July 15, 2025 • 38 mins
Ben Pickman, women’s basketball writer and podcast host at The Athletic, joins Sarah to talk about the WNBA’s newly-announced expansion teams, DeWanna Bonner’s midseason move to Phoenix, what to expect at this weekend’s All-Star game, and his thoughts on the discrepancy between media, fan and player All-Star voting. Plus, the Diana Taurasi bench unveiling is set, when hotties can’t hoop and other Slice emails, and one young soccer player’s legacy is already in full bloom.
-
Watch The L Word’s painful basketball scene here
-
Listen to Sarah on Jemele Hill’s Spolitics podcast here
-
Leave us a voicemail at 872-204-5070 or send us a note at goodgame@wondermedianetwork.com
-
Follow Sarah on social! Bluesky: @sarahspain.com Instagram: @Spain2323
-
Follow producer Misha Jones! Bluesky: @mishthejrnalist.bsky.social Instagram: @mishthejrnalist
-
Follow producer Alex Azzi! Bluesky: @byalexazzi.bsky.social
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we're in
Los Angeles for the US women's national team PA players ball,
cozying up to Leslie Jones, and mentally preparing for another
epic rose Leavel lipsyn performance. It's Tuesday, July fifteenth, and
on today's show, we'll be skipping the need to know
and getting straight to my conversation with the Athletics Ben Pickman,
talking all things WNBA.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
I caught up with them on Sunday to chat.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
About the league's three newly announced expansion teams, Dwana Bonner's
mid season move to Phoenix, his MVP and Rookie of
the Year front runners, and what to expect at this
weekend's All Star Game. That conversation's coming up right after this,
joining us.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
For a triumphant return.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
He's a staff writer at The Athletic covering the WNBA
and women's college basketball, and one of the hosts of
the Athletic Women's Basketball podcast. He's a Wisconsin alum, an
elite camp counselor, and a marathon runner.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
He walks the WNBA.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
Orge carpet every year, hoping to be drafted, but a
last not yet.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
It's Ben Pickman, Welcome.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
Back, Ben, thanks a lot, Sarah. Yeah, I think my
goals of being drafted it's been. It'll never change. I
fear at this point in my life.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Keep walking the carpet though you have nice fits, you
look good.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
Thank you. I appreciate that a.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Lot has happened since our show went on summer break
in the w and so you are here to walk
us through all of it before we go.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
To the All Star Game this weekend.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
And I want to start with something that our show
discussed yesterday. Caitlin Clark ranking ninth in voting for guards
among her peers first and fan voting third, from the media,
ninth from players. What percentage of that do you think
is just that she wasn't playing that well and it
only played nine games at that point, wasn't putting up
huge numbers, And how much do you think might have
actually been something else?
Speaker 3 (01:44):
Yeah, it's a really good question. I think certainly it
could have been just the fact that she was not available.
I want to say she had played fewer than ten
games at the time that players were supposed to submit,
and as a result, like the sample wasn't there and
she had just been pretty good. But not necessarily like
truly you know, transforming the league, blowing the league out
in those games that she had played. I also think
(02:06):
there's two other potential factors. Number One, with the All
Star Game being an indie, with the fan voting return
vote being what they were, it's like, you know, I
think maybe there might have been some malaise is the
right word. But just like she was getting in, like
Caitlin Bork was going to be an All Star, she
was almost definitely gonna be an All Star captain, So
I think that is a factor too. The other thing
is players couldn't vote for their teammates in the voting process,
(02:29):
so we actually don't know, for instance, like you know,
how many Fever players voted or didn't vote, how what
was participation around the league, Like you know, I think
there are some swings that could just be a result
of just like who votes, like in any other kind
of election, that can impact the result, And it's a
potentially small sample depending on just how many people submit ballots.
(02:50):
So I think it really is a combination of those things.
I didn't read too too much into it, but you know,
she's the All Star captain and it's gonna be a
great weekend, and I think we should all keep it moving.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Yeah, it all worked out, keep it moving. So we
do now have the All Star Game rosters, Team Clark,
Team Collier. Who you got and why?
Speaker 3 (03:10):
I like Team Clark mostly because I think All Star
Games are won by guard play and shooting, and that
is historically just like how this works, and I do
like the pair of I think Caitlin Clark is due
for a big game, not surprisingly. I also like the
fact that she chose Sabrine and Escu, who you know,
I think is poised to have another big weekend and
(03:33):
light it up in any events in which she participates.
So I like that pair a lot. Just pulling up
from thirty feet thirty five feet half four and like,
I think that bodes pretty well. I think if you
look at some of their bigs, like Asia Wilson, a
versatile big, we'll see how much she plays Satu a
versatile big. I like her ability to handle someone like
(03:53):
Kelsey Mitchell also could have a big game just as
a result of her being a guard. So just the
you know. Again, the Team Collier has some great players too,
so I don't want to discount them, but I think
the just the shooting ability of the first teams I
mentioned push them over the edge.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
For me, Shooters and Unicorns is Team Clark's subhead. But
I do feel like I'm waiting for it to happen.
Like Unrivaled, where I picked all the guards for the
one v one and it was all the Unicorn bigs.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
Now that was slightly different.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
It wasn't full court, it wasn't five on five, it
wasn't an all star game. But we'll see if the
Bigs can surprise us. Let's talk about the Fever. We
had big expectations for them this year based on the
talent on the roster, and we've seen that they can
beat good teams when things come together.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
They also can shol and be really flat. They are
not in the.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
Standings where they expected to be, and Caitlin hasn't played
sure where we'd expect her to play. Obviously, the multiple
injuries have slowed her down and made it hard to
get into groove. Beyond the obvious, which is they need
to be hitting shots and she needs to not be
like eightieth in the league in three point percentage. Well,
what else do you see as a problem for the squad? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (04:57):
To me, It starts on the defensive end of the floor, actually,
and it is kind of a you know, variance in
discipline is often the determining factor in whether they win
games and have a lot of success or whether they
struggle in games. Right, I was at the Commissioner's Cup
in Minneapolis when they beat the Minnesota Linx, and that
was one of the most defensively disciplined performances of the season.
Their point of attack defense was really really strong, even
(05:19):
without Kaitlin Clark playing. If you watch Aary McDonald and
Kelsey Mitchell and Sidney Colson in that game, how they
were disrupting Minnesota's guards was really really impressive and it's
kind of set the tone for that entire game in
Indiana's comeback, and that is something that you know, we
have seen flashes of from the Indiana Fever this year,
but you know, the coaching staff would tell you it's
not as consistent as they would like to this point
(05:41):
in the season. So for me, that is one big
area of just what are you getting from the fever
on a defensive end of the floor. It was why,
you know, in Kaitlin Clark's recent return from injury against
the Valkyries. Like again, that was a performance that was
pretty lackluster, and Stephanie White after called them out for
lacking a competitive fire. And that really starts the defensive
end of the floor. Again, Like Stephanie White, she is
(06:04):
known as one of the best defensive coaches you know
in the league. That's always been a calling card of
her teams. You think about some of the people on
her staffs, someone like Pree January, a really stout defensive
player back when she was playing as well. Like, they
pride themselves in Indiana on that end of the floor,
and they've just been a little bit too inconsistent for
their liking, for fans liking, and for me, that is
(06:25):
area number one that I think will determine how successful
they are in the second half of the season and
into the playoffs quickly.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
Can you tell if there's a through line of the
roster during those games when they don't show up with
that kind of energy. Is it when Caitlin's in or out?
Is it when sid is playing more minutes? Is it
when somebody's you know, benched or starting.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
I think, honestly, they're still trying to figure it out.
And we have seen that because you know, think about
Caitlyn's first game back coming off the recent injury against
Golden State, Steph White starts Kelsey Mitchell, Aary McDonald and
Caitlin Clark together for the first time. That's the first
time that those three players have played a minute together
all season long, trying something out. I don't fault any
coach for trying things out, you know, in the first
(07:06):
half of the season seeing if it works. She then
went back to a different starting lineup, you know, in
subsequent games. I think they're very much still trying to
figure out the rotation of how to use Lexi Hole
and Sophie Cunningham. I think holl has had a really
good first half yea, all things considered. How to use
Natasha Howard, who you know, has shown some flashes, and
then sometimes it seems like she's getting too many touches
(07:26):
and teams are almost baiting her into making plays. Like
I think they very much are still trying to figure
out all their lineups and rotations. I do think, like
you know, McDonald's certainly was a huge boost for them
in the first half, both in terms of just energy.
She plays with pace, she plays with defensive intensity, as
I was saying, that's so important. So I think they're
(07:47):
continuing to get her looks. But no, I think this
is a Fever team that is still trying to figure
out kind of the its core lineups and you know
in crunch time in big games, how it does want
to play.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
So Dwana Batter was part of the to start the season,
She's trade nine games. She ended up getting pushed out
of the starting lineup, wasn't a fit. Now she's back
with the Phoenix Mercury, who have really outperformed most folks
expectations in their first year without Diana Trossi, without Britney Griner,
with a new look.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
What's the ceiling for the Mercury and how do you
see Bonner sliding into that team?
Speaker 3 (08:18):
Yeah, I mean I think right now they are clearly
in the top three of the league with New York
and with Minnesota. I think Phoenix has positioned themselves right
there and they have had success. Whether Kalia Kopper is playing,
whether Alyssa Thomas is playing, whether it's not too Soable
is playing. I mean, I think for me, the way
I've thought about it is when you think about roster
construction right now in the WNBA, the most important position,
(08:39):
or the most telling position often is your four player,
right your power forward. And there's so many unicorn you know,
so to speak, players who are so integral to team success,
right Asraa Wilson, Stewie Fee. And if you look at Phoenix,
they really have two of the six or seven players
at that position that you would want, and it provides
them with so much versatility on a night to night basis,
(09:00):
no matter who is kind of playing around them, right,
And so it starts with at who was just awesome
against Minnesota. Just watch that game and her offensive production
is crazy Sa too obviously, you know, starting in the
All Star Game, she has had a great first half.
Now to the question of Bonner, you know, she clearly
will help them just as another capable player off the bench.
(09:21):
We saw her close both the first and second half
in her debut game. You know, for Phoenix, her length
as a rebounder, she'll be active on the boards. I'm
a little more hesitant though about what she's going to
mean for their ceiling long term, mostly because and you
know this too, Sarah from you know, just covering all
different kinds of sports too, Like you know, in the NBA,
we talk a lot about buyout guys, right, players who
(09:42):
get waived in January and early February, and then they
get signed and for like one or two weeks, everyone's like,
oh my god, this player is going to change the
ceiling of a you know, of the team that they
signed with. And historically, like that is not the case, right, Like,
historically that kind of buyout player who signs with the team,
gets waived and then resign somewhere doesn't actually change the
(10:03):
ceiling that much. I think, you know, Dowana Bonner still,
I think can be a very good player, but I
don't know how much she is going to be the
difference in Phoenix being a you know, a second round team, say,
or a finals team or a champion.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
And maybe even if she is, it will not show
up in the box score because you cannot put a
stat line on making your fiance play really well. Because
we mentioned that Alyssa Thomas at a career best twenty
nine points in the first game that Dewana was back
on the roster next to her, So yeah, it's not
something that you can usually keep track of. But she
(10:36):
makes Alyssa Thomas play even better than Charity is that's
a win for the Mercury. You just mentioned some of
the injuries to that team and players who have been
in and out, and big picture, we've heard some players
talk about fatigue this season. This is the most games
there's ever been in a w season. A lot of
players are feeling run a little ragged. Also due to scheduling.
It feels like everybody plays on the same night and
(10:57):
then gets days off and then it's just kind of haphazard.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
Sometimes.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
Do you see shooting percentages, injuries, things that are often
correlated to fatigue being a factor in how these players
are playing this year.
Speaker 3 (11:12):
I mean, you see free throw rate is up significantly
this year, and so maybe you know that as a
result of teams fouling more, or maybe some would argue
that's a result of inconsistent officiating, which is a whole
other can of worms we can open or not if
you want. I mean, I think the scheduling conversation is
really interesting because like, one, the players did agree to
the current framework of the schedule in the most recent CVA,
(11:33):
and two, with all these new teams that are coming
in over the next couple of years, like it is
going to continue to be this topic of conversation, and
I don't really know what the right answer is, right,
I mean, Sabrina and Escu talked about it at Liberty
practice last week that like, in her mind, she would
love to have the WNBA play in traditional basketball season,
you know, in the winter and things. That would be
(11:55):
pretty cool and you get rookies the opportunity to rest
and recover, and then suddenly you start to season and
it would just be you know, a normal win you know,
a traditional kind of basketball calendar for what so many
people know from the NBA or college with a W
It's just fascinating, like how many games are going to
be played, probably more than fifty. What is the footprint
it's probably going to need you to extend into, you know,
(12:17):
late October. Does it push up even more against the
start of college basketball season in early November? It brings
in a whole media rights conversation, right, think about ESPN,
who is a you know, your major rights holder for
college games on the women's side, they're also broadcasting the finals.
Like there's only so many windows when you factor in
college football arena availability, when they pick NBA teams, NBA
(12:41):
ownership groups who then are also owning these W teams,
like you're sharing arena space. That was important to have
those big arenas, but it creates another conflict. So I
don't know, it's just a very murky, messy issue. I
don't know what you think about, like the whole conversation.
More broadly, Yeah, I.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
Mean, I get why they would want that, and I
also think at this point it would still be foolhardy
to try to compete with NFL, NHL, NBA, college football,
college basketball. I mean, there's a reason why in the
past folks on the media side were willing to throw
a bone to the W because there wasn't enough going
on otherwise. And baseball is such a regionalized sport that
(13:18):
people aren't that interested in national coverage of baseball unless
it's like the Aaron Judge Yankees kind of storyline, And.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
So there was room.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
And I do worry if you pack it in with
all those other leagues, you lose the opportunity for people
to care and watch the way that they do now.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
But I do agree with you.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
Once the teams are added, it's going to be very
hard to calculate how to get all the games in
without there being some sort of conflict and you really
can't start a season before the March madness of it
all and then expect teams to like adjust based on
draft you know, after they've already played ten or eleven games.
Speaker 3 (13:50):
Well along those lines too in terms of like conflict
and making it all work. The most interesting thing that,
you know, this is a long way in advance, and
I know we all have a lot of things we're
thinking about in our lives, but next September is a
World Cup, a feeble World Cup year, and it's going
to be fascinating to see how the WNBA schedules next season,
in particular because not only are you adding two expansion
teams in, but you have this tournament in the middle
(14:12):
of September in theory like right before right around the
start of the playoffs, and so there might be a
scenario in which the WNBA takes a ten day break
potentially because of this FEBA tournament. And then there's a
question of you know, if your WNBA team is making
a playoff push going down the stretch, does a player
(14:33):
choose to play in this event? Do they elect to
sit out this event? You know that could raize obviously
health concerns if your star player, you know, goes and
plays and gets hurt, Like what does that mean overall?
And you know, in past years, the WNBA has certainly
dealt with scheduling conflicts with FOBA. But I think what
(14:54):
is so new is there's just so many more eyeballs
on the league right now, so many more people are
following it. And obviously, you know, the stretch run is
such an important time for fans to check, you know,
kind of check it and ride the wave for out
the remainder of the season. And so I do wonder, like,
what does a break mean right before a big tournament.
It won't happen in twenty thirty. Phoebe has already announced
(15:16):
they're moving that event to November December, so this will
be the last time we have a conflict like this
specific to this World Cup. But like you know, this
is a new era of the WNBA, and so that
is just another question that has arisen as a result
of all that's going on.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
You just made me think quickly. I want to ask you.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
Two of the teams that came to mind when I
thought of that were, of course the Valkyries, who have
a ton of foreign players, and the Storm with Dominique
Malonga and French players who Gabby Williams who elected not
to go leave during the window this year. Quickly, how
surprised are you buy the Valkyries.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
I'm definitely like surprised at one. I think they're ten
and ten At the time we tape this, like I
thought they were going to play a lot of really
competitive games and then maybe lose late because they might
not have the individual talent. But I think what it's
been so impressive is like, really they are. You know,
the sum is better than each of the parts individually.
And you can see I think they've played ten different
(16:13):
starting lineups this year, you know, and so that's literally
half their games, and no five player lineup combination for
them has played more than forty minutes this season. Basically,
like Natalie Nicase is just maneuvering and pulling players up
and sitting players down, and some nights a player gets
a DMP and some night they play twenty five minutes
and oftentimes you don't really know, you know, what she's
(16:34):
gonna do. But all the players they put in are
really really competent, right, And so we've just seen like
a connected team who has just bought in, whether you
know you're playing a big role or whether you're playing
a small role. I think that's, you know, one of
the most impressive parts for me. We'll see how far
they go, you know, in the second half. I wouldn't
expect them to make a playoff run even if they
did get in, But like they've been one of the
(16:55):
standouts of the first half for sure.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
And certainly if they're trying to prove to free agents
to come next year, between the fan support and the
sellouts and the brand and everything else, having a coach
like that and a system that seems to be working
will help.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
What do you make of Dominique Malonga.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
There was so much hype coming in and she's been
relatively quiet.
Speaker 3 (17:14):
Yeah, I mean part of that is this opportunity, right
if you look at some of the other rookies who
have been standouts this year, you know your Page Beckers,
your you know Kikiiria fan or Sony sit round in
Washington like they're just playing way more minutes. I still
think the flashes of potential that Dominique shone like I
was at Seattle, New York. I guess, you know a
week and a half ago when she came in and
(17:35):
she had eleven points and seven rebounds in five minutes.
And you know, I've never seen someone kind of post
up Stewie out jump, you know, out jump her for
a high point in terms of the inbounds passes. Disrupts
Stewie with just pure length on the defensive end of
the floor, like those five minutes alone, Or why so
many teams around the league wanted to draft her and
(17:56):
viewed her the way that she did. So she's still
I think the youngest player in the league. She's shown
enough potential for me to still think that she could
be this generational franchise player, you know, with more opportunity,
I think she'll continue to shine.
Speaker 1 (18:11):
We got to take a quick break more with Ben
Pickman right after this. Let's talk You mentioned Brianna Steart.
Let's talk about the Liberty because they've struggled without John
Qwell Jones. They're still among the best in the league
and there's a lot of expectation for them to make
(18:33):
another finals run. But is that really all New York
needs just to get Jones back.
Speaker 3 (18:37):
It's a really good question, and I think it's one
thing that a lot of people in New York or
media fans. I think people around the team are thinking
about because, yeah, they're missing JJ and JJ. In some ways,
she's like the breaking case of emergency button. Like oftentimes
when they you know an opponent is going on a
run in recent years, they just throw the ball down
to JJ and she gets him a bucket. Right, She's
(18:58):
such a force that she can be the best player
on the floor on any given night. They've never lost
in the regular season when she records a double double.
It's one of the craziest stats since she joined New
York a couple of years back. But I do think, like, yeah,
don't read too much into the recent stretch that they've had.
And yet, like often effort has been an issue, right,
(19:19):
Like a lack of focus has been an issue, And
you know, getting JJ back and maybe blowing teams out
more or getting out to bigger leads that will help,
I guess in the effort category. But like, her absence
alone shouldn't be the reason why a team goes through
significant defensive lapses from a focus perspective, or has these
(19:40):
lulls on the offensive end. And so you know, it's
a little early maybe to rush to judgment, but I
do think there is some cause for concern there about
just like, why is New York not putting as you know,
full games together, you know, full forty minutes strong games
together as much as they were in the past. You know,
I think that's a The.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
Ring hangover is sometimes a good reason for the lack
of effort on the defensive end or not being you know,
as urgent with it. The Links, on the other hand,
are trying to get that ring that they lost out
on just barely last season. They did lose to the
Fever in the Commissioner's Cup. That was an ugly one.
They just lost to My Chicago Sky this past weekend,
which isn't a great sign. But for the most part
(20:21):
they've looked mostly solid. What are the weak spots for
this Link's team? What goes wrong when they do struggle?
Speaker 3 (20:27):
Oftentimes it is like their guard play right. And we
saw against that Indiana game in the Commissioner's Cup that
basically Indiana was saying Courtney Williams, like shoot your jumpers
and beat us, and she didn't. And you know, in
that game in particular, like I don't think I've ever
seen a game in which so many jumpers would like
hit three parts of the rim and then rattle off
(20:49):
like it was just like cling, cling, cling, nope, cling,
clinkling nope, like over and over and over again. Minnesota
did get some good looks, but like still, I think
teams are gonna go under screens. They're gonna let you know,
court shoot, they're gonna let nati Ja Hydeman playmate, and
they're just gonna live with the result and hope that
you know, they struggle and they can contain Fee. On
the other end of the floor, Minnesota defensively has just
(21:12):
been so good this year. They're the league's best defense.
They're so stout on that end. Fie and Atlanta Smith
are just like such a mobile front court that flies
everywhere and covers up all these lapses. Like I mean,
I've been really impressed with the Lynx, And you mentioned
the Commissioners Cup loss. I mean, that's a good omen
we should say. I guess it's last year New York lost, Yes,
(21:33):
you know, I guess last year it was New York
lost to Minnesota the Commission's Cup. They ended up winning
the title. The year before that, Vegas lost to New
York in the Commissioner's Cup. Vegas ended up winning the
title that year, So we will see if history repeats
itself again come October.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
That's the kind of curse the links folks like to
hear exactly.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
Let's talk Melissa Smith got traded from Dallas to the Aces.
We were all sad about the hoops engashit of it
all being separated from DJN A Carrington, But it also
feels like maybe opportunity.
Speaker 2 (22:01):
What do you like about the move and what don't
you like?
Speaker 3 (22:04):
I like that she is having an opportunity to play
more and so for you know, the Aces like it's
a move with a lot of high upside. We have
seen them struggle throughout this season with their kind of
normal core four of like All Stars and Olympians, you know,
Chelsea Jackie Jewel in Asia with Kia Stokes, that five
player lineup minus three point four net rating this year.
(22:27):
When Las Vegas would plug in A Lee and I,
they go up to almost plus twenty seven net rating,
So that's twenty seven points better than their competition per
one hundred possessions. When they plug in Dana Evans, they're
almost eighteen points better in terms of net rating. Just
again Evans for Stokes, and we're keeping the four Olympians.
We've seen them have immediate success when they plug Smith in,
They're already more than plus thirty in terms of net
(22:48):
rating when they just you know, plug her into those
lineups offensively, she just has to be guarded. Like you know,
teams have to step out, they have to guard her,
they have to respect her as on the perimeter. And
I was talking to Becky Hammond about this last week
when you know, Las Vegas was in New York. The
other thing she said that she likes is that Kia
Stokes can then be this anchor of the second unit
(23:10):
of sorts, just a player who knows the system, knows
the Reeds, doesn't get phased in big moments, and so
she can kind of be a steadying force. Maybe that's
Becky again framing it and trying to say positive things
about her player. But I like to move overall still,
I think Las Vegas has been one of the most
underwhelming teams. Yeah, to start the you know, to start
(23:34):
the first half of the season. I think both of
those things can be true.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
How do you look at their lack of consistency? Is
that something we need to look at coaching? Do we
think that there's some sort of magic that Kelsey Plumb
had that pulled the pieces together that we're now seeing
mattered more than maybe we thought do.
Speaker 2 (23:54):
We think that.
Speaker 1 (23:55):
There's some level that Jewel Lloyd of course, could get
back to, even in this system and with these teammates
that just she hasn't Like, what is it about this
squad that still has way too much talent to be
playing like this?
Speaker 3 (24:08):
It definitely does still have too much talent, But I
think in some ways, like the presence of Asia and
Chelsea and Jackie still being the headliners of this roster
have kind of masked over some of the changes everywhere else,
Like Keias Dookes is another player with that kind of
relationship equity built up with Becky Hammond. But like Alicia
(24:29):
Clark is gone, Sidney Colston's gone, Plumb is gone, Dana
Evans is new, Smith is new, Na is new look
at the coaching staff. Right, Becky lost both of her
top assistants, you know, Tyler Marsha Chicago, Natalie Niksse to
Golden State. Like she's still working with a new staff
who's trying to understand her. Like I think there is
a newness to the LAS Vegas Aces that you know,
(24:52):
maybe we don't think about or appreciate as much because
at the top of the roster is Asia Wilson. That
being said, like, yeah, I think it's still pretty you know,
as I said, it's underwhelming how they've started this this
first half of the season on the defensive end in particular.
And to your Jewel Lloyd question, like, I don't really know,
Like I think they still have full confidence in her.
(25:14):
You talk to Becky Hammond and she'll say, you know,
every time that Jewel shoots twenty five percent from three,
we expect her to shoot seventy five the next game,
you know, and just have the law of averages kind
of work itself out. But like, I don't expect the
Aces to be hosting a first round playoff series this year.
And if you know, if you told me that at
the start of the season, I picked the Aces to
(25:34):
make the final, So I'm dead wrong here. Like if
you told me at the start of the year that
they wouldn't be top four, I would have said, like,
what has gone wrong? And it's a lot of things.
As we're talking.
Speaker 1 (25:43):
About, all right, let's look ahead. Since you're talking predictions.
Speaker 2 (25:47):
Sure, in your mind.
Speaker 1 (25:48):
How many teams do I have to give you for
it to be all the teams that have a legitimate
shot at winning at all?
Speaker 2 (25:53):
Is it three? Is it four?
Speaker 3 (25:55):
I still think it's three at this point. Yeah, I
think it's New York, Minnesota, Phoenix as your three year reel.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
So you don't see the Fever being able to pull
together if shooting improves or if the focus on the defense.
Speaker 3 (26:07):
Have been to win the actual championship. No, I think
for me it's again it goes to what we were
talking about with Las Vegas, Like their roster just has
not been there before in key moments, and I haven't
seen enough consistency on the defensive end of the floor
to think like, yeah, this is a team that is
going to string together a standout series and just stop
(26:29):
their opponent time and time again. Could they pull off
a big upset? Absolutely right? Like, I mean, I think
we have seen that they have the talent. And when
you have a player like Clark and Mitchell who can
get you, you know, thirty thirty five suddenly and win
games by themselves seemingly and Aleah Boston down low having
a great year, like they can be great, but like
there has not been enough consistency, and I do believe
(26:51):
like you have to go through moments together to kind
of come out on the other side, and we just haven't.
I don't believe that, like the first half ruggles are
sufficient enough, you know, learning experiences to then suddenly pull
something out.
Speaker 1 (27:06):
Especially with the players coming in and out, they just
need more time. Who's your MVP current front runner?
Speaker 3 (27:12):
I think it is I think it's Fee. I know
Alyssa Thomas. This feels like like the Alyssa Thomas week,
you know, so to speak, knowing the performance she had
against Minnesota, but like Fee's body of work all told
for me, she is number one.
Speaker 2 (27:25):
There for now and Rookie of the Year.
Speaker 3 (27:27):
I think it's Page as of now. Not exactly the
hottest take I guess either.
Speaker 1 (27:32):
Yeah, I mean Sonya and Kiki have been great, but
Page sort of especially on a team that's doing as
poorly as that one, to have the numbers she's having
in the impact she's having across so many different statistics,
very impressive. All right, last question for you, were coming
up on the All Star Game. I got an email
from the w NBA of Sponsor Activations and Events, and
it went on just.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
Page after page after page.
Speaker 1 (27:55):
It was such a delight to see so many brands
getting involved, so many opportunities for interaction with fans and
business and everything else. And I've said for years that
I get frustrated when the decision makers at the highest
levels at media outlets just keep showing up to like
the Super Bowl and NBA All Star and don't come
and see the fan affinity, the growth, the just the
(28:17):
size and scope of what goes on at these women's
events now, and I feel like this one, what are
you most excited about? It feels to me like they're
going to blow the roof off this particular All Star game.
Speaker 3 (28:28):
I mean, I feel like and I talked to peers
in the media and other people teams like around All
Star week right now, it is just like, how do
you juggle a schedule? Like I need like scheduling planning
advice about like am I allocating every single hour of
my day to like bouncing around from thing to thing
potentially or at least considering going to thing to thing,
And like that is a mix of things that we
(28:49):
get invited to because of our jobs, but also just
like there's a ton of free things for fans to
go to like that is not you know what I
just said specific to media members covering the event. In
terms of things I'm most excited about though, Like can
I say the three Point Shootout and the Skills Challenge,
Like I do think this year, from what I've heard,
like the participating the participants in it are going to
be as good of a field as we have had
(29:11):
in a long time. AFLAC again in partnership with the WNBPA,
has put up a ton of money. I want to
say it's one fifteen, one hundred and fifteen thousand dollars
to the winner of both of these events, way more
than what is the allocated in the CBA. And I
think last year players who were participating in the three
point in the skills did not know when they were
(29:32):
saying yes to those events that there would be this
huge person on the other end. And now players know,
and I think the field is going to reflect that.
And so I'm just excited to be in the building
and hopefully see you know, pretty great All Star Friday
Night of Events.
Speaker 1 (29:45):
All Right, tell us what you've heard, because I know
Sonya Citron has gone on the record saying she's participating
who else are you?
Speaker 2 (29:51):
Who else is getting leaked?
Speaker 3 (29:52):
I believe Sabrini and Escu on Sunday confirmed that she
is participating in the three point You know, I think
those are the two confirmations that I will say on
this show.
Speaker 1 (30:01):
Sarah, Yes, Kaitlyn Clark get I would get the feeling
Kaitlyn Clark might be participating.
Speaker 3 (30:06):
Yeah, I mean that seems like a good guest considering
that back in February, when there was a lot of
chatter about will Caitlyn Clark participate in the NBA All
Star like three point Shootout, her representatives put out a
statement that I believe basically said, like, Caitlyn wants her
first All Star three point Shootout to be in the
WNBA context, and so now at all yeah, now at home,
(30:30):
we haven't seen the official confirmation on her participation, but
like they did kind of tease it a couple months back,
and it would make sense she's basically with Kelsey Mitchell
and Aleah like the the facto hosts of the event.
Speaker 2 (30:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (30:42):
Yeah, And there are some murals that have been put
up that are I mean, there was already a lot
of CC around Indy, but now Caitlyn Clark. The takeover
is really is really in place. It's gonna be a
ton of fun. Looking forward to seeing you there. Thanks
so much for all the inside. It was great as always.
Speaker 3 (30:57):
Likewise, thanks a lot for having me.
Speaker 1 (31:01):
Thanks so much to Ben for taking the time, always
such a good convo. We got to take another break
when we come back. The legend of a door draws
slices together. Stick here, Welcome back slices. We got some
great feedback and check ins from y'all while we were
(31:22):
on summer break, including super Slice Amanda Vaalo responding to
our requests for memorable Pride moments by reminding us of
a hilarious example.
Speaker 2 (31:30):
Of bad sports on screen from back in the day.
Speaker 1 (31:34):
You can always tell when a TV show doesn't have
a sports consultant for its sports scenes, or maybe even
have a single sports superman on set. And The L Word,
a groundbreaking series that talked about lesbian identity and friendship
and sex back in the early two thousands, clearly had neither.
Amanda Wrights quote, I don't have any specific Pride event memories,
(31:54):
but I remember back in the day being very hype
to watch this episode of The L Word. I was
on the edge of my seat to see Shane Allison
the crew hoopin and then I think this scene set
the game of women's basketball.
Speaker 2 (32:07):
Back end quote.
Speaker 1 (32:09):
It's bad, y'all, it's real bad basketball. We'll link to
the scene in our show notes and all you l
word fans can get a little nostalgia trip watching it. Also,
in response to our Pride PowerPoint episode, Amanda created a
good game version of family Feud called fanally Feud, complete
with a working scoreboard and a game that you can
play on PowerPoint, which I did not know existed. And
(32:32):
she's got topics like Caitlin Clark sponsors, potential WNBACBA line items,
and women's pro leagues outside the WNBA and the NWSL.
Speaker 2 (32:41):
Amanda, this is so good.
Speaker 1 (32:43):
Let us know when you've tested it out and it's
ready for us to share if people want to play.
Also Super Slice, a guy Alitzer sent us a wreck
for a women's sports movie called to Tommy. It's a
fictional feature inspired by true events involving a male athlete,
but in the movie, a member of the Iran national
women's judo team is competing at the World Championships into Blisi,
the capital of Georgia, when the potential that she might
(33:04):
face an Israeli opponent in the final leads the Iranian
government to start pressuring and threatening her to drop out.
Sounds pretty good. We'll check it out, hey guy.
Speaker 2 (33:12):
Thanks.
Speaker 1 (33:13):
Gretchen Test sent us a thoughtful email about the WNBA's
partnership with Coinbase, which was a major sponsor of the
Trump Military Parade and contributed one million dollars to the inauguration.
She had some pretty spot on questions about how the
alleged values of the league align with those of Coinbase.
You'll remember they're the primary sponsor for the Commissioner's Cup,
and it had me thinking about Brianna Stewart's upcoming Harry
(33:35):
Potter Times, Pumas Dewey Feshoes, and also Venus and Serena
Williams launching a video podcast.
Speaker 2 (33:41):
On Elon Musk's X platform.
Speaker 1 (33:44):
Starting to feel like it might be time for another
episode dedicated to the human condition and how tough it
can be to have principles in a capitalist system and
root for athletes.
Speaker 2 (33:53):
Who seem to be making questionable choices. So thanks for
the NSPO, Gretchen. We'll do that episode soon. U.
Speaker 1 (34:00):
So we got this great story from Slice Emily Wessel.
She writes, quote, Hi, Big Citrus, I was in Door
County with my friends last weekend and had to check
out the future site of the Diana Tarassi bench while
wearing my jersey in a different park, A girl dad
excitedly said.
Speaker 2 (34:15):
Did you know there's a Tarasie bench around here?
Speaker 1 (34:17):
From a sports nerd, former D one women's basketball manager
and current college rugby coach, thank you for all that
y'all do. This podcast is special and I enjoy listening
to it every day.
Speaker 2 (34:28):
End quote.
Speaker 1 (34:29):
Emily also included a picture of herself on the bench
with a DT jersey draped over it. Emily, I love
this story so much, and I'm so sad that the
actual bench wasn't already in place for you. Another good
game list in DT love and Door County goers. The delay,
to be honest, was the result of our effort to
get Diana Trossi out to the bench ribbon cutting, and
(34:50):
we just couldn't make it work. But the good news
is we do finally have a schedule for the unveiling.
We're going to be doing the ribbon cutting early afternoon
on Saturday, August twenty third, up at Whitefish Dune State Park,
and in DT's absence, there will be a replacement God
or two on hand to witness the occasion. And after
the ribbon cutting, we'll all head to the hitching post
just down the street in Sturgeon Bay for some beers
(35:12):
and kurds and slice hangs. More details and timing to come,
but if you're in driving distance or planning a trip
out to Door County, I'd love to see all of
y'all there. Also, as we're beginning this show's second trip
around the Sun, we want more suggestions and feedback for
season two.
Speaker 2 (35:29):
What do you love? What do you want more of?
Who are guests? You want to hear? Topics?
Speaker 1 (35:32):
You want to know more about good game at wondermediaetwork
dot com is where you send them or leave us
a voicemail at eight seven to two two four fifty seventy.
We want to hear more of your lovely voices. We
love that you're listening, but we want you to get
in the game every day too, So in addition to that,
here's one more good game play of the day. Check
out Jamel Hill's podcast Spolitics. I joined her for a
(35:55):
recent episode and we'll link to that in the show notes.
I loved chatting career and book and so much more
with her.
Speaker 2 (36:01):
So take a listen and.
Speaker 1 (36:03):
Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review. It's really easy, seriously,
just like scroll down from where you're listening, find the stars,
hit five, tell us, you love us, say something nice.
It's so simple here watch celebrating a generational talent with
a perfect tribute rating ten out of ten Fresh Blooms review.
(36:24):
With the news that Lily Johannes is departing Dutch club
IAX and signing a three year deal with oll Leon
and France, her now former team is celebrating the eighteen
year old stars legacy.
Speaker 2 (36:34):
With an appropriate and very Dutch tribute.
Speaker 1 (36:37):
IAX has registered a new lily variety named after Johannes
with the Royal General Bulb Growers Association.
Speaker 2 (36:45):
So Johannes, who.
Speaker 1 (36:46):
Was born in Virginia, moved to the Netherlands at age
ten and played with the IAX Youth Academy before signing
her first pro contract with IAX at age fifteen.
Speaker 2 (36:55):
Two years ago.
Speaker 1 (36:56):
Then sixteen years old, Johannes became the youngest player to
ever starter UEFA Women's Champions League match and last year,
she announced that she would represent the US at the
international level after weighing the option of representing the Netherlands.
In a press release after Johannes's announcement that you'd be
leaving for OA, leon Iax said quote. To honor her
legacy at IAX and continue to inspire young talents, the
(37:17):
club has taken the initiative to name a unique new
lily after her, the Johannes. Just like Lily, the Johannes
symbolizes the blossoming of talent growth and the pursuit of dreams.
End quote lovely just class stuff so cool. Now it's
your turn, y'all rate and review, Thanks for listening, See
you tomorrow. Good Game, Ben, Good Game, All Star sponsors,
(37:41):
few Bad TV Sports montages. Good Game with Sarah Spain
is an iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep
Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find us on the
iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Production by Wonder Media Network, our producers are Alex Ada
and Misha Jones. Our executive producers are Christina Everett, Jesse Katz,
(38:04):
Jenny Kaplan, and Emily Rudder. Our editors are Emily Rutterer,
Brittany Martinez, Grace Lynch, and Gianna Palmer. Our associate producer
is Lucy Jones. Production assistance from Avery LOFTUS and I'm
Your Host Sarah Spain
Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we're in
Los Angeles for the US women's national team PA players ball,
cozying up to Leslie Jones, and mentally preparing for another
epic rose Leavel lipsyn performance. It's Tuesday, July fifteenth, and
on today's show, we'll be skipping the need to know
and getting straight to my conversation with the Athletics Ben Pickman,
talking all things WNBA.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
I caught up with them on Sunday to chat.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
About the league's three newly announced expansion teams, Dwana Bonner's
mid season move to Phoenix, his MVP and Rookie of
the Year front runners, and what to expect at this
weekend's All Star Game. That conversation's coming up right after this,
joining us.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
For a triumphant return.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
He's a staff writer at The Athletic covering the WNBA
and women's college basketball, and one of the hosts of
the Athletic Women's Basketball podcast. He's a Wisconsin alum, an
elite camp counselor, and a marathon runner.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
He walks the WNBA.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
Orge carpet every year, hoping to be drafted, but a
last not yet.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
It's Ben Pickman, Welcome.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
Back, Ben, thanks a lot, Sarah. Yeah, I think my
goals of being drafted it's been. It'll never change. I
fear at this point in my life.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Keep walking the carpet though you have nice fits, you
look good.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
Thank you. I appreciate that a.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Lot has happened since our show went on summer break
in the w and so you are here to walk
us through all of it before we go.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
To the All Star Game this weekend.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
And I want to start with something that our show
discussed yesterday. Caitlin Clark ranking ninth in voting for guards
among her peers first and fan voting third, from the media,
ninth from players. What percentage of that do you think
is just that she wasn't playing that well and it
only played nine games at that point, wasn't putting up
huge numbers, And how much do you think might have
actually been something else?
Speaker 3 (01:44):
Yeah, it's a really good question. I think certainly it
could have been just the fact that she was not available.
I want to say she had played fewer than ten
games at the time that players were supposed to submit,
and as a result, like the sample wasn't there and
she had just been pretty good. But not necessarily like
truly you know, transforming the league, blowing the league out
in those games that she had played. I also think
(02:06):
there's two other potential factors. Number One, with the All
Star Game being an indie, with the fan voting return
vote being what they were, it's like, you know, I
think maybe there might have been some malaise is the
right word. But just like she was getting in, like
Caitlin Bork was going to be an All Star, she
was almost definitely gonna be an All Star captain, So
I think that is a factor too. The other thing
is players couldn't vote for their teammates in the voting process,
(02:29):
so we actually don't know, for instance, like you know,
how many Fever players voted or didn't vote, how what
was participation around the league, Like you know, I think
there are some swings that could just be a result
of just like who votes, like in any other kind
of election, that can impact the result, And it's a
potentially small sample depending on just how many people submit ballots.
(02:50):
So I think it really is a combination of those things.
I didn't read too too much into it, but you know,
she's the All Star captain and it's gonna be a
great weekend, and I think we should all keep it moving.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Yeah, it all worked out, keep it moving. So we
do now have the All Star Game rosters, Team Clark,
Team Collier. Who you got and why?
Speaker 3 (03:10):
I like Team Clark mostly because I think All Star
Games are won by guard play and shooting, and that
is historically just like how this works, and I do
like the pair of I think Caitlin Clark is due
for a big game, not surprisingly. I also like the
fact that she chose Sabrine and Escu, who you know,
I think is poised to have another big weekend and
(03:33):
light it up in any events in which she participates.
So I like that pair a lot. Just pulling up
from thirty feet thirty five feet half four and like,
I think that bodes pretty well. I think if you
look at some of their bigs, like Asia Wilson, a
versatile big, we'll see how much she plays Satu a
versatile big. I like her ability to handle someone like
(03:53):
Kelsey Mitchell also could have a big game just as
a result of her being a guard. So just the
you know. Again, the Team Collier has some great players too,
so I don't want to discount them, but I think
the just the shooting ability of the first teams I
mentioned push them over the edge.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
For me, Shooters and Unicorns is Team Clark's subhead. But
I do feel like I'm waiting for it to happen.
Like Unrivaled, where I picked all the guards for the
one v one and it was all the Unicorn bigs.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
Now that was slightly different.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
It wasn't full court, it wasn't five on five, it
wasn't an all star game. But we'll see if the
Bigs can surprise us. Let's talk about the Fever. We
had big expectations for them this year based on the
talent on the roster, and we've seen that they can
beat good teams when things come together.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
They also can shol and be really flat. They are
not in the.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
Standings where they expected to be, and Caitlin hasn't played
sure where we'd expect her to play. Obviously, the multiple
injuries have slowed her down and made it hard to
get into groove. Beyond the obvious, which is they need
to be hitting shots and she needs to not be
like eightieth in the league in three point percentage. Well,
what else do you see as a problem for the squad? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (04:57):
To me, It starts on the defensive end of the floor, actually,
and it is kind of a you know, variance in
discipline is often the determining factor in whether they win
games and have a lot of success or whether they
struggle in games. Right, I was at the Commissioner's Cup
in Minneapolis when they beat the Minnesota Linx, and that
was one of the most defensively disciplined performances of the season.
Their point of attack defense was really really strong, even
(05:19):
without Kaitlin Clark playing. If you watch Aary McDonald and
Kelsey Mitchell and Sidney Colson in that game, how they
were disrupting Minnesota's guards was really really impressive and it's
kind of set the tone for that entire game in
Indiana's comeback, and that is something that you know, we
have seen flashes of from the Indiana Fever this year,
but you know, the coaching staff would tell you it's
not as consistent as they would like to this point
(05:41):
in the season. So for me, that is one big
area of just what are you getting from the fever
on a defensive end of the floor. It was why,
you know, in Kaitlin Clark's recent return from injury against
the Valkyries. Like again, that was a performance that was
pretty lackluster, and Stephanie White after called them out for
lacking a competitive fire. And that really starts the defensive
end of the floor. Again, Like Stephanie White, she is
(06:04):
known as one of the best defensive coaches you know
in the league. That's always been a calling card of
her teams. You think about some of the people on
her staffs, someone like Pree January, a really stout defensive
player back when she was playing as well. Like, they
pride themselves in Indiana on that end of the floor,
and they've just been a little bit too inconsistent for
their liking, for fans liking, and for me, that is
(06:25):
area number one that I think will determine how successful
they are in the second half of the season and
into the playoffs quickly.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
Can you tell if there's a through line of the
roster during those games when they don't show up with
that kind of energy. Is it when Caitlin's in or out?
Is it when sid is playing more minutes? Is it
when somebody's you know, benched or starting.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
I think, honestly, they're still trying to figure it out.
And we have seen that because you know, think about
Caitlyn's first game back coming off the recent injury against
Golden State, Steph White starts Kelsey Mitchell, Aary McDonald and
Caitlin Clark together for the first time. That's the first
time that those three players have played a minute together
all season long, trying something out. I don't fault any
coach for trying things out, you know, in the first
(07:06):
half of the season seeing if it works. She then
went back to a different starting lineup, you know, in
subsequent games. I think they're very much still trying to
figure out the rotation of how to use Lexi Hole
and Sophie Cunningham. I think holl has had a really
good first half yea, all things considered. How to use
Natasha Howard, who you know, has shown some flashes, and
then sometimes it seems like she's getting too many touches
(07:26):
and teams are almost baiting her into making plays. Like
I think they very much are still trying to figure
out all their lineups and rotations. I do think, like
you know, McDonald's certainly was a huge boost for them
in the first half, both in terms of just energy.
She plays with pace, she plays with defensive intensity, as
I was saying, that's so important. So I think they're
(07:47):
continuing to get her looks. But no, I think this
is a Fever team that is still trying to figure
out kind of the its core lineups and you know
in crunch time in big games, how it does want
to play.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
So Dwana Batter was part of the to start the season,
She's trade nine games. She ended up getting pushed out
of the starting lineup, wasn't a fit. Now she's back
with the Phoenix Mercury, who have really outperformed most folks
expectations in their first year without Diana Trossi, without Britney Griner,
with a new look.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
What's the ceiling for the Mercury and how do you
see Bonner sliding into that team?
Speaker 3 (08:18):
Yeah, I mean I think right now they are clearly
in the top three of the league with New York
and with Minnesota. I think Phoenix has positioned themselves right
there and they have had success. Whether Kalia Kopper is playing,
whether Alyssa Thomas is playing, whether it's not too Soable
is playing. I mean, I think for me, the way
I've thought about it is when you think about roster
construction right now in the WNBA, the most important position,
(08:39):
or the most telling position often is your four player,
right your power forward. And there's so many unicorn you know,
so to speak, players who are so integral to team success,
right Asraa Wilson, Stewie Fee. And if you look at Phoenix,
they really have two of the six or seven players
at that position that you would want, and it provides
them with so much versatility on a night to night basis,
(09:00):
no matter who is kind of playing around them, right,
And so it starts with at who was just awesome
against Minnesota. Just watch that game and her offensive production
is crazy Sa too obviously, you know, starting in the
All Star Game, she has had a great first half.
Now to the question of Bonner, you know, she clearly
will help them just as another capable player off the bench.
(09:21):
We saw her close both the first and second half
in her debut game. You know, for Phoenix, her length
as a rebounder, she'll be active on the boards. I'm
a little more hesitant though about what she's going to
mean for their ceiling long term, mostly because and you
know this too, Sarah from you know, just covering all
different kinds of sports too, Like you know, in the NBA,
we talk a lot about buyout guys, right, players who
(09:42):
get waived in January and early February, and then they
get signed and for like one or two weeks, everyone's like,
oh my god, this player is going to change the
ceiling of a you know, of the team that they
signed with. And historically, like that is not the case, right, Like,
historically that kind of buyout player who signs with the team,
gets waived and then resign somewhere doesn't actually change the
(10:03):
ceiling that much. I think, you know, Dowana Bonner still,
I think can be a very good player, but I
don't know how much she is going to be the
difference in Phoenix being a you know, a second round team, say,
or a finals team or a champion.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
And maybe even if she is, it will not show
up in the box score because you cannot put a
stat line on making your fiance play really well. Because
we mentioned that Alyssa Thomas at a career best twenty
nine points in the first game that Dewana was back
on the roster next to her, So yeah, it's not
something that you can usually keep track of. But she
(10:36):
makes Alyssa Thomas play even better than Charity is that's
a win for the Mercury. You just mentioned some of
the injuries to that team and players who have been
in and out, and big picture, we've heard some players
talk about fatigue this season. This is the most games
there's ever been in a w season. A lot of
players are feeling run a little ragged. Also due to scheduling.
It feels like everybody plays on the same night and
(10:57):
then gets days off and then it's just kind of haphazard.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
Sometimes.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
Do you see shooting percentages, injuries, things that are often
correlated to fatigue being a factor in how these players
are playing this year.
Speaker 3 (11:12):
I mean, you see free throw rate is up significantly
this year, and so maybe you know that as a
result of teams fouling more, or maybe some would argue
that's a result of inconsistent officiating, which is a whole
other can of worms we can open or not if
you want. I mean, I think the scheduling conversation is
really interesting because like, one, the players did agree to
the current framework of the schedule in the most recent CVA,
(11:33):
and two, with all these new teams that are coming
in over the next couple of years, like it is
going to continue to be this topic of conversation, and
I don't really know what the right answer is, right,
I mean, Sabrina and Escu talked about it at Liberty
practice last week that like, in her mind, she would
love to have the WNBA play in traditional basketball season,
you know, in the winter and things. That would be
(11:55):
pretty cool and you get rookies the opportunity to rest
and recover, and then suddenly you start to season and
it would just be you know, a normal win you know,
a traditional kind of basketball calendar for what so many
people know from the NBA or college with a W
It's just fascinating, like how many games are going to
be played, probably more than fifty. What is the footprint
it's probably going to need you to extend into, you know,
(12:17):
late October. Does it push up even more against the
start of college basketball season in early November? It brings
in a whole media rights conversation, right, think about ESPN,
who is a you know, your major rights holder for
college games on the women's side, they're also broadcasting the finals.
Like there's only so many windows when you factor in
college football arena availability, when they pick NBA teams, NBA
(12:41):
ownership groups who then are also owning these W teams,
like you're sharing arena space. That was important to have
those big arenas, but it creates another conflict. So I
don't know, it's just a very murky, messy issue. I
don't know what you think about, like the whole conversation.
More broadly, Yeah, I.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
Mean, I get why they would want that, and I
also think at this point it would still be foolhardy
to try to compete with NFL, NHL, NBA, college football,
college basketball. I mean, there's a reason why in the
past folks on the media side were willing to throw
a bone to the W because there wasn't enough going
on otherwise. And baseball is such a regionalized sport that
(13:18):
people aren't that interested in national coverage of baseball unless
it's like the Aaron Judge Yankees kind of storyline, And.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
So there was room.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
And I do worry if you pack it in with
all those other leagues, you lose the opportunity for people
to care and watch the way that they do now.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
But I do agree with you.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
Once the teams are added, it's going to be very
hard to calculate how to get all the games in
without there being some sort of conflict and you really
can't start a season before the March madness of it
all and then expect teams to like adjust based on
draft you know, after they've already played ten or eleven games.
Speaker 3 (13:50):
Well along those lines too in terms of like conflict
and making it all work. The most interesting thing that,
you know, this is a long way in advance, and
I know we all have a lot of things we're
thinking about in our lives, but next September is a
World Cup, a feeble World Cup year, and it's going
to be fascinating to see how the WNBA schedules next season,
in particular because not only are you adding two expansion
teams in, but you have this tournament in the middle
(14:12):
of September in theory like right before right around the
start of the playoffs, and so there might be a
scenario in which the WNBA takes a ten day break
potentially because of this FEBA tournament. And then there's a
question of you know, if your WNBA team is making
a playoff push going down the stretch, does a player
(14:33):
choose to play in this event? Do they elect to
sit out this event? You know that could raize obviously
health concerns if your star player, you know, goes and
plays and gets hurt, Like what does that mean overall?
And you know, in past years, the WNBA has certainly
dealt with scheduling conflicts with FOBA. But I think what
(14:54):
is so new is there's just so many more eyeballs
on the league right now, so many more people are
following it. And obviously, you know, the stretch run is
such an important time for fans to check, you know,
kind of check it and ride the wave for out
the remainder of the season. And so I do wonder, like,
what does a break mean right before a big tournament.
It won't happen in twenty thirty. Phoebe has already announced
(15:16):
they're moving that event to November December, so this will
be the last time we have a conflict like this
specific to this World Cup. But like you know, this
is a new era of the WNBA, and so that
is just another question that has arisen as a result
of all that's going on.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
You just made me think quickly. I want to ask you.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
Two of the teams that came to mind when I
thought of that were, of course the Valkyries, who have
a ton of foreign players, and the Storm with Dominique
Malonga and French players who Gabby Williams who elected not
to go leave during the window this year. Quickly, how
surprised are you buy the Valkyries.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
I'm definitely like surprised at one. I think they're ten
and ten At the time we tape this, like I
thought they were going to play a lot of really
competitive games and then maybe lose late because they might
not have the individual talent. But I think what it's
been so impressive is like, really they are. You know,
the sum is better than each of the parts individually.
And you can see I think they've played ten different
(16:13):
starting lineups this year, you know, and so that's literally
half their games, and no five player lineup combination for
them has played more than forty minutes this season. Basically,
like Natalie Nicase is just maneuvering and pulling players up
and sitting players down, and some nights a player gets
a DMP and some night they play twenty five minutes
and oftentimes you don't really know, you know, what she's
(16:34):
gonna do. But all the players they put in are
really really competent, right, And so we've just seen like
a connected team who has just bought in, whether you
know you're playing a big role or whether you're playing
a small role. I think that's, you know, one of
the most impressive parts for me. We'll see how far
they go, you know, in the second half. I wouldn't
expect them to make a playoff run even if they
did get in, But like they've been one of the
(16:55):
standouts of the first half for sure.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
And certainly if they're trying to prove to free agents
to come next year, between the fan support and the
sellouts and the brand and everything else, having a coach
like that and a system that seems to be working
will help.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
What do you make of Dominique Malonga.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
There was so much hype coming in and she's been
relatively quiet.
Speaker 3 (17:14):
Yeah, I mean part of that is this opportunity, right
if you look at some of the other rookies who
have been standouts this year, you know your Page Beckers,
your you know Kikiiria fan or Sony sit round in
Washington like they're just playing way more minutes. I still
think the flashes of potential that Dominique shone like I
was at Seattle, New York. I guess, you know a
week and a half ago when she came in and
(17:35):
she had eleven points and seven rebounds in five minutes.
And you know, I've never seen someone kind of post
up Stewie out jump, you know, out jump her for
a high point in terms of the inbounds passes. Disrupts
Stewie with just pure length on the defensive end of
the floor, like those five minutes alone, Or why so
many teams around the league wanted to draft her and
(17:56):
viewed her the way that she did. So she's still
I think the youngest player in the league. She's shown
enough potential for me to still think that she could
be this generational franchise player, you know, with more opportunity,
I think she'll continue to shine.
Speaker 1 (18:11):
We got to take a quick break more with Ben
Pickman right after this. Let's talk You mentioned Brianna Steart.
Let's talk about the Liberty because they've struggled without John
Qwell Jones. They're still among the best in the league
and there's a lot of expectation for them to make
(18:33):
another finals run. But is that really all New York
needs just to get Jones back.
Speaker 3 (18:37):
It's a really good question, and I think it's one
thing that a lot of people in New York or
media fans. I think people around the team are thinking
about because, yeah, they're missing JJ and JJ. In some ways,
she's like the breaking case of emergency button. Like oftentimes
when they you know an opponent is going on a
run in recent years, they just throw the ball down
to JJ and she gets him a bucket. Right, She's
(18:58):
such a force that she can be the best player
on the floor on any given night. They've never lost
in the regular season when she records a double double.
It's one of the craziest stats since she joined New
York a couple of years back. But I do think, like, yeah,
don't read too much into the recent stretch that they've had.
And yet, like often effort has been an issue, right,
(19:19):
Like a lack of focus has been an issue, And
you know, getting JJ back and maybe blowing teams out
more or getting out to bigger leads that will help,
I guess in the effort category. But like, her absence
alone shouldn't be the reason why a team goes through
significant defensive lapses from a focus perspective, or has these
(19:40):
lulls on the offensive end. And so you know, it's
a little early maybe to rush to judgment, but I
do think there is some cause for concern there about
just like, why is New York not putting as you know,
full games together, you know, full forty minutes strong games
together as much as they were in the past. You know,
I think that's a The.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
Ring hangover is sometimes a good reason for the lack
of effort on the defensive end or not being you know,
as urgent with it. The Links, on the other hand,
are trying to get that ring that they lost out
on just barely last season. They did lose to the
Fever in the Commissioner's Cup. That was an ugly one.
They just lost to My Chicago Sky this past weekend,
which isn't a great sign. But for the most part
(20:21):
they've looked mostly solid. What are the weak spots for
this Link's team? What goes wrong when they do struggle?
Speaker 3 (20:27):
Oftentimes it is like their guard play right. And we
saw against that Indiana game in the Commissioner's Cup that
basically Indiana was saying Courtney Williams, like shoot your jumpers
and beat us, and she didn't. And you know, in
that game in particular, like I don't think I've ever
seen a game in which so many jumpers would like
hit three parts of the rim and then rattle off
(20:49):
like it was just like cling, cling, cling, nope, cling,
clinkling nope, like over and over and over again. Minnesota
did get some good looks, but like still, I think
teams are gonna go under screens. They're gonna let you know,
court shoot, they're gonna let nati Ja Hydeman playmate, and
they're just gonna live with the result and hope that
you know, they struggle and they can contain Fee. On
the other end of the floor, Minnesota defensively has just
(21:12):
been so good this year. They're the league's best defense.
They're so stout on that end. Fie and Atlanta Smith
are just like such a mobile front court that flies
everywhere and covers up all these lapses. Like I mean,
I've been really impressed with the Lynx, And you mentioned
the Commissioners Cup loss. I mean, that's a good omen
we should say. I guess it's last year New York lost, Yes,
(21:33):
you know, I guess last year it was New York
lost to Minnesota the Commission's Cup. They ended up winning
the title. The year before that, Vegas lost to New
York in the Commissioner's Cup. Vegas ended up winning the
title that year, So we will see if history repeats
itself again come October.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
That's the kind of curse the links folks like to
hear exactly.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
Let's talk Melissa Smith got traded from Dallas to the Aces.
We were all sad about the hoops engashit of it
all being separated from DJN A Carrington, But it also
feels like maybe opportunity.
Speaker 2 (22:01):
What do you like about the move and what don't
you like?
Speaker 3 (22:04):
I like that she is having an opportunity to play
more and so for you know, the Aces like it's
a move with a lot of high upside. We have
seen them struggle throughout this season with their kind of
normal core four of like All Stars and Olympians, you know,
Chelsea Jackie Jewel in Asia with Kia Stokes, that five
player lineup minus three point four net rating this year.
(22:27):
When Las Vegas would plug in A Lee and I,
they go up to almost plus twenty seven net rating,
So that's twenty seven points better than their competition per
one hundred possessions. When they plug in Dana Evans, they're
almost eighteen points better in terms of net rating. Just
again Evans for Stokes, and we're keeping the four Olympians.
We've seen them have immediate success when they plug Smith in,
They're already more than plus thirty in terms of net
(22:48):
rating when they just you know, plug her into those
lineups offensively, she just has to be guarded. Like you know,
teams have to step out, they have to guard her,
they have to respect her as on the perimeter. And
I was talking to Becky Hammond about this last week
when you know, Las Vegas was in New York. The
other thing she said that she likes is that Kia
Stokes can then be this anchor of the second unit
(23:10):
of sorts, just a player who knows the system, knows
the Reeds, doesn't get phased in big moments, and so
she can kind of be a steadying force. Maybe that's
Becky again framing it and trying to say positive things
about her player. But I like to move overall still,
I think Las Vegas has been one of the most
underwhelming teams. Yeah, to start the you know, to start
(23:34):
the first half of the season. I think both of
those things can be true.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
How do you look at their lack of consistency? Is
that something we need to look at coaching? Do we
think that there's some sort of magic that Kelsey Plumb
had that pulled the pieces together that we're now seeing
mattered more than maybe we thought do.
Speaker 2 (23:54):
We think that.
Speaker 1 (23:55):
There's some level that Jewel Lloyd of course, could get
back to, even in this system and with these teammates
that just she hasn't Like, what is it about this
squad that still has way too much talent to be
playing like this?
Speaker 3 (24:08):
It definitely does still have too much talent, But I
think in some ways, like the presence of Asia and
Chelsea and Jackie still being the headliners of this roster
have kind of masked over some of the changes everywhere else,
Like Keias Dookes is another player with that kind of
relationship equity built up with Becky Hammond. But like Alicia
(24:29):
Clark is gone, Sidney Colston's gone, Plumb is gone, Dana
Evans is new, Smith is new, Na is new look
at the coaching staff. Right, Becky lost both of her
top assistants, you know, Tyler Marsha Chicago, Natalie Niksse to
Golden State. Like she's still working with a new staff
who's trying to understand her. Like I think there is
a newness to the LAS Vegas Aces that you know,
(24:52):
maybe we don't think about or appreciate as much because
at the top of the roster is Asia Wilson. That
being said, like, yeah, I think it's still pretty you know,
as I said, it's underwhelming how they've started this this
first half of the season on the defensive end in particular.
And to your Jewel Lloyd question, like, I don't really know,
Like I think they still have full confidence in her.
(25:14):
You talk to Becky Hammond and she'll say, you know,
every time that Jewel shoots twenty five percent from three,
we expect her to shoot seventy five the next game,
you know, and just have the law of averages kind
of work itself out. But like, I don't expect the
Aces to be hosting a first round playoff series this year.
And if you know, if you told me that at
the start of the season, I picked the Aces to
(25:34):
make the final, So I'm dead wrong here. Like if
you told me at the start of the year that
they wouldn't be top four, I would have said, like,
what has gone wrong? And it's a lot of things.
As we're talking.
Speaker 1 (25:43):
About, all right, let's look ahead. Since you're talking predictions.
Speaker 2 (25:47):
Sure, in your mind.
Speaker 1 (25:48):
How many teams do I have to give you for
it to be all the teams that have a legitimate
shot at winning at all?
Speaker 2 (25:53):
Is it three? Is it four?
Speaker 3 (25:55):
I still think it's three at this point. Yeah, I
think it's New York, Minnesota, Phoenix as your three year reel.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
So you don't see the Fever being able to pull
together if shooting improves or if the focus on the defense.
Speaker 3 (26:07):
Have been to win the actual championship. No, I think
for me it's again it goes to what we were
talking about with Las Vegas, Like their roster just has
not been there before in key moments, and I haven't
seen enough consistency on the defensive end of the floor
to think like, yeah, this is a team that is
going to string together a standout series and just stop
(26:29):
their opponent time and time again. Could they pull off
a big upset? Absolutely right? Like, I mean, I think
we have seen that they have the talent. And when
you have a player like Clark and Mitchell who can
get you, you know, thirty thirty five suddenly and win
games by themselves seemingly and Aleah Boston down low having
a great year, like they can be great, but like
there has not been enough consistency, and I do believe
(26:51):
like you have to go through moments together to kind
of come out on the other side, and we just haven't.
I don't believe that, like the first half ruggles are
sufficient enough, you know, learning experiences to then suddenly pull
something out.
Speaker 1 (27:06):
Especially with the players coming in and out, they just
need more time. Who's your MVP current front runner?
Speaker 3 (27:12):
I think it is I think it's Fee. I know
Alyssa Thomas. This feels like like the Alyssa Thomas week,
you know, so to speak, knowing the performance she had
against Minnesota, but like Fee's body of work all told
for me, she is number one.
Speaker 2 (27:25):
There for now and Rookie of the Year.
Speaker 3 (27:27):
I think it's Page as of now. Not exactly the
hottest take I guess either.
Speaker 1 (27:32):
Yeah, I mean Sonya and Kiki have been great, but
Page sort of especially on a team that's doing as
poorly as that one, to have the numbers she's having
in the impact she's having across so many different statistics,
very impressive. All right, last question for you, were coming
up on the All Star Game. I got an email
from the w NBA of Sponsor Activations and Events, and
it went on just.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
Page after page after page.
Speaker 1 (27:55):
It was such a delight to see so many brands
getting involved, so many opportunities for interaction with fans and
business and everything else. And I've said for years that
I get frustrated when the decision makers at the highest
levels at media outlets just keep showing up to like
the Super Bowl and NBA All Star and don't come
and see the fan affinity, the growth, the just the
(28:17):
size and scope of what goes on at these women's
events now, and I feel like this one, what are
you most excited about? It feels to me like they're
going to blow the roof off this particular All Star game.
Speaker 3 (28:28):
I mean, I feel like and I talked to peers
in the media and other people teams like around All
Star week right now, it is just like, how do
you juggle a schedule? Like I need like scheduling planning
advice about like am I allocating every single hour of
my day to like bouncing around from thing to thing
potentially or at least considering going to thing to thing,
And like that is a mix of things that we
(28:49):
get invited to because of our jobs, but also just
like there's a ton of free things for fans to
go to like that is not you know what I
just said specific to media members covering the event. In
terms of things I'm most excited about though, Like can
I say the three Point Shootout and the Skills Challenge,
Like I do think this year, from what I've heard,
like the participating the participants in it are going to
be as good of a field as we have had
(29:11):
in a long time. AFLAC again in partnership with the WNBPA,
has put up a ton of money. I want to
say it's one fifteen, one hundred and fifteen thousand dollars
to the winner of both of these events, way more
than what is the allocated in the CBA. And I
think last year players who were participating in the three
point in the skills did not know when they were
(29:32):
saying yes to those events that there would be this
huge person on the other end. And now players know,
and I think the field is going to reflect that.
And so I'm just excited to be in the building
and hopefully see you know, pretty great All Star Friday
Night of Events.
Speaker 1 (29:45):
All Right, tell us what you've heard, because I know
Sonya Citron has gone on the record saying she's participating
who else are you?
Speaker 2 (29:51):
Who else is getting leaked?
Speaker 3 (29:52):
I believe Sabrini and Escu on Sunday confirmed that she
is participating in the three point You know, I think
those are the two confirmations that I will say on
this show.
Speaker 1 (30:01):
Sarah, Yes, Kaitlyn Clark get I would get the feeling
Kaitlyn Clark might be participating.
Speaker 3 (30:06):
Yeah, I mean that seems like a good guest considering
that back in February, when there was a lot of
chatter about will Caitlyn Clark participate in the NBA All
Star like three point Shootout, her representatives put out a
statement that I believe basically said, like, Caitlyn wants her
first All Star three point Shootout to be in the
WNBA context, and so now at all yeah, now at home,
(30:30):
we haven't seen the official confirmation on her participation, but
like they did kind of tease it a couple months back,
and it would make sense she's basically with Kelsey Mitchell
and Aleah like the the facto hosts of the event.
Speaker 2 (30:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (30:42):
Yeah, And there are some murals that have been put
up that are I mean, there was already a lot
of CC around Indy, but now Caitlyn Clark. The takeover
is really is really in place. It's gonna be a
ton of fun. Looking forward to seeing you there. Thanks
so much for all the inside. It was great as always.
Speaker 3 (30:57):
Likewise, thanks a lot for having me.
Speaker 1 (31:01):
Thanks so much to Ben for taking the time, always
such a good convo. We got to take another break
when we come back. The legend of a door draws
slices together. Stick here, Welcome back slices. We got some
great feedback and check ins from y'all while we were
(31:22):
on summer break, including super Slice Amanda Vaalo responding to
our requests for memorable Pride moments by reminding us of
a hilarious example.
Speaker 2 (31:30):
Of bad sports on screen from back in the day.
Speaker 1 (31:34):
You can always tell when a TV show doesn't have
a sports consultant for its sports scenes, or maybe even
have a single sports superman on set. And The L Word,
a groundbreaking series that talked about lesbian identity and friendship
and sex back in the early two thousands, clearly had neither.
Amanda Wrights quote, I don't have any specific Pride event memories,
(31:54):
but I remember back in the day being very hype
to watch this episode of The L Word. I was
on the edge of my seat to see Shane Allison
the crew hoopin and then I think this scene set
the game of women's basketball.
Speaker 2 (32:07):
Back end quote.
Speaker 1 (32:09):
It's bad, y'all, it's real bad basketball. We'll link to
the scene in our show notes and all you l
word fans can get a little nostalgia trip watching it. Also,
in response to our Pride PowerPoint episode, Amanda created a
good game version of family Feud called fanally Feud, complete
with a working scoreboard and a game that you can
play on PowerPoint, which I did not know existed. And
(32:32):
she's got topics like Caitlin Clark sponsors, potential WNBACBA line items,
and women's pro leagues outside the WNBA and the NWSL.
Speaker 2 (32:41):
Amanda, this is so good.
Speaker 1 (32:43):
Let us know when you've tested it out and it's
ready for us to share if people want to play.
Also Super Slice, a guy Alitzer sent us a wreck
for a women's sports movie called to Tommy. It's a
fictional feature inspired by true events involving a male athlete,
but in the movie, a member of the Iran national
women's judo team is competing at the World Championships into Blisi,
the capital of Georgia, when the potential that she might
(33:04):
face an Israeli opponent in the final leads the Iranian
government to start pressuring and threatening her to drop out.
Sounds pretty good. We'll check it out, hey guy.
Speaker 2 (33:12):
Thanks.
Speaker 1 (33:13):
Gretchen Test sent us a thoughtful email about the WNBA's
partnership with Coinbase, which was a major sponsor of the
Trump Military Parade and contributed one million dollars to the inauguration.
She had some pretty spot on questions about how the
alleged values of the league align with those of Coinbase.
You'll remember they're the primary sponsor for the Commissioner's Cup,
and it had me thinking about Brianna Stewart's upcoming Harry
(33:35):
Potter Times, Pumas Dewey Feshoes, and also Venus and Serena
Williams launching a video podcast.
Speaker 2 (33:41):
On Elon Musk's X platform.
Speaker 1 (33:44):
Starting to feel like it might be time for another
episode dedicated to the human condition and how tough it
can be to have principles in a capitalist system and
root for athletes.
Speaker 2 (33:53):
Who seem to be making questionable choices. So thanks for
the NSPO, Gretchen. We'll do that episode soon. U.
Speaker 1 (34:00):
So we got this great story from Slice Emily Wessel.
She writes, quote, Hi, Big Citrus, I was in Door
County with my friends last weekend and had to check
out the future site of the Diana Tarassi bench while
wearing my jersey in a different park, A girl dad
excitedly said.
Speaker 2 (34:15):
Did you know there's a Tarasie bench around here?
Speaker 1 (34:17):
From a sports nerd, former D one women's basketball manager
and current college rugby coach, thank you for all that
y'all do. This podcast is special and I enjoy listening
to it every day.
Speaker 2 (34:28):
End quote.
Speaker 1 (34:29):
Emily also included a picture of herself on the bench
with a DT jersey draped over it. Emily, I love
this story so much, and I'm so sad that the
actual bench wasn't already in place for you. Another good
game list in DT love and Door County goers. The delay,
to be honest, was the result of our effort to
get Diana Trossi out to the bench ribbon cutting, and
(34:50):
we just couldn't make it work. But the good news
is we do finally have a schedule for the unveiling.
We're going to be doing the ribbon cutting early afternoon
on Saturday, August twenty third, up at Whitefish Dune State Park,
and in DT's absence, there will be a replacement God
or two on hand to witness the occasion. And after
the ribbon cutting, we'll all head to the hitching post
just down the street in Sturgeon Bay for some beers
(35:12):
and kurds and slice hangs. More details and timing to come,
but if you're in driving distance or planning a trip
out to Door County, I'd love to see all of
y'all there. Also, as we're beginning this show's second trip
around the Sun, we want more suggestions and feedback for
season two.
Speaker 2 (35:29):
What do you love? What do you want more of?
Who are guests? You want to hear? Topics?
Speaker 1 (35:32):
You want to know more about good game at wondermediaetwork
dot com is where you send them or leave us
a voicemail at eight seven to two two four fifty seventy.
We want to hear more of your lovely voices. We
love that you're listening, but we want you to get
in the game every day too, So in addition to that,
here's one more good game play of the day. Check
out Jamel Hill's podcast Spolitics. I joined her for a
(35:55):
recent episode and we'll link to that in the show notes.
I loved chatting career and book and so much more
with her.
Speaker 2 (36:01):
So take a listen and.
Speaker 1 (36:03):
Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review. It's really easy, seriously,
just like scroll down from where you're listening, find the stars,
hit five, tell us, you love us, say something nice.
It's so simple here watch celebrating a generational talent with
a perfect tribute rating ten out of ten Fresh Blooms review.
(36:24):
With the news that Lily Johannes is departing Dutch club
IAX and signing a three year deal with oll Leon
and France, her now former team is celebrating the eighteen
year old stars legacy.
Speaker 2 (36:34):
With an appropriate and very Dutch tribute.
Speaker 1 (36:37):
IAX has registered a new lily variety named after Johannes
with the Royal General Bulb Growers Association.
Speaker 2 (36:45):
So Johannes, who.
Speaker 1 (36:46):
Was born in Virginia, moved to the Netherlands at age
ten and played with the IAX Youth Academy before signing
her first pro contract with IAX at age fifteen.
Speaker 2 (36:55):
Two years ago.
Speaker 1 (36:56):
Then sixteen years old, Johannes became the youngest player to
ever starter UEFA Women's Champions League match and last year,
she announced that she would represent the US at the
international level after weighing the option of representing the Netherlands.
In a press release after Johannes's announcement that you'd be
leaving for OA, leon Iax said quote. To honor her
legacy at IAX and continue to inspire young talents, the
(37:17):
club has taken the initiative to name a unique new
lily after her, the Johannes. Just like Lily, the Johannes
symbolizes the blossoming of talent growth and the pursuit of dreams.
End quote lovely just class stuff so cool. Now it's
your turn, y'all rate and review, Thanks for listening, See
you tomorrow. Good Game, Ben, Good Game, All Star sponsors,
(37:41):
few Bad TV Sports montages. Good Game with Sarah Spain
is an iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep
Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find us on the
iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Production by Wonder Media Network, our producers are Alex Ada
and Misha Jones. Our executive producers are Christina Everett, Jesse Katz,
(38:04):
Jenny Kaplan, and Emily Rudder. Our editors are Emily Rutterer,
Brittany Martinez, Grace Lynch, and Gianna Palmer. Our associate producer
is Lucy Jones. Production assistance from Avery LOFTUS and I'm
Your Host Sarah Spain
Host
Sarah Spain
Popular Podcasts
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.