Sue Bird on Life After Basketball, Allyship, Her Favorite WNBA Title, the Playoffs and Caitlin Clark
October 9, 2024 • 35 mins
Khristina is joined by the legend, 4-time WNBA Champ, 5-time Gold Medalist, and now Media Mogul, Sue Bird! They discuss Sue’s new podcast with Megan Rapinoe “A Touch More,” what it means to be an ally in the WNBA, the importance of voting in the election, and her favorite Diana Taurasi story.
Sue also reveals her favorite WNBA championship, which player pushed her the most during her career, why Sabrina Ionescu has impressed her in the playoffs, the reason Women’s sports are blowing up right now, and what skill makes Caitlin Clark so special.
Check out - A Touch More: The Podcast and listen to episode 9, The Fundamental Rule of the WB: No Place for -isms.
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
Let us know what you think of the show by leaving a rating and a review!
CREDITS
Executive Producers:
Nikki Ettore
Jessie Katz
Tyler Klang
Jonathan Strickland
Supervising Producer:
Peter Coughter
Producer & Editor:
Tari Harrison
Host:
Khristina Williams
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
In Case You Missed It with Christina Williams is an
iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports
and Entertainment.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
What's up, everybody, it's your girl, Christina.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
And this is another episode of In Case You Missed
It with Christina Williams. And I'm super excited about this
week's guest. I want to say today's show is a
little bit legendary because we have a four time WNBA champion,
five time Olympic gold medalist, and all around media mogul,
and I think she's my boss kind of. I want
(00:39):
to welcome in the iconic one of one super to
the show.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Hey, Sue, Hi, thanks for having me, Thanks.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
For being here.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
So I want to dive right in, and I know
everyone's super curious. We've seen you around everywhere. How's life
since retirement for you?
Speaker 3 (00:57):
It's been good. It's been good. Definitely busy figuring out
how to say no, which clearly I have not done
a good job of. But you know, I'm obviously still
figuring it out, but lucky to have a lot of
opportunities that I'm able to check out to see what
actually speaks to me. So I still feel like I'm
in a little bit of that phase.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
I'm actually absolutely like living kind of curiously through you
because I feel like we all don't have the same
twenty four hours as super You're literally doing a little.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Bit of everything.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
I think one thing that I've I'm married about you
like in your retirement phase is just how you've diversified
your investments across media, team, ownership, business, which drives you
to your passion of building your business portfolio. When it
comes to supporting like women led initiatives.
Speaker 3 (01:47):
Yeah, I mean, I actually feel really lucky. A lot
of times people don't necessarily know what their passion is.
A lot of times people don't know how to execute
that passion when they do find it. I obviously am
extremely passionate about women's sports, even more passionate about women's
basketball it self. It's something I obviously lived and breathed,
(02:07):
but it's something I believe in and so to you know,
now in retirement, try to find ways to keep having
an impact, keep growing the game. Like you said, whether
it's media, ownership, you name it. I have that as
my north star. That's like my guiding light, and so
again I feel really lucky that I have that and
then from there, I'm just able to figure it out
and see what works.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
In addition to expanding your business portfolio, you've been able
to you and your fiance Megan Rappino, have been able
to kind of evolve a touch more the live podcast
that gave all of us life during the pandemic into
a full fledged production company and podcast. What's the best
part for you about trading in your jersey for a mic.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
Well, first of all, I had to you know, at
some point you got to retire from sports sadly. I mean,
I think just given my experience in the world of
women's bast all you know on the court, off the court,
the things I've seen for a lot of us, a
lot of us former players, a lot of current players,
we have a unique outlook like we've lived it. And
now that women's basketball is getting more attention, women's sports
(03:13):
is getting more attention, you need our voices, You need
us to be in this media space kind of given
the real at times. And I think that's where Meghan
and I have really landed with our podcast and what
we want it to be about. We want to be
able to share the mic. If you will have guests
on giving their real takes, but we also want to
have our voice because honestly, when you do retire, what
(03:34):
you realize is the mic is not in front of
your face as much anymore, so you don't really have
that outlet. So we just want ahead and built the outlet.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
What's something that you've learned about Megan while doing this podcast?
Speaker 3 (03:47):
Oh? Man, you know something I've learned. I don't know
if it's I don't know if I've learned this about her.
I don't know if she's learned anything about me. I
think it's more so just we already knew each other
very well, had an understanding, and you're seeing it come
out even more right So for Megan, the differences in
the way that we prepare for the podcast, it's like
(04:07):
so us like, I'm like very prepared. I try to
have like all my ducks in a row, and Meghan
likes to be a little bit more spontaneous and pulsive
in the moment. And I think that's why it actually
fits really well. We're kind of broke both bringing that,
so it really just doubled down on what I already knew.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
One of my favorite segments of the podcast is are
you a Meghan or are you a suit? So?
Speaker 3 (04:27):
Yeah, I want to know.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
What would you say is the ultimate soothing about you?
Speaker 3 (04:32):
Oh? God, yeah, I guess I'm just especially compared to Meghan,
I'm just like a little more buttoned up. I'll call it.
Some might call it something else. I keep it real.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
You do keep it real.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
Yeah, just a little more on it. Yeah, I think
that's kind of That's kind of what it is. But
you know, every now and then it changes up, and
that's why we have fun doing the riu O Meghan,
are you Sue?
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Build it on?
Speaker 1 (04:59):
Like the podcast conversation. One of your main goals, you said,
was to provide a unique perspective on the important and
relevant issues of today. And so, in a recent episode,
which is one of my favorite episodes because I think
that you guys really raise awareness on an important topic
with media and their relationships to pro athletes, you and Megan,
(05:21):
you guys did a deep dive into how isms have
impacted not only black athletes, but marginalized groups within the WNBA.
As someone who has consistently used their platform to advocate
the social justice and to support those marginalized communities, what
role do you believe allyship plays and creating those meaningful
conversations that can potentially change the sports world.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
God, it's such a big part or such a big
piece to the larger puzzle. When you have somebody advocating
for you that isn't you, doesn't look like you, doesn't
necessarily have the same societalles or challenges that you have,
it just goes further. It just has a larger impact.
(06:06):
The volume, if you will, is bigger. I have felt
that both, like on both sides essentially, like both as
an ally, which is really as a white player in
a league that is predominantly black or women of color.
I've also experienced it as a gay athlete. Right Like
when a straight person speaks on LGBTQ issues, it just
(06:26):
has a bigger meaning. And I think that's just the like,
that's just the reality of it, that's just the world
we live in. Again, when somebody advocates for you, it
can also take the load off a little bit, make
it less of just my issue and kind of more
one of all of our issues. And I think that
has a lot of power to it as well. It
makes it a little less daunting, and because it's really
(06:48):
hard to have to constantly advocate for yourself to have
to constantly be out there. I mean, honestly, even sometimes
I get sick of my own voice when I have
to talk about things that are directly impacting me. You know,
you don't want to be you want to be annoying
that kind of thing. So when you have somebody supporting
you and backing you, when you can be the person
who is supportive or backing somebody else, it just goes
so far. And it's really, I think, such an important,
(07:11):
like I said, piece of the puzzle if you actually
want to create change.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
I don't know if you know this, but the first
time I ever interviewed you was when the WNBA was
back at MSG. Obviously you were still playing for the
Seattle Storm and we were like in a little hallway
and I was super nervous because I'm like, this is
super and this is my first time covering the WNBA.
But like I remember, a fan kept yelling your name,
and you were like advocating for me in a way
as a media member, like now I'm doing this and
(07:37):
just gave me your attention to time. But also this
past June at the Tribeca Film Festival, the power of
the Dreams. At the Power of the Dream screening, you
asked all of us to stand up who was covering
the w n b A And I just want to
give you your flowers and thank you just for seeing
those of us who've been in this space as women
of color, in this space that covers this league, just
(08:00):
recognizing that and giving us your time as a pro athlete.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
We appreciate you.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
I appreciate you of your advocacy too for those of
us who are part of these groups trying to break
into you know, this space and the media, because in
the same way, the media space needs more diversity in
the news rooms. And that's something that I've been passionate
about ever since I came into this space, just being
a voice, even when you know I've been attacked by
(08:26):
other people in the media and do not look like me.
So I appreciate you too. And I don't know if
you knew that, but just want to let you know.
Speaker 3 (08:32):
That, thank you. I really appreciate that. Thank you.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
Staking On the Power of the Dream, you co produce
this documentary alongside Nekka Gloomika, Don Porter, and Tracy Ellis Ross.
Why was this story an important story to tell for you?
Speaker 3 (08:46):
Man. I mean, first of all, the story itself is
just there's so many lessons to be learned. Yes, it's
a story about the WNBA and essentially, you know how
we were able to I guess, fight back when attacked
by an actual owner who was you know, for those
that don't know saying in our bubble season in twenty twenty,
not to have black lives matter on the court, not
(09:08):
to dedicate our season to say her name. So, yes,
it's very much a story about that, and that is
a story that just needs to be told. I mean,
I'm sure you've heard me say. It's like if any
other male sports league had done what we did in
that bubble season, the whole world would have known, without
a doubt, people would have been banging on the door
to make that documentary. So in one sense, it was
just important to tell it for what it is. But
(09:28):
I think on another side, there's so many lessons to
be learned. There's lessons around, I feel like for women,
for women of color, again, marginalized communities. There's an empowerment
piece to this, right, there's a collaboration. What happens when
we work together aspect to this, When to lead, when
to follow understanding that when you're trying to get when
(09:52):
you have this larger goal, it's not always going to
be easy. Like some of my favorite moments, they weren't
my favorite in the moment, but favor now is the
harder times where we weren't necessarily arguing, but we all
had different perspectives on how to get things done. And
that's really how you problem solve, right, Like, that's really
how you get to that end goal. So it's just
(10:12):
for so many reasons I think it needed to be told.
But yeah, if I'm being totally honest, it's because the
women of the WNBA, like we do shit and we
get shited done, and people needed to see what exactly
happened in that moment and how we're able to help
bring Reverend Warnock this like incredible amount of name recognition,
which you know, i'd like to argue help them get elected,
which as we know, changed and totally flipped democracy on
(10:34):
its head.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
So yeah, I know, I totally agree.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
And you know it's super interesting because obviously I was
covering the w around that time, and I thoroughly remember
like being before the bubble happen, just being in Indianapolis
and being with Tamika Katchans, Natalie Chong was Stephanie Mvunga
and some of the other Indiana Fever leadership at the time,
just marching down the streets, getting people registered to vote,
just taking the job titles off and just beating people
(11:00):
at a human level.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
And taking that action.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
And it's just because of the women at the WNBA,
just getting people together to mobilize. Obviously, this is an
important election and you've been super vocal about it, but
just what is your message to you know, people out
there about this election and why it is important to
go out and vote.
Speaker 3 (11:21):
Yeah, I mean, at the end of the day, voting
is really the I don't want to say the only,
but one of the guaranteed ways to have your voice heard,
one of the guaranteed ways to have impact. And I
know at times it can feel like, oh, I'm just
one vote, but obviously, if you know, thousands of people
or millions of people thought that, you know, then we'd
(11:43):
be in a bad spot. So with that, not only
is it the one way you're guaranteed, I feel like
the other part of it is everybody has things they
care about, you know, and so to piggyback off that
this is the one way that the things that you
care about you can have a voice in that as well.
And yeah, this election is important, and yeah it makes me.
It makes me nervous. I've had I've had, actually had
like a really hard time watching the debates because I
(12:05):
just get this like almost like a almost like some
sort of performance anxiety, like for Kamala Harris, where I'm like,
oh God, like I want her to do well so
bad as I can only imagine. It's like not that
this is equivalent at all, but watching your kid do
something like you just want it so bad. But yeah,
the other thing I feel like I would just encourage
people to do is understand what's at stake and and
(12:26):
really where that to be honest, where that segues too
is social media, Like do not believe what you see
on social media? And I'm just gonna go out like
good or bad? You have to look stuff up. That
for you page, Yeah, that for you page, it's dangerous,
absolutely dangerous. It doesn't matter what we're talking about. That
for you page is dangerous. Is set up right now
(12:47):
to you know, push different agendas and different narratives in
your face based on what you might be interested in.
So I really encourage people, especially younger people, if you
see something on social media like this is the right moment,
to go ahead and do your own research, Like, don't
just believe it because you see a headline. That's something
we're learning in women's basketball. I think it's something that
we're learning across the board. It definitely exists in politics
(13:10):
as well.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
Absolutely, I want to move right along to the next thing.
And I appreciate you for sharing your thoughts on you know,
why this election is so important. This past season, the
Phoenix Mercury sort of hinted at Tyana Tarazzi, who is
your former teammate, so when you competed against for years
that if this is her last season, any updates on
(13:31):
DT whether she's gonna retire.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
I got nothing. I got nothing. I'm not even being
I'm not even viing Cooi, I'm not avoiding. I can
only speak from my experience, right and obviously for me,
I ended up announcing during the season. Totally different experience.
But prior to the twenty twenty two season, which is
when I retired right after the twenty twenty one season,
(13:56):
this was the time where you gotta let like the
fall all the season's just ended. You really need to
let the dust settle because there's just so many different
highs and lows in the emotions. It would be impossible
to make a decision now anyway, Like unless she already
knew with one certainty, that wouldn't be the time where
she would say something anyways. So I'd imagine she's probably
(14:19):
if I had to guess, I do know they had
a vacation on the book, So hopefully she's on a
beach kicking it with her family, not thinking about this decision,
and we'll all find out soon.
Speaker 1 (14:29):
Thank you for that update. What's one of your favorite
moments with Diana? I mean that shows like the true
colors of who she really is.
Speaker 3 (14:38):
The true colors. Oh my god, you can go there. Yeah,
it's it's like impossible. I told the story recently, But
one of my funnier memories with d was actually at
our first Olympics. So you know, we're the young Bucks's
two thousand and four. We're definitely there to learn. We
(14:59):
know that after this Olympics it was likely that, like
Don Staley was going to retire, it was likely that,
you know, the guard spots were going to be available.
For us, so we're really there to learn. De definitely
played a lot more than I did, but we're both
still there to learn. But we're all so excited, you know,
and we understand that the early games, Like I think
we played New Zealand in the very first game. We're like, okay,
(15:19):
this might be the only time we play, so like
we got to be ready. So we get to the
very first game. We walk in the locker room, you know,
you just normal locker room stuff, put in your uniform on,
whatever it is, go to put your shoes on. She
was like, she taps me. She's like, oh no, I'm
like what. She's like, I brought two left shoes. I'm
like what, Like, what do you mean? There's another story
(15:40):
where we're in Russia, very very very long story short.
We get to the gym. I'm actually not playing this game.
For whatever reason, I'm not. It's like I'm not even dressed.
Maybe I'm hurt, who knows. We get to the range.
She was like, oh my god, you have to go
back to my apartment. I forgot my jersey. I'm like,
all right, so I have, like I actually have like
a decently long list of d doing shit like that.
So no, it's super hard.
Speaker 2 (16:01):
So how did she get her other shoe? She brought
two left shoes.
Speaker 3 (16:04):
I mean Nike letter Listen like Nike, you know they
hook it up. So we had like six seven, eight
nine pairs for the Olympics. So she just grabbed two
left ones and somebody had to go back to the
We were staying on a boat at that time. Somebody
had to go back to the boat the botel and
get her other shoe.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
That's so cool.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
Let's take a quick break. When we come back, we
will discuss the growth of women's sports, the WNBA playoffs, Yukon,
and some of Sue's favorite career moments. In your film
(16:47):
Super in the Clutch, you talked about how Cheryl Swoops
and Lisa Leslie and those players pioneered at the WNBA,
but how your generation was the generation.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
That made it more normal to have a path to
the the u NBA.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
Obviously, the w NBA league is different today than it
was when you were first drafted. So what do you
see as the biggest difference now then when you came
in so much?
Speaker 3 (17:11):
So much? I actually think a lot of this answer
lives in nil because, in my opinion, what the NIL
did or what NIL is doing is it allows all
these players who are making these huge names for themselves
because the college platform is so big, So you're making
(17:32):
these huge names for themselves, which is not different from myself,
Diana Kanas, Parker, Skyler, Diggen. I mean you can rattle
off a thousand names. We all were huge coming out
of college. We all have big names, big brands in
a sense. But now because they're getting like the brands
to attach to them, the money's bigger. There's a different notoriety.
(17:53):
And yes, Caitlin is obviously an angel to like in
this other stratosphere, which I'm sure Paige and you know,
would you just have announce her Nike deal They're going
to follow. But regardless, like all the athletes are now
building actual brands, and I think that's giving them just
this like societal acceptance. That's much different because when a
lot of us came into the WNBA, it was like
a little bit of a drop off. The coverage was
(18:15):
a drop off. This cool factor didn't really exist. You
were cool in college, but something happened when you went
to the WNBA. It's like, but I'm the same person.
My game's the same, So yeah, there was just like
something different. But now, and I do think this plays
a huge role. You've got these players building their platforms,
building like who they are as players but also as businesses,
(18:36):
and they're taking that with them into the pro game.
And what's happening is all these people, all these fans,
all these brands, decision makers are seeing that and now
they can invest in them early and also follow them
into the pro leagues. And I really think that has
been It's been so big for women's basketball because we
are one of the few sports where the college platform
(18:57):
is bigger or has been traditionally bigger than the pro platform.
So this has really been needed to bridge that. And
that's yeah, if I had to land somewhere, it's that
bridging of the gap between college and the WNBA. It
didn't exist for so many years, and now we're starting
to see it and the business is big.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
It's booman, absolutely, and you're one of those players that's
probably like transcended. And when people think of a WNBA
think of you, they think of Diana Tarazzi's the hitroll
suits and now that Caitlin Clarks. You spent nineteen seasons
obviously with the Seattle Storm. You won four championships. I
want to know which championship meant the most to you.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
Oh. I always say, you wouldn't ask a parent their
favorite kid. Lucky for you, I do kind of have
an answer. It doesn't you know. It's interesting this answer.
So I've said this before. The answer. Okay, so the
answer is twenty eighteen. But I have my reasons. And
it's funny because when I said this in my eight
hour long retirement speech, some of my former teammates from
(19:53):
like twenty ten, two thousand and four, they were kind
of mad at me. But the truth is the reason
why twenty eighteen is my my favorite is because I
was at a point in my career where I debated retirement.
I don't really talk about this, but I debated retirement
in twenty sixteen and seventeen. Like it was, it was,
it was getting closer. I knew it was, it was
(20:14):
on the horizon. And I had also in twenty sixteen
signed up for a rebuild. So I'm at a point
where I don't know how much longer I'm going to play,
and I'm also at a point where I have totally
resigned myself to helping the next generation of Storm players
carry on the legacy, and it's not about winning a
championship anymore. I really had accepted that. I was okay
(20:38):
with that, But then all of a sudden, twenty eighteen
comes and yet we had Stewey, we had Jewel that
was already in the works. AC is only getting better
and better. Right, I can go down the list. We
add Natasha Howard, So a team that was kind of
like we finished seventh eighty year before, we're kind of like, okay,
now the sudden we plug her in and things just change.
(20:58):
And now we finished first, right, Like we're probably picked
to finish seventh or eight, who knows we finished. We're
in the top of the standings. We're smelling championship, and
I just people a lot of times will say like, oh,
make sure you enjoy the moment, like live in the now.
That can be hard to do that year, especially in
our playoff run. I was so present and so in
the moment because I knew this was so unexpected and
(21:20):
I was just so thankful for it. So then to
actually win it. So that's why it's my favorite.
Speaker 1 (21:25):
I love the twenty ten run. Those clutches and go ahead,
I feel like that was like my CTV like you
were in your bag in twenty ten, well, your whole career,
you were in your bag with twenty ten was like
one of my favorite runs to watch. You kind of
handed the keys over to Jewel. And now you're in ownership,
how have you been able to just advise and guide her?
(21:46):
Because we know the Seattle Storm team is a team
that's synonymous with winning when people think of Seattle basketball, Yes,
you think of the SuperSonics, but no, it's the Seattle
Storms town when it comes to basketball. So what have
you been able to just kind of part to Jewel
as she looks to, you know, continue that winning culture
in Seattle.
Speaker 3 (22:05):
Yeah, I mean to be honest, you know, since I've
retired and even now in the ownership group, I'm around,
I go to games. Obviously people see that and I
try to be present in that way. But at the
same time, like it was more so when I played
with Jewel, you know, and I'm seeing her every day
and you just try to like help somebody like you, like,
I'm not gonna sit Jewel down and be like, yo,
this is actually the way you should shoot your pull
(22:27):
up or you know, this is Actually it was more
just like mindset stuff, being a leader, like what it
means to represent and carry a franchise right, not just
to championships, but like every day, and how to embody
that and how to get other people like your teammates
involved in that way and feel ownership within that. So
it's more so conversations like that. And to be honest,
(22:48):
in twenty twenty three, to see Jewel step in to
this leadership role, to see her be more vocal, to
see her, you know, again take ownership of the team,
that really made me proud. And again it's not I
don't take any credit whatsoever, because like I said, we
were just teammates having conversations here and there, But it
really did make me proud to see her come out
(23:08):
of her show in that way, to see her take
on that role. You saw it again this year. This
year obviously was a little bit different because now you've
added Skyler Diggins and Echo Gumake, so it's obviously a
little different. But it was really cool for me to
watch Jool come out of her shelf. So that's been fun.
Speaker 1 (23:24):
You've played against countless talented players, and we know this year,
especially how rivalries are the main storyline of the w
I'm curious who pushed you to step up your game
and your playing career, or a player that you went
up against night in a the night out that just
made you just get in your bag a little bit more.
Speaker 3 (23:39):
Diane's definitely up there, you know. When I think of
really my whole career, so many times it was our
two teams that had to play against each other. Not
every playoff run had that aspect to it, but a
decent amount of them. Sometimes you know, I was on
the winning side, sometimes I was on the losing side,
and you always take something from that. So definitely Diana.
(24:01):
Early in my career, Jen Azy was someone like I'm
catching Yeah, I'm catching Jen like at the tail end
of her career. But that was somebody that I look
up to when I was a little kid, like fourteen fifteen.
That was my c at B a moment. I obviously
wanted to have a career just like her, you know,
like won national championships in college, had success at the
pro level ABLWNBA, but one Olympic gold medals, and that
(24:25):
was like somebody I was like, oh my gosh, I
could have a career like that. And then when I
finally got to play against her. You know, sometimes some
people just have your number. She would just always block
my shot. And I'm not like, you know, like I'm
should pull up some threes. It's not like I'm in
there doing any wild stuff. She had my pull up time,
she would always block my shot. So I feel like
that experience clearly I held onto it. But that's also,
(24:47):
to be honest, why I take pride when I look
back on my career because I know there's going to
be somebody that's like, oh, if I can win, you know,
this amount of gold medals, if I can win this
amount of WNBA championships, like that's kind of what I
want to aspire to be.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
I don't know if you know this too, but I'm
from Harlem and I know that you're a fellow New Yorker.
So growing up in New York, I feel like women's
basketball like it wasn't something abnormal for me to see
growing up because obviously, like women like you, Tina Charles,
the epiphany princes, you know, like you guys really like
let the game speak for itself. And I feel like
New York they have it has like a lineage of
(25:21):
elite point guards. I want to know, in your opinion,
what makes New York Guards stand out from the rest
of the world.
Speaker 3 (25:28):
Oh, easy, easy, I think. I think what I'm about
to say shows up in like a variety of ways.
But it's there's there's like a grit, there's a mental toughness.
For some it means maybe like they're more physical. For some,
it means they're gonna hit game winning shots. For others,
you know, it means they can talk shit, talk trash
throughout the whole game and still not have an impact
on them get the better of you. I think it
just shows up in so many different ways. But that's
(25:50):
definitely why New York City guards are are elite. You
kind of have to. It's like the city that you're
playing in what felt like was always on the line.
When I think back to my my high school days,
even my AAU days, it was like there was always
something on the line and you had to represent in
a different way. And I think it gave all of
us this mental toughness, like we knew we were representing
something else, not just ourselves.
Speaker 1 (26:11):
As you look at the next generation of guards, obviously
Caitlin Clark is at the top of that she won
Rookie of the Year, and I know that you've talked
about her in some of your predictions, that you said, oh,
she's gonna be a Rookie of the Year. What stands
out to you about her game specifically?
Speaker 3 (26:26):
I mean, I think it starts and ends with the
range in which she shoots it. Obviously, it's not to
take away from her passing her ability to drive. I
think she's a lot stronger and a lot faster than
people were giving her credit for. That's actually something I noticed.
I went to go see one of her games in Iowa.
I was shooting Sue's places and she was in one
of the episodes, and I was able to go catch
one of her games. It wasn't like a Marquee game,
(26:48):
but it was the first time I saw her up
close in personal. I was sitting courtside, and immediately I
was like, Oh, she's strong, she's fast as shit, and
her handle was a lot tighter than I think you
could understand watching on t But with all that said,
it's still her range. The fact that you have to
guard her that far out, the fact that you know
she's efficient from that range. So it's not just the
(27:09):
range it's the fact that she could shoot it off
the dribble. This is what opens everything up for her.
This is what allows her to utilize her speed and
get by you, because what happens then people have to
come and then she can find you. There's also another
aspect of her game, like in terms of IQ and
her pick and roll reads. That's elite. But I still
think the threat of that long range three, the logo three,
(27:31):
if you want to call it that, it opens up
and allows her to showcase all the other parts of
her game.
Speaker 1 (27:38):
You're one of the best passes that ever played the game,
and I feel like as the game evolves sometimes it
kind of looks like the art of post entry passes
is kind of progressing.
Speaker 2 (27:50):
What's the secret, sauce behind being a good passer? I mean,
no shame, no shape, no shape, But like.
Speaker 1 (28:00):
You're one of the best to do it, so I figure,
why not ask you the secret to it?
Speaker 3 (28:04):
I don't even know if there is a secret. I
mean some of it was like I played with great
post players, so I had to learn how to do
that shit, like for real. Some of it was that
I think there's you know, there's there's like a whole
recipe to it right, Like, some of it is not
like unselfishness. We have to put yourself to the side,
but you do have to be willing. I think some
of it's court vision. There's another part that's angles. You know,
how are you creating the angle? Like to me, like
(28:24):
a Courtney vanderslute, she always creates angles like off the dribble.
She finds ways I didn't really do it that way.
I did it in other ways. So there's there's all
different kind of ways to get this recipe going. I
do think some of it is just a willingness and
then using your experience as you go to like learn
and read the defense. And then you have to have
(28:45):
like an anticipation. That to me is like the biggest
the biggest key. When you watch players who as they're
watching plays unfold, they can kind of it feels like
they're almost predicting. They're really just anticipating based on experiences
they've already had and they're able to tap into that.
Some of that comes from watching a lot of film.
Some of that is literally just going out there and
(29:05):
doing it and learning from mistakes.
Speaker 1 (29:07):
Absolutely, Sue before you get out of here, I want
to know because I've seen you courtside at some of
the New York Liberty games taking in all of the
playoffs in your former teammate Yukon Sistern Brianna Stewart has
led the Liberty to the WNBA Finals. When this comes out,
obviously we'll know who the Liberty will be up against.
But what are your thoughts about the playoffs this year
(29:29):
and what's exciting you the most about the postseason?
Speaker 3 (29:31):
The playoffs have been great. The only thing that we're
all seeing, and this has been ongoing for forever, is
trying to figure out this first round. In my first
my early early days, the top seed went on the
road for one game, then played the next two at home.
I have to be honest, I lost in that scenario.
I didn't love. That definitely puts the pressure on you know.
(29:52):
Then we went to single nation. Now we're back to
three games with a two to one format, But obviously
some teams don't get a home game, so there's there's
still I feel like this playoff show that still needs
to be worked out. Once expansion team comes in there,
comes in there, we'll see, we'll see how that changes things.
That's the only negative. Everything else has been amazing. I
think we're seeing excellent play. We're seeing in real time
(30:14):
like adjustments from game to game, different teams doing different things.
It becomes a chess match, which I love. Obviously, the
viewership and tendance speaks for itself. And then, last but
not least, we're having, you know, big time players show
up and make big time plays or have big time games.
I think Sabrina is an excellent example of that, you know,
especially having like a not so great game three. She responded,
(30:36):
and like, that's what you want to see in the playoffs, right,
you want to see what players are made of. That's
why I love the playoffs. You really get to see.
As a player, you got to know what you were
made of as a fan. Now as a spectator, I
get to see what all these what all these younger
players are made of, and you really can only know
in the playoffs, and it's really been fun for me.
Speaker 1 (30:54):
Speaking of big moments and big games, Page Beckers led
Yukon last year to the final four. She's turned back
to Yukon with the goal of wanting to win a championship.
Speaker 2 (31:05):
Blue Blood to blue Blood.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
When it comes to Page, what advice would you give
her as she enters, you know, her final year at Yukon.
We know how much Yukon has been a winning program.
Obviously you played there and led them to two Nashville Championships.
But what advice would you give Page beckerds Man.
Speaker 3 (31:22):
I'm not sure there is much advice to give, you know.
I think Page, she's now been in college for quite
a while, so she knows, she knows what it is,
you know. At this point, my only advice to her
would be to trust her work, trust her preparation. I
do think that Yukon it can be really hard, and
I didn't have to deal with this. You're also playing
(31:45):
for history, and sometimes that history, right like the winning
history that is the University of Kannic, can can can
be like a mental little bit of a mental hindrance.
It can really get in your head, it can play
with you. So for Paige, I would just try to, yeah,
maybe have her continue to stay focused on this one
year and emphasize that what happened before in Yukon history
(32:06):
has nothing to do. Both good and bad has nothing
to do. And you get to write your own story.
You get to write your own history, and just to
kind of take advantage of that moment, but she knows,
she knows this is nothing new.
Speaker 1 (32:18):
I'm looking forward to see what Page and the Yukon
Huskies do this next season. Thank you so much Sue
for joining us this week on In Case you missed
It with Christina Williams.
Speaker 3 (32:29):
Oh my pleasure. Thanks for having me For.
Speaker 1 (32:31):
More about Sue, make sure you check out a touch
more of the podcast weekly on YouTube, Apple, Spotify, and
of course the iHeartRadio app coming up after the break.
We have the Things that I Love this week more
case you missed it with Christina Williams. When we return,
(33:04):
welcome back to you and case you missed it with
Christina Williams, and you already know what time it is.
It's time for the things that I loved this week
all weekend, I guess. On Sunday, I was able to
go to my very first Gothup FC game. Whe everyone
watches Women's Sports Night. It was super festive, celebrating, you know,
(33:24):
the growth of women's sports. I was able to meet
one of the co owners and also shout out is
superb because she is also a co owner for Gotham FC.
I think at the seventy minute mark of the match.
Gotham FC just really turned it up. They scored four
goals from the seventieth minim mark to the ninety and
you know, I just have never been so excited for
(33:46):
a soccer match than attending that game. So it was
really good vibes and I'm happy that they won. They
clinched home field advantage for the playoffs. I would like
to think that I'm a little bit of good luck,
but shout out to them. Another thing that I loved
this week was on Monday, I was able to attend
a live recording of All the Smoke. Shout out to
(34:09):
Matt Barnes and Stack, my big bros in this industry.
They had Larry Johnson, former Knicks player, NBA legend as
a guest. It was good laughs, good vibes all around
at grever Se. My friends and I went to the
show and it was just great to see podcasting in
like a different form. So I thoroughly enjoyed my night.
(34:31):
And that's gonna do it for the things that I
love this week. Also, of course, I'm gonna love the
playoffs when the finals start tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (34:40):
But that's gonna do it.
Speaker 1 (34:41):
For this episode of In Case you miss It, with
Christina Williams. Please don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe
to the podcast, and coming up this week, we got
my girl lage A Johnson coming through to the show. Also,
please don't forget to look in the description box, follow
us on all social medias, and also click the link
(35:04):
to a Touch More with Sue Bird and Meghan Rappino
the podcast series where you can find it weekly on YouTube, Apple, Spotify,
and of course.
Speaker 2 (35:13):
The iHeart app. Peace Out.
Speaker 1 (35:18):
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.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
What's up, everybody, it's your girl, Christina.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
And this is another episode of In Case You Missed
It with Christina Williams. And I'm super excited about this
week's guest. I want to say today's show is a
little bit legendary because we have a four time WNBA champion,
five time Olympic gold medalist, and all around media mogul,
and I think she's my boss kind of. I want
(00:39):
to welcome in the iconic one of one super to
the show.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Hey, Sue, Hi, thanks for having me, Thanks.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
For being here.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
So I want to dive right in, and I know
everyone's super curious. We've seen you around everywhere. How's life
since retirement for you?
Speaker 3 (00:57):
It's been good. It's been good. Definitely busy figuring out
how to say no, which clearly I have not done
a good job of. But you know, I'm obviously still
figuring it out, but lucky to have a lot of
opportunities that I'm able to check out to see what
actually speaks to me. So I still feel like I'm
in a little bit of that phase.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
I'm actually absolutely like living kind of curiously through you
because I feel like we all don't have the same
twenty four hours as super You're literally doing a little.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Bit of everything.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
I think one thing that I've I'm married about you
like in your retirement phase is just how you've diversified
your investments across media, team, ownership, business, which drives you
to your passion of building your business portfolio. When it
comes to supporting like women led initiatives.
Speaker 3 (01:47):
Yeah, I mean, I actually feel really lucky. A lot
of times people don't necessarily know what their passion is.
A lot of times people don't know how to execute
that passion when they do find it. I obviously am
extremely passionate about women's sports, even more passionate about women's
basketball it self. It's something I obviously lived and breathed,
(02:07):
but it's something I believe in and so to you know,
now in retirement, try to find ways to keep having
an impact, keep growing the game. Like you said, whether
it's media, ownership, you name it. I have that as
my north star. That's like my guiding light, and so
again I feel really lucky that I have that and
then from there, I'm just able to figure it out
and see what works.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
In addition to expanding your business portfolio, you've been able
to you and your fiance Megan Rappino, have been able
to kind of evolve a touch more the live podcast
that gave all of us life during the pandemic into
a full fledged production company and podcast. What's the best
part for you about trading in your jersey for a mic.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
Well, first of all, I had to you know, at
some point you got to retire from sports sadly. I mean,
I think just given my experience in the world of
women's bast all you know on the court, off the court,
the things I've seen for a lot of us, a
lot of us former players, a lot of current players,
we have a unique outlook like we've lived it. And
now that women's basketball is getting more attention, women's sports
(03:13):
is getting more attention, you need our voices, You need
us to be in this media space kind of given
the real at times. And I think that's where Meghan
and I have really landed with our podcast and what
we want it to be about. We want to be
able to share the mic. If you will have guests
on giving their real takes, but we also want to
have our voice because honestly, when you do retire, what
(03:34):
you realize is the mic is not in front of
your face as much anymore, so you don't really have
that outlet. So we just want ahead and built the outlet.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
What's something that you've learned about Megan while doing this podcast?
Speaker 3 (03:47):
Oh? Man, you know something I've learned. I don't know
if it's I don't know if I've learned this about her.
I don't know if she's learned anything about me. I
think it's more so just we already knew each other
very well, had an understanding, and you're seeing it come
out even more right So for Megan, the differences in
the way that we prepare for the podcast, it's like
(04:07):
so us like, I'm like very prepared. I try to
have like all my ducks in a row, and Meghan
likes to be a little bit more spontaneous and pulsive
in the moment. And I think that's why it actually
fits really well. We're kind of broke both bringing that,
so it really just doubled down on what I already knew.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
One of my favorite segments of the podcast is are
you a Meghan or are you a suit? So?
Speaker 3 (04:27):
Yeah, I want to know.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
What would you say is the ultimate soothing about you?
Speaker 3 (04:32):
Oh? God, yeah, I guess I'm just especially compared to Meghan,
I'm just like a little more buttoned up. I'll call it.
Some might call it something else. I keep it real.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
You do keep it real.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
Yeah, just a little more on it. Yeah, I think
that's kind of That's kind of what it is. But
you know, every now and then it changes up, and
that's why we have fun doing the riu O Meghan,
are you Sue?
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Build it on?
Speaker 1 (04:59):
Like the podcast conversation. One of your main goals, you said,
was to provide a unique perspective on the important and
relevant issues of today. And so, in a recent episode,
which is one of my favorite episodes because I think
that you guys really raise awareness on an important topic
with media and their relationships to pro athletes, you and Megan,
(05:21):
you guys did a deep dive into how isms have
impacted not only black athletes, but marginalized groups within the WNBA.
As someone who has consistently used their platform to advocate
the social justice and to support those marginalized communities, what
role do you believe allyship plays and creating those meaningful
conversations that can potentially change the sports world.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
God, it's such a big part or such a big
piece to the larger puzzle. When you have somebody advocating
for you that isn't you, doesn't look like you, doesn't
necessarily have the same societalles or challenges that you have,
it just goes further. It just has a larger impact.
(06:06):
The volume, if you will, is bigger. I have felt
that both, like on both sides essentially, like both as
an ally, which is really as a white player in
a league that is predominantly black or women of color.
I've also experienced it as a gay athlete. Right Like
when a straight person speaks on LGBTQ issues, it just
(06:26):
has a bigger meaning. And I think that's just the like,
that's just the reality of it, that's just the world
we live in. Again, when somebody advocates for you, it
can also take the load off a little bit, make
it less of just my issue and kind of more
one of all of our issues. And I think that
has a lot of power to it as well. It
makes it a little less daunting, and because it's really
(06:48):
hard to have to constantly advocate for yourself to have
to constantly be out there. I mean, honestly, even sometimes
I get sick of my own voice when I have
to talk about things that are directly impacting me. You know,
you don't want to be you want to be annoying
that kind of thing. So when you have somebody supporting
you and backing you, when you can be the person
who is supportive or backing somebody else, it just goes
so far. And it's really, I think, such an important,
(07:11):
like I said, piece of the puzzle if you actually
want to create change.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
I don't know if you know this, but the first
time I ever interviewed you was when the WNBA was
back at MSG. Obviously you were still playing for the
Seattle Storm and we were like in a little hallway
and I was super nervous because I'm like, this is
super and this is my first time covering the WNBA.
But like I remember, a fan kept yelling your name,
and you were like advocating for me in a way
as a media member, like now I'm doing this and
(07:37):
just gave me your attention to time. But also this
past June at the Tribeca Film Festival, the power of
the Dreams. At the Power of the Dream screening, you
asked all of us to stand up who was covering
the w n b A And I just want to
give you your flowers and thank you just for seeing
those of us who've been in this space as women
of color, in this space that covers this league, just
(08:00):
recognizing that and giving us your time as a pro athlete.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
We appreciate you.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
I appreciate you of your advocacy too for those of
us who are part of these groups trying to break
into you know, this space and the media, because in
the same way, the media space needs more diversity in
the news rooms. And that's something that I've been passionate
about ever since I came into this space, just being
a voice, even when you know I've been attacked by
(08:26):
other people in the media and do not look like me.
So I appreciate you too. And I don't know if
you knew that, but just want to let you know.
Speaker 3 (08:32):
That, thank you. I really appreciate that. Thank you.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
Staking On the Power of the Dream, you co produce
this documentary alongside Nekka Gloomika, Don Porter, and Tracy Ellis Ross.
Why was this story an important story to tell for you?
Speaker 3 (08:46):
Man. I mean, first of all, the story itself is
just there's so many lessons to be learned. Yes, it's
a story about the WNBA and essentially, you know how
we were able to I guess, fight back when attacked
by an actual owner who was you know, for those
that don't know saying in our bubble season in twenty twenty,
not to have black lives matter on the court, not
(09:08):
to dedicate our season to say her name. So, yes,
it's very much a story about that, and that is
a story that just needs to be told. I mean,
I'm sure you've heard me say. It's like if any
other male sports league had done what we did in
that bubble season, the whole world would have known, without
a doubt, people would have been banging on the door
to make that documentary. So in one sense, it was
just important to tell it for what it is. But
(09:28):
I think on another side, there's so many lessons to
be learned. There's lessons around, I feel like for women,
for women of color, again, marginalized communities. There's an empowerment
piece to this, right, there's a collaboration. What happens when
we work together aspect to this, When to lead, when
to follow understanding that when you're trying to get when
(09:52):
you have this larger goal, it's not always going to
be easy. Like some of my favorite moments, they weren't
my favorite in the moment, but favor now is the
harder times where we weren't necessarily arguing, but we all
had different perspectives on how to get things done. And
that's really how you problem solve, right, Like, that's really
how you get to that end goal. So it's just
(10:12):
for so many reasons I think it needed to be told.
But yeah, if I'm being totally honest, it's because the
women of the WNBA, like we do shit and we
get shited done, and people needed to see what exactly
happened in that moment and how we're able to help
bring Reverend Warnock this like incredible amount of name recognition,
which you know, i'd like to argue help them get elected,
which as we know, changed and totally flipped democracy on
(10:34):
its head.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
So yeah, I know, I totally agree.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
And you know it's super interesting because obviously I was
covering the w around that time, and I thoroughly remember
like being before the bubble happen, just being in Indianapolis
and being with Tamika Katchans, Natalie Chong was Stephanie Mvunga
and some of the other Indiana Fever leadership at the time,
just marching down the streets, getting people registered to vote,
just taking the job titles off and just beating people
(11:00):
at a human level.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
And taking that action.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
And it's just because of the women at the WNBA,
just getting people together to mobilize. Obviously, this is an
important election and you've been super vocal about it, but
just what is your message to you know, people out
there about this election and why it is important to
go out and vote.
Speaker 3 (11:21):
Yeah, I mean, at the end of the day, voting
is really the I don't want to say the only,
but one of the guaranteed ways to have your voice heard,
one of the guaranteed ways to have impact. And I
know at times it can feel like, oh, I'm just
one vote, but obviously, if you know, thousands of people
or millions of people thought that, you know, then we'd
(11:43):
be in a bad spot. So with that, not only
is it the one way you're guaranteed, I feel like
the other part of it is everybody has things they
care about, you know, and so to piggyback off that
this is the one way that the things that you
care about you can have a voice in that as well.
And yeah, this election is important, and yeah it makes me.
It makes me nervous. I've had I've had, actually had
like a really hard time watching the debates because I
(12:05):
just get this like almost like a almost like some
sort of performance anxiety, like for Kamala Harris, where I'm like,
oh God, like I want her to do well so
bad as I can only imagine. It's like not that
this is equivalent at all, but watching your kid do
something like you just want it so bad. But yeah,
the other thing I feel like I would just encourage
people to do is understand what's at stake and and
(12:26):
really where that to be honest, where that segues too
is social media, Like do not believe what you see
on social media? And I'm just gonna go out like
good or bad? You have to look stuff up. That
for you page, Yeah, that for you page, it's dangerous,
absolutely dangerous. It doesn't matter what we're talking about. That
for you page is dangerous. Is set up right now
(12:47):
to you know, push different agendas and different narratives in
your face based on what you might be interested in.
So I really encourage people, especially younger people, if you
see something on social media like this is the right moment,
to go ahead and do your own research, Like, don't
just believe it because you see a headline. That's something
we're learning in women's basketball. I think it's something that
we're learning across the board. It definitely exists in politics
(13:10):
as well.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
Absolutely, I want to move right along to the next thing.
And I appreciate you for sharing your thoughts on you know,
why this election is so important. This past season, the
Phoenix Mercury sort of hinted at Tyana Tarazzi, who is
your former teammate, so when you competed against for years
that if this is her last season, any updates on
(13:31):
DT whether she's gonna retire.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
I got nothing. I got nothing. I'm not even being
I'm not even viing Cooi, I'm not avoiding. I can
only speak from my experience, right and obviously for me,
I ended up announcing during the season. Totally different experience.
But prior to the twenty twenty two season, which is
when I retired right after the twenty twenty one season,
(13:56):
this was the time where you gotta let like the
fall all the season's just ended. You really need to
let the dust settle because there's just so many different
highs and lows in the emotions. It would be impossible
to make a decision now anyway, Like unless she already
knew with one certainty, that wouldn't be the time where
she would say something anyways. So I'd imagine she's probably
(14:19):
if I had to guess, I do know they had
a vacation on the book, So hopefully she's on a
beach kicking it with her family, not thinking about this decision,
and we'll all find out soon.
Speaker 1 (14:29):
Thank you for that update. What's one of your favorite
moments with Diana? I mean that shows like the true
colors of who she really is.
Speaker 3 (14:38):
The true colors. Oh my god, you can go there. Yeah,
it's it's like impossible. I told the story recently, But
one of my funnier memories with d was actually at
our first Olympics. So you know, we're the young Bucks's
two thousand and four. We're definitely there to learn. We
(14:59):
know that after this Olympics it was likely that, like
Don Staley was going to retire, it was likely that,
you know, the guard spots were going to be available.
For us, so we're really there to learn. De definitely
played a lot more than I did, but we're both
still there to learn. But we're all so excited, you know,
and we understand that the early games, Like I think
we played New Zealand in the very first game. We're like, okay,
(15:19):
this might be the only time we play, so like
we got to be ready. So we get to the
very first game. We walk in the locker room, you know,
you just normal locker room stuff, put in your uniform on,
whatever it is, go to put your shoes on. She
was like, she taps me. She's like, oh no, I'm
like what. She's like, I brought two left shoes. I'm
like what, Like, what do you mean? There's another story
(15:40):
where we're in Russia, very very very long story short.
We get to the gym. I'm actually not playing this game.
For whatever reason, I'm not. It's like I'm not even dressed.
Maybe I'm hurt, who knows. We get to the range.
She was like, oh my god, you have to go
back to my apartment. I forgot my jersey. I'm like,
all right, so I have, like I actually have like
a decently long list of d doing shit like that.
So no, it's super hard.
Speaker 2 (16:01):
So how did she get her other shoe? She brought
two left shoes.
Speaker 3 (16:04):
I mean Nike letter Listen like Nike, you know they
hook it up. So we had like six seven, eight
nine pairs for the Olympics. So she just grabbed two
left ones and somebody had to go back to the
We were staying on a boat at that time. Somebody
had to go back to the boat the botel and
get her other shoe.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
That's so cool.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
Let's take a quick break. When we come back, we
will discuss the growth of women's sports, the WNBA playoffs, Yukon,
and some of Sue's favorite career moments. In your film
(16:47):
Super in the Clutch, you talked about how Cheryl Swoops
and Lisa Leslie and those players pioneered at the WNBA,
but how your generation was the generation.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
That made it more normal to have a path to
the the u NBA.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
Obviously, the w NBA league is different today than it
was when you were first drafted. So what do you
see as the biggest difference now then when you came
in so much?
Speaker 3 (17:11):
So much? I actually think a lot of this answer
lives in nil because, in my opinion, what the NIL
did or what NIL is doing is it allows all
these players who are making these huge names for themselves
because the college platform is so big, So you're making
(17:32):
these huge names for themselves, which is not different from myself,
Diana Kanas, Parker, Skyler, Diggen. I mean you can rattle
off a thousand names. We all were huge coming out
of college. We all have big names, big brands in
a sense. But now because they're getting like the brands
to attach to them, the money's bigger. There's a different notoriety.
(17:53):
And yes, Caitlin is obviously an angel to like in
this other stratosphere, which I'm sure Paige and you know,
would you just have announce her Nike deal They're going
to follow. But regardless, like all the athletes are now
building actual brands, and I think that's giving them just
this like societal acceptance. That's much different because when a
lot of us came into the WNBA, it was like
a little bit of a drop off. The coverage was
(18:15):
a drop off. This cool factor didn't really exist. You
were cool in college, but something happened when you went
to the WNBA. It's like, but I'm the same person.
My game's the same, So yeah, there was just like
something different. But now, and I do think this plays
a huge role. You've got these players building their platforms,
building like who they are as players but also as businesses,
(18:36):
and they're taking that with them into the pro game.
And what's happening is all these people, all these fans,
all these brands, decision makers are seeing that and now
they can invest in them early and also follow them
into the pro leagues. And I really think that has
been It's been so big for women's basketball because we
are one of the few sports where the college platform
(18:57):
is bigger or has been traditionally bigger than the pro platform.
So this has really been needed to bridge that. And
that's yeah, if I had to land somewhere, it's that
bridging of the gap between college and the WNBA. It
didn't exist for so many years, and now we're starting
to see it and the business is big.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
It's booman, absolutely, and you're one of those players that's
probably like transcended. And when people think of a WNBA
think of you, they think of Diana Tarazzi's the hitroll
suits and now that Caitlin Clarks. You spent nineteen seasons
obviously with the Seattle Storm. You won four championships. I
want to know which championship meant the most to you.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
Oh. I always say, you wouldn't ask a parent their
favorite kid. Lucky for you, I do kind of have
an answer. It doesn't you know. It's interesting this answer.
So I've said this before. The answer. Okay, so the
answer is twenty eighteen. But I have my reasons. And
it's funny because when I said this in my eight
hour long retirement speech, some of my former teammates from
(19:53):
like twenty ten, two thousand and four, they were kind
of mad at me. But the truth is the reason
why twenty eighteen is my my favorite is because I
was at a point in my career where I debated retirement.
I don't really talk about this, but I debated retirement
in twenty sixteen and seventeen. Like it was, it was,
it was getting closer. I knew it was, it was
(20:14):
on the horizon. And I had also in twenty sixteen
signed up for a rebuild. So I'm at a point
where I don't know how much longer I'm going to play,
and I'm also at a point where I have totally
resigned myself to helping the next generation of Storm players
carry on the legacy, and it's not about winning a
championship anymore. I really had accepted that. I was okay
(20:38):
with that, But then all of a sudden, twenty eighteen
comes and yet we had Stewey, we had Jewel that
was already in the works. AC is only getting better
and better. Right, I can go down the list. We
add Natasha Howard, So a team that was kind of
like we finished seventh eighty year before, we're kind of like, okay,
now the sudden we plug her in and things just change.
(20:58):
And now we finished first, right, Like we're probably picked
to finish seventh or eight, who knows we finished. We're
in the top of the standings. We're smelling championship, and
I just people a lot of times will say like, oh,
make sure you enjoy the moment, like live in the now.
That can be hard to do that year, especially in
our playoff run. I was so present and so in
the moment because I knew this was so unexpected and
(21:20):
I was just so thankful for it. So then to
actually win it. So that's why it's my favorite.
Speaker 1 (21:25):
I love the twenty ten run. Those clutches and go ahead,
I feel like that was like my CTV like you
were in your bag in twenty ten, well, your whole career,
you were in your bag with twenty ten was like
one of my favorite runs to watch. You kind of
handed the keys over to Jewel. And now you're in ownership,
how have you been able to just advise and guide her?
(21:46):
Because we know the Seattle Storm team is a team
that's synonymous with winning when people think of Seattle basketball, Yes,
you think of the SuperSonics, but no, it's the Seattle
Storms town when it comes to basketball. So what have
you been able to just kind of part to Jewel
as she looks to, you know, continue that winning culture
in Seattle.
Speaker 3 (22:05):
Yeah, I mean to be honest, you know, since I've
retired and even now in the ownership group, I'm around,
I go to games. Obviously people see that and I
try to be present in that way. But at the
same time, like it was more so when I played
with Jewel, you know, and I'm seeing her every day
and you just try to like help somebody like you, like,
I'm not gonna sit Jewel down and be like, yo,
this is actually the way you should shoot your pull
(22:27):
up or you know, this is Actually it was more
just like mindset stuff, being a leader, like what it
means to represent and carry a franchise right, not just
to championships, but like every day, and how to embody
that and how to get other people like your teammates
involved in that way and feel ownership within that. So
it's more so conversations like that. And to be honest,
(22:48):
in twenty twenty three, to see Jewel step in to
this leadership role, to see her be more vocal, to
see her, you know, again take ownership of the team,
that really made me proud. And again it's not I
don't take any credit whatsoever, because like I said, we
were just teammates having conversations here and there, But it
really did make me proud to see her come out
(23:08):
of her show in that way, to see her take
on that role. You saw it again this year. This
year obviously was a little bit different because now you've
added Skyler Diggins and Echo Gumake, so it's obviously a
little different. But it was really cool for me to
watch Jool come out of her shelf. So that's been fun.
Speaker 1 (23:24):
You've played against countless talented players, and we know this year,
especially how rivalries are the main storyline of the w
I'm curious who pushed you to step up your game
and your playing career, or a player that you went
up against night in a the night out that just
made you just get in your bag a little bit more.
Speaker 3 (23:39):
Diane's definitely up there, you know. When I think of
really my whole career, so many times it was our
two teams that had to play against each other. Not
every playoff run had that aspect to it, but a
decent amount of them. Sometimes you know, I was on
the winning side, sometimes I was on the losing side,
and you always take something from that. So definitely Diana.
(24:01):
Early in my career, Jen Azy was someone like I'm
catching Yeah, I'm catching Jen like at the tail end
of her career. But that was somebody that I look
up to when I was a little kid, like fourteen fifteen.
That was my c at B a moment. I obviously
wanted to have a career just like her, you know,
like won national championships in college, had success at the
pro level ABLWNBA, but one Olympic gold medals, and that
(24:25):
was like somebody I was like, oh my gosh, I
could have a career like that. And then when I
finally got to play against her. You know, sometimes some
people just have your number. She would just always block
my shot. And I'm not like, you know, like I'm
should pull up some threes. It's not like I'm in
there doing any wild stuff. She had my pull up time,
she would always block my shot. So I feel like
that experience clearly I held onto it. But that's also,
(24:47):
to be honest, why I take pride when I look
back on my career because I know there's going to
be somebody that's like, oh, if I can win, you know,
this amount of gold medals, if I can win this
amount of WNBA championships, like that's kind of what I
want to aspire to be.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
I don't know if you know this too, but I'm
from Harlem and I know that you're a fellow New Yorker.
So growing up in New York, I feel like women's
basketball like it wasn't something abnormal for me to see
growing up because obviously, like women like you, Tina Charles,
the epiphany princes, you know, like you guys really like
let the game speak for itself. And I feel like
New York they have it has like a lineage of
(25:21):
elite point guards. I want to know, in your opinion,
what makes New York Guards stand out from the rest
of the world.
Speaker 3 (25:28):
Oh, easy, easy, I think. I think what I'm about
to say shows up in like a variety of ways.
But it's there's there's like a grit, there's a mental toughness.
For some it means maybe like they're more physical. For some,
it means they're gonna hit game winning shots. For others,
you know, it means they can talk shit, talk trash
throughout the whole game and still not have an impact
on them get the better of you. I think it
just shows up in so many different ways. But that's
(25:50):
definitely why New York City guards are are elite. You
kind of have to. It's like the city that you're
playing in what felt like was always on the line.
When I think back to my my high school days,
even my AAU days, it was like there was always
something on the line and you had to represent in
a different way. And I think it gave all of
us this mental toughness, like we knew we were representing
something else, not just ourselves.
Speaker 1 (26:11):
As you look at the next generation of guards, obviously
Caitlin Clark is at the top of that she won
Rookie of the Year, and I know that you've talked
about her in some of your predictions, that you said, oh,
she's gonna be a Rookie of the Year. What stands
out to you about her game specifically?
Speaker 3 (26:26):
I mean, I think it starts and ends with the
range in which she shoots it. Obviously, it's not to
take away from her passing her ability to drive. I
think she's a lot stronger and a lot faster than
people were giving her credit for. That's actually something I noticed.
I went to go see one of her games in Iowa.
I was shooting Sue's places and she was in one
of the episodes, and I was able to go catch
one of her games. It wasn't like a Marquee game,
(26:48):
but it was the first time I saw her up
close in personal. I was sitting courtside, and immediately I
was like, Oh, she's strong, she's fast as shit, and
her handle was a lot tighter than I think you
could understand watching on t But with all that said,
it's still her range. The fact that you have to
guard her that far out, the fact that you know
she's efficient from that range. So it's not just the
(27:09):
range it's the fact that she could shoot it off
the dribble. This is what opens everything up for her.
This is what allows her to utilize her speed and
get by you, because what happens then people have to
come and then she can find you. There's also another
aspect of her game, like in terms of IQ and
her pick and roll reads. That's elite. But I still
think the threat of that long range three, the logo three,
(27:31):
if you want to call it that, it opens up
and allows her to showcase all the other parts of
her game.
Speaker 1 (27:38):
You're one of the best passes that ever played the game,
and I feel like as the game evolves sometimes it
kind of looks like the art of post entry passes
is kind of progressing.
Speaker 2 (27:50):
What's the secret, sauce behind being a good passer? I mean,
no shame, no shape, no shape, But like.
Speaker 1 (28:00):
You're one of the best to do it, so I figure,
why not ask you the secret to it?
Speaker 3 (28:04):
I don't even know if there is a secret. I
mean some of it was like I played with great
post players, so I had to learn how to do
that shit, like for real. Some of it was that
I think there's you know, there's there's like a whole
recipe to it right, Like, some of it is not
like unselfishness. We have to put yourself to the side,
but you do have to be willing. I think some
of it's court vision. There's another part that's angles. You know,
how are you creating the angle? Like to me, like
(28:24):
a Courtney vanderslute, she always creates angles like off the dribble.
She finds ways I didn't really do it that way.
I did it in other ways. So there's there's all
different kind of ways to get this recipe going. I
do think some of it is just a willingness and
then using your experience as you go to like learn
and read the defense. And then you have to have
(28:45):
like an anticipation. That to me is like the biggest
the biggest key. When you watch players who as they're
watching plays unfold, they can kind of it feels like
they're almost predicting. They're really just anticipating based on experiences
they've already had and they're able to tap into that.
Some of that comes from watching a lot of film.
Some of that is literally just going out there and
(29:05):
doing it and learning from mistakes.
Speaker 1 (29:07):
Absolutely, Sue before you get out of here, I want
to know because I've seen you courtside at some of
the New York Liberty games taking in all of the
playoffs in your former teammate Yukon Sistern Brianna Stewart has
led the Liberty to the WNBA Finals. When this comes out,
obviously we'll know who the Liberty will be up against.
But what are your thoughts about the playoffs this year
(29:29):
and what's exciting you the most about the postseason?
Speaker 3 (29:31):
The playoffs have been great. The only thing that we're
all seeing, and this has been ongoing for forever, is
trying to figure out this first round. In my first
my early early days, the top seed went on the
road for one game, then played the next two at home.
I have to be honest, I lost in that scenario.
I didn't love. That definitely puts the pressure on you know.
(29:52):
Then we went to single nation. Now we're back to
three games with a two to one format, But obviously
some teams don't get a home game, so there's there's
still I feel like this playoff show that still needs
to be worked out. Once expansion team comes in there,
comes in there, we'll see, we'll see how that changes things.
That's the only negative. Everything else has been amazing. I
think we're seeing excellent play. We're seeing in real time
(30:14):
like adjustments from game to game, different teams doing different things.
It becomes a chess match, which I love. Obviously, the
viewership and tendance speaks for itself. And then, last but
not least, we're having, you know, big time players show
up and make big time plays or have big time games.
I think Sabrina is an excellent example of that, you know,
especially having like a not so great game three. She responded,
(30:36):
and like, that's what you want to see in the playoffs, right,
you want to see what players are made of. That's
why I love the playoffs. You really get to see.
As a player, you got to know what you were
made of as a fan. Now as a spectator, I
get to see what all these what all these younger
players are made of, and you really can only know
in the playoffs, and it's really been fun for me.
Speaker 1 (30:54):
Speaking of big moments and big games, Page Beckers led
Yukon last year to the final four. She's turned back
to Yukon with the goal of wanting to win a championship.
Speaker 2 (31:05):
Blue Blood to blue Blood.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
When it comes to Page, what advice would you give
her as she enters, you know, her final year at Yukon.
We know how much Yukon has been a winning program.
Obviously you played there and led them to two Nashville Championships.
But what advice would you give Page beckerds Man.
Speaker 3 (31:22):
I'm not sure there is much advice to give, you know.
I think Page, she's now been in college for quite
a while, so she knows, she knows what it is,
you know. At this point, my only advice to her
would be to trust her work, trust her preparation. I
do think that Yukon it can be really hard, and
I didn't have to deal with this. You're also playing
(31:45):
for history, and sometimes that history, right like the winning
history that is the University of Kannic, can can can
be like a mental little bit of a mental hindrance.
It can really get in your head, it can play
with you. So for Paige, I would just try to, yeah,
maybe have her continue to stay focused on this one
year and emphasize that what happened before in Yukon history
(32:06):
has nothing to do. Both good and bad has nothing
to do. And you get to write your own story.
You get to write your own history, and just to
kind of take advantage of that moment, but she knows,
she knows this is nothing new.
Speaker 1 (32:18):
I'm looking forward to see what Page and the Yukon
Huskies do this next season. Thank you so much Sue
for joining us this week on In Case you missed
It with Christina Williams.
Speaker 3 (32:29):
Oh my pleasure. Thanks for having me For.
Speaker 1 (32:31):
More about Sue, make sure you check out a touch
more of the podcast weekly on YouTube, Apple, Spotify, and
of course the iHeartRadio app coming up after the break.
We have the Things that I Love this week more
case you missed it with Christina Williams. When we return,
(33:04):
welcome back to you and case you missed it with
Christina Williams, and you already know what time it is.
It's time for the things that I loved this week
all weekend, I guess. On Sunday, I was able to
go to my very first Gothup FC game. Whe everyone
watches Women's Sports Night. It was super festive, celebrating, you know,
(33:24):
the growth of women's sports. I was able to meet
one of the co owners and also shout out is
superb because she is also a co owner for Gotham FC.
I think at the seventy minute mark of the match.
Gotham FC just really turned it up. They scored four
goals from the seventieth minim mark to the ninety and
you know, I just have never been so excited for
(33:46):
a soccer match than attending that game. So it was
really good vibes and I'm happy that they won. They
clinched home field advantage for the playoffs. I would like
to think that I'm a little bit of good luck,
but shout out to them. Another thing that I loved
this week was on Monday, I was able to attend
a live recording of All the Smoke. Shout out to
(34:09):
Matt Barnes and Stack, my big bros in this industry.
They had Larry Johnson, former Knicks player, NBA legend as
a guest. It was good laughs, good vibes all around
at grever Se. My friends and I went to the
show and it was just great to see podcasting in
like a different form. So I thoroughly enjoyed my night.
(34:31):
And that's gonna do it for the things that I
love this week. Also, of course, I'm gonna love the
playoffs when the finals start tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (34:40):
But that's gonna do it.
Speaker 1 (34:41):
For this episode of In Case you miss It, with
Christina Williams. Please don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe
to the podcast, and coming up this week, we got
my girl lage A Johnson coming through to the show. Also,
please don't forget to look in the description box, follow
us on all social medias, and also click the link
(35:04):
to a Touch More with Sue Bird and Meghan Rappino
the podcast series where you can find it weekly on YouTube, Apple, Spotify,
and of course.
Speaker 2 (35:13):
The iHeart app. Peace Out.
Speaker 1 (35:18):
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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