September 3, 2025 • 28 mins
The Aces have clinched a playoff spot! Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Callie Fin joins the show to break down the team's season turnaround, A’ja Wilson’s standout performances, Becky Hammon’s unique coaching style, and the influence of key new acquisitions. Plus, Khristina and Callie dive into Caitlin Clark’s new signature logo.
Want more women’s basketball scoop? Follow the show on Instagram @ICYMIwithKW and X @ICYMIwithKW and for more on Khristina, follow her on Instagram @khristinawilliams
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CREDITS
Executive Producers:
Nikki Ettore
Jessie Katz
Tyler Klang
Jonathan Strickland
Producer:
Buffy Gorrilla
Producer & Editor:
Tari Harrison
Host:
Khristina Williams
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
In Case You Missed It with Christina Williams is an
iHeart Women's Sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports
and Entertainment. Welcome back to another episode of In Case
You Missed It with Christina Williams. Here on Iheartwomen's Sports,
and the WNBA season is winding down. We have about
(00:21):
two weeks left y'all, the regular season before the playoffs start,
and so we're going to talk about the Las Vegas
Aces this week because they joined the lives of the
Atlanta Dream and the Minnesota Links to clench a playoff spot,
and so joining us is a return guest officially bammed
to the show, Las Vegas Review Journal reporter Calli Lawson Freeman.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Welcome to the show.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
I'm so excited to be here with you.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
Thank you for coming back. Always appreciate your thoughts and
insight on all things Las Vegas Aces, so cally since
you were last on the show. We start each interview
with our winn week. What would you say was a
win for you this week? Oh my gosh, A win
for me this week was taking a little bit of
a break. The Aces played eight games or eight games
(01:09):
in fifteen days. That's what Beckingham't kept repeating in every presser.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
And so after this most recent win they have, like
I mean, it was like a seven day break. They
don't play again until Thursday against the Links, So I
got to go home. Obviously I live in Las Vegas,
but I'm from California, so i got to go to California.
And now I'm back in Las Vegas. I'll think the
Aces practice today, but just to like, you know, refresh, recharge.
That was the win of the week for sure.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
I love that for you. Not then like quality family time.
My win of the week was getting my hair done,
because you know, like when your hair is done, you
feel like all things in your life is gone, right,
So I would say that was my win this a week.
You can like conquer anything when your hair is done,
I know, all right, It just it just makes everything
fall into to line perfectly. So CALLI. When you were
(01:57):
last here, we talked all things Aces training camp and
in the first half of the season, I'm not gonna lie,
it was a little bit scary for the Aces, but
they seem to have turned a heel in the second
half of the season. Just talk about how Bobby've come.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Yeah, I mean it's so funny. I was kind of
thinking back to the last time that you and I
spoke as well before like getting ready to do this,
and I just remember the excitement surrounding training camp, Like
Becky Hammond and Asia all these players were talking about
how the vibe in the locker room and on the
court was different, and then they came out and showed
the complete opposite. You know, like they opened their season
(02:32):
on the road against the Liberty and I understand that's
tough circumstances. Liberty have had the Aces number for a
while now, you know, the has like season and a half,
but like to be the team that they just like
whooked on their ring night. That was a rough start
to the season for the Aces. And now it's like
it's a completely different I mean, I don't want to
say completely different roster, but they've made some significant changes.
(02:53):
Their starting lineup looks completely different. And yeah, some of
those things that they boasted about at the start of
the year you can see finally with like ten days
last the regular season, so you can see that hunger,
that competitive energy, all those things they've bragged about it first,
but it took them a lot of changes and like
really like growing pains to get to that point.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
And this is a team that you know, started the
season kind of in the bottom half of the top eight,
and now they stand within the top three teams as
the season is winding down. What's the biggest difference that
you've seen in their pursuit of clinching a playoff spot
and wanting to potentially get the third championship in franchise history.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
Yeah, I mean, I think the headline is always going
to be Asia Wilson. She's a three time MVP. Now
she's like pushed her way into conversations for a fourth,
which would obviously be precedent, and this league has never
seen that before, and she's doing something that would warrant
those conversations, and so I think that that's like where
you have to start. But I think that even before that,
(04:00):
like I remember a lot of people they look at
the Aces season through that really historic and terrible loss
to the Minnesota Lynx, right like that was like, I
think that fifty three point loss on your home court,
that's not happened in this league's for like twenty something years.
So they obviously had to kind of like overcome from
that point. But I actually noticed improvements two games before
(04:24):
that was was really interesting to me. Now It's funny
because at the time, like two games before that they
were playing I think they'd stack some wins against like
the Dallas Wings and one other team, and their defense
had gotten a little bit better, and so I practice,
I talked to Asia Wilson about like, hey, like, if
this team gets better and you you stay out of
MVP conversations, because that's the way that it was at
(04:45):
the time. Like obviously this is before the loss of
the Links. Like nobody was talking about Asia for MVP.
I was like, how would that feel for you? And
her whole thing was like I'm just trying to do
everything I can to make my team better. And then
throughout the rest of that day we learned that like
Asia was leading the team through scouting reports and like
taking a really vocal role and preparing for the defense
(05:07):
and all these different things. And that was even before
they faced the Links, and that was working well. They
had back to back wins, but then that lost to
the Links, it just kind of like fell apart. Like
everything they've continued though, so like all of the Asia
Wilson having a large role in the scout. That's huge.
And then since then, you know, we have Melissa Smith,
(05:29):
we have Jewel Lloyd out of the starting lineup coming
off the bench, and that's like really huge if you
can have somebody go off for like fourteen fifteen, maybe
twenty points off the bench, which we've seen from Jewel.
Since she's made that shift, all of that has changed.
And even like Chelsea Gray, who I mean started this
season saying that she felt the best that she's felt
(05:52):
in a while. She didn't feel any residual injury. She
was the unrivaled MVP, you know, so we were thinking
that it was going to be a really great start
from her, and then it wasn't necessarily But now during
this win streak, she's definitely found a group. Like she's
super efficient. Her turnovers to assist ratio is like the
best it's been all season. During this streak, all of
(06:12):
that stuff matters, like you need everyone firing on all cylinders.
So I can see why, Like on the paper, it
looks like it's asia and a lot of it is,
like even some of the off the court stuff like
just preparing for games, but it's like a full team turnaround.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
Yeah, and you mentioned the different rotations that Becky has
been able to implement that actually worked to the benefit
of the Aces. But you also said something I was
very interested in terms of Asia Wilson not even being
considered in the MVP conversation in the first half of
the season, although she's the raining MVP and she's still
playing consistent despite her team not doing well in the
(06:47):
first half of the season. But we know that those
conversations have since changed in the second half of the
season and the MVP race is much closer today than
it was in the first half of the season. How
do you feel Asia Willsted measures measure up to some
of those other candidates that's currently in the discussions.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
Yeah, I mean, I think that's a great question for me.
It's looking at I mean, obviously the goal is to
look at a totality of a season, and I think
even when you look at the way that she started,
there were like I've heard two people say that she
had like a shooting slump. She wasn't like as efficient
from the field as she has been in previous years,
but she was still so impactful. She was leading the
(07:26):
Aces in every major statistical category, so of points per game,
rebounds per game assists, blocks, steal assists is crazy. Obviously
that's because Chelsea was still I guess finding her footing,
but like that was I think a lot for Asia.
And then you have to keep in mind she also
was injured. This is probably the most that Asia has
dealt with injury wise in her career. You know, she
(07:47):
had a concussion a little bit earlier in the year,
and then had a wrist injury that she sustained against
the New York Liberty, and then was also dealing with
some stuff that she's just continued to play through. Like
she's missed like four games with the concussion and the risk,
but then she also had a shoulder injury. All these
different things that she's not missed any time for, and
so I think that that all plays a role into it.
(08:08):
So now it's like you look at her stats just
throughout the season. I think that when people are comparing
her to somebody who like, like if he's a Collier,
who is like the obvious front runner, you know for
the award, you kind of you're looking at like points
per game, averages, all these different things, and I think
that Asia is because of these performances that she's having
(08:30):
over this win streak. I think it was like a
majority of the games and those twelve straight wins were
like thirty points or more, which is ridiculous, you know.
So I think for her to be doing that and
then also leading the league and like double doubles, all
these different things, I think that it all matters. She's
also like incredibly efficient now, you know, the second half
(08:52):
of the season. So I think it's, like Jude, they're
just things that you have to consider. I don't even
know at this point where that race stands like it's something,
and you know, we're at the point where you got
to start like really hunkering down. But I just feel like,
you know, if you look at the way that this
team has improved with Asia's improved play, it's hard not
(09:12):
to look at her as a strong candidate for the award.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
Well, I absolutely agree, and I think that context is
super important, and you kind of painted the picture of
when there were times during the season where she may
have not been as efficient, it was because she's picking
up the load on a six because maybe a player
like Chelsea Gray wasn't playing at her best strength. And
so I think that those are qualities of an MVP
right of someone who is being a leader on the team.
(09:38):
It's like I got to pick up where other people
are slack, and I got to fill in the gaps
and do whatever I need to do to get the
job done, literally holding the team on her shoulders on
her back. And I think that that context is important,
especially when you think about impact. It sometimes it doesn't
show up in the box score, right, it's not going
to show up. The data is not going to show
all those different things. But I think that you just
(09:59):
provided some great context to why. You know, we may
have seen her less efficient in certain statistical categories, but
I think that the race is super close. In my opinion,
She's doing something historical, just like the FISA, just like
at And you know, it was just shocking in the
(10:20):
first half of the season that she wasn't considered an
MVP candidate. As the reigning MVP, you always got to defend.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
You always gott to defend that, you know.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
I think that Asia is doing a great job, especially
with the run that the Aces is on. Melissa Smith
was someone that the Aces acquired before the trade deadline
(10:50):
from the Dallas Wings. Have you seen her develop with
this team and how has she been able to help
them turn around.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
Yeah. I mean, you know what's so interesting is when
they made the move to acquire Melissa Smith, they traded
a first round pick, and I was kind of like,
not like, I don't think outwardly critical about that decision,
But when I interviewed Ace's president, Nicki Fargus, who is
I guess effectively kind of like the active GM for
the team, Like she's the one who speaks for all
the decisions and things like that. When I interviewed her
(11:23):
about just the moves to that point and in kind
of what was next, I really pushed to kind of
understand like what went into that decision, you know, like
how how do you rationalize like a first round pick
and all these different things? And I think, if I'm
Nicky Fargus, I'm feeling super vindicated right now because she
and Melissa Smith has made a huge difference and it's
(11:43):
for all of the reasons that Nicky Fargus that she would.
I mean, she's a really relentless rebounder, She spaces the
floor really well. I think just her aggression and energy
that she brings on the court has made a difference.
So I think the way that I've seen her develop.
That's another interesting thing too, because even like you know,
two games ago, I asked Becky how she's been able
(12:06):
to kind of like work with Melissa, like incorporate her
into different plays and all these different things. And Becky
was like, we've literally thrown her into the fire. And
this is recently. This isn't like last month or anything
like that, Like this was two games ago. She was like,
we've thrown her into the virus. She's only had like
two practices when she arrived here. And I know that
sounds crazy, but with the way the Ace's schedule is
(12:28):
set up, this season has not been like last season.
I don't know like how things shook out, but it
is really difficult for them to get like a practice,
a full practice at home. I think it's because even
like you know, just now, they ended on like a
little bit of a road stretch and all these different things,
and maybe it's like the travel and whatever else, but
they don't really have a lot of time to like
(12:49):
do a full like you know, incorporation. So Melissa is
just like, I mean, she's really adapting. And so that's
what I keep seeing. It's like every single time I
want I'm noticing like new things that she's getting a
little bit more comfortable with and like new ways that
the aces are comfortable using her. And so yeah, that's
(13:10):
like what I'm seeing in terms of just like her improvement.
To me, it's just wild because she hasn't had a
lot of time.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
So yeah, and that just speaks to like a league
wide issue of condensed guest scheduling where there's little to
no room for era for any of these players. It's
like you kind of learn by doing, and you know,
that tactic of just throwing her deep in. She's playing
with the best player in the world in Asia Wilson.
So I think that that's a great place to start,
right if you're a player like Melissa, who was kind
(13:39):
of although she was, you know, a lottery pick in
her draft class, kind of like a journey woman throughout
you know, her time in the WNBA, didn't really fit
in the Indiana system, didn't really fit in the Dallas system.
But I think that this Acis system is a system
where she can grow and develop and you know, really
show what she has in terms of her skill. And
they needed her size for sure, as you said, to
get those bounds and we talked. We talked earlier about
(14:02):
players taking a lesser role and doing what they need
to in order to you know, get to that goal
of pinching a playoff spot potentially on a championship run.
But we haven't even brought up Kia Stokes and and
how she's had to adjust. What have you been seeing
in terms of being around the aces and how she's
(14:23):
taken this all in in terms of going from the
starter to sometimes not even getting on the floor.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
Yeah, I mean I think, you know, I just complained
about the lack of practices, but like the process I
have been able to watch and a lot of like
shoot rounds and things like that, Kia is still such
like an important part of the team, you know, And
I feel like that's something that like her people have
communicated to me That's been important to Kia is like
knowing that the team still values her a lot. And
like Becky Hammond will emphasize that. Whenever anybody asks about
(14:54):
just how important Melissa has been, Becky always kind of
like mentions the key unprompted to say that, like, you know,
we still view her as incredibly key to what we
want to accomplish, Like defensively in all these different things.
But Becky will be honest and say that, like Kia
just didn't have necessarily, like she didn't present the offensive threat,
(15:16):
the scoring threat that Melissa Smith does. And so Kia
doesn't seem to have any like problem with that. I
think that even at the start of this year and
media day, when people were asking her about how she
felt about last season and all these different things, she
was like, I have a role that a lot of
you guys might not understand, like it's not my role
to score and et cetera, et cetera. And people can
(15:37):
feel how they feel about that, but the Aces support
that perspective, you know, like that's there's a reason that
she has that view. So like if she started the
season feeling like, listen, I'm just here to like do
whatever is going to work best for the team, she
has maintained that, Like she just seems so even kel
So whenever I see her practices, like I just feel
like she she's adding energy, like she's she's there, and
(16:00):
you can tell that she's like focus and ready to
work and like do whatever is asked of her. And
so that's what really stands out to me about Kia.
I mean, she's like a bet to bet at this point,
and if she was unhappy like then we would know,
you know, but she's she seems to really be content
in the position that she said.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
I like hearing that, and I wasn't trying to apply
to she's not happy or content with her role, but
it just brought up an interesting thing of like, this
is a championship caliber team with you know, considering all
the talent the Jewel Lloyd's, the Chelsea Grays, the Jackie Young's,
the Asia Wilson's on the team. So I know, for
the New York Liberty at least thrown their championship run.
(16:38):
When Courtney Vandersleut had to come off the bench, it
was a bit of an adjustment for her. And so
it's just interesting to hear like the sights and sounds
and what you're hearing in terms of that sort of
adjustment for Kia. What's the latest that you've been able
to hear on Cheyenne Parker Tires and her timetable for
her return.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
Yeah, I mean, obviously I've been like super interested in
chyan Parkartize's return and I ask her, I check in
with her pretty regularly. So the last time the Aces
were at home, I think that was against the Atlanta
Dream and I got to kind of see CBT on
the court, which is like that was my first time
seeing her this season on the court at shoot around.
(17:20):
So she's getting some shots up and things like that,
which is wild because she just had her baby in
what late June, like mid June. It was like June
twenty whatever, so that's like late June almost, but she's
she's pretty like clear that she wants to return. Now
Becky's perspective, I think it's a little bit different than
CPTs because Becky is like I don't want to just
(17:42):
throw somebody in the playoffs, you know, like I want
them to have at least one regular season gaming under
their belt. So these next ten days or so are
going to be really really crucial to see whether or
not she'll be able to do that. So I think,
you know, there's practice today, there's practice tomorrow. I'll be
both of those, and I'll be just looking to see
how much Cheyenne can participate because this is really like
(18:06):
this is kind of like the make or break time,
you know, like they only have a few games left.
It's like two games against the Chicago Sky and then
I think are three no, yeah, two games against the
Chicago Sky and then one on the road against the Sparks.
Is I think all we've got left at this point,
So she can get on the court for one of those,
that's going to be a really great indicator that she'll
(18:27):
be like a huge part of the playoff runt. If not,
I think Chyenne will still push, you know, Like when
I first interviewed her, I think like three weeks after
the birth of her son, she was like, there are
a few things I'm going to do on my end
to make sure that I'm ready. One of those things
is playing one on one with her husband. I don't
know if that game has happened yet, but I think
the fact that she's a practice already tells me that
(18:48):
maybe that went well. So I think that that's a
that's a good indicator. Like if she can play one
on one with her husband, he's like, all right, fine,
you can go to practice, then like that might be good.
So I don't know right now. It's like a lot
of question marks surrounding her, But the one thing I
think is super clear is just how bad she wants
to be on the floor. That's something that she'll talk
about a lot and something that Becky Hammond talks a
(19:09):
lot about as well.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
We'll certainly keep our eyes on Shiane parkatized his potential
return to the Aces lineup. I know they could definitely
use another all star all the rosters to help them
get to their ultimate goal this season. What's been one
of the most surprising things that you've learned about this
team throughout your time covering them this season? Oh?
Speaker 2 (19:40):
Man, I think that there's a few like one of
them is I think I have viewed Becky Hammond as
like one of the tougher coaches in the WBA, Like
I look at her and like Cheryl Reeve is like,
you know the same, like random coach, Yeah, yeah, exactly.
And this year I read top of the the exactly
(20:01):
exactly she come coaching tree, So right, she's part of
the coaching tree. It makes total sense. But this being
my second ear on the beat and kind of like
seeing Becky up close through a lot of ups and downs,
I've learned that she's a lot different than that exterior,
and she's actually spoken about it, like I've asked her
about it, and we've had like funny conversations. I actually
asked Cheryl Rave about it too, But like both of them,
(20:24):
they they are They're crazy on the sideline, So I
think you see that and you're like, oh, they must
be pretty crazy behind closed doors too, Like you probably
don't want to make them upset. You don't want to
get yelled at and things like that. Becky, though, I'm learning,
is a real and I don't want to get into trouble.
Like she's like a sweetheart, you know, like she really
cares so much about these players, and so she's done
(20:45):
all of these really just interesting things to make that
clear to them, and I think in the past maybe
she hasn't felt the need to. That's kind of like
what she said, like every team's different and they need
different things, so you can give like tough love and
all that stuff certain groups. She's like, this group needed
something different, like they've needed like kindness and hugs and
(21:06):
quality time like she I'm like, that's interesting. I don't
imagine Becky doing any of that stuff. Like she's talking
about going to dinner with some players like individually, one
on one, and like I wrote about how she gave
each player these little gifts at the start of the season,
these plants with like custom messages on them that she
hoped that they would see every day, And I'm just like,
(21:29):
this is interesting. This is not like the beckyham and
that I thought that I knew. So I think that's
one thing is just how like gentle and caring and
attempted Becky Hammond can be. And then I even think
like the move to kind of like Grant Jewel Boyd's
requests to go to the bench is an example of that.
(21:49):
You know, like Becky could have been like, no, you
are the twenty twenty three scoring champ, you are an Olympian,
you're all these different things. You're gonna be in the
starting lineup and you're gonna figure it out. But like, no,
at a certain point, Becky was like, if that's what
you think is gonna like work for you, fine, we'll
move you to the bench. And that has worked and
she's still playing starter minutes. So it's like these are
(22:11):
conscious coaching decisions that I think show like a level
of grace that maybe I didn't know that Becky like
was operating with, you know, So I think that there's that,
And then I also think, just like how much. This
team really enjoys each other, like some of the stuff
that I'm learning, and like pressers are just like off
one off conversations like they they're in the group chats,
(22:34):
sending like memes that people are making on social media,
and like really finding joy in that stuff. And those
are things that I just wasn't able to really see
last year because they were I mean, they want like
do It wasn't the best season ever last year, but
it wasn't as turbulent as this one has been. So
you know, it's like they're like finding different ways to
kind of keep each other upbeat. So those are the
two things that really stand out to me as we
(22:56):
looks to the Aces.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
Of clinching and hold saying that number two spot potentially
for the playoffs, what do you think will be their
biggest hurdle going into the postseason?
Speaker 2 (23:07):
Yeah, I mean, I think for the Aces, it's about consistency,
Like this has really been like the theme of the season,
and Becky Hammond calls it like being able to handle
your own success. So it's like, if you come out
in the first half of the game and it's a
solid first half, then you need to not like fall
apart and then and then the third quarter things like that.
(23:28):
So I mean, those are the things that I'll be
watching for their defense, I know. I mean a lot
of people will talk about maybe like issues offensively with
the Aces, and there are some you know, like there
are times where it's just the ball's not popping the
way it should, it's not moving the way it should,
and like it looks like it's a little bit too
difficult for them to score at times. But that's not
really my concern for the Aces, and I know that
(23:49):
that's not the way that the Aces view either. They
view it like if we play good defense, we can
win games, and I see it the same way, and
deep into something that really just like kind of comes
and goes for them. Even when you think that they've
made strides defensively, there will be like a game or
a quarter where those concerns kind of come back. So
I think that if it can be play consistent through
(24:11):
a whole game, play that full forty minute game that
we keep on hearing about as the pertaties of the Aces,
but then also just continue to be defensively strong and
maybe just keep improving defensively, then those could be like
the keys to their success.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
Yeah, I feel like as the season winds down, a
few teams are struggling with, you know, those same things
of being consistent. I mean the New York Liberty is
an example of that. And Brands Viewer came out last
week and a couple of days ago really and said, yeah,
we are not playing championship level basketball, and so just
keeping the main thing, the main thing, I think will
(24:47):
be the most important, not only for the Aces, but
for a lot of teams. All right, before we let
you get out of here, switching gears just real quick.
Nike and Kitlyn Clark unveiled the official logo for Clock's
upcoming signature. Collect What was your reaction to seeing her
new logo.
Speaker 2 (25:05):
I think part of me is just so was just
so excited to see it, you know, Like I felt
like the anticipation was really building, and I felt like
you can kind of never hear the end of it,
Like it was like during Asia Wilson's rollout, people were like,
where's Caitlin's and all this stuff, So to finally see it,
it's like, oh my gosh.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
Cool.
Speaker 2 (25:20):
And I actually liked the rollout itself, like I think
it's they've been consistent. I think in the way that
they're like branding her as kind of like this, you know, midwestern.
It's like this rural vibe, you know, Like they show
the logo at first on the back of like a
truck and it's going through some fields and it's cool.
I like it. I think that the logo itself is
(25:42):
maybe not what I was expecting it to look like.
It kind of reminds me of like the like cocoa
shade logo and so so I don't know, right, it's
like it's giving luxury, and then I don't know if
that's what I was expecting. I think maybe it'll just
like grow on me and maybe all of us. I
don't really know what the reaction was to it. I
(26:02):
didn't see a lot of people like reacting. I think
a lot of people had the same thing I did,
where they were just like finally, like we can see it,
you know, But I don't know. I'm a curious Can
you tell me what you thought, because I'm like, I'm curious.
Speaker 1 (26:14):
So I agree with you. In terms of the storytelling
behind a logo, like how is stuck to her roots?
I thought that that was super important. Even some of
the copywiring like from her logo, because she's known for
shooting all the logo shots and all these amazing shots.
So I had the same reaction as you in terms
of it reminded me of Chanel, like the SEC's interlocking.
(26:39):
So I'm interested to see like the silhouette of some
of the stuff. I know that when she kind of
unveiled her logo in the tunnel, she had the Windbreaker
pants on with the CC so my sea some CC apparel,
So I'm excited about that. But I think overall how
Nike has been able to really take a stake in
(27:01):
supporting their their signature athletes Sabrina, Asia, now Caitlyn. I
think that they're taking pride in that and they're treating
it to the same level as the men's which I
think is a long time coming, right because just a
couple of years ago they had Brianna Stewart and she
left them for Puma because they didn't want to give
her a signature shoe. That was one of the reasons
why she left, and Puma the way out and you know,
(27:23):
made the Stewies. But I think that just to see
how they are really kind of correcting those mistakes of
the past and just really taking their time with each
and every single rollout. I love it, and that each
signature collection or shoe that's coming out, it's it's not
the same. It's not like copying something that's already been made.
(27:43):
It's very true to each athlete. So I appreciate you
know that part of it, and I'm excited. I'm actually excited.
I know that Caitlyn loves the Kobe, so I wonder
if you know, we'll see something there, some some sort
of operation when she comes out with her own sickness issue,
So I'll keep my eyes on that nice too.
Speaker 2 (28:06):
I'm walked in now.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
I'm like, hmm, all right, Kelly, I want to thank
you for coming on this week talking all things Las
Vegas Aces and sharing your reaction to Caitlin Clark's new logo.
We're going to keep your eyes on the Aces as
the season continues to unwind and we get ready for
WNBA playoffs. All right, y'all, that's gonna do it for
(28:29):
this episode of In Case You missed It with Christina Williams.
Speaker 2 (28:32):
Don't forget to rate, review.
Speaker 1 (28:34):
And subscribe to the podcast, and don't forget to follow
Kelly's work at the Las Vegas Review Journal.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
We'll see you next time.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
In case you missed it with Christina Williams is an
iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports
and Entertainment. You can find us on the iHeartRadio app,
Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.
In Case You Missed It with Christina Williams is an
iHeart Women's Sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports
and Entertainment. Welcome back to another episode of In Case
You Missed It with Christina Williams. Here on Iheartwomen's Sports,
and the WNBA season is winding down. We have about
(00:21):
two weeks left y'all, the regular season before the playoffs start,
and so we're going to talk about the Las Vegas
Aces this week because they joined the lives of the
Atlanta Dream and the Minnesota Links to clench a playoff spot,
and so joining us is a return guest officially bammed
to the show, Las Vegas Review Journal reporter Calli Lawson Freeman.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Welcome to the show.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
I'm so excited to be here with you.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
Thank you for coming back. Always appreciate your thoughts and
insight on all things Las Vegas Aces, so cally since
you were last on the show. We start each interview
with our winn week. What would you say was a
win for you this week? Oh my gosh, A win
for me this week was taking a little bit of
a break. The Aces played eight games or eight games
(01:09):
in fifteen days. That's what Beckingham't kept repeating in every presser.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
And so after this most recent win they have, like
I mean, it was like a seven day break. They
don't play again until Thursday against the Links, So I
got to go home. Obviously I live in Las Vegas,
but I'm from California, so i got to go to California.
And now I'm back in Las Vegas. I'll think the
Aces practice today, but just to like, you know, refresh, recharge.
That was the win of the week for sure.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
I love that for you. Not then like quality family time.
My win of the week was getting my hair done,
because you know, like when your hair is done, you
feel like all things in your life is gone, right,
So I would say that was my win this a week.
You can like conquer anything when your hair is done,
I know, all right, It just it just makes everything
fall into to line perfectly. So CALLI. When you were
(01:57):
last here, we talked all things Aces training camp and
in the first half of the season, I'm not gonna lie,
it was a little bit scary for the Aces, but
they seem to have turned a heel in the second
half of the season. Just talk about how Bobby've come.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Yeah, I mean it's so funny. I was kind of
thinking back to the last time that you and I
spoke as well before like getting ready to do this,
and I just remember the excitement surrounding training camp, Like
Becky Hammond and Asia all these players were talking about
how the vibe in the locker room and on the
court was different, and then they came out and showed
the complete opposite. You know, like they opened their season
(02:32):
on the road against the Liberty and I understand that's
tough circumstances. Liberty have had the Aces number for a
while now, you know, the has like season and a half,
but like to be the team that they just like
whooked on their ring night. That was a rough start
to the season for the Aces. And now it's like
it's a completely different I mean, I don't want to
say completely different roster, but they've made some significant changes.
(02:53):
Their starting lineup looks completely different. And yeah, some of
those things that they boasted about at the start of
the year you can see finally with like ten days
last the regular season, so you can see that hunger,
that competitive energy, all those things they've bragged about it first,
but it took them a lot of changes and like
really like growing pains to get to that point.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
And this is a team that you know, started the
season kind of in the bottom half of the top eight,
and now they stand within the top three teams as
the season is winding down. What's the biggest difference that
you've seen in their pursuit of clinching a playoff spot
and wanting to potentially get the third championship in franchise history.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
Yeah, I mean, I think the headline is always going
to be Asia Wilson. She's a three time MVP. Now
she's like pushed her way into conversations for a fourth,
which would obviously be precedent, and this league has never
seen that before, and she's doing something that would warrant
those conversations, and so I think that that's like where
you have to start. But I think that even before that,
(04:00):
like I remember a lot of people they look at
the Aces season through that really historic and terrible loss
to the Minnesota Lynx, right like that was like, I
think that fifty three point loss on your home court,
that's not happened in this league's for like twenty something years.
So they obviously had to kind of like overcome from
that point. But I actually noticed improvements two games before
(04:24):
that was was really interesting to me. Now It's funny
because at the time, like two games before that they
were playing I think they'd stack some wins against like
the Dallas Wings and one other team, and their defense
had gotten a little bit better, and so I practice,
I talked to Asia Wilson about like, hey, like, if
this team gets better and you you stay out of
MVP conversations, because that's the way that it was at
(04:45):
the time. Like obviously this is before the loss of
the Links. Like nobody was talking about Asia for MVP.
I was like, how would that feel for you? And
her whole thing was like I'm just trying to do
everything I can to make my team better. And then
throughout the rest of that day we learned that like
Asia was leading the team through scouting reports and like
taking a really vocal role and preparing for the defense
(05:07):
and all these different things. And that was even before
they faced the Links, and that was working well. They
had back to back wins, but then that lost to
the Links, it just kind of like fell apart. Like
everything they've continued though, so like all of the Asia
Wilson having a large role in the scout. That's huge.
And then since then, you know, we have Melissa Smith,
(05:29):
we have Jewel Lloyd out of the starting lineup coming
off the bench, and that's like really huge if you
can have somebody go off for like fourteen fifteen, maybe
twenty points off the bench, which we've seen from Jewel.
Since she's made that shift, all of that has changed.
And even like Chelsea Gray, who I mean started this
season saying that she felt the best that she's felt
(05:52):
in a while. She didn't feel any residual injury. She
was the unrivaled MVP, you know, so we were thinking
that it was going to be a really great start
from her, and then it wasn't necessarily But now during
this win streak, she's definitely found a group. Like she's
super efficient. Her turnovers to assist ratio is like the
best it's been all season. During this streak, all of
(06:12):
that stuff matters, like you need everyone firing on all cylinders.
So I can see why, Like on the paper, it
looks like it's asia and a lot of it is,
like even some of the off the court stuff like
just preparing for games, but it's like a full team turnaround.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
Yeah, and you mentioned the different rotations that Becky has
been able to implement that actually worked to the benefit
of the Aces. But you also said something I was
very interested in terms of Asia Wilson not even being
considered in the MVP conversation in the first half of
the season, although she's the raining MVP and she's still
playing consistent despite her team not doing well in the
(06:47):
first half of the season. But we know that those
conversations have since changed in the second half of the
season and the MVP race is much closer today than
it was in the first half of the season. How
do you feel Asia Willsted measures measure up to some
of those other candidates that's currently in the discussions.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
Yeah, I mean, I think that's a great question for me.
It's looking at I mean, obviously the goal is to
look at a totality of a season, and I think
even when you look at the way that she started,
there were like I've heard two people say that she
had like a shooting slump. She wasn't like as efficient
from the field as she has been in previous years,
but she was still so impactful. She was leading the
(07:26):
Aces in every major statistical category, so of points per game,
rebounds per game assists, blocks, steal assists is crazy. Obviously
that's because Chelsea was still I guess finding her footing,
but like that was I think a lot for Asia.
And then you have to keep in mind she also
was injured. This is probably the most that Asia has
dealt with injury wise in her career. You know, she
(07:47):
had a concussion a little bit earlier in the year,
and then had a wrist injury that she sustained against
the New York Liberty, and then was also dealing with
some stuff that she's just continued to play through. Like
she's missed like four games with the concussion and the risk,
but then she also had a shoulder injury. All these
different things that she's not missed any time for, and
so I think that that all plays a role into it.
(08:08):
So now it's like you look at her stats just
throughout the season. I think that when people are comparing
her to somebody who like, like if he's a Collier,
who is like the obvious front runner, you know for
the award, you kind of you're looking at like points
per game, averages, all these different things, and I think
that Asia is because of these performances that she's having
(08:30):
over this win streak. I think it was like a
majority of the games and those twelve straight wins were
like thirty points or more, which is ridiculous, you know.
So I think for her to be doing that and
then also leading the league and like double doubles, all
these different things, I think that it all matters. She's
also like incredibly efficient now, you know, the second half
(08:52):
of the season. So I think it's, like Jude, they're
just things that you have to consider. I don't even
know at this point where that race stands like it's something,
and you know, we're at the point where you got
to start like really hunkering down. But I just feel like,
you know, if you look at the way that this
team has improved with Asia's improved play, it's hard not
(09:12):
to look at her as a strong candidate for the award.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
Well, I absolutely agree, and I think that context is
super important, and you kind of painted the picture of
when there were times during the season where she may
have not been as efficient, it was because she's picking
up the load on a six because maybe a player
like Chelsea Gray wasn't playing at her best strength. And
so I think that those are qualities of an MVP
right of someone who is being a leader on the team.
(09:38):
It's like I got to pick up where other people
are slack, and I got to fill in the gaps
and do whatever I need to do to get the
job done, literally holding the team on her shoulders on
her back. And I think that that context is important,
especially when you think about impact. It sometimes it doesn't
show up in the box score, right, it's not going
to show up. The data is not going to show
all those different things. But I think that you just
(09:59):
provided some great context to why. You know, we may
have seen her less efficient in certain statistical categories, but
I think that the race is super close. In my opinion,
She's doing something historical, just like the FISA, just like
at And you know, it was just shocking in the
(10:20):
first half of the season that she wasn't considered an
MVP candidate. As the reigning MVP, you always got to defend.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
You always gott to defend that, you know.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
I think that Asia is doing a great job, especially
with the run that the Aces is on. Melissa Smith
was someone that the Aces acquired before the trade deadline
(10:50):
from the Dallas Wings. Have you seen her develop with
this team and how has she been able to help
them turn around.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
Yeah. I mean, you know what's so interesting is when
they made the move to acquire Melissa Smith, they traded
a first round pick, and I was kind of like,
not like, I don't think outwardly critical about that decision,
But when I interviewed Ace's president, Nicki Fargus, who is
I guess effectively kind of like the active GM for
the team, Like she's the one who speaks for all
the decisions and things like that. When I interviewed her
(11:23):
about just the moves to that point and in kind
of what was next, I really pushed to kind of
understand like what went into that decision, you know, like
how how do you rationalize like a first round pick
and all these different things? And I think, if I'm
Nicky Fargus, I'm feeling super vindicated right now because she
and Melissa Smith has made a huge difference and it's
(11:43):
for all of the reasons that Nicky Fargus that she would.
I mean, she's a really relentless rebounder, She spaces the
floor really well. I think just her aggression and energy
that she brings on the court has made a difference.
So I think the way that I've seen her develop.
That's another interesting thing too, because even like you know,
two games ago, I asked Becky how she's been able
(12:06):
to kind of like work with Melissa, like incorporate her
into different plays and all these different things. And Becky
was like, we've literally thrown her into the fire. And
this is recently. This isn't like last month or anything
like that, Like this was two games ago. She was like,
we've thrown her into the virus. She's only had like
two practices when she arrived here. And I know that
sounds crazy, but with the way the Ace's schedule is
(12:28):
set up, this season has not been like last season.
I don't know like how things shook out, but it
is really difficult for them to get like a practice,
a full practice at home. I think it's because even
like you know, just now, they ended on like a
little bit of a road stretch and all these different things,
and maybe it's like the travel and whatever else, but
they don't really have a lot of time to like
(12:49):
do a full like you know, incorporation. So Melissa is
just like, I mean, she's really adapting. And so that's
what I keep seeing. It's like every single time I
want I'm noticing like new things that she's getting a
little bit more comfortable with and like new ways that
the aces are comfortable using her. And so yeah, that's
(13:10):
like what I'm seeing in terms of just like her improvement.
To me, it's just wild because she hasn't had a
lot of time.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
So yeah, and that just speaks to like a league
wide issue of condensed guest scheduling where there's little to
no room for era for any of these players. It's
like you kind of learn by doing, and you know,
that tactic of just throwing her deep in. She's playing
with the best player in the world in Asia Wilson.
So I think that that's a great place to start,
right if you're a player like Melissa, who was kind
(13:39):
of although she was, you know, a lottery pick in
her draft class, kind of like a journey woman throughout
you know, her time in the WNBA, didn't really fit
in the Indiana system, didn't really fit in the Dallas system.
But I think that this Acis system is a system
where she can grow and develop and you know, really
show what she has in terms of her skill. And
they needed her size for sure, as you said, to
get those bounds and we talked. We talked earlier about
(14:02):
players taking a lesser role and doing what they need
to in order to you know, get to that goal
of pinching a playoff spot potentially on a championship run.
But we haven't even brought up Kia Stokes and and
how she's had to adjust. What have you been seeing
in terms of being around the aces and how she's
(14:23):
taken this all in in terms of going from the
starter to sometimes not even getting on the floor.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
Yeah, I mean I think, you know, I just complained
about the lack of practices, but like the process I
have been able to watch and a lot of like
shoot rounds and things like that, Kia is still such
like an important part of the team, you know, And
I feel like that's something that like her people have
communicated to me That's been important to Kia is like
knowing that the team still values her a lot. And
like Becky Hammond will emphasize that. Whenever anybody asks about
(14:54):
just how important Melissa has been, Becky always kind of
like mentions the key unprompted to say that, like, you know,
we still view her as incredibly key to what we
want to accomplish, Like defensively in all these different things.
But Becky will be honest and say that, like Kia
just didn't have necessarily, like she didn't present the offensive threat,
(15:16):
the scoring threat that Melissa Smith does. And so Kia
doesn't seem to have any like problem with that. I
think that even at the start of this year and
media day, when people were asking her about how she
felt about last season and all these different things, she
was like, I have a role that a lot of
you guys might not understand, like it's not my role
to score and et cetera, et cetera. And people can
(15:37):
feel how they feel about that, but the Aces support
that perspective, you know, like that's there's a reason that
she has that view. So like if she started the
season feeling like, listen, I'm just here to like do
whatever is going to work best for the team, she
has maintained that, Like she just seems so even kel
So whenever I see her practices, like I just feel
like she she's adding energy, like she's she's there, and
(16:00):
you can tell that she's like focus and ready to
work and like do whatever is asked of her. And
so that's what really stands out to me about Kia.
I mean, she's like a bet to bet at this point,
and if she was unhappy like then we would know,
you know, but she's she seems to really be content
in the position that she said.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
I like hearing that, and I wasn't trying to apply
to she's not happy or content with her role, but
it just brought up an interesting thing of like, this
is a championship caliber team with you know, considering all
the talent the Jewel Lloyd's, the Chelsea Grays, the Jackie Young's,
the Asia Wilson's on the team. So I know, for
the New York Liberty at least thrown their championship run.
(16:38):
When Courtney Vandersleut had to come off the bench, it
was a bit of an adjustment for her. And so
it's just interesting to hear like the sights and sounds
and what you're hearing in terms of that sort of
adjustment for Kia. What's the latest that you've been able
to hear on Cheyenne Parker Tires and her timetable for
her return.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
Yeah, I mean, obviously I've been like super interested in
chyan Parkartize's return and I ask her, I check in
with her pretty regularly. So the last time the Aces
were at home, I think that was against the Atlanta
Dream and I got to kind of see CBT on
the court, which is like that was my first time
seeing her this season on the court at shoot around.
(17:20):
So she's getting some shots up and things like that,
which is wild because she just had her baby in
what late June, like mid June. It was like June
twenty whatever, so that's like late June almost, but she's
she's pretty like clear that she wants to return. Now
Becky's perspective, I think it's a little bit different than
CPTs because Becky is like I don't want to just
(17:42):
throw somebody in the playoffs, you know, like I want
them to have at least one regular season gaming under
their belt. So these next ten days or so are
going to be really really crucial to see whether or
not she'll be able to do that. So I think,
you know, there's practice today, there's practice tomorrow. I'll be
both of those, and I'll be just looking to see
how much Cheyenne can participate because this is really like
(18:06):
this is kind of like the make or break time,
you know, like they only have a few games left.
It's like two games against the Chicago Sky and then
I think are three no, yeah, two games against the
Chicago Sky and then one on the road against the Sparks.
Is I think all we've got left at this point,
So she can get on the court for one of those,
that's going to be a really great indicator that she'll
(18:27):
be like a huge part of the playoff runt. If not,
I think Chyenne will still push, you know, Like when
I first interviewed her, I think like three weeks after
the birth of her son, she was like, there are
a few things I'm going to do on my end
to make sure that I'm ready. One of those things
is playing one on one with her husband. I don't
know if that game has happened yet, but I think
the fact that she's a practice already tells me that
(18:48):
maybe that went well. So I think that that's a
that's a good indicator. Like if she can play one
on one with her husband, he's like, all right, fine,
you can go to practice, then like that might be good.
So I don't know right now. It's like a lot
of question marks surrounding her, But the one thing I
think is super clear is just how bad she wants
to be on the floor. That's something that she'll talk
about a lot and something that Becky Hammond talks a
(19:09):
lot about as well.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
We'll certainly keep our eyes on Shiane parkatized his potential
return to the Aces lineup. I know they could definitely
use another all star all the rosters to help them
get to their ultimate goal this season. What's been one
of the most surprising things that you've learned about this
team throughout your time covering them this season? Oh?
Speaker 2 (19:40):
Man, I think that there's a few like one of
them is I think I have viewed Becky Hammond as
like one of the tougher coaches in the WBA, Like
I look at her and like Cheryl Reeve is like,
you know the same, like random coach, Yeah, yeah, exactly.
And this year I read top of the the exactly
(20:01):
exactly she come coaching tree, So right, she's part of
the coaching tree. It makes total sense. But this being
my second ear on the beat and kind of like
seeing Becky up close through a lot of ups and downs,
I've learned that she's a lot different than that exterior,
and she's actually spoken about it, like I've asked her
about it, and we've had like funny conversations. I actually
asked Cheryl Rave about it too, But like both of them,
(20:24):
they they are They're crazy on the sideline, So I
think you see that and you're like, oh, they must
be pretty crazy behind closed doors too, Like you probably
don't want to make them upset. You don't want to
get yelled at and things like that. Becky, though, I'm learning,
is a real and I don't want to get into trouble.
Like she's like a sweetheart, you know, like she really
cares so much about these players, and so she's done
(20:45):
all of these really just interesting things to make that
clear to them, and I think in the past maybe
she hasn't felt the need to. That's kind of like
what she said, like every team's different and they need
different things, so you can give like tough love and
all that stuff certain groups. She's like, this group needed
something different, like they've needed like kindness and hugs and
(21:06):
quality time like she I'm like, that's interesting. I don't
imagine Becky doing any of that stuff. Like she's talking
about going to dinner with some players like individually, one
on one, and like I wrote about how she gave
each player these little gifts at the start of the season,
these plants with like custom messages on them that she
hoped that they would see every day, And I'm just like,
(21:29):
this is interesting. This is not like the beckyham and
that I thought that I knew. So I think that's
one thing is just how like gentle and caring and
attempted Becky Hammond can be. And then I even think
like the move to kind of like Grant Jewel Boyd's
requests to go to the bench is an example of that.
(21:49):
You know, like Becky could have been like, no, you
are the twenty twenty three scoring champ, you are an Olympian,
you're all these different things. You're gonna be in the
starting lineup and you're gonna figure it out. But like, no,
at a certain point, Becky was like, if that's what
you think is gonna like work for you, fine, we'll
move you to the bench. And that has worked and
she's still playing starter minutes. So it's like these are
(22:11):
conscious coaching decisions that I think show like a level
of grace that maybe I didn't know that Becky like
was operating with, you know, So I think that there's that,
And then I also think, just like how much. This
team really enjoys each other, like some of the stuff
that I'm learning, and like pressers are just like off
one off conversations like they they're in the group chats,
(22:34):
sending like memes that people are making on social media,
and like really finding joy in that stuff. And those
are things that I just wasn't able to really see
last year because they were I mean, they want like
do It wasn't the best season ever last year, but
it wasn't as turbulent as this one has been. So
you know, it's like they're like finding different ways to
kind of keep each other upbeat. So those are the
two things that really stand out to me as we
(22:56):
looks to the Aces.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
Of clinching and hold saying that number two spot potentially
for the playoffs, what do you think will be their
biggest hurdle going into the postseason?
Speaker 2 (23:07):
Yeah, I mean, I think for the Aces, it's about consistency,
Like this has really been like the theme of the season,
and Becky Hammond calls it like being able to handle
your own success. So it's like, if you come out
in the first half of the game and it's a
solid first half, then you need to not like fall
apart and then and then the third quarter things like that.
(23:28):
So I mean, those are the things that I'll be
watching for their defense, I know. I mean a lot
of people will talk about maybe like issues offensively with
the Aces, and there are some you know, like there
are times where it's just the ball's not popping the
way it should, it's not moving the way it should,
and like it looks like it's a little bit too
difficult for them to score at times. But that's not
really my concern for the Aces, and I know that
(23:49):
that's not the way that the Aces view either. They
view it like if we play good defense, we can
win games, and I see it the same way, and
deep into something that really just like kind of comes
and goes for them. Even when you think that they've
made strides defensively, there will be like a game or
a quarter where those concerns kind of come back. So
I think that if it can be play consistent through
(24:11):
a whole game, play that full forty minute game that
we keep on hearing about as the pertaties of the Aces,
but then also just continue to be defensively strong and
maybe just keep improving defensively, then those could be like
the keys to their success.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
Yeah, I feel like as the season winds down, a
few teams are struggling with, you know, those same things
of being consistent. I mean the New York Liberty is
an example of that. And Brands Viewer came out last
week and a couple of days ago really and said, yeah,
we are not playing championship level basketball, and so just
keeping the main thing, the main thing, I think will
(24:47):
be the most important, not only for the Aces, but
for a lot of teams. All right, before we let
you get out of here, switching gears just real quick.
Nike and Kitlyn Clark unveiled the official logo for Clock's
upcoming signature. Collect What was your reaction to seeing her
new logo.
Speaker 2 (25:05):
I think part of me is just so was just
so excited to see it, you know, Like I felt
like the anticipation was really building, and I felt like
you can kind of never hear the end of it,
Like it was like during Asia Wilson's rollout, people were like,
where's Caitlin's and all this stuff, So to finally see it,
it's like, oh my gosh.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
Cool.
Speaker 2 (25:20):
And I actually liked the rollout itself, like I think
it's they've been consistent. I think in the way that
they're like branding her as kind of like this, you know, midwestern.
It's like this rural vibe, you know, Like they show
the logo at first on the back of like a
truck and it's going through some fields and it's cool.
I like it. I think that the logo itself is
(25:42):
maybe not what I was expecting it to look like.
It kind of reminds me of like the like cocoa
shade logo and so so I don't know, right, it's
like it's giving luxury, and then I don't know if
that's what I was expecting. I think maybe it'll just
like grow on me and maybe all of us. I
don't really know what the reaction was to it. I
(26:02):
didn't see a lot of people like reacting. I think
a lot of people had the same thing I did,
where they were just like finally, like we can see it,
you know, But I don't know. I'm a curious Can
you tell me what you thought, because I'm like, I'm curious.
Speaker 1 (26:14):
So I agree with you. In terms of the storytelling
behind a logo, like how is stuck to her roots?
I thought that that was super important. Even some of
the copywiring like from her logo, because she's known for
shooting all the logo shots and all these amazing shots.
So I had the same reaction as you in terms
of it reminded me of Chanel, like the SEC's interlocking.
(26:39):
So I'm interested to see like the silhouette of some
of the stuff. I know that when she kind of
unveiled her logo in the tunnel, she had the Windbreaker
pants on with the CC so my sea some CC apparel,
So I'm excited about that. But I think overall how
Nike has been able to really take a stake in
(27:01):
supporting their their signature athletes Sabrina, Asia, now Caitlyn. I
think that they're taking pride in that and they're treating
it to the same level as the men's which I
think is a long time coming, right because just a
couple of years ago they had Brianna Stewart and she
left them for Puma because they didn't want to give
her a signature shoe. That was one of the reasons
why she left, and Puma the way out and you know,
(27:23):
made the Stewies. But I think that just to see
how they are really kind of correcting those mistakes of
the past and just really taking their time with each
and every single rollout. I love it, and that each
signature collection or shoe that's coming out, it's it's not
the same. It's not like copying something that's already been made.
(27:43):
It's very true to each athlete. So I appreciate you
know that part of it, and I'm excited. I'm actually excited.
I know that Caitlyn loves the Kobe, so I wonder
if you know, we'll see something there, some some sort
of operation when she comes out with her own sickness issue,
So I'll keep my eyes on that nice too.
Speaker 2 (28:06):
I'm walked in now.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
I'm like, hmm, all right, Kelly, I want to thank
you for coming on this week talking all things Las
Vegas Aces and sharing your reaction to Caitlin Clark's new logo.
We're going to keep your eyes on the Aces as
the season continues to unwind and we get ready for
WNBA playoffs. All right, y'all, that's gonna do it for
(28:29):
this episode of In Case You missed It with Christina Williams.
Speaker 2 (28:32):
Don't forget to rate, review.
Speaker 1 (28:34):
And subscribe to the podcast, and don't forget to follow
Kelly's work at the Las Vegas Review Journal.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
We'll see you next time.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
In case you missed it with Christina Williams is an
iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports
and Entertainment. You can find us on the iHeartRadio app,
Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Host
Khristina Williams
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