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Speaker 1: The first question we asked everybody who come on the

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Speaker 1: show when you first made it to the w n

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Speaker 1: B A, who's the first person to bust your ass?

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Speaker 2: Nobody?

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Speaker 3: She was doing all the ass.

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Speaker 2: But I ain't really play no defense, you know what

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Speaker 2: I'm saying. That wasn't my wrong saying, like, I never

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Speaker 2: put myself in that situation. I'm trying to think of

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Speaker 2: somebody who did, you know, But yeah, I can't really

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Speaker 2: think it, because you know what, the truth be told.

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Speaker 2: I was a container that you know, I you know,

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Speaker 2: I put a hand up, I contained, I boxed out,

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Speaker 2: I got on a fast break. You know what I'm saying.

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Speaker 4: They never put you on the real killers out there,

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Speaker 4: because that wasn't your job. Used to be the assassin

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Speaker 4: on the other end, so you had the right.

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Speaker 2: They didn't want to get me in file cluble you

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Speaker 2: know those little little nuances. You know what I'm saying.

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Speaker 2: I mean, I'm out there trying to get it done.

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Speaker 2: I'm going to the rim. I'm dragging people to the rim.

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Speaker 2: I won't get me in foul trouble once in a while,

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Speaker 2: you know, I might have switched on and switched to

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Speaker 2: you know score, so you know that's one of two points,

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Speaker 2: you know what I'm saying. But you know, actually maybe

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Speaker 2: Cheryl swoops and Tina Thompson in practice.

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Speaker 5: Right.

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Speaker 2: Oh oh, can we go back to college. Oh yeah,

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Speaker 2: Cheryl Miller Man, Cheryl Miller, she's a beast.

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Speaker 5: Yeah.

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Speaker 2: We used to go at it all the time. You know,

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Speaker 2: she's the first chick I saw at her side handle

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Speaker 2: that ball in the open court and lay that ball

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Speaker 2: over the rim, and I was like, wow, shoot, she could.

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Speaker 4: Claank yo yo yo. We live on location. Me the

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Speaker 4: blackest one we right here in Orlando. Still stay in

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Speaker 4: our butts at home, but we got the AT and

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Speaker 4: T towels keeping us connected.

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Speaker 5: Y'all.

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Speaker 4: We got somebody very very special. We got the first

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Speaker 4: ever Nate Smith Hall of Fame in Dougdee via the

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Speaker 4: w NBA. We got greatness. We got missed raised a

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Speaker 4: rufe Cynthia Cooper.

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Speaker 5: Four times.

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Speaker 4: You said it four times, back to back to back

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Speaker 4: to back champions Houston Comeds, Cynthia Cooper in the building.

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Speaker 5: We appreciate you for pulling up.

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Speaker 2: But I'm happy to be here. Thanks for having me.

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Speaker 4: You was born in Chicago, Yes, and only wait time out.

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Speaker 4: Don't just try and glaze. She was born in the

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Speaker 4: City of Chicago. City of Chicago, I love. I did

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Speaker 4: not know that, and I loved that that. I just

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Speaker 4: found that out about you. I'm from born and raised

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Speaker 4: in Chicago, so you know, we breed and raised great

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Speaker 4: around here.

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Speaker 2: You know, it's in the water. Yeah, I was. I

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Speaker 2: was born in Chicago. All my family, my grandparents, my aunts,

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Speaker 2: cousins there in Maywood.

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Speaker 5: Okay, So yeah, I grew up up there.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, absolutely, you.

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Speaker 3: Went to Locke High School.

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Speaker 1: When you got to high school, was you coming in

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Speaker 1: and like you was the superstar and it was coming

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Speaker 1: or was it when you got to high school your

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Speaker 1: sophomore joint year it started.

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Speaker 3: To click and then everything changed.

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Speaker 2: Yeah. So I didn't really start playing basketball until my

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Speaker 2: sophomore year in high school, so I ran track, I

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Speaker 2: did some other sports, tennis, softball, but I started playing

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Speaker 2: basketball late. I started playing the summer before my sophomore year,

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Speaker 2: and it was great because you know, I really loved

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Speaker 2: the game of basketball, and basketball is just so complicated

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Speaker 2: and fun and you never quite naked, so there's so

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Speaker 2: much to learn and I didn't care because I didn't

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Speaker 2: know much. So I had to learn everything, so there

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Speaker 2: was no real fear of failure for me. So when

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Speaker 2: I got to high school. My first year in high

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Speaker 2: school we did okay. My junior year we made it

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Speaker 2: to the city finals and we lost. And then my

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Speaker 2: senior year we wanted championship, not only the city championship,

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Speaker 2: but the state championship. And yeah, I'd only been playing

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Speaker 2: three years and I averaged thirty one points. Don't ask

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Speaker 2: me how many defensive stops I got.

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Speaker 4: There, but look, but look though, at that point, when

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Speaker 4: you averaged in thirty one, you the city and state champions.

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Speaker 4: That mean everybody coming and calling and looking for you

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Speaker 4: and they know what's going on. Now, How was that

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Speaker 4: to come from as a sophomore just starting to pick

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Speaker 4: up the game to two years later you were a state,

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Speaker 4: city and state champion and player of the year.

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Speaker 2: So, oddly enough, I didn't get highly recruited. I had

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Speaker 2: one scholarship offer from USC and I took it.

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Speaker 5: How does that happen?

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Speaker 2: Well, you know, I was a late bloomer. I started

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Speaker 2: playing late. We were poor, so I didn't have any

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Speaker 2: money to go play AAU, or go travel around, or

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Speaker 2: go to anybody's basketball councilor blue Star or this. I

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Speaker 2: didn't have any money to do that. I was an

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Speaker 2: inner city. I played in the Watch summer games, so

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Speaker 2: I really didn't have much visibility. And the only time

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Speaker 2: USC saw me is when we went up north northern

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Speaker 2: California to play in the state tournament. So that's when

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Speaker 2: they saw me. So you know, I was a late bloomer.

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Speaker 5: They found a diamond in the rough. They found a

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Speaker 5: diamond in the rub.

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Speaker 3: I think, so who instilled the game? And you like

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Speaker 3: who instilled the scoring?

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Speaker 1: And you because you're going thirty in high school so

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Speaker 1: somebody must detaining you. Was like, this is this is

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Speaker 1: how you play this game, and you gotta be so

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Speaker 1: fierced and scoring because ever since I haven't seen you play,

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Speaker 1: you always got buckets. Like who was that that put

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Speaker 1: that in you? Well, like I gotta be a killer.

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Speaker 5: At all times.

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Speaker 2: Well, I would say the person who taught me how

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Speaker 2: to play basketball, Lucius Franklin and Lucia's. He threatened me

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Speaker 2: a lot. You know, if you don't, if you don't,

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Speaker 2: you know, if you don't show up on time, I'm

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Speaker 2: gonna stop coaching you. If you don't do this, I'm

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Speaker 2: gonna stop coaching you know, And so if you ever complained,

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Speaker 2: I'm not I'm gonna stop coaching you, but I would.

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Speaker 2: I would say, guys instilled in me that killer instinct

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Speaker 2: that you can't make a mistake. You got to finish.

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Speaker 2: You got to finish through contact. You got to come

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Speaker 2: out and be ready to play every time you step

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Speaker 2: on the court. And because back in the day, guys

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Speaker 2: wouldn't let girls play with them, so I couldn't even

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Speaker 2: come in the gym and call a game. I have

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Speaker 2: to give my brother to call a game and then

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Speaker 2: select me on his team. Once I started playing, and

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Speaker 2: I proved myself. You know, guys, you know, they rallied

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Speaker 2: around me. They I walked in the gym, Yo, I

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Speaker 2: got coop like you know. It eventually got to that.

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Speaker 2: But at the end of the day, when you play

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Speaker 2: with guys, they don't accept mistakes from women. From girls

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Speaker 2: playing with guys, they don't expect mistakes. They won't they

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Speaker 2: won't tolerate them. You miss a shot, yo, this is

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Speaker 2: a man's game. You ain't supposed to be out here anyway.

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Speaker 2: You know. You miss a passo, you ain't got that,

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Speaker 2: you know, Kick it to me. I'm better than you.

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Speaker 2: Court pretty much. So they instilled the mentality of scoring,

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Speaker 2: the mentality like finishing around the rim, and the mentality

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Speaker 2: of being being creative when you go to the basket

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Speaker 2: because they're constantly trying to block your shot. Hold, you push,

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Speaker 2: you file, you be physical with you. And so for me,

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Speaker 2: when they let me play with girls, I was like, yeah.

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Speaker 3: Talking about it's saying that.

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Speaker 1: I know when I came up, I played with older

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Speaker 1: guys and they used to be on me like that.

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Speaker 1: But it helped me not to make as many mistakes

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Speaker 1: as usually for people that was my age. Well as

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Speaker 1: you as a woman didn't help you not make the

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Speaker 1: mistakes playing with the guys. And when you got with

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Speaker 1: the girls, it was like oh.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, even and that's exactly right. I mean guys were relentless,

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Speaker 2: like they won, being very physical and you couldn't make

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Speaker 2: mistakes and stay on the court and play with God.

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Speaker 2: First of all, in La when you grew up in

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Speaker 2: there in the city, like you you're on the black top, right,

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Speaker 2: you you in the city, like you get off the court,

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Speaker 2: you might not get on for another hour, right, And

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Speaker 2: guys do not play with that, like they be like, look,

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Speaker 2: we need to stay on this court, you know, And

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Speaker 2: so for me, it did help me play and not

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Speaker 2: make mistakes while I played, And it also helped me

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Speaker 2: when I took a shot. I didn't just shoot shots

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Speaker 2: because I was open. I shot the ball because I

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Speaker 2: knew I could make it. I shot it when I

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Speaker 2: can make it. I penetrated when I could get to

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Speaker 2: the basket, and so it playing with guys helped me

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Speaker 2: be a better decision maker and then help me finish,

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Speaker 2: whether it was finishing my passes or finishing my shot.

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Speaker 1: When you came up, who's the woman that you've seen

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Speaker 1: that you've seen that was before you And you was like, man,

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Speaker 1: I want to kind of be like that or seen

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Speaker 1: a couple of moves off that person, Like I want

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Speaker 1: to add that to my game.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I'll say Lynette wooded the Nette Wood first female

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Speaker 2: basketball player to play for the Harlem Globe Trotters, And yeah,

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Speaker 2: she was incredible. She's the first female that I saw

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Speaker 2: that was that athletic and can handle the ball. And

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Speaker 2: I felt like her game was as close to complete

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Speaker 2: as possible. So I wanted to have a complete game.

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Speaker 2: I didn't want someone to write on the sky report

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Speaker 2: send her this way, send her that way. She can't

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Speaker 2: do this, she can't do that. I wanted to have

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Speaker 2: a complete game. I want my scouting, my side to

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Speaker 2: be one page long, like just try to continue to Yeah, so,

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Speaker 2: I mean, I grew up with the Magic Johnson's and

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Speaker 2: the you know, Norm Nixon's and the Jamal Wilts and

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Speaker 2: you know Showtime, the Koreem I've dou jabbar. I grew

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Speaker 2: up with I remember, I do remember this, Penny Hardaway.

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Speaker 2: Let me tell you what Penny did. Penny came down

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Speaker 2: on the fast break on the left side of the floor.

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Speaker 2: There was a defender there. He faked like he was

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Speaker 2: going back out and reverse dribble and dunked that. Boy, man,

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Speaker 2: I use that mood so much. You don't even know.

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Speaker 2: People were lost. They thought I was taking the ball

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Speaker 2: back out. I turned back around pool, I laid it

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Speaker 2: up there. I'm just going that out. I ain't had

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Speaker 2: those hops right. But I learned from everybody I saw

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Speaker 2: play the game, and then the things that applied to

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Speaker 2: my game that can help my game. I added, let me.

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Speaker 1: Ask you, this usc was the only one when everybody

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Speaker 1: kind of noticed you late.

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Speaker 3: Was there anybody that almost snuck in there? And just

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Speaker 3: like stole you from USC.

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Speaker 2: Well, you know, like I said, I'm from an inner city,

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Speaker 2: so I'm one thing about me is I'm fiercely loyal.

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Speaker 2: And I understood that academics was going to get me

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Speaker 2: further in life and get me out of the inner city.

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Speaker 2: So I was very loyal to a USC family that

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Speaker 2: helped me further my education through sports. Right, So I listen,

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Speaker 2: my first year, we had to make geek twins, you know,

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Speaker 2: so they from Flynt, Michigan. You know, one Hollywood one

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Speaker 2: is a little more, you know. And then Cheryl Miller

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Speaker 2: came the year after, so I was like, let's get this.

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Speaker 2: So we made it to the championship game in the

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Speaker 2: NCAA three out of my four years, Elite eight my

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Speaker 2: first year, and two championships out of there. So I

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Speaker 2: was in the right place.

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Speaker 4: Tell me how that was When you got there, you said,

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Speaker 4: somebody's coming from the inner city, you know what I'm saying.

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Speaker 4: A tough situation as far as home, you know what

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Speaker 4: I'm saying where you grew up, but like going to

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Speaker 4: like you said, prestigious university like USC, and you get

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Speaker 4: there and now you in this spotlight because like you said,

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Speaker 4: y'all were good, y'all winning championships and y'all being noticed, Like,

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Speaker 4: how was that for you?

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Speaker 5: Now you're not really flying under that radar.

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Speaker 2: Anymore, right, So I had two problems. One, I was

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Speaker 2: in inner city all my life, so going to a

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Speaker 2: private university like USC, I had never seen so many

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Speaker 2: rich white people in my life. I'd only seen them

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Speaker 2: on television. So you know, that was a huge adjustment shop. Yeah, yeah,

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Speaker 2: it was. It was a huge culture shop. But I

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Speaker 2: had great teammates and Tracy Longo was my She came

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Speaker 2: in the freshman year with me and she took me

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Speaker 2: to my first rock concert. So she helped me get

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Speaker 2: adjusted really well. But as far as basketball goes, you know,

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Speaker 2: the second problem was, you know, I was always energetic.

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Speaker 2: I was always trying to learn. I'm always trying to

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Speaker 2: get better, and I just came off of state championship.

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Speaker 2: I want to start. I only understood playing, practicing, working

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Speaker 2: to start and be a start and be great. That's

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Speaker 2: all I understood. So when my role was to come

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Speaker 2: off the bench, that was another adjustment for you. It's finally,

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Speaker 2: Coach Sharp. She pulled me to the side. She's like, look, look,

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Speaker 2: look at the statue. You played thirty four minutes, whether

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Speaker 2: you started or not, in an important moments of the game,

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Speaker 2: you're in. Yeah, so what you complaining about again? I

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Speaker 2: was like you, right, coach, you right, though, I still

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Speaker 2: should be starting off.

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Speaker 1: To be a part of a tandem like that, probably

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Speaker 1: the ain't probably the best tandem in history, you and

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Speaker 1: Syl Miller in college, Like, how was that? When you

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Speaker 1: look back on it and y'all did what y'all did

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Speaker 1: in college, and you can appreciate what y'all did.

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Speaker 2: Now, I will tell you it's great. I mean, it's

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Speaker 2: it's phenomenal to be able to come into practice and

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Speaker 2: know you're to get challenged every single day, to know

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Speaker 2: that you're gonna be challenged, to be put in a

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Speaker 2: situation where you can get better every single game, every

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Speaker 2: single day. Because Charyl Miller was that type of player.

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Speaker 2: The McGee twins were those types of players that if

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Speaker 2: you came and you didn't bring your A game, you

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Speaker 2: were going down. You was gonna have a terrible practice

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Speaker 2: because they were bringing their A game to every practice.

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Speaker 2: And Charyl Miller was a hard worker and she did

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Speaker 2: play defense. So you remember, I'm the sixth man. So

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Speaker 2: I'm not in the starting fivet So we're scrimmaging every

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Speaker 2: day against each other. And that's how I was able

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Speaker 2: to get better because I played against the best.

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Speaker 5: So tell me this.

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Speaker 4: After college, you know, like D said, it wasn't it

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Speaker 4: wasn't a WNBA there. So where did your journey lead

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Speaker 4: you immediately after your four years of college?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, so I wanted to pursue my dream of playing

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Speaker 2: professional basketball, and they told me the only place that

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Speaker 2: we can play professional is overseas. So I went and

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Speaker 2: took a job in Spain and Valencia, and so I

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Speaker 2: averaged forty five points there my first year over there. Man,

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Speaker 2: I was coming into my own a little bit.

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Speaker 4: That's a that's a walking bucket right there. Forty five

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Speaker 4: out of bed. It's a bucket.

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Speaker 2: I was, I was, I was, I was. I had

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Speaker 2: a good year. That is really what sparked the interests

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Speaker 2: of everyone overseas. I went over there for like twenty

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Speaker 2: thousand dollars. The next year they recruited me to come

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Speaker 2: to Italy. So I played in Italy the next ten seasons,

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Speaker 2: ten years. And Solliano, that's I love talking out.

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Speaker 4: That's the first for the Knucklehead podcast. We had to

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Speaker 4: come up on here and switching up once.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, so I learned Italian while I was over there.

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Speaker 2: Played in a city called Parmao, the Parmesan cheese di

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Speaker 2: Parma that city, and then I played two more years

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Speaker 2: in Alcamore, which is in Sicily.

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Speaker 5: So how was that?

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Speaker 4: You sound like you got like unbelievably culture, like you

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Speaker 4: speaking in fluently, Like how was that to spare? I mean,

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Speaker 4: I've always I've been to Italy once just on some

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Speaker 4: Nike trip stuff. Didn't really get to go kick it

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Speaker 4: and hang out, but I saw it's amazingly beautiful. Like,

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Speaker 4: how was that for you to spend you know, like

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Speaker 4: you said, coming from the inner city and here you

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Speaker 4: are after school, somebody that was from a poor neighborhood,

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Speaker 4: You living in this beautiful city. You got the little

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Speaker 4: orange basketball that did take you all the way across

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Speaker 4: to this wonderful city, and you live in a life over.

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Speaker 5: There, and you a star.

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Speaker 2: Yeah you know. I have a basketball shirt, a Nike

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Speaker 2: basketball shirt that says basketball saved my life. Yes, it

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Speaker 2: really should say. Basketball allowed me experiences that I would

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Speaker 2: have never had coming from the inner city. And Watson

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Speaker 2: traveling all over Europe, not just in Italy, because you know,

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Speaker 2: it was a culture shop. I didn't speak the language.

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Speaker 2: I was in a small city. Very few people spoke English,

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Speaker 2: and so I had to learn the language. But I

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Speaker 2: lived as an Italian. I learned the Italian culture. I

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Speaker 2: traveled around and when to Florence or Valencia or a Roma.

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Speaker 2: I went down in Sicily Knopoli, where the best piece

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Speaker 2: in the absolute world, up to Milano and.

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Speaker 5: Then would you agree?

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Speaker 4: I feel like, did some of the movie Love and

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Speaker 4: Basketball rip some of your life?

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Speaker 2: You know they did. I just didn't get the payment, though, I'm.

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Speaker 4: Just saying I for some reason, Yeah, for some reason,

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Speaker 4: I see like when you saying, I could see you

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Speaker 4: said you didn't speak the language. I can see you

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Speaker 4: getting yourself ready life. They like like what they say,

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Speaker 4: like give you the ball because you average your forty five,

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Speaker 4: Like you know what I'm saying, Like you don't even

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Speaker 4: know what's going on.

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Speaker 2: But it's like, yeah, I'm like, y'all, y'all, y'all, how

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Speaker 2: do you say, pasted pasa.

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Speaker 4: That?

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Speaker 2: And my money? I wanted to know word money and

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Speaker 2: I want to know if you were going to pass

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Speaker 2: me the ball. Those were the two the first two

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Speaker 2: things I learned. So no, it was great to learn

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Speaker 2: the Italian culture. It was great, see see, I was

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Speaker 2: set up for success by my time at USC because

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Speaker 2: USC taught me that I could do anything I want.

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Speaker 2: I could learn, I could travel, and I was okay.

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Speaker 2: I was okay being who I was, a kid from

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Speaker 2: the inner city. I was okay in my own skin.

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Speaker 2: USC taught me and gave me that level of confidence.

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Speaker 2: When I went overseas, I was about proving. I had

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Speaker 2: to prove that I was a go to player. I

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Speaker 2: had to prove that I could live in another country

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Speaker 2: and still excel. I had to prove that I could

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Speaker 2: set myself apart. When they're double team and me being

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Speaker 2: physical with me, I can still finish. But remember I

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Speaker 2: learned most of that from the guys I played with

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Speaker 2: growing up right, So I held myself to a higher

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Speaker 2: standard my first couple of years overseas, and that helped

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Speaker 2: ME to build a brand and build my kind of

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Speaker 2: building my legacy over Stace.

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Speaker 4: I love as you saying that these young athletes and

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Speaker 4: players need to hear that, especially the ones that you

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Speaker 4: know that are spotlight. You know how they are these

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Speaker 4: days they get spotlighted so young it become stars at

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Speaker 4: a young age and have social media followings. They need

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Speaker 4: to hear people like you say things like that that

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Speaker 4: you held yourself to a different standard and you were

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Speaker 4: always trying to prove that you were this and prove

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Speaker 4: that you were that as far as like to yourself

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Speaker 4: as a player and the better yourself. And you never

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Speaker 4: limited yourself even in going over there and learning a

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Speaker 4: whole different language and really using the basketball to your

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Speaker 4: advantage and not just going over there and being a

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Speaker 4: bad like you you can being able to speak a

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Speaker 4: fluent language another language fluently like that, that's amazing. Like

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Speaker 4: you said that you got that foundation from USC that

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Speaker 4: gave you that confidence to know that you could learn

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Speaker 4: and you could take advantage of the things at your disposal.

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Speaker 4: And I love that you just said that because the

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Speaker 4: kids and the players and the athletes need to hear that,

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Speaker 4: because too many of us get a little bit of

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Speaker 4: starter and get content like I ain't got nothing else

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Speaker 4: to prove on here, Like dude, as long as you

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Speaker 4: who you are, you supposed to continue proving yourself and

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Speaker 4: trying to recreate and get better until you walk out

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Speaker 4: the door. You're supposed to you supposed to become better

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Speaker 4: every single day, Yes, every.

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Speaker 2: Day, every day.

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Speaker 1: How was it to I know, you go overseas now

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Speaker 1: and you're not really playing ball in the United States,

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Speaker 1: but you get selected for the USA team.

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Speaker 2: Man, that was that was so great. So I had

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Speaker 2: put together a whole resume. I put together game film,

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Speaker 2: some stats. I knew the league was coming, but I

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Speaker 2: didn't know they were going to select it. So I

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Speaker 2: put together all of this stuff and I sent it

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Speaker 2: off to I was going to send it off to

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Speaker 2: the w NBA Renee Brown, and then I was like,

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Speaker 2: you know what, I should probably shoot a call over there.

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Speaker 2: I should probably call her first, let her know the

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Speaker 2: package is coming. So I called over there, I get

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Speaker 2: Renee's number, I call her, said, yeah, this is Cynthia

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Speaker 2: Cooper playing in Italy. Hey, I would love the planing

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Speaker 2: a WNBA. I put together just pack it for you

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Speaker 2: guys with some video, et cetera, et cetera. And she

403
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Speaker 2: was like, Cynthia Cooper from Parma in Italy, We've been

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Speaker 2: looking for your address. We've been looking for you. You're

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Speaker 2: part of our top eight. I was put on the phone.

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Speaker 2: I was like, yes, ma'am. I called my mother. I went, oh, yeah,

407
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Speaker 2: I'm a plan a WBA. She was like where. I

408
00:19:58,640 --> 00:20:02,040
Speaker 2: was like, I'm gonna play, I said, I said, I'm

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Speaker 2: in the top eight. And it was so dope. And

410
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Speaker 2: then they put me in Houston. What the w NBA

411
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Speaker 2: didn't know at the time. I was already living in Houston.

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Speaker 2: I already had a house there. They were like, oh,

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Speaker 2: we got to find your place of sales like I

414
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Speaker 2: seen in sugar Land. Wow, it was actually suppor it

415
00:20:22,440 --> 00:20:25,119
Speaker 2: was written already, it was supposed to happen. And so

416
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Speaker 2: I was over the moon at the opportunity to play

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Speaker 2: in America in front of American fans, in front of

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Speaker 2: my friends and my family that I had lost touch with.

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Speaker 2: They didn't know what I was doing because I had

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Speaker 2: been in Italy for ten years.

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Speaker 4: That's crazy to hear that you that you made those

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Speaker 4: phone calls and you put the package together and you

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Speaker 4: were doing that like not an agent and not somebody

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Speaker 4: you know what I'm saying. It just shows you the

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Speaker 4: difference in times and how it was back then, Like

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Speaker 4: for you to be having to, you know, make those calls,

427
00:20:52,280 --> 00:20:55,320
Speaker 4: to do that legwork yourself, that's that's crazy. You do

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Speaker 4: get the fruits of getting that call and receiving that

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Speaker 4: information yourself, though, But.

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Speaker 2: You are in charge of your own future. Nobody else

431
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Speaker 2: is in charge of your future except you. You need

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Speaker 2: to be willing to put in the work, to be humble,

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Speaker 2: to go and let people know what you want, let

434
00:21:10,640 --> 00:21:14,040
Speaker 2: people know what's next for you, and then you pay

435
00:21:14,160 --> 00:21:16,600
Speaker 2: that way. You you start laying down the foundation for

436
00:21:17,080 --> 00:21:17,600
Speaker 2: that path.

437
00:21:17,880 --> 00:21:19,720
Speaker 3: Yeah, I tell you. The first thing you got to

438
00:21:19,760 --> 00:21:21,040
Speaker 3: do is get off your ass.

439
00:21:21,960 --> 00:21:25,479
Speaker 1: That's rights and move and do so because ain't nobody

440
00:21:25,480 --> 00:21:26,680
Speaker 1: gonna do it for you?

441
00:21:26,680 --> 00:21:29,800
Speaker 2: You know, right? And kids these days they have two problems.

442
00:21:29,800 --> 00:21:31,720
Speaker 2: They A't willing to work for it, and then they're

443
00:21:31,760 --> 00:21:35,000
Speaker 2: afraid to fail. Stop being afraid to make a mistake.

444
00:21:35,040 --> 00:21:38,359
Speaker 2: Stop being afraid for somebody to catch you on some video.

445
00:21:38,440 --> 00:21:41,520
Speaker 2: And you you not at your best, so what who cares?

446
00:21:41,680 --> 00:21:44,200
Speaker 2: You're supposed to fail to be great, You're supposed to

447
00:21:44,280 --> 00:21:47,240
Speaker 2: fail to get better. You cannot get better if you're

448
00:21:47,280 --> 00:21:50,879
Speaker 2: afraid of trying because you might not be good at it.

449
00:21:51,040 --> 00:21:53,760
Speaker 2: You get good at it because you continue to practice

450
00:21:53,800 --> 00:21:56,199
Speaker 2: on it. You know, you work at it.

451
00:21:56,320 --> 00:21:58,440
Speaker 4: That's why I still want to hear about when you

452
00:21:58,520 --> 00:22:01,280
Speaker 4: get to the USA team. Was that when you coming

453
00:22:01,320 --> 00:22:04,000
Speaker 4: from from Palmer where you are and you getting selected

454
00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:07,680
Speaker 4: to represent the USA with the most elite women from

455
00:22:07,680 --> 00:22:10,720
Speaker 4: the UK from the United States, the real dream them.

456
00:22:11,960 --> 00:22:14,639
Speaker 2: Yeah, I know. So you know I will tell you

457
00:22:14,680 --> 00:22:18,119
Speaker 2: that once again was a path that I didn't know

458
00:22:18,160 --> 00:22:21,000
Speaker 2: I was I was going to take. Right. So, my

459
00:22:21,160 --> 00:22:24,880
Speaker 2: first experience with the USA basketball was in the World

460
00:22:24,960 --> 00:22:27,840
Speaker 2: Championships in eighty six. I know you guys were too young.

461
00:22:28,480 --> 00:22:32,040
Speaker 2: But with the World Championships, right, and I actually went

462
00:22:32,080 --> 00:22:36,520
Speaker 2: to an open tryout. Yeomen, I didn't get invited. You know,

463
00:22:36,600 --> 00:22:38,719
Speaker 2: it's just like the kid from that only had one

464
00:22:38,760 --> 00:22:42,840
Speaker 2: scholarship offer. So I did an open trial with everyone else,

465
00:22:42,920 --> 00:22:46,680
Speaker 2: two hundred people, right, So we two days in then

466
00:22:46,800 --> 00:22:49,840
Speaker 2: the invited group came in. Now have I mentioned that

467
00:22:49,880 --> 00:22:54,240
Speaker 2: I'm an assassin, that I don't play. I don't play.

468
00:22:54,800 --> 00:22:58,080
Speaker 2: I got this laser, this zoom focus that I'd be like, Okay,

469
00:22:58,080 --> 00:23:00,320
Speaker 2: who's the two guards? Where are the two guards? Anybody

470
00:23:00,359 --> 00:23:02,760
Speaker 2: on the wing? Point guards? Wait? I want hey, look,

471
00:23:03,040 --> 00:23:05,040
Speaker 2: I put them all down. You know why, because I

472
00:23:05,080 --> 00:23:07,439
Speaker 2: need to make this team. Like it never dawned on

473
00:23:07,560 --> 00:23:10,480
Speaker 2: me that I wasn't supposed to make that team. Yeah,

474
00:23:10,520 --> 00:23:13,520
Speaker 2: so I made the team and that started my USA

475
00:23:13,640 --> 00:23:16,639
Speaker 2: basketball career right and then playing with some of the

476
00:23:16,800 --> 00:23:21,040
Speaker 2: greatest players ever. Once again, for me, I always felt

477
00:23:21,040 --> 00:23:25,920
Speaker 2: like I had to prove myself. That readed hard work,

478
00:23:26,160 --> 00:23:28,640
Speaker 2: you know, So I would I come to work every

479
00:23:28,680 --> 00:23:31,920
Speaker 2: single day. I'm coming at you every day because first

480
00:23:31,960 --> 00:23:34,080
Speaker 2: I want to make the team, then I want to

481
00:23:34,119 --> 00:23:36,160
Speaker 2: play on the team, and then I want to start.

482
00:23:36,440 --> 00:23:39,399
Speaker 2: So I'm constantly looking for ways to get better and better.

483
00:23:39,680 --> 00:23:42,680
Speaker 2: And really I'll do you because you're in my position

484
00:23:43,400 --> 00:23:44,400
Speaker 2: and you need to go down.

485
00:23:44,840 --> 00:23:46,760
Speaker 4: And that's the part people don't want to be honest

486
00:23:46,800 --> 00:23:49,680
Speaker 4: about sometimes. That's the part that people don't want to

487
00:23:49,680 --> 00:23:53,000
Speaker 4: be honest about something, all that nice guy stuff. I remember,

488
00:23:53,040 --> 00:23:54,840
Speaker 4: d Mas, you remember this what I'm about to say

489
00:23:54,840 --> 00:23:57,639
Speaker 4: to you. It was it I rookie, your second year

490
00:23:57,680 --> 00:24:00,320
Speaker 4: the league. I rook your second year to league. It

491
00:24:00,359 --> 00:24:02,880
Speaker 4: was true or not. This was my mentality. Were going

492
00:24:02,960 --> 00:24:04,880
Speaker 4: to the training camp, and you know, we all tight.

493
00:24:04,920 --> 00:24:07,280
Speaker 4: We were all nineteen and twenty and like l is

494
00:24:07,320 --> 00:24:09,239
Speaker 4: our big homie. He like our big bro, and we

495
00:24:09,280 --> 00:24:11,560
Speaker 4: love him to death. Me Ke and Corey, we were

496
00:24:11,560 --> 00:24:14,680
Speaker 4: a tight group, me and the mins be together. I'm like, yo,

497
00:24:14,760 --> 00:24:17,959
Speaker 4: d you gotta tell me little lo ass up this

498
00:24:18,040 --> 00:24:20,919
Speaker 4: training camp. You gotta tear his ass up and let

499
00:24:21,000 --> 00:24:22,879
Speaker 4: him know what it is. This is what I'm telling

500
00:24:22,920 --> 00:24:25,560
Speaker 4: him the whole summer when we working out and everything.

501
00:24:25,840 --> 00:24:27,239
Speaker 5: He like, come on minute, that little bit.

502
00:24:27,240 --> 00:24:30,000
Speaker 4: I'm like, you gotta tear his ass up and let

503
00:24:30,040 --> 00:24:31,679
Speaker 4: him know what it is.

504
00:24:31,880 --> 00:24:34,000
Speaker 5: Like for real? Was I not telling you that the

505
00:24:34,040 --> 00:24:34,600
Speaker 5: whole time?

506
00:24:35,800 --> 00:24:38,520
Speaker 1: I love Ll so much that I couldn't talk to

507
00:24:38,600 --> 00:24:41,920
Speaker 1: him in buses ass I just had the buses ass well.

508
00:24:42,400 --> 00:24:45,119
Speaker 2: I had a teammate Kim Paracchi, and did a passing

509
00:24:45,119 --> 00:24:48,720
Speaker 2: away from cancer. Rest in peace, Kimp. We almost fought

510
00:24:48,720 --> 00:24:52,120
Speaker 2: in practice. I don't play no games. I'm coming after

511
00:24:52,160 --> 00:24:55,200
Speaker 2: you every day. Coach Chancellor used to get mad at

512
00:24:55,200 --> 00:24:57,760
Speaker 2: me because I came to the first day of every

513
00:24:57,800 --> 00:25:01,680
Speaker 2: training camp, every train a camp. Because the right wing

514
00:25:01,840 --> 00:25:03,840
Speaker 2: is taken. You got to go somewhere else to get

515
00:25:03,840 --> 00:25:08,480
Speaker 2: some playing time. It's mom straight up, and I'm giving

516
00:25:08,520 --> 00:25:10,919
Speaker 2: them to them every day. I'm in there. I'm in

517
00:25:10,960 --> 00:25:13,320
Speaker 2: there before them. So I'm doing my weight workouts with

518
00:25:14,040 --> 00:25:17,520
Speaker 2: the trainer, I'm doing my sprint workouts on Tuesdays and Thursday,

519
00:25:17,840 --> 00:25:20,439
Speaker 2: so I'm already dressed before they even get in the building.

520
00:25:21,440 --> 00:25:23,800
Speaker 2: And then I go at them and then I take

521
00:25:23,840 --> 00:25:25,920
Speaker 2: the rookies after practice and work on my one on

522
00:25:25,920 --> 00:25:29,200
Speaker 2: one game because you know, I'm a container.

523
00:25:30,600 --> 00:25:36,480
Speaker 4: That's what I'm talking about. Hey, we need that mentality.

524
00:25:37,000 --> 00:25:39,120
Speaker 1: You get to the comments and you see your squad

525
00:25:39,600 --> 00:25:43,240
Speaker 1: real schools, Tina Thompson number one pick. You know what

526
00:25:43,320 --> 00:25:45,320
Speaker 1: I'm saying that you got kempele Rock, the ones that

527
00:25:45,320 --> 00:25:46,600
Speaker 1: people really don't know about.

528
00:25:46,720 --> 00:25:48,280
Speaker 3: You know what I'm saying to add to the mix.

529
00:25:48,359 --> 00:25:49,800
Speaker 3: To see our squad.

530
00:25:49,480 --> 00:25:52,040
Speaker 1: And you know you're looking at it, and you know

531
00:25:52,080 --> 00:25:55,240
Speaker 1: they put Lisa Leslie in the sparks and putting New

532
00:25:55,320 --> 00:25:58,959
Speaker 1: York in TERREESA. Weatherspoon's like, oh them the people who

533
00:25:59,040 --> 00:26:00,920
Speaker 1: gonna be the champions, and then.

534
00:26:00,760 --> 00:26:03,480
Speaker 3: Y'all come with that three head Mosstern.

535
00:26:03,520 --> 00:26:06,200
Speaker 1: It's just man, y'all just run them off right away

536
00:26:06,359 --> 00:26:08,320
Speaker 1: in that great Did you feel like when you've seen

537
00:26:08,400 --> 00:26:10,400
Speaker 1: them and y'all kind of click, did you feel like, like, oh,

538
00:26:10,440 --> 00:26:11,320
Speaker 1: she they fucked up?

539
00:26:11,400 --> 00:26:13,120
Speaker 3: Letting us be all be on the same But.

540
00:26:13,359 --> 00:26:16,679
Speaker 2: So when I first went first, we selected Tina So

541
00:26:16,720 --> 00:26:19,200
Speaker 2: I knew Shurl was pregnant, right, but I didn't know

542
00:26:19,240 --> 00:26:21,680
Speaker 2: what type of player Tina Thompson was, right, So I'd

543
00:26:21,720 --> 00:26:24,240
Speaker 2: seen some film on her, had heard about her, but

544
00:26:24,359 --> 00:26:26,119
Speaker 2: I didn't know what type of player she was. And

545
00:26:26,160 --> 00:26:28,399
Speaker 2: I was like, whoa, whoa, whoa. She can shoot the

546
00:26:28,440 --> 00:26:33,680
Speaker 2: three you don't have to roll. I was like, she

547
00:26:33,720 --> 00:26:35,359
Speaker 2: don't have to roll and clog up the lane for

548
00:26:35,480 --> 00:26:41,040
Speaker 2: my penetration. Watch that's one of the puppets. It is

549
00:26:41,080 --> 00:26:44,040
Speaker 2: a round and you know. So initially we played without

550
00:26:44,080 --> 00:26:46,520
Speaker 2: Shiryl because she was having little Jordan at the time.

551
00:26:47,040 --> 00:26:49,960
Speaker 2: But when all three of us got together, so everybody,

552
00:26:50,280 --> 00:26:53,840
Speaker 2: no one believed that we could all play together. But

553
00:26:53,880 --> 00:26:56,440
Speaker 2: what they didn't understand was I was a thirty four

554
00:26:56,520 --> 00:26:57,480
Speaker 2: year old rookie.

555
00:26:57,640 --> 00:26:58,920
Speaker 5: That was what I was about to say.

556
00:26:59,480 --> 00:27:02,640
Speaker 2: Yeah, was coming out of college, right, so she had

557
00:27:02,760 --> 00:27:06,280
Speaker 2: still some things to learn and she needed a veteran

558
00:27:06,560 --> 00:27:09,560
Speaker 2: to help, you know, navigate those waters in her first

559
00:27:09,600 --> 00:27:12,480
Speaker 2: couple of years. And then Cheryl was coming off of

560
00:27:12,520 --> 00:27:17,320
Speaker 2: a pregnancy. So I was the man. Yeah, like I

561
00:27:17,400 --> 00:27:20,720
Speaker 2: need I needed to step up. But that's okay because

562
00:27:20,720 --> 00:27:23,000
Speaker 2: I was gonna do that anyway, because I spent all

563
00:27:23,000 --> 00:27:25,840
Speaker 2: that time overseas, and I was happy to be home.

564
00:27:25,960 --> 00:27:28,560
Speaker 4: So let me paint the pictures for you. Me as

565
00:27:28,600 --> 00:27:31,000
Speaker 4: a young kid, I'm in all into sports, all in

566
00:27:31,080 --> 00:27:33,240
Speaker 4: the basketball. So for me, it was like you came

567
00:27:33,280 --> 00:27:36,520
Speaker 4: out of nowhere, Like you said, you expecting everybody talking

568
00:27:36,640 --> 00:27:40,080
Speaker 4: about you know, we all like we know about Cheryl Swoops.

569
00:27:40,080 --> 00:27:42,680
Speaker 4: He had a Geordan deal, so we like, yeah, Cheryl Swoop,

570
00:27:42,760 --> 00:27:44,679
Speaker 4: but you know all of this and then it was

571
00:27:44,800 --> 00:27:49,880
Speaker 4: like yeah, man like Cynthia Cooper raising who We all like, yo, who.

572
00:27:49,800 --> 00:27:50,560
Speaker 2: Is this coming?

573
00:27:50,640 --> 00:27:54,439
Speaker 5: Getting straight buckets like bunckets? And then you was hyped,

574
00:27:54,480 --> 00:27:55,280
Speaker 5: You was animated.

575
00:27:55,359 --> 00:27:57,080
Speaker 4: You was like you was a fan fa It was

576
00:27:57,119 --> 00:27:59,040
Speaker 4: like this was like she kind of came out of nowhere,

577
00:28:03,320 --> 00:28:04,760
Speaker 4: boie because.

578
00:28:04,520 --> 00:28:08,000
Speaker 2: You know giving buckets, you know why, because that's all

579
00:28:08,040 --> 00:28:10,640
Speaker 2: I do. So when I came in the league, I'm like, look,

580
00:28:11,040 --> 00:28:14,080
Speaker 2: there's no pressure. They don't they don't know about me.

581
00:28:14,480 --> 00:28:16,240
Speaker 2: They don't know what I've been doing. They don't know

582
00:28:16,240 --> 00:28:18,200
Speaker 2: how I've been working on my game. They don't know

583
00:28:18,240 --> 00:28:21,800
Speaker 2: how what how I've been forming a game that's complete.

584
00:28:22,000 --> 00:28:24,160
Speaker 2: They don't know the hard work that I put into

585
00:28:24,240 --> 00:28:27,520
Speaker 2: my game every day, right, They don't know my mentality

586
00:28:27,880 --> 00:28:31,520
Speaker 2: coming to practice and working hard and going hard every

587
00:28:31,600 --> 00:28:34,240
Speaker 2: single day in practice. They don't know that. All they

588
00:28:34,320 --> 00:28:40,200
Speaker 2: know is Rebecca Lobo, chirl Schools, Lisa Leslie, and Teresa Weatherspool.

589
00:28:40,440 --> 00:28:44,280
Speaker 2: All right, cool, no problem. So once again I have

590
00:28:44,360 --> 00:28:47,080
Speaker 2: something to prove, right, I have a chip on my shoulder.

591
00:28:47,400 --> 00:28:50,040
Speaker 2: There are a couple of players that I played against overseas.

592
00:28:50,400 --> 00:28:54,760
Speaker 2: They knew me, but nobody knew how I would play

593
00:28:55,280 --> 00:28:59,160
Speaker 2: and be able to excel in the w NBA. I did, though,

594
00:28:59,440 --> 00:29:01,520
Speaker 2: especially when I saw that Tina could pop and shoot

595
00:29:01,520 --> 00:29:04,800
Speaker 2: the three when surel is a spot up shooter and

596
00:29:04,840 --> 00:29:07,760
Speaker 2: she penetrates on the on the wing and she does

597
00:29:07,800 --> 00:29:11,680
Speaker 2: play defense, right, And Tina has this tough mentality. That's

598
00:29:11,680 --> 00:29:14,040
Speaker 2: why she's a Hall of Famer, right because she can

599
00:29:14,120 --> 00:29:16,280
Speaker 2: not only play with her back to the basket, she

600
00:29:16,360 --> 00:29:19,440
Speaker 2: can stretch out and shoot the three. And she just smoothed. Yeah,

601
00:29:19,600 --> 00:29:22,400
Speaker 2: she just don't care, right. And so we had that

602
00:29:22,400 --> 00:29:24,360
Speaker 2: team and I was like, all right, you know, I'm

603
00:29:24,360 --> 00:29:26,800
Speaker 2: the veteran of this team, and I know how to

604
00:29:26,840 --> 00:29:30,080
Speaker 2: play my position, play my role so that we can

605
00:29:30,160 --> 00:29:32,719
Speaker 2: be great, we can win championship. Up.

606
00:29:33,240 --> 00:29:34,600
Speaker 3: I love how y'all rent it off.

607
00:29:34,640 --> 00:29:37,960
Speaker 1: When you won that first one, it really explains your game,

608
00:29:38,160 --> 00:29:41,160
Speaker 1: like how how rough your game and how aggressive your

609
00:29:41,200 --> 00:29:42,280
Speaker 1: offensive game is.

610
00:29:42,360 --> 00:29:45,040
Speaker 3: To hear your journey, it really is like it's played

611
00:29:45,080 --> 00:29:45,480
Speaker 3: your game.

612
00:29:45,520 --> 00:29:48,360
Speaker 1: But to win that first one, that first one, after

613
00:29:48,360 --> 00:29:50,800
Speaker 1: you have been overseas and did all that stuff and

614
00:29:51,280 --> 00:29:56,560
Speaker 1: you got the first w NBA Championship in the United States.

615
00:29:56,160 --> 00:29:57,080
Speaker 5: How is that? Like?

616
00:29:57,160 --> 00:29:59,560
Speaker 1: I know, that was like so surreal, Like it felt

617
00:29:59,560 --> 00:30:02,360
Speaker 1: like everything.

618
00:30:00,720 --> 00:30:05,320
Speaker 2: It really did. It was so it was so phenomenal.

619
00:30:05,520 --> 00:30:09,200
Speaker 2: Like the day before we were practicing and after practice,

620
00:30:09,240 --> 00:30:11,640
Speaker 2: you know, Keim Parat, very good friend of mine, she

621
00:30:12,080 --> 00:30:16,520
Speaker 2: was nervous. She's so nervous, And I was like, yo, Kim,

622
00:30:16,520 --> 00:30:19,320
Speaker 2: why are you so nervous? She was like, I've never

623
00:30:19,360 --> 00:30:23,280
Speaker 2: won a championship before. I said, you're gonna win one tomorrow.

624
00:30:27,000 --> 00:30:31,400
Speaker 2: I got you. I got you. Because that's what teammates do,

625
00:30:32,120 --> 00:30:35,000
Speaker 2: and that's a motivation to play for a teammate, To

626
00:30:35,040 --> 00:30:37,440
Speaker 2: win a championship with the teammate, and for a teammate

627
00:30:38,080 --> 00:30:41,320
Speaker 2: that takes the cakes, that's everybody's dream it should be.

628
00:30:42,120 --> 00:30:44,960
Speaker 2: But for us to win the first championship was amazing,

629
00:30:45,440 --> 00:30:48,320
Speaker 2: Like it was like you said, I had come from

630
00:30:48,320 --> 00:30:49,760
Speaker 2: overseas and I thought about it all.

631
00:30:49,840 --> 00:30:50,000
Speaker 5: You know.

632
00:30:50,040 --> 00:30:53,240
Speaker 2: My friends from Italy were texting me and they were like, Yo,

633
00:30:53,360 --> 00:30:55,840
Speaker 2: you did it, You did it. You're killed. My mom

634
00:30:56,000 --> 00:30:58,120
Speaker 2: was still alive, so she got a chance to see

635
00:30:58,200 --> 00:31:01,200
Speaker 2: us win our first two championships, and we went home

636
00:31:01,280 --> 00:31:04,240
Speaker 2: and watched the We watched the highlights on ESPN, you

637
00:31:04,280 --> 00:31:07,160
Speaker 2: know where everybody's partying. I'm watching the highlights with my

638
00:31:07,200 --> 00:31:12,840
Speaker 2: mom at home. It was just an amazing, magical season

639
00:31:13,520 --> 00:31:18,000
Speaker 2: and that championship man first ever, cause you know, will

640
00:31:18,120 --> 00:31:20,120
Speaker 2: always be the first ever.

641
00:31:20,240 --> 00:31:24,040
Speaker 5: It can only be one, yes always. Oh wait, they

642
00:31:24,120 --> 00:31:26,400
Speaker 5: ain't running them off? How y'all was running them off?

643
00:31:26,560 --> 00:31:28,600
Speaker 5: That's what I'm saying, Like you y'all came in. I

644
00:31:28,640 --> 00:31:30,680
Speaker 5: was like, how did they let this team get together?

645
00:31:31,160 --> 00:31:31,240
Speaker 2: Like?

646
00:31:31,280 --> 00:31:33,240
Speaker 4: How did they let this team get together? Once you

647
00:31:33,360 --> 00:31:35,640
Speaker 4: really saw how good y'all were, and they ran off

648
00:31:35,760 --> 00:31:38,760
Speaker 4: like that many in a row, you running off consecutive

649
00:31:38,760 --> 00:31:42,720
Speaker 4: scoring titles MVPs, Like how how was that?

650
00:31:42,800 --> 00:31:42,880
Speaker 2: Like?

651
00:31:43,160 --> 00:31:46,680
Speaker 4: It was like literally at that time, I can remember

652
00:31:47,640 --> 00:31:50,200
Speaker 4: looking at the Rockets like, man, they they they're the

653
00:31:50,240 --> 00:31:52,480
Speaker 4: best team in Houston. Like they got they went in

654
00:31:52,560 --> 00:31:55,080
Speaker 4: all the chips, they got X town on lot. How

655
00:31:55,200 --> 00:31:57,480
Speaker 4: was that compared to like you guys looking at the

656
00:31:57,640 --> 00:31:59,600
Speaker 4: you know the rockets over there, they weren't They were

657
00:31:59,640 --> 00:32:01,400
Speaker 4: in the player else and stuff. They were competing, But

658
00:32:01,520 --> 00:32:03,960
Speaker 4: like you guys were a cream with the crowd.

659
00:32:04,160 --> 00:32:07,200
Speaker 2: It was amazing. It was amazing. I mean I had

660
00:32:07,240 --> 00:32:11,760
Speaker 2: never had that type of notoriety and you know, just

661
00:32:11,880 --> 00:32:15,280
Speaker 2: exposure overseas. And so I'm walking down the streets in

662
00:32:15,400 --> 00:32:18,520
Speaker 2: New York and like, yo, cool, you you got a

663
00:32:18,600 --> 00:32:21,080
Speaker 2: game now. If they said in New York, it must

664
00:32:21,120 --> 00:32:26,920
Speaker 2: be true. I just it was absolutely amazing for me

665
00:32:27,000 --> 00:32:29,200
Speaker 2: to experience that. But I will tell you the reason

666
00:32:29,240 --> 00:32:32,480
Speaker 2: why we were able to win championship after championship is

667
00:32:32,520 --> 00:32:35,960
Speaker 2: because we were never the same the next year like

668
00:32:36,040 --> 00:32:37,960
Speaker 2: we were the first year. We were never the same.

669
00:32:38,000 --> 00:32:41,680
Speaker 2: We always added to our game. We always added somebody,

670
00:32:42,080 --> 00:32:47,560
Speaker 2: some person, or some some move or game or energy

671
00:32:48,040 --> 00:32:51,080
Speaker 2: like we had. I think it was our second year

672
00:32:51,880 --> 00:32:55,680
Speaker 2: we had the highest winning percentage of any professional team ever.

673
00:32:59,160 --> 00:33:02,160
Speaker 2: And it's because we we beat teams when we walked

674
00:33:02,160 --> 00:33:07,880
Speaker 2: in the gym. We walked into gym like man, I

675
00:33:07,880 --> 00:33:10,520
Speaker 2: remember one player two weeks I was walking off the

676
00:33:11,040 --> 00:33:13,240
Speaker 2: practice score, we had to shoot around. I was walking

677
00:33:13,280 --> 00:33:16,360
Speaker 2: off and she said really cool. I was like what

678
00:33:17,200 --> 00:33:20,240
Speaker 2: she said, So, you're never going to come into training

679
00:33:20,360 --> 00:33:24,040
Speaker 2: camp out of shape, never a little overweight, nothing, You're

680
00:33:24,040 --> 00:33:30,360
Speaker 2: just gonna be ready. Yeah, man, be ready every day. Yeah,

681
00:33:30,600 --> 00:33:31,080
Speaker 2: that's right.

682
00:33:31,640 --> 00:33:33,320
Speaker 1: A lot of people will put us part of the

683
00:33:33,400 --> 00:33:36,880
Speaker 1: culture because we came up with a celebration. You know,

684
00:33:36,960 --> 00:33:39,160
Speaker 1: we was happy to be here, like we wanted to.

685
00:33:39,160 --> 00:33:41,560
Speaker 1: Our celebrations part of like, NA, we're gonna show y'all

686
00:33:41,880 --> 00:33:44,960
Speaker 1: as young guys throw man League that we are in here.

687
00:33:45,360 --> 00:33:49,000
Speaker 1: Your celebration is one of my favorite celebrations. Like everybody

688
00:33:49,160 --> 00:33:51,440
Speaker 1: was raising the room. Where did you get that from?

689
00:33:51,720 --> 00:33:53,920
Speaker 1: And what made you start doing that?

690
00:33:54,480 --> 00:33:57,360
Speaker 2: Well? I actually got it from Kim because she was

691
00:33:57,400 --> 00:34:00,320
Speaker 2: the cool person on our team and so you had

692
00:34:00,320 --> 00:34:03,400
Speaker 2: all the cool stuff. A kind of cherry picked it

693
00:34:03,520 --> 00:34:07,360
Speaker 2: from him. I tell you. You know it was great about

694
00:34:07,600 --> 00:34:11,760
Speaker 2: raise the roof is that it just got so loud

695
00:34:11,840 --> 00:34:14,040
Speaker 2: in there. I'm like, raise the roof, and then you

696
00:34:14,040 --> 00:34:18,319
Speaker 2: look around and everybody's raising the roof and they into it.

697
00:34:18,360 --> 00:34:21,600
Speaker 2: It makes you want more and more and more every.

698
00:34:21,400 --> 00:34:23,879
Speaker 1: Game, and if you don't do it, they gonna get

699
00:34:23,920 --> 00:34:25,120
Speaker 1: on your ass and hold up.

700
00:34:25,160 --> 00:34:28,960
Speaker 2: They're looking at me like you're not feeling well, what's

701
00:34:28,960 --> 00:34:29,360
Speaker 2: wrong with you?

702
00:34:30,000 --> 00:34:33,680
Speaker 4: Qriet has kept that is literally part of why we

703
00:34:34,040 --> 00:34:37,120
Speaker 4: continue to do this because we was like, they got

704
00:34:37,120 --> 00:34:39,319
Speaker 4: to raise the roof back then it was NBA Live.

705
00:34:39,360 --> 00:34:41,239
Speaker 4: They had it on the video game You score, you

706
00:34:41,360 --> 00:34:43,240
Speaker 4: go back. We like me and d Mad like, look,

707
00:34:43,880 --> 00:34:45,600
Speaker 4: the least we could do. We could try to get

708
00:34:45,640 --> 00:34:47,680
Speaker 4: this thing on a video game. We do this orno

709
00:34:47,760 --> 00:34:49,760
Speaker 4: they might put it on the game. And I promised

710
00:34:49,760 --> 00:34:52,040
Speaker 4: you that was part of the reason why we were

711
00:34:52,080 --> 00:34:54,040
Speaker 4: doing it. And then when it got on the game,

712
00:34:54,080 --> 00:34:54,600
Speaker 4: we was like.

713
00:34:54,520 --> 00:34:55,120
Speaker 5: We made it.

714
00:34:55,200 --> 00:34:57,680
Speaker 4: We made it on a video game, like we just like.

715
00:34:57,680 --> 00:34:59,799
Speaker 5: To raise the roof. I promise that's a.

716
00:35:00,680 --> 00:35:03,560
Speaker 2: And it was also a way of getting the fans

717
00:35:04,000 --> 00:35:07,080
Speaker 2: engaged with what we were doing and experiencing what we

718
00:35:07,080 --> 00:35:10,520
Speaker 2: were experiencing on that court. So let's bring this, Let's

719
00:35:10,520 --> 00:35:13,000
Speaker 2: bring this together. Let's bring you guys are come and

720
00:35:13,040 --> 00:35:16,560
Speaker 2: supporting us every single game and during championships, and if

721
00:35:16,600 --> 00:35:20,000
Speaker 2: we lost the game, you're supporting us. Let's let's bridge

722
00:35:20,040 --> 00:35:22,680
Speaker 2: that gap. Let's make you a part of this. And man,

723
00:35:22,760 --> 00:35:26,759
Speaker 2: when I did this, that oh my god, sixteen thousand

724
00:35:26,960 --> 00:35:28,800
Speaker 2: fans yelling and screaming.

725
00:35:29,000 --> 00:35:31,239
Speaker 1: I used to just love that, just love seeing it.

726
00:35:31,680 --> 00:35:34,879
Speaker 1: The commercial seeing is just the ponytail.

727
00:35:35,040 --> 00:35:38,640
Speaker 4: And but if you think about that, like inspired a

728
00:35:38,719 --> 00:35:41,200
Speaker 4: movie because just like how you know, you go look

729
00:35:41,239 --> 00:35:43,759
Speaker 4: around when that happened, we was in high school. We

730
00:35:43,760 --> 00:35:47,239
Speaker 4: was in high school. We we banging on people running back.

731
00:35:47,320 --> 00:35:50,000
Speaker 4: Yeah yeah, And I like, I can't tell you who

732
00:35:50,160 --> 00:35:52,520
Speaker 4: started and who originated, but I know you was one

733
00:35:52,560 --> 00:35:55,040
Speaker 4: of the main people where I got it from where

734
00:35:55,040 --> 00:35:56,799
Speaker 4: I was running around talking about that's hard.

735
00:35:56,800 --> 00:35:57,719
Speaker 5: We're gonna raise you.

736
00:35:57,760 --> 00:36:04,960
Speaker 4: Gotta hey, you gotta put that in if you do something, somebody.

737
00:36:02,560 --> 00:36:06,640
Speaker 2: Man, you got to. It was a great period of

738
00:36:06,680 --> 00:36:11,040
Speaker 2: time in the wn B, A where we just really

739
00:36:11,080 --> 00:36:14,600
Speaker 2: had an opportunity, a unique opportunity to lay the groundwork

740
00:36:14,640 --> 00:36:17,719
Speaker 2: and the foundation for what was to come for the

741
00:36:17,760 --> 00:36:21,480
Speaker 2: next generation, for the kids that were now dreaming of

742
00:36:21,600 --> 00:36:26,120
Speaker 2: being Chiryls Foods, Tina Thompson and so now you have

743
00:36:26,200 --> 00:36:29,440
Speaker 2: a Diana Tarasis, you know, the Sue Birbs, you have

744
00:36:30,000 --> 00:36:34,440
Speaker 2: you know, uh, just everyone's coming Maya Mores and everyone's

745
00:36:34,560 --> 00:36:36,960
Speaker 2: playing at such a level and taling it's such a

746
00:36:37,040 --> 00:36:39,960
Speaker 2: level that it's just amazing and I look back, I'm

747
00:36:40,520 --> 00:36:44,439
Speaker 2: in pride. I know, Enrique, she broke my record right

748
00:36:44,480 --> 00:36:48,080
Speaker 2: for scoring, and I was like, boom, here's the torch, baby,

749
00:36:48,239 --> 00:36:51,799
Speaker 2: it's yours. You got this. Like when I did it,

750
00:36:51,840 --> 00:36:53,480
Speaker 2: I wanted to do it at my best and be

751
00:36:53,560 --> 00:36:56,480
Speaker 2: the best. And now you're doing it. Now carry it,

752
00:36:56,640 --> 00:36:57,480
Speaker 2: carry that torch.

753
00:36:58,200 --> 00:36:59,840
Speaker 1: Let me ask you this, like, you know, to do

754
00:36:59,920 --> 00:37:01,920
Speaker 1: it in this league and when you at the highest

755
00:37:02,000 --> 00:37:04,279
Speaker 1: league you get some type of critative for it. Some

756
00:37:04,320 --> 00:37:07,120
Speaker 1: coaches didn't like it, some players didn't like it. I know,

757
00:37:07,719 --> 00:37:10,800
Speaker 1: as women, one of the main things that people be

758
00:37:10,880 --> 00:37:12,719
Speaker 1: trying to say when they play a sports is.

759
00:37:12,680 --> 00:37:14,440
Speaker 3: That they can't be that emotional.

760
00:37:14,680 --> 00:37:19,319
Speaker 1: They can't show that much excitement, or they can't you know,

761
00:37:19,480 --> 00:37:21,200
Speaker 1: do like the Fela they can't show that. Did you

762
00:37:21,280 --> 00:37:24,920
Speaker 1: have any type of backslash or people trying to say like, oh,

763
00:37:25,000 --> 00:37:26,919
Speaker 1: you can't, you can't be that way?

764
00:37:27,400 --> 00:37:30,520
Speaker 2: You know? The WNBA, I think was so new and

765
00:37:30,600 --> 00:37:33,160
Speaker 2: everyone was trying to figure out who we were going

766
00:37:33,239 --> 00:37:35,600
Speaker 2: to be and what it was going to be. Like,

767
00:37:35,760 --> 00:37:38,440
Speaker 2: I didn't get any type of backlash from it. I

768
00:37:38,520 --> 00:37:41,359
Speaker 2: really didn't, as a matter of fact, Like that look

769
00:37:41,360 --> 00:37:43,640
Speaker 2: I would ride out the tunnel in my car and

770
00:37:43,680 --> 00:37:46,840
Speaker 2: the fans would be over there racing, like just just

771
00:37:46,960 --> 00:37:50,279
Speaker 2: raising roup. And and so it was endearing to me

772
00:37:50,960 --> 00:37:54,239
Speaker 2: that everyone kind of tied on to grabbed on to

773
00:37:54,360 --> 00:37:56,640
Speaker 2: it and held on to it type because it showed

774
00:37:56,640 --> 00:37:58,680
Speaker 2: that I was making a difference, right, that I was.

775
00:37:58,960 --> 00:38:02,840
Speaker 2: I was creating a for the next generation to really

776
00:38:03,239 --> 00:38:06,560
Speaker 2: showcase their talent, you know. So for me, I never

777
00:38:06,600 --> 00:38:11,240
Speaker 2: really got backlashed. I'm super aggressive, right, So I'm super aggressive.

778
00:38:11,360 --> 00:38:13,839
Speaker 2: I am gonna go get it because you know, you

779
00:38:13,880 --> 00:38:16,200
Speaker 2: guys know this, when you grew up in the inner city,

780
00:38:16,520 --> 00:38:18,240
Speaker 2: a lot of times you don't get a second chance.

781
00:38:18,520 --> 00:38:19,960
Speaker 2: You got to get that. You got to get it

782
00:38:20,040 --> 00:38:22,880
Speaker 2: right the first time. Right, you don't get a duover.

783
00:38:23,320 --> 00:38:25,839
Speaker 2: You know, whether it be whether you denying you don't

784
00:38:25,840 --> 00:38:27,319
Speaker 2: want to take the drugs, or you don't want to

785
00:38:27,480 --> 00:38:30,120
Speaker 2: join the gang, or you know, the walk, the long

786
00:38:30,280 --> 00:38:33,600
Speaker 2: walk from the bus stop back to the house. One

787
00:38:33,680 --> 00:38:37,120
Speaker 2: decision you feel me, right, So for me, I may

788
00:38:37,239 --> 00:38:40,560
Speaker 2: always try to make that one decision count, make it

789
00:38:40,640 --> 00:38:43,360
Speaker 2: worth it, you know, and then accept my responsibility. I

790
00:38:43,400 --> 00:38:46,279
Speaker 2: didn't always make the right decision, but I thought it

791
00:38:46,320 --> 00:38:48,120
Speaker 2: was the right decision. So I'm going to accept that

792
00:38:48,160 --> 00:38:50,439
Speaker 2: I was wrong and I'm gonna do better next time.

793
00:38:51,480 --> 00:38:52,000
Speaker 5: Tell me this.

794
00:38:52,160 --> 00:38:54,960
Speaker 4: You talked about how you always refeel like you always

795
00:38:55,000 --> 00:38:57,239
Speaker 4: got something to prove and you want to continue to

796
00:38:57,600 --> 00:39:00,319
Speaker 4: get better. And then tell me how difficult that could

797
00:39:00,360 --> 00:39:02,440
Speaker 4: be when you win in four in a row, and

798
00:39:02,480 --> 00:39:05,200
Speaker 4: you win in all these championships and you just continuously

799
00:39:05,560 --> 00:39:08,839
Speaker 4: leading the league and scoring getting them vps, Like, how

800
00:39:08,880 --> 00:39:11,320
Speaker 4: hard is that for you to continue? After that stretch,

801
00:39:11,360 --> 00:39:13,799
Speaker 4: you come back and you still say, I still have

802
00:39:13,920 --> 00:39:15,920
Speaker 4: to prove this, So I still have to prove that

803
00:39:16,360 --> 00:39:19,319
Speaker 4: people get complacent with success, and you clearly aren't that

804
00:39:19,360 --> 00:39:20,239
Speaker 4: type of person, and you.

805
00:39:20,200 --> 00:39:20,799
Speaker 5: Didn't do that.

806
00:39:21,000 --> 00:39:23,279
Speaker 2: So I think for me, I always have something to prove,

807
00:39:23,360 --> 00:39:25,560
Speaker 2: even when we want a championship. So you know, after

808
00:39:25,600 --> 00:39:28,200
Speaker 2: the first year, you know, the influence of the ABL

809
00:39:28,280 --> 00:39:30,640
Speaker 2: players came in, so everybody was telling, oh, there's no

810
00:39:30,640 --> 00:39:33,520
Speaker 2: way they can do it again, and sure Swoops is

811
00:39:33,520 --> 00:39:35,600
Speaker 2: coming back, so now sherol Swoops coming back. The ain't

812
00:39:35,680 --> 00:39:37,719
Speaker 2: enough boss for them, so we had to prove that.

813
00:39:38,239 --> 00:39:40,600
Speaker 2: You know, a third year, Kim was sick and my

814
00:39:40,680 --> 00:39:43,440
Speaker 2: mom had died, so was three for ten and that

815
00:39:43,560 --> 00:39:45,200
Speaker 2: was kind of a motivation. But I'm gonna just say

816
00:39:45,200 --> 00:39:48,080
Speaker 2: this real quick. You know, I want to be great

817
00:39:48,120 --> 00:39:50,920
Speaker 2: every day. I don't want to be great on Sunday,

818
00:39:51,120 --> 00:39:53,719
Speaker 2: on Wednesday and on Friday. I want to be great

819
00:39:53,719 --> 00:39:56,600
Speaker 2: every time you see me, because I don't know if

820
00:39:56,640 --> 00:39:58,160
Speaker 2: that's going to be the only time you see me.

821
00:39:59,040 --> 00:40:01,839
Speaker 2: So I want to show out for you that day

822
00:40:02,040 --> 00:40:04,279
Speaker 2: so that you understand that that's what you should do

823
00:40:04,360 --> 00:40:07,719
Speaker 2: every day. And that was just my motivation. And so

824
00:40:07,760 --> 00:40:11,480
Speaker 2: to win back to back championships four times, to win

825
00:40:11,640 --> 00:40:16,319
Speaker 2: to win back to back to back back championships, there

826
00:40:16,400 --> 00:40:19,640
Speaker 2: was just a mentality. It's a mentality to want to

827
00:40:19,760 --> 00:40:23,399
Speaker 2: win every day and to want to show every day

828
00:40:23,440 --> 00:40:25,960
Speaker 2: and to want to be better every game, and to

829
00:40:26,120 --> 00:40:29,680
Speaker 2: want to be to win a championship every year. So

830
00:40:30,000 --> 00:40:32,839
Speaker 2: I don't get tired of winning. That's the one thing

831
00:40:32,880 --> 00:40:35,800
Speaker 2: about me, you know, I don't get complacent because I

832
00:40:35,800 --> 00:40:38,920
Speaker 2: don't get tired of winning. And I said this earlier

833
00:40:39,160 --> 00:40:42,480
Speaker 2: that when I went Overseas, I held myself to another standard,

834
00:40:42,480 --> 00:40:45,319
Speaker 2: to a different level. And I did that same thing

835
00:40:45,360 --> 00:40:48,400
Speaker 2: in in the WNBA because by this time I'm thirty seven,

836
00:40:48,640 --> 00:40:52,200
Speaker 2: I'm thirty eight and so now I really got to

837
00:40:52,239 --> 00:40:54,960
Speaker 2: work right. So you know, it's not as easy to

838
00:40:54,960 --> 00:40:57,760
Speaker 2: get in shape, it's not as easy to maintain muscle

839
00:40:57,920 --> 00:41:01,160
Speaker 2: and this, that and the other. So I shoot, let's

840
00:41:01,160 --> 00:41:04,600
Speaker 2: go like I'm in the gym, I'm practicing, I'm working out. Hard.

841
00:41:04,600 --> 00:41:07,080
Speaker 2: Work has never been a stranger to me, from growing

842
00:41:07,160 --> 00:41:10,279
Speaker 2: up in the Inner City, from going overseas, It's never

843
00:41:10,320 --> 00:41:13,319
Speaker 2: been something that was foreign to me. You know, I'm

844
00:41:13,360 --> 00:41:17,080
Speaker 2: ready to play. And remember now, when you play with guys,

845
00:41:17,320 --> 00:41:20,400
Speaker 2: they running up and down that court, fast and dynamic,

846
00:41:20,440 --> 00:41:23,560
Speaker 2: and they jumping and they didn't physical. You got to

847
00:41:23,719 --> 00:41:26,799
Speaker 2: match their energy, right like I said, So when they

848
00:41:26,880 --> 00:41:29,680
Speaker 2: let me play with girls, I was like, yes, what

849
00:41:29,719 --> 00:41:32,480
Speaker 2: I'm talking about his on and popping.

850
00:41:33,080 --> 00:41:35,840
Speaker 1: Kim Para, I know she was like a like a

851
00:41:36,120 --> 00:41:38,920
Speaker 1: heart and soul that I remember Tina Thompson talking about

852
00:41:39,040 --> 00:41:41,720
Speaker 1: just that season that y'all have and she would stick.

853
00:41:42,160 --> 00:41:44,480
Speaker 1: Can you speak about Kim parad and what she meant

854
00:41:44,520 --> 00:41:47,560
Speaker 1: to the Commons team because she won one of the

855
00:41:47,560 --> 00:41:49,920
Speaker 1: bigger names, but it seemed like she meant so much

856
00:41:50,440 --> 00:41:51,280
Speaker 1: to all of y'all.

857
00:41:51,760 --> 00:41:56,480
Speaker 2: Yeah, So Kim was our floor general, but she was

858
00:41:56,520 --> 00:41:58,560
Speaker 2: our leader on and off the court. And you know,

859
00:41:58,680 --> 00:42:01,080
Speaker 2: when you talk about the soul of the team, you

860
00:42:01,160 --> 00:42:03,640
Speaker 2: talk about someone that could be the glue one day,

861
00:42:04,280 --> 00:42:08,080
Speaker 2: that can keep the superstars in their place in their

862
00:42:08,200 --> 00:42:11,279
Speaker 2: lane and then at the same time bring them out

863
00:42:11,320 --> 00:42:14,719
Speaker 2: on the court to still perform at their best. And

864
00:42:14,800 --> 00:42:17,640
Speaker 2: Kim was a magician as far as that goes. And

865
00:42:18,280 --> 00:42:21,439
Speaker 2: she just was genuine. She was genuine. You know, Kim

866
00:42:21,560 --> 00:42:24,160
Speaker 2: used to score. She went to she was a raging

867
00:42:24,239 --> 00:42:29,839
Speaker 2: cagun at Louisiana Lafayette and she came from a scoring background,

868
00:42:29,920 --> 00:42:32,640
Speaker 2: but she put her game to the side so that

869
00:42:32,719 --> 00:42:36,080
Speaker 2: she could mess with us and we could win a championship.

870
00:42:36,320 --> 00:42:39,680
Speaker 2: And that just goes to her character and her spirit.

871
00:42:40,040 --> 00:42:42,520
Speaker 2: And I just remember Kim. First of all, we were

872
00:42:42,680 --> 00:42:45,800
Speaker 2: very close. And I just remember Kim never ever letting

873
00:42:45,840 --> 00:42:47,960
Speaker 2: point guards bring the ball up to court. She was

874
00:42:48,080 --> 00:42:51,200
Speaker 2: just hawked the ball, like make a post player bring

875
00:42:51,239 --> 00:42:53,239
Speaker 2: it up. Make a post player bring it up, girl,

876
00:42:54,120 --> 00:42:57,080
Speaker 2: And that you know, it was so funny because I

877
00:42:57,160 --> 00:42:59,560
Speaker 2: was I think I was the second leading I was

878
00:42:59,600 --> 00:43:03,400
Speaker 2: the second leader in steals on the team. Because she

879
00:43:03,440 --> 00:43:06,800
Speaker 2: would pressure the point guard so much she would deflect

880
00:43:06,800 --> 00:43:09,520
Speaker 2: the ball. I would get to steal I'm just saying

881
00:43:09,760 --> 00:43:11,600
Speaker 2: I was in the right place at the right time.

882
00:43:13,400 --> 00:43:17,359
Speaker 2: But Kim was amazing, you know, she was amazing. She

883
00:43:17,520 --> 00:43:19,840
Speaker 2: was She's the only person that told me off on

884
00:43:19,880 --> 00:43:22,359
Speaker 2: the court like I was on her shot the ball

885
00:43:22,400 --> 00:43:24,960
Speaker 2: two times. She was like, yo, coo, could have passed that, Like,

886
00:43:25,280 --> 00:43:26,719
Speaker 2: I ain't gonna pass it to you again if you

887
00:43:26,719 --> 00:43:30,279
Speaker 2: don't like you You got passed shoulders over there, right

888
00:43:30,320 --> 00:43:34,160
Speaker 2: And I was like, who are you talking? Talking to you? Okay,

889
00:43:34,400 --> 00:43:38,480
Speaker 2: all right past the next one. But she just kept

890
00:43:38,600 --> 00:43:41,960
Speaker 2: us together, she kept us in line, and when it

891
00:43:42,000 --> 00:43:43,960
Speaker 2: was time for her to knock down shots and finish

892
00:43:44,000 --> 00:43:46,600
Speaker 2: around the rim and steal the ball, and she would

893
00:43:46,600 --> 00:43:48,799
Speaker 2: always pick up that intensity and get us going.

894
00:43:49,160 --> 00:43:53,000
Speaker 1: Yeah, we had on the show and we was talking

895
00:43:53,000 --> 00:43:55,040
Speaker 1: about the shot that ye.

896
00:43:56,800 --> 00:43:57,000
Speaker 5: Said.

897
00:43:58,120 --> 00:43:59,919
Speaker 4: You said, yeah, yeah, I saw that you ain't catch

898
00:43:59,920 --> 00:44:02,840
Speaker 4: it right there, Like you ain't got to bring it

899
00:44:02,920 --> 00:44:03,239
Speaker 4: up right now.

900
00:44:03,239 --> 00:44:05,440
Speaker 3: I know, it's so fuch winning it.

901
00:44:05,600 --> 00:44:08,000
Speaker 1: And like I just remember when I was just young

902
00:44:08,120 --> 00:44:10,400
Speaker 1: and I came down with the screen and roll with

903
00:44:10,480 --> 00:44:13,279
Speaker 1: Tina and and and it was like, oh yeah, it's

904
00:44:13,280 --> 00:44:15,600
Speaker 1: over this. This is the death flow. It's nothing that

905
00:44:15,640 --> 00:44:18,879
Speaker 1: they can do this. There's one there's one post screening roll,

906
00:44:18,880 --> 00:44:21,040
Speaker 1: there's two. There's two poor screen and roll. It's over

907
00:44:21,080 --> 00:44:21,879
Speaker 1: with and she.

908
00:44:21,920 --> 00:44:22,640
Speaker 5: Hit the shot.

909
00:44:22,880 --> 00:44:26,799
Speaker 1: How did you feel when she hit the shot? And yeah,

910
00:44:26,840 --> 00:44:28,120
Speaker 1: I thought it was actually over.

911
00:44:29,520 --> 00:44:35,279
Speaker 2: So you should have heard the silence in that building. Man,

912
00:44:36,360 --> 00:44:40,040
Speaker 2: that silence was so loud. So I was actually under

913
00:44:40,080 --> 00:44:43,680
Speaker 2: the basket, under the their basket. So I saw the

914
00:44:43,719 --> 00:44:46,279
Speaker 2: ball coming and I'm like, that looks like it's good.

915
00:44:49,719 --> 00:44:52,759
Speaker 2: You know, you guys are ball you know when that

916
00:44:52,800 --> 00:44:57,960
Speaker 2: ball is tod me like, that looks like that, I think, so,

917
00:44:58,320 --> 00:45:02,080
Speaker 2: you know me ever, the op stimistic. I'm so optimistic, right,

918
00:45:02,640 --> 00:45:05,160
Speaker 2: So I'm walking, I get the half court. I see

919
00:45:05,160 --> 00:45:07,840
Speaker 2: the officials are lined up at the at half court.

920
00:45:08,280 --> 00:45:11,920
Speaker 2: So I'm over there. I'm like, this is my last chance, right,

921
00:45:11,960 --> 00:45:15,879
Speaker 2: I say, does that count? They said yeah. I said,

922
00:45:15,880 --> 00:45:21,200
Speaker 2: I'll see y'all tomorrow. What you're gonna do? You know

923
00:45:21,239 --> 00:45:25,239
Speaker 2: they over there celebrating, you know, the fans are all shocked.

924
00:45:25,680 --> 00:45:27,640
Speaker 2: I'm like, look, first of all, I was only like

925
00:45:27,719 --> 00:45:30,279
Speaker 2: one or two for ten that game. I'm like, all right,

926
00:45:30,520 --> 00:45:33,440
Speaker 2: give me another opportunity. I see y'all tomorrow.

927
00:45:34,360 --> 00:45:36,400
Speaker 3: Okay, that's okay.

928
00:45:36,960 --> 00:45:38,920
Speaker 2: I mean I can't do nothing now, as a matter

929
00:45:38,960 --> 00:45:41,000
Speaker 2: of fact, what we could do? You know, we went

930
00:45:41,040 --> 00:45:42,640
Speaker 2: to New York. We won the first game, which is

931
00:45:42,640 --> 00:45:45,719
Speaker 2: why that wasn't a championship shot, right because if we

932
00:45:45,760 --> 00:45:47,239
Speaker 2: had lost to New York, that would have been a

933
00:45:47,320 --> 00:45:50,680
Speaker 2: championship shot. Yeah, it was just a game winning shot. Holler, lou.

934
00:45:50,840 --> 00:45:55,319
Speaker 2: Cand of get away. The championship was the next day.

935
00:45:55,480 --> 00:45:58,600
Speaker 1: Oh kind of get away the way the party plans

936
00:45:58,600 --> 00:45:59,160
Speaker 1: a little longer.

937
00:45:59,239 --> 00:46:01,440
Speaker 2: That's all party, but we just have to skip the

938
00:46:01,440 --> 00:46:05,359
Speaker 2: party for that night. It's all good. No, Look, I

939
00:46:05,440 --> 00:46:07,680
Speaker 2: was I was shocked. I was shocked. You know, they

940
00:46:07,719 --> 00:46:12,080
Speaker 2: were celebrating. I'm like, not on our court, y'all laid out?

941
00:46:13,360 --> 00:46:16,120
Speaker 2: I asked, man, I asked those reps. I was like, man,

942
00:46:16,920 --> 00:46:19,760
Speaker 2: that was good. Like that, like I said, yall tomorrow.

943
00:46:19,760 --> 00:46:25,000
Speaker 1: Man, you retired in two thousand and you pursued coaching.

944
00:46:25,200 --> 00:46:29,160
Speaker 1: You start coaching for the Phoenix Mercury. Like, how was that,

945
00:46:29,280 --> 00:46:32,200
Speaker 1: Like what made you decide that you wanted to be

946
00:46:32,239 --> 00:46:35,560
Speaker 1: a coach, because like, you gotta you aggressive, and.

947
00:46:37,280 --> 00:46:38,560
Speaker 5: You gotta work hard.

948
00:46:38,360 --> 00:46:41,879
Speaker 1: And just hearing your story and so we to transitioning

949
00:46:41,960 --> 00:46:44,799
Speaker 1: that I think my editor to They asked me, do

950
00:46:44,880 --> 00:46:46,600
Speaker 1: I want to coach? And I think my age, I'm like, man,

951
00:46:46,640 --> 00:46:49,799
Speaker 1: I don't know if I can handle it because I'm

952
00:46:49,840 --> 00:46:50,760
Speaker 1: a little bit aggressive.

953
00:46:50,760 --> 00:46:53,239
Speaker 3: But how it was was it for you to experience that?

954
00:46:53,320 --> 00:46:58,000
Speaker 2: And I love coaching, and I love teaching and I

955
00:46:58,040 --> 00:47:02,440
Speaker 2: love motivating, So I thought the WNBA was a level

956
00:47:02,480 --> 00:47:05,200
Speaker 2: that I wanted to coach on. And I didn't really

957
00:47:05,280 --> 00:47:08,520
Speaker 2: care for it that much because you know, the biggest

958
00:47:08,560 --> 00:47:12,719
Speaker 2: problem was a lot of those girls, a lot of

959
00:47:12,760 --> 00:47:17,439
Speaker 2: the women sorry that were playing. I had just been

960
00:47:17,680 --> 00:47:22,799
Speaker 2: drilling the year before. Who just wasn't that a man

961
00:47:22,880 --> 00:47:25,960
Speaker 2: of so for you to come to me and act

962
00:47:26,040 --> 00:47:28,239
Speaker 2: like a prima donna when I was blown by you

963
00:47:28,320 --> 00:47:32,359
Speaker 2: and You're still in the gym looking for me, I'm like, uh, yeah,

964
00:47:32,360 --> 00:47:36,640
Speaker 2: I don't really working myself. Yeah, man, yeah, I got

965
00:47:36,640 --> 00:47:38,600
Speaker 2: some chicks stealing on my in and out move. They

966
00:47:38,719 --> 00:47:42,760
Speaker 2: still in there looking anyway. My point being, I wasn't

967
00:47:43,080 --> 00:47:46,879
Speaker 2: It wasn't really my level. But coaching in college is

968
00:47:47,000 --> 00:47:52,040
Speaker 2: amazing because they're more receptive. And I had to remind

969
00:47:52,080 --> 00:47:57,360
Speaker 2: myself that I wasn't Cynthia Cooper when I was eighteen,

970
00:47:58,120 --> 00:48:00,479
Speaker 2: When I was seventeen, when I was learning to play.

971
00:48:00,840 --> 00:48:03,080
Speaker 2: My coach sometimes had to break it down for me

972
00:48:03,160 --> 00:48:06,480
Speaker 2: and have patience, and that allows me to have patience

973
00:48:07,040 --> 00:48:08,480
Speaker 2: with my players that I'm teaching.

974
00:48:08,880 --> 00:48:09,560
Speaker 5: That's what I'm saying.

975
00:48:09,640 --> 00:48:12,440
Speaker 4: Like if you a head coach, it's like, nah, you

976
00:48:12,520 --> 00:48:14,160
Speaker 4: can't really you can't really.

977
00:48:13,960 --> 00:48:15,960
Speaker 5: Try that with with this with this coach.

978
00:48:16,080 --> 00:48:18,359
Speaker 4: And like for me, that's like like when I played

979
00:48:18,400 --> 00:48:21,480
Speaker 4: for Isaiah Thomas in New York, Like whenever we talked

980
00:48:21,600 --> 00:48:24,799
Speaker 4: or he got the saying something about basketball or why

981
00:48:24,840 --> 00:48:26,200
Speaker 4: I should do this or why I should do that,

982
00:48:26,280 --> 00:48:28,080
Speaker 4: I was just you know what I'm saying, Like I

983
00:48:28,080 --> 00:48:30,040
Speaker 4: ain't you know what I'm saying, Like okay, like this

984
00:48:30,239 --> 00:48:31,960
Speaker 4: ze so like that's like you.

985
00:48:31,920 --> 00:48:32,359
Speaker 5: Know what I'm saying.

986
00:48:32,440 --> 00:48:34,319
Speaker 4: Not only is he from Chicago like me, but like

987
00:48:34,360 --> 00:48:36,439
Speaker 4: he's one of the top fifty players ever. Like that's

988
00:48:36,440 --> 00:48:38,960
Speaker 4: for you, Like when you wanted the goats of this,

989
00:48:39,080 --> 00:48:42,080
Speaker 4: so when you speaking on this thing like it should

990
00:48:42,080 --> 00:48:45,239
Speaker 4: be all is I was front listening because not only

991
00:48:45,280 --> 00:48:47,560
Speaker 4: did I do this, I did this at the highest

992
00:48:47,640 --> 00:48:51,360
Speaker 4: level as the like the elite player at that level

993
00:48:51,400 --> 00:48:53,040
Speaker 4: in like four years in a row.

994
00:48:53,160 --> 00:48:54,640
Speaker 5: Not just a loveplot.

995
00:48:54,760 --> 00:48:56,960
Speaker 4: Now, I did this for a long time for the

996
00:48:57,000 --> 00:48:59,400
Speaker 4: whole time I was here, I was me. So you

997
00:48:59,400 --> 00:49:01,600
Speaker 4: know what I'm saying, I'm saying is real. So for

998
00:49:01,640 --> 00:49:04,239
Speaker 4: you to be a coach, a college coach, whatever kind

999
00:49:04,280 --> 00:49:07,080
Speaker 4: of coach, like any player should be able to.

1000
00:49:07,080 --> 00:49:07,719
Speaker 5: Listen to that.

1001
00:49:07,920 --> 00:49:12,359
Speaker 4: I don't care what grade level, male, female, like this

1002
00:49:12,400 --> 00:49:14,239
Speaker 4: is great. It's just talking to you that did this

1003
00:49:14,360 --> 00:49:16,959
Speaker 4: at the highest level could be done. You can learn

1004
00:49:17,000 --> 00:49:17,719
Speaker 4: something well.

1005
00:49:17,920 --> 00:49:20,440
Speaker 2: I appreciate that, you know. I think there are certain

1006
00:49:20,480 --> 00:49:24,440
Speaker 2: things that come into play. One Yeah, they listen, but

1007
00:49:24,480 --> 00:49:27,120
Speaker 2: then they say, oh, but you're since the cooper. I

1008
00:49:27,160 --> 00:49:30,640
Speaker 2: can't do that, and I'm telling you you can't. I'm

1009
00:49:30,680 --> 00:49:34,000
Speaker 2: showing you, I'm demonstrating for you. But not everybody has

1010
00:49:34,000 --> 00:49:36,880
Speaker 2: that level of confidence like you. Like you guys that

1011
00:49:37,480 --> 00:49:39,720
Speaker 2: you see something, you hear something, and then you apply

1012
00:49:39,840 --> 00:49:44,279
Speaker 2: it right. And not everybody has that. I realize that.

1013
00:49:44,360 --> 00:49:46,560
Speaker 2: So I try to reach people where they are. You know.

1014
00:49:46,800 --> 00:49:51,800
Speaker 2: So coaching in WNBA wasn't really my thing. Coaching in college.

1015
00:49:51,880 --> 00:49:55,160
Speaker 2: I love love, love, love love, and I think at

1016
00:49:55,200 --> 00:49:57,600
Speaker 2: the end of the day, what I would love to do,

1017
00:49:58,120 --> 00:50:02,200
Speaker 2: what I'm absolutely made for, is coaching in the NBA.

1018
00:50:02,360 --> 00:50:06,719
Speaker 2: That's what's because they have my mentality they want to

1019
00:50:06,760 --> 00:50:09,719
Speaker 2: be great, they want to learn how to move. And

1020
00:50:09,760 --> 00:50:12,600
Speaker 2: by the way I brought the EU step here, not

1021
00:50:12,680 --> 00:50:13,280
Speaker 2: James Harden.

1022
00:50:13,880 --> 00:50:20,520
Speaker 4: No listen, if nothing else. Look, I just from us

1023
00:50:20,560 --> 00:50:23,000
Speaker 4: sitting here talking to you. I know you can motivate

1024
00:50:23,040 --> 00:50:26,200
Speaker 4: because it's been different times throughout this conversation that I've

1025
00:50:26,200 --> 00:50:28,120
Speaker 4: been ready to go hoop and I ain't hooped it

1026
00:50:28,120 --> 00:50:30,720
Speaker 4: all though long, but just by how you get me hyped,

1027
00:50:30,719 --> 00:50:32,799
Speaker 4: the way you talk, and I've been like, yeah, nah,

1028
00:50:32,920 --> 00:50:35,760
Speaker 4: she can get you going. And for me, I'm all

1029
00:50:35,800 --> 00:50:38,680
Speaker 4: for women coaching because, like I played in the Big

1030
00:50:38,719 --> 00:50:42,959
Speaker 4: Three and Nancy Lieberman was my coach, and obviously she's

1031
00:50:43,000 --> 00:50:45,360
Speaker 4: one of the you know, one of the Hall of

1032
00:50:45,400 --> 00:50:48,040
Speaker 4: Fame women players of all time and stuff like that.

1033
00:50:48,080 --> 00:50:50,560
Speaker 4: But I say that to say because she's a female,

1034
00:50:50,960 --> 00:50:53,360
Speaker 4: and I played for some of the greatest coaches. I

1035
00:50:53,400 --> 00:50:57,759
Speaker 4: played for Larry Brown, stan Van Gundhi, Mike D'Antoni, Eric Spostra,

1036
00:50:58,840 --> 00:51:04,040
Speaker 4: who else, Alvin Gentry, all of these guys, And like coach,

1037
00:51:04,120 --> 00:51:07,520
Speaker 4: evenn was as prepared, she was as vigilant about winning.

1038
00:51:07,600 --> 00:51:09,759
Speaker 4: She wasn't playing. It wasn't a joke to her. She

1039
00:51:09,880 --> 00:51:12,640
Speaker 4: was serious business. She she scouted. We got like this

1040
00:51:12,719 --> 00:51:15,480
Speaker 4: is a Big Three, this ain't a real NBA organization.

1041
00:51:15,560 --> 00:51:18,040
Speaker 4: We were getting scout tapes and films. She was sending

1042
00:51:18,120 --> 00:51:20,640
Speaker 4: us plays to break down and all this stuff. She

1043
00:51:20,960 --> 00:51:23,480
Speaker 4: we won the championship. That we won, and that we

1044
00:51:23,520 --> 00:51:25,319
Speaker 4: won because we took it serious and we were more

1045
00:51:25,360 --> 00:51:27,440
Speaker 4: prepared than any other team. And I know that to

1046
00:51:27,480 --> 00:51:30,360
Speaker 4: a man because we talked to our peers and access

1047
00:51:30,360 --> 00:51:32,360
Speaker 4: and we would be getting like we would be getting

1048
00:51:32,360 --> 00:51:34,200
Speaker 4: on the plane to go back, and this is the

1049
00:51:34,280 --> 00:51:37,160
Speaker 4: morning after. She's sending us stuff either when we land

1050
00:51:37,160 --> 00:51:38,680
Speaker 4: and when we and this is just her. She don't

1051
00:51:38,719 --> 00:51:40,680
Speaker 4: have a staff, she don't have assistance and this and

1052
00:51:40,719 --> 00:51:44,280
Speaker 4: that doing that, Like Nancy was as prepared as anybody.

1053
00:51:44,320 --> 00:51:46,759
Speaker 4: And she proved like I had never even thought about

1054
00:51:46,760 --> 00:51:49,319
Speaker 4: it one way or another. Really, but like experiencing that

1055
00:51:49,400 --> 00:51:51,279
Speaker 4: in the Big Three with her, let me know that

1056
00:51:51,520 --> 00:51:54,520
Speaker 4: it doesn't matter. Anybody can coach anybody. It does like

1057
00:51:54,600 --> 00:51:56,840
Speaker 4: me and coach me and coach women in a WNBA.

1058
00:51:56,880 --> 00:51:59,239
Speaker 4: Why would it be any different? Like if you got

1059
00:51:59,280 --> 00:52:00,520
Speaker 4: a is that correct?

1060
00:52:01,760 --> 00:52:02,520
Speaker 5: Woman? Talk to you?

1061
00:52:04,520 --> 00:52:07,359
Speaker 2: That's right? And I will tell you this. I get

1062
00:52:07,360 --> 00:52:10,279
Speaker 2: the mentality like I get what they want right and

1063
00:52:10,280 --> 00:52:12,880
Speaker 2: and the way I think the way how to get

1064
00:52:12,920 --> 00:52:15,880
Speaker 2: to the rim, I see pathways to the basket, or

1065
00:52:15,880 --> 00:52:17,600
Speaker 2: if you're a shooter, how to get open. I mean,

1066
00:52:17,840 --> 00:52:19,759
Speaker 2: all of those things. I want to teach, and I

1067
00:52:19,880 --> 00:52:22,640
Speaker 2: want to support a head coach, you know, support the

1068
00:52:22,680 --> 00:52:25,759
Speaker 2: head coach shouldn't always have to be the one motivating

1069
00:52:25,800 --> 00:52:28,360
Speaker 2: and teaching these kids and spending time doing that. I

1070
00:52:28,400 --> 00:52:31,040
Speaker 2: should get the kid ready for the head coach. I

1071
00:52:31,040 --> 00:52:33,680
Speaker 2: should get the kid motivated while he's sitting on the bench,

1072
00:52:33,760 --> 00:52:35,880
Speaker 2: so when the coach call on him, he ready, He

1073
00:52:35,960 --> 00:52:39,200
Speaker 2: has the right mentality, he's ready to go. That's my

1074
00:52:39,360 --> 00:52:44,000
Speaker 2: job as an assistant coach. And in practice, we're constantly working.

1075
00:52:44,080 --> 00:52:46,839
Speaker 2: We're constantly working. So when you're called going in the

1076
00:52:46,840 --> 00:52:48,840
Speaker 2: middle of the season, towards the end of the season,

1077
00:52:48,880 --> 00:52:52,480
Speaker 2: after that All Star game, during the playoffs, you ready,

1078
00:52:52,719 --> 00:52:55,120
Speaker 2: you ready to go. And that's what I want to

1079
00:52:55,160 --> 00:52:56,200
Speaker 2: bring to the NBA.

1080
00:52:56,239 --> 00:52:59,080
Speaker 4: There's no disrespect to anybody out there, but there's former

1081
00:52:59,160 --> 00:53:02,960
Speaker 4: players they have those jobs right now that don't possess

1082
00:53:03,000 --> 00:53:05,799
Speaker 4: the passion about it that you have. And I don't

1083
00:53:05,840 --> 00:53:07,920
Speaker 4: feel that they can motivate the way that I feel

1084
00:53:07,960 --> 00:53:11,120
Speaker 4: you could and that's obviously never call any names, but

1085
00:53:11,280 --> 00:53:13,799
Speaker 4: that's just what I've been around it, and I've seen

1086
00:53:13,840 --> 00:53:17,560
Speaker 4: it up close and personal, and not everybody takes that

1087
00:53:17,640 --> 00:53:19,799
Speaker 4: same approach that you just spoke about and with the

1088
00:53:19,840 --> 00:53:20,759
Speaker 4: passion that you have.

1089
00:53:20,880 --> 00:53:21,440
Speaker 5: For it either.

1090
00:53:21,640 --> 00:53:22,880
Speaker 2: Well, I appreciate that.

1091
00:53:22,960 --> 00:53:25,759
Speaker 1: Yeah, I definitely want to see a woman coaching, like

1092
00:53:26,280 --> 00:53:26,800
Speaker 1: it's time.

1093
00:53:27,040 --> 00:53:29,240
Speaker 3: It's definitely time. Everything that's coming.

1094
00:53:29,920 --> 00:53:31,799
Speaker 5: Becky hammon't gonna be a head coach soon.

1095
00:53:33,560 --> 00:53:37,000
Speaker 3: What's better than the goal? You know what I'm saying.

1096
00:53:38,320 --> 00:53:40,280
Speaker 1: I look at you like I look at the Michael

1097
00:53:40,360 --> 00:53:42,960
Speaker 1: Jordan's and everybody else, like you were one of the

1098
00:53:43,000 --> 00:53:46,560
Speaker 1: goats for not just women but men's and everybody else.

1099
00:53:46,719 --> 00:53:49,800
Speaker 5: Like basketball period, basketball period.

1100
00:53:49,800 --> 00:53:52,480
Speaker 4: You can't talk about the history of it without talking

1101
00:53:52,520 --> 00:53:52,800
Speaker 4: about it.

1102
00:53:52,880 --> 00:53:55,520
Speaker 2: I appreciate that. I appreciate that. You know, there was

1103
00:53:55,960 --> 00:53:59,080
Speaker 2: a photo on shoot, was on Instagram and was on

1104
00:53:59,120 --> 00:54:03,960
Speaker 2: Twitter going around with me, Jordans, Kobe and le Bron.

1105
00:54:05,440 --> 00:54:07,640
Speaker 3: I love I love that photo.

1106
00:54:08,360 --> 00:54:11,200
Speaker 2: It's so funny because when I read the comments, everybody

1107
00:54:11,239 --> 00:54:16,080
Speaker 2: was like, who's the chick whirl? Like, what is she

1108
00:54:16,239 --> 00:54:16,640
Speaker 2: doing there?

1109
00:54:18,480 --> 00:54:20,960
Speaker 3: I see they said ghosts? I see that photo. That

1110
00:54:21,000 --> 00:54:23,520
Speaker 3: was a nice photo. To look back on that, that's.

1111
00:54:25,239 --> 00:54:26,120
Speaker 5: How do you feel like?

1112
00:54:26,200 --> 00:54:28,239
Speaker 4: I mean, I know you were, you were there for

1113
00:54:28,320 --> 00:54:30,839
Speaker 4: the beginning, so I mean just to hear the all

1114
00:54:30,920 --> 00:54:33,360
Speaker 4: the new new things put in place for the about

1115
00:54:33,360 --> 00:54:36,000
Speaker 4: a w n b A payscale, rais and the different

1116
00:54:36,120 --> 00:54:39,600
Speaker 4: uh living scenarios, how they get help with their kids

1117
00:54:39,600 --> 00:54:41,279
Speaker 4: and stuff now that was never in place, Like, how

1118
00:54:41,280 --> 00:54:43,759
Speaker 4: do you feel like how far they've cono is still

1119
00:54:43,800 --> 00:54:45,920
Speaker 4: a whole whole lot of work to go, but how

1120
00:54:45,960 --> 00:54:47,839
Speaker 4: do you feel about the progress that's been made on

1121
00:54:47,880 --> 00:54:50,280
Speaker 4: that front? As far as taking care of the women athletes.

1122
00:54:50,960 --> 00:54:52,960
Speaker 2: The fact that the w n b A respects the

1123
00:54:53,000 --> 00:54:56,799
Speaker 2: players enough to incorporate and to continue to grow the

1124
00:54:56,840 --> 00:55:00,440
Speaker 2: payscale and other amenities that they get up to the

1125
00:55:00,480 --> 00:55:04,439
Speaker 2: players and to make their lives better, to make them

1126
00:55:04,560 --> 00:55:07,600
Speaker 2: able to only focus on basketball when they're playing during

1127
00:55:08,000 --> 00:55:11,400
Speaker 2: their season is amazing. The pay scale awesome. I think

1128
00:55:11,440 --> 00:55:13,320
Speaker 2: it's going to continue to get better. I tell people

1129
00:55:13,320 --> 00:55:17,080
Speaker 2: all the time, when you look at the NBA at

1130
00:55:17,120 --> 00:55:20,200
Speaker 2: age twenty five, you know they weren't making the money

1131
00:55:20,200 --> 00:55:22,719
Speaker 2: that the NBA is making right now. So we've got

1132
00:55:22,760 --> 00:55:26,360
Speaker 2: to take things and not necessarily baby steps, but progressive

1133
00:55:26,400 --> 00:55:29,360
Speaker 2: steps and continue to get better and continue to move forward.

1134
00:55:29,480 --> 00:55:32,239
Speaker 2: I think this was a huge step for the w

1135
00:55:32,520 --> 00:55:36,319
Speaker 2: NBA and continuing to grow. We bring the talent to

1136
00:55:36,360 --> 00:55:38,440
Speaker 2: the court, and now let's bring the talent to the

1137
00:55:38,520 --> 00:55:39,399
Speaker 2: checkbook as well.

1138
00:55:39,520 --> 00:55:41,239
Speaker 4: This is what I like to ask you know, we

1139
00:55:41,480 --> 00:55:44,000
Speaker 4: like you said you from Watts, I'm from the South

1140
00:55:44,040 --> 00:55:49,160
Speaker 4: Side Wild Huntings in Chicago. Yeah, we came from much

1141
00:55:49,200 --> 00:55:51,839
Speaker 4: so like when you got was it? You probably had

1142
00:55:51,840 --> 00:55:53,719
Speaker 4: to do it when he was overseas so we first

1143
00:55:53,760 --> 00:55:55,240
Speaker 4: started getting some decent money.

1144
00:55:56,120 --> 00:55:58,359
Speaker 5: What did you do to treat yourself? What did you do?

1145
00:55:58,480 --> 00:56:00,840
Speaker 4: Is you look back on like you wouldn't about that

1146
00:56:00,880 --> 00:56:02,960
Speaker 4: about you know when I got to my adult stage.

1147
00:56:03,000 --> 00:56:04,920
Speaker 4: But I did it back then because I wanted to

1148
00:56:04,920 --> 00:56:05,520
Speaker 4: treat myself.

1149
00:56:05,560 --> 00:56:11,040
Speaker 2: One time, I remember buying this leather so in the

1150
00:56:11,120 --> 00:56:14,240
Speaker 2: insight it was like sheep skin or fur or whatever

1151
00:56:14,280 --> 00:56:17,160
Speaker 2: the heck was in that joint. On the outside it

1152
00:56:17,200 --> 00:56:20,839
Speaker 2: was leather. It was overseas out in Italy. And let

1153
00:56:20,880 --> 00:56:24,600
Speaker 2: me tell y'all, you know, I'm as ghatto as they come, right.

1154
00:56:24,680 --> 00:56:26,960
Speaker 2: So I'm walking through the airport. Its HoTT as hell

1155
00:56:27,000 --> 00:56:31,680
Speaker 2: in the airport. I'm walking through the airport, Like, yo, whatever, man,

1156
00:56:31,840 --> 00:56:34,000
Speaker 2: I messing around. I got the customer like, is that

1157
00:56:34,120 --> 00:56:35,640
Speaker 2: you bought that? In it? Again?

1158
00:56:36,800 --> 00:56:37,000
Speaker 1: It was?

1159
00:56:37,400 --> 00:56:40,000
Speaker 2: I said yeah. He said, well, you didn't write down

1160
00:56:40,000 --> 00:56:46,760
Speaker 2: on your customs you purchased you right, I didn't declare

1161
00:56:46,920 --> 00:56:53,040
Speaker 2: I had to pay taxes on that joint you did? Yeah?

1162
00:56:53,080 --> 00:56:57,759
Speaker 2: It was yeah. Man, this real stuff right here.

1163
00:56:59,600 --> 00:57:03,480
Speaker 1: Not your top five, not your top five female women's players,

1164
00:57:03,520 --> 00:57:08,680
Speaker 1: but your favorite five women's Oh wow, your favorite five

1165
00:57:08,800 --> 00:57:10,439
Speaker 1: the ones that you like to look in and see

1166
00:57:10,440 --> 00:57:12,880
Speaker 1: your watch their careers and see what is before or

1167
00:57:12,880 --> 00:57:13,279
Speaker 1: after you.

1168
00:57:13,760 --> 00:57:16,320
Speaker 2: So so I wish that everyone had a chance to

1169
00:57:16,360 --> 00:57:21,520
Speaker 2: see Cheryl Miller actually play professional basketball because she was phenomenal,

1170
00:57:22,280 --> 00:57:26,800
Speaker 2: so she would be one. I love Maya Moore. I

1171
00:57:26,840 --> 00:57:31,480
Speaker 2: love her. She is a beast and she commanded the court.

1172
00:57:32,200 --> 00:57:35,600
Speaker 2: Diana Tarassi is one of the most fearce competitors and

1173
00:57:35,680 --> 00:57:40,160
Speaker 2: shooters who scores that I've ever seen. And she just

1174
00:57:40,200 --> 00:57:42,720
Speaker 2: has a swag about her. You know, she has a

1175
00:57:42,760 --> 00:57:45,640
Speaker 2: swag that I want. I want her swag. I know

1176
00:57:45,760 --> 00:57:49,200
Speaker 2: I have some swag, right, I want hers too, Right,

1177
00:57:49,320 --> 00:57:53,080
Speaker 2: That's how much I respect her. And there are so

1178
00:57:53,200 --> 00:57:55,720
Speaker 2: many players. I mean, I gotta go with my girls.

1179
00:57:55,760 --> 00:57:59,920
Speaker 2: Tina Thompson, Tina Thompson. So the thing I love about

1180
00:58:00,040 --> 00:58:03,640
Speaker 2: Tina is that she never stayed the same either. Right,

1181
00:58:03,960 --> 00:58:06,320
Speaker 2: she was a three point shooter and back to the basket.

1182
00:58:06,560 --> 00:58:09,120
Speaker 2: Before the end of her career, she had extended her

1183
00:58:09,200 --> 00:58:11,880
Speaker 2: range for three pointers. She was taking you off the dribble,

1184
00:58:12,040 --> 00:58:14,560
Speaker 2: she was facing up on the block, So you can

1185
00:58:14,680 --> 00:58:21,040
Speaker 2: literally play her a right, you know what I'm saying.

1186
00:58:21,080 --> 00:58:24,440
Speaker 2: Like she she was just amazing, you know, and I

1187
00:58:24,200 --> 00:58:26,640
Speaker 2: and I would put Shiryl Swoops in there as well,

1188
00:58:26,760 --> 00:58:30,240
Speaker 2: you know, playing against Schiryl swoops and practicing against Cheryl swoops.

1189
00:58:30,640 --> 00:58:32,800
Speaker 2: The fact that she plays both sides of the ball,

1190
00:58:33,120 --> 00:58:36,880
Speaker 2: cat quickness, knock down a three pointer, and that little

1191
00:58:36,920 --> 00:58:40,280
Speaker 2: spin dribble she does, that spin move off of fast break.

1192
00:58:40,160 --> 00:58:40,920
Speaker 1: Was just in stocking.

1193
00:58:41,800 --> 00:58:45,439
Speaker 3: Who's your favorite five over the years.

1194
00:58:45,800 --> 00:58:49,400
Speaker 2: So love James Harden's game. You know, he's just a

1195
00:58:49,560 --> 00:58:53,880
Speaker 2: bucket waiting to happen. Yeah, he is. I mean the

1196
00:58:53,960 --> 00:58:56,520
Speaker 2: fact that he's a lefty helps him, you know, throw

1197
00:58:56,600 --> 00:58:59,320
Speaker 2: defenders off off balance. But I'm gonna tell you the

1198
00:58:59,360 --> 00:59:02,480
Speaker 2: way he knows that three pointers are ridiculous. I love

1199
00:59:02,520 --> 00:59:05,920
Speaker 2: Steph Curry. You know, the fact that with his size,

1200
00:59:06,560 --> 00:59:10,200
Speaker 2: he really has maximized, you know, his ability out there

1201
00:59:10,240 --> 00:59:15,520
Speaker 2: on the court to score in so many different ways. Anthony.

1202
00:59:15,880 --> 00:59:19,840
Speaker 2: You know, when you look at the whole combination of

1203
00:59:21,120 --> 00:59:25,720
Speaker 2: James and Anthony, I love that dynamic duel because they

1204
00:59:25,760 --> 00:59:27,760
Speaker 2: really play off of each other and they remind me

1205
00:59:27,880 --> 00:59:31,320
Speaker 2: of me and Tina Thompson for example, and you know

1206
00:59:31,360 --> 00:59:34,920
Speaker 2: the flexibility you know to knock down the open three

1207
00:59:35,120 --> 00:59:38,680
Speaker 2: that Tina has Anthony has, you know, and then Lebron

1208
00:59:38,720 --> 00:59:40,760
Speaker 2: get into the rim. I'm more of a slasher than

1209
00:59:40,800 --> 00:59:43,600
Speaker 2: I am a shooter, so you know, I love to

1210
00:59:43,640 --> 00:59:46,760
Speaker 2: see Brian, Brian get to that Ren and showing what's

1211
00:59:46,800 --> 00:59:50,440
Speaker 2: really going on finishing around that Ren. Kawhi Is is

1212
00:59:50,480 --> 00:59:53,760
Speaker 2: also a favorite of mine because the mid range game

1213
00:59:53,920 --> 00:59:58,520
Speaker 2: is an under us utilized tool. You know. So I

1214
00:59:58,520 --> 01:00:02,200
Speaker 2: could go, you know, throughout the NBA and just named players,

1215
01:00:02,200 --> 01:00:06,760
Speaker 2: but you know it's the NBA has transformed as well

1216
01:00:07,240 --> 01:00:13,120
Speaker 2: from just a you know, true position players. You know,

1217
01:00:13,240 --> 01:00:15,200
Speaker 2: the point guard is only the point guard, the wing

1218
01:00:15,280 --> 01:00:16,920
Speaker 2: is only the wing, and two and three are the

1219
01:00:16,960 --> 01:00:21,440
Speaker 2: same and you know, two more dynamic post players who

1220
01:00:21,440 --> 01:00:23,479
Speaker 2: can take you off the dribble and shoot the three,

1221
01:00:23,600 --> 01:00:27,320
Speaker 2: and they could just attack you in so many different ways.

1222
01:00:27,360 --> 01:00:29,840
Speaker 2: So I love it. Shoot, I love watching it. I

1223
01:00:29,920 --> 01:00:32,840
Speaker 2: love seeing what I'm going to see new, Like you

1224
01:00:32,880 --> 01:00:35,920
Speaker 2: know what's going to happen that shakes my head today?

1225
01:00:36,280 --> 01:00:36,480
Speaker 4: Right?

1226
01:00:36,560 --> 01:00:37,560
Speaker 2: You know what they're gonna do?

1227
01:00:38,760 --> 01:00:41,200
Speaker 5: Tell me this, how do you feel like in April?

1228
01:00:41,360 --> 01:00:41,760
Speaker 5: What is it?

1229
01:00:41,800 --> 01:00:44,560
Speaker 4: April twenty fourth of twenty twenty one is going to

1230
01:00:44,600 --> 01:00:47,479
Speaker 4: be the w NBA's twenty fifth anniversary, Like.

1231
01:00:47,640 --> 01:00:49,760
Speaker 5: How do you feel about seeing it get here? Even

1232
01:00:49,840 --> 01:00:51,600
Speaker 5: you being in the in our group season and the

1233
01:00:51,680 --> 01:00:54,200
Speaker 5: first champion of it. Now it's twenty five years later.

1234
01:00:54,440 --> 01:00:57,880
Speaker 2: Yeah, One, it dates me, and two I will tell

1235
01:00:57,920 --> 01:01:02,200
Speaker 2: you that it feels great. I didn't know that the

1236
01:01:02,280 --> 01:01:05,800
Speaker 2: WNBA would make it because you if you remember, there

1237
01:01:05,880 --> 01:01:10,240
Speaker 2: was a time where some NBA teams moved away from

1238
01:01:10,240 --> 01:01:14,520
Speaker 2: some of the WNBA franchises and like the comments, the

1239
01:01:14,560 --> 01:01:17,920
Speaker 2: comments no longer exist, and so they have some turbulent

1240
01:01:18,080 --> 01:01:21,360
Speaker 2: some turbulent waters to and and situations to overcome. So

1241
01:01:21,440 --> 01:01:23,200
Speaker 2: I didn't know that we would see the w NBA

1242
01:01:23,720 --> 01:01:26,760
Speaker 2: in twenty five years. So the fact that we've made

1243
01:01:26,800 --> 01:01:30,840
Speaker 2: it this far is the w is amazing. And you

1244
01:01:30,880 --> 01:01:33,720
Speaker 2: can you know that the w is amazing because of

1245
01:01:33,800 --> 01:01:36,640
Speaker 2: the level of talent that you see out there every

1246
01:01:36,680 --> 01:01:39,720
Speaker 2: single year, and every single year somebody is op So

1247
01:01:39,720 --> 01:01:43,680
Speaker 2: it wasn't like us like we owned the WNBA and

1248
01:01:43,720 --> 01:01:47,080
Speaker 2: then I retired, had did somebody else a chance to

1249
01:01:47,080 --> 01:01:52,000
Speaker 2: win a championship. I'm just going that out there. I'm kidding.

1250
01:01:52,280 --> 01:01:55,360
Speaker 2: I just I love the talent, I love the enthusiasm,

1251
01:01:55,760 --> 01:01:59,800
Speaker 2: I love the activism. I love that that they have

1252
01:02:00,160 --> 01:02:03,440
Speaker 2: voice and they use their voice and then they go

1253
01:02:03,520 --> 01:02:06,480
Speaker 2: out on a court and perform. I'm all about performing

1254
01:02:06,800 --> 01:02:10,040
Speaker 2: because we need to win fan support. We need to

1255
01:02:10,120 --> 01:02:13,200
Speaker 2: continue to prove that we deserve to have a professional

1256
01:02:13,320 --> 01:02:16,600
Speaker 2: league in America. And you do that by showing up

1257
01:02:16,640 --> 01:02:18,280
Speaker 2: and showing out every day.

1258
01:02:18,800 --> 01:02:22,040
Speaker 4: You got inducted into the to the Women's Basketball Hall

1259
01:02:22,080 --> 01:02:24,800
Speaker 4: of Fame in two thousand and nine, right, and that's

1260
01:02:24,840 --> 01:02:28,640
Speaker 4: an amazing a collegement. But then to get inducted into

1261
01:02:28,680 --> 01:02:32,440
Speaker 4: the nation myth and become the first WNBA player to

1262
01:02:32,480 --> 01:02:36,400
Speaker 4: ever do it. How mind blowing and how crazy was

1263
01:02:36,440 --> 01:02:38,520
Speaker 4: that for that to happen back to back years?

1264
01:02:38,960 --> 01:02:45,040
Speaker 2: No, it was I was I was just in awe.

1265
01:02:45,720 --> 01:02:50,400
Speaker 2: It was such an incredible honor for me and here's why. Right,

1266
01:02:50,440 --> 01:02:54,360
Speaker 2: the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame was great because I

1267
01:02:54,560 --> 01:02:56,920
Speaker 2: lived to make my mark and to leave my mark

1268
01:02:56,960 --> 01:03:00,840
Speaker 2: on women's basketball, and so it was all my family

1269
01:03:00,960 --> 01:03:02,600
Speaker 2: was there. They got a chance. You know, my kids

1270
01:03:02,600 --> 01:03:04,560
Speaker 2: were really young, so they got a chance to see

1271
01:03:04,840 --> 01:03:07,280
Speaker 2: you know what mommy was all about them and everyone,

1272
01:03:07,560 --> 01:03:10,320
Speaker 2: you know, kind of party and rally around mommy. Right,

1273
01:03:10,880 --> 01:03:15,440
Speaker 2: the Nysmith Memorial Hall of Fame was on another level,

1274
01:03:15,480 --> 01:03:23,000
Speaker 2: in another realm for me because now I'm among the

1275
01:03:23,160 --> 01:03:27,680
Speaker 2: greatest basketball players in the history of the game. And

1276
01:03:27,800 --> 01:03:30,600
Speaker 2: I will tell you that I didn't think I would

1277
01:03:30,600 --> 01:03:33,439
Speaker 2: make it. And the reason I didn't think I would

1278
01:03:33,520 --> 01:03:37,439
Speaker 2: make it is because the United States of America only

1279
01:03:37,440 --> 01:03:40,040
Speaker 2: got a chance to see me for four years. They're

1280
01:03:40,040 --> 01:03:42,720
Speaker 2: really only just touched. And once again, I was at

1281
01:03:42,800 --> 01:03:45,680
Speaker 2: thirty four year old rookie. Can you imagine me at

1282
01:03:45,720 --> 01:03:49,640
Speaker 2: twenty seven right in the WNBA, Like, come on.

1283
01:03:49,600 --> 01:03:51,760
Speaker 4: Man, That's why I said from the beginning, the four

1284
01:03:52,320 --> 01:03:54,439
Speaker 4: was crazy that you did it from thirty four.

1285
01:03:55,920 --> 01:03:59,640
Speaker 2: So I'm like, I didn't think that I had done it.

1286
01:03:59,680 --> 01:04:02,160
Speaker 2: I didn't. No, let me say this, I didn't know

1287
01:04:02,240 --> 01:04:04,640
Speaker 2: that I had done enough and made a big enough

1288
01:04:04,680 --> 01:04:09,240
Speaker 2: impression to be inducted into the Naysmith Memorial Hall of Fame.

1289
01:04:09,480 --> 01:04:12,600
Speaker 2: But let me tell you, you don't dream of being

1290
01:04:12,600 --> 01:04:15,439
Speaker 2: a Hall of Famer because it's too big, it's too much,

1291
01:04:16,480 --> 01:04:19,240
Speaker 2: it's too much. It overwhelms you. Right. But when you

1292
01:04:19,280 --> 01:04:23,440
Speaker 2: get the call, you're talking about everything being worth it

1293
01:04:23,520 --> 01:04:27,400
Speaker 2: and leaving a legacy and all of the sacrifices, all

1294
01:04:27,440 --> 01:04:32,080
Speaker 2: of the practices and sprints and go play and guys

1295
01:04:32,080 --> 01:04:35,360
Speaker 2: telling me I couldn't play and then they allowing me

1296
01:04:35,400 --> 01:04:37,880
Speaker 2: to play this, the girls telling me this or that,

1297
01:04:38,560 --> 01:04:43,200
Speaker 2: and you overcome all of that. A kid from wats

1298
01:04:45,000 --> 01:04:48,919
Speaker 2: Lock High School is in the Nasmith Memorial Hall of Fame.

1299
01:04:50,280 --> 01:04:50,919
Speaker 2: Come on, man.

1300
01:04:51,320 --> 01:04:54,200
Speaker 4: And the end, you got the asterist value because you're

1301
01:04:54,200 --> 01:04:56,480
Speaker 4: the first of somebody to ever do this. You the

1302
01:04:56,520 --> 01:04:59,240
Speaker 4: first w NBA player to ever do so. It's a

1303
01:04:59,240 --> 01:05:01,920
Speaker 4: little most pat because, like you said, that first championship,

1304
01:05:01,920 --> 01:05:03,440
Speaker 4: it could only be with have won first.

1305
01:05:03,800 --> 01:05:07,240
Speaker 2: That's it, Like we won the first championship of the

1306
01:05:07,280 --> 01:05:09,720
Speaker 2: new millennium. I'm gonna just throw that out there. Two thousand.

1307
01:05:09,720 --> 01:05:12,880
Speaker 5: There you go, There you go. That's a lot of

1308
01:05:12,960 --> 01:05:15,280
Speaker 5: first there, that's a whole lot of whole lot of now.

1309
01:05:16,200 --> 01:05:19,880
Speaker 2: So I was I felt, I felt just it was

1310
01:05:20,000 --> 01:05:24,280
Speaker 2: super special. I was so honored to represent the WNBA

1311
01:05:24,440 --> 01:05:27,600
Speaker 2: for the first time in NA Memorial Hall of Fame.

1312
01:05:27,920 --> 01:05:29,480
Speaker 2: I didn't think I wouldn't make it, but I was

1313
01:05:29,520 --> 01:05:31,760
Speaker 2: overjoyed that I did. You to go now can it?

1314
01:05:31,880 --> 01:05:34,640
Speaker 2: Since it get a video game, don't you? Can? We

1315
01:05:34,640 --> 01:05:37,360
Speaker 2: get a number fourteen comments? You know?

1316
01:05:37,960 --> 01:05:41,920
Speaker 4: He Ronnie two K NBA Live. We need Cynthia. We

1317
01:05:41,960 --> 01:05:44,439
Speaker 4: need CC in the game. Man, we need in the game.

1318
01:05:44,480 --> 01:05:45,040
Speaker 5: This is great.

1319
01:05:45,120 --> 01:05:47,919
Speaker 4: Let's get up my team card or something. They got

1320
01:05:47,920 --> 01:05:49,880
Speaker 4: the new stuff. Now they got the new stuff. Now

1321
01:05:49,920 --> 01:05:52,200
Speaker 4: cec where they you could be You could play with

1322
01:05:52,680 --> 01:05:56,040
Speaker 4: Bill Russell and Derrick Rose on the same team. Now

1323
01:05:56,040 --> 01:05:57,840
Speaker 4: they gotta get you in there where they could you know,

1324
01:05:58,080 --> 01:06:00,360
Speaker 4: just look, switch, swap it out, come on right, two K,

1325
01:06:00,760 --> 01:06:02,280
Speaker 4: get cracked, Get it cracked.

1326
01:06:04,880 --> 01:06:05,280
Speaker 5: All right?

1327
01:06:05,320 --> 01:06:09,600
Speaker 4: Man, this has been unbelievable. We appreciate you gracing us

1328
01:06:09,640 --> 01:06:13,280
Speaker 4: with your presence. This is greatness in the building. One

1329
01:06:13,280 --> 01:06:17,000
Speaker 4: of the all time great regardless of male female. This

1330
01:06:17,120 --> 01:06:19,560
Speaker 4: is one of the goats of the hoop gang. We

1331
01:06:19,720 --> 01:06:24,080
Speaker 4: got Cynthy raised the roof in the building. Cooper. We

1332
01:06:24,240 --> 01:06:28,560
Speaker 4: appreciate it. Yeah, we look ahead. We appreciate you. Thank

1333
01:06:28,600 --> 01:06:32,400
Speaker 4: you so much. CC, we appreciate it here.

1334
01:06:32,400 --> 01:06:33,240
Speaker 2: Thanks for having me.

1335
01:06:54,440 --> 01:06:59,080
Speaker 1: The Players Tribute dot Com