July 29, 2025 • 16 mins
ICYMI: ‘Later, with Mo’Kelly’ Presents – A look ‘Beyond the Box Score’ with regular guest contributor Jackie Rae; host of ‘The Jackie Rae Show,’ weighing in on Deion Sanders battle with bladder cancer AND Ice Cube’s stance on Angel Reese’s WNBA - on KFI AM 640…Live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app & YouTube @MrMoKelly
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
You're listening to Later with Moe Kelly on demand from
KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
I guess Later with Mo Kelly were live everywhere on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook,
and the iHeartRadio app. And joining us in studio customarily
as she does on Mondays, is Jackie Ray. Jackie Ray
is great to see you, It's great to be here.
Let me just say this. I have long been a
Dion Sanders fan. I've appreciated Despite I may not always
appreciate the antics and the bravado, I still appreciate him
(00:28):
him for what he's done at Jackson State.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
Turning around Colorado.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Can't argue with the results, but he disappeared for all
the better part of a month. People were concerned about
his health because he did have two toes amputated his
last round of blood clots. I thought, because they had
this press conference today, that he was gonna announce that
he was going to step down, as did I. As
it turns out, he announced that he had his gallbladder
(00:55):
removed due to bladder cancer. And this is very quickly
a place of it. This is what his medical team
had to say.
Speaker 4 (01:03):
But at this point, you have a bladder tumor and
from there, we'll go get it removed and then back
of crophasia. It was go ahead, yeah, So we proceeded
with removal of the bladder tumor. It showed a very aggressive,
very high grade and fading through the bladder wall not
into the muscle layer, something we call very high risk
(01:24):
non musclim based of bladder cancer.
Speaker 5 (01:26):
So we did discuss options.
Speaker 4 (01:28):
We discussed some options of treatment in the bladder, and
we discussed bladder removal as well. Given his commitments to
his family and to the team, elected to undergo a
bladder removal. We performed a full robot assist at labroscopic
bladder removal and creation of a new bladder. And I
am pleased to report that the results from the surgery
are that he has cured from the cancer.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
Deon Sanders and I can't play.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
It was like a forty minute press conference which was
not taken live on ESPN or Fox Sports, which was
weird to be but that's an aside. Dion was saying,
like he has to wear depends unawaere for like the
rest of his life because he has no bladder control.
We cannot control your nation. I don't know what his
quality of life is going to be. But my question
to you is should he have stepped down given that
(02:13):
his health. Even though he may be passed the operation,
he's still going through recovery.
Speaker 5 (02:17):
I'm going to say no.
Speaker 6 (02:19):
And the reason why I'm going to say no is
because I always you know, this is a question that
hopefully won't come for most of us, but it probably
will come for a lot of us when you get
to that age where you have to make a choice
of do you want to stop working or do you
want to keep doing what you love? And I think
the second you stop living is when things go awry
for you. And this is his passion. This is something
that he's obviously very good at. He definitely influences young
(02:42):
men to go out into the world, be it football
or just life in general, to be better people. So
I think he's very much needed and it's a passion
for him and it gives him life. And so I
don't think you should ever stop doing anything that you're
passionate about. My dadd us to always say the second
you start living is when you start dying. And I
think he needs to keep doing what he loves.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
I have to appreciate because he he's been very public
about his faith, and I appreciated that about him, But
I think you also sent the message that, hey, don't
cry for me.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
You know I'm a very blessed person.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
In fact, listen to what he has to say and
how he puts it, and I think, in a wonderful perspective, well,
I have to actually put the clip.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
Here we go.
Speaker 7 (03:23):
I never once through this whole journey said God, why me,
because I would have to say, God, why you? Why?
I mean you sitting me up here in front of
these wonderful people, Why you give me the position of
the head football coach of the prestigious university. Why you
allow me to father five wonderful kids? Why you give
me these relationships with these wonderful people? Why mean, Lord,
(03:44):
then I have some of the things that I have.
I can never say that. I can never say the
other side because I'm gor had to ask that. I said, Lord,
whatever it is that you're doing, let me know what
it is so I could expedicate the process.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
He's been through fourteen surgeries in four years. I don't
know how emotionally I would respond to that, assuming everything
went right with all the surgeries. TI fourteen surgeries in
four years, and we know that he lost two totes
to amputation. And I don't know because he's been closely
guarding his health, I don't know what other issues that he's.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
Been dealing with.
Speaker 6 (04:23):
Yeah, he's fifty seven, and so that's fourteen surgeries in.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
I'm fifty five.
Speaker 5 (04:28):
Okay, that's a lot.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
We're in the same space.
Speaker 6 (04:31):
Right you're talking when you talk about these types of surgeries,
you're literally, in my mind, this is something that starts
happening later in life, and then you have to start
thinking about these things. But that mindset is very much
you have to take the good with the bad, and
he has had a very blessed life, and so I
applaud him for that. I don't know that most of
us would be able to do that though. I don't
know if most of us would be able to sit
(04:53):
down and say I've had a great life, because I
think that when you say that we all have to
deal with our mortality sooner or later, we just do.
The second you lose somebody that's close to you, you
have to start dealing with your own mortality. But for him,
he's dealing with it in a different way. He's dealing
with it in my body is showing me that it
is not up to par. And so that for him
(05:14):
to be sitting there and looking.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
So it was a world class, world class across two professionals.
Speaker 6 (05:19):
Yes, So for him to be sitting there and have
such decorum and such positivity and talk about the good
people that he wants to continue to bless in his life,
that he's different.
Speaker 5 (05:29):
We've always known Dionn is different, but this.
Speaker 6 (05:31):
Proves that he's different and his faith is what's keeping
him grounded right now.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
Now, I made mention to it, but you and I
both work in media. You and I have both worked
in sports media. I was very taken aback when I
realized that neither ESPN nor Fox Sports took the press
conference live nor had a reporter reporting on it as
it was happening.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
They just made a mention of it. Later. Am I
making too much of them?
Speaker 6 (05:55):
No, that's we should all be making a lot of
That is you know, when you have someone like Dionn,
You've covered every.
Speaker 5 (06:02):
Aspect of his career.
Speaker 6 (06:03):
You've covered everything from him waking up to him laying down.
He's had a whole reality show, so you've covered every
aspect of his life and now when he's at a
moment that is pivotal for him to he's clearly getting
the supports. I'm not saying he needs it, but as
a sports organization, and it is your job to report
on everything that is sports related, and you're not reporting
(06:24):
on one of the biggest names in sports telling you
one of the biggest things that happened in his life.
Speaker 5 (06:28):
To me, that's an agenda.
Speaker 6 (06:30):
And I don't know what he did do he did,
but you know what, people pissed me off every day
if they have a story, I still do it because
I'm ethical and I'm a journalist.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
Yeah, that bothers me because that was, to me, a
conscious decision and an editorial decision. You don't miss that.
That was a news moment which you still cover. Do
you cover it for the whole forty minutes? Maybe not,
Maybe you do ten minutes, you drop out of it.
You recap it like we do here on KFI.
Speaker 6 (06:57):
For a lot of press calls, they should have at
least had a camera. They record the whole thing edited
up and make it a three minute package.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
Or you have it split stream.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
It's like we're monitoring the Dion Sanders press conference. Will
let you know, he just announced that he's survived bladder
cancer surgery. He's going to remain on as head coach
because this is a big deal. It's a big deal.
Speaker 6 (07:16):
Surviving any type of cancer is a big deal. Surviving
cancer and not resigning your position as a bigger deal.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
Well, let's not forget ESPN with a whole you know,
Jimmy v cancer. Uh you know, a foundation right, and
the whole thing that they do every single year.
Speaker 3 (07:34):
It just rings real hypocritical.
Speaker 7 (07:36):
Yep.
Speaker 6 (07:36):
And the optics that would be always my concern, regardless
of what the real reason for you not covering it.
Speaker 5 (07:43):
What do the optics say. I'm just saying ESPN do better.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
It's later with Mokeley when we come back. We want
to talk about some WNBA. We have Ice Cube, who
has been a guest on the show, so I have
nothing against him. He obviously is the founder of the
Big Three and is a rival to the NBA.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
The NBA does not want the Big Three to succeed
at all.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
You may remember about a year ago he made an offer,
don't know if it was real or not, for Kitlyn
Clark to come play the Big Three for five million dollars.
Now of course, Kitlyn Clark make more than five million
in just in endorsements. But the question is now, was
the same offer extended to Angel Reese, who was perceived
to be her adversary her again to her Yang.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
We'll get into that next.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
You're listening to Later with Moe Kelly on demand from
KFI AM six.
Speaker 3 (08:30):
Forty KFIM six forty.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
Yes Later with Mo Kelly live everywhere on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook,
and the iHeartRadio app. And we're still going to beyond
the box Score with Jackuray who joins me in studio.
You can take a look at both of us on
our YouTube Simulcash as Jackuary waves to the crowd, Jackie,
you and I love talking basketball WNBA and the intersection
(08:56):
between NBA and WNBA issues there is I don't want
to say it's competition, but it is opposition to the NBA.
The NBA has been trying to kill the Big Three,
the three on three league that ice Cube founded for
years now, but the w NBA has come into focus
because ice Cube has been trying to recruit the likes
(09:18):
of Caitlin Clark, who I don't think it was an
honest attempt, but he offered her five million last year
to play against men with men in the Big Three,
and Kitlyn Clark obviously was going to make more money
in the w NBA and also being allowed to get
the endorsements through WNBA sponsors, she makes more than five million.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
Easy.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
But there was a story which came out this week
in which Ice Cube, I guess he was asked about
Angel Reeves whether she would get a similar offer from
him in the Big Three, and he said basically no,
Caitlyn is a bigger star, could bring in more eyeballs.
I'm paraphraser. What did he get right or what did
he get wrong about that?
Speaker 5 (10:03):
Let me tread lightly. I think he, in essence, he
got it right.
Speaker 6 (10:08):
I think Caitlin Clark would be a bigger, bigger draw
in essence because we've seen that she brings a very
specific fan base and just statistically in the country, that's
just demographics, it's it's just a larger demographic. I think
where he got it wrong is to say that Angel
Rees wouldn't give an immediate spike to that league, because
(10:29):
that's very wrong. I mean, Angel Rees has she got
She's like the Beyonce a basketball right now. People follow
her because of what she's selling on Amazon. You know
what she she's.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
A beauty icon in endorsement.
Speaker 5 (10:44):
Easy Easy.
Speaker 6 (10:45):
She comes across my feet every day about oh and
I I'm not even gonna lie. I'll be right in
her little Amazon shop to see if there's anything in there.
Speaker 5 (10:53):
That might work for me.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
She is a monaker for the w n B A
M Yes.
Speaker 6 (10:57):
Yes, And I think for ice Cube to say that,
you know, now here's where people will be like now,
we've seen a lot of Kitlyn Clark now her first
year in obviously it was about the threes and all
of that good stuff. But what I think we're seeing
right now is more of who Caitlyn Clark actually is
in this even with the injuries and her flopping and
things of that nature. I don't think that we're talking
(11:18):
about one player being better than the other.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
Yeah, can I say it this way? I think I
wouldn't call it the sophomore jinks. But the league has
adjusted to Caitlyn Clark in the right game right and
making her be more than just a shooter. When they
make her a distributor, she's turnover prom yeah, and.
Speaker 5 (11:34):
She's she's always been like that, and she's a volume shoot.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
In other words, she needs to shoot a lot of
shots and get her points. And if you can make
it more difficult for her to be successful as a shooter,
that really limits her game.
Speaker 6 (11:45):
Yeah, she doesn't spark fear anybody because if she gets hot,
you can make her go cold. And so I think
to your point, they have learned who she is as
a player. With Angel rees she has learned how to
if her shot doesn't go down, she has still learned
how to be effective. I tell people this all the time.
Everybody in the game has a bad night. What you
need to know how to do is still be productive
(12:05):
while you have a bad shooting night.
Speaker 5 (12:07):
And she's learned how to do that.
Speaker 6 (12:08):
She's learned how to distribute the ball, She's learned how
to take care of the Everything on her numbers is up.
So when you try to say, oh, Caitlin Clark is better,
then you're you're tapping into the hype.
Speaker 5 (12:19):
And I'm going to just go out and say it.
The hype.
Speaker 6 (12:22):
A lot of the hype that comes with Caitlin Clark
is very negative, race baiting hype.
Speaker 3 (12:28):
Look, I read the blogs.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
I read all the things, the things that they say
about Angel Reeves. Don't have anything to do with basketball. No,
let's just be clear, let's be honest about that. But
I will say this, that is going to generate millions
and millions of dollars for the w NBA. We talked
about this. This is their CBA year, the Collective Marketing Agreement,
there negotiations. Now these players are going to get paid,
(12:52):
not to level of NBA players because they're still not
bringing in that type of revenue. But this rising tile
tide is going to lift all boats. Yes, they're going
to double, if not triple, their salary.
Speaker 6 (13:02):
As they should because when you're talking about the endorsement
deals that they're getting, the TV sponsors that they're getting,
the TV deals that they're getting, And this is what
I tell people all the time. They're like, oh, they're
asking for money, and the league's never been in the black.
You guys are talking about money from your bank account.
Rich people broke and regular people broke is not the
same broke. And so this is not a league that
(13:24):
is in any danger of going bankrupt tomorrow.
Speaker 3 (13:27):
But they don't understand the business.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
When you sell the broadcast rights, you're talking about ten
years out and then the networks have to then sell
them the flud commercials and recoup their money.
Speaker 3 (13:39):
There is a trajectory to all this.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
Yes, they are growing by leaps and bounds where this
league is going to be making far more money in
two three years than it is right now.
Speaker 5 (13:50):
Oh yeah, I mean you think about ABC, ESPN.
Speaker 1 (13:53):
Yep.
Speaker 6 (13:54):
The New York Liberty are right now valued at four
hundred and fifty million dollars. The Golden State Valkyries, this
is their first season in the league, are already valued
at five hundred million. So obviously the money is there,
the fans are there. As a reporter who's been covering
the LA Sparks, it is so fun to see because
the LA Sparks just started winning.
Speaker 5 (14:13):
They just went on a five.
Speaker 6 (14:15):
Yeah yeah, no, it's like, wait what I know, But
it's so fun to watch how many people are there.
And so before they went on this wind streak though,
they were still packing out their arena because people were
coming not only to see them, but to see the
other team.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
So the league is growing across the board. What people
don't know, and they may not be old enough to
remember or know. As a historical perspective, when Magic and
Berg came into the NBA, the NBA was averaging less
attendance than the w NBA is right now.
Speaker 6 (14:47):
I tell people that all the time, when Michael Jordan
came in to Chicago, there was a soccer team that
was getting more peoples in the seats, in the Chicago Bulls.
Speaker 5 (14:57):
So it is what it is.
Speaker 2 (14:58):
It five and six the house and people. You know,
it's I'm not talking about LA in New York. I'm
talking about the smaller marketing. You know, he had Milwaukee,
no Almo was going.
Speaker 5 (15:08):
To see and now they're the hottest ticket in town.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
Right, So there is a historical parallel here. It's not
going to happen overnight, but they are definitely they as
in WNBA players, they're about to get paid. And for
those who are are angry about the shirts of the
All Star Game talking about payous.
Speaker 5 (15:28):
They just don't understand the numbers. They don't get people
don't read.
Speaker 6 (15:30):
I want to say one more thing about ice Cube, though, sure.
The other thing that bothers me about this ice Cube
has long been this man that has exalted himself as
a pro black man, who is about black people and
is about his community. So why he took this moment
to say anything disparaging about a black woman.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
Bothers me. Here's what bothers me about what Cube did.
He based it around statements that Angel Reice made a
year ago.
Speaker 6 (15:55):
Right, but out of context though, because she didn't say
that she couldn't pay her bills. She said based on
her WNBA salary alone, which she said, if that was
all I had to live on, I couldn't pay my bills.
Speaker 5 (16:06):
And that's not all the money she's getting.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
But she's also speaking on behalf of the players correct
don't have the endorsement income, who don't have the ability
to supplement their income, and that goes back to Britney Grinder.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
While people were playing.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
Overseas to supplement their income and because the WNBA was
not paying them enough.
Speaker 5 (16:25):
So what's the lesson here? Read before you speak.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
You're listening to Later with Moe Kelly on demand from
KFI AM six forty
You're listening to Later with Moe Kelly on demand from
KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
I guess Later with Mo Kelly were live everywhere on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook,
and the iHeartRadio app. And joining us in studio customarily
as she does on Mondays, is Jackie Ray. Jackie Ray
is great to see you, It's great to be here.
Let me just say this. I have long been a
Dion Sanders fan. I've appreciated Despite I may not always
appreciate the antics and the bravado, I still appreciate him
(00:28):
him for what he's done at Jackson State.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
Turning around Colorado.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Can't argue with the results, but he disappeared for all
the better part of a month. People were concerned about
his health because he did have two toes amputated his
last round of blood clots. I thought, because they had
this press conference today, that he was gonna announce that
he was going to step down, as did I. As
it turns out, he announced that he had his gallbladder
(00:55):
removed due to bladder cancer. And this is very quickly
a place of it. This is what his medical team
had to say.
Speaker 4 (01:03):
But at this point, you have a bladder tumor and
from there, we'll go get it removed and then back
of crophasia. It was go ahead, yeah, So we proceeded
with removal of the bladder tumor. It showed a very aggressive,
very high grade and fading through the bladder wall not
into the muscle layer, something we call very high risk
(01:24):
non musclim based of bladder cancer.
Speaker 5 (01:26):
So we did discuss options.
Speaker 4 (01:28):
We discussed some options of treatment in the bladder, and
we discussed bladder removal as well. Given his commitments to
his family and to the team, elected to undergo a
bladder removal. We performed a full robot assist at labroscopic
bladder removal and creation of a new bladder. And I
am pleased to report that the results from the surgery
are that he has cured from the cancer.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
Deon Sanders and I can't play.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
It was like a forty minute press conference which was
not taken live on ESPN or Fox Sports, which was
weird to be but that's an aside. Dion was saying,
like he has to wear depends unawaere for like the
rest of his life because he has no bladder control.
We cannot control your nation. I don't know what his
quality of life is going to be. But my question
to you is should he have stepped down given that
(02:13):
his health. Even though he may be passed the operation,
he's still going through recovery.
Speaker 5 (02:17):
I'm going to say no.
Speaker 6 (02:19):
And the reason why I'm going to say no is
because I always you know, this is a question that
hopefully won't come for most of us, but it probably
will come for a lot of us when you get
to that age where you have to make a choice
of do you want to stop working or do you
want to keep doing what you love? And I think
the second you stop living is when things go awry
for you. And this is his passion. This is something
that he's obviously very good at. He definitely influences young
(02:42):
men to go out into the world, be it football
or just life in general, to be better people. So
I think he's very much needed and it's a passion
for him and it gives him life. And so I
don't think you should ever stop doing anything that you're
passionate about. My dadd us to always say the second
you start living is when you start dying. And I
think he needs to keep doing what he loves.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
I have to appreciate because he he's been very public
about his faith, and I appreciated that about him, But
I think you also sent the message that, hey, don't
cry for me.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
You know I'm a very blessed person.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
In fact, listen to what he has to say and
how he puts it, and I think, in a wonderful perspective, well,
I have to actually put the clip.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
Here we go.
Speaker 7 (03:23):
I never once through this whole journey said God, why me,
because I would have to say, God, why you? Why?
I mean you sitting me up here in front of
these wonderful people, Why you give me the position of
the head football coach of the prestigious university. Why you
allow me to father five wonderful kids? Why you give
me these relationships with these wonderful people? Why mean, Lord,
(03:44):
then I have some of the things that I have.
I can never say that. I can never say the
other side because I'm gor had to ask that. I said, Lord,
whatever it is that you're doing, let me know what
it is so I could expedicate the process.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
He's been through fourteen surgeries in four years. I don't
know how emotionally I would respond to that, assuming everything
went right with all the surgeries. TI fourteen surgeries in
four years, and we know that he lost two totes
to amputation. And I don't know because he's been closely
guarding his health, I don't know what other issues that he's.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
Been dealing with.
Speaker 6 (04:23):
Yeah, he's fifty seven, and so that's fourteen surgeries in.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
I'm fifty five.
Speaker 5 (04:28):
Okay, that's a lot.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
We're in the same space.
Speaker 6 (04:31):
Right you're talking when you talk about these types of surgeries,
you're literally, in my mind, this is something that starts
happening later in life, and then you have to start
thinking about these things. But that mindset is very much
you have to take the good with the bad, and
he has had a very blessed life, and so I
applaud him for that. I don't know that most of
us would be able to do that though. I don't
know if most of us would be able to sit
(04:53):
down and say I've had a great life, because I
think that when you say that we all have to
deal with our mortality sooner or later, we just do.
The second you lose somebody that's close to you, you
have to start dealing with your own mortality. But for him,
he's dealing with it in a different way. He's dealing
with it in my body is showing me that it
is not up to par. And so that for him
(05:14):
to be sitting there and looking.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
So it was a world class, world class across two professionals.
Speaker 6 (05:19):
Yes, So for him to be sitting there and have
such decorum and such positivity and talk about the good
people that he wants to continue to bless in his life,
that he's different.
Speaker 5 (05:29):
We've always known Dionn is different, but this.
Speaker 6 (05:31):
Proves that he's different and his faith is what's keeping
him grounded right now.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
Now, I made mention to it, but you and I
both work in media. You and I have both worked
in sports media. I was very taken aback when I
realized that neither ESPN nor Fox Sports took the press
conference live nor had a reporter reporting on it as
it was happening.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
They just made a mention of it. Later. Am I
making too much of them?
Speaker 6 (05:55):
No, that's we should all be making a lot of
That is you know, when you have someone like Dionn,
You've covered every.
Speaker 5 (06:02):
Aspect of his career.
Speaker 6 (06:03):
You've covered everything from him waking up to him laying down.
He's had a whole reality show, so you've covered every
aspect of his life and now when he's at a
moment that is pivotal for him to he's clearly getting
the supports. I'm not saying he needs it, but as
a sports organization, and it is your job to report
on everything that is sports related, and you're not reporting
(06:24):
on one of the biggest names in sports telling you
one of the biggest things that happened in his life.
Speaker 5 (06:28):
To me, that's an agenda.
Speaker 6 (06:30):
And I don't know what he did do he did,
but you know what, people pissed me off every day
if they have a story, I still do it because
I'm ethical and I'm a journalist.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
Yeah, that bothers me because that was, to me, a
conscious decision and an editorial decision. You don't miss that.
That was a news moment which you still cover. Do
you cover it for the whole forty minutes? Maybe not,
Maybe you do ten minutes, you drop out of it.
You recap it like we do here on KFI.
Speaker 6 (06:57):
For a lot of press calls, they should have at
least had a camera. They record the whole thing edited
up and make it a three minute package.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
Or you have it split stream.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
It's like we're monitoring the Dion Sanders press conference. Will
let you know, he just announced that he's survived bladder
cancer surgery. He's going to remain on as head coach
because this is a big deal. It's a big deal.
Speaker 6 (07:16):
Surviving any type of cancer is a big deal. Surviving
cancer and not resigning your position as a bigger deal.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
Well, let's not forget ESPN with a whole you know,
Jimmy v cancer. Uh you know, a foundation right, and
the whole thing that they do every single year.
Speaker 3 (07:34):
It just rings real hypocritical.
Speaker 7 (07:36):
Yep.
Speaker 6 (07:36):
And the optics that would be always my concern, regardless
of what the real reason for you not covering it.
Speaker 5 (07:43):
What do the optics say. I'm just saying ESPN do better.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
It's later with Mokeley when we come back. We want
to talk about some WNBA. We have Ice Cube, who
has been a guest on the show, so I have
nothing against him. He obviously is the founder of the
Big Three and is a rival to the NBA.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
The NBA does not want the Big Three to succeed
at all.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
You may remember about a year ago he made an offer,
don't know if it was real or not, for Kitlyn
Clark to come play the Big Three for five million dollars.
Now of course, Kitlyn Clark make more than five million
in just in endorsements. But the question is now, was
the same offer extended to Angel Reese, who was perceived
to be her adversary her again to her Yang.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
We'll get into that next.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
You're listening to Later with Moe Kelly on demand from
KFI AM six.
Speaker 3 (08:30):
Forty KFIM six forty.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
Yes Later with Mo Kelly live everywhere on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook,
and the iHeartRadio app. And we're still going to beyond
the box Score with Jackuray who joins me in studio.
You can take a look at both of us on
our YouTube Simulcash as Jackuary waves to the crowd, Jackie,
you and I love talking basketball WNBA and the intersection
(08:56):
between NBA and WNBA issues there is I don't want
to say it's competition, but it is opposition to the NBA.
The NBA has been trying to kill the Big Three,
the three on three league that ice Cube founded for
years now, but the w NBA has come into focus
because ice Cube has been trying to recruit the likes
(09:18):
of Caitlin Clark, who I don't think it was an
honest attempt, but he offered her five million last year
to play against men with men in the Big Three,
and Kitlyn Clark obviously was going to make more money
in the w NBA and also being allowed to get
the endorsements through WNBA sponsors, she makes more than five million.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
Easy.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
But there was a story which came out this week
in which Ice Cube, I guess he was asked about
Angel Reeves whether she would get a similar offer from
him in the Big Three, and he said basically no,
Caitlyn is a bigger star, could bring in more eyeballs.
I'm paraphraser. What did he get right or what did
he get wrong about that?
Speaker 5 (10:03):
Let me tread lightly. I think he, in essence, he
got it right.
Speaker 6 (10:08):
I think Caitlin Clark would be a bigger, bigger draw
in essence because we've seen that she brings a very
specific fan base and just statistically in the country, that's
just demographics, it's it's just a larger demographic. I think
where he got it wrong is to say that Angel
Rees wouldn't give an immediate spike to that league, because
(10:29):
that's very wrong. I mean, Angel Rees has she got
She's like the Beyonce a basketball right now. People follow
her because of what she's selling on Amazon. You know
what she she's.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
A beauty icon in endorsement.
Speaker 5 (10:44):
Easy Easy.
Speaker 6 (10:45):
She comes across my feet every day about oh and
I I'm not even gonna lie. I'll be right in
her little Amazon shop to see if there's anything in there.
Speaker 5 (10:53):
That might work for me.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
She is a monaker for the w n B A
M Yes.
Speaker 6 (10:57):
Yes, And I think for ice Cube to say that,
you know, now here's where people will be like now,
we've seen a lot of Kitlyn Clark now her first
year in obviously it was about the threes and all
of that good stuff. But what I think we're seeing
right now is more of who Caitlyn Clark actually is
in this even with the injuries and her flopping and
things of that nature. I don't think that we're talking
(11:18):
about one player being better than the other.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
Yeah, can I say it this way? I think I
wouldn't call it the sophomore jinks. But the league has
adjusted to Caitlyn Clark in the right game right and
making her be more than just a shooter. When they
make her a distributor, she's turnover prom yeah, and.
Speaker 5 (11:34):
She's she's always been like that, and she's a volume shoot.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
In other words, she needs to shoot a lot of
shots and get her points. And if you can make
it more difficult for her to be successful as a shooter,
that really limits her game.
Speaker 6 (11:45):
Yeah, she doesn't spark fear anybody because if she gets hot,
you can make her go cold. And so I think
to your point, they have learned who she is as
a player. With Angel rees she has learned how to
if her shot doesn't go down, she has still learned
how to be effective. I tell people this all the time.
Everybody in the game has a bad night. What you
need to know how to do is still be productive
(12:05):
while you have a bad shooting night.
Speaker 5 (12:07):
And she's learned how to do that.
Speaker 6 (12:08):
She's learned how to distribute the ball, She's learned how
to take care of the Everything on her numbers is up.
So when you try to say, oh, Caitlin Clark is better,
then you're you're tapping into the hype.
Speaker 5 (12:19):
And I'm going to just go out and say it.
The hype.
Speaker 6 (12:22):
A lot of the hype that comes with Caitlin Clark
is very negative, race baiting hype.
Speaker 3 (12:28):
Look, I read the blogs.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
I read all the things, the things that they say
about Angel Reeves. Don't have anything to do with basketball. No,
let's just be clear, let's be honest about that. But
I will say this, that is going to generate millions
and millions of dollars for the w NBA. We talked
about this. This is their CBA year, the Collective Marketing Agreement,
there negotiations. Now these players are going to get paid,
(12:52):
not to level of NBA players because they're still not
bringing in that type of revenue. But this rising tile
tide is going to lift all boats. Yes, they're going
to double, if not triple, their salary.
Speaker 6 (13:02):
As they should because when you're talking about the endorsement
deals that they're getting, the TV sponsors that they're getting,
the TV deals that they're getting, And this is what
I tell people all the time. They're like, oh, they're
asking for money, and the league's never been in the black.
You guys are talking about money from your bank account.
Rich people broke and regular people broke is not the
same broke. And so this is not a league that
(13:24):
is in any danger of going bankrupt tomorrow.
Speaker 3 (13:27):
But they don't understand the business.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
When you sell the broadcast rights, you're talking about ten
years out and then the networks have to then sell
them the flud commercials and recoup their money.
Speaker 3 (13:39):
There is a trajectory to all this.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
Yes, they are growing by leaps and bounds where this
league is going to be making far more money in
two three years than it is right now.
Speaker 5 (13:50):
Oh yeah, I mean you think about ABC, ESPN.
Speaker 1 (13:53):
Yep.
Speaker 6 (13:54):
The New York Liberty are right now valued at four
hundred and fifty million dollars. The Golden State Valkyries, this
is their first season in the league, are already valued
at five hundred million. So obviously the money is there,
the fans are there. As a reporter who's been covering
the LA Sparks, it is so fun to see because
the LA Sparks just started winning.
Speaker 5 (14:13):
They just went on a five.
Speaker 6 (14:15):
Yeah yeah, no, it's like, wait what I know, But
it's so fun to watch how many people are there.
And so before they went on this wind streak though,
they were still packing out their arena because people were
coming not only to see them, but to see the
other team.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
So the league is growing across the board. What people
don't know, and they may not be old enough to
remember or know. As a historical perspective, when Magic and
Berg came into the NBA, the NBA was averaging less
attendance than the w NBA is right now.
Speaker 6 (14:47):
I tell people that all the time, when Michael Jordan
came in to Chicago, there was a soccer team that
was getting more peoples in the seats, in the Chicago Bulls.
Speaker 5 (14:57):
So it is what it is.
Speaker 2 (14:58):
It five and six the house and people. You know,
it's I'm not talking about LA in New York. I'm
talking about the smaller marketing. You know, he had Milwaukee,
no Almo was going.
Speaker 5 (15:08):
To see and now they're the hottest ticket in town.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
Right, So there is a historical parallel here. It's not
going to happen overnight, but they are definitely they as
in WNBA players, they're about to get paid. And for
those who are are angry about the shirts of the
All Star Game talking about payous.
Speaker 5 (15:28):
They just don't understand the numbers. They don't get people
don't read.
Speaker 6 (15:30):
I want to say one more thing about ice Cube, though, sure.
The other thing that bothers me about this ice Cube
has long been this man that has exalted himself as
a pro black man, who is about black people and
is about his community. So why he took this moment
to say anything disparaging about a black woman.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
Bothers me. Here's what bothers me about what Cube did.
He based it around statements that Angel Reice made a
year ago.
Speaker 6 (15:55):
Right, but out of context though, because she didn't say
that she couldn't pay her bills. She said based on
her WNBA salary alone, which she said, if that was
all I had to live on, I couldn't pay my bills.
Speaker 5 (16:06):
And that's not all the money she's getting.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
But she's also speaking on behalf of the players correct
don't have the endorsement income, who don't have the ability
to supplement their income, and that goes back to Britney Grinder.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
While people were playing.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
Overseas to supplement their income and because the WNBA was
not paying them enough.
Speaker 5 (16:25):
So what's the lesson here? Read before you speak.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
You're listening to Later with Moe Kelly on demand from
KFI AM six forty
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