758
00:34:23,840 --> 00:34:27,440
Speaker 4: No, But we also understand that Caitlyn Clark is being

759
00:34:27,520 --> 00:34:29,880
Speaker 4: held to a different standard because she is Caitlin Clark.

760
00:34:30,520 --> 00:34:33,320
Speaker 4: The same people that say she's responsible for the explosion

761
00:34:33,360 --> 00:34:35,879
Speaker 4: of the league then want to say things like, well,

762
00:34:36,320 --> 00:34:39,040
Speaker 4: she should be preserved or protected from certain things, right,

763
00:34:39,120 --> 00:34:41,160
Speaker 4: And I think you cannot have both.

764
00:34:41,360 --> 00:34:41,520
Speaker 3: Ell.

765
00:34:41,600 --> 00:34:43,000
Speaker 1: I love that you said that, because that's kind of

766
00:34:43,040 --> 00:34:45,600
Speaker 1: the tact that I've taken, which is like I hope

767
00:34:45,680 --> 00:34:49,120
Speaker 1: and expect better and more, and also I give grace

768
00:34:49,200 --> 00:34:51,880
Speaker 1: right now. And I also think, you know, what's fascinating

769
00:34:52,000 --> 00:34:55,000
Speaker 1: is how much people have placed whatever they believe or

770
00:34:55,080 --> 00:34:57,960
Speaker 1: want to believe about someone onto them without seeing it.

771
00:34:58,040 --> 00:34:59,719
Speaker 1: Because there was a clip there was a clip of

772
00:34:59,760 --> 00:35:02,360
Speaker 1: age being asked about Kamala Harris and what does it

773
00:35:02,440 --> 00:35:04,320
Speaker 1: mean to have the VP running for president? And what

774
00:35:04,400 --> 00:35:06,239
Speaker 1: do you think about, you know, a black woman? And

775
00:35:06,320 --> 00:35:08,560
Speaker 1: she said, I really haven't been paying attention. To be honest,

776
00:35:08,680 --> 00:35:10,080
Speaker 1: I really don't know much about it, but I think

777
00:35:10,120 --> 00:35:13,839
Speaker 1: everyone should vote. It's what Caitlin said kind of. I'm

778
00:35:13,840 --> 00:35:15,560
Speaker 1: not going to speak or endorse or say anything, but

779
00:35:15,600 --> 00:35:18,279
Speaker 1: everyone should vote. But I guarantee if people hadn't seen

780
00:35:18,320 --> 00:35:19,960
Speaker 1: that video of Angel, they would have told you that

781
00:35:20,040 --> 00:35:24,560
Speaker 1: she would have a perfectly said soliloquy talking about that topic,

782
00:35:24,719 --> 00:35:27,719
Speaker 1: and she didn't, which is okay. But what we've done

783
00:35:27,840 --> 00:35:31,279
Speaker 1: is decided in advance what these people stand for, what

784
00:35:31,440 --> 00:35:33,839
Speaker 1: they would say, what they would think, And that's where

785
00:35:33,840 --> 00:35:36,719
Speaker 1: I think it's been unfair to everyone involved. Clearly, the

786
00:35:36,800 --> 00:35:39,480
Speaker 1: black players have gotten it the worst. Clearly the players

787
00:35:39,520 --> 00:35:41,920
Speaker 1: in the league that have battled for this league and

788
00:35:42,000 --> 00:35:44,400
Speaker 1: have been tossed aside in favor of this white savior

789
00:35:44,560 --> 00:35:47,160
Speaker 1: have gotten it the worst. And also I think we're

790
00:35:47,200 --> 00:35:49,480
Speaker 1: all doing a terrible job of just putting our own

791
00:35:49,520 --> 00:35:52,160
Speaker 1: belief systems onto these players as avatars for whatever we

792
00:35:52,200 --> 00:35:53,040
Speaker 1: want them to stand for.

793
00:35:53,640 --> 00:35:55,799
Speaker 2: And when we don't ask the questions, that's sometimes.

794
00:35:55,600 --> 00:35:57,719
Speaker 1: What happens, which is why eventually we will be asking

795
00:35:57,760 --> 00:36:01,640
Speaker 1: those questions and expecting answers, not platitude, but answers from experience.

796
00:36:01,800 --> 00:36:03,719
Speaker 4: But also nuanced questions like.

797
00:36:03,840 --> 00:36:08,880
Speaker 3: Instead of like nuanced, what's that? What is nuanced? Wild?

798
00:36:09,000 --> 00:36:09,120
Speaker 6: Right?

799
00:36:09,440 --> 00:36:12,239
Speaker 4: But like instead of cornering Caitlyn Clark yes at a

800
00:36:12,320 --> 00:36:15,359
Speaker 4: podium and going what do you make of people saying

801
00:36:15,400 --> 00:36:17,080
Speaker 4: that you're being used for racism?

802
00:36:17,480 --> 00:36:17,640
Speaker 3: Right?

803
00:36:18,160 --> 00:36:21,840
Speaker 4: What about a question that says, what have you learned

804
00:36:22,200 --> 00:36:24,719
Speaker 4: about the makeup of this league and the six months

805
00:36:24,760 --> 00:36:27,600
Speaker 4: that you've now been in it? What have you learned about,

806
00:36:28,200 --> 00:36:32,040
Speaker 4: you know, some of the issues surrounding your teammates who

807
00:36:32,080 --> 00:36:34,800
Speaker 4: are from different places, Like there is a way to

808
00:36:34,920 --> 00:36:38,880
Speaker 4: get Caitlin to talk about her experience without cornering her

809
00:36:39,040 --> 00:36:42,040
Speaker 4: and expecting her to be Paige Becker's. And that's the

810
00:36:42,120 --> 00:36:44,840
Speaker 4: other thing that cures me, Like Paige Becker's experience is

811
00:36:44,880 --> 00:36:48,239
Speaker 4: different than Kaitlin Clark's experience. So every time Page, you know, right,

812
00:36:48,360 --> 00:36:50,880
Speaker 4: Like every single time someone's like, well, Caitlyn missed the

813
00:36:50,960 --> 00:36:54,080
Speaker 4: mark and then they show Page's Espies Award. We would

814
00:36:54,160 --> 00:36:58,160
Speaker 4: all love for everyone everywhere to have the understanding that

815
00:36:58,280 --> 00:37:01,480
Speaker 4: Page has and to recognize her privilege, but not everyone's

816
00:37:01,560 --> 00:37:03,200
Speaker 4: like that. And her background is very different.

817
00:37:03,280 --> 00:37:04,120
Speaker 2: She got a black mama.

818
00:37:04,280 --> 00:37:07,759
Speaker 4: We know pages built different, Okay, And so I just think,

819
00:37:07,920 --> 00:37:10,080
Speaker 4: you know again, Cameron Brink did the same thing, and

820
00:37:10,120 --> 00:37:13,120
Speaker 4: I just think we have to stop expecting the same

821
00:37:13,200 --> 00:37:15,719
Speaker 4: thing from everyone and then getting pissed off when they

822
00:37:15,760 --> 00:37:18,560
Speaker 4: don't offer us the platitudes that we swear we don't want.

823
00:37:18,719 --> 00:37:21,440
Speaker 2: I completely agree very well said we're running out of

824
00:37:21,480 --> 00:37:21,839
Speaker 2: time here.

825
00:37:22,000 --> 00:37:24,120
Speaker 1: We're heading into the postseason, so we got to quickly

826
00:37:24,200 --> 00:37:26,920
Speaker 1: get some takes from y'all on that Liberty are the

827
00:37:26,960 --> 00:37:29,600
Speaker 1: top seed, but the Links are peaking at the right time.

828
00:37:29,680 --> 00:37:33,400
Speaker 1: Post Olympic, the Links have been absolutely on fire. Who's

829
00:37:33,480 --> 00:37:34,319
Speaker 1: your favorite right now?

830
00:37:34,400 --> 00:37:35,840
Speaker 2: Both of you? Who you got, Nica?

831
00:37:36,920 --> 00:37:42,319
Speaker 3: Oh god, right now? Oh gosh. So here's my deal.

832
00:37:42,880 --> 00:37:45,640
Speaker 5: I think that it is the Liberty's gear, but I

833
00:37:45,719 --> 00:37:49,799
Speaker 5: think what Minnesota has captured they are an absolute threat

834
00:37:49,880 --> 00:37:51,800
Speaker 5: to everybody and anybody. Besides the fact that they just

835
00:37:51,840 --> 00:37:54,160
Speaker 5: locked up the second seed coming into the closing week, right,

836
00:37:54,600 --> 00:37:58,560
Speaker 5: I just think that there is a bond there. The

837
00:37:58,680 --> 00:38:00,600
Speaker 5: only thing to me that Trump's the chemistry and the

838
00:38:00,640 --> 00:38:03,800
Speaker 5: way Minnesota is playing is if the Liberty have developed

839
00:38:03,880 --> 00:38:05,600
Speaker 5: enough scar chies you from last year's experience, to get

840
00:38:05,640 --> 00:38:07,239
Speaker 5: it done. Because they're on the clock, their team is

841
00:38:07,280 --> 00:38:09,560
Speaker 5: gonna look different because of contracts next year, like they

842
00:38:09,600 --> 00:38:10,560
Speaker 5: are backed against.

843
00:38:10,280 --> 00:38:12,920
Speaker 3: The wall to get it done. Yeah. Well okay, So

844
00:38:13,040 --> 00:38:14,560
Speaker 3: to answer your question, I guess that means I'm going

845
00:38:14,600 --> 00:38:14,920
Speaker 3: to liberty.

846
00:38:14,960 --> 00:38:19,520
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, Oh god. I hate being cornered

847
00:38:19,520 --> 00:38:22,439
Speaker 2: about these things. What Here's here's what I'm gonna say.

848
00:38:22,719 --> 00:38:25,640
Speaker 4: They have, in no way, shape or form, looked like

849
00:38:25,719 --> 00:38:28,120
Speaker 4: the team that won two championships in a row. But

850
00:38:28,200 --> 00:38:30,120
Speaker 4: when you have the best player in the when you

851
00:38:30,200 --> 00:38:32,759
Speaker 4: have the best player in the world, when you have

852
00:38:32,960 --> 00:38:34,759
Speaker 4: the talent and you know that the talent is there

853
00:38:34,840 --> 00:38:36,880
Speaker 4: and it is when they have done it before, when

854
00:38:36,880 --> 00:38:40,759
Speaker 4: you've got championship pedigree and all things are equal, I

855
00:38:40,800 --> 00:38:41,760
Speaker 4: would not sleep.

856
00:38:41,560 --> 00:38:42,160
Speaker 3: On the aces.

857
00:38:42,640 --> 00:38:45,600
Speaker 4: Still, I would still not sleep on the aces. I

858
00:38:45,760 --> 00:38:48,400
Speaker 4: get that, you know, like I just I'm I'm of

859
00:38:48,600 --> 00:38:49,799
Speaker 4: the I know it's not fun.

860
00:38:49,960 --> 00:38:50,320
Speaker 6: I know that.

861
00:38:50,480 --> 00:38:52,480
Speaker 4: Back when the Patriots were running them all off, it

862
00:38:52,560 --> 00:38:54,359
Speaker 4: wasn't fun to pick the Patriots, not fun to pick

863
00:38:54,400 --> 00:38:57,560
Speaker 4: the Chiefs. Now, nobody gives you kudos for your analysis.

864
00:38:57,600 --> 00:39:00,799
Speaker 4: If you say, win again, Potama, until someone proves they

865
00:39:00,800 --> 00:39:04,040
Speaker 4: can stop them in that spot, I'm gonna.

866
00:39:03,800 --> 00:39:07,880
Speaker 1: Go with the dark horse, the two time defending champion

867
00:39:08,080 --> 00:39:11,799
Speaker 1: dark horse, so bold of you a quotes. All right,

868
00:39:11,920 --> 00:39:14,239
Speaker 1: So I need to hear from y'all about a lower

869
00:39:14,280 --> 00:39:17,120
Speaker 1: seed that you think could pull off an upset. Is

870
00:39:17,160 --> 00:39:19,399
Speaker 1: there someone in the bottom four. I know we're still

871
00:39:19,440 --> 00:39:22,279
Speaker 1: getting to that last eight spot, but I.

872
00:39:22,280 --> 00:39:25,640
Speaker 5: Think Indiana, like I really think, I think they've been

873
00:39:25,680 --> 00:39:28,840
Speaker 5: great out of the Olympic break. I think Caitlyn you

874
00:39:28,920 --> 00:39:33,120
Speaker 5: can see the game slowing down for her, She's been fantastic.

875
00:39:33,200 --> 00:39:36,680
Speaker 5: I think Aliyah a year older, year stronger, being really

876
00:39:36,719 --> 00:39:39,600
Speaker 5: effective in that paint. And I remember having an Indiana

877
00:39:39,640 --> 00:39:42,040
Speaker 5: game early in the season and Christy said said Melissa

878
00:39:42,040 --> 00:39:44,080
Speaker 5: Smith was an nex factor. She has looked so much

879
00:39:44,160 --> 00:39:46,400
Speaker 5: more focused down the stretch of the season. Not to

880
00:39:46,480 --> 00:39:48,799
Speaker 5: mention Kelsey Mitchell is just having an incredible year.

881
00:39:48,960 --> 00:39:49,400
Speaker 3: Indiana.

882
00:39:49,480 --> 00:39:51,480
Speaker 5: Of all those teams in that second tier, Indiana looks

883
00:39:51,520 --> 00:39:53,080
Speaker 5: like the group that's having the most fun.

884
00:39:53,200 --> 00:39:56,040
Speaker 1: To me, Yeah, and the Stormer an interesting one in

885
00:39:56,120 --> 00:39:58,640
Speaker 1: terms of talent, but they just haven't ever felt like

886
00:39:59,719 --> 00:40:02,800
Speaker 1: it's yeah yeah.

887
00:40:03,280 --> 00:40:05,279
Speaker 4: It feels like it feels like they run off a

888
00:40:05,360 --> 00:40:08,120
Speaker 4: few and then everyone goes okay, and then they lose

889
00:40:08,160 --> 00:40:08,399
Speaker 4: a few.

890
00:40:08,440 --> 00:40:09,000
Speaker 2: They shouldn't.

891
00:40:09,280 --> 00:40:11,600
Speaker 4: They feel very up and down. I'm with mon in

892
00:40:11,680 --> 00:40:14,120
Speaker 4: that I don't listen. I'm not handicapping the Fever to

893
00:40:14,400 --> 00:40:17,360
Speaker 4: win a championship, but could they win a first round series?

894
00:40:18,160 --> 00:40:19,239
Speaker 2: Absolutely, if they.

895
00:40:19,200 --> 00:40:22,680
Speaker 4: Can cut down on the turnovers and find you know,

896
00:40:22,800 --> 00:40:26,960
Speaker 4: a defense in there like they run their paces. Is

897
00:40:27,040 --> 00:40:30,320
Speaker 4: incredible and for all the reasons that mon laid out like,

898
00:40:30,760 --> 00:40:32,560
Speaker 4: they could definitely and they also are playing with the

899
00:40:32,600 --> 00:40:35,120
Speaker 4: benefit of like despite having Kitlyn Clark and all of that,

900
00:40:35,520 --> 00:40:36,280
Speaker 4: how us money.

901
00:40:36,080 --> 00:40:38,319
Speaker 2: Dude, they weren't supposed to be They weren't supposed.

902
00:40:37,960 --> 00:40:39,520
Speaker 1: To be here. We didn't think they'd be here two

903
00:40:39,600 --> 00:40:43,320
Speaker 1: months ago. Well, God bless the mentions of literally everyone.

904
00:40:43,360 --> 00:40:45,719
Speaker 1: If Kaitlyn Clark leads the Fever to a title win,

905
00:40:47,840 --> 00:40:48,399
Speaker 1: We're done.

906
00:40:48,560 --> 00:40:51,240
Speaker 2: We're done cooked.

907
00:40:53,960 --> 00:40:56,279
Speaker 1: Thanks so much to Alan Monica for taking the time.

908
00:40:56,360 --> 00:40:58,759
Speaker 1: I just love being back chatting with them, so much fun.

909
00:40:59,080 --> 00:41:00,759
Speaker 1: We got to take another break when we come back.

910
00:41:01,120 --> 00:41:03,480
Speaker 1: We asked, and you answered, it's time to give the

911
00:41:03,520 --> 00:41:13,600
Speaker 1: White Mamba her flowers welcome back slices. So tonight could

912
00:41:13,640 --> 00:41:17,160
Speaker 1: be Diana Trossi's final regular season game. And even though

913
00:41:17,200 --> 00:41:21,080
Speaker 1: we're hoping it isn't. Well, even though everybody but Monica

914
00:41:21,239 --> 00:41:23,880
Speaker 1: are hoping it isn't. We don't want to let this

915
00:41:24,000 --> 00:41:26,759
Speaker 1: moment pass without celebrating the legend, so we asked you

916
00:41:26,840 --> 00:41:30,239
Speaker 1: for your favorite DT memories and you delivered. And you know,

917
00:41:30,520 --> 00:41:33,680
Speaker 1: since we're celebrating a notorious shit talker, we gotta say

918
00:41:33,840 --> 00:41:36,359
Speaker 1: not all your memories were warm and fuzzy. Take Willy,

919
00:41:36,440 --> 00:41:39,160
Speaker 1: for instance, a Chicago Sky fan whose favorite DT memory

920
00:41:39,239 --> 00:41:40,280
Speaker 1: was seeing her lose.

921
00:41:40,520 --> 00:41:41,640
Speaker 2: He left us this message.

922
00:41:42,960 --> 00:41:49,239
Speaker 6: My favorite memory was probably when the Sky won the

923
00:41:49,360 --> 00:41:50,600
Speaker 6: championship against.

924
00:41:50,320 --> 00:41:52,600
Speaker 1: Them, and just that whole series.

925
00:41:52,719 --> 00:41:55,920
Speaker 6: She was like really upset, and then of course the

926
00:41:57,120 --> 00:42:02,759
Speaker 6: iconic door issue that came about. But I think my

927
00:42:02,920 --> 00:42:07,279
Speaker 6: favorite memory, of course is just them beating her. She's

928
00:42:07,320 --> 00:42:10,440
Speaker 6: a great I take there, I give that, but it

929
00:42:10,560 --> 00:42:12,399
Speaker 6: was just fun to see this guy do that to them.

930
00:42:13,120 --> 00:42:15,880
Speaker 1: Here's what Lisa, a Minnesota Links fan, told us via email.

931
00:42:16,239 --> 00:42:18,560
Speaker 1: She wrote quote, I haven't always been a big DT fan,

932
00:42:18,880 --> 00:42:20,920
Speaker 1: but over the years I've grown to appreciate her, her

933
00:42:20,960 --> 00:42:24,040
Speaker 1: competitiveness and her antics, and now can't imagine the league

934
00:42:24,080 --> 00:42:26,040
Speaker 1: without her in it. While I laughed at the story

935
00:42:26,040 --> 00:42:27,920
Speaker 1: about her from the Wubble season where she told the

936
00:42:28,000 --> 00:42:30,319
Speaker 1: official she'd see them in the lobby, and I still

937
00:42:30,360 --> 00:42:32,239
Speaker 1: love the why can't Old People Dream Too?

938
00:42:32,360 --> 00:42:32,680
Speaker 2: Quote.

939
00:42:33,000 --> 00:42:35,680
Speaker 1: My favorite DT memory is from the twenty thirteen playoffs

940
00:42:35,719 --> 00:42:38,560
Speaker 1: against Minnesota DT and what I assume was an attempt

941
00:42:38,600 --> 00:42:40,839
Speaker 1: to get into the head of Simone, Augustus bumped into her.

942
00:42:41,080 --> 00:42:43,280
Speaker 1: When Augustus didn't back down, and they kind of bodied

943
00:42:43,280 --> 00:42:46,120
Speaker 1: each other up. DT leaned over and kissed Augustus's cheek

944
00:42:46,160 --> 00:42:48,560
Speaker 1: as the ref walked over to separate them. I believe

945
00:42:48,640 --> 00:42:50,719
Speaker 1: she was assessed a technical foul in the play and

946
00:42:50,840 --> 00:42:53,000
Speaker 1: later said quote, we were just trying to make sweet

947
00:42:53,080 --> 00:42:56,120
Speaker 1: love when she was asked about the interaction, I'll be

948
00:42:56,200 --> 00:42:58,320
Speaker 1: curious to see if the Phoenix crowd pulls out a

949
00:42:58,360 --> 00:43:00,640
Speaker 1: one more year chant like Seattle Di was Sue Bird.

950
00:43:00,880 --> 00:43:03,480
Speaker 1: I know I'll be tuning in to find out. Lisa,

951
00:43:03,640 --> 00:43:05,160
Speaker 1: that was a great email, and you summed up a

952
00:43:05,200 --> 00:43:08,680
Speaker 1: whole bunch of my faves. I mean, telling an official

953
00:43:08,760 --> 00:43:11,640
Speaker 1: I'll see you in the lobby is just it's so classic.

954
00:43:11,760 --> 00:43:15,000
Speaker 1: We love DT for that. A few quick ones from Twitter,

955
00:43:15,120 --> 00:43:17,920
Speaker 1: Bill Yannie said, quote every technical she got in Indy,

956
00:43:18,239 --> 00:43:18,839
Speaker 1: there were many.

957
00:43:19,600 --> 00:43:21,600
Speaker 2: We actually did the math for you, Bill, with the

958
00:43:21,640 --> 00:43:23,000
Speaker 2: help of Across the Timeline.

959
00:43:23,400 --> 00:43:26,520
Speaker 1: Diana has gotten nine technicals while playing at Indiana during

960
00:43:26,560 --> 00:43:28,960
Speaker 1: her WNBA career, the first coming in two thousand and

961
00:43:29,000 --> 00:43:32,000
Speaker 1: six and the most recent in August. Donathan Wood said,

962
00:43:32,080 --> 00:43:34,040
Speaker 1: she was a local high school superstar when I was

963
00:43:34,080 --> 00:43:36,960
Speaker 1: a kid in California in the nineties. Incredible that she's

964
00:43:36,960 --> 00:43:38,840
Speaker 1: still playing pro ball at a high level. When I

965
00:43:38,880 --> 00:43:41,800
Speaker 1: get sore for days playing pickup against other middle aged dudes,

966
00:43:42,080 --> 00:43:43,080
Speaker 1: that is so accurate.

967
00:43:43,440 --> 00:43:44,000
Speaker 2: Every time I.

968
00:43:44,000 --> 00:43:46,200
Speaker 1: See someone over the age of like thirty five doing

969
00:43:46,239 --> 00:43:48,719
Speaker 1: anything in professional sports, I'm like marveling at how their

970
00:43:48,760 --> 00:43:49,480
Speaker 1: body still works.

971
00:43:50,520 --> 00:43:53,840
Speaker 2: Kevin Wall said, quote, we have Diana and you don't.

972
00:43:54,239 --> 00:43:55,359
Speaker 2: Just the best quote ever.

973
00:43:55,840 --> 00:43:58,080
Speaker 1: In case you don't remember this, that's how gino Oriama

974
00:43:58,120 --> 00:44:00,719
Speaker 1: described as Yukon Husky's dominance back in two thousand and four.

975
00:44:00,760 --> 00:44:03,880
Speaker 1: This was Diana's senior season, Yukon's third of three straight

976
00:44:03,960 --> 00:44:04,840
Speaker 1: championship years.

977
00:44:05,239 --> 00:44:08,160
Speaker 2: Just we have Diana and you don't. That's so good.

978
00:44:09,200 --> 00:44:11,520
Speaker 2: As for me, I'm an inappropriate child.

979
00:44:11,760 --> 00:44:13,680
Speaker 1: So some of my favorite moments were every time she

980
00:44:13,800 --> 00:44:17,719
Speaker 1: made super drink during their Burden Tarase ESPN simillcast. They

981
00:44:17,760 --> 00:44:19,759
Speaker 1: did it for the twenty twenty two Final four. While

982
00:44:19,800 --> 00:44:22,719
Speaker 1: watching South Carolina games. Just try to figure out what

983
00:44:22,840 --> 00:44:23,960
Speaker 1: words Sue had to drink for.

984
00:44:25,280 --> 00:44:27,560
Speaker 3: I think the Cox got this tonight. The Cocks go hard.

985
00:44:27,719 --> 00:44:31,160
Speaker 3: They didn't go hard like this team was tough Messa

986
00:44:31,880 --> 00:44:32,799
Speaker 3: like in those other games.

987
00:44:32,840 --> 00:44:33,759
Speaker 6: As she was finishing the.

988
00:44:33,920 --> 00:44:38,480
Speaker 1: Lane, the length of the Cox is long, as appropriate

989
00:44:38,520 --> 00:44:40,120
Speaker 1: as it might be for DT, I don't want to

990
00:44:40,200 --> 00:44:40,840
Speaker 1: end on Cox.

991
00:44:41,080 --> 00:44:43,279
Speaker 2: So Mesh, Alex, you got any memories to share?

992
00:44:43,480 --> 00:44:43,800
Speaker 3: Alex?

993
00:44:43,800 --> 00:44:44,200
Speaker 2: How about you?

994
00:44:44,640 --> 00:44:48,640
Speaker 7: Yeah, I'll go. So this is from twenty twenty one.

995
00:44:49,120 --> 00:44:53,239
Speaker 7: It was a USA basketball press conference on Zoom and

996
00:44:53,600 --> 00:44:55,439
Speaker 7: some reporter I'm not sure who it is, so sorry,

997
00:44:55,480 --> 00:44:57,880
Speaker 7: I'm not shouting you out. Ask both of them together,

998
00:44:58,719 --> 00:45:03,360
Speaker 7: who is the best your period? And Sue pointed out Diana,

999
00:45:04,120 --> 00:45:08,239
Speaker 7: and Diana responded, quote, there's a lot of good players,

1000
00:45:09,239 --> 00:45:11,080
Speaker 7: and Sue went, that's what you say when you're the

1001
00:45:11,120 --> 00:45:14,160
Speaker 7: best player. Yeah, And then DT did not object to that,

1002
00:45:14,280 --> 00:45:15,800
Speaker 7: and I just thought, what a power.

1003
00:45:15,640 --> 00:45:19,279
Speaker 8: Moves amazing that super What about your meiche Yeah, that

1004
00:45:19,320 --> 00:45:20,680
Speaker 8: pretty much epitomizes her now.

1005
00:45:21,719 --> 00:45:22,759
Speaker 2: I think mine had to be.

1006
00:45:23,160 --> 00:45:26,120
Speaker 8: In twenty twenty, when Sue Bird and Meghan Rapino started

1007
00:45:26,200 --> 00:45:30,400
Speaker 8: up a touch more their Instagram little live stream situation.

1008
00:45:31,120 --> 00:45:34,200
Speaker 8: And one time DT got on there and talked about

1009
00:45:34,239 --> 00:45:38,200
Speaker 8: her approach to playing rookies, and I just feel this

1010
00:45:38,440 --> 00:45:43,000
Speaker 8: was this was just a perfect indication of like her mentality,

1011
00:45:43,080 --> 00:45:44,560
Speaker 8: her mindset, and just how fun.

1012
00:45:44,440 --> 00:45:45,680
Speaker 2: She is as a basketball player.

1013
00:45:46,520 --> 00:45:49,320
Speaker 8: She said, quote, every time you played rookies, you just

1014
00:45:49,440 --> 00:45:54,319
Speaker 8: wanted to bleep kill them. It's physically punking them, it's

1015
00:45:54,480 --> 00:45:57,000
Speaker 8: mental bullying that takes place before the ball tips.

1016
00:45:57,520 --> 00:46:00,920
Speaker 2: And I'm just about to us your ass right now.

1017
00:46:01,160 --> 00:46:04,600
Speaker 8: And I said, DT, that a is consistent because we

1018
00:46:04,680 --> 00:46:06,280
Speaker 8: heard what you had to say before this season.

1019
00:46:06,400 --> 00:46:09,200
Speaker 2: But it's the mark of a true competitor. I don't

1020
00:46:09,200 --> 00:46:10,799
Speaker 2: care who you are. If you're a three year.

1021
00:46:10,719 --> 00:46:12,919
Speaker 8: Old on a on a little tikes grim, I'm still

1022
00:46:12,960 --> 00:46:16,839
Speaker 8: going to punch your shit, you know, just gotta fill

1023
00:46:16,880 --> 00:46:17,160
Speaker 8: your mess.

1024
00:46:18,080 --> 00:46:21,440
Speaker 7: Diana isn't jealous of anyone. She just wants to.

1025
00:46:23,040 --> 00:46:23,520
Speaker 2: Just don't.

1026
00:46:23,560 --> 00:46:27,840
Speaker 1: We all don't care, honestly, thank you for sharing your memories.

1027
00:46:28,760 --> 00:46:31,480
Speaker 1: If this is it, we appreciate that you helped us

1028
00:46:31,600 --> 00:46:34,400
Speaker 1: say goodbye. We do have the playoffs still, though, and

1029
00:46:34,560 --> 00:46:37,200
Speaker 1: plenty more time for DT to pull all for shenanigans.

1030
00:46:37,680 --> 00:46:39,319
Speaker 1: As always, we love that you're listening, but We want

1031
00:46:39,360 --> 00:46:40,800
Speaker 1: you to get in the game every day too, so

1032
00:46:40,960 --> 00:46:43,640
Speaker 1: here's our good game play of the day. It's a

1033
00:46:43,680 --> 00:46:46,520
Speaker 1: simple one. Just follow the newest w NBA team. It's

1034
00:46:46,560 --> 00:46:50,080
Speaker 1: at w NBA Portland on Twitter and Instagram. And while

1035
00:46:50,080 --> 00:46:53,319
Speaker 1: you're at it, actually follow at the sports Bra PDX too,

1036
00:46:53,719 --> 00:46:55,359
Speaker 1: because while you're waiting for the team to tip off

1037
00:46:55,400 --> 00:46:57,120
Speaker 1: in twenty six, you can still belly up to the

1038
00:46:57,160 --> 00:46:59,160
Speaker 1: bar in Portland and watch all the other great women's

1039
00:46:59,160 --> 00:47:01,480
Speaker 1: sports and you can actually even open up a sports

1040
00:47:01,520 --> 00:47:02,520
Speaker 1: bar franchise of your own.

1041
00:47:02,560 --> 00:47:04,279
Speaker 2: They just posted about that, so go follow it to

1042
00:47:04,280 --> 00:47:06,880
Speaker 2: get info on that. We always love to hear from you.

1043
00:47:07,200 --> 00:47:09,280
Speaker 1: Hit us up on email good game at Wondermedia network

1044
00:47:09,280 --> 00:47:11,319
Speaker 1: dot com or leave us a voicemail at eight seven

1045
00:47:11,360 --> 00:47:13,680
Speaker 1: two two oh four fifty seventy, and.

1046
00:47:13,800 --> 00:47:16,400
Speaker 2: Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review. It's easy.

1047
00:47:16,800 --> 00:47:21,600
Speaker 1: Watch world class bookstores Infinity out of five stars. Just

1048
00:47:21,719 --> 00:47:23,960
Speaker 1: talking about the great Powells Books in Portland got me

1049
00:47:24,000 --> 00:47:26,160
Speaker 1: thinking about my favorite bookstores, so shout out two of them,

1050
00:47:26,360 --> 00:47:29,320
Speaker 1: Atlantis Books and Santorini. It's built into a freaking cliff

1051
00:47:29,440 --> 00:47:32,520
Speaker 1: with these insane views over the Caldera, and it's just

1052
00:47:32,719 --> 00:47:35,359
Speaker 1: messy enough and overwhelming enough to be like totally legit,

1053
00:47:36,080 --> 00:47:38,839
Speaker 1: and then the goat Shakespeare and Company in Paris. It's

1054
00:47:39,040 --> 00:47:41,279
Speaker 1: literally one of my favorite places on earth. From the

1055
00:47:41,320 --> 00:47:43,719
Speaker 1: first day that the store opened, they let writers and

1056
00:47:43,840 --> 00:47:46,960
Speaker 1: artists and intellectuals sleep on the shelves and piles of

1057
00:47:46,960 --> 00:47:49,399
Speaker 1: books and little beds that double as benches during the day,

1058
00:47:49,680 --> 00:47:51,680
Speaker 1: as long as they contribute with a little bit of work,

1059
00:47:52,040 --> 00:47:54,839
Speaker 1: read while they're there, and leave behind a little note

1060
00:47:54,880 --> 00:47:58,239
Speaker 1: about themselves. So there's like thirty thousand of those from

1061
00:47:58,320 --> 00:47:59,640
Speaker 1: all the different people that have stayed.

1062
00:47:59,440 --> 00:47:59,960
Speaker 2: In the bookshop.

1063
00:48:00,280 --> 00:48:02,840
Speaker 1: There's a piano there, and then there are these stairs

1064
00:48:03,280 --> 00:48:05,839
Speaker 1: that you read as you're walking up them, and they're

1065
00:48:05,840 --> 00:48:07,719
Speaker 1: a poem that says, I wish I could show you

1066
00:48:07,800 --> 00:48:10,319
Speaker 1: when you are lonely or in darkness, the astonishing light

1067
00:48:10,440 --> 00:48:11,160
Speaker 1: of your own being.

1068
00:48:12,400 --> 00:48:12,760
Speaker 2: Swoon.

1069
00:48:13,040 --> 00:48:15,719
Speaker 1: It's the best place ever. Now it's your turn, rate

1070
00:48:15,760 --> 00:48:18,680
Speaker 1: and review. Thanks for listening. See tomorrow for another group chat.

1071
00:48:18,760 --> 00:48:21,560
Speaker 1: This one's with the Orlando Pride defenders, Emily Sam's and

1072
00:48:21,680 --> 00:48:22,320
Speaker 1: Kylie Strom.

1073
00:48:22,680 --> 00:48:24,920
Speaker 2: You don't want to miss it. Bonus group chat folks.

1074
00:48:25,440 --> 00:48:29,480
Speaker 1: Good game, Monica, good game, l You Apathy toward Greatness

1075
00:48:31,000 --> 00:48:33,480
Speaker 1: Good Game with Sarah Spain is an iHeart women's sports

1076
00:48:33,560 --> 00:48:36,600
Speaker 1: production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You

1077
00:48:36,680 --> 00:48:39,560
Speaker 1: can find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or

1078
00:48:39,600 --> 00:48:43,240
Speaker 1: wherever you get your podcasts. Production by Wonder Media Network,

1079
00:48:43,480 --> 00:48:46,840
Speaker 1: our producers are Alex Azzi and Misha Jones. Our executive

1080
00:48:46,840 --> 00:48:50,320
Speaker 1: producers are Christina Everett, Jesse Katz, Jenny Kaplan.

1081
00:48:49,960 --> 00:48:50,840
Speaker 2: And Emily Rudder.

1082
00:48:51,160 --> 00:48:54,600
Speaker 1: Our editors are Jenny Kaplan, Emily Rudder, Britney Martinez and

1083
00:48:54,719 --> 00:48:58,239
Speaker 1: Grace Lynch. Production assistants from Lucy Jones and I'm Your

1084
00:48:58,239 --> 00:48:59,320
Speaker 1: Host Sarah Spain