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Speaker 1: Levels to This is an iHeart women's sports production in

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Speaker 1: partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment.

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Speaker 2: You can find us on the iHeartRadio.

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Speaker 1: App, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Speaker 3: What's going on Everybody, It's Your Girl? To Rica Foster Brasby,

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Speaker 3: what's up, y'all?

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Speaker 4: Is your girl?

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Speaker 3: Cheryl swoops And this is a levels to this. This

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Speaker 3: is the show where we talk about all the shit

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Speaker 3: that women go through. And we have a very fun

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Speaker 3: guest line up for us today. Who's going to join

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Speaker 3: us a little bit later to talk some basketball and

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Speaker 3: some hoops. But before we get there, surel did you

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Speaker 3: watch the Super Bowl?

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Speaker 4: Did I wait? Wait, wait, no, I watch bad buddy?

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Speaker 2: Oh you watched the benou Well?

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Speaker 4: Yeah, because the game itself was not it You.

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Speaker 3: Didn't enjoy the game. I thought the game was amazing.

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Speaker 1: Really yeah, I was expecting more, I guess, I don't know,

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Speaker 1: but like.

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Speaker 2: It was amazing.

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Speaker 1: It was because I was I was happy that the

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Speaker 1: Seahawks won. Not a anyway, not a Patriots fan per se,

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Speaker 1: But like you don't even you don't even score to

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Speaker 1: the fourth quarter?

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Speaker 3: Girl, No, the game itself was trash, but the fact

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Speaker 3: that the Patriots lost.

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Speaker 2: My my football season has been made.

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Speaker 1: Good job, but I can say this bad Bunny was

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Speaker 1: a bad boy.

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Speaker 3: Oh my god, wasn't it that did not understand a work,

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Speaker 3: didn't understand the work.

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Speaker 2: But girl, I was in that thing.

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Speaker 4: You hear me.

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Speaker 2: I was in that thing, like, oh my god, I.

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Speaker 1: Think everything about the perform the message, the everything. Of course,

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Speaker 1: somebody people are posting. We had to explain to them

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Speaker 1: last year what Kendrick LeVar will say.

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Speaker 2: And he was speaking English.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, so we got we got to explain to them

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Speaker 1: what bad Buddy was saying.

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Speaker 4: Yeah. Man, he hit, he touched on everything. You hear me. Everything.

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Speaker 3: There was the symbolism, the cultural impact. I said a

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Speaker 3: few times yesterday to a few people that he was

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Speaker 3: to Latinos in Latin America yesterday what Kendrick was for

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Speaker 3: us in twenty twenty five, like it just put the

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Speaker 3: culture on baby. We put seasoning up in the Super

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Speaker 3: Bowl the last couple of years. Okay, yeah, last last

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Speaker 3: year we put the Lorries and this year they had

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Speaker 3: the Adobo.

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Speaker 2: Okay, but honey, it was going now, Okay, it was well.

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Speaker 3: Seasons the cameo Ricky Martin and Lady Got Lady Got out.

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Speaker 3: Loved it. I loved it. The saucer version was so good.

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Speaker 3: There was symbolism and the light poles was that anybody's

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Speaker 3: familiar with Puerto Rico knows about the energy crisis and

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Speaker 3: the way that they are tripping on the power outages.

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Speaker 2: So I loved that.

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Speaker 3: I love seeing the like I seitough the whole that

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Speaker 3: was the bomb.

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Speaker 2: So nn, you got CARDI be back there, Yeah, Jessica,

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Speaker 2: after page.

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Speaker 1: Handed uh when he handed Lim Lim, the little five

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Speaker 1: year old boy from Minneapolis.

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Speaker 3: Is that is that a really him? Because I've seen

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Speaker 3: some people saying.

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Speaker 4: That that's really him.

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Speaker 1: I saw some other people say that what I've seen

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Speaker 1: says it. Well listen, if it was, I love it

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Speaker 1: even more. And even if it wasn't, I'm like, it

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Speaker 1: was just an amazing moment. It was so amazing.

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Speaker 3: And the flex, the flex of the evening, the flex

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Speaker 3: of the evening, is that that couple that got married

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Speaker 3: got married for real, for real.

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Speaker 4: I'm like, okay, that bunny, Like.

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Speaker 1: My gosh, the production of the halftime show was so good.

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Speaker 4: Off the charts, it was off the charts.

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Speaker 2: You know what sucked me up?

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Speaker 4: Cheryl but what because I was about to say something too, what.

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Speaker 3: That the bushes, the sugarcane bushes was real people?

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Speaker 2: I did not know that.

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Speaker 3: Huh it was people like there were I thought the

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Speaker 3: sugarcane bush.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I thought it was. It was pete.

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Speaker 3: Somebody got a video of them coming on and then

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Speaker 3: a video of them leaving the field when the show

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Speaker 3: was over.

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Speaker 2: It was people.

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Speaker 1: Okay, yeah, I love the production without knowing that, and

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Speaker 1: I really love it. So I got a question for you.

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Speaker 1: And this can't, this cannot just be a black thing.

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Speaker 1: But I got a question for her because I do

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Speaker 1: this all the time.

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Speaker 5: Now my Spanish, I understand Spanish better than I speak it, right,

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Speaker 5: but I can speak a little bit, a littit just

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Speaker 5: a little bit.

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Speaker 6: M h.

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Speaker 2: I don't know a single bad bunny song. I don't know.

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Speaker 2: But why but listen, but why was I.

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Speaker 1: Up dancing girl and he singing in Spanish and I'm

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Speaker 1: up here talking about trying to pretend like I know

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Speaker 1: the words and I ain't know my husband, my baby

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Speaker 1: here to.

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Speaker 2: My baby, you know this song?

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Speaker 4: I said, nope, But I'm showing about to pretend like

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Speaker 4: I do.

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Speaker 2: Girl my Spanish, I was I have screamed.

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Speaker 3: Okay, So to be fair, I do have I love that,

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Speaker 3: I do have some bad I have. I have Bad

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Speaker 3: Bunny downloaded to my my Apple Music. So although I

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Speaker 3: am not well like I am not fluent in Spanish,

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Speaker 3: I knew enough and I knew the songs. I knew

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Speaker 3: the album, so I knew the song. So I might

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Speaker 3: have like my one little line and my one little part.

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Speaker 3: There might have been like three songs that I didn't

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Speaker 3: know at all. But for the most part, and here's

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Speaker 3: the thing too, we have we have the natural gift

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Speaker 3: of rhythm.

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Speaker 2: So we hear a song, we hear a song. I

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Speaker 2: even got nice there.

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Speaker 6: That's what we do.

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Speaker 3: So that money told up. So yes, I was very

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Speaker 3: excited about that. I love to have time show that

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Speaker 3: I saw last night, it had one and one hundred

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Speaker 3: and twenty seven million viewers compared to the five million

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Speaker 3: that whatever.

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Speaker 2: The other the other show. But you know, it is

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Speaker 2: what it is, you know worldwide.

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Speaker 3: I will close by saying I thought it was so

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Speaker 3: good that at the end of the show he said

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Speaker 3: God bless America and then can sit and then went

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Speaker 3: to list all of the Latin American countries across North

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Speaker 3: and South America, because America, that America is more than

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Speaker 3: just the United States. America consists of two continents. And

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Speaker 3: so I love every bit of that, every date.

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Speaker 2: Of that he did. He did that it.

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Speaker 3: Was it was a global performance and it actually ties

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Speaker 3: perfectly into what we're going to be discussing today because

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Speaker 3: our guess is helping to create a global basketball league.

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Speaker 3: And so today we are going to have the one

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Speaker 3: and only Elena Beard joining us to talk about projecting

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Speaker 3: some other some other just dope things about women in basketball.

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Speaker 3: And I can't wait to get into that conversation. So

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Speaker 3: without further ado, let's just take it to the next level. Well,

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Speaker 3: we are incredibly excited about the guests that we are

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Speaker 3: having on today's show. I don't even know where to

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Speaker 3: begin when it comes to describing and introducing the incredible player, businesswoman, mother,

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Speaker 3: just everything. I'm all wrapped up into one Duke's finest

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Speaker 3: for sure, multi time WNBA All Star, I mean twenty

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Speaker 3: two thousand and five, two thousand and six, two thousand

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Speaker 3: and seven, two thousand and nine, twenty sixteen, that's because

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Speaker 3: I mean, my goodness, please, welcome to the show, Elena Beard.

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Speaker 2: Good to see you.

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Speaker 6: No, it's good to see you again, Cheryl. Always good

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Speaker 6: to see you. You're my idol. Upset it to you

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Speaker 6: many times, but it's good to be on the show.

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Speaker 2: Right back at you.

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Speaker 4: Listen.

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Speaker 1: You know, Okay, what what show was it with Earth

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Speaker 1: the Kit where she says you shouldn't have to toot

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Speaker 1: your own horn? Y'all don't know.

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Speaker 2: You're dating?

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Speaker 6: Yes, I don't think that's somebody.

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Speaker 1: Knows somebody y'all. Listeners will know and I'll figure it out.

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Speaker 1: But I brought that up because Earth the Kit says too.

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Speaker 1: I don't know if it was Eddie Murphy somebody. She

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Speaker 1: says you shouldn't have to toot your own horn, doesn't

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Speaker 1: isn't it Earth the Kit? Anyway, I'm saying that because

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Speaker 1: a B you ain't got to toot your own horn

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Speaker 1: on this show, because we're gonna toot it for you, period.

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Speaker 2: Because the young guns out there they.

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Speaker 1: Need to know history, and you are a huge part

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Speaker 1: heart of our basketball history. So we are so super

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Speaker 1: excited to have you on the show today.

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Speaker 6: No, I'm excited about it as well. Thank you for

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Speaker 6: having me.

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Speaker 3: All right now, listen, this is between me and you.

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Speaker 3: I've been trying to give somebody to get me some

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Speaker 3: dirt on Cheryl for over a year now.

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Speaker 2: I can never.

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Speaker 1: Find anybody who I've been trying to get some dirt

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Speaker 1: on Cheryl for over a year and nobody has none

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Speaker 1: anything is so I am given the floor to you.

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Speaker 1: You played against her, there has to be something.

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Speaker 3: Was there a moment was there she? I know she

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Speaker 3: been talking crap on the court. It's got to be

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Speaker 3: something like.

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Speaker 6: You know what, I can't. I can't say that I

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Speaker 6: have any owner right and quite in all honesty, like, yes,

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Speaker 6: I played against Cheryl when I first came into the league.

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Speaker 2: But I met Cheryl for the first time.

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Speaker 6: Maybe four o'clis years ago. I think we're in Vegas, Cheryl, Yes,

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Speaker 6: and yeah, like meeting you for the first time, having

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Speaker 6: not bet you, just to sit down and just really

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Speaker 6: talk to you. And I think that was the moment

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Speaker 6: where I was like, man, Cheryl, you were my idol.

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Speaker 6: I remember when we leave first started, right it was

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Speaker 6: nineteen ninety six. I'm sitting in front of the TV,

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Speaker 6: and I remember telling my parents that I felt like

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Speaker 6: I was in jail for another eight years because I

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Speaker 6: wanted to be where you guys were at that time,

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Speaker 6: the Houston comments and that that triple threat that you

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Speaker 6: guys had, and it was I would VHS video right

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Speaker 6: the games.

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Speaker 2: I watched over and over and over again, and I know.

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Speaker 6: I'm dating myself, you're dating guys.

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Speaker 2: But then I would go, h yes, ma'am.

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Speaker 6: On the dirt court in Louisiana and just practice practice

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Speaker 6: the moves right that I that I saw from Cheryl,

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Speaker 6: that I saw from Coop. So I'm sorry, I don't

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Speaker 6: have any dirt on it.

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Speaker 2: Don't be sorry.

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Speaker 4: He is a hater, she really is.

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Speaker 2: She's a lot.

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Speaker 3: I've been trying for over a year and no one

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Speaker 3: and in my head I just keep saying, like, there's

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Speaker 3: no way Cheryl was this perfect, there's no way nice

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Speaker 3: to everyone, There's no way we're gonna AB.

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Speaker 1: But here's what I'll say before we get into you know,

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Speaker 1: this interview, because I'm super excited about it because A

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Speaker 1: B is doing all the damn things right now. You know,

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Speaker 1: it makes me feel good to hear that from anybody,

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Speaker 1: from any player, but especially somebody.

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Speaker 2: Who like AB.

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Speaker 1: I watched to play at Duke obviously in the career

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Speaker 1: she had there and always appreciated just how hard. She competed.

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Speaker 1: It didn't matter who they were playing, it didn't matter

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Speaker 1: who she was guarded.

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Speaker 4: She was a competitor.

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Speaker 1: And people actually ask me this, like about the W

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Speaker 1: when you talk about toughest players to guard, toughest players

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Speaker 1: to go against. AB to me, like people talk about

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Speaker 1: Timika Catching's right rightfully so being a hell of a defender,

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Speaker 1: a hell of a two way player.

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Speaker 4: But I'm saying this.

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Speaker 1: To a b on this show. I think people really

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Speaker 1: truly underestimated who she was like as a player, and

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Speaker 1: not just like, yeah, we talk about who she was

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Speaker 1: as a defender, but AB to me also.

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Speaker 2: Was a really really really good two way player.

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Speaker 1: But on the defensive end was a problem a prob.

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Speaker 1: Hear me. There were times when we played and I

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Speaker 1: was like, man, it's so okay. I'll tell you this

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Speaker 1: ain't dirt, but I'll tell you.

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Speaker 2: She annoyed out of me. But I was like, I

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Speaker 2: have to do something.

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Speaker 1: But I was like, ab, go guard, cool, go guard

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Speaker 1: to net go guard somebody else. Why why why you

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Speaker 1: always running over here to me? Because there are just

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Speaker 1: certain players though seriously, there are certain players that you already.

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Speaker 4: Know they're going to defend you.

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Speaker 1: And you know what they're gonna do, but they find

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Speaker 1: a way to get under your skin. And AB was

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Speaker 1: that she was that player. But I absolutely loved and

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Speaker 1: enjoyed competing against her because I knew she was gonna

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Speaker 1: make me better.

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Speaker 6: I appreciate that. I appreciate it. That's what I you know,

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Speaker 6: and quite honest, in all honesty, I had. That's what

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Speaker 6: I had to hang my hat on.

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Speaker 3: Right.

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Speaker 6: I was injured. People know the story, right. I was

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Speaker 6: injured in twenty ten and had a ten percent chance

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Speaker 6: for returning to an elite level. And before I went out,

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Speaker 6: I was capable of matching the bets right offensively, defensively,

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Speaker 6: what have you. And then I knew that when I

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Speaker 6: stepped back onto the court again, I was going to

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Speaker 6: be different. And the sooner I accepted that the quicker

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Speaker 6: I could move on and I knew that I can

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Speaker 6: hang my hat on defense. Right. I had a really, really,

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Speaker 6: really good high school coach who taught me the fundamentals

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Speaker 6: of the game, and there were moments we would walking

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Speaker 6: to the gym. I mean, he pulled from sort of

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Speaker 6: the systems of Pat and Leon Barmore right in terms

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Speaker 6: of how he approached the game. With that type of discipline,

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Speaker 6: and he instilled that and us just really early. And

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Speaker 6: so I knew that when I was coming back from injury.

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Speaker 6: Defense it doesn't take a skill, right, it just takes

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Speaker 6: us work and it's hard all outdoors, and and I

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Speaker 6: knew in commitment, like, but people don't want to do that,

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Speaker 6: And so I knew I had to figure out a

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Speaker 6: way to make myself just invaluable with any locker room,

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Speaker 6: and defense became that thing.

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Speaker 3: So yeah, when you talk about like defending some of

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Speaker 3: the best players in the league, I'm curious to know

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Speaker 3: if it was tougher to do that or to navigate

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Speaker 3: life after basketball, because a lot of players seem to

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Speaker 3: have to figure out what is their purpose right once

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Speaker 3: the once the game is over, and you know, sometimes

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Speaker 3: that's a transition that folks find very challenging.

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Speaker 2: So you know, what was it for you?

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Speaker 3: Maybe was it was it playing the defense or was

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Speaker 3: it figuring out the purpose after basketball?

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Speaker 6: My god, that's a loaded question. I mean I started

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Speaker 6: out playing against obviously Ryl and then you had Deanna

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Speaker 6: Nolan and right like those were the Detroit days that

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Speaker 6: I just I got my welcome to the league moment.

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Speaker 6: Every single time I played against him. So I mean

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Speaker 6: that well was just tough in itself. But then like

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Speaker 6: you fast forward to like the you know, twenty fifteen,

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Speaker 6: twenty sixteen, and you have a great Maya Moore who

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Speaker 6: I respect, you know, more than anyone who's ever stepped

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Speaker 6: onto the floor because of how she approached the game,

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Speaker 6: just from a professional standpoint, and you knew that you

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Speaker 6: couldn't take a playoff, you couldn't take a second off

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Speaker 6: because they were going to dominate in that moment. And

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Speaker 6: the same thing applies to Dana Tarassi. Right, two different

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Speaker 6: players in terms of how you think about them, but

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Speaker 6: they were just two of the most prolific scorers to

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Speaker 6: ever played the game. And so yes, that was hard,

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Speaker 6: but it was also a game within a game, and

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Speaker 6: I absolutely love figuring it out right, and so just

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Speaker 6: set transition to life after the game. I don't want

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Speaker 6: to say it was easy, because everything is an adjustment,

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Speaker 6: but I think it was that fear of not of

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Speaker 6: that fear of potentially not knowing what I wanted to

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Speaker 6: do that drove me to figure out what I wanted

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Speaker 6: to do after the game. And it was always business focus,

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Speaker 6: and so I keep talking about that injury because it

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Speaker 6: was such a defining moment in my life and it

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Speaker 6: forced me to become hyper focused in that moment thinking

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Speaker 6: about what I wanted to do. And so it was

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Speaker 6: always venture capital. It was always sort of building out

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Speaker 6: my own portfolio or franchises. It was always just figuring

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Speaker 6: out and tapping into the people within my network to

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Speaker 6: just ask, like, will you teach me? And everyone that

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Speaker 6: said yes, I said yes right back to them. And

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Speaker 6: so the transition it was tough because I was stepping

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Speaker 6: into spaces that I knew very little about, and I

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Speaker 6: was vulnerable in those moments. I remember walking into one

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Speaker 6: of my first meetings at Silicon Valley Bank Capital as

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Speaker 6: a senior associate and sitting around this table this conference room,

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Speaker 6: about thirty people in the conference room, and we're discussing

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Speaker 6: raising a one point three billion dollar fun right, And

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Speaker 6: I'm sitting there and I'm thinking about the opportunity that

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Speaker 6: I have in this moment to not be the only

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Speaker 6: one sitting at this table, right. But I'm also thinking

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Speaker 6: about and looking around that room to just try to

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Speaker 6: figure out who's my teammate in this moment, right. And

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Speaker 6: so it was just learning how to navigate the corporate space,

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Speaker 6: but also learning how to exist within the team that

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Speaker 6: sometimes didn't really know how to be a team with

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Speaker 6: that's which you're so used to sort of being a part,

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Speaker 6: And so all of that to say that, yes, it

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Speaker 6: was a challenge and I wouldn't have expected it to

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Speaker 6: be anything else. But I absolutely love every single moment

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Speaker 6: of not knowing and then figuring out sort of that

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Speaker 6: next step. Wow, I love.

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Speaker 1: It too, because t I will speak from experience as well.

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Speaker 1: Hell yeah, and it's scary, right, like that transition of

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Speaker 1: your identity. Has been a basketball player for so many

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Speaker 1: years and now all of a sudden it's like, Okay,

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Speaker 1: I'm done, I'm retired.

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Speaker 2: What does that look like?

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Speaker 1: And you know, for me it was it was a

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Speaker 1: scary moment as well, just that transition into, like AB said,

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Speaker 1: the unknown or the unfamiliar, Like what.

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Speaker 2: Does that look like?

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Speaker 5: Right?

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Speaker 1: So, Ab, I want to ask you before we get

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Speaker 1: into some some Project B stuff, because I'm super curious

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Speaker 1: about that everyone else, what how would you say the

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Speaker 1: game like the w the game has changed today from

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Speaker 1: from what it was when we played.

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Speaker 6: I mean again, another voted question because I had the

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Speaker 6: privilege share of playing against multiple playing across multiple generations, right,

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Speaker 6: and seeing what was being in that present moment, and

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Speaker 6: then having kind of the opportunity to play with the

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Speaker 6: Kelsey Poms and a Sabrina and Nascuzli during that time

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Speaker 6: and seeing that transition on the court. Talent just continued

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Speaker 6: to increase, right, and and develop. But it was because

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Speaker 6: we started to get more access to the resources that

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Speaker 6: were available, you know, to our counterparts and these women

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Speaker 6: just to tap into that. But just from a fluidity standpoint,

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Speaker 6: a speed standpoint, a pay standpoint, an autonomy standpoint, right,

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Speaker 6: all of that is shifting because we're becoming more comfortable

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Speaker 6: and not only in who we are as individuals, but

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Speaker 6: also our ability to just play the game of basketball

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Speaker 6: at the highest level. And so it's been really really

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Speaker 6: cool to just sit back and watch, yes, what's happening

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Speaker 6: on the court, but also seeing kind of these women

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Speaker 6: just really step into their power off the court and

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Speaker 6: understand that they are basketball right, that they have a profile,

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Speaker 6: they have a brand, and they're understanding how to leverage

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Speaker 6: it and they're not asking for permission. They're actually just

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Speaker 6: stepping into it and they're owning it and they're figuring

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Speaker 6: out what to do with it. And that's what I've

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Speaker 6: enjoyed watching more than anything. Yeah, so it's changed, the

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Speaker 6: court has changed off the court, but it's just the

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Speaker 6: phenomenal thing to watch.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, No, it's been.

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Speaker 3: It's even just even over the last five years, the

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Speaker 3: way that the game has changed, how it's played, the

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Speaker 3: all of that. I can only imagine what that feeling

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Speaker 3: would be like to be able to be in your shoes,

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Speaker 3: to have played across multi generations of what this WNBA

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Speaker 3: looks like.

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Speaker 2: And you're always.

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Speaker 3: Gonna get your folks who are going to say the

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Speaker 3: game was so much better win, and then you've got

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Speaker 3: your new fans now who are like, no, the game

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Speaker 3: is so much better now. And I'm just I'm that

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Speaker 3: person that's in the middle. That's like, I've been watching

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Speaker 3: this league since its inception, so I've got a chance

403
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Speaker 3: to really see the evolution and appreciate the stars of

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Speaker 3: each generation for what they were and what they were

405
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Speaker 3: doing at that time, not necessarily needing to compare the

406
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Speaker 3: greats of this era to the greats of that era.

407
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Speaker 3: Like they they had their own they have their own

408
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Speaker 3: box across this across this timeline, and to me, that

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Speaker 3: that is what makes this this league so incredible.

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Speaker 6: To be honest, see Well said I, you know, just

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Speaker 6: just to sort of like add to that, I think

412
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Speaker 6: that's that's the beauty of it. Right. I could have

413
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Speaker 6: easily complained and wish I had this or I had that,

414
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Speaker 6: But I'm also thinking about the generation that came before

415
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Speaker 6: me and the sacrifices they made for me to be

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Speaker 6: in that moment to do what I do. And so

417
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Speaker 6: I'm sure Cheryl get asked it all the time. I

418
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Speaker 6: get asked all the time, Am I bitter? Do I

419
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Speaker 6: have kind of an indifference to like what's happening? And

420
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Speaker 6: my answer is always like no, right, because when I

421
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Speaker 6: think about what I was capable of doing because of

422
00:22:28,480 --> 00:22:32,600
Speaker 6: the game of basketball, right, it was played in multiple countries,

423
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Speaker 6: played in twenty seven countries because of it, right, And

424
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Speaker 6: I know that people in their lifetime don't get an

425
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Speaker 6: opportunity to do that. And so to me, that was privilege, right,

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Speaker 6: And that privilege happened because of the work that I

427
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Speaker 6: put into the game. But it also happened because of

428
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Speaker 6: the work that Cheryl and Lisa and Cheryl Miller and

429
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Speaker 6: all of these people and women did before me. That

430
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Speaker 6: allowed me to experience that, and so this moment is

431
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Speaker 6: no different. This moment is no different.

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Speaker 1: Maybe I mean well said, it's you know, it's one

433
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Speaker 1: of those things where almost every single day I get

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Speaker 1: asked that question. The part that frustrates me is like,

435
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Speaker 1: we're not allowed to have an opinion though, right because

436
00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:16,240
Speaker 1: people will ask to certain questions and as soon as

437
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Speaker 1: you start talking about you know, players today or players

438
00:23:20,920 --> 00:23:24,879
Speaker 1: from back in the day, you're immediately jealous, or you're bitter,

439
00:23:25,240 --> 00:23:29,640
Speaker 1: or you're a racist, or you're a hater, all the things.

440
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Speaker 1: And to your point, I don't personally, I never thought

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Speaker 1: that we would see the moment we're seeing right now,

442
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Speaker 1: and not just in the WNBA, but in women's sports

443
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Speaker 1: across the board soccer. Right we now have a women's

444
00:23:44,880 --> 00:23:51,560
Speaker 1: professional volleyball league here, so we are exactly where we

445
00:23:51,680 --> 00:23:52,960
Speaker 1: always hoped we would be.

446
00:23:53,160 --> 00:23:54,840
Speaker 2: And yes, we have more.

447
00:23:54,680 --> 00:23:56,679
Speaker 1: Fight to do, it a long ways to go, but

448
00:23:56,800 --> 00:24:03,240
Speaker 1: I absolutely I'm like in awe and shock of where

449
00:24:03,280 --> 00:24:05,840
Speaker 1: our game is right now compared to where we started.

450
00:24:06,080 --> 00:24:10,800
Speaker 1: And I absolutely love seeing all of these women, every

451
00:24:10,840 --> 00:24:14,760
Speaker 1: single one of them, get the recognition they deserve, and

452
00:24:14,800 --> 00:24:18,240
Speaker 1: more than that, getting that bag and getting that back.

453
00:24:18,160 --> 00:24:21,480
Speaker 2: Get in the bag, off the court, off the.

454
00:24:21,560 --> 00:24:26,359
Speaker 1: Court, like it's it's bananas right now with what we're seeing.

455
00:24:26,480 --> 00:24:31,000
Speaker 6: So it really is, and I think, you know, and

456
00:24:31,280 --> 00:24:33,400
Speaker 6: not to jump ahead of it, but that's the fun

457
00:24:33,440 --> 00:24:37,359
Speaker 6: in all of this too, right. People see see the

458
00:24:37,440 --> 00:24:41,040
Speaker 6: value and what's out there, right, they see the value

459
00:24:41,080 --> 00:24:43,399
Speaker 6: in the product, and they also see an ROI like

460
00:24:43,400 --> 00:24:45,879
Speaker 6: a return on investment if they do this right. And

461
00:24:45,920 --> 00:24:48,919
Speaker 6: so now the eyeballs are just they're on it and

462
00:24:48,960 --> 00:24:52,480
Speaker 6: people are interested in making that investment. And when I

463
00:24:52,560 --> 00:24:55,320
Speaker 6: say that what I'm doing now with Project B is

464
00:24:55,400 --> 00:24:57,920
Speaker 6: like one of the most rewarding things outside of being

465
00:24:57,920 --> 00:25:01,520
Speaker 6: a mother and and sort of building and leading my

466
00:25:01,840 --> 00:25:05,639
Speaker 6: nonprofit foundation. Being able to sort of just be in

467
00:25:05,720 --> 00:25:08,639
Speaker 6: sort of the ecosystem, to be in the games, to

468
00:25:09,600 --> 00:25:11,880
Speaker 6: do the work, you know, just from a research standpoint

469
00:25:11,920 --> 00:25:16,560
Speaker 6: and sit behind my computer and assigned value right based

470
00:25:16,600 --> 00:25:20,000
Speaker 6: on the talent that exists today has been one of

471
00:25:20,040 --> 00:25:24,120
Speaker 6: the funnest things that I that I could have done.

472
00:25:24,200 --> 00:25:26,640
Speaker 6: It was always to me about how do I take

473
00:25:26,880 --> 00:25:30,119
Speaker 6: everything that I've required over my twenty year career, not

474
00:25:30,240 --> 00:25:32,760
Speaker 6: just on the court, but just from you know, the

475
00:25:32,800 --> 00:25:35,640
Speaker 6: transition to the venture capital space and business and things

476
00:25:35,640 --> 00:25:37,760
Speaker 6: of that nature and leverash that and open up that

477
00:25:37,840 --> 00:25:40,720
Speaker 6: network for other people to have access to it. Right,

478
00:25:40,760 --> 00:25:44,280
Speaker 6: I think we get so caught up and only there

479
00:25:44,520 --> 00:25:49,160
Speaker 6: can only be one. There can be multiple paths to success,

480
00:25:49,560 --> 00:25:52,200
Speaker 6: and Project BE as one of those paths that I

481
00:25:52,240 --> 00:25:53,840
Speaker 6: couldn't be more excited to be a part of.

482
00:25:54,760 --> 00:25:57,240
Speaker 2: Let's talk about it. So let's talk about it.

483
00:25:57,560 --> 00:26:01,960
Speaker 3: Yeah, about that, because you mentioned you know that you've

484
00:26:01,960 --> 00:26:05,040
Speaker 3: played in twenty seven countries and that's part of what

485
00:26:05,119 --> 00:26:08,280
Speaker 3: went into providing the experience that you're looking to provide

486
00:26:09,000 --> 00:26:11,880
Speaker 3: with Project B. So I know that you know right

487
00:26:11,920 --> 00:26:15,080
Speaker 3: now we've got the w NBA, we've got unrivaled, we've

488
00:26:15,080 --> 00:26:16,320
Speaker 3: got athletes unlimited.

489
00:26:16,359 --> 00:26:17,400
Speaker 2: We literally went.

490
00:26:17,240 --> 00:26:23,199
Speaker 3: From people you know, having the ABA too, now having

491
00:26:23,760 --> 00:26:29,639
Speaker 3: three different leagues that people can find comfort in watching

492
00:26:29,640 --> 00:26:34,480
Speaker 3: women's basketball, and now adding Project B. What was I

493
00:26:34,480 --> 00:26:37,360
Speaker 3: don't want to say what went into it, but there

494
00:26:37,480 --> 00:26:40,320
Speaker 3: must have been something that you saw was still missing

495
00:26:40,600 --> 00:26:43,600
Speaker 3: with the leagues that were existing, and so what was

496
00:26:43,640 --> 00:26:46,680
Speaker 3: it that you felt was missing that you believed Project

497
00:26:46,680 --> 00:26:50,879
Speaker 3: B could provide and what went into wanting to create

498
00:26:50,920 --> 00:26:51,399
Speaker 3: this league?

499
00:26:51,960 --> 00:26:54,520
Speaker 6: Yeah? No, I mean that's there are so many sort

500
00:26:54,520 --> 00:26:56,760
Speaker 6: of answers to that question. I can just take you

501
00:26:56,840 --> 00:26:59,560
Speaker 6: back to the very beginning. You know. One of the

502
00:26:59,600 --> 00:27:02,080
Speaker 6: things that I've always had the passion of and the

503
00:27:02,080 --> 00:27:06,199
Speaker 6: desire to become as an owner, right, and that was

504
00:27:06,240 --> 00:27:09,000
Speaker 6: a part of my learning journey right when I stopped playing.

505
00:27:09,040 --> 00:27:11,760
Speaker 6: Obviously I was in a venture capital space and sort

506
00:27:11,800 --> 00:27:14,359
Speaker 6: of presuing pursuing other things, but ownership was always at

507
00:27:14,400 --> 00:27:17,120
Speaker 6: the top of that list. And I did the work

508
00:27:17,320 --> 00:27:20,600
Speaker 6: right to pull together a legitimate group to potentially to

509
00:27:20,840 --> 00:27:23,159
Speaker 6: acquire the expansion rights to a w NBA team. I

510
00:27:23,240 --> 00:27:27,560
Speaker 6: engaged with other individuals sort of around that, but at

511
00:27:27,600 --> 00:27:31,240
Speaker 6: the end of the day, that wasn't my path, and

512
00:27:31,480 --> 00:27:35,199
Speaker 6: that is perfectly fine. But Grady Burnett came into the

513
00:27:35,240 --> 00:27:37,320
Speaker 6: picture at the right time. And Grady Burnett is a

514
00:27:37,320 --> 00:27:40,760
Speaker 6: co founder of Project B along with Jeff Prentice. Jeff

515
00:27:40,840 --> 00:27:44,200
Speaker 6: Prentice is a co founder of Skype, so he has

516
00:27:44,240 --> 00:27:46,639
Speaker 6: sort of that understanding and that playbook to how to

517
00:27:46,680 --> 00:27:49,400
Speaker 6: disrupt the industries, right. And then you have Grady Burnett,

518
00:27:49,640 --> 00:27:52,400
Speaker 6: who was the CEO of Global sales at Meta for

519
00:27:52,440 --> 00:27:56,440
Speaker 6: like a thirteen year period, and so when they first

520
00:27:56,440 --> 00:27:59,000
Speaker 6: started just thinking through kind of the next sort of

521
00:27:59,000 --> 00:28:02,080
Speaker 6: space for disrupts. Right. They did the work initially and

522
00:28:02,080 --> 00:28:05,560
Speaker 6: they settled on just North American sports, right and understanding

523
00:28:05,560 --> 00:28:08,359
Speaker 6: and seeing that there's an antiquated system, right that exists,

524
00:28:08,400 --> 00:28:13,040
Speaker 6: and it's a very limiting system. We wanted to solve

525
00:28:13,280 --> 00:28:18,199
Speaker 6: for players receiving the value they create.

526
00:28:18,600 --> 00:28:18,800
Speaker 3: Right.

527
00:28:19,320 --> 00:28:21,840
Speaker 6: Won't go into detail, but you look at these valuations

528
00:28:21,920 --> 00:28:24,240
Speaker 6: of these of these teams now, whether it's you know

529
00:28:24,560 --> 00:28:26,800
Speaker 6: it's a NBA team, whether it's an NBA team, and

530
00:28:26,840 --> 00:28:30,479
Speaker 6: they are worth billions of dollars. Right at the end

531
00:28:30,520 --> 00:28:32,520
Speaker 6: of the day, the players don't get a chance to

532
00:28:32,520 --> 00:28:34,840
Speaker 6: play a part and start of the value that they're

533
00:28:34,880 --> 00:28:37,240
Speaker 6: creating over the course of those years, right. And so

534
00:28:37,320 --> 00:28:39,960
Speaker 6: we saw an opportunity to step in and present it

535
00:28:40,000 --> 00:28:42,960
Speaker 6: a little differently, and it's about giving players sort of

536
00:28:42,960 --> 00:28:46,680
Speaker 6: that ownership, putting them in a position to grow with

537
00:28:46,800 --> 00:28:51,000
Speaker 6: us and with an opportunity of just creating generational wealth

538
00:28:51,000 --> 00:28:52,760
Speaker 6: that we know can exist if we do this the

539
00:28:52,840 --> 00:28:53,240
Speaker 6: right way.

540
00:28:55,440 --> 00:28:55,880
Speaker 4: Wow.

541
00:28:58,040 --> 00:29:00,680
Speaker 1: Well my my my response right now, it was just wow,

542
00:29:01,640 --> 00:29:05,800
Speaker 1: just because of the vision you know that you had

543
00:29:06,040 --> 00:29:09,400
Speaker 1: and and A B. I. I think you and I

544
00:29:09,520 --> 00:29:12,320
Speaker 1: when we met in Vegas, we kind of talked about,

545
00:29:12,360 --> 00:29:15,880
Speaker 1: you know, what you were doing and you putting together

546
00:29:15,920 --> 00:29:19,920
Speaker 1: a group to try to get a w NBA team,

547
00:29:19,960 --> 00:29:23,680
Speaker 1: And that's a whole other conversation because I was that

548
00:29:23,680 --> 00:29:30,440
Speaker 1: that didn't happen. But anyway, right, because that wasn't for

549
00:29:30,600 --> 00:29:37,680
Speaker 1: you at the time. I've done some reading as much

550
00:29:37,680 --> 00:29:41,040
Speaker 1: as I possibly could on Project B. But for for

551
00:29:41,120 --> 00:29:46,080
Speaker 1: those who don't know, can you kind of explain what

552
00:29:46,160 --> 00:29:49,800
Speaker 1: Project B is, how it works, and and even give

553
00:29:49,880 --> 00:29:54,560
Speaker 1: us some of the players who've already committed to play.

554
00:29:54,680 --> 00:29:57,360
Speaker 6: Yeah, so you know, when we when we position Project

555
00:29:57,400 --> 00:29:59,400
Speaker 6: B kind of in the market, we're a global basketball

556
00:29:59,440 --> 00:30:02,360
Speaker 6: league aiming to build the best most a week competition

557
00:30:02,520 --> 00:30:05,080
Speaker 6: on a global scale. Our goal is to play in

558
00:30:05,080 --> 00:30:09,120
Speaker 6: three Asia cities, three Asian cities, UH, three European cities,

559
00:30:09,120 --> 00:30:12,040
Speaker 6: and one Latin America city, with the goal of celebrating

560
00:30:12,080 --> 00:30:14,719
Speaker 6: creating a celebration in neat city that we stop into. Right,

561
00:30:14,840 --> 00:30:17,000
Speaker 6: There's there's a two week event at a time. In

562
00:30:17,040 --> 00:30:20,120
Speaker 6: between those tournaments, there is an opportunity for players to

563
00:30:20,520 --> 00:30:23,760
Speaker 6: have a life, to disconnect a little bit, and you know,

564
00:30:24,000 --> 00:30:27,040
Speaker 6: prepare get ready as professionals to come back and and

565
00:30:27,080 --> 00:30:30,120
Speaker 6: be ready to play. At that next stop. And so

566
00:30:30,200 --> 00:30:31,680
Speaker 6: the way that we think about this, and this is

567
00:30:31,720 --> 00:30:36,240
Speaker 6: public knowledge. We we intend to launch with both men's

568
00:30:36,240 --> 00:30:38,920
Speaker 6: and women right, six men's teams, six women's teams, eleven

569
00:30:38,960 --> 00:30:42,320
Speaker 6: players per roster, and so you know, it's it's it's

570
00:30:42,400 --> 00:30:44,960
Speaker 6: going to be, you know, pretty competitive in terms of

571
00:30:45,000 --> 00:30:49,560
Speaker 6: how we think about that that roster construction, and and

572
00:30:49,560 --> 00:30:55,800
Speaker 6: and the culture that we're building. So obviously there's only

573
00:30:55,880 --> 00:31:00,440
Speaker 6: so much that I that I can share, but where

574
00:31:00,680 --> 00:31:03,200
Speaker 6: we're in a really really cool position to just really

575
00:31:03,280 --> 00:31:08,120
Speaker 6: shift sort of the landscape of sports as it is.

576
00:31:09,240 --> 00:31:14,000
Speaker 3: How has what's currently going on with the WNBA and

577
00:31:14,040 --> 00:31:18,520
Speaker 3: the CBA negotiation, how has that played a role without

578
00:31:19,160 --> 00:31:21,080
Speaker 3: you know, I'm sure there's only so much you can

579
00:31:21,120 --> 00:31:23,600
Speaker 3: say in regards to that, But how has that played

580
00:31:23,600 --> 00:31:28,440
Speaker 3: a role into maybe player interest in joining Project B

581
00:31:28,720 --> 00:31:32,560
Speaker 3: or just you know some of the baseline items that

582
00:31:32,640 --> 00:31:35,040
Speaker 3: you guys are forming or that you're doing. You know,

583
00:31:35,080 --> 00:31:37,840
Speaker 3: maybe there's a we see this is happening, we're going

584
00:31:37,920 --> 00:31:39,920
Speaker 3: to avoid a B and C, or we see that

585
00:31:40,000 --> 00:31:42,200
Speaker 3: this isn't working, We're going to make sure that we

586
00:31:42,240 --> 00:31:44,440
Speaker 3: do a B and C. Like, how has that maybe

587
00:31:44,440 --> 00:31:46,840
Speaker 3: played a role in how you guys are still forming

588
00:31:47,120 --> 00:31:47,640
Speaker 3: Project being.

589
00:31:48,000 --> 00:31:49,600
Speaker 6: I mean, the way that we think about everything is

590
00:31:49,600 --> 00:31:52,840
Speaker 6: that it's a player first league, right, whether it's you know,

591
00:31:52,880 --> 00:31:55,440
Speaker 6: building this to where we're creating agency for the player

592
00:31:55,440 --> 00:31:58,720
Speaker 6: and autonomy for the recreating generational wealth, whether we're creating

593
00:31:58,760 --> 00:32:01,520
Speaker 6: longevity when it comes to their career. Everything that we've

594
00:32:01,520 --> 00:32:05,120
Speaker 6: built into our schedule in our model has built with

595
00:32:05,200 --> 00:32:07,400
Speaker 6: the players kind of first in mind. When you think

596
00:32:07,440 --> 00:32:09,680
Speaker 6: about what's happening kind of on the CVA side, that

597
00:32:09,800 --> 00:32:13,320
Speaker 6: is something that it's it's it's not kind of in

598
00:32:13,400 --> 00:32:16,480
Speaker 6: our purview. Obviously you pay attention because it's happening within

599
00:32:16,520 --> 00:32:18,760
Speaker 6: the ecosystem, But at the end of the day, we're

600
00:32:18,760 --> 00:32:21,360
Speaker 6: positioning this league to where players can play both the

601
00:32:21,440 --> 00:32:24,400
Speaker 6: w n B A and and end Project B. And

602
00:32:24,440 --> 00:32:26,320
Speaker 6: that's how we've we've always thought about.

603
00:32:26,080 --> 00:32:28,840
Speaker 2: It makes some sense.

604
00:32:30,720 --> 00:32:33,920
Speaker 1: So will there will there be I'm assumed will there

605
00:32:33,960 --> 00:32:36,080
Speaker 1: be coaches or the players coaching.

606
00:32:38,400 --> 00:32:40,400
Speaker 2: I'm just I'm sure there's a lot.

607
00:32:40,640 --> 00:32:43,360
Speaker 1: Like the stuff that's out there right, that's public knowledge.

608
00:32:43,640 --> 00:32:46,800
Speaker 1: I've read it and and Tia and I have actually

609
00:32:46,800 --> 00:32:48,880
Speaker 1: talked about Project B before, and I was like, I

610
00:32:49,000 --> 00:32:51,959
Speaker 1: like this, I just have a lot of questions.

611
00:32:52,520 --> 00:32:55,600
Speaker 6: Yeah, ask the way and so yeah, no, no, no, no,

612
00:32:55,600 --> 00:32:58,040
Speaker 6: we can definitely hear you and Charrol. What we're building

613
00:32:58,040 --> 00:32:59,640
Speaker 6: is stopping on five. This is no gimmicks, right, We're

614
00:32:59,640 --> 00:33:03,160
Speaker 6: not gonna have a four point shot. Yeah, we're not

615
00:33:03,200 --> 00:33:04,160
Speaker 6: tying to do anything. Like.

616
00:33:04,200 --> 00:33:06,400
Speaker 2: We're keeping basketball.

617
00:33:05,920 --> 00:33:10,520
Speaker 6: As peers as it is. And so it's like I said,

618
00:33:10,560 --> 00:33:13,600
Speaker 6: it's six teams men and women, it's eleven men and roster,

619
00:33:13,640 --> 00:33:15,400
Speaker 6: and each team is going to exist as it is.

620
00:33:15,480 --> 00:33:17,200
Speaker 6: You have your coaches, you have your staff, you have

621
00:33:17,240 --> 00:33:21,160
Speaker 6: your players right, right, and so it's no different than

622
00:33:22,360 --> 00:33:23,720
Speaker 6: than what problem five looks like.

623
00:33:25,480 --> 00:33:28,280
Speaker 3: No, I love that, and I love the international aspect

624
00:33:28,360 --> 00:33:32,640
Speaker 3: because one thing that women have done over the course

625
00:33:32,680 --> 00:33:36,760
Speaker 3: of time is they have been playing internationally far, I'm

626
00:33:36,800 --> 00:33:40,560
Speaker 3: going to say, on a far more notable scale than

627
00:33:40,600 --> 00:33:43,240
Speaker 3: their male counterparts. And many of that has been because

628
00:33:43,240 --> 00:33:45,640
Speaker 3: they kind of had to right to, you know, for

629
00:33:45,760 --> 00:33:50,040
Speaker 3: financial stability. But having an opportunity to kind of actually

630
00:33:50,120 --> 00:33:51,920
Speaker 3: put that as part of the forefront and part of

631
00:33:51,960 --> 00:33:54,480
Speaker 3: the platform, I feel like that is one of the

632
00:33:54,480 --> 00:33:58,600
Speaker 3: most intriguing intriguing things about this league. So is the

633
00:33:58,640 --> 00:34:02,560
Speaker 3: goal or the intent to have it more American players

634
00:34:02,560 --> 00:34:06,360
Speaker 3: that are necessarily traveling and getting that exposure internationally, or

635
00:34:06,520 --> 00:34:09,399
Speaker 3: is it also a welcome for international players to join

636
00:34:09,480 --> 00:34:10,000
Speaker 3: this league too?

637
00:34:10,239 --> 00:34:12,440
Speaker 6: One hundred percent, and I've said it many many times,

638
00:34:13,239 --> 00:34:15,760
Speaker 6: we're building out a global basketball league, which means we're

639
00:34:16,520 --> 00:34:17,720
Speaker 6: implementing global talent.

640
00:34:17,840 --> 00:34:18,000
Speaker 3: Right.

641
00:34:18,480 --> 00:34:22,480
Speaker 6: Yes, amazing players exist in America and in the WNBA,

642
00:34:22,600 --> 00:34:25,600
Speaker 6: But I one hundred percent believe that not all talent,

643
00:34:25,880 --> 00:34:27,840
Speaker 6: not all the best talent. Is this in the weeks

644
00:34:28,800 --> 00:34:31,440
Speaker 6: as from today, right, And so that's how I'm thinking

645
00:34:31,480 --> 00:34:33,920
Speaker 6: about this composition. I would love to get to a

646
00:34:33,960 --> 00:34:37,320
Speaker 6: point where to where it's fifty to fifty in terms

647
00:34:37,320 --> 00:34:39,799
Speaker 6: of talent. Right, you have you have, you know, the

648
00:34:39,800 --> 00:34:42,760
Speaker 6: players that exist within sort of the WNBA and American

649
00:34:42,840 --> 00:34:45,480
Speaker 6: then you have these international players who I believe are

650
00:34:45,520 --> 00:34:50,400
Speaker 6: just phenomenal from a talent standpoint. The other thing that

651
00:34:50,520 --> 00:34:54,040
Speaker 6: I would love, love love to debunk is that, yes,

652
00:34:54,040 --> 00:34:56,279
Speaker 6: we're building out a global basketball league, but we're not

653
00:34:56,360 --> 00:35:00,719
Speaker 6: asking these players to be out of a America are

654
00:35:00,760 --> 00:35:02,960
Speaker 6: the United States for six months at a time. We're

655
00:35:03,000 --> 00:35:04,560
Speaker 6: saying that you're going to have the autonomy and the

656
00:35:04,640 --> 00:35:09,840
Speaker 6: flexibility to travel and do what you want it's twelve

657
00:35:09,920 --> 00:35:13,080
Speaker 6: to fourteen days in market. In between those cities, You're

658
00:35:13,080 --> 00:35:14,799
Speaker 6: free to do and go wherever you want to go.

659
00:35:15,480 --> 00:35:17,719
Speaker 6: And that's the autonomy we want to build out. The

660
00:35:17,800 --> 00:35:19,799
Speaker 6: other thing that you touched on TEA that I think

661
00:35:19,920 --> 00:35:25,640
Speaker 6: is a very interesting port point, Project B is being

662
00:35:25,719 --> 00:35:29,799
Speaker 6: built to expand the global platforms of the players that

663
00:35:29,920 --> 00:35:34,040
Speaker 6: exists today. Right. Yes, I can go through the list

664
00:35:34,040 --> 00:35:35,440
Speaker 6: and I'm not going to name the players, but you

665
00:35:35,480 --> 00:35:39,160
Speaker 6: have these players that are just from a brand profile standpoint,

666
00:35:39,400 --> 00:35:42,759
Speaker 6: they are at the top of the list. How do

667
00:35:42,880 --> 00:35:47,640
Speaker 6: we take what's happening in the United States and amplify

668
00:35:47,760 --> 00:35:51,479
Speaker 6: that on a world, global world, a global platform. Right

669
00:35:51,680 --> 00:35:53,640
Speaker 6: when we think about our three Asia cities, we think

670
00:35:53,680 --> 00:35:56,600
Speaker 6: about our three European cities, in our one Latin American city,

671
00:35:57,800 --> 00:36:01,399
Speaker 6: there's opportunity right there these players to leverage what we're

672
00:36:01,440 --> 00:36:04,560
Speaker 6: building to only build out their brand platform even more.

673
00:36:05,360 --> 00:36:10,279
Speaker 3: Can I follow up, Cheryl before you go? Will is

674
00:36:10,360 --> 00:36:13,600
Speaker 3: the idea to have this an invitation only for the

675
00:36:13,600 --> 00:36:17,160
Speaker 3: players who would be participating? Or is there a tryout?

676
00:36:17,160 --> 00:36:18,160
Speaker 3: And where can I sign up?

677
00:36:18,480 --> 00:36:22,560
Speaker 2: Playing? Can come out of retirement?

678
00:36:23,120 --> 00:36:28,200
Speaker 3: Listen Nobody's basketball court hunting them days is gown.

679
00:36:29,040 --> 00:36:33,120
Speaker 6: We we have a we have a robust recruiting and

680
00:36:33,239 --> 00:36:39,360
Speaker 6: evaluation framework that is in place that adds credibility to

681
00:36:39,400 --> 00:36:42,640
Speaker 6: how we think about the players that we engage. There's

682
00:36:42,680 --> 00:36:46,440
Speaker 6: there's nothing that I've enjoyed more like during my basketball

683
00:36:46,480 --> 00:36:48,600
Speaker 6: careers just figuring out how to make teams work.

684
00:36:49,320 --> 00:36:49,480
Speaker 4: Right.

685
00:36:49,520 --> 00:36:51,040
Speaker 6: I'm not the loudest in the room. I was never

686
00:36:51,080 --> 00:36:52,759
Speaker 6: the loudest in the locker room. It was just how

687
00:36:52,800 --> 00:36:55,560
Speaker 6: I showed up. But I've always sat back and just

688
00:36:55,640 --> 00:36:58,319
Speaker 6: watched and observed and just tried to figure out how

689
00:36:58,360 --> 00:37:00,799
Speaker 6: I can get the best out of each teammates to

690
00:37:00,880 --> 00:37:03,920
Speaker 6: make it work for the good of the group. And

691
00:37:03,960 --> 00:37:07,440
Speaker 6: so I'm not doing anything differently today. I'm not going

692
00:37:07,520 --> 00:37:10,399
Speaker 6: to go after all the best talent, right because at

693
00:37:10,400 --> 00:37:13,000
Speaker 6: some point you need your role players to sort of

694
00:37:13,000 --> 00:37:19,319
Speaker 6: build a culture that you want to exists there full stop.

695
00:37:21,160 --> 00:37:24,759
Speaker 2: So will there be some type of like an All

696
00:37:24,800 --> 00:37:25,319
Speaker 2: Star game?

697
00:37:25,719 --> 00:37:27,319
Speaker 6: Cheryl, You're asking too many questions now.

698
00:37:28,920 --> 00:37:30,719
Speaker 2: I'm like, I'm getting.

699
00:37:30,520 --> 00:37:34,480
Speaker 1: More excited about well in talking to you and learning

700
00:37:34,480 --> 00:37:35,960
Speaker 1: more about it, I just.

701
00:37:37,480 --> 00:37:37,960
Speaker 6: I don't know.

702
00:37:38,000 --> 00:37:39,680
Speaker 2: So I'm not not to cut you off.

703
00:37:39,719 --> 00:37:42,840
Speaker 6: There won't there won't be an All Star Game because

704
00:37:42,880 --> 00:37:44,799
Speaker 6: the way that we've thought about this, and it's been

705
00:37:44,840 --> 00:37:47,880
Speaker 6: with intent, is to ensure that every single game that

706
00:37:48,000 --> 00:37:51,360
Speaker 6: is played matters. Right. The way that we're thinking about

707
00:37:51,360 --> 00:37:54,879
Speaker 6: the buildout of our of our rosters is that we

708
00:37:54,960 --> 00:37:57,520
Speaker 6: intend to have kind of that that w n B

709
00:37:57,640 --> 00:38:01,440
Speaker 6: A and NBA Championship feeling at every single game. And

710
00:38:01,480 --> 00:38:03,440
Speaker 6: so there are a few things that we have baked

711
00:38:03,480 --> 00:38:09,719
Speaker 6: into this model that can can speak to that. But it's, uh,

712
00:38:09,920 --> 00:38:13,160
Speaker 6: it's it's just, guys, it's been a phenomenal ride. I

713
00:38:13,200 --> 00:38:15,480
Speaker 6: love that to just really think through it and to

714
00:38:15,880 --> 00:38:20,600
Speaker 6: have a blank canvas, right and to innovate and to

715
00:38:20,680 --> 00:38:25,000
Speaker 6: build and to think about the possibilities that could exist.

716
00:38:25,440 --> 00:38:26,719
Speaker 6: So it's it's been fun.

717
00:38:28,880 --> 00:38:34,359
Speaker 1: One more question, and in saying that, Ab, how how

718
00:38:34,400 --> 00:38:39,120
Speaker 1: does Project be reflect what you wish you had earlier

719
00:38:39,160 --> 00:38:39,840
Speaker 1: in your career.

720
00:38:41,600 --> 00:38:46,600
Speaker 6: Oh, that's a great question, because I'm not sure that

721
00:38:46,760 --> 00:38:50,000
Speaker 6: I ever wish for anything because in that moment I

722
00:38:50,040 --> 00:38:55,319
Speaker 6: had everything. Because you don't know what you don't know, right,

723
00:38:55,680 --> 00:38:58,960
Speaker 6: and so that that's that's a hard question sort of

724
00:38:59,000 --> 00:39:01,200
Speaker 6: to answer. But in terms of how we think about

725
00:39:02,400 --> 00:39:05,120
Speaker 6: the ethos in which we're building out Project B and

726
00:39:05,160 --> 00:39:07,400
Speaker 6: I've said it already, right, it's it's player focus, it's

727
00:39:07,440 --> 00:39:10,439
Speaker 6: player first. How do we how do we get them

728
00:39:10,440 --> 00:39:14,839
Speaker 6: to approach this with that ownership mindset? I think that

729
00:39:14,920 --> 00:39:17,400
Speaker 6: has been kind of the most interesting thing and probably

730
00:39:17,440 --> 00:39:19,800
Speaker 6: one of the biggest challenges, getting these players to flip

731
00:39:19,840 --> 00:39:23,520
Speaker 6: from being an employee to an owner, right and understanding

732
00:39:23,600 --> 00:39:27,600
Speaker 6: the power that exists within that. And so I I

733
00:39:27,640 --> 00:39:31,040
Speaker 6: think if if anything, that's that's at the forefront. You guys,

734
00:39:31,040 --> 00:39:35,839
Speaker 6: are these these athletes are partners with us at this table. Yes,

735
00:39:35,920 --> 00:39:38,560
Speaker 6: we've built out the foundation, but moving forward, things that

736
00:39:38,600 --> 00:39:42,680
Speaker 6: we build will have that influence from from the players

737
00:39:42,719 --> 00:39:44,640
Speaker 6: that are that are with us today. So you think

738
00:39:44,680 --> 00:39:46,719
Speaker 6: about that, You think about the money, right, you think

739
00:39:46,719 --> 00:39:51,000
Speaker 6: about the compensation and and the generational wealth that we're

740
00:39:51,040 --> 00:39:55,880
Speaker 6: sort of creating for every single player that steps into

741
00:39:55,960 --> 00:40:00,759
Speaker 6: the project being ecosystem, it's unmatched. It's a match and

742
00:40:00,800 --> 00:40:03,680
Speaker 6: that's beauty and that because it's not that these women,

743
00:40:03,800 --> 00:40:05,479
Speaker 6: it's not a charity case. It's not that these women

744
00:40:05,520 --> 00:40:10,440
Speaker 6: deserve it. No, these women what they're being paid to

745
00:40:10,480 --> 00:40:13,880
Speaker 6: reflects that and the talent that's that is this on

746
00:40:13,960 --> 00:40:15,760
Speaker 6: the court exactly.

747
00:40:15,840 --> 00:40:19,080
Speaker 3: They've earned it, Like they've friends to it, they've earned it,

748
00:40:19,520 --> 00:40:22,600
Speaker 3: and this is the ROI for sure, Alana.

749
00:40:22,600 --> 00:40:23,799
Speaker 2: I know we have to let you go.

750
00:40:24,520 --> 00:40:26,719
Speaker 3: We appreciate all the time that you've spent with us

751
00:40:26,760 --> 00:40:29,839
Speaker 3: today and look forward to continuing to see and learn

752
00:40:29,880 --> 00:40:31,920
Speaker 3: more about Project B. But before I get you out

753
00:40:31,920 --> 00:40:34,439
Speaker 3: of here, there's just one question that I want to ask,

754
00:40:34,520 --> 00:40:36,759
Speaker 3: because I feel like it's important for those who may

755
00:40:36,800 --> 00:40:39,440
Speaker 3: be listening, who may have.

756
00:40:40,760 --> 00:40:42,239
Speaker 2: Ideas or things of their own.

757
00:40:43,880 --> 00:40:46,160
Speaker 3: What is there one thing that maybe you learned from

758
00:40:46,200 --> 00:40:48,800
Speaker 3: basketball that you don't think you could have learned anywhere.

759
00:40:48,400 --> 00:40:58,680
Speaker 6: Else, Jeeze, The power of staying steady in the process.

760
00:41:00,080 --> 00:41:03,080
Speaker 6: That's that's it, Because everything that we go through is

761
00:41:03,120 --> 00:41:07,560
Speaker 6: a process, right, whether it's becoming a mom and in

762
00:41:07,560 --> 00:41:13,000
Speaker 6: that process and that journey figuring out how to parent, Yeah,

763
00:41:13,080 --> 00:41:17,440
Speaker 6: you just stay steady in it, right, It's it's injuries

764
00:41:17,800 --> 00:41:21,480
Speaker 6: and when everyone is doubting you and basically saying that

765
00:41:21,560 --> 00:41:25,759
Speaker 6: you're wash right, how do you stay focused on the

766
00:41:25,840 --> 00:41:28,719
Speaker 6: task at hand and not get distracted by sort of

767
00:41:28,760 --> 00:41:31,640
Speaker 6: the noise and what we're building right now? And Project

768
00:41:31,719 --> 00:41:34,960
Speaker 6: BE is no different, right. I'm I'm not I'm not

769
00:41:35,040 --> 00:41:38,400
Speaker 6: on social media. I'm maybe I'm lame, but that's just

770
00:41:38,440 --> 00:41:41,000
Speaker 6: not what I do, right, because if I were, it

771
00:41:41,040 --> 00:41:43,200
Speaker 6: would is all be a distraction from sort of the

772
00:41:44,239 --> 00:41:48,560
Speaker 6: ultimate goal of building out a platform, that is that

773
00:41:48,600 --> 00:41:52,600
Speaker 6: it is beneficial to the athletes today. So it's it's

774
00:41:52,680 --> 00:41:55,680
Speaker 6: just staying steady in the process, that's it. I'm a

775
00:41:55,680 --> 00:41:58,160
Speaker 6: pretty disciplined person. I love that.

776
00:41:58,280 --> 00:41:58,840
Speaker 2: I love that.

777
00:41:59,200 --> 00:42:01,560
Speaker 3: And we get a chance to talk about baby boy.

778
00:42:01,560 --> 00:42:03,400
Speaker 3: But listen, I know you're keeping you on your toes.

779
00:42:04,280 --> 00:42:07,160
Speaker 6: Oh my gosh, I don't think of And how old

780
00:42:07,160 --> 00:42:10,520
Speaker 6: is I don't think I've ever been called he's six, okay, right,

781
00:42:10,719 --> 00:42:13,040
Speaker 6: and I mean he's he's a brilliant kid. And I

782
00:42:13,080 --> 00:42:15,600
Speaker 6: know all parents say this about their kids, but I

783
00:42:15,640 --> 00:42:18,000
Speaker 6: don't think I've ever been checked so much in my

784
00:42:18,120 --> 00:42:20,680
Speaker 6: life that I have for like a six year old,

785
00:42:20,719 --> 00:42:25,640
Speaker 6: Like they hold you accountable that change, single step change.

786
00:42:26,280 --> 00:42:27,240
Speaker 2: It blows my mind.

787
00:42:27,800 --> 00:42:30,680
Speaker 6: Yeah. But the other day he asked me, like I

788
00:42:30,840 --> 00:42:33,920
Speaker 6: used I don't know, I can't remember what I said.

789
00:42:34,480 --> 00:42:35,880
Speaker 6: And then he asked me what it meant, and I

790
00:42:35,920 --> 00:42:38,719
Speaker 6: was like, yeah, I can't really explain it. He was like, well,

791
00:42:38,760 --> 00:42:40,520
Speaker 6: why would you use it if you can't explain it.

792
00:42:43,320 --> 00:42:46,600
Speaker 2: I was like and it's like, you.

793
00:42:46,520 --> 00:42:47,080
Speaker 6: Have a point.

794
00:42:48,360 --> 00:42:51,400
Speaker 2: You have a point, rue, kids, I swear.

795
00:42:54,840 --> 00:42:57,360
Speaker 6: But it's been fun. It's been fun motherhood.

796
00:42:58,920 --> 00:43:01,880
Speaker 3: It is just waiting to they start to wait till

797
00:43:01,880 --> 00:43:03,160
Speaker 3: they start clocking what you're doing.

798
00:43:03,239 --> 00:43:09,520
Speaker 2: That's when to get real. Wait, I'm an adult. I

799
00:43:09,560 --> 00:43:11,600
Speaker 2: will be bad and I'll tell you what to do.

800
00:43:11,600 --> 00:43:15,439
Speaker 2: You will tell me what to do, right. I love it.

801
00:43:16,040 --> 00:43:17,839
Speaker 2: Thank you so much for joining us.

802
00:43:17,960 --> 00:43:20,880
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's been really great.

803
00:43:19,280 --> 00:43:23,040
Speaker 2: Hey, I'm being able to share a lot for you.

804
00:43:23,120 --> 00:43:24,000
Speaker 4: I'm proud of you.

805
00:43:24,160 --> 00:43:27,200
Speaker 1: And if no one has told you this, I'm going

806
00:43:27,280 --> 00:43:27,960
Speaker 1: to tell you.

807
00:43:28,239 --> 00:43:28,879
Speaker 4: Just thank you.

808
00:43:29,120 --> 00:43:33,759
Speaker 1: Thank you for having the vision, thank you for just understanding.

809
00:43:33,880 --> 00:43:38,160
Speaker 1: Thank you for caring, because this is this is this

810
00:43:38,239 --> 00:43:38,919
Speaker 1: is big time.

811
00:43:40,520 --> 00:43:45,120
Speaker 6: Thank you, Cheryl, thank you. That's that's important, right, it's

812
00:43:45,200 --> 00:43:47,239
Speaker 6: I All tides can.

813
00:43:47,200 --> 00:43:48,840
Speaker 2: Lift, yeah, all boats.

814
00:43:48,920 --> 00:43:52,960
Speaker 6: Yeah, And that's all. That's my approach, and I don't

815
00:43:52,960 --> 00:43:53,960
Speaker 6: think it will ever change.

816
00:43:54,120 --> 00:43:57,160
Speaker 2: So I love that.

817
00:43:57,320 --> 00:43:57,799
Speaker 6: I love that.

818
00:43:58,920 --> 00:44:01,480
Speaker 2: Good to see you againte, Good to see you for sure.

819
00:44:01,520 --> 00:44:04,920
Speaker 3: I know we'll come across each other's paths several times

820
00:44:04,960 --> 00:44:06,800
Speaker 3: before the end of this year, as we started getting

821
00:44:06,800 --> 00:44:10,480
Speaker 3: closer into you know, the everything that's going on in

822
00:44:10,520 --> 00:44:36,120
Speaker 3: the in the basketball stratosphere. But it's always great to see.

823
00:44:27,400 --> 00:44:27,640
Speaker 2: Churel.

824
00:44:27,719 --> 00:44:30,399
Speaker 3: That was a great conversation with A B. I mean,

825
00:44:31,520 --> 00:44:35,960
Speaker 3: she has really did a great job of just kind

826
00:44:35,960 --> 00:44:38,919
Speaker 3: of getting us more even though we were really trying

827
00:44:38,920 --> 00:44:43,239
Speaker 3: to pull some extra little nuggets about Project Fire, were

828
00:44:43,320 --> 00:44:52,200
Speaker 3: trying to see a shoes, try hard, stop to relate nothing.

829
00:44:53,120 --> 00:44:56,839
Speaker 3: But but I I enjoyed our conversation, you know what.

830
00:44:57,000 --> 00:45:01,200
Speaker 4: I enjoyed the conversation. But you know what, this interview

831
00:45:01,440 --> 00:45:05,040
Speaker 4: kind of made me realize that.

832
00:45:07,040 --> 00:45:11,799
Speaker 1: I feel like it's all of our responsibility in media, as.

833
00:45:11,360 --> 00:45:13,759
Speaker 4: You know, current players, former players, all of that.

834
00:45:14,440 --> 00:45:19,080
Speaker 1: We need to do a better job of making sure

835
00:45:20,800 --> 00:45:25,040
Speaker 1: current players are aware of the players who came before them. Right,

836
00:45:25,080 --> 00:45:29,560
Speaker 1: Because Alena Beard A B was a problem in.

837
00:45:29,520 --> 00:45:35,600
Speaker 3: This league, one of the better defenders that's ever laced

838
00:45:35,680 --> 00:45:36,000
Speaker 3: them up.

839
00:45:37,080 --> 00:45:40,040
Speaker 1: In my book, just based off of the ones I

840
00:45:40,200 --> 00:45:46,000
Speaker 1: played against in my career, AB is easily top three.

841
00:45:46,160 --> 00:45:48,680
Speaker 1: And I can tell you in my top three I

842
00:45:48,719 --> 00:45:51,080
Speaker 1: will have in any order depending on the day, I

843
00:45:51,120 --> 00:45:58,040
Speaker 1: will have Tweety Nolan, Elena Beard, and Tamika Catchings. I'm

844
00:45:58,040 --> 00:46:01,560
Speaker 1: going to have there somewhere, right, And so I just

845
00:46:01,880 --> 00:46:05,480
Speaker 1: I love being able to you know, pay homage to her,

846
00:46:05,600 --> 00:46:10,040
Speaker 1: and hopefully people who don't know her didn't remember her

847
00:46:10,160 --> 00:46:13,800
Speaker 1: will But I'm just so proud of her vision and

848
00:46:14,320 --> 00:46:18,680
Speaker 1: everything that she's done throughout her post career, but really

849
00:46:18,760 --> 00:46:21,200
Speaker 1: super excited about what she's doing with Project B.

850
00:46:22,280 --> 00:46:24,480
Speaker 2: Yeah, saying very much same.

851
00:46:24,600 --> 00:46:28,920
Speaker 3: So we will look forward to seeing more information about

852
00:46:28,960 --> 00:46:31,840
Speaker 3: the league as it is shared.

853
00:46:31,560 --> 00:46:32,920
Speaker 2: With us in the coming months.

854
00:46:33,400 --> 00:46:36,319
Speaker 3: And you know, thanks Elena again for making some time

855
00:46:36,360 --> 00:46:38,400
Speaker 3: for us, but at this point we want to go

856
00:46:38,440 --> 00:46:40,080
Speaker 3: ahead and level this thing one out.

857
00:46:40,160 --> 00:46:42,560
Speaker 2: So Cheryl, what do you got for us today?

858
00:46:43,680 --> 00:46:44,600
Speaker 4: Real short and sweet.

859
00:46:44,920 --> 00:46:48,120
Speaker 1: And I'm saying this because this literally just happened to me,

860
00:46:49,800 --> 00:46:51,680
Speaker 1: probably a couple of weeks ago, and I found this

861
00:46:51,760 --> 00:46:57,800
Speaker 1: and I thought it was perfect my mantra for today

862
00:46:57,880 --> 00:47:03,840
Speaker 1: and maybe for the year. Everything I lose creates space

863
00:47:03,920 --> 00:47:05,480
Speaker 1: for everything I need.

864
00:47:06,640 --> 00:47:06,920
Speaker 6: Mmm.

865
00:47:08,960 --> 00:47:12,520
Speaker 4: That could be people things.

866
00:47:12,880 --> 00:47:16,760
Speaker 1: And I say people because I literally just lost a friend,

867
00:47:17,440 --> 00:47:19,120
Speaker 1: or at least I thought we were friends a couple

868
00:47:19,160 --> 00:47:24,360
Speaker 1: of weeks ago, over just you know, nonsense over me

869
00:47:24,480 --> 00:47:27,160
Speaker 1: saying I don't agree with what Ice is doing and she.

870
00:47:27,520 --> 00:47:28,640
Speaker 4: Didn't have a problem with it.

871
00:47:28,680 --> 00:47:29,200
Speaker 2: So I'm just.

872
00:47:29,160 --> 00:47:34,680
Speaker 1: Saying, girl, it's creating space for everything I need because

873
00:47:34,719 --> 00:47:40,719
Speaker 1: I know it's some great things coming this way, and.

874
00:47:40,760 --> 00:47:43,520
Speaker 3: There are some great things coming to you, some great

875
00:47:43,520 --> 00:47:46,319
Speaker 3: things coming to me, and some great things coming to

876
00:47:46,400 --> 00:47:47,040
Speaker 3: our listeners.

877
00:47:47,080 --> 00:47:51,080
Speaker 1: It's more exactly right there.

878
00:47:51,120 --> 00:47:55,239
Speaker 3: We have great things coming our way, including more of

879
00:47:55,400 --> 00:47:57,959
Speaker 3: our show that we want to make sure everyone gets

880
00:47:57,960 --> 00:48:02,279
Speaker 3: a chance to listen to. So please stay tuned in, y'all.

881
00:48:02,280 --> 00:48:05,600
Speaker 3: We really appreciate the way that you guys support us,

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00:48:05,680 --> 00:48:08,680
Speaker 3: so thank you guys for continuing to do that. Stay

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00:48:08,840 --> 00:48:13,040
Speaker 3: liked in, download the show, subscribe to the show, Visit

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00:48:13,200 --> 00:48:16,919
Speaker 3: us at lttpod on Instagram, making sure that you send

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Speaker 3: us a message on Levels to This podcast at gmail

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00:48:20,080 --> 00:48:22,839
Speaker 3: dot com. We want to continue to bring you what

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00:48:22,880 --> 00:48:24,759
Speaker 3: you want to hear, so we want to read the

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00:48:24,800 --> 00:48:27,160
Speaker 3: reviews that you leave on the Apple podcast.

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Speaker 2: We love all of it.

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00:48:29,120 --> 00:48:32,600
Speaker 3: So until next time, friends, keep your mentals ground level

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00:48:32,640 --> 00:48:34,280
Speaker 3: and we will be back next week.

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00:48:35,840 --> 00:48:42,160
Speaker 1: Peace. Listen to Levels to This on America's number one

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00:48:42,239 --> 00:48:46,000
Speaker 1: podcast network, iHeart. Open your free iHeart app and search

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00:48:46,200 --> 00:48:49,040
Speaker 1: Levels to This with Cheryl Swoops and Tarika Foster Brasbey

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Speaker 1: and start listening