A Bittersweet End to WNBA Preseason

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Full Circle is an iheartwoman's sports production and partnership with
Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find us on
the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Hi, everybody, Welcome to another episode of the Full Circle Podcast.
I am Lexi Brown here with my co host Mariah Rose.
We are in the official game.

Speaker 3 (00:23):
Week of the WNBA season.

Speaker 2 (00:25):
People, I can't wait, even though it does not come
with some tough times that we will talk about throughout
the show. Some of your faves, some of my faves,
some of everybody's faves were waived over the weekend. This afternoon,
actually it is Monday, May twelfth when we're recording, and

(00:46):
it's not an easy process. It's not an easy time,
but it's something that a lot of us have gone through.
So even though we can be very, very excited about
the start of the WNBA season, it definitely comes with
difficult conversations and moments and we're definitely gonna get into
that today.

Speaker 3 (01:01):
But other than that, Mariah, how are you doing today?

Speaker 1 (01:04):
I'm doing great, Lexi. I don't really have anything excited
going on other than just watching all of the sports
going on and working. But like Lexi said, we're going
to get into some of the preseason madness that has
gone on, the roster cuts, the heartbreaks, the emotional aces
cut that Lexi literally texted me about was like, we

(01:25):
have to talk this this episode because she has, you know,
a different perspective than some of the people on Twitter do,
and Lexi's gonna give us some of the real deal. So,
without further ado, LEXI, give me a preseason How was
it for you?

Speaker 3 (01:40):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (01:41):
I do, I do have Okay, I have a few.
I do have a few preseason thoughts. I do want
to preface this that it is preseason. Okay, a lot
of players are still chilling in these games. They are
still serving, coaches are still serving who's going to make
their teams, and it's in the midst of training camp.

(02:02):
So let's not take these games what we've seen, what
we haven't seen and think too much into it.

Speaker 3 (02:09):
That's what preseason is about.

Speaker 2 (02:10):
So I am excited that we were able to have
the preseason games televised because that's something that fans I've
never seen before, is the atmosphere and the energy that veterans,
tenured players have for rookies, younger players when they get
their opportunity play more minutes in the preseason and they
might be able to get to play in the regular season.

(02:32):
So I was really excited that fans and supporters.

Speaker 3 (02:36):
Of the w got to see us in that light.

Speaker 2 (02:38):
Because a lot of people's first impression of WNVA players
are the first game of the season or it's intense
and bodies is getting run over and the physicalities off
the charts, and that people are like, mind you, this
is the first my first impression of y'all.

Speaker 3 (02:51):
Hey, y'all out here playing football on a basketball court.

Speaker 2 (02:54):
So it was really nice that people got to see
like the lighthearted part of these preseason games that you
get to see with the NBA, starting with the Combine
Summer League preseason, you get to see all of that
leading up to the first NBA season or the NBA
game of the season.

Speaker 3 (03:10):
So I was really happy about that.

Speaker 2 (03:12):
You know, I have notes about all the teams that
I watched. I'm not really even going to get into
them because, like I said, preseason doesn't really matter. I
will touch on our scrimmage, closed scrimmage that now everybody
is chatting about, like why was it televised?

Speaker 3 (03:29):
You will have to ask.

Speaker 2 (03:30):
The home team about that why we didn't have a
televised preseason game in LA, but we did win. We
did beat the Sparks in LA, so that was a
nice little moment for me to be a part of that.

Speaker 3 (03:42):
Even though it didn't count.

Speaker 2 (03:43):
We looked good, the Sparks looked good. They still have
a lot into new pieces moving part. So I don't
want to reveal too much about that scrimmage. It was
closed for a reason, so I'm not gonna be the
op and into everybody's business, but I will just let
y'all know that we did win that game.

Speaker 3 (03:59):
So the Storm finished.

Speaker 2 (04:00):
Preseason two and zero, which is a great way to
head into the season.

Speaker 3 (04:04):
Unfortunately, we did make our.

Speaker 2 (04:06):
Final roster cuts today, so we lost Kensie Holmes, Serena Sundell,
and Brianna Frasier. And for me personally, I was in
the locker room this morning with all three of them
when it happened. And those moments are very they're very hard,
and you build such a good relationship with these young
players so quickly, and you really just want them to

(04:30):
be successful and feel embraced and feel part of the team.
But in the back of your mind there's always that
thought of like, dang, like they might not be here
next week.

Speaker 3 (04:39):
But you don't want them to feel that.

Speaker 2 (04:41):
And that's the hard part about this process is I
knew my spot was secure. Thankfully, praise the Lords, I
had a secure spot. But you know, you have five, six,
seven players that are competing for this roster spot. But
you don't want anybody to feel like they don't have
a chance to make the team, because everybody does have
a chance to make the team, even though from the
outside looking in, some players had zero chance to know,

(05:03):
every person in that gym has an opportunity to make
a roster and it's our job as players that do
have spots to make them feel that way and to
make them feel important, to make them feel valuable. So
that's why these these cut days are so hard, and
they are extremely hard for fans, and I see every

(05:25):
year it's the same. It's it's like a cycle. This
is like the worst week for us in the WNBA.
It's it's like clockwork. You bring in these young players,
they do media day, they're with the team, they're on
the socials, and then boom waved and then everybody's like, well,
why did you guys do this, Why did you well,
as opposed to what act like that they're not there?

Speaker 3 (05:47):
That's not gonna That's not the right way to go
about it either, right.

Speaker 1 (05:51):
I feel like for those who are not quite understanding
the structure of the WNBA and why it feels like, oh,
this person's on the team, all of a sudden, they're not.
There's only about one hundred and fifty six roster spots
in the league.

Speaker 3 (06:04):
About they Yeah, they just.

Speaker 1 (06:07):
Added the Golden State Valkyries, but there's still only thirteen teams.

Speaker 4 (06:11):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (06:12):
Most rookies, especially second you know, later drafted players get
cut even if they play well, and you know, typically
the roster spots go to whoever the coach, front office,
whatever feels like deserves those spots, fits the best with
the team for that year. So getting drafted to the
WNBA doesn't mean that you one percent will get a

(06:33):
roster spot the day the season starts. While you're in
trading camp, you're kind of still trying.

Speaker 3 (06:39):
To try out the team.

Speaker 1 (06:41):
Yeah, yeah, exactly, Lexie. What's it like mentally as a
player to go through training camp with these players knowing
that they there's an opportunity for them not to make
the team.

Speaker 3 (06:53):
It's like a mental battlefield.

Speaker 2 (06:56):
And I say this this year, I sound like a
broken record.

Speaker 3 (07:03):
Year eight.

Speaker 2 (07:04):
This is the first season that I went into a
training camp not fighting for a spot. So every year
until this past year, I went into camp fighting for
a roster spot. So you come in, and I'll talk
it from a rookie perspective. You come in considered one
of the best players in college. You know, there's thousands
of college basketball players and you're one of the best.

(07:27):
You're all these we have All Americans, Players of the Year,
First Team All Conference, like, these are the players that
are getting drafted, super talented. You come into this environment
and now you're playing with Olympians, you're playing with WBA champions,
you're playing with MVPs, and now you're just kind of like,

(07:48):
where do I fit in and what do I need
to do to make the players that are already there
look good.

Speaker 3 (07:54):
That's the first thing you gotta do.

Speaker 2 (07:56):
If you come in and you make them look bad,
and you make the whole unit look bad, your chances
are zero. Like, so, as a young player, that's a
hard thing to navigate. You go from being everything about
you making mistakes, never coming out of the game, all
these things, and you come into a situation where, for
a lot of these players, this is the first time
that they've had a leash, a short leash, so you

(08:18):
just navigating that as a young player is very difficult
and it's hard, and you can do everything right. Ninety
percent of these rookies and these players that are getting
cut come into camp.

Speaker 3 (08:30):
And do everything that they're supposed to do.

Speaker 2 (08:31):
They make the right plays, they knock down their shots,
they stay extra for shooting, they get their lifts in,
and sometimes it just doesn't work out for them. And
that's a hard pill to swallow, and it's not easy.
And I don't and I don't want anybody to look
at these players and be like, oh, just bounce back,
like you'll get over it. Like it's okay to feel disappointed,

(08:51):
It's okay to feel hurt. It's okay to feel confused, like, oh,
I came, I did everything that they asked me to do,
Like I did not do one thing that they said,
Like I did everything, Like those are all very valid feelings.
But the best thing about this is like it's not
the end of the world, Like there's still so many opportunities.

Speaker 3 (09:10):
It's a long season.

Speaker 2 (09:12):
Hardship contracts, Like we're not even to get into that.
We probably will get into that later in the season
because I don't want to confuse people. But like you
get waved at the beginning of the year, you get
waved in the training camp, like your journey is still
just beginning, Like there's still opportunities for you, but you
still got to put your head.

Speaker 3 (09:28):
Down to work, and it's not easy. I've been through it.

Speaker 2 (09:30):
Anything I said, any y'all could throw out a random
situation to the WNBA, I've probably experienced it. So I mean,
that's what it was like for me when I got waved.
Like we'll get into my individual story later, but it happens,
and it happens to a lot of players.

Speaker 1 (09:45):
Like Lexi said, keep in mind, there's only about one
hundred and fifty spots in the whole WNBA thousands of
college basketball players, and everyone who's even getting drafted to
the WNBA was likely the best player on their college team.
So they're going from a situation where the team is
built for them, they're playing all the time, to, like

(10:06):
Lexi said, being just a part of a system. With
Olympians and MVPs and with those one hundred and fifty spots.
I'm not saying there's one hundred and fifty spots for
people coming in. There's one hundred fifty spots that everybody
being occupied by WNBA players. So it's a hard fight
and it's hard for them to make those decisions. I
don't envy teams for that, because fans are gonna be

(10:26):
mad regardless, because you fall in love with the college players,
you fall in love with their game, you fall in
love with the story of them getting drafted to this
certain team, and a lot of fans still are learning
that that does not mean that she's going to be
on the team when the season starts.

Speaker 2 (10:39):
Absolutely, And it's hard because the most common comment I
see under these these announcements is like.

Speaker 3 (10:45):
Well, why did you post there so much? Or why
did you let her do media day?

Speaker 2 (10:49):
Well, what you want her to You want them to
exclude them from being a part of a team, because
they are in fact part of the team while they're there.

Speaker 1 (10:57):
Also, the social media team didn't waive them exactly.

Speaker 3 (11:01):
I know this.

Speaker 2 (11:01):
I talked to our social media girl in LA all
the time because I was like, like, she would get
her feelings hurt about the comments left and it's not
even her.

Speaker 3 (11:10):
Page, it's the Sparks page.

Speaker 2 (11:12):
And she would always be like those comments are like
they're nasty, and I'm like, well, don't let that bother you.
Like it's not like they're not talking to you. They're
talking to the Sparks like they're not attack you. But like, guys,
be nice to the admin, okay, Like they they are
just doing what.

Speaker 3 (11:26):
They're told, Okay, Like it's not.

Speaker 1 (11:27):
Right content right. They don't have a choice if it's
a rookie or they don't know.

Speaker 2 (11:33):
They don't they don't know, they don't know any better.
So if like, it's you're damned if you do your
damned if you don't.

Speaker 3 (11:38):
But I when I got waved from the sky, our
last day of cuts.

Speaker 2 (11:43):
Was our media day, so I went through an entire practice,
got cut, and then they had media day, so I
didn't even get to do me today in Chicago. So
in hindsight, I was like, good, I'm glad I didn't
do me today because I don't like, why would you
make me do me today when I'm to get cut.

Speaker 3 (12:01):
But in a moment, I was like, damn, y'all.

Speaker 2 (12:03):
Don't even let me do media day, like y'all didn't
even let me like get my picks off or anything
like that. So it's like, in hindsight, I'm like, Okay,
I'm glad I didn't have to go through that and
get really excited about the season, But in that moment,
I was like really hurt by the fact that I
didn't even get to participate in that because at that moment, I.

Speaker 3 (12:23):
Didn't feel valued.

Speaker 2 (12:25):
So I'm hoping not saying that if you don't do
media day, because some teams do wait till after Like
that's just a choice. Again, that has nothing to do
with the players or anything. So I love when they
include everybody in the media days because you want to
feel like a pro. Media days are fun and it's
a good way to get to know your teammates and
you get to take cute pictures, and like, everybody deserves that.

(12:46):
You did get drafted, you get you got signed to
a training camp, You deserve to be treated like the
professional athlete that you are. So I don't I hate
when when fans get mad about that that kind of stuff.

Speaker 3 (12:55):
I think it's dumb.

Speaker 1 (12:56):
LEXI, what's the vibe like in training camp at least
this year with you being a vet not being concerned
about getting cut. But are people competing against each other
or trying to bond.

Speaker 2 (13:09):
I think it's a mixture both. And I also think
it depends on what type of team you have. So
I'll use our team as an example. We have a
lot of veterans on our team, so going into camp,
there was kind of an idea of what our team
was going to look like, but there were still spots
to be earned. So yes, there's there are certain moments

(13:29):
where you need to set yourself apart from somebody that
you're potentially competing against, we're also all competing for minutes
and things like that. So like for example, I'll use
myself as an example. We have a shooting drill leaderboard thing.
My goal is I need to be on top of
that shooting drill leaderboard all summer, no matter what.

Speaker 3 (13:50):
Like that's my personal goal.

Speaker 2 (13:51):
One of my personal goals for the season is to
stay on top of the shooting leaderboard for the drills
because that's something that I can come in and do
and off days, I can do it after practice. That's
something then that I can keep tabs with myself that
I'm still locked in that I still want to be
considered one of the top shooters in the league.

Speaker 3 (14:05):
And that's how I call myself accountable.

Speaker 2 (14:07):
So for us, it's like little mini competitions like that
we scrimmage a lot.

Speaker 3 (14:12):
Our scout guys have been amazing.

Speaker 2 (14:14):
And then for us, like our vibes, like we've been
very like locked in, very about our shit from day one,
and I have loved every minute of it.

Speaker 3 (14:24):
But that didn't make the roster cuts easier.

Speaker 2 (14:28):
Like the rookies and the free agents that they brought
in like fit seamlessly into our culture, seamlessly into our environment.

Speaker 3 (14:37):
And this this was like one of the first seasons.
But I'm like, damn, like I.

Speaker 2 (14:39):
Wish we could keep everybody here. Like that's how fire
the vibes were during our camp. So today, getting the
last of those cuts like happening, like it was really sad,
Like I'm not gonna lie. I was like sitting in
my locker like I wanted to cry, Like I almost
started crying, Like I was like, this is really sad
because you see like just shattered. But like I said,

(15:02):
they're not shattered, but in that moment, it just feels
like everything is just like coming crashing down and it's.

Speaker 3 (15:07):
Just like, oh, well, what do I do now?

Speaker 2 (15:09):
But I told them, I said, y'all just stay ready,
but enjoy your summer, Like, don't get consumed by this.

Speaker 3 (15:15):
There's twenty four hours in a day.

Speaker 2 (15:16):
You can get your work in and still enjoy your
life and enjoy your summer. And if that call comes,
which it will for a lot of these players that
I've gotten waved because we see it every season that
they need to be ready. And if you have a
good showing at camp, you have a good attitude, you're
a good teammate.

Speaker 3 (15:31):
That word travels, So you.

Speaker 2 (15:33):
Might not get called back to the team that you
got waved from, but another team might.

Speaker 3 (15:37):
Inquire about you.

Speaker 2 (15:38):
And if you had a good showing at camp, then
that can work in your favor and you can end
up on another team in a few weeks.

Speaker 1 (15:44):
What about your experience with you mentioned a little earlier.
You're like, later, I'll tell you about what I was waved.
Could you give us a little bit a little bit
more about what that was like for you and maybe
shed some light for those girls who might be like
feeling doomsday.

Speaker 3 (16:00):
Yeah, okay, so we're.

Speaker 2 (16:01):
Gonna I've talked about what happened the year I got
waived before, but that was a minute ago, so we'll
talk about it again. So this was in twenty twenty one.
So right after our Bubble season, I was playing with
the Minnesota Links. We had a twenty game season. It
was short. I got a concussion in the Bubble, so
I wasn't able to finish the season. I missed some

(16:22):
games and I left the Bubble. So we made the playoffs.
I had, you know, a handful of really solid games
down there.

Speaker 3 (16:30):
Like I was feeling really good about the season.

Speaker 2 (16:33):
I was feeling really good about the future with the Links,
and I was off season training. So this was the
first year that I decided to not go overseas, and
I had been overseas the last two seasons, and this
was season I was like, I don't want to go
there anymore.

Speaker 3 (16:48):
And it was COVID. It was a lot going on.

Speaker 2 (16:50):
So I was off season training and training camp starts
approaching and I'm not hearing any anything.

Speaker 3 (16:57):
From the Links, and I'm like, what's going.

Speaker 2 (16:59):
On, and like, why don't I have my flight information,
Why don't I have my apartment information, Why.

Speaker 3 (17:05):
Don't I have anything?

Speaker 2 (17:06):
So my agent at the time I had to reach
out to him and I was like, can you find out, like,
what's going on because I haven't heard anything in camps
about to start. And he reaches out comes back to
me and he's like, oh, they've been They was trying
to trade you, but they couldn't get it done, so
they're gonna wave you instead.

Speaker 3 (17:24):
And I was like, what wave me for?

Speaker 1 (17:28):
What?

Speaker 4 (17:28):
Like?

Speaker 2 (17:29):
I had a great two years there, Like, I'm confused.
We made the playoffs both years I was there, like
I was playing well, What the hell?

Speaker 3 (17:37):
So he tells me, I.

Speaker 2 (17:39):
Don't get a call, a text, and eat, I don't
get anything from the organization. Not a single person from
the organization said a word to me.

Speaker 3 (17:46):
That is not normal.

Speaker 2 (17:47):
Okay, I want to say that right now, that the
way that went down is not normal. So at this point,
I'm in like that frenzy mode. Now I got to
find a training camp. Like at this point, the training
camps are filmed, so Chicago wasn't my ideal destination, but
they had a spot open in camp. So I go

(18:10):
to Chicago and I have a pretty good trade camp. Again,
I do everything that they asked me to do. I
played well in the preseason games, But unfortunately, some things
were going on behind the scenes that were out of
my control. Some salary cap stuff, some trades went on,
Boom waved again, get brought into the office. You did

(18:33):
everything we asked you to do. You had a good camp.
Stay ready like, That's what coach Wade said to me.
He's like, stay ready like That's how I left it.
And I was back home that night. I was like,
can I get Can I go home tonight? I was
mad as shit, Maria. I was so mad. And then
I went home and I was like, I was really upset,
and the conversation was like I just got waved twice

(18:54):
in two weeks, three weeks, and now I'm at home
and this is only my third season in the league.
So at that point, I was like, you know what,
I'm just gonna go play overseas and get it together
over there, like maybe this league is not for me.
Only because I was only feeling that way because of
how things went down in Minnesota. I was like, is

(19:15):
this how like they do business? Like?

Speaker 3 (19:16):
Is this how it works in this league?

Speaker 2 (19:19):
Like you just get waived and nobody tells you why
or what you need to improve or what happened so
I was just had like a really bad taste in
my mouth. At that time, I had signed a contract
to go play in Puerto Rico at like the beginning
of the fall, I think, like I think the season
was like September ish maybe, So I had ended up
signing that because I was like, oh, I might as

(19:40):
well go play over there.

Speaker 3 (19:41):
And then I told my agent, like, I'm.

Speaker 2 (19:42):
Not doing any temporary hardship contracts either, like I'm either
going to go back to Chicago if they need me,
or I'm gonna try and make a team next year.
But like, I'm not going to get caught in that
cycle of the hardship contracts.

Speaker 3 (19:56):
We're going to get into that at some point this season.

Speaker 2 (19:58):
But so yeah, I went back to training, enjoyed my summer,
watched the Chicago Sky go on a little losing streak,
and then waited for them to collee and they did,
but I missed half the season pretty much, so they
had to wait for my salary number to go under
the cap before they could officially resign me for the

(20:19):
rest of the season. So yeah, there's a lot of
behind the scene things outside of just your play, Like
our salary caps are online, if you guys would like
to explore numbers, initiate your own trades. There's all types
of stuff you can do on the internet, but sometimes
it's quite literally out of your control. So you just

(20:39):
can't get super discouraged. And you just gotta be ready
because your phone will ring, and if you're not ready,
then that might be your your shot.

Speaker 3 (20:49):
And then then you can panic.

Speaker 2 (20:51):
If you get your second your second chance, and you're
not ready, you're not ready to go, and then that's
when you that's when you can be like, oh damn,
I'm out of.

Speaker 3 (20:59):
Booe this one.

Speaker 2 (21:00):
So it was a hard experience for me, more of
character developing. I'm glad I got to experience Chicago though
that team win a championship.

Speaker 3 (21:10):
I learned a lot.

Speaker 2 (21:12):
But then like the next year, the same thing happened,
salary cap weirdness, and I was like, I'm not doing
this again with y'all. So I held out on my
contract and then they finally traded me to the Sparks.
But it's a hard thing and it's hard to keep up,
and I know the fans are get frustrated and I
feel it.

Speaker 3 (21:29):
I feel them, trust me, I feel y'all.

Speaker 1 (21:31):
Yeah, it's not all about what you show in the
preseason games. It's about what you show in practice, who
you can guard, what the team needs, how much they're
paying the players that are already there. It's a lot
that goes into it. There was a lot of viral reactions,
like you said to Dajah Kelly being at media Day,
and I think that it's great that you shed light

(21:52):
on the fact that they might still invite you to
media day. I'm curious, Lexi, you already touch on this
a little bit, but I'm thinking, if it were me,
what I've rather go and get the pictures? And I'm
also thinking, what if you got your hair done? Like
I was so tight media day.

Speaker 2 (22:08):
Well, the funny thing about the media day even in Chicago,
like I knew I was about to get cut. I
didn't even like get my hair done or anything for
a media day. I already knew, like I knew it
was coming. Yeah, I already knew what was going on.
But again, like you have to you have to embrace
those moments and show that you are a good culture piece.

(22:31):
Like Deja is an incredible player. She went undrafted, so
we're already talking about second and third round picks. Having
a very slim to none shot of making the team.
An undrafted player, the chances are even slimmer, but for
her to have the showing that she had with the
time that she was given was game changing for her.

(22:55):
So people have been able to take note of what
she brings to a team, her talent level, which for me,
her going undrafted was.

Speaker 3 (23:03):
Mind boggling to me, mind boggling.

Speaker 2 (23:06):
And the fact that she took complete advantage of that
opportunity instead of getting her feelings or feeling slighted, she
let it motivate her and she came out and she
had a great showing like she's going to be.

Speaker 3 (23:19):
In this league.

Speaker 2 (23:19):
If it's not this season, next season, like Dajah Kelly
belongs in the WNBA. So for her to take that
hard moment, you know, on draft night and come into
the Aces camp, which is not an easy camp by
any means, and have the confidence to come out hit
a game winner, you know, Shine Bryant media Day, like
she didn't have to do any of that. She could have,

(23:40):
you know, went through media Day and BS died and
not you know, embraced the environment and the experience and
like that. That's a pro whether you make the team
or not. Like that's how you operate as a professional.
So I'm devastated for her. You have the list right here.
Shyan Seller's wave twice. You know, she going through the
same thing as me. You get waved twice, Like that's

(24:01):
a gut punch, Like I know how you feel, Shy
in bree Haul, South Carolina waved from the fever. She's
actually handling it very well. If any of you have
seen her.

Speaker 1 (24:10):
Tiktoks, yes, I think we're gonna post it on our
Instagram just so everybody can see when this episode comes out.

Speaker 2 (24:16):
The same with Harmony from Harvard. You know, she posted
a funny TikTok about it, Like, I think a lot
of these players understand the cutthroat nature of this, but
the fact that you still have to operate as a pro,
and that's important. You got to play the game, and
it's a game within a game. It's a business. But
your reputation means a lot, and it carries you a

(24:38):
lot until you find that environment and that opportunity that
allows you to be yourself, allows you to shine, allows
you to develop. So I'm actually proud of these young
this young group because they're handling it way better.

Speaker 3 (24:49):
Than I handled my getting waved. I was mad as shit.
You were like, some long, what's the first flight out
of here? Like whatever.

Speaker 2 (24:58):
But I did leave a good enough impression for when
they needed to bring me back. They were able to
because I could have made an ass of myself on
the way out and then you need me and they're like, eh, well,
LEXI acted like this. We're not bringing her in here
because she's still not gonna play. When we bring her here,
she's gonna be a culture piece, and she's gonna be
a practice player, and we need to make sure that

(25:20):
she's going to bring good energy and good effort and
she's going to work hard when we bring her here,
whether she plays five minutes or the whole game. And
that's kind of the impression you got to leave in
those situations, and it's not easy to do that. So
it's a tough week and I hate that. You know,
it's Monday right now. This episode will drop on a Wednesday.
We'll have a game on Friday, and people are still
going to be reeling from the players getting waived, and

(25:44):
it kind of puts it always puts like a damper
on opening week of the season, and I always hate that.

Speaker 3 (25:49):
I hate the timing of it all.

Speaker 4 (25:51):
It's hard, I will say, before we get into preseason
or things that to look forward to in the w season.

Speaker 1 (26:06):
I'm curious as far as the players that were cut
or waived, are there any of the names that stuck
out to you that you think might get picked up
mid season, might do well overseas, deserve more time? Anybody
that stuck out to you, particularly.

Speaker 2 (26:20):
You know, based on what I did peep in preseason,
I think that point guards, I'm not sure how many
point guards you know, got waved from their camps. There's
a lot of teams that probably will need a point
guard or a backup point guard as a season goes on.
Nobody's name in particular stuck out. But again, like it
really it's all situational. Like if your roster goes under

(26:44):
eight because of injuries or illness, like it doesn't have
to be season and ending injuries either. You just have
to be out for an extended amount of time and
then you get eligible for these hardship contracts. So it
really just depends on what happens throughout the season.

Speaker 3 (26:58):
So like, yeah, I'm talking about some teams are going
to need point guards.

Speaker 2 (27:01):
But you know this X player goes down, that's not
a point guard, and you got to go grab somebody
to fill that spot. So all these players got to
stay ready, honestly, and that's the reality of it.

Speaker 3 (27:13):
And that's why for me, I.

Speaker 2 (27:16):
Wish we would expand rosters before we expanded teams. Which
I'm so happy that we're expanding teams, but.

Speaker 1 (27:24):
That's a good show.

Speaker 2 (27:25):
But the roster spots. We're starting our season with ten players,
so yeah, that might seem like a lot of players,
but like over the forty four game season, that's not
a lot of players at all. I'm hoping that our
in our CBA negotiations, like yes, our salaries are going
to increase, god willing, salary cap is going to increase,

(27:45):
god willing, and hopefully it won't be a hard cap anymore.
I'm hoping that as a collective, the top, the one
percenters will be like, you know what, we don't need.

Speaker 3 (27:56):
To make X amount.

Speaker 2 (27:58):
We can make a little less than that still lot,
which what we all deserve, but maybe a little more
so we can give that money to two more roster
spots instead.

Speaker 3 (28:07):
So that's on us.

Speaker 1 (28:08):
That makes a lot of sense too, because right now
you said there's ten players.

Speaker 3 (28:13):
Yes, that's only enough to scrimmage.

Speaker 2 (28:15):
Exactly with nobody else exactly scrimmage with no subs.

Speaker 3 (28:19):
Right right, I'm like, oh, thank the Lord, we have
practice players.

Speaker 2 (28:24):
Like they're so amazing and so integral to a team's
successes because you do have teams carrying ten eleven players,
teams that there are some that carry twelve, but like, yeah,
you have three games in four days. You have three
players that play thirty thirty five minutes. They're not practicing
the next day, so now we have seven players, yeah,
in practice, So.

Speaker 1 (28:45):
Yeah, that's a good show. I never thought about that
because I was like, I've always felt like, obviously, adding
all the new teams exciting because I want more people
to have an opportunity. Like there's so many talented women's
basketball players in the world that want to play in
the WNBA and simply can't because there's not enough spots.
But adding teams doesn't really. I mean, it does benefit

(29:07):
adding roster spots for more players, but the teams that
are in the WBA right now I feel like would
benefit more from having more spots.

Speaker 2 (29:16):
And you think about it, you look at the Valkyries
almost they add entire roster is full of players that
are already in this one forty four bucket. So that
team didn't create twelve new spots. It created like three
or four new spots really because you already have WNBA
players on the team. So yeah, again, don't get me wrong.

(29:37):
So excited for the expansion teams, like I can't wait
to go play in Golden State, Like it's it's an
exciting time for the w But I've heard it in
every locker room that I've been in, like we need
more roster spots, But I feel like that's going to
be on the players because we're going to be able
to decide how the money is going to be distributed
amongst a salary cap. So we'll rewind for y'all who

(30:01):
don't know what a salary cap is. In the most
simple terms, we'll say that the salary cap is a pie. Okay,
your favorite pie, and everybody's salaries is a slice of
the pie.

Speaker 3 (30:13):
Okay, So your.

Speaker 2 (30:15):
Top player might get like a fourth of the pie.
I'll say your top two or three players will get
twenty five percent of the pie goes to three people,
and then you got to split the rest of the
pie up amongst eight to ten people, depending on how
much of the how big the twenty five percent is.
So when you break it down simple like that, like, Okay,
do those three players really need twenty five percent? Maybe

(30:36):
they can get twenty two percent of the pie. Maybe
they can get twenty three percent of the pie. Because
when you break it down to percentages like that, like
because ten percent of one hundred thousand is still ten
ten thousand dollars, Like that's still a lot of money.
So you take a little bit from the top over here,
you take a little bit of the top over here,
you take a little bit of a top of here.
Oh boom, you have a minimum veteran contract.

Speaker 3 (30:55):
Boom. So I'm hoping like those are the.

Speaker 2 (30:58):
Conversations that are had, especially with this forty four game season.
I know a lot of teams are gonna feel it
about halfway through.

Speaker 1 (31:06):
Before you get clipped, because I can feel it. Lexi
is not saying cut this fourth of the pie that
is going to the top three players to give to her.

Speaker 3 (31:16):
Okay, don't give it to me.

Speaker 1 (31:17):
Cut the She's saying, cut that part of the pie,
because that little slice of the pie that is taken
away from the top two players, and the roster could
be a piece of pie for another player to come in.

Speaker 3 (31:29):
For another two players that are not on the team yet.

Speaker 1 (31:32):
For these players that you guys are crying about getting gave, Yeah,
they could have a spot if that was exactly so.
I just wanted to make it clear that you're not
being selfish in that sense trying to take a piece
of pie.

Speaker 3 (31:42):
Hey, I'm happy with my piece of the pie right now. Okay,
don't get me wrong.

Speaker 2 (31:45):
I'm very happy with my piece of the pie. I
love my piece of the pie.

Speaker 3 (31:50):
Okay.

Speaker 2 (31:51):
I just want more people to be able to enjoy
this beautiful, delicious pie.

Speaker 3 (31:55):
That's all.

Speaker 1 (31:56):
And I will say going into that the top one
or two players, I would say I'm just about every
team in the w have a lot of opportunities as
far as being the face of the franchise and doing
other things that I feel like most of them would
be willing to sacrifice one percent of their WNBA salary

(32:17):
to allow for more backup spots and more help, especially
with more games being outed to the schedule.

Speaker 2 (32:23):
And this is a completely different conversation than we had
of when we said players should never accept less money
to benefit the team, to want it to get a championship.
This is a completely different conversation. The money that we're
talking about doesn't exist yet.

Speaker 3 (32:39):
We don't know how much it's going to be.

Speaker 2 (32:41):
No one has had access to it, no one knows
what it looks like, no one knows what it feels like.
So this money that this hypothetical money that we're talking
about is money that none of us have ever even had.
This is not the money that you have earned already.
Like the top earners still are going to be the
top earners. But like again like we don't know what
this We don't know what the ceiling is for the

(33:02):
top earners. So this is a completely separate convererce Like
I do not want any player to ever be like, no,
I'm gonna take less money so you know we can
we can go get this player and stack up a team.
Like if a player wants to do that, shout out
to them, like that's amazing.

Speaker 3 (33:17):
But if a player doesn't want to do that, I
completely understand that.

Speaker 2 (33:21):
But for this hypothetical feeling that we're talking about that
could potentially expand these roster spots and give more players
opportunities on top of the expansion teams. I don't see
why that's not an idea that we would visit if
it doesn't pan out that way. Like cool, that is
what it is, but like it's definitely a conversation that
should be had because we do need roster expansion, like

(33:43):
because the waving of the players, the lack of development
of these of these young players. It's hard and it
doesn't make sense because you these players do need development,
and you can't depend on going overseas. You can't depend
on Unrivaled, you can't depend on Athletes Unlimited because that's
it's not the W. So yes, you can get great experience,

(34:04):
you can get confidence playing overseas. You can get confidence
playing Unrivaled and Athletes Unlimited. But that confidence I'm from firsthand.
I've played overseas, I've played Athletes Unlimited. I haven't played Unrivaled.
But that confidence that you get and you come play
with the big dogs again in the W, you're like,
oh damn, okay, let me tie it up. And then
also you become you know, you could be a star here.

(34:26):
You come into the W, you fit a role, you're
a specialist, you are a Goop player like, there's just
different things that you have to experience in different ways
you help a team win when you're in a league
this talented. So it's very important for these players to
stay in proximity to it because if they still want
to be a part of it. You know, some players
be like, you know, that was cool, I'm cool off
of it, And that's completely understandable too. I get that,

(34:48):
but there is there is a level of proximity that
needs to be had for these players to be able
to continue to grow and learn and develop and be
able to earn a spot in the W Because it's
not I said it, it's not.

Speaker 3 (34:58):
It's the hardest lead in the world to make. I
stand on that. It really is.

Speaker 1 (35:03):
Yeah, I would agree with you speaking of this very
difficult league. Even though preseason doesn't define the teams as
far as what we're going to see throughout the new
forty four game schedule, we still need to talk about
it because going into the WNBA season, which ships off
on Friday, I want the fans of the w to

(35:25):
have your perspective and my perspective on what to expect,
what you're looking forward to the teams to watch the
teams that might have some improvement whatever. So the WNBA
released their power rankings today.

Speaker 3 (35:39):
From pre season serio.

Speaker 1 (35:40):
So in the first place the New York Liberty in
second place, the Minnesota Links, third place, the Las Vegas
Aces in fourth place, the Seattle Storm at top five
top five top five okay, and then in fifth place
the Indiana Fever. Sixth the Phoenix Mercury. The seventh team

(36:04):
is the Atlanta Dream. Oh that rhymes. The eighth team
is the Chicago Sky, ninth is the Dallas Wings, tenth
is the Los Angeles Sparks, eleventh is the Mystics, twelfth
is the Sun, and thirteenth is the Valkyries.

Speaker 2 (36:21):
Okay, that's a pretty that's a pretty solid list, I think. Yeah,
you know, you don't have the two teams that were
in the finals as one and two. That makes sense
that they didn't have any changes, so like they were
at the top of the league last year, so obviously
you would assume that they're going to be at the
top this year. We said Vegas looked very ready to

(36:43):
run it back with the championship in their preseason game.
Very excited to see us at four. But I think
the Storm finished fifth last year, so like that sounds
about right. It kind of looks like they just looked
at last season's rankings from the end of the year
and just.

Speaker 3 (36:56):
Put it.

Speaker 2 (36:58):
And just redid it and put the Mystics and they
just put the Valkyries last. Yeah, okay, I'm okay with
that list. That's that's a very decent list. Like I said, preseason,
you can't really read too much into it.

Speaker 3 (37:10):
Who did I want? I mean, I watched all the games.

Speaker 2 (37:12):
I think that we'll start from the bottom and work
our way up. So Valkyrie's first preseason winning history, so
shout out to them.

Speaker 3 (37:21):
They shot forty threes. So I'm laughing because it's there.

Speaker 1 (37:25):
It's their first preseason history, I guess.

Speaker 3 (37:28):
But they won.

Speaker 2 (37:29):
They lost the last game, so it's their first win,
that's true, their first official preseason win.

Speaker 3 (37:34):
They shot forty three.

Speaker 2 (37:35):
So you know, we know what goes on in the
Bay with the Golden State Warriors, so it seems like
they're gonna take on that similar personality shooting a lot
of threes, which.

Speaker 1 (37:45):
Makes sense because that's what the fans there want to see.

Speaker 3 (37:47):
The fans are used to it.

Speaker 2 (37:49):
Like, like I said, Natalie knows what she's doing up there,
Like there is a level of entertainment factor that you
got a factor in when you're building a team in
trying to win games.

Speaker 3 (37:58):
Completely new roster, new code, new city.

Speaker 2 (38:01):
I mean, I think, yeah, it's rude to be like
there's not really much expectation for them, but like that's
literally like there is no expectation because y'all, the team
didn't exist before. I think they're going to be better
than people think though. After watching them, I think Van
lou is going to be a very important piece to
that because her passing ability. There's a lot of offensive
weapons on that team, and the way she sets up

(38:23):
her teammates is really elite. So I was very impressed
with their second game and they have a they have
a rookie on I think she's thirty, So I'm sure
that that's going to be thrown in everybody's face the
entire season that we have another thirty year old rookie
from overseas. She was very impressive, So don't sleep on

(38:46):
the Valkyries. Like, and they got the home crowd advantage,
so their team, their games are will be packed out.
So just off that alone, like that gives them a
huge advantage, so I'm really excited to go play there.
The crowd is amazing, atmosphere was amazing. So don't sleep
on the Valkyries, even though they ranked them last, Like
I don't think.

Speaker 3 (39:05):
I don't think they're going to finish dead last. I
really don't.

Speaker 1 (39:08):
Well, the Valkyries have their first game on Friday against
the Sparks, who beat them by one point recent point,
so we've got a Cali battle happy.

Speaker 3 (39:19):
Which is so cool. Two teams in Kelly.

Speaker 1 (39:28):
What about the Connecticut Sun.

Speaker 2 (39:30):
So they actually beat the Liberty in New York, which
again preseason, so don't don't get too high on that,
and don't get too low on the Liberty since we
played them in the preseason. They looked better in that
game than they did when they played US. Marina Maybrey
played and she's going to be obviously one of the
focal points of their offense. I think that the Sun

(39:53):
saw a need at their point guard position and they
signed Bria Hartley uh to a training camp contract, but
I can I can first see them signing her for
the entire season. She played in Athletes Unlimited, had a
great season, went to yukon a very elite point guard
out in New York dealing with some injuries, so it's
really exciting to see her back in the w That's

(40:13):
something that we talked about a lot while we were
in Nashville, like she really wanted to get back into
the league and prove herself.

Speaker 3 (40:18):
So I'm really excited for that.

Speaker 2 (40:19):
And she's a she's been in the league before, she
she's played at a high level. So I think that
addition changes a lot for the Sun. Another team that
I don't think are going to be as bad as
people think.

Speaker 3 (40:29):
So I was impressed.

Speaker 2 (40:30):
You know, you you preseason means different things for different teams,
and I think that was a really good win for
them to go into this into the first game of
the year with the win over the Liberty in New York,
So shout out to them. Also, there was news today
that they're looking to sell the team. Wow, which nobody
thought that they was gonna come up off the Sun,

(40:52):
So there was no comment from the team or anything,
but apparently that's the new rumor, is that the Sun
there trying to sell them, which to me, put them
to Boston. You know, I'm a Boston girl. I would
love to have a team in Boston. But we'll see
how that pans out. But that was the news that
drop right before we got onto record, was that they

(41:13):
were looking to sell the team.

Speaker 3 (41:14):
So who's next? Who is eleven next?

Speaker 1 (41:18):
We've got the Mystics, who we've talked about before, being
for rookies that are having their step up. Yeah, basically
shout out to Kiki Riyafin who had twelve points and
it was lost, but but she showed some promising moments,
so I wanted to give her a little shout out. Yeah,
not much as expected from the Mystics this year.

Speaker 2 (41:39):
No, And it's hard for veterans on that team that
you know, you go there and the team looks one way.
Two years later it's a completely different situation. So you know,
you have that type of sympathy for those veterans. But again,
it's like, this is a perfect opportunity for you to
work on things to you know, get numbers, be a veteran,

(42:02):
be a leader, work on your leadership. I do see
a big year coming from Aliah Edwards, though I don't
know why. I don't know that just that one on
one match up with Stewiet kind of like it's something
in my brain.

Speaker 3 (42:13):
I'm like oh Leah Edwards is one of them once,
so I'm really excited for her.

Speaker 2 (42:17):
She did not play in that preseason game due to
an injury I want to say, or resting whatever.

Speaker 3 (42:23):
She didn't play, but I can I'm sensing a big
year for her. She had a really great rookie rookie season.

Speaker 2 (42:29):
And yeah, the Mystics, they held their own against the
Dream and they have the babies on the team. They're
a team full of rookies. But again, everybody is in
this league for a reason. You cannot sleep regardless of
what number they have next to their name, you cannot
sleep on a single team in this league. Everybody in
this league is good enough to win a game on
any given night. So shout out to the Mystics and

(42:49):
shout out to my vets on that team, because it's.

Speaker 3 (42:52):
Not gonna be easy, but y'all could show a little song.

Speaker 1 (43:00):
Next, let's talk about the La La land Sparks. They
I have them one to ero for the preseason. But
breaking news from Lexi Brown.

Speaker 2 (43:09):
They are one and one and one.

Speaker 1 (43:13):
Obviously, they have their first game against the Valkyrides on Friday. Lexi,
what have you seen from them? Obviously? Based on what
I've seen, the shining spot of their preseason was Rakia.

Speaker 2 (43:25):
Draca and I can I will second that based on
our scrimmage and I won't say anything else, but baby
girl been in the gym, one of them ones. She's
expanded her game, so I'm really excited to see the
leap that she takes.

Speaker 3 (43:39):
Again.

Speaker 2 (43:39):
A lot of new faces on that team, new coaching staff,
new head coach, so they're gonna there gonna be some
growing pains, but it's nice to see them turning the page.

Speaker 3 (43:49):
You know that the offense is completely different.

Speaker 2 (43:51):
It was kind of weird, like watching your old team
and like nothing is the same.

Speaker 3 (43:55):
Everything is different.

Speaker 2 (43:56):
So they are really leaning into this new era of
LA basketball. So you know, I'm glad that we got
the win, but you know, they looked, they look solid.

Speaker 3 (44:05):
But I see Rakia.

Speaker 2 (44:06):
Having a really, really good season, so I'm really excited
for her.

Speaker 1 (44:10):
Let's talk about Dallas. Obviously, they got the number one pick.
Everybody's been super excited and high on seeing them. They
open up their preseason with a thirty seven point loss
of the Aces and then swung around for a big
win a week later. All eyes have been on page
but what have you been seeing from Dallas.

Speaker 2 (44:32):
I mean, we talked about the Page Arique synergy and
that's going to be so important. And you could kind
of see on Arigue's face like this is probably some
of the easiest scoring.

Speaker 3 (44:43):
That she's had.

Speaker 2 (44:44):
You know, she's so used to kind of doing it
all in herself, Like she's probably one of the best
one on one ISO players in the league, and she's
had to perfect that because she hasn't really had too
many people that are able to set the table for
her and score on their own. So watching them build
their chemistry over time is going to be really fun.
And they look like they I mean from what I

(45:05):
see from the outside looking and they look like they're
enjoying the process, and I think that's so important because
it is going to be a process. So just seeing
those two build their chemistry and then their accessory pieces
are going to be super important. And you know what
Djna is going to bring, you know what the list
is going to bring. So it's going to be an
exciting season. I think they're going to be fun to watch.
There are second game of the season, so we gonna

(45:27):
see them very early and see what they're talking about.

Speaker 3 (45:29):
So again. Dallas another team that I'm.

Speaker 2 (45:32):
Going to say this about every team, not every every
team is not going to be as bad as you think.
But like, that's funny because last year everyone thought we
were going to be bad, and we were just as
bad as every thought. But we went through a lot
of stuff that you know, made that a thing. But
you know, I'm not going to say anybody is going
to be bad, because who am I to say that

(45:54):
about any team? But a lot of changes in Dallas
and you can see their chemistry growing and growing, and
I think they're going to just enjoy the process and
kind of just roll with it. And that kind of
just seems to be the energy over there. So I'm
excited for Page's rookie campaign.

Speaker 3 (46:09):
I think we all are me too.

Speaker 1 (46:15):
Let's move on to somewhere you've been before, Shytown.

Speaker 3 (46:17):
Shytown Angel visited.

Speaker 1 (46:19):
Ls she again on May second for the Skies preseason
opener against the Brazilian national team. We shouted them out
because wow, to come from Brazil and to play all
these WNBA teams, very impressive for them. Angel played I
think like seventeen minutes and actually watched this but and
she had fifteen to ten a double double as we're
used to seeing so, and Angel has expressed that if

(46:43):
need be, she's willing to play point guard for the
Sky if that is what they are asking her to do.
So Angel seems really ready to win.

Speaker 2 (46:50):
They are their last game, wow, bringing the ball for
point forward for There was a little bit of.

Speaker 3 (46:56):
A misunderstanding.

Speaker 2 (47:00):
Of our breakdown of the Chicago Sky as to their
limitations of their offense.

Speaker 3 (47:07):
And or lack of limitations.

Speaker 2 (47:09):
I should say, nobody's offense is limited because, like I said,
everybody is in this league for a reason. We expressed
that last season, the offense that they ran was not successful. Obviously,
you didn't make the playoffs. That's the definition of not
a successful season. We said that there was going to
be a need for versatility at the post position, and

(47:31):
we are seeing it happen in real time, and the
player that they chose to become the versatile post is Angel.
Like most of us probably expected, She's a great passer,
she has pretty high i Q now her being on
the perimeter that takes her away from the basket. So
that comes with being a versatile player, like you're not
going to be able to be in there crashing the

(47:51):
boards all the time.

Speaker 3 (47:52):
Camilla is their center. They've made that known.

Speaker 1 (47:54):
So I said, Camilla, let us they have a six eight.

Speaker 2 (47:57):
You are six eighty' You're not going to waste six
eight trying to make her the versatile one. So I
think Angel is accepting that challenge. We saw clips to
her bringing the ball of the court, all these other things.
It's possible. I didn't say that it wasn't possible. It
was a matter of are.

Speaker 3 (48:12):
They going to do it?

Speaker 2 (48:13):
Because of the season that she had last year playing
back to the basket. So I think that we're gonna
see a major leap in her game. It might not
show on the stats initially. People are probably gonna be like, well,
where are her rebounds at? Well, she busy facilitating at
the top, So it's gonna be a pick and choose
at times. Sometimes she gonna go get them rebounds. Sometimes
she gonna get all the assists. Sometimes she gonna get both.

(48:36):
I would not be surprised if she gets a triple
double this season.

Speaker 3 (48:38):
That would not surprise me. That wouldn't surprise me.

Speaker 1 (48:41):
If Angel starts putting up triple doubles like she does
double doubles, people to start putting a whole different type
of respect.

Speaker 2 (48:48):
I'm not putting it past her because of the way
I've seen that offense move and the scores that they
have now, the scoring threats that they have everywhere. A
very underrated player on that team is Rachel Bannam. If
y'all didn't know, Rachel Bannam put up sixty points in college.
Like Rachel Bannam is a problem. Okay, So you have

(49:11):
a player like that, you have a player like Aerol Atkins,
you have a floor general like Corney Vanderslout. This is
a very dangerous team. So I don't want there to
be any misconceptions of what we think that the ceiling
is for the sky, especially after what we've seen in preseason,
is that the offense is not going to look like
how it looked last year. And that's all I was saying,

(49:32):
is where are they gonna make the tweaks at And
we're seeing the tweaks happening in real time. So again,
my favorite thing about being a professional athlete is seeing
the growth and development of players year to year to year,
and that's what we're gonna see. I mean, even Camilla
looks more comfortable. She had a great season overseas in China,
So I'm excited for that team as well. Y'all can

(49:53):
clip that since y'all want to clip everything else.

Speaker 1 (49:56):
So I know, I got a comment that was like,
I used to like this. I used to like your
podcast until I found out you guys were able retainers.
I was like, y'all must have never watched a video
of me your day and you're a day.

Speaker 3 (50:07):
And you're no. And I want to reiterate this over
and over and over.

Speaker 2 (50:12):
This is not a lifestyle opinion show. This is a
basketball show, and we're gonna talk about basketball things and
things that we see in the game in stats and
analytics and all things that have to do with things
within the ninety four.

Speaker 3 (50:30):
Feet nothing else.

Speaker 2 (50:32):
So if y'all don't want to hear about real basketball talk,
if I go five for five from three to one game,
I'm coming on here saying if I go zero for
five for one game, I'm coming out here and saying
it like that's what we're doing here. These are the
conversations that need to be had. If we're wrong about something,
I'm gonna come on here and be like, damn, we
was wrong. If and you better believe if I'm right,

(50:53):
if we're right about something, I'm coming on here saying
we were right, guys.

Speaker 3 (50:57):
But that's not what this is about.

Speaker 2 (50:59):
This is about growing the game and helping people understand
the game and love the game for what it is.
Basketball is a beautiful thing. It is a beautiful sport.
And I love watching it and I love watching it
being played well, and I love watching it develop and
grow and mirror what the NBA is doing every year.

Speaker 3 (51:15):
The NBA. It's growing.

Speaker 2 (51:17):
Growth mindset people, That's what we're here for. Growth mindset and.

Speaker 3 (51:21):
Amen, the WNBA is growing.

Speaker 1 (51:23):
Speaking of growth and the Chicago skuy before we move
on to the Atlanta Dream, do you see the sky
and the playoffs this year?

Speaker 3 (51:31):
I do? I do see them. What is it? Eight
teams out of thirteen? I do?

Speaker 1 (51:38):
They'ren eight in the preseason, in the preseason.

Speaker 2 (51:41):
Yeah, I see them. I absolutely see them in the playoffs.
Like I said, you have Cordy Vander Slut and Aerol Atkins.
Those are two WNBA champs right there. So playoffs is
definitely a thing.

Speaker 3 (51:54):
I know.

Speaker 2 (51:54):
I think we called we didn't call them contenders, did we?

Speaker 3 (51:57):
I don't think so.

Speaker 2 (51:57):
But still making the playoffs is absolutely possible, for sure.

Speaker 1 (52:02):
And then a quick take on these next two teams
before we get into the top five and kind of
blow through them, because I think we've talked at length
about most of the top five teams in our last
couple episodes. If you haven't listened to those, go ahead
and listen. But let's talk about the Atlanta Dream. It
is a little weird seeing Brittany Griner even knows my
city in a dream Jersey after spinning eleven seasons with Phoenix.

(52:24):
But the Brittany that we saw is the same old
Brittany that we're used to seeing.

Speaker 3 (52:29):
But she's shooting threes now, y'all saw.

Speaker 1 (52:31):
That, plus that, plus that plus threes.

Speaker 2 (52:35):
She's not hesitating. She actually shot fifty percent from three
last year. I read it today, nine for eighteen all
season last year, and I think she's already taken four
in the preseason games.

Speaker 1 (52:46):
That's dangerous.

Speaker 3 (52:47):
So that is extremely dangerous.

Speaker 2 (52:50):
And they also shot forty threes in their game against
the Fever, their last preseason game, which only was a
shocking step because the Fever, who we have expected to
shoot a ton of threes, only shot twenty three in
that game. And I can all I probably will say
that because they didn't play most of their starters a
lot of the game, which is the bulk of their

(53:12):
three point shooting. But the fact that the Dream got
up forty threes is scary because we did talk about,
you know, you have two all star bigs exact eg
and Breonna Jones, and they're stepping out to taking threes.

Speaker 1 (53:25):
The theme here seems to be that we were curious
about these teams that were bigger and what they were
going to do with that size they had, and how
they were going to find versatility, and it seems like
with the Sky they found that an angel being willing
to bend and play in a little bit of a
different role than we're used to seeing her the double
double princess. And then now with the Dream seeing Brittany
Grinder shooting threes. She had sixteen and ten and nineteen minutes.

(53:49):
So yeah, Brittany is Brittany's looking good?

Speaker 3 (53:53):
Yeah, all right, she's looking good.

Speaker 1 (53:54):
And Phoenix another team that we had some questions about
no wins in the presets.

Speaker 2 (54:00):
You still have the same questions who is the point guard? Yeah,
what do you think at is going to be their
their floor general, but being a point forward is still
a very hard thing to do. But it's still not
a point guard. Like there's so many other things that
go into being a point guard. And then the way
this league is going, we have a lot of scoring
point guards that can score at all three levels, threes, twos,

(54:22):
and at the rim. So we all know that at
as dynamic and incredible she is, her range is extremely limited.
So I don't know what that means if that's your
point guard, Like, I don't know what that means as
far as spacing for the rest of your team. She
looked great in their preseason games. SATU looked really good

(54:42):
in their preseason game. She's shooting the ball great, didn't
seek too much. She didn't play in their second preseason game.
But again those were the question marks was how are
their role players and their accessory piece is gonna mesh
with the Big three? You know, it seems like Phoenix
is like Big three Land, Like they're one of the
franchises that have been really trying to get this Big

(55:05):
three right.

Speaker 1 (55:06):
They doing that in the MNBADEA.

Speaker 3 (55:07):
Yeah, lord exactly.

Speaker 2 (55:09):
It seems like Phoenix is Big three Land. That's our
home opener. So we're going to be watching a lot
of film and stuff on them in the next few days.
So again, Phoenix is always an amazing place to play in.
They always have great fans, so like they're always going
to be in a good position because they have a
real home court advantage, and they're really excited for this
new group that's playing, which that's really exciting to see

(55:31):
in awesome to see. But again, like even on the telecast,
they're like they don't have a true point guard, those
waved players that I was talking about, you know, Phoenix
is definitely a destination I could see being like, damn,
we probably need to go get a point guard.

Speaker 3 (55:45):
Not saying that what.

Speaker 2 (55:46):
They have now is not going to work, it's impossible
to work, but you need a point guard. The big
three did look great. They looked very elite, very top tier.
I was super impressed with my girl Natasjha mac great
room protection, and we talked about how Phoenix probably will
lock into their defense and the key to a great
defense is a great room protector. So she's going to

(56:09):
be a key piece to that defense blocking shots and
getting rebounds. So still same question marks we had before,
but yeah, that's our home opener on Saturday is in Phoenix,
so we gonna see them firsthand what they're talking about
and what they look like with the lights bright, So
shout out to Phoenix. Let's get into these top five.

Speaker 1 (56:34):
These are teams we've talked about at length and really
don't have as many flaws as the last few teams
that we've talked about. But in the top five we
have first the Indiana Fever, who we saw played the
Brazilian national team. They swept their preseason. They're looking pretty good.
We didn't see too too much, as Leslie mentioned of

(56:54):
their starters to be making like an excellent assessment, but
they still want all their preseason game.

Speaker 2 (57:00):
Mm hmm, yeah, I mean they look good. Kaitlyn Clark
looks really good. The shots that she's making and taking
are insane. As expected, she probably will lead the league
in assists. Again, I think slut will be very close
behind her, and then yeah, I think it's going to
be the three way race like it has been the
last few years of slut at and then Kaitlyn Clark,

(57:20):
now that she's in the league, is going to be
up there for sure. Shit, I'm gonna throw Skyler in there.
As well with the weapons that we have on our team. Now,
you know, she's always top five or six and assists
per game. I think dB came off the bench in
their second preseason game.

Speaker 3 (57:34):
I don't know why.

Speaker 2 (57:35):
I don't know if that's anything that anybody should keep
an eye out on, but I did notice that. But
they want to play with pace, they want to run.

Speaker 3 (57:43):
Their defense looks better.

Speaker 2 (57:44):
I think Sophie was a great addition to that team,
and Lexi Hall comes off the bench and gives them
great energy. So I think they have a very well
rounded team. Now it's all about, you know, managing personalities
and egos, which I don't think on that group is
going to be a problem. So I think that they're
going to have a really fun and exciting year. And again,
like they have.

Speaker 3 (58:04):
I saw that they had like shirts that were like
sold out.

Speaker 2 (58:07):
They like were going like on tour, which I think
is so fire, even though I'm not supposed to say that,
but like the fact that you're selling out road arenas
is so crazy, and they're leaning into that. I think
last year they're kind of like we're trying to like
be like, you know.

Speaker 3 (58:19):
It's not that big of a deal. No, that is
a big deal.

Speaker 2 (58:21):
It's a huge that you're making teams move arenas because
there's too many fans.

Speaker 3 (58:27):
Like that's a big deal.

Speaker 2 (58:29):
So I really like that they're leaning into that mentality
and mindset.

Speaker 1 (58:33):
But can I just say, as a WNBA fan, that's
what we want exciting. I love that. I'm not of
the mindset like, yeah, obviously, the whole purpose of the
show is to bring attention to other players in the
league and things that aren't being covered elsewhere. But I
do want to give flowers where flowers are due. That

(58:54):
shit is hard, Like that is so cool, And it's
like Beyonce selling out arena all over the all over
the country. It's not like I'm not going to go
to concerts for other people and I'm not supporting other artists,
but I'm still gonna look at that dominant to be
like that. That's colt and so like to see this happening.

Speaker 2 (59:10):
And as a player, why would we not want to
play in a packed out arena? Like what, That's what
we worked our whole lives for. That's what we look
forward to is playing and packed out arena. So as
players like yeah, like you're kind of like you want
to you know, shut them up, because like damn, like
you you coming over to our trap, take it over
our trap. Don't like that, but like the people are there,

(59:32):
But that's fun, it's fun.

Speaker 1 (59:33):
Like that's fun, I guess if you're one of those
players who likes to be a villain. And I was
like literally in high school. But I was always that
way as an athlete, Like I like when people like
going into another arena and like shut.

Speaker 3 (59:45):
It, like that's so fun. It is so fun.

Speaker 2 (59:49):
Like it's just like certain like things that you feel
as an athlete that it's very hard to explain unless
you've experienced it yourself. And I think that's one of
those things when you come on a home team's court
and you just like suck the life out of it,
like it's one of That's how I felt when I
played in Phoenix. When I had a really good game
in Phoenix and we want it overtime, like you the crowd,

(01:00:09):
it was like silence, and you're just kind of like, yeah,
we we did that, we did that time. Okay, let's
go go before they start booing and throwing stuff.

Speaker 1 (01:00:20):
Yeah, okay, like the back of the bus, I gotta
get out of here. Speaking of time to go, we
gotta let these people get out of here, so we're
going to speed through the top four. But first, yeah,
the speed mode the Seattle Storm LEXI, yeah, yeah. Obviously
we talked at length about your team. How deep you
guys are you guys what preseason as well? It has

(01:00:40):
you listed as one to know but based off of
broken news here on full turble there too now. But
I want to hear from you specifically because we know
about what we have to look forward to from the
Storm from listening to the show. What are your goals
specifically for your team yourself for the season.

Speaker 2 (01:00:56):
Okay, my goals are to thrive in my role, which
all of our roles were presented to us today in
a very cute PowerPoint presentation which I have never experienced
that before on a team. Is these are y'all's roles,
and y'all are going to know everybody else's roles, so
when you lack in, we all can hold that person accountable.

(01:01:19):
When I'm lacking, everyone can hold me accountable because we
all know what we all are supposed to bring to
the table.

Speaker 1 (01:01:24):
Genius handling of such a deep team.

Speaker 2 (01:01:26):
For me as a player, I was like in AWE
this morning, like we had a literal PowerPoint presentation of
our roles, and I think that is so important, especially
coming from a place where my role was changing every
day and no one actually even knew their role, and
that is a very hard group of players to coach
and get, you.

Speaker 3 (01:01:46):
Know, aligned.

Speaker 2 (01:01:47):
So for me, we all know, shoot and make threes,
like that is what I'm here to do. That is
what I love to do. That's what I'm really good at.
But I will not put myself in that box. I
just want to do anything I can to help this
team win. I want to get invited to the three
point Contest, like I really want to, so in order
for that to happen. First goal, so that's like one A,

(01:02:10):
one B. If one A happens, one be should happen.
Win a championship of course is a goal. And just
stay right mentally like and physically, honestly, pray every day
to stay healthy up here, which is I'm pointing to
my brain for anybody listening. And then of course internally
I feel great. I feel amazing mentally and physically right now,
So just keeping that up. But yeah, like making the

(01:02:33):
playoffs would be something that would be amazing. I've been
in the playoffs in three years and this is just
a really special This is a really special group.

Speaker 3 (01:02:40):
So we don't have to talk.

Speaker 2 (01:02:41):
I could talk about our team all freaking day, so
we can move on from us. But you know, we
we we're locked in, We're ready, and we're really excited
to get started.

Speaker 3 (01:02:50):
So shout out to the Storm.

Speaker 1 (01:02:52):
I love it. Okay, speeding through the top three, the
Las Vegas Aces.

Speaker 3 (01:02:58):
Who looked very good and their preseason game.

Speaker 1 (01:03:01):
Unbeat it in the preseason.

Speaker 3 (01:03:02):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:03:03):
Again, I think it's going to be very hard for
Asia the top the season that she had last year.
I think the only way that this season will top
last season is if they win a championship. She probably
is the favorite to win MVP again and that's a
very cool title to have. We are in the midst
of her shoe release, which has been like the coolest
shoe rollout I've ever seen in my life ever, and

(01:03:25):
at my first thought was like, women are just so
fire like the way our brains work, the way you know,
we are able to sell ideas and dreams to people
through a shoe. I've never seen an entire team where
to shoe the day it comes out on a game

(01:03:47):
day like in the tunnels.

Speaker 3 (01:03:49):
Like, I just have.

Speaker 2 (01:03:50):
Never seen that before. So this is we're supposed to
be talking about them on the court. We've talked about
them last week, how good they looked in their preseason.

Speaker 3 (01:03:59):
They do have a lot of new pieces that.

Speaker 2 (01:04:01):
They're gonna have their growing pains as well. Keep an
eye out on Jackie Young. Like I said, Chelsea Gray
is in prime Chelsea Gray form. But I don't want
to ignore the fact that Asia Wilson's shoe release and
drop has been one of the coolest things that I've
seen in a long time.

Speaker 1 (01:04:18):
So I just want to say on the shoe release point.
I know, again the show is about basketball and what's
happening on the court, but what's happening with Asia and
the shoe release is so impactful for the standard of
what a shoe release for a women's basketball player should

(01:04:38):
be like going forward, and all of that pageantry surrounding
her shoe and all these other things that happen off
the court does contribute to this pageantry. If people being
so invested and spending money and putting their money where
their mouth is and seeing the shoe on the court
and all of these things. It just brings more fans
in and I'm glad even though it took a long time.

(01:05:01):
In my opinion, you're giving shoes to people straight out
of college, and she has done all she has done
and has deserved a shoe for a minute, but to
see it delayed, but to happen so perfectly, like for
everything to seem like it took time, and every little
detail from the baretts and the commercial to having the

(01:05:21):
team wearing everything was just done so well, and not
only to just to address the elephant in the room,
like to see a black woman get what she deserves
as far as coverage and as far as Nike putting
in that effort, because there is a gap in coverage
for black players and white players in the WNBA. And
I'm not saying that as like a fan and as
a black woman, like having an opinion. It's a fact,

(01:05:41):
like it is studied. It's a fact, it is true.
Go google it yourself, googles free. But just to see
all of the pageantry surrounding the shoe, it's bigger than
a shoe. So we're excited for that reason, like this
is yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:05:53):
It's been like I feel like the rollout has been
like six months, but keep going.

Speaker 3 (01:05:59):
But I think the best moment.

Speaker 2 (01:06:01):
For me was seeing like Alicia Gray and it Tiffany
Mitchell and in their media day pictures, Like just the
genuine support and love and care for this moment is like,
like you said, it's bigger than basketball this moment. So
shout out to Asia for that, and then shout out
to the Aces because you know they're coming for a
lot this season, and then shout out to Jewel Lloyd

(01:06:23):
of course. You know, I know she left Seattle on
poor terms, but she wanted to change the scenery and
that's absolutely understandable and fair. So I'm really excited to
see what she does on a new team because we've
only seen her in a Seattle Storm jersey. So it's
going to be different for us guarding her. It's going
to be different for us scouting for her. And that's
the fun part too, is seeing new players in new

(01:06:45):
environments and it's a new challenge. So I'm excited to
play Vegas. I think we play them third or fourth game,
so we're going to see them very soon. So yeah,
in Seattle, I'm pretty sure. So that's going to be interesting.

Speaker 1 (01:07:00):
To close out. Before we get out a year, let's
talk about the championship matchup from last year. We got
the Liberty in first place in preseason at power rankings,
and in second we have the Links, which is exactly
how the season ended last year.

Speaker 3 (01:07:12):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:07:12):
I mean, there's not really much to say about either
one of their teams. They both look almost the exact same.
We unfortunately haven't seen kmac in the preseason for the Links,
but I'm really excited to see her season. After playing
really really well and unrivaled and then going overseas, I'm
sure she is exhausted, so I'm glad that she was
able to take this time to rest a little bit

(01:07:35):
and get right mentally and physically. Minnesota got a chip
on their shoulder. Like we said MVF, she could absolutely
win MVP as well. I don't know if they do
odds and stuff for that yet, but I mean, if
it's not Asia fee or Fee Asia one two, then
there's something wrong. She got the rust off preseason Game one,

(01:07:57):
preseason Game two looked like prime Collier that we're all,
you know, used to seeing and enjoying to watch. They
added Jess Shepherd, which a lot of these new fans
probably have no idea who Jeff Shepherd is. She is
a perfect accessory player to Nefisa, and I know that
because I played with both of them Nefisa's rookie season

(01:08:18):
and their chemistry on the court was something that was
very special and I really enjoyed being on the court
with both of them. So their chemistry is going to
bring the Links to another level offensively, I think. And
then you know, you can never count out show Reeve
on that bench. You know she has four championships for
a reason should have been five. But you know, here

(01:08:41):
we are, they're trying to run it back. So this
is a very dangerous link squad. Also shout out Courtney
Williams getting into that mid range bag. I've never seen
anything like it, and I'm very excited to guard her
this season because it's always a fun matchup for me
with Courtney and the Liberty.

Speaker 3 (01:08:57):
Let's see if they're playing yet.

Speaker 2 (01:08:58):
They have a game today in or shout out to
Sabrina getting I think it's Sabrina Day. Yeah in Oregon,
so that's yep, Sabrina Day. Literally Sabrina Day. So shout
out to Sabrina for that page. Got a day shout
out to everyone getting days, like what like, you get
a day, you get a day, You get a day.

Speaker 3 (01:09:18):
So shout out to Sabrina for that.

Speaker 2 (01:09:19):
That's super dope, the fact that they went and made
that happen for her at Oregon, at our university, and
then play a game. Oh, they don't play till later today,
so we'll be able to see the last of the
Liberty two nights before the regular season starts again. They
have John cul Jones, Bris Stewart, Sabrina Escu brought back Johannes.

Speaker 3 (01:09:42):
They're dangerous squad.

Speaker 2 (01:09:43):
They are deep, they're veteran Legosh, can't forget about Natasha
Isabelle now. Now, if we're talking about a veteran squad,
they might have us beat a little bit the storm.
I don't see why they shouldn't be the favorite. It's
obviously the defending champs, and I think everybody is They're
gonna get everybody's best shot. But I'm really excited for

(01:10:06):
their season. I'm excited to see what Shenanigan's Ellie the
Elephant gets into.

Speaker 3 (01:10:11):
Most importantly, but this.

Speaker 2 (01:10:14):
Season is gonna be lit, y'all. I'm so excited for it.
I'm so excited to be healthy for it. I'm so
excited to be able to go out there and be
my best self again, and whatever happens, I'm just grateful
and blessed to be a part of this, this growth
of the w And that's what I'm excited about this season.

Speaker 3 (01:10:35):
What is one thing that you're excited about for this season.

Speaker 1 (01:10:38):
I'm excited about the what is that word? I'm literally
losing it, but they use it on ESPN every single
day to describe sports. But it's like, is it parody? Basically, yes,
there we go major. I should know that. That's literally
my whole role on the show.

Speaker 2 (01:10:57):
I thought you're going to say something like magical, wonderful,
You're like parody, everybody can win?

Speaker 3 (01:11:02):
Cool?

Speaker 1 (01:11:04):
I think as you as you have mentioned a few
times throughout this episode, there are so many talented players
in the WNBA. Everybody's there for a reason, and there
are so many teams that I feel like, Okay, they're
the bad team, but like are they and if they
base them, this could happen. And another thing I'm really

(01:11:25):
excited about is has to be spoken about a lot
in this episode. I do like seeing players and roles
that are unconventional for them, and I feel like this
season we're going to see a lot of players playing
roles like we spoke about Angel or Brittany. Obviously, I'm
in Atlanta and I'm going to be attending the Dream Games.
I will be showing you all the court side bits
all over TikTok. But I am really excited about just

(01:11:48):
seeing players adapt into different aspects of their game based
on the new fits of their teams, the new coaching,
Like I feel like there's gonna be a lot of
newness and just seeing how the rookies from last season developed.
Like I'm just really excited.

Speaker 2 (01:12:04):
Yeah, it's gonna be a great season, y'all. And by
the time this episode drops, we're gonna be two nights
out from the season openers on Friday, and by the
next episode, I would have played in two games. So
next week's episode is gonna be fun. Lots to talk about, good, bad, ugly,

(01:12:24):
We're gonna talk about it all. So we are really
excited to finally have the WNBA season to talk about.

Speaker 3 (01:12:30):
We're gonna get into it every single week.

Speaker 2 (01:12:32):
So thank y'all again for tuning in to another episode
of Full Circle Podcasts.

Speaker 3 (01:12:37):
We will see y'all next week.

Speaker 1 (01:12:39):
And if you're gonna clip us and talk about us,
make sure you're streaming the game period.

Speaker 3 (01:12:44):
Bie.

Speaker 1 (01:12:47):
Thanks for listening to Full Circle. We'll be back next
week with more basketball for the Girls, By the girls.
We want to hear from you. Leave us a review
on Apple Podcasts and tell us what you want us
to talk about. Full Circle is hosted by Lexi Brown
and Rose. Our executive producer is Jesse Katz. Our supervising
producer is Grace Fuse. Our producer is Zoe Danklab. Listen

(01:13:08):
to Full Circle on America's number one podcast network, iHeart,
open your free iHeart app and search Full Circle with
Lexi Brown and Mariah Rose and start listening

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Hosts And Creators

Lexie Brown

Mariah Rose

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