First Khristina talks with WNBPA Executive Director Terri Carmichael Jackson about the WNBA Players Union deciding to opt out of the collective bargaining agreement. Khristina goes straight to the source to find out the reasons why the players want a new deal, and what they are willing to do to get it done.
Plus, Khristina is joined by NCAA Champion, 2-time WNBA Champion, and current part owner and executive of the Atlanta Dream Renee Montgomery! Khristina and Renee react to the incredible WNBA Finals Series and the epic Game 5 between the Lynx and the Liberty. Renee gives her thoughts on the series and which players impressed her the most, she also talks about Coach Cheryl Reeve and how she gets the best out of her players.
Renee discusses the new documentary about her, called "A Radical Act: Renee Montgomery” and how she worked with LeBron James and his production company, she even gets into her role in politics and her advice to those who want to effect change.
Want more women’s basketball scoop?
Follow the show on Instagram @ICYMIwithKW and X @ICYMIwithKW and for more on Khristina follow her on Instagram @khristinawilliams
Let us know what you think of the show by leaving a rating and a review!
CREDITS
Executive Producers:
Nikki Ettore
Jessie Katz
Tyler Klang
Jonathan Strickland
Supervising Producer:
Peter Coughter
Producer & Editor:
Tari Harrison
Host:
Khristina Williams
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
In Case You Missed It with Christina Williams is an
iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports
and Entertainment. Welcome back to another special edition of In
Case you missed It with Christina Williams and breaking news,
the WMVPA and its player leadership has decided to opt
(00:23):
out of their current CBA theater. Breaking all down with
us is WMBPA Executive Director Terry Jackson. Terry, Welcome to
the show.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Thank you, Christina, glad to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
So, Terry, what prompted the WMBPA and the player leadership
to opt out of the current CBA agreement?
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Yes, thank you for that question, because it's a process,
and I want to explain the process because I think
so many people thought, well, of course they're going to
opt out, but it was never an of course for us,
and never an assumption. It was a year of working
with a CBA Advisory Group expert who are amazing and
(01:01):
we can talk about them if you'd like. They have
been pouring over the league financials, reviewing the business over
the past three, four or five years, looking at this moment,
projecting and predicting what could be on the horizon in
the future and advising the players, you know what this
current CBA looked like, what it meant to stay in
(01:23):
this current CBA, what opportunities may have been or may
have been missed, and listening to what the players also
had top of mind, what their priorities were, what their
concerns were. They were beginning to feel that they were
going to start falling behind under this CBA with all
this explosion of growth year over year and particularly this year.
(01:46):
And so it's been a year of meetings with our
CBA Committee, executive committee members, board of player representatives, additional
players who just said I want to be a part
of the conversation, looking at this business and saying, you
know what, it's time for us to start reaping the benefit.
We need to do it now and not fall behind.
There's so much opportunity, there's so much that they are
(02:09):
giving to this game, that they're contributing to the success,
and so thinking about it and knowing what the future
would mean in terms of trying to get there, that
they had to be resilient, they had to be strong,
they had to stay together and fight as a union.
When they committed to that, then they were able to
say this is the decision. So that's how we got here.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Yeah, and WNBA Commissioner Kathy Engelbert released his statement where
the tones sound very supportive of the opt out. What
is the next year going to look like as you
all start the lead negotiation process.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
Yes, I called Kathy before we formally announced, just actually
after coming off of a meeting with the player leadership
to advise them the results of the vote. I called
her and I said, well, this is where we're headed.
This is going to be the announcement today. One of
the first things she said was let's work together for
transformational change. And I said, I love that, because you know,
(03:05):
transformational has been the word neko Ogumakay has been using
since the beginning of this season, so I'm glad that
that is in their vernacular too. I'm glad we were
talking about this in terms of a common goal. I'm
going to hold her to that, the league and the
teams to that. And when we opted out and our
formal notice to the league, we suggested sometimes to me,
(03:27):
so it wasn't just we're out, as our social posts said.
It wasn't just that, but it was let's let's work
together on this transformational next and let's start doing that now.
So there will be a year of conversations, productive talks,
exchange of proposals, just like last time. But we know
(03:48):
that these are going to be intense and sometimes hard conversations,
and we didn't have very many of those last time,
so we do know it's going to be it's gonna
be a little different.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
The twenty twenty seed it was considered groundbreaking, but you
mentioned that, you know, there may have been places where
it sort of felt like it fell short. So going
into this negotiation process, what are going to be some
of those pressing issues that are going to be at
the forefront in those renegotiations.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
Sure, sure, well, you know I don't usually negotiate in
the press, but we knew that we had to talk
about what was important and talk about the why. Last
time when the players voted to opt out, so many
people were like, oh, no, the league's gonna fold, you
can't break the business and all that. I said, No, no, no,
trust the process and trust the players. They've got this.
(04:36):
They know the responsibility that they have, and so this
time it's no different last time. When we were negotiating
and in the twenty twenty CBA securing a mac salary
that was double what it was previously. That was significant, right,
That was more than just a headline. That was significant,
meaningful change. But even then we knew we hadn't gone
far enough. But there was so much that we were
(04:58):
trying to fix last time, so we got there. This time,
we've got to talk about and we've got to be
honest about what these players have been pouring into this game.
This season is amazing, These finals have been amazing. Let's
give it up for you know, all of the players,
but particularly how we ended this season barely, really strong.
(05:19):
We've got to show that we value labor, that we
value them for what they're contributing now. And you do
that through looking at and being honest about their salaries.
Let's not blur the lines and add in, well they
can make this and bonuses and this and marketing agreements.
No no, no, that's not the way we do it
(05:40):
in any other job, and that's not the way we're
going to do it here here. We're going to value
the players on day one for what they have contributed
and what they bring to the game, and that's really
really important. We also have to talk about charter travel.
I don't want anybody to get confused. You know, the
league rolled out charter travel for this year and promised
it for next year. But there's nothing in writing, right
(06:02):
and so we know it's business. This is the way
you operate. We've got to we've got to nail things down.
We have to memorialize things in writing. And if the
commitment is truly too to chart or travel, which we
hope it is, there's no need to roll it back
and go backwards. Now we got to nail that down.
Let's also talk about the family planning benefits, which were
(06:23):
part of a landmark CBA that was huge for us,
and a deal that hardly talked about what happens when
women get pregnant and start their families, when players start
their families. We weren't talking about that before. But now
we got guaranteed salaries one hundred percent. We got a
place for players who need the privacy of nursing. We've
(06:45):
got a place for that. Although that should have been
the law, right, we got that. We got that nailed
down in the CBA, and we talked about reimbursement for
how players want to start their families, how they want
to plan their families, freezing their eggs, adoption, a whole
host of things. That's true, horrific. But when those provisions
and those benefits are only available to players who reach
that eight years of service mark, well then is that
(07:08):
really a benefit to the players? Are they really able
to tap into that? So let's just make that more
real for everybody. And then, Christina, we can talk about
facilities all day. We can talk about practice facilities and
game facilities. And I think Claire Si said it best.
When you pour into the business, when you pour into
(07:28):
the players, when you look to invest, you will reap
the benefits of that. It is true in this business
as it is in any other business. And that's why
we say the player's decisions right now, it's business. That's
what this is about. That's what these conversations need to
be about.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
I absolutely agree. I want to go back to the
salary point because a lot of players obviously have been
vocal about the salary and what the league says they
can make is up to seven hundred thousand dollars, and
you just alluded to that not necessarily being true. Gabby Williams,
who is a player who played with the Seattle Storm
this season, went overseas because she said she could make
(08:04):
more money. She in her exit meeting said, you know,
there's no player in the WNBA currently that makes seven
hundred thousand dollars. Having that in mind and then also
thinking about the prioritization role. Brianna Stewart, she's also been
very vocal about that as well. How will the PA
addressed the conflicts between the WNBA schedules and the internationals
(08:24):
competition calendars.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
Yeah, when we said everything's on the table again, everything's
on the table again, and prioritization is definitely on their
minds because that impacts their earning capacity.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
Right.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
The reason why so many players go overseas is because
they can make money there and they'll make more money
many times, many times over than what they make in
the w I've got to think about that. As the
executive director. That's troubling for me. I've got to rethink.
We've got to rethink what that salary cap looks like,
(08:58):
what that model looks like with compensation generally looks like,
but particularly what salaries look like. And Gapy's right, you know,
saying that a player can make up to seven hundred
thousand dollars in this league. That's a terrible regrettable message, honestly,
because it's the mac salary, and it's a time off bonus,
it's a marketing agreement at the league level, a marketing
(09:19):
agreement at the team level. It's a whole host of things.
You've got to be a Finals MVP, a Commissioner's Cup MVP,
and all and all in all, you know, on and
on and on all the things, as they say. And
the regrettable part about that message is you've got to
be damn near perfect to get there. And then layer
(09:40):
on top of that, there can only be one of you.
How many MVPs do we have, There can only be
there can only be one who is hitting it at
every level. And so that is just not the message
that we're going to accept. That's not the message that
should have ever been sent. So let's talk about the
value that the players have brought and what that looks like,
(10:03):
and let's capture that accurately and honestly in a salary number.
And let's talk about a salary cap that isn't as
hard and as restrictive as the one that we have
right now. It almost paralyzes a team. So we know
we've got We know we've got support on this on
the league and team side. We know that there are
coaches and gms we know this that feel the same
(10:26):
way that we do about this hard, restrictive, impossible cap.
And when we see ownership groups pouring in, you know,
to their business, the only thing capped is the players
and that's a problem.
Speaker 1 (10:40):
Absolutely. Another thing I want to hit on is in
the film Shattered Glass, Sheryl Swoops made an appearance and
she talked about how there's nothing set in place for
players after they stopped playing, after the ball stops bouncing
in terms of the pensions. So will that also be
an issue that will be addressed in the next round
(11:01):
of negotiations for the CBA.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
Absolutely, And I want to be honest with you, with
your listeners, with retired players all over the country, all
over the world, you know, we were thinking about this
last time. There was just so much to fix in
a system that could not support everything that we were
trying to do, and we said, all right, we know
(11:25):
we've got to do this. We know we've got to
come up with something in terms of retirement benefits. Whether
it looks like, you know, more robust for a one
K plans for players here, for players now, current players
will be retiring, whether it's a pension, whether it's healthcare.
What can we do for the pioneers in this league
who came before and set us up for where we
(11:48):
are today, I said in Shattered Glass. Then I say
it now. They are always on our minds. They were
in twenty eighteen. Please believe me, they were. We just
quit get to everything like we needed to. And now
what we see, the explosion of growth we see, I
think a tremendous opportunity to do something, to put something
(12:10):
in place that leads us to capturing everybody into the success.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
So yes, absolutely on the hills of w NBA player
de Year can Handy, you know, suing her former team,
the Las Vegas Aces, but also Skyland Diagos Smith sharing
her experience about maternity League with her former team, the
Phoenix Mercury. What initiatives or protections will be at the
forefront when it comes to parent athletes in this league.
(12:35):
I know you alluded to some of the steps and
strides the league and PA has made in the last CBA,
but what will happen in terms of the next one.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
There's a lot of things that we can do. First
of all, we can be clear about what the law
is when it comes to discrimination, and if we need to,
shouldn't need to. But if we need to incorporate the
law into policy protections and policy provisions in the CBA,
then we will do that. I think. Also, when you
look at the hard cap system, this is what I
(13:04):
talk about. It's so restrictive that it makes certain benefits.
We've gone from paying a player who's out on leave
fifty percent of her salary in the previous CBA. Under
this CBA, it's one hundred percent of her salary, and
that's great and we should be celebrating that because that's great. However,
in this hard restrictive cap system that we're in, it
(13:25):
counts her salary counts against the cap. So what should
be a benefit, and a good moment and a good
feeling moment starts to create a little bit of negativity
and perhaps as a negative impact on the way a
team is, you know, building its team and running its team.
And so we want to eliminate those those kinds of
things that create that negative environment for our players because
(13:49):
we want them to have the full protection of the law.
And again, if we need to you know, adopt the
law or create the law in terms of policy provisions
in our CBA, then so be it. We will.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
You talked about the growth of the WNBA and this
past season the league reached a groundbreaking media rights deal
eleven year, two point two billion dollars that will be
implemented in twenty twenty six. And you talked about the
growth of the league in terms of the rookies like
Kate and Clark, who's you're bringing more fans to the game.
(14:23):
How will the PA leverage this momentum to secure better
compensation and benefits for the players? I know that Chelsea
Plumb has talked about the revshare and wanted to get
an equal piece of the pie, But how will you
all leverage that going into these negotiations.
Speaker 2 (14:39):
Well, we start with opt out, right, I mean, you
can't exercise any kind of leverage if you remain in
that twenty twenty CBA until it expires in twenty twenty seven,
And so opting out means this CBA is in place
through next year. We begin negotiations in earnest immediately so
that by the time of the twenty twenty six season
(14:59):
we've got a new and better deal in place that
feels good for everyone. Revenue share is a provision that
everybody is talking about, and we recognize that across sports,
there's this assumption that you know, across different leagues with
their arrangements with different players associations, that there's a fifty
percent that the players have a fifty percent share. Well,
(15:20):
we know that it all depends on what's included in
that calculation, right, So we've got to have a real
honest conversation about a new calculation of revenue share under
the twenty twenty CBA. It's good. It's finally a revenue
share provision that was tied to something that was profitable
and not ticket sales previously, right, So it was tied
to the most profitable part of the business and that's
(15:43):
at the league level. Hadn't triggered it yet, but we're close,
but we thought, you know what, let's opt out of
this and talk about a new calculation. What needs to
go in to this revenue share provision, what needs to
be counted, and how that can be triggered more as
automatic and often so that the players really benefit directly.
(16:04):
So Kelsey was definitely onto something. She speaks truth and
I'm so glad she's a part of leadership when she's
speaking her truth. So that's on the table too.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
In the last CVA negotiations, there had to be some
sort of compromise. But what happens if you can't reach
that agreement within the year that you all have, what happens.
Speaker 2 (16:25):
Then well we shouldn't even get there, right Like, we
just opted out. So and the Commissioner said, we want
to work together with you know, towards transformational change. I'm
going to hold her to her word. I believe that's
that's their goal, as it is our goal. But you know,
part of the opt out decision, part of the question
(16:46):
that was on the ballot actually in writing, you know,
stay in this twenty twenty CBA or opt out and
remain committed to staying at the negotiating table for as
long as possible to get the deal that you want.
That was a two part question. It wasn't simply are
you going to stay in or are you going to
(17:06):
opt out? Are you going to opt out and remain
committed to what may indeed be a fight. And so
we've been talking about that for the past year too
with our advisors about how to remain strong and how
to be resilient in these negotiations. So the players were
clear when they opted out. They're clear on what's ahead.
(17:27):
They're clear that what's ahead is going to look a
little different, maybe a lot different than what we experienced before.
But that's okay. We're in it for the long haul.
Speaker 1 (17:37):
Last question, I know the slogan the pa uses is
bet on women. Why should we bet on women?
Speaker 2 (17:44):
Oh, when you bet on women, you actually bet on
girls and women and boys and men. Also, when you
pour into women and girls and help them see opportunities,
you are really benefiting. Every investment in them empowers them.
It's important to their growth. It's important to the growth
(18:06):
of families and communities, and that's how boys and men
benefit to I love our slogan bet on women. It
was the rallying cry last time. It is the rallying
cry this time, coupled with its business, because that's what
this conversation is all about. It's business. The players are clear.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
WNBPA Executive Director Terry Jackson, thank you so much for
breaking down the CBA and what's to come.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
Appreciate you, Thank you, Christina, I appreciate you.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
We're going to take a quick break, and when we
get back, Renee Montgomery joined us. I want to introduce
(18:59):
a very guests to the show. She is a two
time w NBA champion, won a national championship at Yukon
and now part owner and executive of the Atlanta Dream.
Welcome to the show, Renee Montgomery.
Speaker 3 (19:14):
Let's do this front of the show. This is my
second time, but front of the show for new show.
Speaker 1 (19:20):
Oh, this is a new show. This is a new show.
So so you wasn't on this one yet, Renee. See
but no, I'm glad that you're here, and it's so
good to see you. I mean, this feels like a
full circle moment for me, honestly to have you on
this show. You were on the first show that I
did years and years ago, and so I'm super excited
about this. So, Renee, what did you think about the
(19:41):
w NBA Finals? You know, the New York Liberty hoisted
up the trophy, but you want to with the links.
What were your thoughts about Game five?
Speaker 3 (19:49):
Man, I mean game five another overtime game. This might
have been like I thought our series with LA where
Minnesota and LA went to the finals three years in
a row. I thought that we were probably one of
the most evenly matched finals matchups until now. Like when
you look at the score sheet and when you look
at the stat sheet with Minnesota and New York, I
(20:10):
mean two overtime games, three of the five games decided
within a buzzer beater or a last second shot. I mean,
that's that's wild. So my thoughts are that like epic
we won. As fans, we had everything that you could
ask for.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
Who impressed you the most in this series?
Speaker 3 (20:26):
You know how they always talk about the superstars and
then the others. I think Foebish. I think she came
out and really showed like, Okay, well, first of all,
you know that playing overseas in the overseas circuit that
she was gonna be ready, She's gonna be a pro.
But then to just hit the shots in the moment
she did hit the big shots, that's big. Like I
think that like just to have a player not only
(20:47):
know what they're supposed to do, because IQ was one thing,
but to have the nerve to hit the big shots.
She hit a lot of them throughout the series. And
then on Minnesota's side, I think it was like by committee.
But Courtney Williams if you. I mean, she was already
a star, but now she put herself on another huge
stage of people understand the Burke and Bag now and
(21:08):
understand what she's talking about. It's unfortunate even Game five
for a lot of players, they didn't hit a lot
of shots. You could tell their legs were felling them.
I think, like Courtney, she really showed herself.
Speaker 1 (21:18):
You had ten years in the w NBA, won two
championships with the leagues. What is something special about Cheryl
Reeve that most people don't know? And also what was
it like playing alongside Maya Moore?
Speaker 3 (21:33):
What I mean, first of all, I played with Mama
in college. I played with my mind and the pros. Obviously,
I consider her the best to ever do it, and
she's just one of those ones. I said this the
other day, but when you play for Coach Reed, you're
gonna play your best basketball like she's going to get
it out of you. However she does, like you're gonna
have one of your best seasons typically when you played
(21:55):
for Coach Reed, because the way that Coach Reed holds practice,
the way that she hold you accountable, her standard is
so high. I mean, she been to the Final seven
times and one four of them. She has a high
standard and she's backed it up, so you gotta believe
everything she's saying because she's been there. And then she
has a coaching staff that's been there as well. Bbe
Rebecca Brunson is on the coaching staff. She's been there.
(22:17):
So when you have coaching staffs that's been there and
they know the process, that's what it's like playing with her.
You know, I played for coach Ariema and I understood
those same things. It's like coach Ariyema has been to
the final four so many times. He knows the process,
he knows how to get there, he knows what it
looks like, and he knows what it also doesn't look like.
So you know, I'm sure there were times in practice
(22:38):
this year where coach Reeve was telling them this is
not good enough, you know, like in her way, you know,
and I'm sure that they realized she was right when
they got to certain moments in the finals in other areas.
So I think playing for coach Reeve is tough because
it's hard meeting a high standard every single day, But
then you see the reward on the other side that
(22:59):
her team find a way to be successful pretty consistently.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
Your Atlanta Dream made it to the postseason. Unfortunately in
New York Liberty knocked about in the first round. But
the future seems promising for the Atlanta Dream. What can
you tell us about this season for the Dream? How
would you rate it?
Speaker 3 (23:16):
Every year with the Dream, we have like goals that
we set for ourselves and we're working against ourselves. Each
year we try to enhance something a little bit more,
whether it's on the basketball side or on the business side.
We try to hance little things, and I feel like
this was a year of growth. I think for our players,
getting another taste of the playoffs, understanding that, like now,
(23:36):
the next step is we still in two seasons, have
not gotten a home game while we're in the playoffs.
I know the four match changing now and there's gonna
be seven games and there's different formats, so hopefully getting
a taste of that, but getting in the habit of
making postseason I think is something setting that goal. So
I don't know. I just feel like our squad each
year we have that some young gunners that I know
(23:57):
are exciting to watch. I love watching them every night
court side, but you know, it's like the next step
is going to be winning a playoff series.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
What's going to be the priority in terms of looking
for that next head coach? What qualities would that next
person have to have to lead the team?
Speaker 3 (24:12):
Similar to teams, you know, we were excited to have
a coach that understands the game, a coach that may
has played the game. But with coaching, it's so it's
it's such a thing because in coaching you need everything.
Like it's it's crazy to think, but in coaching, I'm greedy.
You want to coach that knows their x'es and o's.
You want to coach that connect can connect to the players.
(24:32):
You want to coach that is going to be able to,
you know, go out in the community and talk to people.
You want everything. So I think, similar to before, we
want to coach that just embodies all the attributes that
we do as a city and all the attributes that
we do as an ownership group in a sense of
how we carry ourselves and how we want to be
just one of those programs that you love playing for,
you know, like that's kind of one of my things
(24:53):
being a former player. We want to be an organization
that players like to play for which I think that
we're getting there now if you talk to our players.
We have an environment that we want players to want
to be in. And then the same Ford coaching staff.
You know, I try to let the coaches and the
gms handle the basketball portion of it when it's during
the season, you know, And I know that's not always
the case in a lot of ownership groups, but you know,
(25:15):
we try to give people their space to run their
programs how they want to. So you know, that's kind
of what we're focused on, just getting someone that can
come in and embody kind of our same thought process
and our same focus and competitive drive.
Speaker 1 (25:29):
Let's get into your new documentary about your life and
your career, A Radical Act, Renee Montgomery. How did this
documentary have about and how did the partnership of Lebron
James and Maverick car To come about.
Speaker 3 (25:41):
Yeah, it's crazy because it's like we've been filming for
three years. Man, Like, it's like, I don't know how
Alsi's like, three years is a very long time in
your life. But it's also dope for me because that
three year period, it's like it's never going to happen again.
Where I go from player to the ownership group and
front office. It happened organically in a sense of everyone
(26:02):
knows the story about how Lebron tweeted out that you know,
he's thinking about putting an ownership group together. I hit
him up and then we started getting connected through all
the various ways in boom okay, now I'm in the
ownership group. And then whenever people started to reach out
to me, you know, we had a lot of offers
come in about people that wanted to tell my story
because there was a lot of energy at that time.
(26:24):
And when my wife, Serena and I was she said
hello by the way, she told me to tell you hello,
O Hi, Serena. When we started to think about, like
who do we want to tell our story, you know,
there was just seems like one answer, and it was
Spring Heel and Uninterrupted because of obviously the Lebron connection
and so Uninterrupted is already telling athletes stories and we
(26:46):
thought they would understand it. And not only that the
deal that they offered us and it showed that they
understood that we were interested in ownership, we were interested
in building with Think Tank productions, and it was exciting,
you know, it was exciting all around just to be
able to like Math, come on now, Lebron, Math and
the whole uninterrupted squad. It's a hard no. It's a
(27:06):
hard no to say to them.
Speaker 1 (27:07):
So it was exciting when we watched the film. What
is something that we're gonna learn about you that we
may not already know? Oh?
Speaker 3 (27:14):
Man, I think a lot. I think a lot of
people don't even have an idea of my story just
because I don't really talk about it like you know,
I don't talk about like not only does this documentary
cover like me and my transition period that I just
talked about, but it has archival footage from high school.
It has my parents talking about my high school experience,
which was also unique. And I think the kind of
the concept of a radical act people are gonna understand
(27:37):
is that it was at every turn just happened to
believe in myself and happen to just lean on the
positive aspects of everything because everything wasn't peachy when I
was growing up, but I just focused on the things
that I can focus on. So I think people will
be surprised just hearing people watch it and hearing their thoughts.
I know a lot of people that knew me and
were pretty surprised at what they saw and sense of
(28:00):
what I grew up with. So I just think a
radical act. You hear the term radical, and a lot
of people were curious, like they don't see me as
a radical human in a sense. But I think the
radical thought process is being positive amongst environments that maybe
aren't so positive.
Speaker 1 (28:15):
Yeah, and I remember when you made your decision all
those all those years ago, a couple of years ago
to retire from the WA But even before that, when
you like decided to sit out for a season and
you know, dedicate your time to activism, it was it
was a radical act in the sense with what you
were doing, because at that time, it's like if you
(28:36):
didn't play, you didn't get paid. So so what inspired
you to just just take that first step? Man?
Speaker 3 (28:44):
Honestly, the city of Atlanta, my family, it was crazy,
like and you talk about it, it was like we
all remember twenty twenty. It's like when you say twenty twenty,
it's like instantly we all there. It was a moment
for everyone, and so it was kind of like just
how you gonna how are you gonna make this moment
your and how are you going to impact this moment
or pour into it. You know. Coach are used to
always say like people are either spark plugs, like they
(29:07):
give energy or they take it away. And so I'm like,
all right, how can I give some energy to the moment.
It was a crazy time here in Atlanta too, especially
because I feel like even now always Atlanta is like
the center of what the conversation is, especially in politics lately,
and so just understanding how powerful the city of Atlanta was,
I think that was one of the main things. And
my wife was already going to the protests, and so
(29:29):
I'm like, all right, let let me pull up to
like everybody knows. I'm like, let me just hydrate you guys,
because I'm an athlete. This is what we do. I'm like,
it's hot outside, like, let me just at least bring waters,
and that's going to be my moment. And then it
just turned into something way bigger. But you know, it's
crazy to think that to your point, it was a
huge decision because it's like, no paycheck is a wild
thing in a sense of I cover broadcasting as well,
(29:52):
so it wasn't like I was going to have that
to rely on all of those avenues were shutting down.
In hindsight, I'm like, what was you thinking? But now
I'm just thankful. I'm thankful.
Speaker 1 (30:04):
And the Atlanta Dream was definitely when you say, you
guys are at like the forefront of the conversation. Four
years ago we were. You know, another election cycle happened
and you know, the Atlanta Dream kind of stepped up
and you know, help flip the Senate and we say,
you guys saved the democracy. Now that we're back in
another election cycle, you know, the ray snakes are just
(30:25):
so high right now. And I know that you've had
a hand in just raising awareness around voting, education and
getting people active and just mobilizing. Why is it important
for you to continue to use your platform to just
raise awareness about it? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (30:41):
I man, we all we got and it's like I
hope people understand. It's like it's no fun for none
of us, like you know, like in a sense, so
politics is not the most exciting topic to talk about,
to tweet about, to try to educate people about. I'm
watching all the commercials too, especially if you're in Georgia.
Every commercial now is a political ad back and forth.
Or if it's just like I'm Kamala Harrison. I support
(31:02):
this message. I'm don jay. It's like that's constantly going on,
so it's not the funnest process for nobody. I think
that's what everyone has to understand. So when people are like, oh,
I'm sick of this politics, I'm not really in the politics.
It's like none of us love this. Like I cover sports,
so this is a drastic change from sports. It's like
(31:22):
sports is turned up. I would love to always talk
about sports and always be turned up with sports, but
I feel like a responsibility, you know, there's a responsibility
that it's like if people don't understand the magnitude of
the situation, that's what I want people to understand, and
a sense of how it relates to people directly, you know,
like it's like, yeah, we hear all these different things,
(31:44):
but if you're complaining about local problems, then maybe you
need to pay attention to your local voting people, like
whether that's vote down the ballot is what if people
don't know the term vote down the ballot, It's like, yes,
there's the presidents and yes that is very very important,
and then there's also your local officials. So if you
mad about something local, how let your mayor. You might
(32:04):
be mad at the president and it might be your
mayor the one that could have changed it, your governor.
So I think just helping people understand who to be
mad at. Honestly, it's like, if you mad, you need
to know who you're mad at so you can know
how to affect it and change it. And then the
main thing is just make your voice heard, like if
you mad, show how you mad, and prove it in
the ballot boxes. So for me, that's been the whole thing.
(32:25):
But I want people to understand it's not fun for
none of us, so educating people on voting it's not
the funnest thing, but it's the responsible thing.
Speaker 1 (32:33):
You are the first player of the WNBA to become
an executive and an owner. Talk about that monumental moment
and how has being a player kind of helped you
when it comes to be an executive and an owner.
Speaker 3 (32:48):
Being an athlete, I sport explained everything in my life,
Like sports has me prepared for everything. And honestly, I
think that athletes we don't know. It's kind of like
the unknown when we retire. It's kind of scary a
little bit, and it's also uncomfortable because for all of
my life since I was like six, everything revolved around basketball,
(33:08):
like I've been a pro athlete, and so then to
get to a world where it's like, okay, so we're
not basically revolving my world around when I take my nap,
when I'm eating my pregay meal, all of that. It's
a whole it's a lifestyle change. But the craziest thing
is that there's nothing that I've had to do in
the front office or in the ownership seat that I
(33:30):
wasn't prepared for, like sports is a wild thing. Like
now being in the business world, I realize how crazy
sports is in a sense of if you can make
it in sports and survive in sports, you can pretty
much make it in any industry because everything will seem
like it's moving slower.
Speaker 1 (33:48):
Now.
Speaker 3 (33:48):
Sports is fast. We got a thirty second time out
to figure out a lot of problems. If it's real,
big problems, we might have a full time out, but
it's usually like just the thirty In business, you know
you have time to process and get through things and
and things that may seem like urgent emergencies. You we
have a seventy two hours forty eight hours. It feels
like a commer environment if you come from sports. So
(34:09):
for me, I think it's work ethic too, you know,
like I'm not afraid to like I'm a work until
the job is done. And I think that's something that
sports teaches you. So it's a big transition. I'm not
gonna lie. It is a big transition. The workload is heavy,
there is a lot of work, but I don't feel overwhelmed.
I feel like sports, it's hard to be overwhelmed when
you've been playing in a game five finals per se
(34:31):
and you got the whole crowd saying whose house. That's
a big moment where the world is watching. The world's
not necessarily watching when you're doing your emails, and so
I feel like it's doable.
Speaker 1 (34:42):
What's the most pressing goal that you have for the
Atlanta Dream in the future.
Speaker 3 (34:47):
Our most pressing goal is to continue the same, Like
we want to be one of those organizations that you
know what to expect. You know, you know that we're
going to be a class act. You know that we're
going to carry ourselves a certain way. You know that
we're going to take care of you. So I just
think that those things are going to be like our staples,
you know, Like we want to attract talent, and so
the way you attract talent is how you treat them,
you know, So those kind of things will take care
(35:08):
of itself. We want to win, that's a given. Every
team wants to win every year. So the things we
have to focus on is how do we get there. Okay,
first we have to take care of our players. First,
we have to make sure that we have a great GM. First,
we have to make sure that we're doing like there's
those first things that you have to do that we
want to continue to do because once players start to
(35:28):
really understand, which I think is happening. We had a
great free agency this year. I think once players start
to really understand what it's like in Atlanta, I mean
they see the games now, and I know when opposing
teams come, they see that we want to have a party.
We want to create a vibe. So we want a
good vibe for you when you plan. But also it's
not even just that. It's when you're not playing, it's
(35:48):
when you're traveling, it's where you're staying, where you're living,
it's all of those things. And so that's just our goal.
You know, we want to be one of those top
team organizations where every year you know that you can
expect quality from us.
Speaker 1 (36:03):
All right, Renee, thank you so much for joining us
on this episode of In Case You Missed It with
Christina Williams. It's always a pleasure to chat with you.
Speaker 3 (36:11):
I appreciate you, fam. In case you missed it, we
in here, Let's go.
Speaker 1 (36:16):
You already know, all right, We're gonna take a little
break and when we get back, it's gonna be time
for one of my favorite segments of the show, The
Things that I Loved this week. Welcome back to In
(36:43):
Case You missed It with Christina Williams. I just want
to thank Terry Jackson and Renee Montgomery for stopping through
this week on the show. And now it's time for
my favorite segment, The Things that I Loved this week. Okay,
so obviously we have a new champion and the New
York Liberty, but one of the things that I especially
(37:03):
loved this week was just seeing the Barclay Center of
the city put on for the New York team. This
is the first basketball championship in over fifty years, so
I think that that was huge that you know, the
Liberty were able to bring a championship to New York.
But one of the things that I especially loved about
attending the game was that I got a chance to
(37:25):
kick it with Spike Lee and the pre Gig and
he was just inducted into the Hall of Fame for being,
you know, a New York super fan. You know, you
guys see him on the sideline with the Knicks, but
he's been so active in Brooklyn lately, and so it
was great to chat with Spike Lee about my journey
in this space as a media person. We got to
(37:46):
flick it up and then it was also funny to
watch him on the sideline talking trash and doing the
Spike thing. But yeah, no, that was something that I
love just seeing all of the fans out there. And
also I wanted to shout out the homie Lamar Carter,
because I did tell him that I would shout him out.
(38:07):
Shout out to him for being able to capture all
of those special moments for me, both in Minneapolis and
in New York, just those special moments being at the
playoffs and being a part of this historic run. And
also shout out to a bar of their own. I
want to shout them out because I went to Many
for Game four and it was a lot of fun.
And if you don't know about a bar of their own,
(38:28):
it's a woman owned sports bar in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and
they play only women's sports, and so I think that
that's a dope concept because of course everyone launches women's sports,
we know that. But Jillie and Nick, they were great
hosts to myself, my girl Tarika Foss of Brisby, who's
also a part of the iHeart family, and we just
(38:50):
had a good time and really really good food. If
you go there, you have to try the burgers. Burgers
are super good and they have a really good prown me,
so make sure you order. You go, tell them that
I sent you. All Right, that's gonna do it for
this edition of In Case You Missed It with Christina Williams,
don't forget to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast
(39:12):
and we'll see you next time. In Case You Missed
(39:38):
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.
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 special edition of In
Case you missed It with Christina Williams and breaking news,
the WMVPA and its player leadership has decided to opt
(00:23):
out of their current CBA theater. Breaking all down with
us is WMBPA Executive Director Terry Jackson. Terry, Welcome to
the show.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Thank you, Christina, glad to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
So, Terry, what prompted the WMBPA and the player leadership
to opt out of the current CBA agreement?
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Yes, thank you for that question, because it's a process,
and I want to explain the process because I think
so many people thought, well, of course they're going to
opt out, but it was never an of course for us,
and never an assumption. It was a year of working
with a CBA Advisory Group expert who are amazing and
(01:01):
we can talk about them if you'd like. They have
been pouring over the league financials, reviewing the business over
the past three, four or five years, looking at this moment,
projecting and predicting what could be on the horizon in
the future and advising the players, you know what this
current CBA looked like, what it meant to stay in
(01:23):
this current CBA, what opportunities may have been or may
have been missed, and listening to what the players also
had top of mind, what their priorities were, what their
concerns were. They were beginning to feel that they were
going to start falling behind under this CBA with all
this explosion of growth year over year and particularly this year.
(01:46):
And so it's been a year of meetings with our
CBA Committee, executive committee members, board of player representatives, additional
players who just said I want to be a part
of the conversation, looking at this business and saying, you
know what, it's time for us to start reaping the benefit.
We need to do it now and not fall behind.
There's so much opportunity, there's so much that they are
(02:09):
giving to this game, that they're contributing to the success,
and so thinking about it and knowing what the future
would mean in terms of trying to get there, that
they had to be resilient, they had to be strong,
they had to stay together and fight as a union.
When they committed to that, then they were able to
say this is the decision. So that's how we got here.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Yeah, and WNBA Commissioner Kathy Engelbert released his statement where
the tones sound very supportive of the opt out. What
is the next year going to look like as you
all start the lead negotiation process.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
Yes, I called Kathy before we formally announced, just actually
after coming off of a meeting with the player leadership
to advise them the results of the vote. I called
her and I said, well, this is where we're headed.
This is going to be the announcement today. One of
the first things she said was let's work together for
transformational change. And I said, I love that, because you know,
(03:05):
transformational has been the word neko Ogumakay has been using
since the beginning of this season, so I'm glad that
that is in their vernacular too. I'm glad we were
talking about this in terms of a common goal. I'm
going to hold her to that, the league and the
teams to that. And when we opted out and our
formal notice to the league, we suggested sometimes to me,
(03:27):
so it wasn't just we're out, as our social posts said.
It wasn't just that, but it was let's let's work
together on this transformational next and let's start doing that now.
So there will be a year of conversations, productive talks,
exchange of proposals, just like last time. But we know
(03:48):
that these are going to be intense and sometimes hard conversations,
and we didn't have very many of those last time,
so we do know it's going to be it's gonna
be a little different.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
The twenty twenty seed it was considered groundbreaking, but you
mentioned that, you know, there may have been places where
it sort of felt like it fell short. So going
into this negotiation process, what are going to be some
of those pressing issues that are going to be at
the forefront in those renegotiations.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
Sure, sure, well, you know I don't usually negotiate in
the press, but we knew that we had to talk
about what was important and talk about the why. Last
time when the players voted to opt out, so many
people were like, oh, no, the league's gonna fold, you
can't break the business and all that. I said, No, no, no,
trust the process and trust the players. They've got this.
(04:36):
They know the responsibility that they have, and so this
time it's no different last time. When we were negotiating
and in the twenty twenty CBA securing a mac salary
that was double what it was previously. That was significant, right,
That was more than just a headline. That was significant,
meaningful change. But even then we knew we hadn't gone
far enough. But there was so much that we were
(04:58):
trying to fix last time, so we got there. This time,
we've got to talk about and we've got to be
honest about what these players have been pouring into this game.
This season is amazing, These finals have been amazing. Let's
give it up for you know, all of the players,
but particularly how we ended this season barely, really strong.
(05:19):
We've got to show that we value labor, that we
value them for what they're contributing now. And you do
that through looking at and being honest about their salaries.
Let's not blur the lines and add in, well they
can make this and bonuses and this and marketing agreements.
No no, no, that's not the way we do it
(05:40):
in any other job, and that's not the way we're
going to do it here here. We're going to value
the players on day one for what they have contributed
and what they bring to the game, and that's really
really important. We also have to talk about charter travel.
I don't want anybody to get confused. You know, the
league rolled out charter travel for this year and promised
it for next year. But there's nothing in writing, right
(06:02):
and so we know it's business. This is the way
you operate. We've got to we've got to nail things down.
We have to memorialize things in writing. And if the
commitment is truly too to chart or travel, which we
hope it is, there's no need to roll it back
and go backwards. Now we got to nail that down.
Let's also talk about the family planning benefits, which were
(06:23):
part of a landmark CBA that was huge for us,
and a deal that hardly talked about what happens when
women get pregnant and start their families, when players start
their families. We weren't talking about that before. But now
we got guaranteed salaries one hundred percent. We got a
place for players who need the privacy of nursing. We've
(06:45):
got a place for that. Although that should have been
the law, right, we got that. We got that nailed
down in the CBA, and we talked about reimbursement for
how players want to start their families, how they want
to plan their families, freezing their eggs, adoption, a whole
host of things. That's true, horrific. But when those provisions
and those benefits are only available to players who reach
that eight years of service mark, well then is that
(07:08):
really a benefit to the players? Are they really able
to tap into that? So let's just make that more
real for everybody. And then, Christina, we can talk about
facilities all day. We can talk about practice facilities and
game facilities. And I think Claire Si said it best.
When you pour into the business, when you pour into
(07:28):
the players, when you look to invest, you will reap
the benefits of that. It is true in this business
as it is in any other business. And that's why
we say the player's decisions right now, it's business. That's
what this is about. That's what these conversations need to
be about.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
I absolutely agree. I want to go back to the
salary point because a lot of players obviously have been
vocal about the salary and what the league says they
can make is up to seven hundred thousand dollars, and
you just alluded to that not necessarily being true. Gabby Williams,
who is a player who played with the Seattle Storm
this season, went overseas because she said she could make
(08:04):
more money. She in her exit meeting said, you know,
there's no player in the WNBA currently that makes seven
hundred thousand dollars. Having that in mind and then also
thinking about the prioritization role. Brianna Stewart, she's also been
very vocal about that as well. How will the PA
addressed the conflicts between the WNBA schedules and the internationals
(08:24):
competition calendars.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
Yeah, when we said everything's on the table again, everything's
on the table again, and prioritization is definitely on their
minds because that impacts their earning capacity.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
Right.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
The reason why so many players go overseas is because
they can make money there and they'll make more money
many times, many times over than what they make in
the w I've got to think about that. As the
executive director. That's troubling for me. I've got to rethink.
We've got to rethink what that salary cap looks like,
(08:58):
what that model looks like with compensation generally looks like,
but particularly what salaries look like. And Gapy's right, you know,
saying that a player can make up to seven hundred
thousand dollars in this league. That's a terrible regrettable message, honestly,
because it's the mac salary, and it's a time off bonus,
it's a marketing agreement at the league level, a marketing
(09:19):
agreement at the team level. It's a whole host of things.
You've got to be a Finals MVP, a Commissioner's Cup MVP,
and all and all in all, you know, on and
on and on all the things, as they say. And
the regrettable part about that message is you've got to
be damn near perfect to get there. And then layer
(09:40):
on top of that, there can only be one of you.
How many MVPs do we have, There can only be
there can only be one who is hitting it at
every level. And so that is just not the message
that we're going to accept. That's not the message that
should have ever been sent. So let's talk about the
value that the players have brought and what that looks like,
(10:03):
and let's capture that accurately and honestly in a salary number.
And let's talk about a salary cap that isn't as
hard and as restrictive as the one that we have
right now. It almost paralyzes a team. So we know
we've got We know we've got support on this on
the league and team side. We know that there are
coaches and gms we know this that feel the same
(10:26):
way that we do about this hard, restrictive, impossible cap.
And when we see ownership groups pouring in, you know,
to their business, the only thing capped is the players
and that's a problem.
Speaker 1 (10:40):
Absolutely. Another thing I want to hit on is in
the film Shattered Glass, Sheryl Swoops made an appearance and
she talked about how there's nothing set in place for
players after they stopped playing, after the ball stops bouncing
in terms of the pensions. So will that also be
an issue that will be addressed in the next round
(11:01):
of negotiations for the CBA.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
Absolutely, And I want to be honest with you, with
your listeners, with retired players all over the country, all
over the world, you know, we were thinking about this
last time. There was just so much to fix in
a system that could not support everything that we were
trying to do, and we said, all right, we know
(11:25):
we've got to do this. We know we've got to
come up with something in terms of retirement benefits. Whether
it looks like, you know, more robust for a one
K plans for players here, for players now, current players
will be retiring, whether it's a pension, whether it's healthcare.
What can we do for the pioneers in this league
who came before and set us up for where we
(11:48):
are today, I said in Shattered Glass. Then I say
it now. They are always on our minds. They were
in twenty eighteen. Please believe me, they were. We just
quit get to everything like we needed to. And now
what we see, the explosion of growth we see, I
think a tremendous opportunity to do something, to put something
(12:10):
in place that leads us to capturing everybody into the success.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
So yes, absolutely on the hills of w NBA player
de Year can Handy, you know, suing her former team,
the Las Vegas Aces, but also Skyland Diagos Smith sharing
her experience about maternity League with her former team, the
Phoenix Mercury. What initiatives or protections will be at the
forefront when it comes to parent athletes in this league.
(12:35):
I know you alluded to some of the steps and
strides the league and PA has made in the last CBA,
but what will happen in terms of the next one.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
There's a lot of things that we can do. First
of all, we can be clear about what the law
is when it comes to discrimination, and if we need to,
shouldn't need to. But if we need to incorporate the
law into policy protections and policy provisions in the CBA,
then we will do that. I think. Also, when you
look at the hard cap system, this is what I
(13:04):
talk about. It's so restrictive that it makes certain benefits.
We've gone from paying a player who's out on leave
fifty percent of her salary in the previous CBA. Under
this CBA, it's one hundred percent of her salary, and
that's great and we should be celebrating that because that's great. However,
in this hard restrictive cap system that we're in, it
(13:25):
counts her salary counts against the cap. So what should
be a benefit, and a good moment and a good
feeling moment starts to create a little bit of negativity
and perhaps as a negative impact on the way a
team is, you know, building its team and running its team.
And so we want to eliminate those those kinds of
things that create that negative environment for our players because
(13:49):
we want them to have the full protection of the law.
And again, if we need to you know, adopt the
law or create the law in terms of policy provisions
in our CBA, then so be it. We will.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
You talked about the growth of the WNBA and this
past season the league reached a groundbreaking media rights deal
eleven year, two point two billion dollars that will be
implemented in twenty twenty six. And you talked about the
growth of the league in terms of the rookies like
Kate and Clark, who's you're bringing more fans to the game.
(14:23):
How will the PA leverage this momentum to secure better
compensation and benefits for the players? I know that Chelsea
Plumb has talked about the revshare and wanted to get
an equal piece of the pie, But how will you
all leverage that going into these negotiations.
Speaker 2 (14:39):
Well, we start with opt out, right, I mean, you
can't exercise any kind of leverage if you remain in
that twenty twenty CBA until it expires in twenty twenty seven,
And so opting out means this CBA is in place
through next year. We begin negotiations in earnest immediately so
that by the time of the twenty twenty six season
(14:59):
we've got a new and better deal in place that
feels good for everyone. Revenue share is a provision that
everybody is talking about, and we recognize that across sports,
there's this assumption that you know, across different leagues with
their arrangements with different players associations, that there's a fifty
percent that the players have a fifty percent share. Well,
(15:20):
we know that it all depends on what's included in
that calculation, right, So we've got to have a real
honest conversation about a new calculation of revenue share under
the twenty twenty CBA. It's good. It's finally a revenue
share provision that was tied to something that was profitable
and not ticket sales previously, right, So it was tied
to the most profitable part of the business and that's
(15:43):
at the league level. Hadn't triggered it yet, but we're close,
but we thought, you know what, let's opt out of
this and talk about a new calculation. What needs to
go in to this revenue share provision, what needs to
be counted, and how that can be triggered more as
automatic and often so that the players really benefit directly.
(16:04):
So Kelsey was definitely onto something. She speaks truth and
I'm so glad she's a part of leadership when she's
speaking her truth. So that's on the table too.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
In the last CVA negotiations, there had to be some
sort of compromise. But what happens if you can't reach
that agreement within the year that you all have, what happens.
Speaker 2 (16:25):
Then well we shouldn't even get there, right Like, we
just opted out. So and the Commissioner said, we want
to work together with you know, towards transformational change. I'm
going to hold her to her word. I believe that's
that's their goal, as it is our goal. But you know,
part of the opt out decision, part of the question
(16:46):
that was on the ballot actually in writing, you know,
stay in this twenty twenty CBA or opt out and
remain committed to staying at the negotiating table for as
long as possible to get the deal that you want.
That was a two part question. It wasn't simply are
you going to stay in or are you going to
(17:06):
opt out? Are you going to opt out and remain
committed to what may indeed be a fight. And so
we've been talking about that for the past year too
with our advisors about how to remain strong and how
to be resilient in these negotiations. So the players were
clear when they opted out. They're clear on what's ahead.
(17:27):
They're clear that what's ahead is going to look a
little different, maybe a lot different than what we experienced before.
But that's okay. We're in it for the long haul.
Speaker 1 (17:37):
Last question, I know the slogan the pa uses is
bet on women. Why should we bet on women?
Speaker 2 (17:44):
Oh, when you bet on women, you actually bet on
girls and women and boys and men. Also, when you
pour into women and girls and help them see opportunities,
you are really benefiting. Every investment in them empowers them.
It's important to their growth. It's important to the growth
(18:06):
of families and communities, and that's how boys and men
benefit to I love our slogan bet on women. It
was the rallying cry last time. It is the rallying
cry this time, coupled with its business, because that's what
this conversation is all about. It's business. The players are clear.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
WNBPA Executive Director Terry Jackson, thank you so much for
breaking down the CBA and what's to come.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
Appreciate you, Thank you, Christina, I appreciate you.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
We're going to take a quick break, and when we
get back, Renee Montgomery joined us. I want to introduce
(18:59):
a very guests to the show. She is a two
time w NBA champion, won a national championship at Yukon
and now part owner and executive of the Atlanta Dream.
Welcome to the show, Renee Montgomery.
Speaker 3 (19:14):
Let's do this front of the show. This is my
second time, but front of the show for new show.
Speaker 1 (19:20):
Oh, this is a new show. This is a new show.
So so you wasn't on this one yet, Renee. See
but no, I'm glad that you're here, and it's so
good to see you. I mean, this feels like a
full circle moment for me, honestly to have you on
this show. You were on the first show that I
did years and years ago, and so I'm super excited
about this. So, Renee, what did you think about the
(19:41):
w NBA Finals? You know, the New York Liberty hoisted
up the trophy, but you want to with the links.
What were your thoughts about Game five?
Speaker 3 (19:49):
Man, I mean game five another overtime game. This might
have been like I thought our series with LA where
Minnesota and LA went to the finals three years in
a row. I thought that we were probably one of
the most evenly matched finals matchups until now. Like when
you look at the score sheet and when you look
at the stat sheet with Minnesota and New York, I
(20:10):
mean two overtime games, three of the five games decided
within a buzzer beater or a last second shot. I mean,
that's that's wild. So my thoughts are that like epic
we won. As fans, we had everything that you could
ask for.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
Who impressed you the most in this series?
Speaker 3 (20:26):
You know how they always talk about the superstars and
then the others. I think Foebish. I think she came
out and really showed like, Okay, well, first of all,
you know that playing overseas in the overseas circuit that
she was gonna be ready, She's gonna be a pro.
But then to just hit the shots in the moment
she did hit the big shots, that's big. Like I
think that like just to have a player not only
(20:47):
know what they're supposed to do, because IQ was one thing,
but to have the nerve to hit the big shots.
She hit a lot of them throughout the series. And
then on Minnesota's side, I think it was like by committee.
But Courtney Williams if you. I mean, she was already
a star, but now she put herself on another huge
stage of people understand the Burke and Bag now and
(21:08):
understand what she's talking about. It's unfortunate even Game five
for a lot of players, they didn't hit a lot
of shots. You could tell their legs were felling them.
I think, like Courtney, she really showed herself.
Speaker 1 (21:18):
You had ten years in the w NBA, won two
championships with the leagues. What is something special about Cheryl
Reeve that most people don't know? And also what was
it like playing alongside Maya Moore?
Speaker 3 (21:33):
What I mean, first of all, I played with Mama
in college. I played with my mind and the pros. Obviously,
I consider her the best to ever do it, and
she's just one of those ones. I said this the
other day, but when you play for Coach Reed, you're
gonna play your best basketball like she's going to get
it out of you. However she does, like you're gonna
have one of your best seasons typically when you played
(21:55):
for Coach Reed, because the way that Coach Reed holds practice,
the way that she hold you accountable, her standard is
so high. I mean, she been to the Final seven
times and one four of them. She has a high
standard and she's backed it up, so you gotta believe
everything she's saying because she's been there. And then she
has a coaching staff that's been there as well. Bbe
Rebecca Brunson is on the coaching staff. She's been there.
(22:17):
So when you have coaching staffs that's been there and
they know the process, that's what it's like playing with her.
You know, I played for coach Ariema and I understood
those same things. It's like coach Ariyema has been to
the final four so many times. He knows the process,
he knows how to get there, he knows what it
looks like, and he knows what it also doesn't look like.
So you know, I'm sure there were times in practice
(22:38):
this year where coach Reeve was telling them this is
not good enough, you know, like in her way, you know,
and I'm sure that they realized she was right when
they got to certain moments in the finals in other areas.
So I think playing for coach Reeve is tough because
it's hard meeting a high standard every single day, But
then you see the reward on the other side that
(22:59):
her team find a way to be successful pretty consistently.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
Your Atlanta Dream made it to the postseason. Unfortunately in
New York Liberty knocked about in the first round. But
the future seems promising for the Atlanta Dream. What can
you tell us about this season for the Dream? How
would you rate it?
Speaker 3 (23:16):
Every year with the Dream, we have like goals that
we set for ourselves and we're working against ourselves. Each
year we try to enhance something a little bit more,
whether it's on the basketball side or on the business side.
We try to hance little things, and I feel like
this was a year of growth. I think for our players,
getting another taste of the playoffs, understanding that, like now,
(23:36):
the next step is we still in two seasons, have
not gotten a home game while we're in the playoffs.
I know the four match changing now and there's gonna
be seven games and there's different formats, so hopefully getting
a taste of that, but getting in the habit of
making postseason I think is something setting that goal. So
I don't know. I just feel like our squad each
year we have that some young gunners that I know
(23:57):
are exciting to watch. I love watching them every night
court side, but you know, it's like the next step
is going to be winning a playoff series.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
What's going to be the priority in terms of looking
for that next head coach? What qualities would that next
person have to have to lead the team?
Speaker 3 (24:12):
Similar to teams, you know, we were excited to have
a coach that understands the game, a coach that may
has played the game. But with coaching, it's so it's
it's such a thing because in coaching you need everything.
Like it's it's crazy to think, but in coaching, I'm greedy.
You want to coach that knows their x'es and o's.
You want to coach that connect can connect to the players.
(24:32):
You want to coach that is going to be able to,
you know, go out in the community and talk to people.
You want everything. So I think, similar to before, we
want to coach that just embodies all the attributes that
we do as a city and all the attributes that
we do as an ownership group in a sense of
how we carry ourselves and how we want to be
just one of those programs that you love playing for,
you know, like that's kind of one of my things
(24:53):
being a former player. We want to be an organization
that players like to play for which I think that
we're getting there now if you talk to our players.
We have an environment that we want players to want
to be in. And then the same Ford coaching staff.
You know, I try to let the coaches and the
gms handle the basketball portion of it when it's during
the season, you know, And I know that's not always
the case in a lot of ownership groups, but you know,
(25:15):
we try to give people their space to run their
programs how they want to. So you know, that's kind
of what we're focused on, just getting someone that can
come in and embody kind of our same thought process
and our same focus and competitive drive.
Speaker 1 (25:29):
Let's get into your new documentary about your life and
your career, A Radical Act, Renee Montgomery. How did this
documentary have about and how did the partnership of Lebron
James and Maverick car To come about.
Speaker 3 (25:41):
Yeah, it's crazy because it's like we've been filming for
three years. Man, Like, it's like, I don't know how
Alsi's like, three years is a very long time in
your life. But it's also dope for me because that
three year period, it's like it's never going to happen again.
Where I go from player to the ownership group and
front office. It happened organically in a sense of everyone
(26:02):
knows the story about how Lebron tweeted out that you know,
he's thinking about putting an ownership group together. I hit
him up and then we started getting connected through all
the various ways in boom okay, now I'm in the
ownership group. And then whenever people started to reach out
to me, you know, we had a lot of offers
come in about people that wanted to tell my story
because there was a lot of energy at that time.
(26:24):
And when my wife, Serena and I was she said
hello by the way, she told me to tell you hello,
O Hi, Serena. When we started to think about, like
who do we want to tell our story, you know,
there was just seems like one answer, and it was
Spring Heel and Uninterrupted because of obviously the Lebron connection
and so Uninterrupted is already telling athletes stories and we
(26:46):
thought they would understand it. And not only that the
deal that they offered us and it showed that they
understood that we were interested in ownership, we were interested
in building with Think Tank productions, and it was exciting,
you know, it was exciting all around just to be
able to like Math, come on now, Lebron, Math and
the whole uninterrupted squad. It's a hard no. It's a
(27:06):
hard no to say to them.
Speaker 1 (27:07):
So it was exciting when we watched the film. What
is something that we're gonna learn about you that we
may not already know? Oh?
Speaker 3 (27:14):
Man, I think a lot. I think a lot of
people don't even have an idea of my story just
because I don't really talk about it like you know,
I don't talk about like not only does this documentary
cover like me and my transition period that I just
talked about, but it has archival footage from high school.
It has my parents talking about my high school experience,
which was also unique. And I think the kind of
the concept of a radical act people are gonna understand
(27:37):
is that it was at every turn just happened to
believe in myself and happen to just lean on the
positive aspects of everything because everything wasn't peachy when I
was growing up, but I just focused on the things
that I can focus on. So I think people will
be surprised just hearing people watch it and hearing their thoughts.
I know a lot of people that knew me and
were pretty surprised at what they saw and sense of
(28:00):
what I grew up with. So I just think a
radical act. You hear the term radical, and a lot
of people were curious, like they don't see me as
a radical human in a sense. But I think the
radical thought process is being positive amongst environments that maybe
aren't so positive.
Speaker 1 (28:15):
Yeah, and I remember when you made your decision all
those all those years ago, a couple of years ago
to retire from the WA But even before that, when
you like decided to sit out for a season and
you know, dedicate your time to activism, it was it
was a radical act in the sense with what you
were doing, because at that time, it's like if you
(28:36):
didn't play, you didn't get paid. So so what inspired
you to just just take that first step? Man?
Speaker 3 (28:44):
Honestly, the city of Atlanta, my family, it was crazy,
like and you talk about it, it was like we
all remember twenty twenty. It's like when you say twenty twenty,
it's like instantly we all there. It was a moment
for everyone, and so it was kind of like just
how you gonna how are you gonna make this moment
your and how are you going to impact this moment
or pour into it. You know. Coach are used to
always say like people are either spark plugs, like they
(29:07):
give energy or they take it away. And so I'm like,
all right, how can I give some energy to the moment.
It was a crazy time here in Atlanta too, especially
because I feel like even now always Atlanta is like
the center of what the conversation is, especially in politics lately,
and so just understanding how powerful the city of Atlanta was,
I think that was one of the main things. And
my wife was already going to the protests, and so
(29:29):
I'm like, all right, let let me pull up to
like everybody knows. I'm like, let me just hydrate you guys,
because I'm an athlete. This is what we do. I'm like,
it's hot outside, like, let me just at least bring waters,
and that's going to be my moment. And then it
just turned into something way bigger. But you know, it's
crazy to think that to your point, it was a
huge decision because it's like, no paycheck is a wild
thing in a sense of I cover broadcasting as well,
(29:52):
so it wasn't like I was going to have that
to rely on all of those avenues were shutting down.
In hindsight, I'm like, what was you thinking? But now
I'm just thankful. I'm thankful.
Speaker 1 (30:04):
And the Atlanta Dream was definitely when you say, you
guys are at like the forefront of the conversation. Four
years ago we were. You know, another election cycle happened
and you know, the Atlanta Dream kind of stepped up
and you know, help flip the Senate and we say,
you guys saved the democracy. Now that we're back in
another election cycle, you know, the ray snakes are just
(30:25):
so high right now. And I know that you've had
a hand in just raising awareness around voting, education and
getting people active and just mobilizing. Why is it important
for you to continue to use your platform to just
raise awareness about it? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (30:41):
I man, we all we got and it's like I
hope people understand. It's like it's no fun for none
of us, like you know, like in a sense, so
politics is not the most exciting topic to talk about,
to tweet about, to try to educate people about. I'm
watching all the commercials too, especially if you're in Georgia.
Every commercial now is a political ad back and forth.
Or if it's just like I'm Kamala Harrison. I support
(31:02):
this message. I'm don jay. It's like that's constantly going on,
so it's not the funnest process for nobody. I think
that's what everyone has to understand. So when people are like, oh,
I'm sick of this politics, I'm not really in the politics.
It's like none of us love this. Like I cover sports,
so this is a drastic change from sports. It's like
(31:22):
sports is turned up. I would love to always talk
about sports and always be turned up with sports, but
I feel like a responsibility, you know, there's a responsibility
that it's like if people don't understand the magnitude of
the situation, that's what I want people to understand, and
a sense of how it relates to people directly, you know,
like it's like, yeah, we hear all these different things,
(31:44):
but if you're complaining about local problems, then maybe you
need to pay attention to your local voting people, like
whether that's vote down the ballot is what if people
don't know the term vote down the ballot, It's like, yes,
there's the presidents and yes that is very very important,
and then there's also your local officials. So if you
mad about something local, how let your mayor. You might
(32:04):
be mad at the president and it might be your
mayor the one that could have changed it, your governor.
So I think just helping people understand who to be
mad at. Honestly, it's like, if you mad, you need
to know who you're mad at so you can know
how to affect it and change it. And then the
main thing is just make your voice heard, like if
you mad, show how you mad, and prove it in
the ballot boxes. So for me, that's been the whole thing.
(32:25):
But I want people to understand it's not fun for
none of us, so educating people on voting it's not
the funnest thing, but it's the responsible thing.
Speaker 1 (32:33):
You are the first player of the WNBA to become
an executive and an owner. Talk about that monumental moment
and how has being a player kind of helped you
when it comes to be an executive and an owner.
Speaker 3 (32:48):
Being an athlete, I sport explained everything in my life,
Like sports has me prepared for everything. And honestly, I
think that athletes we don't know. It's kind of like
the unknown when we retire. It's kind of scary a
little bit, and it's also uncomfortable because for all of
my life since I was like six, everything revolved around basketball,
(33:08):
like I've been a pro athlete, and so then to
get to a world where it's like, okay, so we're
not basically revolving my world around when I take my nap,
when I'm eating my pregay meal, all of that. It's
a whole it's a lifestyle change. But the craziest thing
is that there's nothing that I've had to do in
the front office or in the ownership seat that I
(33:30):
wasn't prepared for, like sports is a wild thing. Like
now being in the business world, I realize how crazy
sports is in a sense of if you can make
it in sports and survive in sports, you can pretty
much make it in any industry because everything will seem
like it's moving slower.
Speaker 1 (33:48):
Now.
Speaker 3 (33:48):
Sports is fast. We got a thirty second time out
to figure out a lot of problems. If it's real,
big problems, we might have a full time out, but
it's usually like just the thirty In business, you know
you have time to process and get through things and
and things that may seem like urgent emergencies. You we
have a seventy two hours forty eight hours. It feels
like a commer environment if you come from sports. So
(34:09):
for me, I think it's work ethic too, you know,
like I'm not afraid to like I'm a work until
the job is done. And I think that's something that
sports teaches you. So it's a big transition. I'm not
gonna lie. It is a big transition. The workload is heavy,
there is a lot of work, but I don't feel overwhelmed.
I feel like sports, it's hard to be overwhelmed when
you've been playing in a game five finals per se
(34:31):
and you got the whole crowd saying whose house. That's
a big moment where the world is watching. The world's
not necessarily watching when you're doing your emails, and so
I feel like it's doable.
Speaker 1 (34:42):
What's the most pressing goal that you have for the
Atlanta Dream in the future.
Speaker 3 (34:47):
Our most pressing goal is to continue the same, Like
we want to be one of those organizations that you
know what to expect. You know, you know that we're
going to be a class act. You know that we're
going to carry ourselves a certain way. You know that
we're going to take care of you. So I just
think that those things are going to be like our staples,
you know, Like we want to attract talent, and so
the way you attract talent is how you treat them,
you know, So those kind of things will take care
(35:08):
of itself. We want to win, that's a given. Every
team wants to win every year. So the things we
have to focus on is how do we get there. Okay,
first we have to take care of our players. First,
we have to make sure that we have a great GM. First,
we have to make sure that we're doing like there's
those first things that you have to do that we
want to continue to do because once players start to
(35:28):
really understand, which I think is happening. We had a
great free agency this year. I think once players start
to really understand what it's like in Atlanta, I mean
they see the games now, and I know when opposing
teams come, they see that we want to have a party.
We want to create a vibe. So we want a
good vibe for you when you plan. But also it's
not even just that. It's when you're not playing, it's
(35:48):
when you're traveling, it's where you're staying, where you're living,
it's all of those things. And so that's just our goal.
You know, we want to be one of those top
team organizations where every year you know that you can
expect quality from us.
Speaker 1 (36:03):
All right, Renee, thank you so much for joining us
on this episode of In Case You Missed It with
Christina Williams. It's always a pleasure to chat with you.
Speaker 3 (36:11):
I appreciate you, fam. In case you missed it, we
in here, Let's go.
Speaker 1 (36:16):
You already know, all right, We're gonna take a little
break and when we get back, it's gonna be time
for one of my favorite segments of the show, The
Things that I Loved this week. Welcome back to In
(36:43):
Case You missed It with Christina Williams. I just want
to thank Terry Jackson and Renee Montgomery for stopping through
this week on the show. And now it's time for
my favorite segment, The Things that I Loved this week. Okay,
so obviously we have a new champion and the New
York Liberty, but one of the things that I especially
(37:03):
loved this week was just seeing the Barclay Center of
the city put on for the New York team. This
is the first basketball championship in over fifty years, so
I think that that was huge that you know, the
Liberty were able to bring a championship to New York.
But one of the things that I especially loved about
attending the game was that I got a chance to
(37:25):
kick it with Spike Lee and the pre Gig and
he was just inducted into the Hall of Fame for being,
you know, a New York super fan. You know, you
guys see him on the sideline with the Knicks, but
he's been so active in Brooklyn lately, and so it
was great to chat with Spike Lee about my journey
in this space as a media person. We got to
(37:46):
flick it up and then it was also funny to
watch him on the sideline talking trash and doing the
Spike thing. But yeah, no, that was something that I
love just seeing all of the fans out there. And
also I wanted to shout out the homie Lamar Carter,
because I did tell him that I would shout him out.
(38:07):
Shout out to him for being able to capture all
of those special moments for me, both in Minneapolis and
in New York, just those special moments being at the
playoffs and being a part of this historic run. And
also shout out to a bar of their own. I
want to shout them out because I went to Many
for Game four and it was a lot of fun.
And if you don't know about a bar of their own,
(38:28):
it's a woman owned sports bar in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and
they play only women's sports, and so I think that
that's a dope concept because of course everyone launches women's sports,
we know that. But Jillie and Nick, they were great
hosts to myself, my girl Tarika Foss of Brisby, who's
also a part of the iHeart family, and we just
(38:50):
had a good time and really really good food. If
you go there, you have to try the burgers. Burgers
are super good and they have a really good prown me,
so make sure you order. You go, tell them that
I sent you. All Right, that's gonna do it for
this edition of In Case You Missed It with Christina Williams,
don't forget to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast
(39:12):
and we'll see you next time. In Case You Missed
(39:38):
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.
Host
Khristina Williams
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