September 4, 2025 • 48 mins
On this episode of Levels to This, Sheryl Swoopes and Terrika Foster-Brasby go deep on one of the most heated debates of the WNBA season: the MVP race. What does it really MEAN to be the MVP these days? Sheryl brings the perspective of a three-time MVP, breaking down what the award really means, while Terrika pulls back the curtain on the voting process and what criteria should matter most. One thing’s clear: this MVP race is shaping up to be one of the toughest—and most exciting—in league history.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Levels to.
Speaker 2 (00:00):
This 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.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
Hey, everybody, what's going on. It's your girl, Trerika Foster Brass.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
What's up y'all? Its Shagirl Cheryl Boobs.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Hey, And this is the levels to this podcast. This
is the show where we talk about all of the
levels of the ship that women go through. And we
are truly going to have a fun and controversial show
today because not us, we're gonna be I mean, we
not controversial with me.
Speaker 4 (00:42):
Well maybe, I guess it depends on who you ask.
Oh excuse me. I just had to sneeze in the
middle of my intro.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
That's that's how you know this is a real ass show,
because don't edit that out.
Speaker 4 (00:55):
Just y'all better say bless me when y'all listen to
this show.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
I said, God's blessure U s fordid, thank you, thank
you very much, You're welcome.
Speaker 4 (01:04):
I love you.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
It was it was a cute snaecee too.
Speaker 4 (01:07):
I was trying to talk through it.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
I didn't know my sages are like, oh.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
I got a lot of because I was aware, I
knew what was happening, and I was trying to stop it.
Like it's very different catch me five drinks in that
sneeze would have rocked this whole neighborhood. But that has said,
we are very excited about everything that has been going
on around women's basketball, around sports, but we also have
(01:38):
got to remember that there are things happening in the
world outside of the realm of sports, and so I
would be remiss to not begin the show just sending
my thoughts and prayers out to the families that were
affected by the mass shooting that took place in Minneapolis. Like,
we are just in a place of people being sickening
(02:00):
and doing sickening things, and it's a very troubling place
because I fear that most people are becoming so numb
to these tragedies that it doesn't feel tragic anymore, that
it just feels like it's another day in the news cycle.
And I hope that our listeners are not those kinds
of people, and that they truly see and understand the
(02:22):
heartbreak that these families are going through. So I know
sure all this affected you, but I just could not
start the show without sending some love and sending our
thoughts and prayers to those families.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
Yeah, I don't have a whole lot to add, because
you know, I cry at the drop of a dime
even when things aren't sad. But in this instance, you know,
and we talked about it, I just like it could
be any of us. And to your point, this happens
way too often, and I do feel like we've become
numb to it.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
And I think for me, one.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Of the first thoughts I had was being a new
grandma now right, like what happens when my grandson starts
going to school? And you know, t It's just like
your life can change in the blink of an eye
in any second. And I just want to echo what
you said to all the families who lost their kids
(03:20):
and anyone.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Who was involved in the shooting.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
I just want to send condolences and thoughts and prayers,
and we just we got to be better. We have
to be better. Just such a tragic, tragic, tragic.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
Absolutely, we do have to be better. And just for
my folks that are out there that are over the
age of eighteen, I'm going to just take this as
an opportunity to say, please.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
Register to vote.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
Lawmakers need to be held accountable for some of the
things that are happening as it relates to policy regarding
gun violence.
Speaker 4 (03:58):
Gun you see all that good stuff. Listen.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
I'm licensed to Carrie, So I am not that person
that's out here saying it's not.
Speaker 4 (04:06):
Your Second Amendment right to own a gun.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
Listen, do what you do, what you feel it is
best for you and your family. And I'm gonna leave
it there. So please just register to vote. So there's
my political moment for the day. But other than that, Cheryl,
how was your week good?
Speaker 1 (04:23):
I think, okay, look lookt so, No, it was great.
Actually it was great. It was great. I was like,
oh it was it good? It was great.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
And I'm saying it was great because I mean, I
didn't do a whole lot, but I was, you know,
at home. And so anytime I'm at home, I love
being at home. But I do want to say something.
Can you see this picture right here behind me, the
women with me Jordan? Yeah, So it just so reminds
(04:53):
me of my grandson because I got to spend some
time with him. And I told Jordan, I said, I'm
gonna redo this photo with.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
Me not in my comments uniform because I can't fit it.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
But me in a jersey, maybe my Hall of Fame jersey,
holding my grandson. I just think they would something, Tee.
He has just I'm so in love. I'm so in love.
Speaker 4 (05:19):
That I love that.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
It's a whole like renewed sense of love and protection
and all the things when you're a grandma.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
So I heard, yeah, you know what, I do love.
And I've heard this too because my mom did. Okay,
so two things. I'm trying not to be my mom
with my grandson, right because my mom with Jordan was
just do this, do that, don't hold him like this,
don't care like all those things, And so I find
(05:48):
myself being that person. And then I'm like, Okay, don't
do it, don't do it, don't do it. But there's
a part of me that's like, but they don't know.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
I do know, let me do it. And the other thing.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
Is, so you asked me how it was my week,
and I said good, but then it was great. So
those of you who can't see, I just went and said,
I'm done.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
It's over. No hair, it's all gone, Tea.
Speaker 4 (06:19):
It was so.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Freeing for me to just go and cut like it's
all gone. But I'll tell you the best part about it.
Those damn hot flashes that I get all throughout the
day and night, and they just come whenever.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
And when I have all that damn hair on my head,
it just makes it ten times worse.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
And now when I get the hot flashes, they're still bad,
but at least I'm cool from my head and I
just love it.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
Yes, I just love I.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
And the air feels so your skin and on your hair,
it feels so different. You had the common sense to
do your cut your chop in like August when I
did my big chop both times, I did mine in December.
Speaker 4 (07:15):
Now, what the fuck? What's wrong with me? I cold
ass Connecticut?
Speaker 3 (07:21):
It is two degrees outside while I'm walking around Ballhead.
Speaker 4 (07:24):
What is wrong with me?
Speaker 1 (07:26):
You need hair in December?
Speaker 3 (07:28):
You do?
Speaker 4 (07:29):
I was like, Lord, I had I did not think
this through this.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
This expression of freedom comes with gloves, scarf and a
whole hoodie because this is crazy.
Speaker 4 (07:40):
But no, I'm super proud of you.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Don't make me cry.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
I am proud of you, Cheryl, because it is not
easy to hear a diagnosis and then kind of just
accept it graciously, right, like you sit in it for
a minute, you think about it, and you are vulnerable
because we're women and it's hair.
Speaker 4 (08:00):
But you didn't let that like get you down.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
You were like, you know what, I'm about to rock
this short hairstyle.
Speaker 4 (08:07):
And then you went from I'm gonna rock this.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
Short hairstyle to fuck it, I'm gonna just cut it off.
Like that takes a level of strength to be that vulnerable,
but to be you in it, and so don't take
that for granted, like be proud of you.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
I want you to can I tell you it wasn't
that easy.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
Because at first I was just like, no, I'm going
to continue to wear my wigs, so I want to
wear them and do what I want to do with him.
And then I was like, no, it's hot. I'm gonna
cut it, Obedia, but I'll tell you what made me
do it, and now I love it.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
My husband.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
My husband said this looks so good on you, and
I love it on you, and I said thank you.
And now I don't really give it what everybody else
fix period.
Speaker 3 (09:01):
That's like that support system is so it's so huge. Yeah,
Like there are people who will say all the time
I understand what you're going through. Blah blah blah blah,
but says, I truly understand you do what you're going through.
Speaker 4 (09:13):
I know you do. You're gonna be all right.
Speaker 3 (09:16):
At some point in time. You go see some here
and you gonna be like, okay, let me throw this
on real quick about my faces.
Speaker 4 (09:23):
You're gonna throw some air be like how what is?
I gonna be all right?
Speaker 1 (09:28):
But you just have to remind my husband of that.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
I said, baby, Now, you do know when I when
I find a wig, I found a girl that I'm like,
oh yeah, let me rock that for a minute.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
That's gonna happen.
Speaker 4 (09:39):
That's gonna happen. It's gonna happen.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
And you will figure out the best way to wear
them now that don't necessarily like pull the traction on
your edges and things like that.
Speaker 4 (09:48):
You will figure all that out, trust me.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
But girl, hmm, I have my moments where I'm ball
head for two months and then bam, we're back looking
like Jessica Rabbit.
Speaker 4 (09:56):
It is what it is. And you right thread think
I'm gonna have this red for a little bit because
do you know, you know Casey out in Seattle.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
Yes, Green Casey, Casey, Yes see how you said that
Green Casey.
Speaker 3 (10:10):
Everybody know Casey with her lime green here and it
looks so great on there. I'm starting to get a
reputation for this red hair. And now if this hair
becomes a part of my brand, y'all just finna be
sick of it, because I'm gonna have it what it is.
Speaker 4 (10:24):
But okay, so here's the thing.
Speaker 3 (10:27):
Coming into today, we thought very long and haired about
what we were going to discuss and what we were
going to talk about on today's show, and as we
are continuing to make our way through the WNBA season,
it felt like this was a great opportunity to chat
with an MVP about B MVB. So today on today's show,
(10:49):
we're gonna have an MVP discussion, but maybe not the.
Speaker 4 (10:52):
MVP discussion that you think.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
But what you need to do is stick around because
we gonna get ready to take this thing to the
next level. The way that the fans and those who
(11:18):
follow the WNBA have really gotten themselves in a pickle
with this MVP race has been wild to watch over
the last couple of weeks.
Speaker 4 (11:28):
At first, it was like, okay, all right, sure, put
her in the conversation.
Speaker 3 (11:34):
Sure, let's talk about but like now, now, now, it's
some real challenging conversations that are being had and not
being had about the MVP race because Queen Fee is
not sitting at the top by a large margin anymore.
Speaker 4 (11:49):
She got some true, real competition.
Speaker 3 (11:52):
Asia Wilson is Crackingheigs, Alyssa Thomas is cracking Higgs. We're
gonna round it out and add out Shagray because she
has been in the conversation as well, and recently being
mentioned in the conversation has been our girl, Kelsey Mitchell
up in Indiana. So this thing has started to kind
of take shape. As they're about nine, maybe ten less
(12:15):
than that games left in the regular season, depending on
which team you are. This thing is winding down essentially
what we're saying, and some decisions are gonna have to
be made very soon.
Speaker 4 (12:26):
But Cheryl, you are a three time MVP.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
And being.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
Because because I need y'all to know, my girl won
that thay not once, not twice, but three times, okay,
three times, So y'all got to make sure y'all put
some respects on my dog.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
You'll hear me, Okay, you just got to remind them
some time, since.
Speaker 4 (12:57):
You gotta you gotta tell the people like it is
what it is.
Speaker 3 (13:00):
It's okay, but that means that you know better than most,
better than a whole lot of most of not only
what it takes to.
Speaker 4 (13:07):
Be MVP, but what it means to be MVP.
Speaker 3 (13:10):
And so when you think about that award, given that
you got them trophies and things sitting up on you,
oh your mantle is what does MVP mean to you?
Speaker 2 (13:21):
It means like you were that bh. It means you
were that girl during that season.
Speaker 4 (13:27):
Yeah yeah, Now.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
For real, here's the thing for me when I won.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
My MVPs, like I knew I was gonna win them,
the years that I won because I knew that I
was the best player on the.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
Court game in and game out.
Speaker 2 (13:50):
And here's what's a little not really hard, but here's
what's a little.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
Hard for me.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
So the years that I won MVP to like we
were winning, like our teams we were really really.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
Really good.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
Okay, because I know a lot of people look at
the MVP race and they're like, yeah, she's playing well,
she's having a good season, but her team's not doing
very well. And there's a debate about this all the time,
and my thing is, it's MVP Most Valuable Player, not
(14:26):
MVT most Valuable Team. Right, So, with this MVP race
that's going on right now, I feel like people all
of a sudden are just like, oh, well, let's throw
her in, and let's throw her in and let's throw
her in. And it's not to take anything away from
(14:49):
some of the players, because I do feel like they're
having hell of a seasons, right Yeah, I couldn't tell
you right now if I did vote. Let me be
very clear to the people out there, I do not
have a vote in anything.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
But if I had a vote, I couldn't tell you.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
Who I would vote for right now because as individual players,
I think Fee is playing really well, Asia's playing really well,
AT's playing really well, Kelsey Mitchell has been playing really well,
and to your point, Ali Shah Grey's playing really well.
Speaker 1 (15:30):
Here's what I would tell you.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
If I'm voting and I'm going off of consistency from
the beginning of the season to where we are now,
without question, my vote's going to At without question. If
I'm going off of like recency bias, right.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
My vote's going to Asia Wilson.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
But I also could say this about Asia because I
I felt like Asia was playing well from the very beginning, but.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
The Aces were awful.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
But the Aces were not playing well at all and
they were losing, so people forgot that Asia Wilson has
always been that girl. Like Asia was still putting up
the numbers. The Aces just weren't playing well right. So
to me, that's where everybody's like, oh, no, Fee has
it locked. And I ain't gonna argue with that because
(16:30):
Fee has been playing her ass off from day one.
Here's the thing that drives me crazy because it's on
the NBA side. I think there needs to be a
certain amount of either games that you have to play
or a number of games that, like, you can't miss
more than five games to be considered in the MVP race.
(16:53):
I don't know what the number is, but I think
that if you put something in like that, that changes
the conversation. Right, Kelsey Mitchell, to me, could have been
in an MVP race last year. I'm just saying this
isn't to me, this isn't the first year that Kelsey
Mitchell could have been in the MVP race. I think
(17:15):
people are paying more attention to what she's doing right
now because Caitlin's not playing. But Kelsey Mitchell has always
been that girl, right Alicia Gray always she could have
been could have been an MVP conversation. So to me,
this has been the toughest year.
Speaker 1 (17:39):
To determine who the MVP is going to be.
Speaker 2 (17:43):
Personally, I would love, love, love to see at walk
Away with an MVP award. I think she deserves it.
Speaker 3 (17:52):
I don't disagree with ninety eight percent of what she did.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
Dang what two percent you disagree with it? Now? Damn?
I wanted under.
Speaker 4 (18:05):
Okay, I won one hundred percent.
Speaker 3 (18:06):
Agree about the possibility of needing a distinction on how
many games you can have or how many games you
can't whatever, I'm with that. My two percent where I
disagree is that for this year, I don't think that matters,
Like I don't think that would have mattered in this year.
(18:26):
So I know that at miss five games. I know
Asia miss four games and Fee miss ten games, right.
Speaker 4 (18:33):
But I'm also thinking, like, it's not like.
Speaker 3 (18:36):
Fees numbers are skewed because she missed ten games.
Speaker 4 (18:40):
And what I mean by that for listeners who may
not understand.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
If somebody played one game and they shot nine of ten.
Then here yo stat say, oh, this person is shooting
ninety nine percent from the field. No, she played one game,
so of course our numbers look different because she played
one game and.
Speaker 4 (18:58):
Everybody else played fifty.
Speaker 3 (19:00):
What I'm saying is just because Fee played ten less
games or six less games than Asia, or five less
games than at her numbers are not skewed because those
six or five.
Speaker 4 (19:13):
Games were missed.
Speaker 3 (19:13):
I agree with that, like they're legit, like she is
where she is, and so that is why I say
this particular year, I don't think it wouldn't matter if
there was a game requirement or not a game requirement,
because I don't think the game she miss made a
difference in her performance. She's been balling all year. So
that's that's for this year. But overall, yes, I do
(19:35):
think at some point the league needs to implement a
you can't miss more than such and such many games,
and not just for MVP, but for like award categories
in jail because.
Speaker 1 (19:46):
First Teamba agree Rooky at.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
A year all of that, like all those there needs
to be more parameters around what's what qualifies for what.
But here's the other thing that you mentioned. So of
the other part of my two percent because I agree
that MVP is most Valuable Player. It is an individual
award and that is just what you need to look at.
(20:14):
But there are a lot of voters who will look
at your team record and say, if you are not
able to help your team get wins, then why are
we thinking that you are the most valuable person across
the league? And I have an issue with that because
(20:36):
I don't think wins and losses are on the back
of one person. Wins and losses take a team effort.
You ain't passing the ball to yourself, you know what
I'm saying. You need at least two other people on
the squad to help you out. And so I don't
think that it's fair, but I recognize that traditionally, it's
(20:58):
how people have been voting since I know how folks
have been voting. You could be dropping having a fifty
forty ninety year and if you're playing on the Connecticut
Sun right now, they gonna ignore your ass because you're
ten and twenty eight.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
Okay, that's crazy, and that's where it is. So that's
that's kind of where I am. Well, listen, I'm gonna
say this. I can say you can't because you're you vote.
Speaker 4 (21:24):
I'm a voter, and I am not disclosing, just so
everybody knows.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
I'm not gonna think you gonna listen to the show
and be like Altria's gonna tell me what you know.
You will find out at the end of the season
when I release my ballot like everybody else.
Speaker 2 (21:39):
Okay, okay, Sis, So I'm not a voter, so I
can say it.
Speaker 4 (21:45):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
First of all, people in the media space.
Speaker 2 (21:50):
That have votes, they have their favorites, period, and so
I don't care if you you are somebody's favorite and
you missed twenty games. If you are their favorite and
you're putting up good numbers, they're gonna vote for you.
So don't don't tell me you're not voting on a
(22:12):
player because of their team record. I want to go
back to what was it Asia's second MVP when she
got a fourth place vote.
Speaker 3 (22:24):
Oh no, that was twenty three. Yeah, but she didn't
win MVP that year.
Speaker 1 (22:30):
You're one hundred percent correct she didn't win.
Speaker 2 (22:33):
But my pin point, the Aces had a great record
and Asia played really well. So whoever this person was
is that gave Asia Wilson a fourth place vote? To me,
that was personal. Yeah, that had nothing to do with
(22:53):
Asia's performance. The Aces performance.
Speaker 1 (22:57):
That was personal.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
Either you just don't like you didn't like South Carolina,
you don't like the Aces.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
I don't know what the reason was, but it was
it made zero sense. Three. Here's what I want to say.
Speaker 2 (23:11):
And I said it last year, and I don't know
what else is gonna take. Do you know how many people,
men and women have played this game and have never, ever,
ever in their career had a triple double?
Speaker 4 (23:27):
U huh?
Speaker 1 (23:28):
And yet here we are witnessing a player.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
Pretty much game in and game out, that does it
with ease, and she hasn't won MVP yet. And for
those who are wondering who I'm talking about, if you
watch the Woo the game, you should know.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
But I'm gonna say it.
Speaker 3 (23:49):
Alissa Thomas, just the woman has seven triple doubles this season.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
She makes it look so easy.
Speaker 4 (23:59):
Seasy, she makes it looks effortless.
Speaker 3 (24:01):
She's nearly averaging She's averaging sixteen y nine.
Speaker 4 (24:05):
She also Russell Westbrook. Shit, you remember when Russell Westbrook was.
Speaker 3 (24:09):
Averaging a triple double out in Okay? See that's what
she own right now. Like it's insane. It is insane,
And she was doing the same thing in twenty twenty
three when she actually received majority of the first place
votes and still lost.
Speaker 4 (24:29):
Don't piss me off.
Speaker 2 (24:32):
So my question to you, as a voter, I'm not
asking you to tell me or anybody who you voted for,
because it doesn't really matter.
Speaker 1 (24:39):
But as a voter, what more does she need to do?
Speaker 4 (24:46):
I wish that I.
Speaker 2 (24:49):
I'm sorry, and let's not talk about Let's not talk
about the record. Let's not talk about the record because
Phoenix is playing pretty well.
Speaker 3 (24:57):
Phoenix is playing well. She accounts for forty percent of
the triple doubles in the league in league history. There
have been fifty five triple doubles in league history, fifty
six last because if you count Jackie Young just got one,
so there's been fifty fifty six and Alyssa Thomas accounts
(25:18):
for twenty two of them.
Speaker 4 (25:21):
This league is almost thirty years old.
Speaker 3 (25:24):
She counts for forty percent of the triple doubles that
we have on the record books. That's insane. And I
said this before because I need people to understand how
truly difficult it he is to get a triple double
in the WNBA unlike the NBA, the WNBA plays forty minutes,
not forty eight. That typically means that the stat totals
(25:48):
are a little lower in the w NBA than in
the NBA because it's less time and she's still doing
this type of shit. It's crazy, and I don't understand.
There are so many other things. People don't like the
way she plays. They don't like that she's physical, They
think that she's aggressive, blah blah blah blah blah, And
(26:11):
I'm just like, all of that is trash.
Speaker 4 (26:13):
If you take her up off of Phoenix, they are
not where.
Speaker 3 (26:15):
They are right now at all, at all.
Speaker 4 (26:18):
They're not where they are.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
Can we also acknowledge the fact that she's doing this
ship with two torn labors, with.
Speaker 3 (26:28):
Two torn resist They ain't had a three Can you
imagine if she has, if she still had that three
point shot that she had in Maryland.
Speaker 4 (26:35):
There's no way, y'all.
Speaker 1 (26:36):
I'm sorry because I ain't know I was gonna get
this heated, But.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
Put some respect on Alissa Thomas's name.
Speaker 4 (26:46):
Absolutely other thing.
Speaker 2 (26:47):
She also defends one through five. Will you ask her
to guard? She's gonna guard the one, the two, the three,
the four and the five. Understandsmall defending the five and.
Speaker 4 (27:04):
Will play the five. I'll do it in Connecticut.
Speaker 3 (27:08):
I've seen this girl beat a how I've seen Alyssa
Beata Sinner backing up JJ, backing up.
Speaker 4 (27:16):
Asia Like what A say her? She will play one through.
Speaker 1 (27:21):
Five t She's doing that with Phoenix.
Speaker 2 (27:24):
Phoenix has one big that really plays right, that really
plays Natasha mack right.
Speaker 1 (27:32):
They have coloniey Brown.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
But Colonie Brown brown that much, she doesn't play that
much at will go and defend. Eighteen is defending Asia Wilson.
Eighteen's defending John Quell Jones.
Speaker 4 (27:46):
And she's leading the league in assists and she's a forward.
She's a forward leading the league in assists.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
Yeah, just just just so weet, we're clear.
Speaker 2 (27:58):
She is fifteenth, fifteenth and scoring six in steals, third,
in rebounds first, and assists.
Speaker 4 (28:08):
The numbers are where they are. It's so it's crazy.
Speaker 3 (28:11):
To me because I will always make a case for
Alissa Thomas. It will always be someone who deserves the
respects that she gets.
Speaker 4 (28:18):
So ain't gonna never be no argument with me.
Speaker 3 (28:21):
And when it comes to her being in an MVP conversation, right,
and then I always understand the case of Asia. You
mentioned it earlier. Asia Wilson been doing this since the
beginning of the seasons. This ain't no, Yes, this ain't new,
but absolutely yes, her team ain't do her no favors
right because no, they didn't play to help their MVP
(28:43):
be recognized in the way that they should have been.
But they are currently on a winds streak that would
not happen without twenty two.
Speaker 4 (28:51):
It just would not exist without twenty two.
Speaker 3 (28:54):
This woman helped her team go from eight to two
and the second team to clinch a playoff position. Like
there is absolutely no way you can deny the greatness
of Asia Wilson. You cannot deny it, and anybody that's
willing to do otherwise is ridiculous. You cannot deny it.
Just dropped another thirty and ten last week, like what
(29:17):
and now they got a week off and I don't know.
Speaker 4 (29:20):
Sometimes that can be a good thing or a bad thing.
Speaker 3 (29:22):
It could be a good thing going into the playoffs
or headed into the last week of the season and
you get time to rest your body, But it also
could be this momentum that you got, you're putting a
pause on it, and you might not want to do
that right now, right, So let's hope and pray and
see which side of the coin this flips to. But
either way it goes, the Aces are not where they
(29:43):
are without Asia Wilson, and she has the numbers to
back it up, and she's been doing it all season long,
but her team didn't help her out, and now her
team is helping her out.
Speaker 4 (29:55):
And you see the difference.
Speaker 2 (29:56):
Listen the beginning of the season, I'll say ten games
into the season, because I was one of them, we
were having conversations or hearing people talk about, damn, the
Aces might not even make the playoffs this season. So
to your point, they went from possibly just the way
(30:16):
things look. They went from not being in the playoffs
almost to sitting in second place right now, behind.
Speaker 1 (30:26):
The one and only Asia Wilson.
Speaker 2 (30:32):
Yes, again, put some respect on Asia Wilson's name, period two.
Speaker 1 (30:39):
Gotcha, got you?
Speaker 3 (30:40):
And then when I go to Minnesota, yes famous ten games.
Speaker 4 (30:46):
You know what she did when she came back two points.
Speaker 1 (30:52):
First game back from injury. Who dies back? Fee?
Speaker 3 (30:58):
You ain't want to ease into it, you said, I.
Speaker 4 (31:04):
Wish y'all would y'all would forget about me?
Speaker 3 (31:07):
Huh, yeah, right, And I would say this continues to
show because then to the point that you made earlier
before I make this point, the point that you made
earlier when you won MVP, your team was really good.
And what they're now saying with folks and those who
are criticizing the case for no FISA are saying, well,
how is she really MVP when she was absent for
(31:28):
those ten games, her team still won. Your team is
supposed to still win, like you are supposed to still win?
Speaker 4 (31:36):
Like what do you mean this is the w NBA.
You ain't supposed to drop ten games because your stars out.
You're supposed to still win.
Speaker 1 (31:43):
Like they're all prosy, they're all.
Speaker 3 (31:45):
Prosa mente like that, that, to me is a very
invalid argument that her team still continue to win even
with her being out.
Speaker 4 (31:55):
So what, that's what they're supposed to do.
Speaker 1 (31:58):
That doesn't make her any less of It.
Speaker 3 (32:00):
Doesn't make her performances any less of an MVP, like
that's what I'm saying, Like I don't I'm not using
I'm not buying that, Like are they not allowed to
win without NAFISA? Like that don't make no sense to me,
because if that's what you're saying that they aren't supposed
to win without her, then that means your case for
Asia is invalid because they got her and wasn't winning.
Speaker 4 (32:21):
So what are you saying, you.
Speaker 3 (32:23):
Know what I'm saying, like like like you can't have
it both ways, like figure it out. So with all
of that being said, I like the fact that Alisha
Gray and Kelsey Mitchell, I don't even want to say
for Elisha have entered the conversation because she's been someone
who I've mentioned in the MVP conversation from the beginning.
Speaker 1 (32:40):
Of the season.
Speaker 3 (32:41):
Atlanta was a team that was barely in the playoffs
last year, and it almost has the same core at
least backcourt with Ryan Howard and Elisha Gray. And now
this team was sitting in second place, very firmly, like
a pure threat.
Speaker 4 (32:58):
Walking to New York.
Speaker 3 (32:59):
Smack them, walked into Vegas, smacked them like as earlier
in the season, Like they're not a joke, this is
not a fluke.
Speaker 4 (33:07):
Atlanta is the truth, like they are for real and
a serious contender.
Speaker 3 (33:12):
And Alisha Gray, who at some point this season had
to play without Ryan Howard, so you can't even be like, oh, well,
she played with Ryan when Ryan was full of bit
she got to whole that thing down by herself. BG
ain't been really giving her much to work with, so
you can't name her as being helpful. I'm gonna tell
you who've been helping her, Bree Jones and hold the horses, nas.
Speaker 2 (33:32):
Helman, come on, Na, come on, nas, come on sis.
Speaker 1 (33:40):
This Atlanta team is the truth.
Speaker 4 (33:43):
And so there are so many cases to be made
for all of these.
Speaker 1 (33:47):
And without Jordan Canada, I just need to put that up.
Speaker 3 (33:50):
Yeah, absolutely, And without Jordan Canada, my leos sister, yeap,
it's so crazy. But the point that I was gonna
make before was that I love that they're introducing Kelsey
Mitchell in this conversation. At this point, I'm with you
since I felt like Kelsey could have been in the
conversation last year honestly, and to me, she has proven
her value to the Indiana Fever many times over.
Speaker 1 (34:13):
But this year and time and time and time again.
Speaker 3 (34:16):
But she has like I literally watched her play a
game in which she did not score but one basket
in the first half and ended.
Speaker 4 (34:25):
A game with thirty eight points. What are we doing?
And so.
Speaker 3 (34:31):
Overall, just the MVP conversation there has got to be
more parameters, I think when it comes to how you
determine what defines what as it relates to.
Speaker 4 (34:45):
An MVP, because leaving it up to voters.
Speaker 3 (34:47):
To kind of decide on the own like I have
my own criteria, right, and like China and I have
kind of talked about this in the past, Like I'm
looking at what have you done all season? I'm looking
at have you done things that are historically different, unique,
something that hasn't been done before, which all of our
candidates at eighteen list of times. Specifically, I am looking
(35:08):
at how have you adjusted to your team in terms
of how have you helped your team specifically?
Speaker 4 (35:14):
But also my other thing is how do teams prep
for you?
Speaker 3 (35:18):
Like, of course teams have that set for the team,
but like when I walk into my team meeting, when
I ask a coach, and I talk to every coach
in this league, and when I ask a coach and
I'm just throwing this out specifically, what are your keys
to the game? And they say, well, first and foremost,
I got to make sure that I limit Sirl's touches.
We can't let her see the ball, we can't he
(35:40):
blah blah, blahlah blah. When I hear now that you
have the focal point, that's you. Oh, they they got
to play it for you. Yeah, okay, and.
Speaker 1 (35:52):
Team you know.
Speaker 2 (35:52):
That's how it is with all of the MVP candidates
we talked about. I heard I can't remember who a
Phoenix was playing, but at halftime they were like, you know,
at hasn't scored. I think she had four points, but
she already had ten assists, nine rebounds, And the coach
was just like, I don't know how you stop Alyssa Thomas,
(36:17):
like she's that good, and coaches are saying, I mean,
we can triple team Asa Wilson.
Speaker 1 (36:25):
She's still gonna make shit happen. She's still gonna She's
so fine.
Speaker 2 (36:31):
Same thing with fee right, and then here to me,
here's the biggest compliment when when your peers, when when
players say Kelsey Minchell is the hardest guard to defend
in the league, like that is the biggest compliment when
it's coming from your peers, when it's coming from players
(36:53):
who play against you every single day. I want to
add one thing to what you said about criteria. My
ask is this for people who are voting and not
just MVP for all the awards, Rookie of the Year,
First second Team, All WNBA First second Team, All Defensive Team.
Speaker 1 (37:12):
Can we.
Speaker 2 (37:14):
Make sure the people who are voting actually one watch
games with an s not just one particular player or
one particular team. They watch games, but they also understand basketball,
Like I know there are people who actually get to
vote that don't know shit about the game.
Speaker 1 (37:38):
But you have a vote.
Speaker 4 (37:42):
Yep, yep.
Speaker 1 (37:44):
That's all.
Speaker 3 (37:45):
And it's not my intent to disparage any other voter,
but I will say I am one who thoroughly and
firmly believes in voter transparency. I love that the NBA does.
I have brought the out to the league. Christina Williams
has brought us up to the league. We have always
brought this up to the league, and you know, we
keep it real. The response from league officials and league
(38:07):
sources and stuff have always been, you know, we want
to save them from the backlash and we don't want
voters to get turned off from wanting to vote because
the social presence and things like that. It's different on
the WNBA side than the NBA side. Blah blah blah blah. Now,
I will say that there is a point there. There's
a point that the social fan base and presence and
(38:30):
things like that is very different between W fans and
NBA fans.
Speaker 4 (38:33):
Right.
Speaker 3 (38:33):
W fans will absolutely call you out and comfort you
on social media. It is what it is.
Speaker 4 (38:38):
But I also feel like, while no, no one should
be attacked for their vote, you should be able to
stand ten toes down on what you vote. Foe.
Speaker 1 (38:47):
Yeah, you should.
Speaker 3 (38:47):
You should be able to explain or be able to
put context as to why you feel the way you
feel and why you vote the.
Speaker 4 (38:55):
Way you voted.
Speaker 3 (38:56):
And I don't have to agree with you, and nobody
has to agree with you.
Speaker 4 (39:00):
It is what it is.
Speaker 3 (39:01):
But you should feel comfortable and confident enough in what
you're saying to be able to stand down on your vote.
And there are some people who are just unable to
do that, and so because of that, they choose to
keep and by they, I mean the league chooses to
keep the league voters a secret. So I, as a voter,
don't even know who all of my other voting peers are.
(39:22):
I know who are the ones that I talk to
and who you know we converse with and have conversations
because we do that. We talk I think when the
battle come out, to be like, well, what's your guy
or who you picking up?
Speaker 4 (39:32):
Why are you doing it?
Speaker 3 (39:33):
Like, it's healthy conversation to see if we're on the
same page, maybe there's something that I'm not considering about
a player that I should be, So.
Speaker 4 (39:40):
It's healthy conversation.
Speaker 3 (39:42):
And then at the end of the year, when the
votes have been tallied and the awards are announced, myself
and Christina Williams were the first two and for the
long time the only two who showed.
Speaker 4 (39:56):
Every year how you vote it?
Speaker 3 (39:57):
And I wish you would come for me about it
on social media because I'm gonna tell you why I
voted the way I voted, and I'm a stand on
why I voted the way I voted, And then I'm
gonna ask you where you'll vote at. Oh, you ain't
got one, shut up.
Speaker 4 (40:13):
Player?
Speaker 1 (40:14):
But I know what's random people?
Speaker 4 (40:17):
Yeah? Like, but you know because I watched the games.
Speaker 3 (40:20):
I go to every game, I talk to the players,
I cover the coaches. I am not one of those
people who are just frivously out here looking at a
box score and saying this is what I'm gonna do.
Speaker 4 (40:30):
There's a lot of people.
Speaker 1 (40:33):
Vote that's a lot of people vote.
Speaker 2 (40:36):
Give me a box, spoor. Let me see how many
points she had. How many That's how a lot of
people vote to me. Here's why the league won't do
it because of that person who gave Asia Wilson a
fourth place vote.
Speaker 1 (40:50):
Because the league knows it was wrong. Everybody in the
media knows it was wrong. Even the person that gave
her the fourth place vote. You know it was wrong.
Speaker 3 (41:00):
I heard Asia, found out who it was, and just
wanted to she did. I bless you, Asia, I bless you.
Speaker 1 (41:05):
Couldn't be me.
Speaker 4 (41:06):
I bless you. It couldn't be me, neither I like
or brother.
Speaker 2 (41:11):
I'm gonna make I'm gonna make sure everybody knows. I'm
gonna make sure I even know.
Speaker 4 (41:17):
But no.
Speaker 3 (41:17):
I believe in voter transparency. It's totally necessary to me.
I stand ten toes down on everything I say, and
if I make a mistake or something is right, I
have no problem taking accountability and saying, you know what.
Speaker 4 (41:28):
Y'all, I messed that up, I got that wrong.
Speaker 3 (41:29):
I should have reconsidered my bad but I never do
that because I feel very strongly about who I vote for.
I don't just rush through my ballot. I take my time,
I go over it. I'm that person that submits my
them things got to go in at eleven fifty nine,
I'd be like, eleven fifty eight, here you go, because
I need time. But with all that being said, this
(41:50):
is shaping up to be quite a discussion, quite a conversation.
Speaker 4 (41:55):
I think it really at the end of the day,
just kind.
Speaker 3 (41:57):
Of shows the evolution of where we are and how
we've gotten to. And as a former MVP, you have
got to be proud that it can't.
Speaker 4 (42:05):
Be this easy to pick an MVP anymore like that.
Speaker 3 (42:09):
It is, no, there are so many people that are
doing well that it's like an actual competition.
Speaker 2 (42:16):
Yes, and you're right, Tea, because I remember, like back
in the day when I played, you had probably three
maybe four, but every year it was pretty much the
same three players that you knew were going to be
in the MVP race. But I absolutely love the discussion.
And here's the thing that I want to say to
(42:38):
everybody out there. It's great to have a debate, right,
It's great to have a healthy debate about why it
should be this player over that one, and again it's
everybody's opinion, right, Yeah, So have those conversations, but don't
get all bent up out of shape because someone doesn't
agree with you.
Speaker 1 (42:59):
Yes, right, No, what do you mean it should be her?
Speaker 2 (43:03):
No, it should be her your opinion, and I will
just say this, Yes, I do think Alisha Gray, I
think Kelsey Mitchell. I think the two of them deserve
to be in the conversation. But I think it will
be one of those three feet at or Asia, and
I don't think you can go wrong with any one
(43:25):
of them.
Speaker 4 (43:26):
I agree one hundred percent.
Speaker 3 (43:28):
I do think the winner will ultimately be one of
the top three that have been in the conversation for
the longest.
Speaker 4 (43:34):
I think you're absolutely right about that, and.
Speaker 3 (43:36):
I will before we go into our final segment and
close this out, I want to add one thing to what.
Speaker 4 (43:43):
You said, because I love that you said it.
Speaker 3 (43:45):
That don't get been out of shape about who other
people's talking about. But also, we just had a whole
show about this, and not one time did we ever
need to put down another player in order to lift
up somebody. Y'all can have debates about your players and
who you think can be and should be and all
(44:05):
of this without having to talk shit about another player.
Speaker 4 (44:09):
That's not healthy, and it's not helpful. You don't need
to do that.
Speaker 3 (44:13):
You don't have to downplay another player to make your point.
Speaker 1 (44:16):
You just don't have to do that. Not at all,
So not at all.
Speaker 4 (44:18):
Not at all. All Right, when we come back, y'all.
Speaker 3 (44:20):
We are going to go ahead and close this thing out.
So please stay with.
Speaker 5 (44:24):
Us, y'all.
Speaker 3 (44:38):
We've had a lot of fun just kind of talking
basketball and talking about the MVP conversation. I'm very excited
to see who's gonna walk away with it, just as
excited as I am to see who.
Speaker 4 (44:47):
Gonna end up being in the finals. Because I don't
know where nobody is.
Speaker 3 (44:51):
That's a whole different show for a whole different day,
because I don't know where.
Speaker 4 (44:54):
Nobody is in a standard other than one. That's it.
Speaker 1 (44:58):
That's it. That's what I I want.
Speaker 4 (45:00):
You got, well, we.
Speaker 3 (45:02):
Hope we know too, because Tuka switch, Tuka switch tomorrow.
Speaker 1 (45:06):
You are right about that too.
Speaker 4 (45:08):
That is crazy.
Speaker 3 (45:09):
But yeah, man, it's gonna shape up to be a
fun winning You know, I was MVP at the Chess
Club one time.
Speaker 1 (45:16):
Were you how about the V I was like, Tim,
you got you one, look, you got one, you got period,
you got it.
Speaker 4 (45:28):
Listen, had me on the list, put me on the list.
Speaker 2 (45:34):
I'm like you, I'm excited to see who's gonna walk
away with the m v P. I am gonna say this,
and I'm saying this all in fun because somebody will
take it and run with and be like you see,
she's such a hater because I'm not a hater. I
love me some Asian Wilson. But I'm gonna feel some.
Speaker 1 (45:51):
Type of way if she gets her fourth m v P.
Speaker 3 (45:56):
The same way you was gonna throw some type of
way in Minnesota Champion and was and was.
Speaker 1 (46:06):
Scarce.
Speaker 2 (46:07):
But you know what, if she doesn't get it this year,
to me, it's only a matter of time before she
gets that.
Speaker 1 (46:13):
For she it's coming. It is coming.
Speaker 4 (46:20):
Cracking up, I'm craying. That is so funny. Off right now.
Cut her shoes applot off right now? Another pair air one.
Speaker 1 (46:38):
If you don't.
Speaker 2 (46:38):
Level and cut I love you as Here's what I
got today. We're always looking around and and talking about
the things that we don't have or what I wish
I had or what was different.
Speaker 1 (46:54):
So this is what I got for us today.
Speaker 2 (46:58):
Make it a habit to talk about blessings more than burdens,
where focus goes energy flows.
Speaker 1 (47:11):
I like that.
Speaker 4 (47:11):
Love that.
Speaker 1 (47:12):
I like that. I like that a lot, the way
I mean wished.
Speaker 4 (47:16):
The way you think. Yeah, I like that. Got to
switch the way you think and switch your focus.
Speaker 2 (47:23):
I love that goes energy flows.
Speaker 4 (47:27):
Focus on the good things. Love that.
Speaker 2 (47:30):
Love that.
Speaker 3 (47:31):
Well, thank you once again, Cheryl for dropping these positive words,
leveling us up for the next week, and thank you
guys for just continuing to listen to Levels to this.
We will be back next week with more. We will
be back with more next Level conversation. But remember this
just isn't our show. It's our show and we want
to hear from you, So leave us a review in
(47:52):
Apple Podcasts, subscribe to the show, or email us at
Levels to this podcast at gmail dot com and just
kind of tell us what you thought of this week's
show and what you may want to talk about next.
And if you aren't following us on Instagram, what are
you waiting on at that?
Speaker 1 (48:06):
I don't know why you wouldn't like I.
Speaker 3 (48:08):
Don't know what you're doing at this point, you need
to be following us, So until then, keep your mentals.
Speaker 4 (48:14):
Ground level and we will be back next week.
Speaker 2 (48:18):
B Listen to levels to this on America's number one
podcast network, iHeart, Open your free iHeart app and search
levels to this with Cheryl Swoops and Treka Foster Brasbee
and start listening.
Levels to.
Speaker 2 (00:00):
This 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.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
Hey, everybody, what's going on. It's your girl, Trerika Foster Brass.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
What's up y'all? Its Shagirl Cheryl Boobs.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Hey, And this is the levels to this podcast. This
is the show where we talk about all of the
levels of the ship that women go through. And we
are truly going to have a fun and controversial show
today because not us, we're gonna be I mean, we
not controversial with me.
Speaker 4 (00:42):
Well maybe, I guess it depends on who you ask.
Oh excuse me. I just had to sneeze in the
middle of my intro.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
That's that's how you know this is a real ass show,
because don't edit that out.
Speaker 4 (00:55):
Just y'all better say bless me when y'all listen to
this show.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
I said, God's blessure U s fordid, thank you, thank
you very much, You're welcome.
Speaker 4 (01:04):
I love you.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
It was it was a cute snaecee too.
Speaker 4 (01:07):
I was trying to talk through it.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
I didn't know my sages are like, oh.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
I got a lot of because I was aware, I
knew what was happening, and I was trying to stop it.
Like it's very different catch me five drinks in that
sneeze would have rocked this whole neighborhood. But that has said,
we are very excited about everything that has been going
on around women's basketball, around sports, but we also have
(01:38):
got to remember that there are things happening in the
world outside of the realm of sports, and so I
would be remiss to not begin the show just sending
my thoughts and prayers out to the families that were
affected by the mass shooting that took place in Minneapolis. Like,
we are just in a place of people being sickening
(02:00):
and doing sickening things, and it's a very troubling place
because I fear that most people are becoming so numb
to these tragedies that it doesn't feel tragic anymore, that
it just feels like it's another day in the news cycle.
And I hope that our listeners are not those kinds
of people, and that they truly see and understand the
(02:22):
heartbreak that these families are going through. So I know
sure all this affected you, but I just could not
start the show without sending some love and sending our
thoughts and prayers to those families.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
Yeah, I don't have a whole lot to add, because
you know, I cry at the drop of a dime
even when things aren't sad. But in this instance, you know,
and we talked about it, I just like it could
be any of us. And to your point, this happens
way too often, and I do feel like we've become
numb to it.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
And I think for me, one.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Of the first thoughts I had was being a new
grandma now right, like what happens when my grandson starts
going to school? And you know, t It's just like
your life can change in the blink of an eye
in any second. And I just want to echo what
you said to all the families who lost their kids
(03:20):
and anyone.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Who was involved in the shooting.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
I just want to send condolences and thoughts and prayers,
and we just we got to be better. We have
to be better. Just such a tragic, tragic, tragic.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
Absolutely, we do have to be better. And just for
my folks that are out there that are over the
age of eighteen, I'm going to just take this as
an opportunity to say, please.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
Register to vote.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
Lawmakers need to be held accountable for some of the
things that are happening as it relates to policy regarding
gun violence.
Speaker 4 (03:58):
Gun you see all that good stuff. Listen.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
I'm licensed to Carrie, So I am not that person
that's out here saying it's not.
Speaker 4 (04:06):
Your Second Amendment right to own a gun.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
Listen, do what you do, what you feel it is
best for you and your family. And I'm gonna leave
it there. So please just register to vote. So there's
my political moment for the day. But other than that, Cheryl,
how was your week good?
Speaker 1 (04:23):
I think, okay, look lookt so, No, it was great.
Actually it was great. It was great. I was like,
oh it was it good? It was great.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
And I'm saying it was great because I mean, I
didn't do a whole lot, but I was, you know,
at home. And so anytime I'm at home, I love
being at home. But I do want to say something.
Can you see this picture right here behind me, the
women with me Jordan? Yeah, So it just so reminds
(04:53):
me of my grandson because I got to spend some
time with him. And I told Jordan, I said, I'm
gonna redo this photo with.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
Me not in my comments uniform because I can't fit it.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
But me in a jersey, maybe my Hall of Fame jersey,
holding my grandson. I just think they would something, Tee.
He has just I'm so in love. I'm so in love.
Speaker 4 (05:19):
That I love that.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
It's a whole like renewed sense of love and protection
and all the things when you're a grandma.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
So I heard, yeah, you know what, I do love.
And I've heard this too because my mom did. Okay,
so two things. I'm trying not to be my mom
with my grandson, right because my mom with Jordan was
just do this, do that, don't hold him like this,
don't care like all those things, And so I find
(05:48):
myself being that person. And then I'm like, Okay, don't
do it, don't do it, don't do it. But there's
a part of me that's like, but they don't know.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
I do know, let me do it. And the other thing.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
Is, so you asked me how it was my week,
and I said good, but then it was great. So
those of you who can't see, I just went and said,
I'm done.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
It's over. No hair, it's all gone, Tea.
Speaker 4 (06:19):
It was so.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Freeing for me to just go and cut like it's
all gone. But I'll tell you the best part about it.
Those damn hot flashes that I get all throughout the
day and night, and they just come whenever.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
And when I have all that damn hair on my head,
it just makes it ten times worse.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
And now when I get the hot flashes, they're still bad,
but at least I'm cool from my head and I
just love it.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
Yes, I just love I.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
And the air feels so your skin and on your hair,
it feels so different. You had the common sense to
do your cut your chop in like August when I
did my big chop both times, I did mine in December.
Speaker 4 (07:15):
Now, what the fuck? What's wrong with me? I cold
ass Connecticut?
Speaker 3 (07:21):
It is two degrees outside while I'm walking around Ballhead.
Speaker 4 (07:24):
What is wrong with me?
Speaker 1 (07:26):
You need hair in December?
Speaker 3 (07:28):
You do?
Speaker 4 (07:29):
I was like, Lord, I had I did not think
this through this.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
This expression of freedom comes with gloves, scarf and a
whole hoodie because this is crazy.
Speaker 4 (07:40):
But no, I'm super proud of you.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Don't make me cry.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
I am proud of you, Cheryl, because it is not
easy to hear a diagnosis and then kind of just
accept it graciously, right, like you sit in it for
a minute, you think about it, and you are vulnerable
because we're women and it's hair.
Speaker 4 (08:00):
But you didn't let that like get you down.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
You were like, you know what, I'm about to rock
this short hairstyle.
Speaker 4 (08:07):
And then you went from I'm gonna rock this.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
Short hairstyle to fuck it, I'm gonna just cut it off.
Like that takes a level of strength to be that vulnerable,
but to be you in it, and so don't take
that for granted, like be proud of you.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
I want you to can I tell you it wasn't
that easy.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
Because at first I was just like, no, I'm going
to continue to wear my wigs, so I want to
wear them and do what I want to do with him.
And then I was like, no, it's hot. I'm gonna
cut it, Obedia, but I'll tell you what made me
do it, and now I love it.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
My husband.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
My husband said this looks so good on you, and
I love it on you, and I said thank you.
And now I don't really give it what everybody else
fix period.
Speaker 3 (09:01):
That's like that support system is so it's so huge. Yeah,
Like there are people who will say all the time
I understand what you're going through. Blah blah blah blah,
but says, I truly understand you do what you're going through.
Speaker 4 (09:13):
I know you do. You're gonna be all right.
Speaker 3 (09:16):
At some point in time. You go see some here
and you gonna be like, okay, let me throw this
on real quick about my faces.
Speaker 4 (09:23):
You're gonna throw some air be like how what is?
I gonna be all right?
Speaker 1 (09:28):
But you just have to remind my husband of that.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
I said, baby, Now, you do know when I when
I find a wig, I found a girl that I'm like,
oh yeah, let me rock that for a minute.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
That's gonna happen.
Speaker 4 (09:39):
That's gonna happen. It's gonna happen.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
And you will figure out the best way to wear
them now that don't necessarily like pull the traction on
your edges and things like that.
Speaker 4 (09:48):
You will figure all that out, trust me.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
But girl, hmm, I have my moments where I'm ball
head for two months and then bam, we're back looking
like Jessica Rabbit.
Speaker 4 (09:56):
It is what it is. And you right thread think
I'm gonna have this red for a little bit because
do you know, you know Casey out in Seattle.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
Yes, Green Casey, Casey, Yes see how you said that
Green Casey.
Speaker 3 (10:10):
Everybody know Casey with her lime green here and it
looks so great on there. I'm starting to get a
reputation for this red hair. And now if this hair
becomes a part of my brand, y'all just finna be
sick of it, because I'm gonna have it what it is.
Speaker 4 (10:24):
But okay, so here's the thing.
Speaker 3 (10:27):
Coming into today, we thought very long and haired about
what we were going to discuss and what we were
going to talk about on today's show, and as we
are continuing to make our way through the WNBA season,
it felt like this was a great opportunity to chat
with an MVP about B MVB. So today on today's show,
(10:49):
we're gonna have an MVP discussion, but maybe not the.
Speaker 4 (10:52):
MVP discussion that you think.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
But what you need to do is stick around because
we gonna get ready to take this thing to the
next level. The way that the fans and those who
(11:18):
follow the WNBA have really gotten themselves in a pickle
with this MVP race has been wild to watch over
the last couple of weeks.
Speaker 4 (11:28):
At first, it was like, okay, all right, sure, put
her in the conversation.
Speaker 3 (11:34):
Sure, let's talk about but like now, now, now, it's
some real challenging conversations that are being had and not
being had about the MVP race because Queen Fee is
not sitting at the top by a large margin anymore.
Speaker 4 (11:49):
She got some true, real competition.
Speaker 3 (11:52):
Asia Wilson is Crackingheigs, Alyssa Thomas is cracking Higgs. We're
gonna round it out and add out Shagray because she
has been in the conversation as well, and recently being
mentioned in the conversation has been our girl, Kelsey Mitchell
up in Indiana. So this thing has started to kind
of take shape. As they're about nine, maybe ten less
(12:15):
than that games left in the regular season, depending on
which team you are. This thing is winding down essentially
what we're saying, and some decisions are gonna have to
be made very soon.
Speaker 4 (12:26):
But Cheryl, you are a three time MVP.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
And being.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
Because because I need y'all to know, my girl won
that thay not once, not twice, but three times, okay,
three times, So y'all got to make sure y'all put
some respects on my dog.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
You'll hear me, Okay, you just got to remind them
some time, since.
Speaker 4 (12:57):
You gotta you gotta tell the people like it is
what it is.
Speaker 3 (13:00):
It's okay, but that means that you know better than most,
better than a whole lot of most of not only
what it takes to.
Speaker 4 (13:07):
Be MVP, but what it means to be MVP.
Speaker 3 (13:10):
And so when you think about that award, given that
you got them trophies and things sitting up on you,
oh your mantle is what does MVP mean to you?
Speaker 2 (13:21):
It means like you were that bh. It means you
were that girl during that season.
Speaker 4 (13:27):
Yeah yeah, Now.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
For real, here's the thing for me when I won.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
My MVPs, like I knew I was gonna win them,
the years that I won because I knew that I
was the best player on the.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
Court game in and game out.
Speaker 2 (13:50):
And here's what's a little not really hard, but here's
what's a little.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
Hard for me.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
So the years that I won MVP to like we
were winning, like our teams we were really really.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
Really good.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
Okay, because I know a lot of people look at
the MVP race and they're like, yeah, she's playing well,
she's having a good season, but her team's not doing
very well. And there's a debate about this all the time,
and my thing is, it's MVP Most Valuable Player, not
(14:26):
MVT most Valuable Team. Right, So, with this MVP race
that's going on right now, I feel like people all
of a sudden are just like, oh, well, let's throw
her in, and let's throw her in and let's throw
her in. And it's not to take anything away from
(14:49):
some of the players, because I do feel like they're
having hell of a seasons, right Yeah, I couldn't tell
you right now if I did vote. Let me be
very clear to the people out there, I do not
have a vote in anything.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
But if I had a vote, I couldn't tell you.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
Who I would vote for right now because as individual players,
I think Fee is playing really well, Asia's playing really well,
AT's playing really well, Kelsey Mitchell has been playing really well,
and to your point, Ali Shah Grey's playing really well.
Speaker 1 (15:30):
Here's what I would tell you.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
If I'm voting and I'm going off of consistency from
the beginning of the season to where we are now,
without question, my vote's going to At without question. If
I'm going off of like recency bias, right.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
My vote's going to Asia Wilson.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
But I also could say this about Asia because I
I felt like Asia was playing well from the very beginning, but.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
The Aces were awful.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
But the Aces were not playing well at all and
they were losing, so people forgot that Asia Wilson has
always been that girl. Like Asia was still putting up
the numbers. The Aces just weren't playing well right. So
to me, that's where everybody's like, oh, no, Fee has
it locked. And I ain't gonna argue with that because
(16:30):
Fee has been playing her ass off from day one.
Here's the thing that drives me crazy because it's on
the NBA side. I think there needs to be a
certain amount of either games that you have to play
or a number of games that, like, you can't miss
more than five games to be considered in the MVP race.
(16:53):
I don't know what the number is, but I think
that if you put something in like that, that changes
the conversation. Right, Kelsey Mitchell, to me, could have been
in an MVP race last year. I'm just saying this
isn't to me, this isn't the first year that Kelsey
Mitchell could have been in the MVP race. I think
(17:15):
people are paying more attention to what she's doing right
now because Caitlin's not playing. But Kelsey Mitchell has always
been that girl, right Alicia Gray always she could have
been could have been an MVP conversation. So to me,
this has been the toughest year.
Speaker 1 (17:39):
To determine who the MVP is going to be.
Speaker 2 (17:43):
Personally, I would love, love, love to see at walk
Away with an MVP award. I think she deserves it.
Speaker 3 (17:52):
I don't disagree with ninety eight percent of what she did.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
Dang what two percent you disagree with it? Now? Damn?
I wanted under.
Speaker 4 (18:05):
Okay, I won one hundred percent.
Speaker 3 (18:06):
Agree about the possibility of needing a distinction on how
many games you can have or how many games you
can't whatever, I'm with that. My two percent where I
disagree is that for this year, I don't think that matters,
Like I don't think that would have mattered in this year.
(18:26):
So I know that at miss five games. I know
Asia miss four games and Fee miss ten games, right.
Speaker 4 (18:33):
But I'm also thinking, like, it's not like.
Speaker 3 (18:36):
Fees numbers are skewed because she missed ten games.
Speaker 4 (18:40):
And what I mean by that for listeners who may
not understand.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
If somebody played one game and they shot nine of ten.
Then here yo stat say, oh, this person is shooting
ninety nine percent from the field. No, she played one game,
so of course our numbers look different because she played
one game and.
Speaker 4 (18:58):
Everybody else played fifty.
Speaker 3 (19:00):
What I'm saying is just because Fee played ten less
games or six less games than Asia, or five less
games than at her numbers are not skewed because those
six or five.
Speaker 4 (19:13):
Games were missed.
Speaker 3 (19:13):
I agree with that, like they're legit, like she is
where she is, and so that is why I say
this particular year, I don't think it wouldn't matter if
there was a game requirement or not a game requirement,
because I don't think the game she miss made a
difference in her performance. She's been balling all year. So
that's that's for this year. But overall, yes, I do
(19:35):
think at some point the league needs to implement a
you can't miss more than such and such many games,
and not just for MVP, but for like award categories
in jail because.
Speaker 1 (19:46):
First Teamba agree Rooky at.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
A year all of that, like all those there needs
to be more parameters around what's what qualifies for what.
But here's the other thing that you mentioned. So of
the other part of my two percent because I agree
that MVP is most Valuable Player. It is an individual
award and that is just what you need to look at.
(20:14):
But there are a lot of voters who will look
at your team record and say, if you are not
able to help your team get wins, then why are
we thinking that you are the most valuable person across
the league? And I have an issue with that because
(20:36):
I don't think wins and losses are on the back
of one person. Wins and losses take a team effort.
You ain't passing the ball to yourself, you know what
I'm saying. You need at least two other people on
the squad to help you out. And so I don't
think that it's fair, but I recognize that traditionally, it's
(20:58):
how people have been voting since I know how folks
have been voting. You could be dropping having a fifty
forty ninety year and if you're playing on the Connecticut
Sun right now, they gonna ignore your ass because you're
ten and twenty eight.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
Okay, that's crazy, and that's where it is. So that's
that's kind of where I am. Well, listen, I'm gonna
say this. I can say you can't because you're you vote.
Speaker 4 (21:24):
I'm a voter, and I am not disclosing, just so
everybody knows.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
I'm not gonna think you gonna listen to the show
and be like Altria's gonna tell me what you know.
You will find out at the end of the season
when I release my ballot like everybody else.
Speaker 2 (21:39):
Okay, okay, Sis, So I'm not a voter, so I
can say it.
Speaker 4 (21:45):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
First of all, people in the media space.
Speaker 2 (21:50):
That have votes, they have their favorites, period, and so
I don't care if you you are somebody's favorite and
you missed twenty games. If you are their favorite and
you're putting up good numbers, they're gonna vote for you.
So don't don't tell me you're not voting on a
(22:12):
player because of their team record. I want to go
back to what was it Asia's second MVP when she
got a fourth place vote.
Speaker 3 (22:24):
Oh no, that was twenty three. Yeah, but she didn't
win MVP that year.
Speaker 1 (22:30):
You're one hundred percent correct she didn't win.
Speaker 2 (22:33):
But my pin point, the Aces had a great record
and Asia played really well. So whoever this person was
is that gave Asia Wilson a fourth place vote? To me,
that was personal. Yeah, that had nothing to do with
(22:53):
Asia's performance. The Aces performance.
Speaker 1 (22:57):
That was personal.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
Either you just don't like you didn't like South Carolina,
you don't like the Aces.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
I don't know what the reason was, but it was
it made zero sense. Three. Here's what I want to say.
Speaker 2 (23:11):
And I said it last year, and I don't know
what else is gonna take. Do you know how many people,
men and women have played this game and have never, ever,
ever in their career had a triple double?
Speaker 4 (23:27):
U huh?
Speaker 1 (23:28):
And yet here we are witnessing a player.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
Pretty much game in and game out, that does it
with ease, and she hasn't won MVP yet. And for
those who are wondering who I'm talking about, if you
watch the Woo the game, you should know.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
But I'm gonna say it.
Speaker 3 (23:49):
Alissa Thomas, just the woman has seven triple doubles this season.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
She makes it look so easy.
Speaker 4 (23:59):
Seasy, she makes it looks effortless.
Speaker 3 (24:01):
She's nearly averaging She's averaging sixteen y nine.
Speaker 4 (24:05):
She also Russell Westbrook. Shit, you remember when Russell Westbrook was.
Speaker 3 (24:09):
Averaging a triple double out in Okay? See that's what
she own right now. Like it's insane. It is insane,
And she was doing the same thing in twenty twenty
three when she actually received majority of the first place
votes and still lost.
Speaker 4 (24:29):
Don't piss me off.
Speaker 2 (24:32):
So my question to you, as a voter, I'm not
asking you to tell me or anybody who you voted for,
because it doesn't really matter.
Speaker 1 (24:39):
But as a voter, what more does she need to do?
Speaker 4 (24:46):
I wish that I.
Speaker 2 (24:49):
I'm sorry, and let's not talk about Let's not talk
about the record. Let's not talk about the record because
Phoenix is playing pretty well.
Speaker 3 (24:57):
Phoenix is playing well. She accounts for forty percent of
the triple doubles in the league in league history. There
have been fifty five triple doubles in league history, fifty
six last because if you count Jackie Young just got one,
so there's been fifty fifty six and Alyssa Thomas accounts
(25:18):
for twenty two of them.
Speaker 4 (25:21):
This league is almost thirty years old.
Speaker 3 (25:24):
She counts for forty percent of the triple doubles that
we have on the record books. That's insane. And I
said this before because I need people to understand how
truly difficult it he is to get a triple double
in the WNBA unlike the NBA, the WNBA plays forty minutes,
not forty eight. That typically means that the stat totals
(25:48):
are a little lower in the w NBA than in
the NBA because it's less time and she's still doing
this type of shit. It's crazy, and I don't understand.
There are so many other things. People don't like the
way she plays. They don't like that she's physical, They
think that she's aggressive, blah blah blah blah blah, And
(26:11):
I'm just like, all of that is trash.
Speaker 4 (26:13):
If you take her up off of Phoenix, they are
not where.
Speaker 3 (26:15):
They are right now at all, at all.
Speaker 4 (26:18):
They're not where they are.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
Can we also acknowledge the fact that she's doing this
ship with two torn labors, with.
Speaker 3 (26:28):
Two torn resist They ain't had a three Can you
imagine if she has, if she still had that three
point shot that she had in Maryland.
Speaker 4 (26:35):
There's no way, y'all.
Speaker 1 (26:36):
I'm sorry because I ain't know I was gonna get
this heated, But.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
Put some respect on Alissa Thomas's name.
Speaker 4 (26:46):
Absolutely other thing.
Speaker 2 (26:47):
She also defends one through five. Will you ask her
to guard? She's gonna guard the one, the two, the three,
the four and the five. Understandsmall defending the five and.
Speaker 4 (27:04):
Will play the five. I'll do it in Connecticut.
Speaker 3 (27:08):
I've seen this girl beat a how I've seen Alyssa
Beata Sinner backing up JJ, backing up.
Speaker 4 (27:16):
Asia Like what A say her? She will play one through.
Speaker 1 (27:21):
Five t She's doing that with Phoenix.
Speaker 2 (27:24):
Phoenix has one big that really plays right, that really
plays Natasha mack right.
Speaker 1 (27:32):
They have coloniey Brown.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
But Colonie Brown brown that much, she doesn't play that
much at will go and defend. Eighteen is defending Asia Wilson.
Eighteen's defending John Quell Jones.
Speaker 4 (27:46):
And she's leading the league in assists and she's a forward.
She's a forward leading the league in assists.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
Yeah, just just just so weet, we're clear.
Speaker 2 (27:58):
She is fifteenth, fifteenth and scoring six in steals, third,
in rebounds first, and assists.
Speaker 4 (28:08):
The numbers are where they are. It's so it's crazy.
Speaker 3 (28:11):
To me because I will always make a case for
Alissa Thomas. It will always be someone who deserves the
respects that she gets.
Speaker 4 (28:18):
So ain't gonna never be no argument with me.
Speaker 3 (28:21):
And when it comes to her being in an MVP conversation, right,
and then I always understand the case of Asia. You
mentioned it earlier. Asia Wilson been doing this since the
beginning of the seasons. This ain't no, Yes, this ain't new,
but absolutely yes, her team ain't do her no favors
right because no, they didn't play to help their MVP
(28:43):
be recognized in the way that they should have been.
But they are currently on a winds streak that would
not happen without twenty two.
Speaker 4 (28:51):
It just would not exist without twenty two.
Speaker 3 (28:54):
This woman helped her team go from eight to two
and the second team to clinch a playoff position. Like
there is absolutely no way you can deny the greatness
of Asia Wilson. You cannot deny it, and anybody that's
willing to do otherwise is ridiculous. You cannot deny it.
Just dropped another thirty and ten last week, like what
(29:17):
and now they got a week off and I don't know.
Speaker 4 (29:20):
Sometimes that can be a good thing or a bad thing.
Speaker 3 (29:22):
It could be a good thing going into the playoffs
or headed into the last week of the season and
you get time to rest your body, But it also
could be this momentum that you got, you're putting a
pause on it, and you might not want to do
that right now, right, So let's hope and pray and
see which side of the coin this flips to. But
either way it goes, the Aces are not where they
(29:43):
are without Asia Wilson, and she has the numbers to
back it up, and she's been doing it all season long,
but her team didn't help her out, and now her
team is helping her out.
Speaker 4 (29:55):
And you see the difference.
Speaker 2 (29:56):
Listen the beginning of the season, I'll say ten games
into the season, because I was one of them, we
were having conversations or hearing people talk about, damn, the
Aces might not even make the playoffs this season. So
to your point, they went from possibly just the way
(30:16):
things look. They went from not being in the playoffs
almost to sitting in second place right now, behind.
Speaker 1 (30:26):
The one and only Asia Wilson.
Speaker 2 (30:32):
Yes, again, put some respect on Asia Wilson's name, period two.
Speaker 1 (30:39):
Gotcha, got you?
Speaker 3 (30:40):
And then when I go to Minnesota, yes famous ten games.
Speaker 4 (30:46):
You know what she did when she came back two points.
Speaker 1 (30:52):
First game back from injury. Who dies back? Fee?
Speaker 3 (30:58):
You ain't want to ease into it, you said, I.
Speaker 4 (31:04):
Wish y'all would y'all would forget about me?
Speaker 3 (31:07):
Huh, yeah, right, And I would say this continues to
show because then to the point that you made earlier
before I make this point, the point that you made
earlier when you won MVP, your team was really good.
And what they're now saying with folks and those who
are criticizing the case for no FISA are saying, well,
how is she really MVP when she was absent for
(31:28):
those ten games, her team still won. Your team is
supposed to still win, like you are supposed to still win?
Speaker 4 (31:36):
Like what do you mean this is the w NBA.
You ain't supposed to drop ten games because your stars out.
You're supposed to still win.
Speaker 1 (31:43):
Like they're all prosy, they're all.
Speaker 3 (31:45):
Prosa mente like that, that, to me is a very
invalid argument that her team still continue to win even
with her being out.
Speaker 4 (31:55):
So what, that's what they're supposed to do.
Speaker 1 (31:58):
That doesn't make her any less of It.
Speaker 3 (32:00):
Doesn't make her performances any less of an MVP, like
that's what I'm saying, Like I don't I'm not using
I'm not buying that, Like are they not allowed to
win without NAFISA? Like that don't make no sense to me,
because if that's what you're saying that they aren't supposed
to win without her, then that means your case for
Asia is invalid because they got her and wasn't winning.
Speaker 4 (32:21):
So what are you saying, you.
Speaker 3 (32:23):
Know what I'm saying, like like like you can't have
it both ways, like figure it out. So with all
of that being said, I like the fact that Alisha
Gray and Kelsey Mitchell, I don't even want to say
for Elisha have entered the conversation because she's been someone
who I've mentioned in the MVP conversation from the beginning.
Speaker 1 (32:40):
Of the season.
Speaker 3 (32:41):
Atlanta was a team that was barely in the playoffs
last year, and it almost has the same core at
least backcourt with Ryan Howard and Elisha Gray. And now
this team was sitting in second place, very firmly, like
a pure threat.
Speaker 4 (32:58):
Walking to New York.
Speaker 3 (32:59):
Smack them, walked into Vegas, smacked them like as earlier
in the season, Like they're not a joke, this is
not a fluke.
Speaker 4 (33:07):
Atlanta is the truth, like they are for real and
a serious contender.
Speaker 3 (33:12):
And Alisha Gray, who at some point this season had
to play without Ryan Howard, so you can't even be like, oh, well,
she played with Ryan when Ryan was full of bit
she got to whole that thing down by herself. BG
ain't been really giving her much to work with, so
you can't name her as being helpful. I'm gonna tell
you who've been helping her, Bree Jones and hold the horses, nas.
Speaker 2 (33:32):
Helman, come on, Na, come on, nas, come on sis.
Speaker 1 (33:40):
This Atlanta team is the truth.
Speaker 4 (33:43):
And so there are so many cases to be made
for all of these.
Speaker 1 (33:47):
And without Jordan Canada, I just need to put that up.
Speaker 3 (33:50):
Yeah, absolutely, And without Jordan Canada, my leos sister, yeap,
it's so crazy. But the point that I was gonna
make before was that I love that they're introducing Kelsey
Mitchell in this conversation. At this point, I'm with you
since I felt like Kelsey could have been in the
conversation last year honestly, and to me, she has proven
her value to the Indiana Fever many times over.
Speaker 1 (34:13):
But this year and time and time and time again.
Speaker 3 (34:16):
But she has like I literally watched her play a
game in which she did not score but one basket
in the first half and ended.
Speaker 4 (34:25):
A game with thirty eight points. What are we doing?
And so.
Speaker 3 (34:31):
Overall, just the MVP conversation there has got to be
more parameters, I think when it comes to how you
determine what defines what as it relates to.
Speaker 4 (34:45):
An MVP, because leaving it up to voters.
Speaker 3 (34:47):
To kind of decide on the own like I have
my own criteria, right, and like China and I have
kind of talked about this in the past, Like I'm
looking at what have you done all season? I'm looking
at have you done things that are historically different, unique,
something that hasn't been done before, which all of our
candidates at eighteen list of times. Specifically, I am looking
(35:08):
at how have you adjusted to your team in terms
of how have you helped your team specifically?
Speaker 4 (35:14):
But also my other thing is how do teams prep
for you?
Speaker 3 (35:18):
Like, of course teams have that set for the team,
but like when I walk into my team meeting, when
I ask a coach, and I talk to every coach
in this league, and when I ask a coach and
I'm just throwing this out specifically, what are your keys
to the game? And they say, well, first and foremost,
I got to make sure that I limit Sirl's touches.
We can't let her see the ball, we can't he
(35:40):
blah blah, blahlah blah. When I hear now that you
have the focal point, that's you. Oh, they they got
to play it for you. Yeah, okay, and.
Speaker 1 (35:52):
Team you know.
Speaker 2 (35:52):
That's how it is with all of the MVP candidates
we talked about. I heard I can't remember who a
Phoenix was playing, but at halftime they were like, you know,
at hasn't scored. I think she had four points, but
she already had ten assists, nine rebounds, And the coach
was just like, I don't know how you stop Alyssa Thomas,
(36:17):
like she's that good, and coaches are saying, I mean,
we can triple team Asa Wilson.
Speaker 1 (36:25):
She's still gonna make shit happen. She's still gonna She's
so fine.
Speaker 2 (36:31):
Same thing with fee right, and then here to me,
here's the biggest compliment when when your peers, when when
players say Kelsey Minchell is the hardest guard to defend
in the league, like that is the biggest compliment when
it's coming from your peers, when it's coming from players
(36:53):
who play against you every single day. I want to
add one thing to what you said about criteria. My
ask is this for people who are voting and not
just MVP for all the awards, Rookie of the Year,
First second Team, All WNBA First second Team, All Defensive Team.
Speaker 1 (37:12):
Can we.
Speaker 2 (37:14):
Make sure the people who are voting actually one watch
games with an s not just one particular player or
one particular team. They watch games, but they also understand basketball,
Like I know there are people who actually get to
vote that don't know shit about the game.
Speaker 1 (37:38):
But you have a vote.
Speaker 4 (37:42):
Yep, yep.
Speaker 1 (37:44):
That's all.
Speaker 3 (37:45):
And it's not my intent to disparage any other voter,
but I will say I am one who thoroughly and
firmly believes in voter transparency. I love that the NBA does.
I have brought the out to the league. Christina Williams
has brought us up to the league. We have always
brought this up to the league, and you know, we
keep it real. The response from league officials and league
(38:07):
sources and stuff have always been, you know, we want
to save them from the backlash and we don't want
voters to get turned off from wanting to vote because
the social presence and things like that. It's different on
the WNBA side than the NBA side. Blah blah blah blah. Now,
I will say that there is a point there. There's
a point that the social fan base and presence and
(38:30):
things like that is very different between W fans and
NBA fans.
Speaker 4 (38:33):
Right.
Speaker 3 (38:33):
W fans will absolutely call you out and comfort you
on social media. It is what it is.
Speaker 4 (38:38):
But I also feel like, while no, no one should
be attacked for their vote, you should be able to
stand ten toes down on what you vote. Foe.
Speaker 1 (38:47):
Yeah, you should.
Speaker 3 (38:47):
You should be able to explain or be able to
put context as to why you feel the way you
feel and why you vote the.
Speaker 4 (38:55):
Way you voted.
Speaker 3 (38:56):
And I don't have to agree with you, and nobody
has to agree with you.
Speaker 4 (39:00):
It is what it is.
Speaker 3 (39:01):
But you should feel comfortable and confident enough in what
you're saying to be able to stand down on your vote.
And there are some people who are just unable to
do that, and so because of that, they choose to
keep and by they, I mean the league chooses to
keep the league voters a secret. So I, as a voter,
don't even know who all of my other voting peers are.
(39:22):
I know who are the ones that I talk to
and who you know we converse with and have conversations
because we do that. We talk I think when the
battle come out, to be like, well, what's your guy
or who you picking up?
Speaker 4 (39:32):
Why are you doing it?
Speaker 3 (39:33):
Like, it's healthy conversation to see if we're on the
same page, maybe there's something that I'm not considering about
a player that I should be, So.
Speaker 4 (39:40):
It's healthy conversation.
Speaker 3 (39:42):
And then at the end of the year, when the
votes have been tallied and the awards are announced, myself
and Christina Williams were the first two and for the
long time the only two who showed.
Speaker 4 (39:56):
Every year how you vote it?
Speaker 3 (39:57):
And I wish you would come for me about it
on social media because I'm gonna tell you why I
voted the way I voted, and I'm a stand on
why I voted the way I voted, And then I'm
gonna ask you where you'll vote at. Oh, you ain't
got one, shut up.
Speaker 4 (40:13):
Player?
Speaker 1 (40:14):
But I know what's random people?
Speaker 4 (40:17):
Yeah? Like, but you know because I watched the games.
Speaker 3 (40:20):
I go to every game, I talk to the players,
I cover the coaches. I am not one of those
people who are just frivously out here looking at a
box score and saying this is what I'm gonna do.
Speaker 4 (40:30):
There's a lot of people.
Speaker 1 (40:33):
Vote that's a lot of people vote.
Speaker 2 (40:36):
Give me a box, spoor. Let me see how many
points she had. How many That's how a lot of
people vote to me. Here's why the league won't do
it because of that person who gave Asia Wilson a
fourth place vote.
Speaker 1 (40:50):
Because the league knows it was wrong. Everybody in the
media knows it was wrong. Even the person that gave
her the fourth place vote. You know it was wrong.
Speaker 3 (41:00):
I heard Asia, found out who it was, and just
wanted to she did. I bless you, Asia, I bless you.
Speaker 1 (41:05):
Couldn't be me.
Speaker 4 (41:06):
I bless you. It couldn't be me, neither I like
or brother.
Speaker 2 (41:11):
I'm gonna make I'm gonna make sure everybody knows. I'm
gonna make sure I even know.
Speaker 4 (41:17):
But no.
Speaker 3 (41:17):
I believe in voter transparency. It's totally necessary to me.
I stand ten toes down on everything I say, and
if I make a mistake or something is right, I
have no problem taking accountability and saying, you know what.
Speaker 4 (41:28):
Y'all, I messed that up, I got that wrong.
Speaker 3 (41:29):
I should have reconsidered my bad but I never do
that because I feel very strongly about who I vote for.
I don't just rush through my ballot. I take my time,
I go over it. I'm that person that submits my
them things got to go in at eleven fifty nine,
I'd be like, eleven fifty eight, here you go, because
I need time. But with all that being said, this
(41:50):
is shaping up to be quite a discussion, quite a conversation.
Speaker 4 (41:55):
I think it really at the end of the day,
just kind.
Speaker 3 (41:57):
Of shows the evolution of where we are and how
we've gotten to. And as a former MVP, you have
got to be proud that it can't.
Speaker 4 (42:05):
Be this easy to pick an MVP anymore like that.
Speaker 3 (42:09):
It is, no, there are so many people that are
doing well that it's like an actual competition.
Speaker 2 (42:16):
Yes, and you're right, Tea, because I remember, like back
in the day when I played, you had probably three
maybe four, but every year it was pretty much the
same three players that you knew were going to be
in the MVP race. But I absolutely love the discussion.
And here's the thing that I want to say to
(42:38):
everybody out there. It's great to have a debate, right,
It's great to have a healthy debate about why it
should be this player over that one, and again it's
everybody's opinion, right, Yeah, So have those conversations, but don't
get all bent up out of shape because someone doesn't
agree with you.
Speaker 1 (42:59):
Yes, right, No, what do you mean it should be her?
Speaker 2 (43:03):
No, it should be her your opinion, and I will
just say this, Yes, I do think Alisha Gray, I
think Kelsey Mitchell. I think the two of them deserve
to be in the conversation. But I think it will
be one of those three feet at or Asia, and
I don't think you can go wrong with any one
(43:25):
of them.
Speaker 4 (43:26):
I agree one hundred percent.
Speaker 3 (43:28):
I do think the winner will ultimately be one of
the top three that have been in the conversation for
the longest.
Speaker 4 (43:34):
I think you're absolutely right about that, and.
Speaker 3 (43:36):
I will before we go into our final segment and
close this out, I want to add one thing to what.
Speaker 4 (43:43):
You said, because I love that you said it.
Speaker 3 (43:45):
That don't get been out of shape about who other
people's talking about. But also, we just had a whole
show about this, and not one time did we ever
need to put down another player in order to lift
up somebody. Y'all can have debates about your players and
who you think can be and should be and all
(44:05):
of this without having to talk shit about another player.
Speaker 4 (44:09):
That's not healthy, and it's not helpful. You don't need
to do that.
Speaker 3 (44:13):
You don't have to downplay another player to make your point.
Speaker 1 (44:16):
You just don't have to do that. Not at all,
So not at all.
Speaker 4 (44:18):
Not at all. All Right, when we come back, y'all.
Speaker 3 (44:20):
We are going to go ahead and close this thing out.
So please stay with.
Speaker 5 (44:24):
Us, y'all.
Speaker 3 (44:38):
We've had a lot of fun just kind of talking
basketball and talking about the MVP conversation. I'm very excited
to see who's gonna walk away with it, just as
excited as I am to see who.
Speaker 4 (44:47):
Gonna end up being in the finals. Because I don't
know where nobody is.
Speaker 3 (44:51):
That's a whole different show for a whole different day,
because I don't know where.
Speaker 4 (44:54):
Nobody is in a standard other than one. That's it.
Speaker 1 (44:58):
That's it. That's what I I want.
Speaker 4 (45:00):
You got, well, we.
Speaker 3 (45:02):
Hope we know too, because Tuka switch, Tuka switch tomorrow.
Speaker 1 (45:06):
You are right about that too.
Speaker 4 (45:08):
That is crazy.
Speaker 3 (45:09):
But yeah, man, it's gonna shape up to be a
fun winning You know, I was MVP at the Chess
Club one time.
Speaker 1 (45:16):
Were you how about the V I was like, Tim,
you got you one, look, you got one, you got period,
you got it.
Speaker 4 (45:28):
Listen, had me on the list, put me on the list.
Speaker 2 (45:34):
I'm like you, I'm excited to see who's gonna walk
away with the m v P. I am gonna say this,
and I'm saying this all in fun because somebody will
take it and run with and be like you see,
she's such a hater because I'm not a hater. I
love me some Asian Wilson. But I'm gonna feel some.
Speaker 1 (45:51):
Type of way if she gets her fourth m v P.
Speaker 3 (45:56):
The same way you was gonna throw some type of
way in Minnesota Champion and was and was.
Speaker 1 (46:06):
Scarce.
Speaker 2 (46:07):
But you know what, if she doesn't get it this year,
to me, it's only a matter of time before she
gets that.
Speaker 1 (46:13):
For she it's coming. It is coming.
Speaker 4 (46:20):
Cracking up, I'm craying. That is so funny. Off right now.
Cut her shoes applot off right now? Another pair air one.
Speaker 1 (46:38):
If you don't.
Speaker 2 (46:38):
Level and cut I love you as Here's what I
got today. We're always looking around and and talking about
the things that we don't have or what I wish
I had or what was different.
Speaker 1 (46:54):
So this is what I got for us today.
Speaker 2 (46:58):
Make it a habit to talk about blessings more than burdens,
where focus goes energy flows.
Speaker 1 (47:11):
I like that.
Speaker 4 (47:11):
Love that.
Speaker 1 (47:12):
I like that. I like that a lot, the way
I mean wished.
Speaker 4 (47:16):
The way you think. Yeah, I like that. Got to
switch the way you think and switch your focus.
Speaker 2 (47:23):
I love that goes energy flows.
Speaker 4 (47:27):
Focus on the good things. Love that.
Speaker 2 (47:30):
Love that.
Speaker 3 (47:31):
Well, thank you once again, Cheryl for dropping these positive words,
leveling us up for the next week, and thank you
guys for just continuing to listen to Levels to this.
We will be back next week with more. We will
be back with more next Level conversation. But remember this
just isn't our show. It's our show and we want
to hear from you, So leave us a review in
(47:52):
Apple Podcasts, subscribe to the show, or email us at
Levels to this podcast at gmail dot com and just
kind of tell us what you thought of this week's
show and what you may want to talk about next.
And if you aren't following us on Instagram, what are
you waiting on at that?
Speaker 1 (48:06):
I don't know why you wouldn't like I.
Speaker 3 (48:08):
Don't know what you're doing at this point, you need
to be following us, So until then, keep your mentals.
Speaker 4 (48:14):
Ground level and we will be back next week.
Speaker 2 (48:18):
B Listen to levels to this on America's number one
podcast network, iHeart, Open your free iHeart app and search
levels to this with Cheryl Swoops and Treka Foster Brasbee
and start listening.
Hosts And Creators
Terrika Foster-Brasby
Sheryl Swoopes
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