November 10, 2025 • 36 mins
Two-time WNBA champion Dana Evans joins Khristina to break down her rise from Gary, Indiana, to winning titles with the Chicago Sky and Las Vegas Aces. She talks about stepping into star-studded rosters, making her mark in the Finals, and proving her impact on every team she’s joined — sharing what it takes to keep winning at the highest level.
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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
iheartwomen's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment.
Welcome to another episode of In Case You Missed It
with Christina Williams, and today's guest is two time WNBA
Champion and two time ACC Player of the Year Dana Evans. Dana,
(00:25):
Welcome to In Case You missed It. Thank you so much.
I'm so excited. Thanks for having me. Yeah, thank you
for being here. So before we get started, I first
want to congratulate you on earning the key to your
city of Gary, Indiana. I know how important that is
to you, but what was that moment like for you?
It was everything.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
I mean looking in the crowd and seeing people that
I went to school with, people that I'm still close
to with to this day, and just seeing people supporting
me was huge. And just doing it for the city
of GARYA like I say, I'm just blessed to be
able to be that positive light to shine on Gary.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
When I think about Gary, Gadiana, the first thing comes
to my mind is Jackson five. Yep, of course, but
growing up in Gary, what shaped you the most? What
shaped me the most? I would say, it's just like
my toughness in my.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Grid, like it really like it was really just like
getting it out the mud.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
Like it's an inner city. It's hard.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
You in high school, you have friends that you're going
to school with and next thing you know, they they
got murdered.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Like so it was things like that. It was hard
growing up and losing friends and stuff like that.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
To gun violence was hard and to you know, even
just going to prison and getting locked up at a
young age.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
What's tough.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
But like I said, it it shaped me into the
person that I am. It made me tough. It made
me understand that life is easy and you have to
go and get it. You gotta work for everything. Yeah,
it just into a good woman. I feel like owning
off the court.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
So, Dana, this is a little funny, but a lot
of people compare you to actual its natory not And
how do you feel about those comparisons.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
I think it's funny, Like I've been like I've been
having that comparison before she was even in power, when
she was in a lottery ticket.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
They used to call me in high school. The used
to always see me, that's the girl from a lottery ticket.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
They go lottery ticket and I was just like, I mean,
I get Tasha all the time.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Even when I'm in the airport. People are like, are
you Tasha. I'm like, no, I'm not. But I think
it's cute. I think it's funny. I love Tasha, so
I think it's great. You guys do resemble one another.
I can see it. I can see it. Have you
been able to meet her at all? No, I haven't.
I would love to meet her. Got to make that happen.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
Gotta make that happen because she she's probably always in
New York, so probably when we in New York, maybe
we can make that happen.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
Yeah, for sure. So talks about how the experience shaped
you on and off the court, that grit, that toughness,
and what would you say was the turning point in
terms of when you picked up a basketball and felt like,
you know, I could actually do this.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Yeah, I would say probably because I started fourth grade
year that was my first time picking up a ball
and I made the team, and then I would.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
Say I knew that I was really good.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
The following year, like my dad took me to the
courts and Valpo was the league out there and just
let me randomly play with a team, and like I'm
telling you, like I averaged like thirty in like ten steals,
Like that's when I knew. I'm like, I love this game,
Like I feel like I can I can be a professional.
And that's when I really fell in love. And you
(03:41):
had a standout career at Louisville, especially in your senior year.
Just what you were able to do with that team
was so special. What would you say was your biggest
growth moment at Louisville. Yeah, I mean Louisville shaped me
in so many different ways, Like it really prepared me
for the WNBA because of my circumstances in the situations
that that I was caught up in, which we'll talk
(04:03):
about that a little bit later. But I mean coming
in as a freshman right, Like like I said I was,
I was averaging like thirty five in high school. So
it was a big adjustment right coming in as a freshman.
We were loaded. We had eighty eight Erica Carter, Maisha, Like,
we had a really stacked team. So my thing was
(04:23):
I needed to go I need to be that person
that can pick up ninety four feet defensively, was like
my was like my stamp my freshman year and that
got me more playing time and then just being able
to hit open shots and and kind of facilitate more
than I would have ever did in my career. And
then sophomore years when I felt like I started to
(04:45):
take a big leap. I feel like I was fighting
my flow, I was scoring more, I was just doing.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
More for the team.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
And then junior and senior year, I feel like I
really just took off and just being that that person
that they could rely on. Like Coach Wallace, just like
whenever it was a close game, he would just be like,
go be you, like go do you, and he put.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Me in positions to be successful.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
But he also challenged me in so many different ways,
Like like I say, my.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
Freshman and sophomore year, I was challenged.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
Not playing that much, like as much as I feel
like I wanted to or I feel like I should
or needed to, But it taught me discipline, It taught
me to stay ready, It taught me to seize the
moment and learning from my vest, learning from ad like
I would go watch her workout like after practice and
just see like what I can do, what I can
(05:38):
steal from her game and stuff like that.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
So college, my college.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Career was was a roller coaster, but it was a
journey that I needed because it prepared me. I was
ready when I stepped in as a rookie on the
Chicago sky Stacked roster. I was ready for that moment
because I've seen it before, right, So Jeff did a
great job in preparing me for the pros and that's
what I asked him for and he got me ready.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
Yeah, And so take me back to twenty twenty one.
You're in the room with your entire family, and this
is sort of the draft class that didn't really have
in person draft, so there's a circumstances that was different
for your particular draft class. But you're in that room
and you were expecting to go in the first round.
You didn't hear your name called, but you get picked
(06:24):
up by the Dallas Wings in round two. What was
that experience like for you? And talk about you know,
that rookie training camp experience and eventually ending up in Chicago.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
Twenty twenty one, that was a year man, right, Like
ended the season on the tough loss to Stanford, So
I was down about that, and then I'm super excited
for Draft night, like this is the night I've been
waiting for all my life and the first round when
I heard that the first round was over, like my
heart's just sake, and I'm just shaking my leg and
(06:59):
tapping my leg like obviously I have to stay calm,
cool and collective because everybody's watching me, which that wasn't
supposed to happen. It was supposed to just be me
and my family because I'm a nervous wreck, like I
like to just be, you know, with my with my.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
Circle and do it. But it was it was whatever, right,
So I said, I hear my mom, like what is
going on? So I tapping her, like, Ma, you can't
say anything. You're literally on TV. So she was like
freaking out. We all are panicking.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
And then I finally hear my name and I'm just
like it's time to get to work, like it's not
gonna be easy because I knew how stack Dallas roster was.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
So I mean that next morning, I went and got in.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
A gym and went hard because I was so frustrated
and I was so I just I was like more
just disappointed because I felt like I was so excited
for that for that night and it was just not
the night that I wanted it to be, but still
blessed to have gotten drafted.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
And then I go to Dallas trading camp.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
I'm really familiar with all the girls they're like, so
I feel like I fit right in, But it was
it was different because we had players that were still
coming from overseas, so the roster wasn't really set. So
obviously every day you see and stuff like it's down
to these two players, it's down to these three players.
So I'm just getting nervous. And then I'm talking with
(08:16):
my Asian and I'm like, what are we gonna do? Like,
are we trying to move me? He's like, yeah, we're
trying to get to Chicago. And I'm like, what, Like
that would be perfect, Like I would love that. And
I was like, how are y'all gonna make that happen? Whatever,
make it happen, please. So I remember walking in one
day and Greg Bib called me into his office and
I did a nice handwritten note for him when he
(08:36):
drafted me, and I thanked him a lot for the
opportunity and everything. Ever since then, we've always had a
great relationship. So call me into his office and was like, look,
I'm pretty sure you know, but you're getting traded and
it's gonna be somewhere that you're gonna enjoy and you're
gonna really like. So I thanked him and packed my
bags and got raised to Chicago.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
Chicago. I got there. I want to say we were
playing in La.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Yeah, we were playing in La, and I just remember
Candace walking in because I was waiting to see Candas,
like I was geeked about that.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
So I'm just sitting there like still just shy and nervous.
It was either La or Phoenix. I think it was La.
So I'm just I'm nervous and I see Cannis walking
in and I'm like, dang, I'm really about to be
hooping with Candas. So that was dope.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
And then, I mean, my first few games, we were
on a losing streak, like I think we.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
Lost seven straight. James set us down.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
We had like this heart to heart conversation with the team,
and I'm just like, what did I just walk into? Right,
I'm thinking I walked into a great situation. Everything's about
to be perfect. A lot of events that was not the case.
We were in a struggling situation. We weren't wearing it.
Cannis was out she had hurt her ankle, so we
were struggling and it was rough.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
It was really rough.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
I mean we had two seven game losing streaks. You
can only imagine and think about it, like we didn't
have We didn't play as many games as we're playing now,
So I think cause I think we finished the season.
Oh no, it was one seven games in a six
game Movi Street and I think we finished the season
sixteen sixteen, So that just goes to show you the
season that we had. But again, we had so much
(10:08):
talent on that team. We believe in each other, We
had the pieces. It was just a matter of us clicking.
And we weren't clicking at first, but we just we
kept grinding it out. James did a great job of
keeping us together and just putting us in positions to
be successful. And I think we just we should started
clicking at the perfect time. And I mean it didn't
help with that single game elimination, right we went to
(10:29):
Minnesota beat them on their home court, and so yeah,
it was a it was a crazy year and it
just ended in a perfect situation, like I ended up
winning the championship. And just winning it with one of
my favorite players of all time, and just winning it
in Chicago.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
I'm so close to home, my family's there.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
Like, So it started off so rough, it started bad,
and then it ended in a perfect world.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
So you end up in that perfect situation, Well they're
a perfect situation. You know, great things take but you
end up in a situation where you're playing with some
of the greatest players in the game. Candice Parker, Ali Quigley,
Courtney Vanderstoon, Kalia Copper. So this goes on a really
great team in terms of roster. What was it like
(11:15):
backing up a point guard like Courtney Vandersoon, Like she's
one of the greatest point guards for other and be
a history and now you get to play behind Chelsea Graham.
We're going to talk about that, but I mean, you've
been put in some really great situations in terms of
the best that you've been able to learn from, But
specifically Courtney, what was it like to be able to
learn from her as a rookie.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
I remember practicing against her for the first time and
I'm not even joking.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
I think she backdoored me four times in a row.
And I'm just like, and it's just like her feel
for the game like it was.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
It was really impressive, like watching every day and learn
it from her and just seeing how she because we're
totally different players, but I love that because I was
able to learn different things from her, how she takes
and just speaks, how she slows down, how she reads
the game with her eyes, how she sees things a
step ahead, and how she communicates. Like I feel like
(12:09):
I was really blessed to walk into a situation like
that and learn from her, because I mean, she doesn't
talk a lot vocally, but she leads by example, right,
so you're always able to watch her in that aspect.
Speaker 1 (12:21):
But she's just she's just so skilled. And how she
gets the ball to her bigs and how she gets
people open shots, and how she just makes everyone better
around her. That's what I learned the most. It was
a defining moment of that twenty twenty one championship run
for that team because you mentioned going finish in sixth place,
and at the time it was like minimal games in
(12:42):
terms of the games played now, But what was the
defining moment with that with that roster for you guys
to turn around.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
I can't really like pinpoint like how this season you
can pinpoint like this was the turning point, Like it
really wasn't like one game or one specific Like I
remember having good practices lead up into the playoffs, right,
I remember it's really getting after it because James was
like we scrimmaging and we getting after it and were
looking at each other because this is all vets, like
(13:09):
these are older vets and when they look at like
what nah, we was getting after it.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
Like leading up into the playoffs.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
I just remember me picking up Courtney and like harassing
her and like us just like really pushing each other
to the limit in practice.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
So I would say it more so started from the practices.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
Leading up unto and then when we went and beat
Minnesota on their home floor and I think they were
ranked three at the time, that.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
Was big for us. We like, yeah we can't we
can shock the world and we just rolled off that momentum.
So last year, when Angel Reas and CaMLA Cardoso was
drafted to the Chicago Sky it changed your role on
the team. How were you able to handle that challenge
and what was the mindset that you had to develop
in order to navigate the ups and downs of being
a professional basketball player.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
Yeah, I mean it was different for me, right because
again that was my first time playing with two traditional
post players and like not like a pick and pop
player like a Candice or Emma or as a race.
So that was different for me. And now that I
can step back and look, I know that I could
have been better in that situation.
Speaker 1 (14:13):
How so I feel like I could have been a
better facilitator for us, But that wasn't like my mind
Like my mindset was Okay, I'm coming in. I'm I'm
gonna be Dana, Like obviously I'm gonna get them the
ball as well too, but I'm a scoring point guard, right,
Like that's what got me to this position, That's what
(14:34):
got me here.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
So I'm gonna be me, right, And that's what I
was told leading up into the season, like, yeah, I
want you to be you. I want you to get
after a defensively, I want you to score the ball,
but also facilitate and you know things like that. So
for me, I just wish that I could have been
pulled to the Cydeborn like kind of told like, look,
we need more of this from you, or we need
(14:56):
more of this from you. I kind of was a
little I was a little law like I didn't really
know what was going on. And I just feel like
in that situation, I kind of needed a little bit
more guidance for UH to know, like what was a
turning point, what was the difference in me? Why did
you Why did you feel like this was better or
(15:17):
you like this line up better, or what was the
case for that? So I just didn't know what they
really wanted from me last year, I would say, So
that was the hard part for me.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
But could I have been better? Absolutely?
Speaker 2 (15:32):
But yeah, I would say just being adjustable too, And
I learned that in Louisville, like being able to adjust
to your situation. Every team looks different, every lineup looks different,
So just being able to adjust to what you're being
what you're being dealt, And I think that was a
learning point for me, and I'm I'm blessed to being
able to go through that situation and go through that
(15:53):
struggle because it helped me.
Speaker 1 (15:55):
It made me better. Yeah, you brought up something really
interesting in terms of being adjustable, because I remember on
your draft night what the analysts were saying about you
being like you said, a scoring guard, scoring in all
three levels, being that playmaker, that facilitator. But you know
you were known for your score and when you got
drafted in you said you talked about how you evolved
as a player. When you look at Dana the rookie
(16:17):
versus where you are now, what are some key points
in terms of your game that you see growth in.
First of all, just a feel for the game.
Speaker 2 (16:24):
I think my feel for the game has gotten better,
as in time and score, when to make, when to
be a score right, when to.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
Get age at the ball on the pick and roll.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
I think my reads have become more clear in that
aspect and I'm better in that rather than just thinking,
I know I can be my defender and I'm about
to just go to the basket. I'm about to make
some shake, right, It's more so just reading the game
and being more patient. I think the game has slowed
down for me a lot, and just being able to
make the right reads and again just knowing when to score,
(16:59):
when to make this read, when to do this, and
I think making people around me better. I would say
I have grown in that aspect as well, and not
just trying to get buckets, like making everybody else around
me better and just whatever I can do to make
the team win, to help the team win.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
What that looks like. I'm sure it's easier when you
have the greatest player in the world. Once. Now we
get to the point where you know, the news breaks
(17:39):
that you're being traded to the Aces. Where were you
when you got that call? Did you know that it
was happening beforehand? What was that experience like for you
when you heard that you were being traded to the
Las Vegas Aces.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
First of all, I just thank God when it happened,
I was just like, God, thank you, you know, like,
because I knew that this was going to be the
perfect the right fit for me, you know.
Speaker 1 (18:03):
I don't want to say perfect fit, but I feel
like the right fit. But I was. I was actually
driving my agent called me and was like, so, might
we might be going to Vegas? And I was like what.
I'm like, what do you mean.
Speaker 2 (18:18):
He's like yeah, because I think this is when Sydney
had just announced that she was going to Indiana.
Speaker 1 (18:24):
So I'm like, how, Like what's going on? He's like,
so sid is going to Indiana.
Speaker 2 (18:27):
And you're probably about to be going to Vegas. I said,
make it happen. I Ain't, got no questions nothing. He
was like, well, they want to talk with you. They
want to set up a zoom So we set up
a zoom call with Nicky and Becky and it was
a great call. We talked about what it's going to
look like, what do they expect from me, what do
(18:48):
they want, and things like that. It was a very
encouraging call and I was excited because I just didn't
I didn't know what this year was going to look
like as far as which team, but super.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Blessed to be headlanded here. So you're ending up in
a situation now where you're on another star study team,
A Shows and Chelsea, Great, Jackie Young, Jewel Royd. The
list goes on, right, And so you talked to her
earlier about being adjustable and what was the discussion in
terms of your role on this team and how you
(19:21):
could make an impact. So off the rip, Becky told
me she wanted me to be Dana. And when I.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
Heard I want you to be Dana and I want
you to be aggressive, I said, okay, yeah, this is
this is this is it, like this is the time.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
Right, I'm like the as much as she want, Like.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
There were times in training account where it was like
I could have just easily just like drove to the basket.
It made like and it's crazy like how the mind
works too, because here I am finally having this coach
like here, Dana, go be you go do you It's.
Speaker 1 (19:58):
Almost psyching me out right because I'm still like like
I don't know, like I still just wasn't able to
just be free at first, Like I wasn't like I
was hearing what she was saying, but I wasn't doing it.
But then it took Asia like pulled me to the side.
Speaker 2 (20:17):
She would talk to me and be like, yo, like
we need you, like we need you to be Dana,
Like we don't need you to try to come here
and try to make all these extra passes when you're
the fastest player and you can get to your spots
and you can do this. And I'm just like all
right when Asia Wilson's telling me that, it's like you know,
so it was just encouraging and having everybody be so
(20:40):
encouraging for me this year was important because you know,
it was last year took a lot out of me mentally, right,
and I know I said I needed to go through it,
and I did, but it was hard, like it wasn't
easy like it was. It was times while I was
questioning myself, like if I wanted to keep playing, like
even this year, it was it was a rough path
that I patch that I hit where it was it
(21:01):
was rough. But that's why it's so important to be
surrounded around love, you know, and around people that really
have your best interest in want to see you succeed,
because that helps you and it goes a long way.
Speaker 1 (21:13):
Would you say that you found your joy again and
playing the game for sure? Absolutely. I feel like I
found my joy back to being me. Yeah, for sure,
this is true. That Asia Wilson nickname you the Battery
And if so, where did that nickname come from? Yeah?
She did.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
She named me the battery because she say, I make
us go like and She's like, when you come in,
you change the tempo, you change the pace, like you
changed the whole.
Speaker 1 (21:40):
Dynamic of what our team looked like when you come in.
Speaker 2 (21:43):
And I want you to know that and understand that
in and I think like I was, like I.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
Feel like I was. I was taking those right shots.
I was doing those but at the beginning and the
probably yeah, at the beginning, they just weren't really falling.
And that's basketball.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
Like you can get to your spot, you can like
you can make the best move, but sometimes that ball
just don't go in. And I feel like it couldn't
be like that the whole season, right, I'm like, it's
not gonna be like this the whole season.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
It got to get better.
Speaker 2 (22:14):
And God like he's like I got you, like he
always got me.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
Like it be times when I'm like, yo, where you at?
Speaker 2 (22:24):
Like he swoops in right at that perfect time and
the perfect time for me to start really playing my
best ball with sorts.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
Playoff Time talked about your experience playing behind a point
guard like Courdy vanders Suit. I want to know what
was the start difference in playing behind someone like Courdy
Vandersuit versus someone like a Chelsea Gray, who's also one
of the all time great point guards in the league.
Right now again blessed.
Speaker 2 (22:47):
To be able to play behind two of the best
point guards to ever play this game and a style
of plays are different. Chelsea's a bigger guard, she uses
her her speed different, she gets to her spots different,
but it's all in her eyes, Like.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
She sells the plays with her eyes.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
She sees the play ahead, just like Courtney like they
just have a great feel for the game. And I
think that's just about wanting to make people around you
better and wanting to have everybody be successful and put
people in the right positions to be successful. And I
think that's what made our team so good. Not to
(23:27):
jump topic, but that's what made our team so good
this year because we all stuck to what we do,
We stuck to our role, we stuck to, you know,
what makes us best, and then that helped the team
become one.
Speaker 1 (23:39):
But Chelsea is great and she's been very very.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
Helpful with me also with this offseason because you know,
I had to get surgery on my knees.
Speaker 1 (23:47):
She's checked on me every day.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
She's a great vet, a great leader, and I am
so blessed to be able to be playing alongside her.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
Well, you mentioned a couple things first and foremost, how's
that recovery that's going with your knee? It's everything good.
What's going on with their recovery process? Yeah, the knee
is the knee is good.
Speaker 2 (24:08):
I had to get surgery because yeah, it just it
was it was giving me problems all season.
Speaker 1 (24:15):
But we have a great medical team.
Speaker 2 (24:18):
They held it down because I don't know how I
made it through through that whole season like that.
Speaker 1 (24:22):
But it's been going really well.
Speaker 2 (24:25):
I was only on a crutch for like five days,
five to six days, so we've been doing really well.
I got rehab after this, so we've been staying on
top of it, making sure I'm ready to be uh,
to be ready for Unrivaled because you know that starts
December fifteen, so I'll be.
Speaker 1 (24:40):
Ready for that. Yeah, So it's been good. I'm fine
from building the team chemistry. Becky Hammond at the championship
postgame conference, she short of hinted how she had to
adjust her coaching style to really meet the moment because
this season wasn't easy in terms of your pack to
the championship. You got or the A seed in the
(25:01):
first half of the season, the second half of the season,
go on that winning streak and end up the two seed,
and we know how the story ends. But what are
some takeaways from you know this time around, this path
to the championship that really like stood out for you.
Speaker 2 (25:16):
What stood out, I would say is it's not easy
being a championship team.
Speaker 1 (25:21):
It's sacrifices, it's resilience. I mean sacrifices. It's so many
sacrifices that you have to make to be a championship team.
And I think Becky did such a great job on
giving us our roles, making sure we know exactly what's
needed of each and every one of us. She did
(25:44):
a great job of also like being hard on us,
but patting us on the back and telling us I'm
with y'all.
Speaker 2 (25:50):
Like she ain't she. It was some rough film sessions,
don't get me wrong. We had a few hours and
a half ones though it wasn't pretty. It wasn't easy
sitting in there, and it was uncomfortable times. We had
uncomfortable talks, We had uncomfortable situations that we were put in.
Speaker 1 (26:09):
But I feel like we all love each other.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
We all bought in and really just gave in, and
we just wanted to be the best in our role,
like I said, and I think that's what made us go.
Becky was really good with her videos, how she would
encourage us even when we were losing like three games
in a row, like she never she just she never
(26:34):
just lost faith in us, like she didn't give up
on us, And I think that was really big her
keeping our confidence up because we could have all folded
multiple times.
Speaker 1 (26:43):
How did doing some of those scouting reports change the
way that you saw the game, because you know, she
also revealed that she allowed you all to do some
of the scouting reports as well. Mm hm.
Speaker 2 (26:54):
I would say it was more so about accountability, like holdness,
holding everybody accountable because through our scout that we went
over because if we're being honest, like we know everybody
strengths and weaknesses in the league. I mean, especially if
you've been in this league over two years, like we've
been playing against each other for years, right, so we
kind of know. But it's a mindset and it's an
(27:16):
accountability thing. We would make a chart and everyone would
say what they're gonna make sure that they do each game,
and if that person wasn't doing it that game, we
was tapping them on the shoulder like look, nope, we
all get it together, fix it.
Speaker 1 (27:28):
Nope.
Speaker 2 (27:29):
And I think being able to communicate with your teammates
is really really important because sometimes it ain't gonna come
off that nice, you know, and it's quick, it's fast,
the game is going, so it's like you gotta know
in a bat your mind, I'm doing this because I
love you and I want to win this game too
at the end of the day. So that's that's more
(27:50):
so important too, so being able to coach each.
Speaker 1 (27:53):
Other as well. I think in the playoff series. The series,
we just saw you turn it up a new level
every single game, but in particular Game one of the
(28:15):
w NBA Finals, I mean it was the Dana Evans show.
Talk about that game. What was different for you? What
felt different during that game? Was it a mindset switch?
What was the go for you for that game? If
I'm being honest.
Speaker 2 (28:32):
I was loose, Like I feel like we finally got
to the championship round, we finally in the finals.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
Mad it's doing die. It was just like you you
go out there, you just you hoop like and I
feel like I saw my first once.
Speaker 2 (28:47):
I saw that first one going in and my teammates
was fining me, and I was just I was just
letting it fly. And I know we all knew how
important Game one is in the finals, so I was
trying to do whatever I need to do to make
sure we secured that win because God Lord knows we
needed it because we were not playing our best ball. So,
(29:08):
like ASA said, I needed to come in and change
the tempo and be a factor. So that's what I
came in. Did you anticipate a sweep? I did not
anticipate a sweep? What I say, I of course I
said we should, but I mean I didn't anticipate that.
But I think we learned our lesson the first two rounds.
(29:33):
When yeah, we learned our lesson and we knew, like you,
you gotta you gotta keep your foot on the on
the gas pedal.
Speaker 1 (29:41):
Despite how your journey has gone, no one can take
away the fact that you are a two time champion.
You are a winner of wherever you are, wherever you play,
You've been able to win. What are some characteristics you
would say a winner has to have.
Speaker 2 (29:56):
A winner has to have a leadership mindset. That doesn't
mean that you are leader, but you have to have
that mindset. You have to be coachable.
Speaker 1 (30:05):
You're not coachable, you know you you kind of pointless
leadership coachable, being a good teammate.
Speaker 2 (30:13):
I feel like you're not winning a championship if you
ain't got good people on that roster. You know, like
it's not by coincidence, like's not it don't happen like that,
So being a good teammate, being a good person, and
wanting to see others win. I feel like it's super
important too. And just being ready when your number is called.
Like just being ready also goes into just being an
(30:37):
ultimate teammate. If you're not in the game, you should
be cheering, you should be giving uh, you should be
talking to them when they I remember when like it
was times where it was timeouts and we were going
through what we were on our streak, and it was
times where it would be a time out, and I
would make sure I would always try to have three
key points for the timeouts, like oh, we ain't rebounding,
(30:58):
we ain't picking up, Like just just being vocal, you know,
having that voice. Being a vocal voice is really important
too for a championship. So I would say those are
the characteristics.
Speaker 1 (31:08):
Yeah, and I think that every team in the league
would love to have a player like Dane Evans, an
in fact player on their team. So after you all
won the championship, the receipts immediately came up and you
all called out some of my friends in the media
for some of the opinions that they had, you know,
(31:29):
throughout the season about the team. Obviously we know how
the story ended with you all holding up the trophy
at the end of the season, But how do some
of that stuff fuel you guys throughout your championship run?
That was that felt so good? You don't understand, like.
Speaker 2 (31:46):
The best revenge is success telling you the best revenge
is success, because what you're gonna say, you can't say
any like it was.
Speaker 1 (31:56):
It was. It felt really good. I'm gonna be honest,
because we were for sure doubt we were counted out,
which whatever, like we we we were.
Speaker 2 (32:04):
We were rough in the in the beginning, but we
were it was adding two new pieces, you know.
Speaker 1 (32:08):
But that's need to hear there.
Speaker 2 (32:11):
But I'm I'm happy that we we low key needed
that that little fire because Becky would play those little
videos and stuff before the games and get us turned up.
But again I'm thankful for that, right like we needed everything,
We needed all that motivation and came out on top.
Speaker 1 (32:28):
So we got the last one. Said you said, Becky
plays the little podcast videos, Bey like she would play
like not.
Speaker 2 (32:38):
I don't know if she played those specific ones that
she that they put on for the parade, but I
know like there were times where she puts some stuff
up to like turn us up, and it's like, okay,
like she she knows how to get the best out
of her players.
Speaker 1 (32:51):
Listen, media pears. They keep their receipts on zech we keep.
I wasn't in there because I didn't say anything terrible
about these guys that lost. Not how I approached my show.
But you know, I saw some people that I do
know real good. I was like, they got y'all on
the Summer Jam screen. Yeah, No, it was great. I
loved it. I thought it was dope.
Speaker 2 (33:12):
And again, people are gonna have their opinions, like, this
is basketball.
Speaker 1 (33:16):
You're entitled to feel how you feel. It's just when
it gets nasty.
Speaker 2 (33:20):
It's when it gets to not being about basketball, when
you're talking about other things and you're harassing it, that's
when it gets nasty.
Speaker 1 (33:27):
Right. But if you're talking about yes, that is what
it is, you're entitled entitled to that. Yeah, and now
you have the two trophies to sort of put up
there for your hats. Two of them, you know what
I'm saying, two of them. Love it. Before you get
out of here, I want to just say this. Last week,
(33:48):
the league and players decided to extend the negotiations for
the CBA. I just want to know from the players perspective,
what is the last week been like for you all,
and just what are the priorities in terms of this
thirty day period.
Speaker 2 (34:04):
Yeah, I mean I would say the priorities are definitely
revenue shared.
Speaker 1 (34:08):
You know, we know that.
Speaker 2 (34:10):
I'll go revenue share with money, right. The salaries, I
think those two are pretty much the primary things that
we are really focusing on. But also housing and cars
and all that stuff. We still want to make sure
we're providing that too and not just worrying about just
(34:31):
the money. And also we've been talking about retirement benefits.
Those are that's really really important. I mean, especially with
the salaries, you know, stuff like that. I feel like
the retirement is something that hasn't been talked about a lot,
but because I think the average years for WNBA players
what four years something like that.
Speaker 1 (34:53):
Yeah, just about so.
Speaker 2 (34:55):
It's like we retirement benefits are really important and that's
what we've been talking about lot lately too. Looking back
at your journey from Gary to a true time w
NBA champion, what do you want people to understand about.
Speaker 1 (35:09):
Your story that they might not.
Speaker 2 (35:11):
See I want them to understand that hard times don't
last forever. When you get in those when you get
in those spaces, always know that you are not alone.
Speaker 1 (35:20):
God is always with you.
Speaker 2 (35:21):
He is always holding your hands step by step, even
when you can't see him or feel him, He's there
to guide you. So I would say, just knowing those
hard times don't last. God is with you, and stay
true to yourself.
Speaker 1 (35:35):
Don't change, don't don't change for the world. Continue to
be you a stay humble and gracious. All right, Dana,
And on that note, I want to thank you so
much for joining us this week on In Case You
Missed It with Christina Williams here on iHeart Women's Sports Network.
Congratulations again for earning the key to your city and
(35:56):
for being a true time champion. Can't wait to see
what you do next season. Thank you so much for
having me. It was great. We were so sweet. That's
gonna do it for this edition of In Case You
Missed It with Christina Williams. Don't forget to subscribe to
the podcast and rate and review it as well. We'll
see you next time. In Case You Missed It with
(36:19):
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 Podcasts, or wherever you get
your podcasts.
In Case You Missed It with Christina Williams is an
iheartwomen's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment.
Welcome to another episode of In Case You Missed It
with Christina Williams, and today's guest is two time WNBA
Champion and two time ACC Player of the Year Dana Evans. Dana,
(00:25):
Welcome to In Case You missed It. Thank you so much.
I'm so excited. Thanks for having me. Yeah, thank you
for being here. So before we get started, I first
want to congratulate you on earning the key to your
city of Gary, Indiana. I know how important that is
to you, but what was that moment like for you?
It was everything.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
I mean looking in the crowd and seeing people that
I went to school with, people that I'm still close
to with to this day, and just seeing people supporting
me was huge. And just doing it for the city
of GARYA like I say, I'm just blessed to be
able to be that positive light to shine on Gary.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
When I think about Gary, Gadiana, the first thing comes
to my mind is Jackson five. Yep, of course, but
growing up in Gary, what shaped you the most? What
shaped me the most? I would say, it's just like
my toughness in my.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Grid, like it really like it was really just like
getting it out the mud.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
Like it's an inner city. It's hard.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
You in high school, you have friends that you're going
to school with and next thing you know, they they
got murdered.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Like so it was things like that. It was hard
growing up and losing friends and stuff like that.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
To gun violence was hard and to you know, even
just going to prison and getting locked up at a
young age.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
What's tough.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
But like I said, it it shaped me into the
person that I am. It made me tough. It made
me understand that life is easy and you have to
go and get it. You gotta work for everything. Yeah,
it just into a good woman. I feel like owning
off the court.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
So, Dana, this is a little funny, but a lot
of people compare you to actual its natory not And
how do you feel about those comparisons.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
I think it's funny, Like I've been like I've been
having that comparison before she was even in power, when
she was in a lottery ticket.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
They used to call me in high school. The used
to always see me, that's the girl from a lottery ticket.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
They go lottery ticket and I was just like, I mean,
I get Tasha all the time.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Even when I'm in the airport. People are like, are
you Tasha. I'm like, no, I'm not. But I think
it's cute. I think it's funny. I love Tasha, so
I think it's great. You guys do resemble one another.
I can see it. I can see it. Have you
been able to meet her at all? No, I haven't.
I would love to meet her. Got to make that happen.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
Gotta make that happen because she she's probably always in
New York, so probably when we in New York, maybe
we can make that happen.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
Yeah, for sure. So talks about how the experience shaped
you on and off the court, that grit, that toughness,
and what would you say was the turning point in
terms of when you picked up a basketball and felt like,
you know, I could actually do this.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Yeah, I would say probably because I started fourth grade
year that was my first time picking up a ball
and I made the team, and then I would.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
Say I knew that I was really good.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
The following year, like my dad took me to the
courts and Valpo was the league out there and just
let me randomly play with a team, and like I'm
telling you, like I averaged like thirty in like ten steals,
Like that's when I knew. I'm like, I love this game,
Like I feel like I can I can be a professional.
And that's when I really fell in love. And you
(03:41):
had a standout career at Louisville, especially in your senior year.
Just what you were able to do with that team
was so special. What would you say was your biggest
growth moment at Louisville. Yeah, I mean Louisville shaped me
in so many different ways, Like it really prepared me
for the WNBA because of my circumstances in the situations
that that I was caught up in, which we'll talk
(04:03):
about that a little bit later. But I mean coming
in as a freshman right, Like like I said I was,
I was averaging like thirty five in high school. So
it was a big adjustment right coming in as a freshman.
We were loaded. We had eighty eight Erica Carter, Maisha, Like,
we had a really stacked team. So my thing was
(04:23):
I needed to go I need to be that person
that can pick up ninety four feet defensively, was like
my was like my stamp my freshman year and that
got me more playing time and then just being able
to hit open shots and and kind of facilitate more
than I would have ever did in my career. And
then sophomore years when I felt like I started to
(04:45):
take a big leap. I feel like I was fighting
my flow, I was scoring more, I was just doing.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
More for the team.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
And then junior and senior year, I feel like I
really just took off and just being that that person
that they could rely on. Like Coach Wallace, just like
whenever it was a close game, he would just be like,
go be you, like go do you, and he put.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Me in positions to be successful.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
But he also challenged me in so many different ways,
Like like I say, my.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
Freshman and sophomore year, I was challenged.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
Not playing that much, like as much as I feel
like I wanted to or I feel like I should
or needed to, But it taught me discipline, It taught
me to stay ready, It taught me to seize the
moment and learning from my vest, learning from ad like
I would go watch her workout like after practice and
just see like what I can do, what I can
(05:38):
steal from her game and stuff like that.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
So college, my college.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Career was was a roller coaster, but it was a
journey that I needed because it prepared me. I was
ready when I stepped in as a rookie on the
Chicago sky Stacked roster. I was ready for that moment
because I've seen it before, right, So Jeff did a
great job in preparing me for the pros and that's
what I asked him for and he got me ready.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
Yeah, And so take me back to twenty twenty one.
You're in the room with your entire family, and this
is sort of the draft class that didn't really have
in person draft, so there's a circumstances that was different
for your particular draft class. But you're in that room
and you were expecting to go in the first round.
You didn't hear your name called, but you get picked
(06:24):
up by the Dallas Wings in round two. What was
that experience like for you? And talk about you know,
that rookie training camp experience and eventually ending up in Chicago.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
Twenty twenty one, that was a year man, right, Like
ended the season on the tough loss to Stanford, So
I was down about that, and then I'm super excited
for Draft night, like this is the night I've been
waiting for all my life and the first round when
I heard that the first round was over, like my
heart's just sake, and I'm just shaking my leg and
(06:59):
tapping my leg like obviously I have to stay calm,
cool and collective because everybody's watching me, which that wasn't
supposed to happen. It was supposed to just be me
and my family because I'm a nervous wreck, like I
like to just be, you know, with my with my.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
Circle and do it. But it was it was whatever, right,
So I said, I hear my mom, like what is
going on? So I tapping her, like, Ma, you can't
say anything. You're literally on TV. So she was like
freaking out. We all are panicking.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
And then I finally hear my name and I'm just
like it's time to get to work, like it's not
gonna be easy because I knew how stack Dallas roster was.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
So I mean that next morning, I went and got in.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
A gym and went hard because I was so frustrated
and I was so I just I was like more
just disappointed because I felt like I was so excited
for that for that night and it was just not
the night that I wanted it to be, but still
blessed to have gotten drafted.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
And then I go to Dallas trading camp.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
I'm really familiar with all the girls they're like, so
I feel like I fit right in, But it was
it was different because we had players that were still
coming from overseas, so the roster wasn't really set. So
obviously every day you see and stuff like it's down
to these two players, it's down to these three players.
So I'm just getting nervous. And then I'm talking with
(08:16):
my Asian and I'm like, what are we gonna do? Like,
are we trying to move me? He's like, yeah, we're
trying to get to Chicago. And I'm like, what, Like
that would be perfect, Like I would love that. And
I was like, how are y'all gonna make that happen? Whatever,
make it happen, please. So I remember walking in one
day and Greg Bib called me into his office and
I did a nice handwritten note for him when he
(08:36):
drafted me, and I thanked him a lot for the
opportunity and everything. Ever since then, we've always had a
great relationship. So call me into his office and was like, look,
I'm pretty sure you know, but you're getting traded and
it's gonna be somewhere that you're gonna enjoy and you're
gonna really like. So I thanked him and packed my
bags and got raised to Chicago.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
Chicago. I got there. I want to say we were
playing in La.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Yeah, we were playing in La, and I just remember
Candace walking in because I was waiting to see Candas,
like I was geeked about that.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
So I'm just sitting there like still just shy and nervous.
It was either La or Phoenix. I think it was La.
So I'm just I'm nervous and I see Cannis walking
in and I'm like, dang, I'm really about to be
hooping with Candas. So that was dope.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
And then, I mean, my first few games, we were
on a losing streak, like I think we.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
Lost seven straight. James set us down.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
We had like this heart to heart conversation with the team,
and I'm just like, what did I just walk into? Right,
I'm thinking I walked into a great situation. Everything's about
to be perfect. A lot of events that was not the case.
We were in a struggling situation. We weren't wearing it.
Cannis was out she had hurt her ankle, so we
were struggling and it was rough.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
It was really rough.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
I mean we had two seven game losing streaks. You
can only imagine and think about it, like we didn't
have We didn't play as many games as we're playing now,
So I think cause I think we finished the season.
Oh no, it was one seven games in a six
game Movi Street and I think we finished the season
sixteen sixteen, So that just goes to show you the
season that we had. But again, we had so much
(10:08):
talent on that team. We believe in each other, We
had the pieces. It was just a matter of us clicking.
And we weren't clicking at first, but we just we
kept grinding it out. James did a great job of
keeping us together and just putting us in positions to
be successful. And I think we just we should started
clicking at the perfect time. And I mean it didn't
help with that single game elimination, right we went to
(10:29):
Minnesota beat them on their home court, and so yeah,
it was a it was a crazy year and it
just ended in a perfect situation, like I ended up
winning the championship. And just winning it with one of
my favorite players of all time, and just winning it
in Chicago.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
I'm so close to home, my family's there.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
Like, So it started off so rough, it started bad,
and then it ended in a perfect world.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
So you end up in that perfect situation, Well they're
a perfect situation. You know, great things take but you
end up in a situation where you're playing with some
of the greatest players in the game. Candice Parker, Ali Quigley,
Courtney Vanderstoon, Kalia Copper. So this goes on a really
great team in terms of roster. What was it like
(11:15):
backing up a point guard like Courtney Vandersoon, Like she's
one of the greatest point guards for other and be
a history and now you get to play behind Chelsea Graham.
We're going to talk about that, but I mean, you've
been put in some really great situations in terms of
the best that you've been able to learn from, But
specifically Courtney, what was it like to be able to
learn from her as a rookie.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
I remember practicing against her for the first time and
I'm not even joking.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
I think she backdoored me four times in a row.
And I'm just like, and it's just like her feel
for the game like it was.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
It was really impressive, like watching every day and learn
it from her and just seeing how she because we're
totally different players, but I love that because I was
able to learn different things from her, how she takes
and just speaks, how she slows down, how she reads
the game with her eyes, how she sees things a
step ahead, and how she communicates. Like I feel like
(12:09):
I was really blessed to walk into a situation like
that and learn from her, because I mean, she doesn't
talk a lot vocally, but she leads by example, right,
so you're always able to watch her in that aspect.
Speaker 1 (12:21):
But she's just she's just so skilled. And how she
gets the ball to her bigs and how she gets
people open shots, and how she just makes everyone better
around her. That's what I learned the most. It was
a defining moment of that twenty twenty one championship run
for that team because you mentioned going finish in sixth place,
and at the time it was like minimal games in
(12:42):
terms of the games played now, But what was the
defining moment with that with that roster for you guys
to turn around.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
I can't really like pinpoint like how this season you
can pinpoint like this was the turning point, Like it
really wasn't like one game or one specific Like I
remember having good practices lead up into the playoffs, right,
I remember it's really getting after it because James was
like we scrimmaging and we getting after it and were
looking at each other because this is all vets, like
(13:09):
these are older vets and when they look at like
what nah, we was getting after it.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
Like leading up into the playoffs.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
I just remember me picking up Courtney and like harassing
her and like us just like really pushing each other
to the limit in practice.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
So I would say it more so started from the practices.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
Leading up unto and then when we went and beat
Minnesota on their home floor and I think they were
ranked three at the time, that.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
Was big for us. We like, yeah we can't we
can shock the world and we just rolled off that momentum.
So last year, when Angel Reas and CaMLA Cardoso was
drafted to the Chicago Sky it changed your role on
the team. How were you able to handle that challenge
and what was the mindset that you had to develop
in order to navigate the ups and downs of being
a professional basketball player.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
Yeah, I mean it was different for me, right because
again that was my first time playing with two traditional
post players and like not like a pick and pop
player like a Candice or Emma or as a race.
So that was different for me. And now that I
can step back and look, I know that I could
have been better in that situation.
Speaker 1 (14:13):
How so I feel like I could have been a
better facilitator for us, But that wasn't like my mind
Like my mindset was Okay, I'm coming in. I'm I'm
gonna be Dana, Like obviously I'm gonna get them the
ball as well too, but I'm a scoring point guard, right,
Like that's what got me to this position, That's what
(14:34):
got me here.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
So I'm gonna be me, right, And that's what I
was told leading up into the season, like, yeah, I
want you to be you. I want you to get
after a defensively, I want you to score the ball,
but also facilitate and you know things like that. So
for me, I just wish that I could have been
pulled to the Cydeborn like kind of told like, look,
we need more of this from you, or we need
(14:56):
more of this from you. I kind of was a
little I was a little law like I didn't really
know what was going on. And I just feel like
in that situation, I kind of needed a little bit
more guidance for UH to know, like what was a
turning point, what was the difference in me? Why did
you Why did you feel like this was better or
(15:17):
you like this line up better, or what was the
case for that? So I just didn't know what they
really wanted from me last year, I would say, So
that was the hard part for me.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
But could I have been better? Absolutely?
Speaker 2 (15:32):
But yeah, I would say just being adjustable too, And
I learned that in Louisville, like being able to adjust
to your situation. Every team looks different, every lineup looks different,
So just being able to adjust to what you're being
what you're being dealt, And I think that was a
learning point for me, and I'm I'm blessed to being
able to go through that situation and go through that
(15:53):
struggle because it helped me.
Speaker 1 (15:55):
It made me better. Yeah, you brought up something really
interesting in terms of being adjustable, because I remember on
your draft night what the analysts were saying about you
being like you said, a scoring guard, scoring in all
three levels, being that playmaker, that facilitator. But you know
you were known for your score and when you got
drafted in you said you talked about how you evolved
as a player. When you look at Dana the rookie
(16:17):
versus where you are now, what are some key points
in terms of your game that you see growth in.
First of all, just a feel for the game.
Speaker 2 (16:24):
I think my feel for the game has gotten better,
as in time and score, when to make, when to
be a score right, when to.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
Get age at the ball on the pick and roll.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
I think my reads have become more clear in that
aspect and I'm better in that rather than just thinking,
I know I can be my defender and I'm about
to just go to the basket. I'm about to make
some shake, right, It's more so just reading the game
and being more patient. I think the game has slowed
down for me a lot, and just being able to
make the right reads and again just knowing when to score,
(16:59):
when to make this read, when to do this, and
I think making people around me better. I would say
I have grown in that aspect as well, and not
just trying to get buckets, like making everybody else around
me better and just whatever I can do to make
the team win, to help the team win.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
What that looks like. I'm sure it's easier when you
have the greatest player in the world. Once. Now we
get to the point where you know, the news breaks
(17:39):
that you're being traded to the Aces. Where were you
when you got that call? Did you know that it
was happening beforehand? What was that experience like for you
when you heard that you were being traded to the
Las Vegas Aces.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
First of all, I just thank God when it happened,
I was just like, God, thank you, you know, like,
because I knew that this was going to be the
perfect the right fit for me, you know.
Speaker 1 (18:03):
I don't want to say perfect fit, but I feel
like the right fit. But I was. I was actually
driving my agent called me and was like, so, might
we might be going to Vegas? And I was like what.
I'm like, what do you mean.
Speaker 2 (18:18):
He's like yeah, because I think this is when Sydney
had just announced that she was going to Indiana.
Speaker 1 (18:24):
So I'm like, how, Like what's going on? He's like,
so sid is going to Indiana.
Speaker 2 (18:27):
And you're probably about to be going to Vegas. I said,
make it happen. I Ain't, got no questions nothing. He
was like, well, they want to talk with you. They
want to set up a zoom So we set up
a zoom call with Nicky and Becky and it was
a great call. We talked about what it's going to
look like, what do they expect from me, what do
(18:48):
they want, and things like that. It was a very
encouraging call and I was excited because I just didn't
I didn't know what this year was going to look
like as far as which team, but super.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Blessed to be headlanded here. So you're ending up in
a situation now where you're on another star study team,
A Shows and Chelsea, Great, Jackie Young, Jewel Royd. The
list goes on, right, And so you talked to her
earlier about being adjustable and what was the discussion in
terms of your role on this team and how you
(19:21):
could make an impact. So off the rip, Becky told
me she wanted me to be Dana. And when I.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
Heard I want you to be Dana and I want
you to be aggressive, I said, okay, yeah, this is
this is this is it, like this is the time.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
Right, I'm like the as much as she want, Like.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
There were times in training account where it was like
I could have just easily just like drove to the basket.
It made like and it's crazy like how the mind
works too, because here I am finally having this coach
like here, Dana, go be you go do you It's.
Speaker 1 (19:58):
Almost psyching me out right because I'm still like like
I don't know, like I still just wasn't able to
just be free at first, Like I wasn't like I
was hearing what she was saying, but I wasn't doing it.
But then it took Asia like pulled me to the side.
Speaker 2 (20:17):
She would talk to me and be like, yo, like
we need you, like we need you to be Dana,
Like we don't need you to try to come here
and try to make all these extra passes when you're
the fastest player and you can get to your spots
and you can do this. And I'm just like all
right when Asia Wilson's telling me that, it's like you know,
so it was just encouraging and having everybody be so
(20:40):
encouraging for me this year was important because you know,
it was last year took a lot out of me mentally, right,
and I know I said I needed to go through it,
and I did, but it was hard, like it wasn't
easy like it was. It was times while I was
questioning myself, like if I wanted to keep playing, like
even this year, it was it was a rough path
that I patch that I hit where it was it
(21:01):
was rough. But that's why it's so important to be
surrounded around love, you know, and around people that really
have your best interest in want to see you succeed,
because that helps you and it goes a long way.
Speaker 1 (21:13):
Would you say that you found your joy again and
playing the game for sure? Absolutely. I feel like I
found my joy back to being me. Yeah, for sure,
this is true. That Asia Wilson nickname you the Battery
And if so, where did that nickname come from? Yeah?
She did.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
She named me the battery because she say, I make
us go like and She's like, when you come in,
you change the tempo, you change the pace, like you
changed the whole.
Speaker 1 (21:40):
Dynamic of what our team looked like when you come in.
Speaker 2 (21:43):
And I want you to know that and understand that
in and I think like I was, like I.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
Feel like I was. I was taking those right shots.
I was doing those but at the beginning and the
probably yeah, at the beginning, they just weren't really falling.
And that's basketball.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
Like you can get to your spot, you can like
you can make the best move, but sometimes that ball
just don't go in. And I feel like it couldn't
be like that the whole season, right, I'm like, it's
not gonna be like this the whole season.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
It got to get better.
Speaker 2 (22:14):
And God like he's like I got you, like he
always got me.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
Like it be times when I'm like, yo, where you at?
Speaker 2 (22:24):
Like he swoops in right at that perfect time and
the perfect time for me to start really playing my
best ball with sorts.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
Playoff Time talked about your experience playing behind a point
guard like Courdy vanders Suit. I want to know what
was the start difference in playing behind someone like Courdy
Vandersuit versus someone like a Chelsea Gray, who's also one
of the all time great point guards in the league.
Right now again blessed.
Speaker 2 (22:47):
To be able to play behind two of the best
point guards to ever play this game and a style
of plays are different. Chelsea's a bigger guard, she uses
her her speed different, she gets to her spots different,
but it's all in her eyes, Like.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
She sells the plays with her eyes.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
She sees the play ahead, just like Courtney like they
just have a great feel for the game. And I
think that's just about wanting to make people around you
better and wanting to have everybody be successful and put
people in the right positions to be successful. And I
think that's what made our team so good. Not to
(23:27):
jump topic, but that's what made our team so good
this year because we all stuck to what we do,
We stuck to our role, we stuck to, you know,
what makes us best, and then that helped the team
become one.
Speaker 1 (23:39):
But Chelsea is great and she's been very very.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
Helpful with me also with this offseason because you know,
I had to get surgery on my knees.
Speaker 1 (23:47):
She's checked on me every day.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
She's a great vet, a great leader, and I am
so blessed to be able to be playing alongside her.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
Well, you mentioned a couple things first and foremost, how's
that recovery that's going with your knee? It's everything good.
What's going on with their recovery process? Yeah, the knee
is the knee is good.
Speaker 2 (24:08):
I had to get surgery because yeah, it just it
was it was giving me problems all season.
Speaker 1 (24:15):
But we have a great medical team.
Speaker 2 (24:18):
They held it down because I don't know how I
made it through through that whole season like that.
Speaker 1 (24:22):
But it's been going really well.
Speaker 2 (24:25):
I was only on a crutch for like five days,
five to six days, so we've been doing really well.
I got rehab after this, so we've been staying on
top of it, making sure I'm ready to be uh,
to be ready for Unrivaled because you know that starts
December fifteen, so I'll be.
Speaker 1 (24:40):
Ready for that. Yeah, So it's been good. I'm fine
from building the team chemistry. Becky Hammond at the championship
postgame conference, she short of hinted how she had to
adjust her coaching style to really meet the moment because
this season wasn't easy in terms of your pack to
the championship. You got or the A seed in the
(25:01):
first half of the season, the second half of the season,
go on that winning streak and end up the two seed,
and we know how the story ends. But what are
some takeaways from you know this time around, this path
to the championship that really like stood out for you.
Speaker 2 (25:16):
What stood out, I would say is it's not easy
being a championship team.
Speaker 1 (25:21):
It's sacrifices, it's resilience. I mean sacrifices. It's so many
sacrifices that you have to make to be a championship team.
And I think Becky did such a great job on
giving us our roles, making sure we know exactly what's
needed of each and every one of us. She did
(25:44):
a great job of also like being hard on us,
but patting us on the back and telling us I'm
with y'all.
Speaker 2 (25:50):
Like she ain't she. It was some rough film sessions,
don't get me wrong. We had a few hours and
a half ones though it wasn't pretty. It wasn't easy
sitting in there, and it was uncomfortable times. We had
uncomfortable talks, We had uncomfortable situations that we were put in.
Speaker 1 (26:09):
But I feel like we all love each other.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
We all bought in and really just gave in, and
we just wanted to be the best in our role,
like I said, and I think that's what made us go.
Becky was really good with her videos, how she would
encourage us even when we were losing like three games
in a row, like she never she just she never
(26:34):
just lost faith in us, like she didn't give up
on us, And I think that was really big her
keeping our confidence up because we could have all folded
multiple times.
Speaker 1 (26:43):
How did doing some of those scouting reports change the
way that you saw the game, because you know, she
also revealed that she allowed you all to do some
of the scouting reports as well. Mm hm.
Speaker 2 (26:54):
I would say it was more so about accountability, like holdness,
holding everybody accountable because through our scout that we went
over because if we're being honest, like we know everybody
strengths and weaknesses in the league. I mean, especially if
you've been in this league over two years, like we've
been playing against each other for years, right, so we
kind of know. But it's a mindset and it's an
(27:16):
accountability thing. We would make a chart and everyone would
say what they're gonna make sure that they do each game,
and if that person wasn't doing it that game, we
was tapping them on the shoulder like look, nope, we
all get it together, fix it.
Speaker 1 (27:28):
Nope.
Speaker 2 (27:29):
And I think being able to communicate with your teammates
is really really important because sometimes it ain't gonna come
off that nice, you know, and it's quick, it's fast,
the game is going, so it's like you gotta know
in a bat your mind, I'm doing this because I
love you and I want to win this game too
at the end of the day. So that's that's more
(27:50):
so important too, so being able to coach each.
Speaker 1 (27:53):
Other as well. I think in the playoff series. The series,
we just saw you turn it up a new level
every single game, but in particular Game one of the
(28:15):
w NBA Finals, I mean it was the Dana Evans show.
Talk about that game. What was different for you? What
felt different during that game? Was it a mindset switch?
What was the go for you for that game? If
I'm being honest.
Speaker 2 (28:32):
I was loose, Like I feel like we finally got
to the championship round, we finally in the finals.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
Mad it's doing die. It was just like you you
go out there, you just you hoop like and I
feel like I saw my first once.
Speaker 2 (28:47):
I saw that first one going in and my teammates
was fining me, and I was just I was just
letting it fly. And I know we all knew how
important Game one is in the finals, so I was
trying to do whatever I need to do to make
sure we secured that win because God Lord knows we
needed it because we were not playing our best ball. So,
(29:08):
like ASA said, I needed to come in and change
the tempo and be a factor. So that's what I
came in. Did you anticipate a sweep? I did not
anticipate a sweep? What I say, I of course I
said we should, but I mean I didn't anticipate that.
But I think we learned our lesson the first two rounds.
(29:33):
When yeah, we learned our lesson and we knew, like you,
you gotta you gotta keep your foot on the on
the gas pedal.
Speaker 1 (29:41):
Despite how your journey has gone, no one can take
away the fact that you are a two time champion.
You are a winner of wherever you are, wherever you play,
You've been able to win. What are some characteristics you
would say a winner has to have.
Speaker 2 (29:56):
A winner has to have a leadership mindset. That doesn't
mean that you are leader, but you have to have
that mindset. You have to be coachable.
Speaker 1 (30:05):
You're not coachable, you know you you kind of pointless
leadership coachable, being a good teammate.
Speaker 2 (30:13):
I feel like you're not winning a championship if you
ain't got good people on that roster. You know, like
it's not by coincidence, like's not it don't happen like that,
So being a good teammate, being a good person, and
wanting to see others win. I feel like it's super
important too. And just being ready when your number is called.
Like just being ready also goes into just being an
(30:37):
ultimate teammate. If you're not in the game, you should
be cheering, you should be giving uh, you should be
talking to them when they I remember when like it
was times where it was timeouts and we were going
through what we were on our streak, and it was
times where it would be a time out, and I
would make sure I would always try to have three
key points for the timeouts, like oh, we ain't rebounding,
(30:58):
we ain't picking up, Like just just being vocal, you know,
having that voice. Being a vocal voice is really important
too for a championship. So I would say those are
the characteristics.
Speaker 1 (31:08):
Yeah, and I think that every team in the league
would love to have a player like Dane Evans, an
in fact player on their team. So after you all
won the championship, the receipts immediately came up and you
all called out some of my friends in the media
for some of the opinions that they had, you know,
(31:29):
throughout the season about the team. Obviously we know how
the story ended with you all holding up the trophy
at the end of the season, But how do some
of that stuff fuel you guys throughout your championship run?
That was that felt so good? You don't understand, like.
Speaker 2 (31:46):
The best revenge is success telling you the best revenge
is success, because what you're gonna say, you can't say
any like it was.
Speaker 1 (31:56):
It was. It felt really good. I'm gonna be honest,
because we were for sure doubt we were counted out,
which whatever, like we we we were.
Speaker 2 (32:04):
We were rough in the in the beginning, but we
were it was adding two new pieces, you know.
Speaker 1 (32:08):
But that's need to hear there.
Speaker 2 (32:11):
But I'm I'm happy that we we low key needed
that that little fire because Becky would play those little
videos and stuff before the games and get us turned up.
But again I'm thankful for that, right like we needed everything,
We needed all that motivation and came out on top.
Speaker 1 (32:28):
So we got the last one. Said you said, Becky
plays the little podcast videos, Bey like she would play
like not.
Speaker 2 (32:38):
I don't know if she played those specific ones that
she that they put on for the parade, but I
know like there were times where she puts some stuff
up to like turn us up, and it's like, okay,
like she she knows how to get the best out
of her players.
Speaker 1 (32:51):
Listen, media pears. They keep their receipts on zech we keep.
I wasn't in there because I didn't say anything terrible
about these guys that lost. Not how I approached my show.
But you know, I saw some people that I do
know real good. I was like, they got y'all on
the Summer Jam screen. Yeah, No, it was great. I
loved it. I thought it was dope.
Speaker 2 (33:12):
And again, people are gonna have their opinions, like, this
is basketball.
Speaker 1 (33:16):
You're entitled to feel how you feel. It's just when
it gets nasty.
Speaker 2 (33:20):
It's when it gets to not being about basketball, when
you're talking about other things and you're harassing it, that's
when it gets nasty.
Speaker 1 (33:27):
Right. But if you're talking about yes, that is what
it is, you're entitled entitled to that. Yeah, and now
you have the two trophies to sort of put up
there for your hats. Two of them, you know what
I'm saying, two of them. Love it. Before you get
out of here, I want to just say this. Last week,
(33:48):
the league and players decided to extend the negotiations for
the CBA. I just want to know from the players perspective,
what is the last week been like for you all,
and just what are the priorities in terms of this
thirty day period.
Speaker 2 (34:04):
Yeah, I mean I would say the priorities are definitely
revenue shared.
Speaker 1 (34:08):
You know, we know that.
Speaker 2 (34:10):
I'll go revenue share with money, right. The salaries, I
think those two are pretty much the primary things that
we are really focusing on. But also housing and cars
and all that stuff. We still want to make sure
we're providing that too and not just worrying about just
(34:31):
the money. And also we've been talking about retirement benefits.
Those are that's really really important. I mean, especially with
the salaries, you know, stuff like that. I feel like
the retirement is something that hasn't been talked about a lot,
but because I think the average years for WNBA players
what four years something like that.
Speaker 1 (34:53):
Yeah, just about so.
Speaker 2 (34:55):
It's like we retirement benefits are really important and that's
what we've been talking about lot lately too. Looking back
at your journey from Gary to a true time w
NBA champion, what do you want people to understand about.
Speaker 1 (35:09):
Your story that they might not.
Speaker 2 (35:11):
See I want them to understand that hard times don't
last forever. When you get in those when you get
in those spaces, always know that you are not alone.
Speaker 1 (35:20):
God is always with you.
Speaker 2 (35:21):
He is always holding your hands step by step, even
when you can't see him or feel him, He's there
to guide you. So I would say, just knowing those
hard times don't last. God is with you, and stay
true to yourself.
Speaker 1 (35:35):
Don't change, don't don't change for the world. Continue to
be you a stay humble and gracious. All right, Dana,
And on that note, I want to thank you so
much for joining us this week on In Case You
Missed It with Christina Williams here on iHeart Women's Sports Network.
Congratulations again for earning the key to your city and
(35:56):
for being a true time champion. Can't wait to see
what you do next season. Thank you so much for
having me. It was great. We were so sweet. That's
gonna do it for this edition of In Case You
Missed It with Christina Williams. Don't forget to subscribe to
the podcast and rate and review it as well. We'll
see you next time. In Case You Missed It with
(36:19):
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 Podcasts, or wherever you get
your podcasts.
Host
Khristina Williams
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