A’ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark Record Reactions, Plus Commish CNBC Fallout with Natalie Esquire

Khristina is joined by NBC Sports WNBA reporter Natalie Esquire to discuss A’ja Wilson’s 1000-point season, as well as her emotional post-game locker room speech and why the Aces still have a good chance at a three-peat. They also get into Caitlin Clark’s place in WNBA history and why the Fever could pull a 1st round upset. Plus, they go in on Cathy Engelbert’s tone deaf comments, her apology, why the league needs to do more to fight against racism, and who the next WNBA commissioner should be.

 

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Follow the show on Instagram @ICYMIwithKW and X @ICYMIwithKW and for more on Khristina follow her on Instagram @khristinawilliams

 

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CREDITS

 

Executive Producers:

Nikki Ettore

Jessie Katz

Tyler Klang

Jonathan Strickland

 

Supervising Producer:

Peter Coughter

 

Producer & Editor:

Tari Harrison

 

Sound Engineer:

Ashley Burke

 

Host:

Khristina Williams

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
In Case You Missed It with Christina Williams is an
iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports
and Entertainment. Welcome back to another episode of In Case
You Missed It with Christina Williams here on the iHeartRadio app,
and the WNBA regular season is coming to an end

(00:24):
this week. It's been a great season, y'all. I mean
lots of great matchups, storylines, some unexpected things happening in
the season, but overall, I would say that this, hands
down has been one of the best seasons that I've
been able to witness and cover. I'm excited for this
week's headlines and joining me this week to help break
down all of the latest and women's basketball is a

(00:47):
good friend of mine. She is a producer and she
is also a WNBA analyst and digital creator for NBC Sports.
My good friend Natalie es Squire is going to be
in the house. We're going to break down Asia Wilson
breaking the single season scoring record. She is the first
player in WMA history to have a thousand points in

(01:08):
a single season. Love that for Asia Wilson, and then
we're gonna move on to talk about Caitlyn Clark she
breaks the rookie scoring record, and how dangerous the fever
might be in the playoffs, especially in the first round
if they face the Connecticut Son. Do they have the
potential to advance in the second round and upset the
Connecticut Son. We're gonna break that all down with Natalie.

(01:28):
And then lastly, we're gonna talk about the final push
for that eighth seed in the WNBA playoffs, and we're
gonna talk about Kathy Engelbert, who has issued an apology
to the league's players for an appearance that she made
last week on CNBC. But I want to welcome in
this week's guest. I mentioned she is a good friend

(01:48):
of mine. I want to welcome Natalie Esquire. She's a
former lawyer turned w NBA reporter for NBC Sports. Natalie,
Welcome to the show.

Speaker 2 (01:58):
Christina, Thank you so much for having me. I'm honored
and so excited to do this with you today. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (02:05):
No, I am so excited to have you on because
I think that one this was a long time comming.
So I'm happy that we're finally able to be in
the same space together and to just have fun and
talk hoops. But also I want to give you your
flowers before we start. And this is coming from the
heart because I truly mean it. I think that the
work that you do is so necessary. And I tell
you all the time, f what the haters say on

(02:28):
social media. I know that you know, you know, you
have people coming at you and stuff, but just know
that the work that you do in this space is important.
Your voice is necessary, and to keep going, keep your
head hell high, chest out because you deserve it. And
I know how hard it could be for black women
particular in this media space. I last season went through

(02:51):
something that was completely you know, crazy for me and
just to see how the whole WNBA community is able
to rally behind me, and so I'm here to say
I'm rallying behind you and I support you in the
work that you do. And I just thank you again
for coming on the show this week. The pleasure, like
I said, is aline and thank you. I feel like

(03:11):
I'm going to get emotional when we talk about Asia
Wilson giving her her flowers, and so I'm trying not
to be emotional now, but what you just said really
touched my heart and really means so much coming from you,
because yeah, like Asia said, last night. Sometimes she hates
being Asia Wilson this year, particularly being in this space.
Sometimes it's been very hard. So I appreciate someone like

(03:34):
you who's been a trailblazer in this space saying those
things about me, and I really mean it. And you know,
we talk offline. I'm not just doing this for show,
because you're a guest on the show, and you know
I support you in the work that you do and
I'm here with you. I think that is important as
a woman that we stick together, especially in this industry.
And you mentioned Asia Wilson. We're going to talk about,

(03:55):
you know, her amazing game and breaking records, but just
know that you know this is a safe for you
here on this show. And so let's get into the headline.
So on Sunday, Asia Wilson became the first player in
WNBA history to score one thousand points in a single
WNBA season. Now, Asia Wilson, she's been having such a

(04:16):
dominating season thus far. Lots of people say she's the
unanimous MVP. I had an opportunity to speak to Asia
Wilson for NBC earlier in the season, and she told
me that getting that fourth place vote last year was
the motivation that she needed to come out and kill.
We've seen her show up to games in the white

(04:37):
T shirt and sweatpants meaning business Natalie. What does this
accomplishment mean for her place in WNBA history? As the
Aces look to three.

Speaker 2 (04:46):
P goodness, you have to start talking about Asia and
the Goat conversation, right. I mean, I'm someone who really
thinks like we don't want to prematurely crown people, But
I mean, her resume is ridiculous. Like, just with the basics,
She's a two time champion, a multiple time MVP, is

(05:07):
about to get her third in my opinion, what should
be her fourth, right Defensive Player of the Year. She
just has all the accolades that you would want for
a player who you're going to talk about in that
Goat conversation. She's in the middle of trying to build
a dynasty, right, and that could potentially happen if the

(05:29):
Aces three repeat. She has the resume, she has the accolades,
she has the stats to just mention the thousand points.
She's also going to have the record this year for
rebounds as well. In WNBA history. She'll lead in blocks
this year as well, so blocks, rebounds and points in
one season. It's never been done. I mean, this is

(05:53):
Asia Wilson. She comes out and she does this on
a nightly basis. She was the MVP of the Olympics.
You have to start talking about her in the goat conversation.

Speaker 1 (06:02):
I absolutely agree, And I saw a tweet recently that said,
we need to start talking about Asia Wilson in the
same breath that we talk about Lebron James. She's accomplishing
all of this before the age of thirty, and when
you talk about this standalone season, she's averaging a double
double of twenty seven points twelve rebounds per game. She's
single handedly is the reason why the Aces are able

(06:23):
to clinch for the playoffs this year, despite all the
adversity that this team has had to face this season
with injuries and losing players and getting new players additioned
by subtraction. But I think that she is the best
player in the world right now, and you have to
consider her in those conversations. If she three piece, that's
it just crowded to go. She's for sure going to
be on Mount Rushmore when we talk about the greatest

(06:45):
of all time in the WNBA. But I think that
what we're seeing Sometimes because we cover the game, you
can get lost in like you're witnessing history, something that
has never been done before. When we look at players
who have had great seasons, I think about Candace Parker,
who is someone that I watched growing up and the
reason why I covered women's basketball just seeing Candace Parker dominate.

(07:07):
I think about Lauren Jackson in two thousand and six,
Cynthia Cooper at the inception of the WNBA, the season
that she had her MVP season, as well Nekka Guomaka
in twenty sixteen when the sparks one. When you look
at last season and this season, I think she would
say too fairly that it's Asia Wilson against Asia Wilson.
She wants to out best herself. But yees, certainly I

(07:29):
think that that last season, just getting that fourth place vote,
not getting MVP, it's her motivation. Would you consider Asia
Wilson's season right now to be the best WNBA season
that you've seen thus far?

Speaker 2 (07:44):
Yes? Probably, But I'm gonna give a little disclaimer that
obviously I'm newer to this space, so as much history
as I've tried to research, I'm sure there could be
some others that I'm missing, but and there have been
some great seasons. I mean, you mentioned Necas she was
so dominant that season. She also probably had a little

(08:06):
bit of a drive after getting snubbed for the Olympics.
Candice Parker has so many great seasons if you think
about also just more of course Smazi's out there also
when you just think of like great MVP years, I
always thought that Elena Deladon's was like one of the greatest.
She's like fifty forty ninety that season. So there have

(08:28):
been some really great seasons up there. But this kind
of dominance when you're in the conversation to potentially be
the second unanimous MVP in WNBA history, like, you just
don't get unanimous a lot. And I don't know if
she will because look, there was a fourth place voter
last year, but I cannot see any reason that a

(08:50):
voter would give another player first place over Asia. And
I want to be clear, that's not saying that other
players are not having MVP level seasons, but that's why
they're second, third, fourth, fifth, And you acknowledge those players
and the great seasons they're having by voting them in
those categories. But if you only could pick one and
your answer would be that it's Asia Wilson. Then she

(09:11):
deserves those those all those first place votes. And so
if you're in that conversation, if people are talking about
your season like it should be unanimous, and that is
the conversation you probably are having, if not the best,
one of the best seasons in WNBA history.

Speaker 1 (09:27):
Absolutely, And on Sunday, when Asia Wilson scored her thousandth
point against the Connecticut Sun at home in a win,
there was a postgame speech that she gave to her
team in the locker room. I want us to take
a listen and then we'll react to it.

Speaker 3 (09:46):
When you talk about special it's in this locker room.
I love each and every last one of you.

Speaker 2 (09:52):
Queen.

Speaker 3 (09:52):
We just met a couple of weeks so ago, but girl,
you came in here in jailed with us like you've
been with us since Shanny Kamp, and those are the
people that I love. As we're very I'm very particular
about who we let in this locker room. So first off,
thank you. When it comes to the rest of y'all,
the ones that we've been through everything with, I am

(10:12):
so appreciative. I don't get any of this without my
guards feeding me to basketball.

Speaker 4 (10:17):
So thank you, guys.

Speaker 3 (10:18):
But I hope y'all know how much I love y'all,
each and every last one of y'all.

Speaker 5 (10:28):
Y'all would never understand y'all mean to me because it's
days where I hate.

Speaker 4 (10:34):
Being Angel Wolson. I hate it.

Speaker 3 (10:37):
But when I come into work and I see y'all
smiling and I see y'all just happy.

Speaker 4 (10:45):
Makes me who I am.

Speaker 3 (10:47):
And I am so grateful to have teammates like y'all
because I don't y'all listen, I.

Speaker 4 (10:53):
Can go on. Y'all are just amazing people.

Speaker 3 (10:57):
And I love coming into work with y'all single day
because life is hard.

Speaker 4 (11:02):
We all know it is.

Speaker 3 (11:04):
But when I'm coming to work, can I see y'all,
it changes my whole outlook a life so.

Speaker 4 (11:11):
Appreachia it for y' all because it's hard. We know
it's hard.

Speaker 3 (11:18):
But I'm nothing without y'all, and I'm so grateful and
thank you so much.

Speaker 4 (11:22):
Never change.

Speaker 1 (11:23):
I'll never change, Natalie. I see that you're a little
emotional behind hearing those words from Asia Wilson addressing her
team in the locker room post game. Can you just
talk about what hearing those words from Asia Wilson. How

(11:45):
does that make you feel?

Speaker 2 (11:46):
I mean, for me, it really resonated with me, I
feel like, and I'm sure it resonated with a lot
of people, but based on my timeline and the people
that I saw resharing this video and specific talking about
that quote, it resonated with a lot of Black women.
And the crown that Asia wears is heavy. You know,

(12:09):
she carries a lot, and I think many of us
know that. But there's a saying people say often Black
women are strong. It's actually an awful trope actually, because
it dehumanizes us. It's this idea that we're always so strong,
so nothing bothers us, nothing impacts us. And we saw

(12:30):
it with Angel Reese when she was vulnerable in the past.
The moment she said anything was hard. People said, oh,
you know, like she's playing victim, right, And so I
respect Asia for being vulnerable with us in this moment
because we're often not allowed to be vulnerable, and her
crown is heavy that she wears. You have the pressure

(12:51):
of trying to repeat which has only been done once
before in this strip of the League, and it was
like at its inception, you know, and the aces were
struggling this year and having to carry her team until
they could get back to the aces. We all recognize,
you know, there's all this commentary where a lot of

(13:14):
the players, the black players, have been subject to a
lot of racism and vitriol this season, and she asked
to where all of that come out and perform every night.
Seeing her break down like that, it made me emotional,
but also it just resonated with me because we all

(13:34):
try to do so much, you know, and if you
really care about this league and you care about these women,
how can it not resonate with you. So I'm sorry
that I've been getting choked up, but it really was
touching to watch, you know, And I just how can
you not root for a player like Asia Wilson, you know.

(13:56):
And so it was really just a tremendous, vulnerable moment
that she shared with us, and I'm so thankful to
get to watch her play and witness this history she's making.

Speaker 1 (14:06):
Yeah, I absolutely agree. I mean, just rehearing that audio,
it made me take a step back, and as you said,
it resonated with me not only as a woman, but
as a black woman to hear someone like her be
vulnerable in that moment with her teammates. I think that
those words just shows just how much of a great
leader Asia Wilson is. Just even in you know, her

(14:28):
most vulnerable state, she's still encouraging her teammates, still being
that leader. But I think that I agree with you
in saying that this moment kind of humanizes her because
we use the words dominance, strong, just the words that
we use to describe, you know, Asia Wilson's season and
her skill, but not maybe sometimes not recognizing the human

(14:49):
aspect of Asia Wilson. And you know, I love that
you compared it to what Angel Lee was going through
this season. I had several chances to talk to Angel
about who she takes care of Angel when Angel's taking
care of everyone else, you know. And I see the
support system that Asia Wilson has and her family and
her teammates and coaches, and I'm just so happy that

(15:11):
she has that support, you know, as the best player
in the league. And so I'm excited again to see
all that Asia Wilson will do in her career. But
I'm glad that people got a glimpse of that human moment,
that vulnerability. I'm just excited to see, you know, where
she takes this sport. She is undeniably the best player

(15:33):
in the world right now, whether people want to recognize
it or not. And as you said, that crown is
heavy and she wears it very well. We're gonna take
a quick little break, but more from Natalie Esquire when
you return. Right now. The Aces regular season is winding

(15:58):
down and they're looking to clinched the best possible seating
for the playoffs. And we know that with the best
possible seating, if they clinched four, you know they get
the home court advantage in round one and they can
potentially face the Seattle Storm and the best of three
first round series. The Aces went three to zero last week.

(16:19):
They beat the Fever twice, they beat Connecticut, and they're
looking to three p I personally feel like this team
is peaking at the right time, and it's something that
people were like ring the alarm on the Aces. It's
over for them. They're not going to three peat, and
I think out of a silly honestly that people would
think that the Aces were not going to turn a page. Obviously,

(16:41):
Chelsea Gray, the point God, was not healthy in the
first half of the season and it just took a
little turn personal Olympic rate for Jackie Young Kelsey Plumb
to get back in their rhythm. But now this team
is turned up. You have like you have Sid Colson
getting meaningful minutes off the bench, Tiffany Hayes producing and everything.
It started to jail for this team at the right time.

Speaker 2 (17:02):
We know that.

Speaker 1 (17:03):
Defense was a point of emphasis for this team, and
now they're holding opponents to about seventy three points per game.
And so this is an Aces team that is ready
for the playoffs right now. And so what are you
looking for if they potentially face Seattle in a best
of three first round series.

Speaker 2 (17:22):
Listen, this is my favorite time of year. I love
going through all of these potential playoff scenarios. And there's
a path where the Aces can move up to number three.
So I would love to see them in a matchup
with the Storm. You know, both of these teams have
sort of had interesting years where admittedly, like when I

(17:44):
do my power rankings, like there have been times I'm like,
I don't know about the Storm, They're not contenders. I'm
not sure about them. The Aces. I really wouldn't take
them out of the contender class just because you give
them that respect. Just two time champions, but like I
felt like the Storm had been all over the place
and they seem to be kind of getting it together
at the right moment. Skylar is really like coming into

(18:06):
her own and so you have a similar story going
on over there. I think the Aces, the way they're
playing right now should scare every team, you know, And
I said, like, you know, I don't want to look
too far ahead plast the first round, but I'm just like,
you have to hate that if you're the Liberty first,
it's supposed to be the best and you could potentially
be seeing them in the second round because you don't

(18:28):
expect the Aces to be so far in the standing
at the beginning of the season. So I think it
would be a great first round matchup the four and
the five. Usually when it's like that, that usually means
those teams are pretty even. I don't think they're even.
I would pick the Aces in that series, but I
think I think we'll get like a nice competitive matchup.

(18:48):
A lot of names in that matchup, so I would
really enjoy seeing that. But I can't ignore the potential
of if they move up to three and then you
know they were like in a different spot. That would
be really interesting because then they would be playing the
Indiana Fever, who they, as you mentioned, just beat two

(19:09):
times last week. They want they beat them all all year,
so they sweep them for the season. Would that have
any kind of mental edge over that young Fever squad?
So I would be interested in either. But I would
like the standings to play out the way that they
are right now because I am booking it. It's going
to be Semis, Aces and Liberty. I want to see that,

(19:31):
So I need this to happen.

Speaker 1 (19:33):
Yeah, And I think that with what happened in the
off season with a lot of teams, a lot of
teams responded to the Aces winning back to back championships
and free agency by adding players necessary to compete against
an Ace's team. And I think that if the Seattle
Storm faced the Aces in round one, maybe you could
potentially see upset because Nika Gumaka has been playing great

(19:55):
basketball quietly has been playing MVP like a season as well.
For the Seattle Storm. As you mentioned, Skyler Diggan Smith
is finally finding her rhythm on this new team that
she's a part of, and you're adding Gabby Williams, Jordan Horsten,
jul Lloyd, who has had a little bit of struggles

(20:16):
this season with consistency. But I think that the Aces
they've proven time and time again that they can turn
on a different switch when it comes time for playoffs.
We seen it happen last season when they won the
championship down a couple starters down Chelsea Gray, Keiaz Stokes,
Candace Parker. They always find ways to win no matter what. Again,

(20:36):
Sidney Coulson has been great with being that engine for
the Aces when it comes to setting the tone whenever
they need that extra bush. She comes off the bench
and defensively she's just everywhere. She's scrappy. She does everything
that doesn't show up in the box score for the
Aces to really get them going defensively, I mean, Asia
Wilson is Asia Wilson. She's gonna dominate regardless. But this

(20:59):
is a tea that's filled with Olympians who have experience
with winning. And then you look at the coaching staff.
Becky Hammond is one of the greatest coaching minds in
my opinion, in this league. She's just a mastermind when
it comes to x's and Oh's Thy Marsh style to
Ti Marsh and Natalie as well on that coaching staff,

(21:21):
who's just been tremendous, Like this is a team that
can play really well, but also they have a coaching
staff that can out coach a lot of coaches in
this league. And so I think that the Aces is
still a very dangerous team now if they make it
to the second round, and if the Liberty make it
to the second round, because that number one seed is
also up in air. Right now, the Liberty are number

(21:45):
one in WNBA's standings, but if the Liberty lose their
next two games and the Minnesota Links win their next
two games, then the Links could be that number one seed.
And so with the regular season ending, a lot of
teams are trying to get the best possible seating for playoffs,
and these next couple games for a lot of teams

(22:07):
are going to be very significant when it comes to that.
And so while the Liberty right now, as we record
this two days ahead on Monday, while they are the
number one team right now, the Links are right there.
And the Liberty and Links faced each other on Sunday
at Barclays and the Minnesota Links came out with the win.

(22:30):
I was there and I was just like okay, I
was speechless because it did not look like the Liberty
team that has been the number one team all season.
But also a lot can be said about the Links,
who is the number one and three point shooting, number
one in defense. Obviously, Sharyl Reeve, in my opinion, willin
Coach of the Year this year, just for how she's

(22:52):
been able to turn this team around that was ranked
ninth in the preseason and now they're potentially going to
be the number one, number two ranked team in playoffs.
But if Visakalier has been playing outstanding, Alanna Smith defensively
has improved, Kaylen McBride, Bridget Carlton, these players are players
who have been considered underdogs for most of their career

(23:16):
and now potentially on the run to potentially compete for
a championship, and so I think that the Liberty obviously
will have to step it up. They can't play complacent.
They have to be able to just be consistent through
all forty minutes. With that game against the Links on Sunday,
they got off to a slow start and that's been
at an Achilles Hill for the New York Liberty since last year.

(23:38):
If John qwel Jones can't get going, then the Liberty
aren't a really bad place. Sabrinneo Nascu and Branda Stewart
combined for forty eight shot attempts, So there's a lot
this New York Liberty team will have to figure out
if they want to clinch that number one seed. They
have two more games and they have to close out
the season strong. But as you think a loss against
the Links is maybe they needed right before playoffs to

(24:02):
just reset. What are your thoughts?

Speaker 2 (24:05):
Yeah, okay, I know a lot of people who are
subscribed and follow you and listen to your podcast are
New York Liberty fans.

Speaker 1 (24:15):
They are, but I'm listening. I will always straight no
chaser with y'all because I know you'm with the team.
I spent a lot of time with the New York Liberty,
you know, I watched all the teams in the WNBA. Yep,
But you know, it's just a team that's in my market,
and so I just want to keep it real with y'all.
That game was very alarming to see them drop it

(24:37):
like that, you know, and the Links was up by
as many as twenty plus points at one time. Yeah,
but I do think that one good thing that I
still was the ability for the Liberty in the fourth quarter,
especially to crawl back. They were crawling back, crawling back,
finding ways to crawl back, but they just went out
of time. But when you have situations where John Paul
Jones is not having a great game, where teams find

(24:58):
a way to neutralize John Cuel Jones, Liberty are in
a bit of trouble.

Speaker 2 (25:04):
Yeah. I only said that disclaimer because I don't think
people realize I'm in the New York.

Speaker 1 (25:09):
Market too, So yes you are.

Speaker 2 (25:11):
So I'm at more Liberty games than any other team,
but yet Liberty fans deem me a hater of the team,
at least Liberty fans that are on X. So that's
why I wanted to give that disclaimer. So with that
being said, that game did not surprise me because I've
said all year that the Links are a better team

(25:31):
than the Liberty, and so I believe that, and I
believe that should the Liberty end up in the finals,
if it's the Links on the other side, I would
pick the Links in that series. And with the Links,
it's sort of a the whole is better than the
sum of their parts, because New York is a more
talented team. They have more high end talent on that team.

(25:54):
But this is another team that has a deep bench,
right like the Liberty, And they added make shahinz Allen right.

Speaker 1 (26:03):
Rights, and he could be a starter on any other team.

Speaker 2 (26:06):
Yes, And she's fitting so well right away, like there's
been no.

Speaker 1 (26:15):
I know, she's happy by the way, to go from
one of the worst are the best.

Speaker 2 (26:21):
And they add her to a team that was already
like just flowing right, and so the chemistry is top notch.

Speaker 4 (26:30):
Right.

Speaker 2 (26:31):
The Links are not even a great rebounding team, and
they were like out rebounding the Liberty early on the boards.

Speaker 1 (26:37):
Well, I have the statue right here. I have the
statuet I do. I do have the stat sheet right
here because it was in my purse, y'all. But no,
they were kind of like neck and neck when it
came to rebounding.

Speaker 2 (26:54):
By the end of the game, but like by the
first right early. And that sounds like they should not
be out rebounding, y'all, Like right now, they shouldn't because
they're not even great at this, you know. And so
between their perimeter shooting, between their defense, their defense is
so stingy, and they have the second best net rating

(27:14):
in the league, so it's only second to the Liberty,
but I like their defense more. And when it comes
to teams like this who are evenly matched, and I'm
actually being a little generous when I say evenly matched,
because I genuinely think that the Links are the better team.
But when it comes to teams that are evenly matched,
then I go to who's the best player in the series,

(27:35):
who would be the best player in the series, And
if the two players sort of cancel each other out
or they're the same level of player, I would consider
the Fisa Collier and Brianna Stewart in the same tier.
But I do think Visa right now, based on the season,
is playing better than Brianna Stewart. She's had a better season.
I think for most people. I'm not a voter, but

(27:56):
I think for most people, Nafisa is going to be
second most MVP ballots right and I think she's really
the only person you could make a compelling case for
as MVP, and I agree. I say it's compelling loosely right,
because I do think Asia is unanimous. So the Links
they just have it all clicking for them. The main
thing is the Liberty. If they both end up in

(28:18):
the finals, they would have home court, and I think
that's important. But the Links have showed that doesn't matter
for them. They've come into New York's home twice and
beaten them. I know people don't want to look at
the Commissoner's Cup, but it happened. People. It was there. Fine,
you want to say that wasn't at Barclays. They came
in and they did it at Barclays. Up until that point,
I've been saying the Liberty have played one good quarter

(28:39):
against the Links and they won. That's the only game
that they won because it was their best quarter in
the fourth quarter.

Speaker 1 (28:45):
The Liberty struggled all night to get it going on
the offensive end. Against the Links. They shot thirty nine
percent from the field and only twenty nine percent from three.
You just can't have that. And Sabrindi and Escu went
four for twenty one four two t twenty one from
the field.

Speaker 2 (29:01):
Yeah, you know, I understand that the lead got so
big and so Sabrina was trying to shoot them back
into the game. But I would have liked to see
from her what we've seen all season for the most part.
When her shot isn't falling right, and I would have
liked to see her attack more. I would have liked
to see her going downhill. I'm not saying that's easy.
I get that Minnesota defense, but I would have liked

(29:25):
to see her take some easier shots, different kinds of shots,
and then maybe work a little inside out. So that's
what I would have liked to see. That felt a
little bit like last year Sabrina or Sabrina.

Speaker 1 (29:36):
I agree with that.

Speaker 2 (29:37):
When she gets frustrated her shots and falling, she just
sort of like settles and she starts like shooting it.
And so I don't think we'll see many of those
performances again. So I think the New York Liberty have
to play perfect basketball. I really do to beat the Links.
I would pick the Links in a series. I just
I just think they're the better team. I do, and
my mind hasn't changed from that.

Speaker 1 (29:58):
I attended the game on Sunday, and I waited for
both teams to arrive in the tunnel. And when I
tell you that, the Links came in and they meant business.
They showed up to the game with their uniforms on.
No one had on regular clothes, No tunnel walk. They
came in with the warm ups, with the uniforms, ready
to play. They meant business, and Cheryl Reied emphasized, you

(30:21):
know in the pregame how critical she used the word critical.
It was to stop John Cuwel Jones from imposing her
will in the paint. And that is exactly what the
Links did. They were able to knock the Liberty off
their usual rhythm to get started in the game. They

(30:43):
were able to just make John Cwell Jones less of
an impactful player. She's one of the best players on
the team. And if you take her out of it,
what does this New York Liberty team look like? So
it'll be very interesting. I do right now agree with
you in saying that the Manison Links are a better
than in New York Liberty, and if they do face
each other, it could be scary hours. I'm going on

(31:07):
records saying that. So I agree with you there. But
we're gonna take a little break and when we come back,
we're gonna talk Caitlyn Clark and the Fever with Natalie.

(31:34):
Caitlyn Clark scored a career high thirty five points and
broke the rookie scoring record. She's already had the single
season assist record, and at this point she's clearly the
Rookie of the Year by a long shot. But my
question is where Donna this season rank among the best
all time rookie seasons in w NBA history. For me,

(31:55):
I look at the season Kennis Parker had as a
rookie where she won MVP in Rookie of the Year
in the same season. That is my number one. But
where do you have Katelin Clark's season ranking amongst all rookies.

Speaker 2 (32:08):
You know, it's probably like a top three season, top
three to five. You know, I always worry that I'm
like overlooking someone, but I will always agree with everyone
that Candace Parkers is the greatest of all time as
a rookie. So yeah, I'm probably gonna have to agree
with you there on that one. But Caitlin is definitely

(32:30):
having one of the best rookie seasons we've ever seen.
Hands down, It's undeniable. I feel like someone who gets
overlooked I had a great rookie season two was Simona Augustus.
So I just want to point point that out. I
saw a recent top ten list where she wasn't on it,
but she was considered, and I don't know about that.

(32:52):
I think she needs to be on the list, so,
you know, and there's some I think that you know,
I think a just rookie season, as little quiet as
you know, it doesn't get maybe the recognition that it should.
So there's some others out there, But Caitlyn clarks Is
I would put her somewhere in three to five. I
don't know who I would put second, but I just
definitely know that Candice is first, and I just feel

(33:15):
like I'm forgetting someone. Caitlin. She has met expectations, she
surpassed them. So everything that you know, people thought about her,
and I candidly don't really think that anyone expected Caitlin
to fail. I think that's sort of like revision is history.
There are players, greats, others who thought she would have

(33:37):
an adjustment period, and I think she did. But I
think she adjusted very quickly. And you never know with
every rookie if that's going to be a quick adjustment
period or if it's going to take longer. You just
don't know. But she adjusted pretty quickly. And once she
figured out and once the Indiana Fever figured out how
to play together, they took us with history.

Speaker 1 (33:58):
I mean, come on, I mean, I mean Kitlyn Clark
was that missing piece for the Indiana Fever, who have
not made a playoff birth or run since twenty sixteen.
She was that missing piece. I think for me coming
into this season, my favorite part about Caitlyn's game has
never been really the scorn. We know she can do that.
It's just how she can make the players better. And

(34:19):
in this season we've seen the improvements with Kelsey Plumb
being able to get more shots up, Alijah Boston now
in her full element as well as the rating rookie
of the year right now, and even players like Melissa
when she get touch. It's just how all of the
players on the Thiever are just really bonding, having that

(34:40):
chemistry and just becoming a better team. Now in the
first round, we know that they've clinched the number six seed.
They are likely to play the Connecticut Sun in the
first round. Obviously this is going to be a huge challenge,
but I think that if there's any team that the
Indiana Fever can possibly upset, it might be Connecticut. Where

(35:02):
do you see a three game series going if the
Fever were to face Connecticut in Round one? I need
to take a deep breath.

Speaker 2 (35:12):
I do because I feel like I'm continuing the Connecticut
disrespect capital CT at end. You know, It's like I
feel like this team always feels like we're always slided.
People don't take this seriously, and I don't want to
be that person. They've had such a tremendous season yep,
and you know, Dja Carrington would be my pick for

(35:34):
most improved player. They just had an amazing season. They
added Marina Maybury to this team and it's really helped
their three point shooting and opened up the offense a
little bit. But their offense still remains inconsistent. It is
their Achilles heel. And because of that, if it's clicking

(35:56):
and they're clicking on all cylinders right then I would
pick them to win. I just don't know which offense
I'm going to get each game. I don't know which
version I'm going to get. And the Indiana Fever, to
their credit, their defense has really improved post Olympics, and
so I don't know. I do think if they're going

(36:18):
to upset a team, it would be the Connecticut Sun.
If I were the Sun. If they don't win their
next game against the Links, I think you have to
make a business decision, right, And I'm not trying to
describe this as ducking. I don't think that the Sun
fair any team. I don't Their defense is incredible. But
when I say you make a business decision, is it

(36:39):
worth getting any of your players rest at the end
of the season, right, Do you care strongly if you're
playing the three or the four. Also, just because you
rest players doesn't mean you still won't win the game.
You'd have Chicago Sky in that last game and they're
pretty injury riddled, so you probably still have a good
chance of winning. But I would make a business decision

(37:01):
as in, do I want to rest my players? Do
I want to have them as rested as possible? Because
this team, the Indiana Fever, they like to play with pace,
they like to push. They want their bigs running the floor.
They want Kelsey Mitchell running. She's so fast, she's so quick.
And Dja Carrington is still I think, probably the best

(37:22):
defender in the league on Caitlin, if not one of
the top two. Right Jackie Young is pretty good on
her too, and she's gonna get tired out, you know.
Having to be on Caitlin for most of that series,
and so how does that affect her offense if it
does right? And so these are just things you have
to consider if you're going to get into a matchup

(37:44):
with a team that plays like them, and Caitlyn Clark
is going to push and push and push and push,
make a business decision. That's all I'm saying. You have
to consider it. And so I think that series can
definitely go three. I think the Fever can upset them.
But I think I agree with you. If there's a
team that upset Connecticut, it's definitely the Fever.

Speaker 1 (38:03):
I don't know. There's just something different about this Sun
team this year where you see spurts of a team
who could make a deep run in the postseason, and
then there's some moments where it's like, wait, what is
going on? But to your point, I agree, Dhna Carrington
has been a great defender on Caate mcclark. She's been
good at just neutralizing her on offense when these two

(38:25):
teams match up. Obviously, Alyssa Thomas is the engine for
this team, the leader of this team. She's great on defense.
On offense, you know, she does a great job at
getting downhill, finding open open players, on offense as well,
But it's all about consistency and just what kind of
night are you going to get from the Connecticut sun.
So I'm excited for the playoffs now. Also with the playoffs,

(38:48):
we're talking about seating and as of today, because we
filmed this show two days ahead, so it's Monday. The Mystics,
Dream and Sky they have thirteen wins each, and you
know they're gunning for that eighth, number eight seed when
we talk about the playoffs, and we know that the
number one will face the number eight, So who do

(39:08):
you think will be the best possible outcome? And all
of this For me, I think that if the Mystics
clinched that number eight seed, maybe people will try to
vote Eric Tibo as Coach of the Year because they
started zero to twelve. Yeah, I mean, I think he
still goes to share reef. But I'm just saying, like,
this is a team has had to face so much
adversity with injuries and just trying to figure out what works.

(39:32):
And then you have the Dream who they have the
talent there, right, the talent is there, but it just
seems like something else is missing. And then the Sky,
I mean, they face so much adversity with having a
new coach, having to have some of their key players,
you know, battle injury and Elizabeth Williams, Angel Reese and

(39:52):
then Kamela Karto so did one with her shoulder, et cetera,
losing Maria mayvery as well. So you know, these three
teams that are trying to figure it out, you know,
but I feel like these are also three teams that
if they don't make the playoffs, they definitely can benefit
from possibly getting into the Loudy draw, getting some players
in the draft next year expansion Draft. It's also happening.

(40:14):
So teams that are like a couple pieces of way
from just being better. So what are you looking at
when we talk about, you know, that number eight spot.

Speaker 2 (40:23):
I have no clue who's gonna win that eighth spots.
I can't even I can't even try to guess. But
this is one of them things like my handle is
not fluential, Like y'a should follow me because I've tweeted
out like all the different multiple scenarios because.

Speaker 1 (40:35):
Like adoptor strange, all the different possibilities.

Speaker 2 (40:39):
I love this. I love just playing out like all
the different things that can happen. And maybe this is
something you can tell me because this would inform my decision.
But I know the Liberty rested players the last game
of the season. Uh, It's something that often happens on
the NBA side of things, But I don't know if
that's a typical in the WNB. How do most teams

(41:01):
typically handle it.

Speaker 1 (41:02):
I think that this is one of the first seasons
that I've actually seen, you know, players sit out because
of rest like that. In the W I mean, I'm
an NBA they call it load man, this marander or
something like that. But in the W now you see
more players prioritizing rest one because there's more games. They're
playing forty games this season, whereas it was thirty six

(41:23):
at one point. At one point they were playing thirty two.
So when you look at the Liberty, for example, right
Brandon Stewart leads the league in minutes. I believe she's
averaging almost thirty thirty eight minutes a game. This is
a player who needs rest for the playoffs, because we
saw that because she didn't have enough standminaugh in the
postseason last year because she was being used so much.
That hurt the Liberty ultimately. And that's one of the

(41:44):
reasons why they lost against the Aces is Brandon Stewart's
tank was empty when it came to the postseason. So
I think that you know coaches and players and you
know teams, they're looking at, you know, how can we
be the best possible team, but also rest ours and
look at the goal ahead, which is obviously to win

(42:05):
a championship. And so I think at this season I
saw a couple of players on the Aces rest as well,
and so I think that this is one of the
first seasons that I've actually seen it. But also I
think it's important because when you look at the context
of the season of being an Olympic year, multiple players
across the league participating in the Olympics, whether it was
three x three or five on five for their national teams.

(42:27):
There's just a lot going on the forty game season,
and next year I think it's going to go up
with more games. So just moving forward, we probably see
a lot more of that happening.

Speaker 2 (42:37):
I think for the teams that are battling for eight,
I think their opponents for that final game, you could
see rest from some of them, especially if there's nothing
to play for. The Mystics would have to play the
Fever in their very last game. I think there's no
chance they're going to play the Liberty next. I think
there's no chance the Liberty go into DC and lose

(43:00):
that game. If they do, yeah, I will have a
field day with that one. So I expect the Mystics
to lose anyway, and that would well depending on what
the other two teams in eight do battling for that spot,
due that would probably potentially knock them out, but their
final game would be against the Fever. The Fever are
locked into six, like you already said, so are they

(43:23):
going to play their players? I kind of feel like
the way Kaitlyn Clark was talking in the postgame, they are,
But that's the coach ultimately who's going to make that decision, right,
Like if she's like, are they fine that if they
don't play and they lose, they're going to be comfortable
finishing with a five hundred record, because then they wouldn't
finish above five hundred. Like, these are probably things that
they're factoring in. But ultimately, do you want to get

(43:45):
Elia Boston rest? Do you want to get Kaitlyn rest?
Caitlyn plays a lot of minutes, right, do you want
to get any of these players rest. You're locked into
your spot, right, so the mystics may not have to worry.
I like, I don't know some of these teams might
be inclined to rest players, including the Aces, which means
like they may not chase the three seed because Becky

(44:06):
talked about getting Asia another another rest day. So because
this doesn't seem to be a normal practice in the WNBA,
I don't know what's going to happen, but I do
think load management, if you will, could potentially be something
that affects those games on Thursday. So I don't know
who's going to win it, but I'll tell you what

(44:26):
I would preferm what my preference would be. I'd still
like the Sky to make it. I really would. I
don't think any team is going three games with the Liberty.
The Liberty are sweeping any of these teams they play.
I feel very confident about that. So I don't really
know if one team is harder for them than the other.
But I think it's a cool story with all the

(44:46):
adversity they've faced this year, Kennedy Carter coming back after
missing last season, her you know, having to be out
for a little bit, and helping safety protocols also contributed
to just they're a perfect storm of struggles. So for
her to have a chance in the postseason if Camilla's
you know, shoulder is good enough. So I would still

(45:09):
like them to make it. And I think it would
be cool to have Angel rees on the sidelines. I'm
assuming she'd be with them miked up. I think that
would be like a fun thing to watch.

Speaker 1 (45:16):
Yeah, until your point, you know, Angel Reese, I've already
seen her with her little clipboard on the sidelines, you know,
talking to tea spoon on the sideline. So she's definitely
on the sidelines cheering on her team. I think right
now as Monday in Atlanta dream uh, you know, tie
the head to head with Washington to two in their series,
so the next tiebreaker, Uh, if they were in a

(45:39):
two way tie against against other teams, I think you
have to be a five hundred or better in order
to clinch that seat. So, you know, we'll see what
happens when it comes to the seating. There's so many
different things if there's a three way time and there's
so many different possibilities between the three. But moving right
along to the next top, I want to get into

(46:02):
the controversy in the w NBA that has been a
huge topic this week. Kathy Engelbert recently wrote an apology
letter to the w NBA players after she appeared on
CNBC's Power Launch last week, where she was asked about
the menacing tone surrounding you know, the rivalry or storylines

(46:28):
between Angel Reach and Caitlyn Clark. You know, the segment
talked about the growth of the w n B A
and you know Kathy's response or initial response to the
question that was posed to her, she focused more on
the popularity of the rivalry versus you know, the dark
side of how fans on social media have used Kitlyn

(46:52):
Clark or Angel Reach as a form of weaponization and
divisiveness to I guess prop up, you know, racism and
all of that. And I know that this is a
topic that you know, it's very dear to you, Natalie,
and so obviously, you know, Commissioner Ingelbert face some backlash.

(47:13):
What was your initial response or reaction to just hearing
that answer from the commissioner in regard to you know,
the social media weaponization. I guess that fans have used
this rivalry for.

Speaker 2 (47:31):
Yeah, I honestly felt like many of the players. I
was disappointed by it. I was not surprised by it.
It sounded uninformed, but I don't think she's uninformed. So
it was frustrating as well because it was a choice

(47:52):
to sort of ignore the repercussions of what comes with
this quote unquote rivalry, which is very manufactured on some level.
And so, and I think the comparison to Magic and
Bird was interesting because in doing that, in her answer,

(48:15):
she also explicitly stated, you know, like one black, one white.
So it feels like you're expressly acknowledging that there is
a race factor, and yet you're romanticizing what happened with
Magic and Bird, because that also had many racial undertones
and involved racism, and both players Bird and Magic are
on record stating that. So for her to make those comments,

(48:38):
particularly not too long after Angel Reese had her debut
podcast episode and stated that people have tracked down her
address and her life has been threatened. There are safety
concerns We're not just now talking about like fans being
crazy on the internet, but that's like your actual safety.
And so it was just a really dis pointing response.

(49:01):
It was tone deaf. If you will and I felt
like that that was the general sentiment I saw from players,
so I was in agreement with them.

Speaker 1 (49:10):
Yeah, And speaking of players who you know spoke out
against it, there were many players who reacted on ex
post interview and it was a huge topic of conversation.
Here's what Brianna Stewart had to say about Kathy Engelbert's
initial response to that question on CNBC Take a listen.

Speaker 5 (49:33):
It's kind of disappointing to hear because you know the
way that the fans have surged and especially behind.

Speaker 4 (49:41):
Klan and Angel coming to this league, but.

Speaker 5 (49:43):
Also bringing that a race aspect to a different level,
and you know, there's no place for that in that sport.

Speaker 4 (49:50):
And I think that's really it is.

Speaker 5 (49:52):
We want our sport to be inclusive for and race,
you know, gender and really a place where people can
be themselves.

Speaker 4 (50:01):
So we wish.

Speaker 5 (50:04):
Obviously Kathy would use a platform in a different way
and have made that a little bit better.

Speaker 4 (50:09):
But kind of just telling the fans like.

Speaker 5 (50:13):
Enough is enough, you know, become a fan of our
sport and for the new ones like walking on everybody,
but don't be disrespectful.

Speaker 1 (50:24):
I think that you know, when you hear one of
the top players in the league. You know, condemn that
response is gonna elicit like a reaction. And the commissioner, obviously,
after Brandis Storer said those words in a postgame interview,
she took to Twitter and she made a statement and
she said quote to be clear, there's absolutely no place

(50:46):
or for hate or racism of any kind in the
w NBA or anywhere else. That statement on Twitter received
you know, a little bit of backlashes. People felt like
it wasn't enough. Kathy Engelbert then wrote a letter to
the play of the WNBA in the players Union addressing
her response. Cy NBC and I was able to obtain

(51:07):
a copy of that letter, and here's some of what
she said in that letter. She said, quote, I regret
that I didn't express in a clear and definitive way
condemnation of the hateful speech that is all too often
directed at w NBA players on social media. I should
have stated directly and unequivocally that hate speech is harmful.
This is a teachable moment and one that I embraced

(51:29):
with humility. There's absolutely no room for racism, misogyny, homophobia,
and other forms of hate in the w NBA. Or
anywhere end quote. So I think that you know, as
Kathy mentioned in that letter to her players, this is
a teachable moment for her, as you know, the commissioner
and someone who was a leader of the league. What

(51:50):
did you make of, you know, Kathy kind of just
owning up to missing the mark.

Speaker 2 (51:56):
Yeah, I'm glad that the letter was more strongly worded.

Speaker 5 (52:00):
You know.

Speaker 2 (52:03):
I don't love that it had to take all of
this backlash to get there. It also concerns me a
little bit that she's not already aware of these things.
She's not a brand new commissioner, so and it's not
a new issue to the WNBA at all, you know,
and this season it's been exacerbated and it's been like

(52:26):
this thing in the background, the elephant in the room,
if you will, and no one has addressed it. I mean,
fans have addressed it. There are certain people in the
media like myself and others who have addressed it, but
largely it hasn't been officially addressed by the league. And
it finally was asked directly to her, and this was
her moment to make this statement there, the strong statement,

(52:50):
and she didn't. And actually what she was asked on
CNBC is how are you going to get ahead of it?
What is the league going to do? And that question
still hasn't been answered, and that's the question that I
want to know. Now she's vowed to do better. She's
had talks with Branda Stewart, with nekka Ogumaka, you know,
so she's having I guess, the requisite conversations, and the

(53:12):
leaders of the players Union, some of the most notable
faces of the WNBA seem incline to work with her
on trying to get this better. So I think we
have to follow their lead. If the players are still,
you know, working hand in hand with Kathy, I think
we just have to watch and see. But this sort
of reminds me, not because of what incident caused this,

(53:37):
but this reminds me of like the post George Floyd
error when that happened, right, So something happened, a situation happened.
In this case in the WNBA, it's like it's been
bubbling and then you know, a question was asked, but
something happened, and then the reaction to it was everyone
being swift and supporting black lives and implementing program and organizations.

(54:01):
You know, I'm a former practicing employment lawyer, so DEI
initiatives all these things right, and then the court started
striking things down. A lot of these companies that pledge
money places didn't do anything. So I'm just always skeptical,
not because I don't want to take Kathy at her word.
It's been my experience in corporate entities that they say

(54:22):
the right things. And this wasn't even publicly. This was
a letter to the player. So you made the initial
statement publicly and then you gave us a post on
X which also didn't meet the mark. But then you
gave this really detailed letter behind the scenes privately to
the players. And so I just need to see the action. Really,

(54:44):
you know, I'm really not for performative things, and I
don't know that it's performative. I'm just saying I just
want to see the action. When I joined this show today,
you said this is a safe space for you, and
I want the space to be safe for the players.
And while you cannot control fans, you can't. You can
set a boundary and a standard and say we're not

(55:06):
going to stand for this. This is not just a
fan issue, and I want to make that very clear.
Usually my criticism hasn't been about fans, because you really
can't control strangers on the Internet. But the media, the
national media, they are a major part of this and
a major problem. They incite fans. They incite fans with

(55:27):
the stories they choose to write and focus on with
breaking yes, the way they frame conversations, the notifications that
they put out on social the league itself and how
it chooses to highlight certain players and what they highlight
and who they do things for. Right, this is something

(55:47):
that's institutional, it's systematic. It's not going to just change
without a lot of work.

Speaker 1 (55:55):
It's not only happening to the black players now. But
when Caitlin Clark liked Taylor Sweets comment for her endorsement
for Kamala Harris Boom, you just saw like, it's not
only happening to you know, the black players. Is it
happening to them mostly? Yes, absolutely, But you know, as
you said, like something has to be done right, And.

Speaker 2 (56:15):
Those people were not really Caitlin Clark fans. And that's
the thing. We always knew that they were using her
as a proxy to attack the queer players in this league,
the black players in this league, and whatever other agendas
that they have, you know, so I just want to
see action. I want to see I want to hear
or know the plan, you know, I want to know

(56:36):
what they're going to do. I just want to see real,
tangible steps before I really grade the league and Kathy
on what they're doing. But I do appreciate that she
did write something eventually that I do think struck the
right tone and that she, at least on its face,
seems to want to work with the players to get

(56:56):
it right and get better. And so we'll see.

Speaker 5 (56:59):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (56:59):
Absolutely, And I do want to say a point of
emphasis in this letter that we've obtained that Kathy Ingelbert
wrote to the players, there were three points of emphasis,
and here are the actions per Kathy Engelbert. In this letter.
She said, one, we will be clear and swift to
denounce racism, misogyny, and homophobia. That was like the first point.

(57:20):
The second point says, quote, we will continue providing mental
health resources and guidance to you and our teams end quote.
The third point said quote, we will listen to you
and find ways to work together to fight against the
hate that you experience. So and that quote right there.

(57:40):
But I think that when we talk about the WNBA,
right like when we think about the twenty sixteen movement,
the George Floyd movement, what they've been able to do
in terms of politics, when they helped to essentially flip
the Senate and get warn Off elected. Of just how
this league, added core, has always been a league to

(58:02):
take action and to use the platform to raise awareness
for injustice. I think that, you know, just whatever happened
with Kathy, of course she missed the mark, but in
the same way you're going to see I think them
speak up more about, you know, the social media engagement
with the fans anti bullying campaigns. We saw Angel reach

(58:23):
in the Chicago Skoty pretty much take a stand when
it came to that. How the league has been able
to protect players, I guess and with changes in the
media policy to a certain extent, with certain players who
have been experiencing this. I do like that, you know,
Commissioner Engelbert said that, you know, we're going to provide
these mental health resources and continue to help guide, but

(58:45):
also continue to have a conversation and dialogue about how
we can work together to protect the players, because at
the end of the day, we can't control right what
someone says online, but maybe we can do some actual
steps one to help prevent it by doing more anti
bullying campaigns. Like I said, I love what the Chicago's

(59:05):
guy did with that initiative because you see things like
Asia Wilson right when she says like sometimes I hate
being Asia Wilson and you kind of dig deep in
and see like, you know, her crown is heavy, or
you know, players who don't want to participate in certain
media responsibilities because of the mental health aspect. So I
think that, you know, it's important that the commissioner took

(59:28):
accountability both publicly and privately with the players, but you know,
hopefully they can work together to create some more actuable items.
I think that one of the things that stood out
to me about all of this in the last week
was obviously players and fans saying that they would love
to see Mekkaguma k be the next commissioner of the
w n b A. And if you watch the Shattered

(59:49):
Glass documentary Bring a Stewart Mekka Gumaka and John quelt Jones.
Meka Guomak serves as the president of the w NBPA
for the players right now, but she's been a great
leader in the league. She's been a part of the
conversations in the twenty twenty CBA and they addrest her
as Madam President. The players they respect her so much.
She has a Stanford education from an ivy league. She's

(01:00:12):
very smart. Most of the players in WM are smart.
They had that get their college degrees. But you know,
this is someone the players see as a leader. She
hasn't denied that maybe this is something she would pursue
post basketball career. And so what are her thoughts about
the possibility of Neka Aguma k being the next commission

(01:00:33):
of the w NBA after basketball is over for her?

Speaker 2 (01:00:37):
I think that would be incredible, you know, I really do.
I would love to see it. You know, I think
people aren't gonna like that I say this, but I
think this league needs a black woman to lead it.
And I think it needs not just a black woman.
I'm not even one of the people who thinks it
has to be a pass player though I think that

(01:00:58):
is important to understand the players side of things, but
it needs to definitely be someone who understands intersectionality. And
I think that's key, and I think that's important, and
I just don't think that many understand it besides groups
who are a part of it. You know, you have
to experience intersectionality to I really think, be able to
understand it and it's impact and to plan around it.

(01:01:22):
So former player fits the demographic representing a league that
majority looks like her. I think it's needed in a
way that may not be as needed in a league
like the NBA.

Speaker 1 (01:01:34):
You know, seeing WNBA players be successful post WNBA career
in the front offices, on the coaching staff, and so
this is a league that really takes pride in setting
players up for the next steps after their basketball career
is over. And you know, we don't know up in

(01:01:55):
the air. So can Nekagoombka be the next commissioner of
the w NBA. Only time will tell. Natalie, I want
to thank you for just being here this week again
on in case you missed it with Christina Williams. Appreciate
your vulnerability and transparency when it came to just discussing
the topics this week.

Speaker 2 (01:02:15):
Thank you for having me. This was such a great
conversation and I hope we get to work together more
in the future.

Speaker 1 (01:02:22):
Of course, of course, for sure, for sure, for sure
we're want to take a quick little break and hear
a word from some of our sponsors. I just want
to thank my girl Natalie again for joining us this

(01:02:44):
week to break down the latest and greatest headlines in
women's basketball. And now let's get into the things that
I love. This week, I attended a party for the
Players Tribune's ten year anniversary and a tenure anniversary party
mixed with the book release for Derek Jeter. So it
was literally the first time that I've ever met Derek

(01:03:07):
Jeter in my life. And I'm a native New Yorker,
grew up a Yankees fan, Sorrey Mets fans. But it
was pretty dope to just be in that room and
just to see, you know, different NBA players, influencers within
the NBA in WNBA space of just be in a
room and just celebrate the art of storytelling. But also

(01:03:31):
another thing that I absolutely loved this week was being
at that Links Liberty game at Barclay Center. There was
an activation at Barclay Center that really stood out to me.
The New York Liberty did a activation with Killan Paris,
which is a high end luxury beauty brand, and your

(01:03:53):
girl went home with some swag they gifted us with
some perfumes, and I went home with a scent that
I was told Rihanna loved. It was the love Don't
Be Shy perfume. And this is obviously not an ad
for killing Paris, but I heard Rihanna loves that sent

(01:04:16):
and you gent home with some of that and the
swag bag. So I love gifts, and so I thought
that it was perfect to see, you know, the air
section of fashion and beauty with women's basketball as a
live activation at a basketball game, certainly something I have
never seen in the women's basketball space. So I love that,

(01:04:37):
you know, the team marketing departments and you know partnerships
departments are just stepping it up on every level when
it comes to game day entertainment presentation and just thinking
about different demographics of customers and finding new entry points
for fans. So I thought it was dope. I just

(01:04:57):
got to see Ellie in her beauty era right now.
She was doing segments as well at that activation. But
your girl loves fashion and beauty. I actually started off
as a fashion reporter before I got into the sports
reporting world, so that was fun and I love me
a good cent to add to my collection. So that

(01:05:19):
is the thing that I love this week, and that's
gonna do it this week for In Case you missed
It with Christina Williams. Look, please don't forget to rate, review,
and subscribe to the podcast. And coming up next week,
we're going to kick off the WNBA playoffs with a
special preview featuring some friends to the show. We'll see

(01:05:41):
you back here next week on In Case You Missed
It with Christina Williams on iHeartRadio. In Case You Missed
It with Christina Williams is an iHeart women's sports production
in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can
find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
you get your podcasts.

Speaker 2 (01:06:00):
Eight six