Latest / Bleacher Report / Napheesa Collier Talks Unrivaled Launch, Opens Up on WNBA Finals Loss | Taylor Rooks X

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Napheesa Collier Talks Unrivaled Launch, Opens Up on WNBA Finals Loss | Taylor Rooks X · Bleacher Report

• 2:02
  Speaker 1: Queen fee maybe the busiest woman in sports right now.
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: So thank you so much for taking the time to
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: do this. But I really just want to start with
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: a lot of things because I'm so thankful I got
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: to be here and be a part of the broadcast
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: team here and unrivaled, So thank you for having me.
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: It's just been electric so far.
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: We are so lucky to have you. Thank you for
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: coming here. Yeah, part of.
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: It now, Absolutely, it's been Every game has been good.
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: You all have thought about everything. We're currently in the
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: content studio at u All's headquarters. We've got esthetician, you
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: have the best trainers. I mean, you've got this for
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: a makeup room. It's just all been handled. So it's
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: just been really really great. I would love to hear
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: just the process of Okay, this is what we need
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: and this is what will make the experience the best
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: for everyone.
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: So I think we made two lists, Like the first
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: is what we need. Of course, you need courts, you
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: need recovery stuff, you need locker rooms, blah blah, Like
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: there's stuff that you know that you need. But then
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: it's like, okay, once we have those bare bones essentials,
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: what will make each of those things better in those fields.
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: So we have equipment that you don't necessarily need, but
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: it's great for recovery. So we try to get the
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: best of recovery for equipment, and then like the best
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: for recovery. So we got all like all the boots
• 3:15
  Speaker 2: and the gizmos and the gadgets. You know, we did
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: our research and we talked to people who are experts
• 3:19
  Speaker 2: in their fields, like what is the leading technology in
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: these in recovery or treatment or whatever it is, so
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: we can go above and beyond. And then once we
• 3:28
  Speaker 2: got outside of like the extras for the necessities, we're like,
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: what would just be fun to have? Yeah, what would
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: just be cool to have on staff? A makeup room,
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: an esthetician. It's a beautiful makeup it is, yes, an
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: estheticians she's booked and busy a lot, you know, like
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: having a massage every week or multiple times a week.
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: Just like those extra things that makes the experience. The
• 3:49
  Speaker 2: fan wouldn't necessarily see that. It's not about the fan,
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: it's about making the player experience really fun.
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and of course, you know, having the daycare there,
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: so the people that come that are moms, they know
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: that they're children and are right there being taken care
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: of and also just a part of the basketball experience too.
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: So everything's been really amazing. Skyler digg and Smith was
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: telling me how she brings them to every single practice.
• 4:09
  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, I mean as Sue and I are both moms,
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: so we understand how important childcare is and so that
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: was something that we were focused on pretty heavily from
• 4:17
  Speaker 2: the beginning too, because I mean, you're asking people to
• 4:20
  Speaker 2: come here, you have to be able to they need childcare,
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: and not only childcare, but people that they can trust
• 4:26
  Speaker 2: and feel comfortable leaving their children with. So that's something
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: that we vetted really heavily and are trying to make
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: it as accessible as accessible to the players as possible.
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: It's obviously been a long journey from when you had
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: the idea to now. But now that you're here, you're
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: seeing in game action. When was the moment that you said,
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: oh my god, we actually created a league, Like, when
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: did it actually settle in? Because I assume it wasn't
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: the announcement, you know, it was probably a different moment.
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think I think when it really really settled
• 4:58
  Speaker 2: in was when the players all got here and we
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: had our like opening thing that was just for us
• 5:04
  Speaker 2: and we had like the food trucks and it was
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: the unveiling of the courts basically, and everyone walked in
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: and got to see it and got to see everything
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: that we built here. That was a really cool moment
• 5:13
  Speaker 2: because it just felt like, you know, all this hard
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: work you want to see. You can see every day
• 5:18
  Speaker 2: they were building the facility and stuff, and it looked
• 5:20
  Speaker 2: different from the beginning of the day to the end,
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: and that was so cool. But I think to see
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: the excitement on everyone's faces, that was just like it
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: was an amazing feeling.
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and it's genuinely infectious. You can see how much
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: everyone is loving their time here. Are you a person
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: that is able to be proud of themselves in the moment?
• 5:40
  Speaker 2: Honestly, I'm I feel like I'm not proud of myself.
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: I'm proud of the people who I feel like there
• 5:45
  Speaker 2: are people behind the scenes that don't get the recognition
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: that are putting in so much work. I'm so incredibly
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: proud of them because I just see the hours that
• 5:53
  Speaker 2: they're spending in this, the emotional, like physical everything told
• 5:56
  Speaker 2: that this is taking for them to make this the
• 5:59
  Speaker 2: best experience that they can make it for us, and
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: so I'm so proud of them because, like it's not easy. We're,
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: you know, your startup business, and it's a league that
• 6:08
  Speaker 2: has so many eyeballs on it, and we wanted to
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: be great. We wanted to be great for the players
• 6:12
  Speaker 2: and for the fan and for everyone. The expectations are
• 6:15
  Speaker 2: really high, and we're happy for that. We want to
• 6:17
  Speaker 2: meet and exceed those. So I'm proud of the work
• 6:20
  Speaker 2: that they put into that for sure.
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: Well, I mean, I do hope that, like when this
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: season is done and you have this moment to sit back,
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: that you do sit and just say out loud just
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: how proud you are of yourself, because it has been,
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: like I said, such an amazing experience, and just being here,
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: I have felt super inspired by the fact that we're
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: all in this building, in this whole built out place
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: for an entire league, and it all started with an idea,
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: like there was something that you felt you needed, there
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: was something that was missing, something that you deserved, and
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: it wasn't there, and you created it. And I'm like,
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: that is just something to be so proud of. I'm like,
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: I'm not acting on my ideas. His fee and Stewie
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: like they're doing it. So I am proud of you,
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: even if you haven't taken that moment to really think
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: about it yourself. It's been really cool and proud of
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: everything you're doing on the court too. I got to
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: be there for your crazy performance. I think thirty seven
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: points eighteen rebounds just complete domination for you. What does
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: it mean to dominate? And do you feel like you're
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: doing that right now? And unrivaled is the league's leading scorer.
• 7:25
  Speaker 2: What it feels like to dominate? I think I think
• 7:28
  Speaker 2: I don't really notice in the moment as much because
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: you're just so focused on winning and you're so in
• 7:33
  Speaker 2: the game. Like I didn't know I had that when
• 7:36
  Speaker 2: the game was over until you told me, like you know,
• 7:38
  Speaker 2: on the broadcast. So I feel like afters when I
• 7:42
  Speaker 2: can kind of take a step, I can see that.
• 7:43
  Speaker 2: But I mean, I love this solid game, and I
• 7:47
  Speaker 2: think how much fun I'm having it is exactly why
• 7:50
  Speaker 2: we built it, because you're taking two people off of
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: each side and it allows you to showcase your skills.
• 7:55
  Speaker 2: I feel like I get to show my skills more
• 7:57
  Speaker 2: and I get to work and work on my game
• 7:58
  Speaker 2: and use those in an actual game, because it's one
• 8:01
  Speaker 2: thing to practice all you can in workouts, whatever it is,
• 8:05
  Speaker 2: but to transfer onto the court is really hard in
• 8:07
  Speaker 2: a game situation because you don't want to look stupid,
• 8:09
  Speaker 2: you don't want to be embarrassed, you don't want to
• 8:11
  Speaker 2: turn over like you want to hurt your team because
• 8:13
  Speaker 2: you're working on things. Yeah, but this environment allows you
• 8:16
  Speaker 2: to kind of work through that. Your usage is so
• 8:18
  Speaker 2: high with only three people, it forces you to get
• 8:21
  Speaker 2: good really fast. And I'm already seeing that in other
• 8:24
  Speaker 2: players as well, and I see it in my own game,
• 8:26
  Speaker 2: just being able to do different things, So that part
• 8:29
  Speaker 2: has been really really fun.
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: It's also cool because the off season, of course is
• 8:33
  Speaker 1: about development, but this is almost like measurable development, so
• 8:37
  Speaker 1: you feel yourself getting better and then sometimes there's actual
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: results if they're wins, that show that you are getting
• 8:43
  Speaker 1: better and you're continuing to build with your team and
• 8:47
  Speaker 1: to your point. So many players have had really amazing experiences,
• 8:50
  Speaker 1: and I was actually the game thinking which player pitch
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: do you most remember?
• 8:57
  Speaker 2: Probably the early ones, like Chelsea was an early one.
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: So the first that agreed, I don't remember. I feel
• 9:07
  Speaker 2: like it might have been Chelsea. Okay, I feel like
• 9:11
  Speaker 2: it might have been Chelsea. Don't quote me, but she
• 9:14
  Speaker 2: was definitely like a really early one. Yeah, and I
• 9:17
  Speaker 2: remember that just because you know, obviously Stui and I
• 9:19
  Speaker 2: were in there first, and like getting the buy in
• 9:21
  Speaker 2: from other players is crucial. We wanted this to be
• 9:23
  Speaker 2: the best players in the world, So going out to
• 9:25
  Speaker 2: get them and trying to explain to them something that's
• 9:28
  Speaker 2: never been done, like a style of play that's never
• 9:30
  Speaker 2: been done before, that part was kind of hard. But
• 9:33
  Speaker 2: I think really selling them on the ownership piece of
• 9:36
  Speaker 2: being able to have equity in a league that you're
• 9:38
  Speaker 2: playing in, be able to make money off this sport,
• 9:41
  Speaker 2: that in more of a way, in a more impactful
• 9:43
  Speaker 2: way than we were doing at that time, the salaries
• 9:46
  Speaker 2: that we wanted to add, and just like how revolutionary
• 9:49
  Speaker 2: we thought this could be, selling that dream to them.
• 9:51
  Speaker 2: I remember just doing those that in the early days.
• 9:54
  Speaker 2: It was like scary and fun and just trying to
• 9:57
  Speaker 2: get them to buy in. It's like crazy to think
• 10:00
  Speaker 2: back on now.
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: Yeah, Okay, so when you're you're going to pitch to Chelsea, right,
• 10:04
  Speaker 1: but you're talking to Chelsea or whoever was first, and
• 10:07
  Speaker 1: there isn't always a player. You can say, okay, we
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: have this player, this player, this player. So you were
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: really leading with those things like the equity and the
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: innovativeness of the league.
• 10:16
  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, yeah, because yeah, when you're going after the
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: first people, you can't say these people are going to
• 10:21
  Speaker 2: do it. So we already have, you know, some people
• 10:23
  Speaker 2: who are in you again, you just have to sell
• 10:26
  Speaker 2: them on the dream, like this is what it could be.
• 10:28
  Speaker 2: We need you to make it happen. Yeah, Like we
• 10:30
  Speaker 2: can then use your name to say we are we
• 10:33
  Speaker 2: have Chelsea, you know, we have so and so, and
• 10:35
  Speaker 2: then that kind of gets the ball rolling for sure.
• 10:38
  Speaker 1: Now, of course, you know, everybody has their own schedules
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: and lives and things they have to do, so no harm,
• 10:42
  Speaker 1: no foul. But was there a player you pitched you
• 10:45
  Speaker 1: really wanted that you didn't get.
• 10:50
  Speaker 2: I mean, yeah, I can't name any names. But of
• 10:52
  Speaker 2: course we go after all the top players, and there's
• 10:56
  Speaker 2: this is always going to be a league for top players,
• 10:58
  Speaker 2: and there were always going to have room for them.
• 11:00
  Speaker 2: So even if it doesn't work this year, like we're
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: so confident in what we're building here, we feel good
• 11:06
  Speaker 2: about sustaining keeping top players in this league.
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and for all those people, did it seem like
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: everyone was still open to potentially doing it another season
• 11:14
  Speaker 1: another time.
• 11:15
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think. I mean a lot of factors go
• 11:17
  Speaker 2: into it. You know, this is again, it was so unknown.
• 11:20
  Speaker 2: You don't know what it looks like. A lot of
• 11:21
  Speaker 2: people thought it was half court until we had our
• 11:24
  Speaker 2: first game. You know, like, it's so unknown that you
• 11:27
  Speaker 2: don't know how your style is going to line up.
• 11:28
  Speaker 2: You don't know what it's going to look like. It's
• 11:30
  Speaker 2: a start up. No one knew we're going to have
• 11:31
  Speaker 2: all these brand sponsorships and we're going to have, you know,
• 11:34
  Speaker 2: all this money coming in, and you might have other
• 11:36
  Speaker 2: commitments that you already had, whatever the reason is. Ye,
• 11:39
  Speaker 2: you know, you don't really begrudge people for not wanting
• 11:42
  Speaker 2: to do it. You just you have to rock with
• 11:44
  Speaker 2: what you've got, and you know, I think we're doing
• 11:46
  Speaker 2: great with the people that we have here.
• 11:47
  Speaker 1: Yeah, of course. Okay, Well, speaking of the people that
• 11:49
  Speaker 1: you have here, I'm very, very, very excited about this
• 11:52
  Speaker 1: one on one tournament. Yeah, I am so excited for that.
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: So correct me if had any of these numbers wrong,
• 11:57
  Speaker 1: But I believe the winner. It's two hundred thousand dollars,
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: but then everybody that's on their team also gets a
• 12:03
  Speaker 1: cut of.
• 12:03
  Speaker 2: That, gets ten k each.
• 12:05
  Speaker 1: Okay, yes, gets ten k each. Amazing. I hope everyone's
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: gonna sign up just for the chance, I know, just
• 12:10
  Speaker 1: to try, yes, just to give it, give it a go.
• 12:13
  Speaker 1: Tell me, like your three dream matchups for that, who
• 12:16
  Speaker 1: do you want to see go one on one?
• 12:18
  Speaker 2: Ooh, it would be really fun to see like Arique
• 12:25
  Speaker 2: and like Rikia go one on one because their styles,
• 12:28
  Speaker 2: like they're so shifty and like skill oriented. That would
• 12:32
  Speaker 2: be really fun. I'm sure it's gonna be fun for
• 12:34
  Speaker 2: people to see me and Stewie go against each other.
• 12:38
  Speaker 1: That's what I was gonna say if you didn't say,
• 12:41
  Speaker 1: I know what the people want.
• 12:44
  Speaker 2: Who gets the edge? Yeah? What are some other good ones?
• 12:51
  Speaker 2: People who are on like the same team might be fun,
• 12:54
  Speaker 2: or who have been on the same team you know. Yeah,
• 12:56
  Speaker 2: those old juicy storylines for sure. Yeah. I love keep
• 13:00
  Speaker 2: and everything.
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: Yeah, So I want to talk about that because something
• 13:03
  Speaker 1: I thought was really interesting. I was having a conversation
• 13:06
  Speaker 1: with Kayla McBride and she said that one of her
• 13:09
  Speaker 1: favorite things about this is the game within the game,
• 13:12
  Speaker 1: and she goes. You think when I was going up
• 13:14
  Speaker 1: against Sabrina, I wasn't thinking about the finals because I
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: was when you watched her. Were you thinking about that
• 13:21
  Speaker 1: when I was watching Mac? Yeah?
• 13:23
  Speaker 2: Uh, honestly, no, no, okay, but I think everyone, like
• 13:33
  Speaker 2: I don't know if you watch that Michael Jordan documentary,
• 13:35
  Speaker 2: but he's like I took that personally. You know, everyone
• 13:37
  Speaker 2: needs something to get them motivated, you know, and like
• 13:40
  Speaker 2: some people do that, like I know Mac likes to
• 13:43
  Speaker 2: do that, So I should have been thinking that she
• 13:45
  Speaker 2: was thinking that. Yeah, you know, so I feel like
• 13:47
  Speaker 2: everyone kind of takes little pieces because this game is
• 13:51
  Speaker 2: really new and fun, but we've been playing basketball a
• 13:52
  Speaker 2: long time. Sometimes you need like that little edge, whether
• 13:55
  Speaker 2: it's perceived or real, to kind of, you know, like
• 13:58
  Speaker 2: get you in that zone. Yeah, and so I feel
• 14:01
  Speaker 2: like everyone gets there differently, and I know that's how
• 14:03
  Speaker 2: Mac gets there sometimes for sure.
• 14:05
  Speaker 1: Okay, Well, speaking of that finals moment, I mean, you
• 14:08
  Speaker 1: are currently through three games undefeated at three and oh
• 14:12
  Speaker 1: stew Wee is one four. I'm sure you all have
• 14:14
  Speaker 1: had this conversation amongst friends. What are you all chatting about?
• 14:20
  Speaker 2: I think just like, you know, what are you guys
• 14:22
  Speaker 2: doing in practice, what's working for your team, what's not
• 14:24
  Speaker 2: working for your team? And they also have been unfortunate,
• 14:28
  Speaker 2: like unlucky with injuries. That always is so hard to
• 14:31
  Speaker 2: like combat, so just like you know, basketball stuff, like
• 14:36
  Speaker 2: you know, obviously it sucks to lose. So just frustrations there.
• 14:40
  Speaker 1: But you know, yeah, I love the dynamic that you
• 14:43
  Speaker 1: and stew we have. Of course, it was great watching
• 14:45
  Speaker 1: you all go up against one another in the finals,
• 14:48
  Speaker 1: but then obviously we knew that this was coming up.
• 14:51
  Speaker 1: What was the dynamic there where there are just no
• 14:53
  Speaker 1: talk about unrivaled.
• 14:55
  Speaker 2: Everything was on pause. Yeah, there is no talk of
• 14:57
  Speaker 2: the business. It was definitely we were locked in on
• 15:01
  Speaker 2: our separate teams.
• 15:02
  Speaker 1: Yeah yeah, and everybody else was handling everything else.
• 15:05
  Speaker 2: Yeah, if we weren't on any joint business calls or
• 15:08
  Speaker 2: recruitment calls or anything at that time. Yeah.
• 15:11
  Speaker 1: Okay, So I would love to just hear more about
• 15:14
  Speaker 1: where you're at right now with that loss. I've heard
• 15:17
  Speaker 1: I've read you say that initially that feeling was anger.
• 15:20
  Speaker 1: What is the feeling now, Yeah.
• 15:24
  Speaker 2: I mean I think it's something like I always get
• 15:26
  Speaker 2: to like be for saying this, but that I mean
• 15:29
  Speaker 2: I'll just never forget it. You know. It was my
• 15:32
  Speaker 2: first like really hard loss in my career, and especially
• 15:35
  Speaker 2: when you feel like it was like unfair whatever it was,
• 15:38
  Speaker 2: it's I feel like it's something hard to get over,
• 15:40
  Speaker 2: and I'm honestly not gonna apologize for that. I'm I'm
• 15:43
  Speaker 2: a competitor. I want to win. I shouldn't get over that.
• 15:46
  Speaker 2: I should use it as fuel, which is exactly what
• 15:48
  Speaker 2: I'm doing. I'm working really hard. I'm doing everything I
• 15:51
  Speaker 2: can to use unrivaled for exactly why I was built,
• 15:53
  Speaker 2: to build my game and to get better, because I
• 15:57
  Speaker 2: don't want to be in that position again next time
• 15:58
  Speaker 2: I'm there. I want to win, and so that's kind
• 16:01
  Speaker 2: of where I'm at with it, is just using it
• 16:02
  Speaker 2: as fuel for the next time I'm playing in the
• 16:05
  Speaker 2: w season because it sucks to lose, and as a
• 16:07
  Speaker 2: professional athlete, everyone feels that way. That's why we're great,
• 16:11
  Speaker 2: because you hate losing. So I'm kind of just using
• 16:14
  Speaker 2: it to better myself. Because you can't change the past,
• 16:16
  Speaker 2: but hopefully I can, you know, do a different outcome
• 16:19
  Speaker 2: for the future.
• 16:20
  Speaker 1: For sure. You said you feel like you'll get beef
• 16:22
  Speaker 1: and you talked about this what do you mean?
• 16:24
  Speaker 2: Oh, people just calling me a sore loser. I'm like,
• 16:27
  Speaker 2: I am a sore loser. It should be I agree
• 16:31
  Speaker 2: with you. I am very sore about.
• 16:33
  Speaker 1: Yeah, with you and Stewie being so close, right, what
• 16:37
  Speaker 1: has that conversation been about the result? About the foul
• 16:40
  Speaker 1: that you don't believe was one and a lot of
• 16:43
  Speaker 1: people didn't believe was one.
• 16:45
  Speaker 2: She thinks it was a foul, like, and I think
• 16:48
  Speaker 2: it's just you know, I mean, she's on the winning side.
• 16:53
  Speaker 2: If I was on the winning side, I would be
• 16:54
  Speaker 2: saying the same thing. I'm on the losing side, so
• 16:57
  Speaker 2: you know, you can say all you want, but you lost.
• 16:59
  Speaker 1: Yeah, you know what I mean.
• 17:00
  Speaker 2: I mean. So, I mean, I don't begrudge the team
• 17:03
  Speaker 2: at all. I never had beef with the team. It
• 17:05
  Speaker 2: was the refereeing that I had a problem with. Yeah,
• 17:08
  Speaker 2: so yeah, it's not like we had to overcome anything.
• 17:10
  Speaker 2: I have no hard feelings. I'm happy for them, like
• 17:13
  Speaker 2: if I was a player or a team like, I'm
• 17:15
  Speaker 2: happy that you had that. I wanted it for my
• 17:17
  Speaker 2: team and myself. But I'm not mad at you. I'm
• 17:19
  Speaker 2: out at the referees totally.
• 17:21
  Speaker 1: I'm just so curious about the inner workings of this,
• 17:23
  Speaker 1: because obviously, stew we did nothing wrong. It was the referees.
• 17:26
  Speaker 1: But after a moment like that, do y'all take a
• 17:29
  Speaker 1: minute before you chat? Is it you sort of have
• 17:31
  Speaker 1: to get back into it? What's the process? No, we
• 17:35
  Speaker 1: haven't really talked about it in depth, honestly.
• 17:39
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean again, because I have no hard feelings
• 17:42
  Speaker 2: towards her, so it's not like it was ever awkwardness
• 17:44
  Speaker 2: that we had to overcome.
• 17:46
  Speaker 1: Yeah, what did that loss awaken? You?
• 17:50
  Speaker 2: M on the record on but off if you want,
• 17:55
  Speaker 2: but it's on again. I think just it's like that
• 18:01
  Speaker 2: feeling where Okay, I need to get better. So I'm
• 18:03
  Speaker 2: not in a situation where it's coming down to the
• 18:05
  Speaker 2: referee at the end of the game. I want to
• 18:07
  Speaker 2: one by twenty next time, so there's nothing they can do.
• 18:09
  Speaker 2: It doesn't matter if it's if I agree with a
• 18:11
  Speaker 2: call at the end or not, because we have won
• 18:13
  Speaker 2: by so much. What's your real answer, I'll tell you want.
• 18:16
  Speaker 1: To okay, I'll take it as long as I can get.
• 18:20
  Speaker 2: It, I'll take it.
• 18:22
  Speaker 1: How do you move forward after something like that? Just
• 18:25
  Speaker 1: what's the what's the next step in terms of You
• 18:28
  Speaker 1: know you'll always remember it, you know you'll always internalize it,
• 18:32
  Speaker 1: but how do you then keep pushing.
• 18:35
  Speaker 2: I think just what I talked about, everyone has something
• 18:37
  Speaker 2: that they used to fuel them. I mean, it's like
• 18:40
  Speaker 2: I've accepted it again. You can't change the past, but
• 18:43
  Speaker 2: I want to make sure that I'm not in that
• 18:44
  Speaker 2: position again. So I'm using it to better myself and
• 18:47
  Speaker 2: to better my game where you know, again, I put
• 18:50
  Speaker 2: myself and my team in a position where we don't
• 18:52
  Speaker 2: have to rely on anyone but ourselves.
• 18:54
  Speaker 1: Yeah. I remember interviewing Jason Tatum after they lost the finals,
• 18:59
  Speaker 1: I believe in twenty two to and one of the
• 19:01
  Speaker 1: things he just kept saying was that it's just so
• 19:04
  Speaker 1: hard to get there. And he's like, you don't really
• 19:07
  Speaker 1: realize it until you're there, but it's just such a
• 19:09
  Speaker 1: journey to actually get there. And that is sort of
• 19:12
  Speaker 1: what you're thinking about in the off season, Like I
• 19:14
  Speaker 1: just had to go through all this. Is that a
• 19:16
  Speaker 1: similar experience for you?
• 19:18
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it definitely is like exhausting to think about because
• 19:22
  Speaker 2: I mean I was spent after the season, and we're
• 19:26
  Speaker 2: adding more games in a longer series, so I mean
• 19:29
  Speaker 2: it's exhausting, but that's what makes it great. Like if
• 19:33
  Speaker 2: I was feeling good after, it wouldn't be as sweet,
• 19:36
  Speaker 2: you know. And honestly, you take it. You take it
• 19:39
  Speaker 2: day by day. Like the end of the year feels
• 19:41
  Speaker 2: so far, but by the time you get to Christmas,
• 19:43
  Speaker 2: it's like that flew by, you know. So I think
• 19:46
  Speaker 2: just focusing and being really president, Like I'm so focused
• 19:48
  Speaker 2: on Unrivaled right now. I want to win this championship. Yeah,
• 19:51
  Speaker 2: right now, and so again, just taking it day by
• 19:55
  Speaker 2: day and I'm not thinking about the NBA Finals right now.
• 19:57
  Speaker 2: I'm just thinking about making myself better.
• 20:00
  Speaker 1: Well, I mean, you had a phenomenal season, one Defensive
• 20:04
  Speaker 1: Player of the Year, you were second in MVP voting,
• 20:07
  Speaker 1: made your fourth All Star team. What do you think
• 20:10
  Speaker 1: this season just represented in terms of what in who
• 20:13
  Speaker 1: you are in this league?
• 20:16
  Speaker 2: I think it solidified me a little bit just with
• 20:18
  Speaker 2: the growth of the game. I just saw my name
• 20:21
  Speaker 2: in a lot more conversations. So I mean that was
• 20:25
  Speaker 2: really cool. See, just because the work you put in
• 20:27
  Speaker 2: and obviously I believe in myself as a player, to
• 20:30
  Speaker 2: have that recognition is always really nice. But more than anything,
• 20:33
  Speaker 2: like being in the position that I've worked for for
• 20:35
  Speaker 2: six years with my team being in a position where
• 20:38
  Speaker 2: we're in Game five of the WBA Finals, that was
• 20:41
  Speaker 2: really like that was awesome. Yeah, So that that was
• 20:46
  Speaker 2: something that like I've worked really hard to try to
• 20:48
  Speaker 2: get myself to be in and to do it with
• 20:51
  Speaker 2: that team specifically, where we just got along so well,
• 20:54
  Speaker 2: like we just genuinely really liked each other, which is
• 20:57
  Speaker 2: so rare. Yeah, I mean so so rare, especially in
• 21:01
  Speaker 2: professional sports, because there's always like egos and you know,
• 21:05
  Speaker 2: you're you have to always give a little bit sometimes
• 21:07
  Speaker 2: and we didn't. Like it was just such a special
• 21:11
  Speaker 2: situation where we liked each other and we were good.
• 21:13
  Speaker 2: You don't usually get both. Yeah. I was just about
• 21:15
  Speaker 2: to say it's one or the other, really yeah.
• 21:17
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 21:18
  Speaker 2: So it was just so fun. And then I got
• 21:19
  Speaker 2: to go to the Olympics with my family. The first
• 21:22
  Speaker 2: time I went was Tokyo and it was lockdown and
• 21:24
  Speaker 2: I had a really small role. I had a bigger
• 21:26
  Speaker 2: role in the Olympics this time. It was such a
• 21:28
  Speaker 2: fun last game, like we almost lost. That's like it's
• 21:31
  Speaker 2: not fun, but it makes it exciting. Yeah. Yeah, I
• 21:36
  Speaker 2: got to do that and be there with my family,
• 21:37
  Speaker 2: My daughter was there. It was just a really funnier basketball.
• 21:41
  Speaker 2: The finals was great basketball. It was like so fun
• 21:43
  Speaker 2: to be a part of. I know, people enjoyed watching it,
• 21:46
  Speaker 2: the crowd turn out, just the explosion of in women's
• 21:48
  Speaker 2: sports that we're seeing all while building unrivaled and like
• 21:51
  Speaker 2: the momentum that that was getting and recruiting players and
• 21:54
  Speaker 2: talking to investors and brand partners and you know, having
• 21:58
  Speaker 2: the lead up to we're going to start building soon
• 22:01
  Speaker 2: and closing our around. It was just a really exciting,
• 22:04
  Speaker 2: like fast paced busy ye're exciting. Yeah, it was, Yeah,
• 22:08
  Speaker 2: it was really fun. Yeah.
• 22:10
  Speaker 1: I love asking athletes like this, and I think that
• 22:14
  Speaker 1: you are in the perfect position to answer this to you.
• 22:18
  Speaker 1: What is a star and what is a superstar? When
• 22:21
  Speaker 1: do you know you've crossed that threshold? And do you
• 22:23
  Speaker 1: feel like you have crossed that threshold?
• 22:27
  Speaker 2: Well, I think star and superstar is honestly based on
• 22:30
  Speaker 2: the public In my opinion, I don't think it has
• 22:35
  Speaker 2: to do with how good you are. I think that's
• 22:36
  Speaker 2: like good or great player, but star superstars based on
• 22:40
  Speaker 2: how people how much people like you, and so yeah,
• 22:44
  Speaker 2: I think we have superstars in our league and now
• 22:46
  Speaker 2: we have stars in our league for sure, and it
• 22:49
  Speaker 2: doesn't always match up with like how good they are
• 22:52
  Speaker 2: basketball or not how good they are basketball, but maybe
• 22:54
  Speaker 2: the accolades they have already or what they've been able
• 22:57
  Speaker 2: to do. So I think that's probably the determining factor.
• 23:01
  Speaker 1: Okay, And where do you think you are at the moment?
• 23:04
  Speaker 2: I would say star definitely, not superstar, but really maybe
• 23:07
  Speaker 2: a rising star, not even star, maybe like a rising star. Okay.
• 23:10
  Speaker 1: Yeah, So then to you if you think about the
• 23:12
  Speaker 1: w who are the superstars that come to your mind.
• 23:16
  Speaker 2: Our rookie class, like Angel, Caitlin Asia, like Kelsey Plumb,
• 23:21
  Speaker 2: like names that you know even if you're not into like.
• 23:24
  Speaker 1: WNBA, gotcha, yeah okay, But I mean I feel like
• 23:28
  Speaker 1: you are very much so there. I mean.
• 23:33
  Speaker 2: Like if you don't, I feel like, if you don't
• 23:34
  Speaker 2: watch um NBA, I'm not as well of a known name.
• 23:38
  Speaker 2: Like if you watch women's sports, I think you know
• 23:40
  Speaker 2: my name more.
• 23:41
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean second and MVV voting, they should all
• 23:43
  Speaker 1: know your name. But I hear you, Yeah, I don't
• 23:46
  Speaker 1: know if I've ever really thought about I hear what
• 23:48
  Speaker 1: you're saying, because right, superstar, A lot of that could
• 23:51
  Speaker 1: be like sponsorships or commercials or just how much you're
• 23:54
  Speaker 1: out there and how you're marketed and things like that.
• 23:56
  Speaker 1: But when you're talking about the impact that a player
• 23:59
  Speaker 1: has on a team and on the league, and they're
• 24:01
  Speaker 1: standing and when they're on that court, there's a very
• 24:05
  Speaker 1: good chance they are the best player. I'm like, that
• 24:07
  Speaker 1: is a superstar in the league. And when it comes
• 24:11
  Speaker 1: to that, I feel like you absolutely are that. Do
• 24:14
  Speaker 1: you think that on the court you have crossed that threshold?
• 24:17
  Speaker 2: I think so yeah, And I feel like I've worked
• 24:20
  Speaker 2: really hard to do that for sure, just like impact
• 24:23
  Speaker 2: my team in more than one way, so you know,
• 24:26
  Speaker 2: like more than just scoring. So I try to be
• 24:28
  Speaker 2: obviously really active on defense and in more ways even
• 24:32
  Speaker 2: than the stat sheet, like you know, deflections we count
• 24:36
  Speaker 2: that as a team, it's not an actual stat. But
• 24:38
  Speaker 2: also growing my leadership style. I'm not naturally a really
• 24:41
  Speaker 2: vocal person, but the past several years, I feel like
• 24:44
  Speaker 2: I've really tried to grow in that because when I
• 24:46
  Speaker 2: knew Sylvia was leaving and she was like our leader
• 24:48
  Speaker 2: on our team, and usually I mean coaches would telling
• 24:54
  Speaker 2: me this from you know, several years ago, when she
• 24:56
  Speaker 2: was trying to get me to be in this role
• 24:58
  Speaker 2: and kind of prime me for still leaving. It's like,
• 25:00
  Speaker 2: usually your best player has to be the leader on
• 25:03
  Speaker 2: the team because you're setting the tone for how everyone
• 25:05
  Speaker 2: else is going to be. And like, if I'm going
• 25:07
  Speaker 2: to be in that position, I want to make sure
• 25:09
  Speaker 2: that I'm a good leader for my team, that they
• 25:11
  Speaker 2: can come to me and that I can lead them
• 25:12
  Speaker 2: appropriately into where we want to be.
• 25:14
  Speaker 1: Yeah. I as I was reached as researching for this,
• 25:17
  Speaker 1: there was a Washington Post article about you. Great article.
• 25:21
  Speaker 1: The headline was, She's the superstar nobody talks about. Do
• 25:26
  Speaker 1: you feel that way? Do you feel like maybe you
• 25:29
  Speaker 1: aren't being talked about the way you should be.
• 25:33
  Speaker 2: I don't know. I mean I feel like it's changed
• 25:35
  Speaker 2: a lot this year, like just again with the explosion
• 25:38
  Speaker 2: of the sport. I think we're just more accessible. I
• 25:40
  Speaker 2: think a lot of people should be talked about more. Yeah,
• 25:42
  Speaker 2: and that's kind of what I was talking about with
• 25:44
  Speaker 2: Star and superstar. You can't help who people latch onto,
• 25:47
  Speaker 2: like who becomes popular and who doesn't. Yeah, I've never
• 25:51
  Speaker 2: honestly been really worried about that. Like, I want to
• 25:53
  Speaker 2: be well known within my sport, like I want to
• 25:55
  Speaker 2: be known in my sport for being a great player.
• 25:57
  Speaker 2: That's more important to me, and so I care about
• 26:00
  Speaker 2: that a lot more than being, like what I said before,
• 26:02
  Speaker 2: as a superstar.
• 26:03
  Speaker 1: Yeah. I think in that same article they had a
• 26:06
  Speaker 1: quote from your husband, Alex, and it was something to
• 26:09
  Speaker 1: the effect of, like I tell her to be an
• 26:11
  Speaker 1: asshole or an asshole? What do you think he means
• 26:17
  Speaker 1: by that? And do you think that you should add
• 26:20
  Speaker 1: more of an element of that to your personality on
• 26:22
  Speaker 1: the court.
• 26:23
  Speaker 2: Yeah, he thinks I'm too nice for sure on the court. Yeah,
• 26:29
  Speaker 2: I don't know. I think also there's like a nuance
• 26:32
  Speaker 2: in our sport, like not everyone receives well being yelled at,
• 26:35
  Speaker 2: and like, he's a guy, he came from men's sports,
• 26:38
  Speaker 2: where I feel like that's a little bit more the norm,
• 26:42
  Speaker 2: and so I don't know if he gets it all
• 26:43
  Speaker 2: the way, you know, but I feel like too, it's
• 26:47
  Speaker 2: something I'm working on too in my leadership style, just
• 26:49
  Speaker 2: being being able to hold people more accountable and being
• 26:53
  Speaker 2: more vocal in that way. It's hard for me, like
• 26:55
  Speaker 2: naturally to do that, and again it's something that I've
• 26:58
  Speaker 2: been trying to work on because I do think that's
• 27:00
  Speaker 2: a really important quality. And a leader, you have to
• 27:02
  Speaker 2: be able to hold people accountable. Otherwise, you know, like
• 27:05
  Speaker 2: it's going to be mayhem. You have to have laws.
• 27:08
  Speaker 1: Sure. I just I bring it up because in some
• 27:11
  Speaker 1: ways I think that that comment like weirdly ties into
• 27:15
  Speaker 1: how people perceive certain players, because for whatever reason, I
• 27:19
  Speaker 1: believe fans almost think you have to be that way
• 27:22
  Speaker 1: for them to then latch. I don't agree with that,
• 27:26
  Speaker 1: but I think it says something about how we view
• 27:28
  Speaker 1: what a star is and what a superstar is, and
• 27:30
  Speaker 1: how much people want you to be that like, in
• 27:32
  Speaker 1: your face kind of person, even if it just simply
• 27:35
  Speaker 1: isn't who you are.
• 27:36
  Speaker 2: And I don't.
• 27:37
  Speaker 1: Necessarily think people have to change to fit that, but
• 27:40
  Speaker 1: it feels like you're always being asked to change, if
• 27:43
  Speaker 1: that makes sense.
• 27:43
  Speaker 2: I agree with you one percent. I said that multiple
• 27:46
  Speaker 2: times to my family.
• 27:46
  Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, okay. And it's like it's good to be nice.
• 27:49
  Speaker 1: I feel like I'm nice. Everyone likes the nice person.
• 27:53
  Speaker 1: Maya More had some really great things to say about you,
• 27:56
  Speaker 1: and I just want to get your your reaction to it.
• 27:58
  Speaker 1: It was when she came back to Minnesota and she said,
• 28:03
  Speaker 1: I can just tell the fee is hitting her prime.
• 28:06
  Speaker 1: Are you in your prime right now?
• 28:07
  Speaker 2: Does it feel that way? I would say, so, yeah.
• 28:11
  Speaker 1: Okay, what does your prime look like?
• 28:13
  Speaker 2: Uh? I think for me, it's more of a mental
• 28:16
  Speaker 2: space because I think I've always had the talent, like like,
• 28:22
  Speaker 2: you know what you can do, you know what I mean,
• 28:24
  Speaker 2: and then not doing it is the frustrating part. So
• 28:27
  Speaker 2: I feel like I'm in a headspace where I'm taking
• 28:30
  Speaker 2: more control and being more aggressive. I just feel like
• 28:33
  Speaker 2: more comfortable and confident and sure of myself. I guess
• 28:37
  Speaker 2: in these past couple of years than when I first
• 28:39
  Speaker 2: came to.
• 28:39
  Speaker 1: The league, And that sounds to me it's just a
• 28:42
  Speaker 1: little bit more mental. How is that mental aspect showing
• 28:47
  Speaker 1: through what we see?
• 28:48
  Speaker 2: Yeah? Yeah, I think it is one hundred percent mental.
• 28:52
  Speaker 2: I think just a more like shirty in myself and
• 28:55
  Speaker 2: in my game, you know, not being rushed, taking my time,
• 28:59
  Speaker 2: being a little smart in the way that you play,
• 29:01
  Speaker 2: so making reads, knowing how people are going to guard you,
• 29:04
  Speaker 2: you know, counter moves when you know people are going
• 29:06
  Speaker 2: to double teamy or whatever. It is just kind of
• 29:08
  Speaker 2: playing the game a little bit more on that in
• 29:11
  Speaker 2: that way.
• 29:12
  Speaker 1: She also said, which is probably crazy to hear my
• 29:14
  Speaker 1: Moore is my goat. Yeah, I love my more, but
• 29:17
  Speaker 1: she said about you. I still can't wrap my mind
• 29:20
  Speaker 1: around our paths and how similar they are.
• 29:22
  Speaker 2: It's so weird.
• 29:24
  Speaker 1: What do you think when you hear like Maya Moore
• 29:26
  Speaker 1: say that about you?
• 29:29
  Speaker 2: It's so weird. Like I always say this, I feel
• 29:32
  Speaker 2: like I just miss her everywhere I go. Like we're
• 29:34
  Speaker 2: both from Jefferson City, a small town in Missouri, and
• 29:38
  Speaker 2: then she like just left when I was starting to
• 29:39
  Speaker 2: play basketball. She went to Georgia, and then she went
• 29:42
  Speaker 2: to Yukon, and then like she just left, and then
• 29:45
  Speaker 2: I went to Yukon, and then she gets drafted to Minnesota,
• 29:47
  Speaker 2: and then she literally justly is a year prior, and
• 29:49
  Speaker 2: then I get drafted to Minnesota. So it is really weird,
• 29:52
  Speaker 2: Like just those I feel like I'm just always a
• 29:54
  Speaker 2: step behind. Yeah, but I mean to be named with
• 29:59
  Speaker 2: her at all, like is such an honor. She is
• 30:01
  Speaker 2: also my goat. I mean just such a talented, like
• 30:04
  Speaker 2: generational talent, unstoppable.
• 30:07
  Speaker 1: People right now don't understand. Yeah, it was it was
• 30:10
  Speaker 1: domination to a different.
• 30:13
  Speaker 2: And she stops in her prime, like just such a crazy,
• 30:16
  Speaker 2: just such a crazy life that she's had. Yeah, honestly,
• 30:20
  Speaker 2: so again, just to be named with her at all
• 30:22
  Speaker 2: is like such an honor. Yeah.
• 30:24
  Speaker 1: And then Shierol Reeve said, the impact of Mayamur is
• 30:28
  Speaker 1: that if he's still call your got to dream of
• 30:29
  Speaker 1: one day being like Maya Moore, What has her existence
• 30:33
  Speaker 1: just meant to your basketball life?
• 30:36
  Speaker 2: She was a role model that I could look up to,
• 30:38
  Speaker 2: especially in a time where women's sports wasn't super accessible
• 30:42
  Speaker 2: and you couldn't see it everywhere. Just having someone from
• 30:46
  Speaker 2: my hometown that grew up to be an amazing basketball player,
• 30:49
  Speaker 2: someone who I do feel like, I'm so like where
• 30:53
  Speaker 2: you know, looks like me, and like I can model
• 30:56
  Speaker 2: my game after her, and we went to this we're
• 30:58
  Speaker 2: from the same place, we can go to the same school.
• 30:59
  Speaker 2: Just someone who's like accessible in that way. I think
• 31:03
  Speaker 2: it's just so important for little girls to have little kids,
• 31:07
  Speaker 2: not even little girls, boys or girls to have And
• 31:11
  Speaker 2: so that is like something I'm really excited about with
• 31:13
  Speaker 2: the growth of women's sports, is to have that accessibility
• 31:16
  Speaker 2: because not even only little girls, like I said at
• 31:20
  Speaker 2: the games, but little boys too, like coming up, just
• 31:22
  Speaker 2: kids like idolizing you and wanting to be like you.
• 31:26
  Speaker 2: It's just like a really amazing feeling. And it's definitely
• 31:28
  Speaker 2: like a heavyweight because you should take that really seriously.
• 31:32
  Speaker 2: But it's amazing that we have the opportunity to be
• 31:35
  Speaker 2: in that place, to be that for someone else.
• 31:37
  Speaker 1: Yeah, well, I mean I would say you take it
• 31:39
  Speaker 1: very seriously. We are here at a league that you
• 31:42
  Speaker 1: built with your friends and your husband and so many
• 31:45
  Speaker 1: people that have supported you, so you are absolutely doing
• 31:48
  Speaker 1: all the right things. I want to talk a bit
• 31:50
  Speaker 1: more about Unrivaled because when you were talking to boardroom
• 31:54
  Speaker 1: about what attracted players to this league, you said that, well,
• 31:58
  Speaker 1: we all have the same pain points, And I just
• 32:01
  Speaker 1: thought pain points with such a specific use of words,
• 32:05
  Speaker 1: because it implies either you know, like hurt or something
• 32:09
  Speaker 1: that just doesn't make you feel good. Yeah, how has
• 32:12
  Speaker 1: almost this feeling of maybe not being valued the ways
• 32:16
  Speaker 1: that you deserve too bonded everyone here?
• 32:22
  Speaker 2: I mean, I think it's kind of exactly what you said.
• 32:24
  Speaker 2: Just we all go through the same thing, you know,
• 32:29
  Speaker 2: and it's really honestly harder for the places where some
• 32:32
  Speaker 2: people have more than others, you know, Like I'm fortunate
• 32:35
  Speaker 2: at Minnesota to have we have great facilities and you know,
• 32:38
  Speaker 2: it's very professionally ran organization and not everyone has that,
• 32:43
  Speaker 2: and so especially for those players, like so many have
• 32:45
  Speaker 2: come up to me being like, you know, this is great.
• 32:47
  Speaker 2: We don't have this here, and I feel really great
• 32:50
  Speaker 2: that we can offer that them here, and that's the
• 32:52
  Speaker 2: point of this, but it also kind of sucks that
• 32:54
  Speaker 2: you're not getting that in your other professional environments. Yeah,
• 32:58
  Speaker 2: and so yeah, I mean I feel like pain Point
• 33:02
  Speaker 2: kind of just hits it on the nail the head.
• 33:03
  Speaker 2: It's like it's a pain that we don't have these
• 33:05
  Speaker 2: like we're supposed to be professional athletes and we're not
• 33:07
  Speaker 2: treated like that we are practicing with the general public
• 33:11
  Speaker 2: or we're changing in front of strangers, you know, like
• 33:14
  Speaker 2: that is not the way that in twenty twenty five,
• 33:16
  Speaker 2: professional athletes should be should be treated. And that's another
• 33:21
  Speaker 2: reason why we wanted to start Arrival Do. We wanted
• 33:23
  Speaker 2: to change the narrative or even the meaning of what
• 33:26
  Speaker 2: it is to treat women's athletes like we should be
• 33:30
  Speaker 2: we should be given the best of everything too, and
• 33:31
  Speaker 2: we should be we should be fighting for that, which
• 33:33
  Speaker 2: is exactly I think what we're trying to do here.
• 33:37
  Speaker 1: When you're talking about this. What I think in my
• 33:40
  Speaker 1: head is, of course, it is amazing that we have unarrivaled.
• 33:43
  Speaker 1: It has been such a phenomenal, phenomenal league so far.
• 33:46
  Speaker 1: But is there this element of also just like frustration
• 33:49
  Speaker 1: that you even had to do it. If that makes sense,
• 33:52
  Speaker 1: then you had to make this because it didn't exist
• 33:54
  Speaker 1: for you.
• 33:55
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think it's a blessed in a curse. Like yes,
• 34:01
  Speaker 2: I wish we I wish that we hadn't, like I
• 34:04
  Speaker 2: wish we treated better in our other places of work,
• 34:07
  Speaker 2: you know. But also I think right because it's.
• 34:10
  Speaker 1: What you deserve, not because you're just like I wanted
• 34:12
  Speaker 1: to be, you should be treated that way.
• 34:14
  Speaker 2: Yes, But I think also unrivaled, even if we did
• 34:17
  Speaker 2: have the best of everything in the w NBA, still
• 34:21
  Speaker 2: fills a hole because it still allows us to grow
• 34:26
  Speaker 2: our game and to build our brand sponsorships, which a
• 34:28
  Speaker 2: lot of people don't realize that we make most of
• 34:30
  Speaker 2: our money off the court by several times, and so
• 34:35
  Speaker 2: you know, when you're going overseas or you're not playing,
• 34:37
  Speaker 2: your brand essentially goes dark. You can't activate with these
• 34:39
  Speaker 2: people who want to activate with you. And so content
• 34:43
  Speaker 2: was like a huge thing for us here and then
• 34:46
  Speaker 2: of course, like if you're not going overseas, people don't
• 34:49
  Speaker 2: just go there for the money. They also go there
• 34:50
  Speaker 2: to grow their their game. It's really hard to do
• 34:54
  Speaker 2: that in one on one trainings, Like if you're not
• 34:56
  Speaker 2: actually playing basketball, it's hard to it's hard to stimulate that.
• 35:00
  Speaker 2: So you still needed to get better. And so I
• 35:02
  Speaker 2: think even if we have the best of the best
• 35:04
  Speaker 2: in the WNBA, unrivaled would still be needed because we're
• 35:07
  Speaker 2: not playing year round, we're not playing in traditional basketball season,
• 35:10
  Speaker 2: and we're not getting seen as much as we are here. Frankly,
• 35:12
  Speaker 2: we're on primetime every single night that we play.
• 35:14
  Speaker 1: Mm hmm, and it's great. It's really great. T and
• 35:16
  Speaker 1: T true TV for all of them. There's obviously been
• 35:20
  Speaker 1: a lot of conversation about all of the amazing things
• 35:23
  Speaker 1: that you all have been able to do in this
• 35:24
  Speaker 1: short time compared to some of the things that the
• 35:27
  Speaker 1: w hasn't been able to do. Have they had any
• 35:30
  Speaker 1: conversations with you about their shortcomings?
• 35:37
  Speaker 2: I don't think so. Yeah, I don't think so. But
• 35:40
  Speaker 2: to be fair, like we in the WNBA, a lot
• 35:44
  Speaker 2: of things are handicapped by the NBA, Like they own
• 35:46
  Speaker 2: a majority of the WBA, So any brands that are
• 35:48
  Speaker 2: with the NBA, you can't have any conflicting brands with
• 35:51
  Speaker 2: the w So, you know, for example, I think the
• 35:54
  Speaker 2: NBA is sponsored by like what is it, Patrona or
• 35:56
  Speaker 2: whatever alcohol it is. So if you know, Greg Goose
• 36:00
  Speaker 2: to come to the w We're like, sorry, you can't
• 36:01
  Speaker 2: give us all your money because the NBA has this
• 36:04
  Speaker 2: even though we're getting you know, two percent of it.
• 36:06
  Speaker 2: So they're handicapped in a lot of ways that we
• 36:08
  Speaker 2: aren't here.
• 36:10
  Speaker 1: What is it that if just generally you would want
• 36:14
  Speaker 1: people to know and understand about what can make life
• 36:17
  Speaker 1: in the w better and easier.
• 36:21
  Speaker 2: Just anything that can make it better there.
• 36:23
  Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're like all of it. There's so
• 36:27
  Speaker 1: many things.
• 36:27
  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah. I think the charter flights were a huge
• 36:32
  Speaker 2: you know, they were a huge one for us. I
• 36:35
  Speaker 2: mean it took a long time to get there, but
• 36:36
  Speaker 2: we got there. Yeah, that was a big one. And
• 36:39
  Speaker 2: I think just a standard of like I wouldn't say
• 36:43
  Speaker 2: living but work environment. So we all need like private facilities,
• 36:49
  Speaker 2: we need private changing rooms, just a space that's only
• 36:53
  Speaker 2: for our team that's not accessible to like the general public,
• 36:57
  Speaker 2: because not only is it super unprofessional. It's a safety hazard.
• 37:00
  Speaker 1: Absolutely.
• 37:00
  Speaker 2: We're just talking about how much the game is growing
• 37:02
  Speaker 2: and to allow people we don't know to come in
• 37:04
  Speaker 2: and have access to people who you know, there's there's
• 37:09
  Speaker 2: crazy people out there. Oh yeah, it's it's a security. Yeah,
• 37:11
  Speaker 2: it's a security ris you don't know. So I think
• 37:14
  Speaker 2: just a standard of work environment is like the next step.
• 37:18
  Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely for sure. Before we go, I of course
• 37:21
  Speaker 1: want to talk to you some about beautiful Mila. Yes,
• 37:24
  Speaker 1: she's the best. Sorry at a game the other day,
• 37:26
  Speaker 1: She's always smiling, by the way, and just like the cutest.
• 37:29
  Speaker 1: She looks so much like you, like has your cheek.
• 37:31
  Speaker 1: It's just she is precious. Tell us about how she's
• 37:34
  Speaker 1: changed your life.
• 37:35
  Speaker 2: Oh my gosh, in every way, literally in every way.
• 37:38
  Speaker 2: She I mean, she's just so fun. Like just being
• 37:41
  Speaker 2: a parent. It is one percent the hardest thing I've
• 37:44
  Speaker 2: ever done, but it's so rewarding. Like every frustration that
• 37:48
  Speaker 2: you have. As soon as she's like mama and she
• 37:51
  Speaker 2: runs to you, I mean you just forget everything. It's
• 37:53
  Speaker 2: like it's just the best. And I mean, so much
• 37:57
  Speaker 2: of my life is basketball. It's so easy to get
• 37:59
  Speaker 2: wrapped up. But she just is such a like you
• 38:02
  Speaker 2: can just take a step back and kind of put
• 38:04
  Speaker 2: everything into perspective. She doesn't know or care if I
• 38:07
  Speaker 2: win or lose anything, no matter how lower high the
• 38:11
  Speaker 2: stakes are. And so like after we lost the WNBA Championship, obviously,
• 38:16
  Speaker 2: spirits were really down. Everyone was like sad and in
• 38:20
  Speaker 2: a bad mood. And we were on the bus on
• 38:22
  Speaker 2: the way to the airport the next morning and Mila
• 38:26
  Speaker 2: doesn't know, so she's just being like her regular tip
• 38:28
  Speaker 2: her self in like ten minutes and everyone's laughing and
• 38:32
  Speaker 2: playing with Mela, and it just like she just they
• 38:34
  Speaker 2: just kids just change your mood. They're just so innocent
• 38:36
  Speaker 2: and they're just like so loving. It's just the best feeling.
• 38:40
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and it's just unconditional. Yes, they also have no filter.
• 38:44
  Speaker 2: But oh my gosh, yeah.
• 38:47
  Speaker 1: We're experiencing the wildest thing she said so far.
• 38:51
  Speaker 2: She doesn't say anything too like outlandish, but she's super
• 38:55
  Speaker 2: into like good guys and bad guys. Because we were
• 38:58
  Speaker 2: watching like many and you know kid stuff. She's like,
• 39:02
  Speaker 2: that's a bad guy over there, like to random people
• 39:07
  Speaker 2: where she loves to say like high stranger. Yeah, so
• 39:09
  Speaker 2: she's like high stranger and they're like Hi, She's like,
• 39:11
  Speaker 2: that's a bad guy. I'm so sorry.
• 39:14
  Speaker 1: Well this is gonna come in handy during the seasons though,
• 39:17
  Speaker 1: because you're always like my team's the good guy, that guys.
• 39:23
  Speaker 1: I was talking to Skyler Diggan Smith and she was
• 39:25
  Speaker 1: saying how when she came back from Eternity leave, she
• 39:28
  Speaker 1: didn't feel like herself and then it wasn't necessarily her body,
• 39:32
  Speaker 1: it was like her mind. Was that your experience?
• 39:35
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean it's so hard, Like it's so so hard.
• 39:39
  Speaker 2: And the crazy thing is it affects everyone differently, so
• 39:42
  Speaker 2: it's not even like you can't take any sample. There's
• 39:45
  Speaker 2: no sample size, Like everyone is so different. But just
• 39:49
  Speaker 2: like your body doesn't feel like your body, your mind
• 39:52
  Speaker 2: is a million miles away, especially depending on how fast
• 39:55
  Speaker 2: you come back, Like I played my first game like
• 39:58
  Speaker 2: eleven weeks after Admila so wild. Yeah, I don't recommend,
• 40:03
  Speaker 2: wouldn't do it again, literally superwoman. But it's just like
• 40:08
  Speaker 2: your world changes, especially with your first I feel like
• 40:11
  Speaker 2: I haven't had a second yet, but I imagine just your
• 40:14
  Speaker 2: life is so different after you have a child, you know,
• 40:17
  Speaker 2: and you know, I'm not moving the way I used
• 40:19
  Speaker 2: to I'm not as fast as I used to. I've
• 40:21
  Speaker 2: obviously put on some baby wait, I like I am milk,
• 40:25
  Speaker 2: like I'm nursing, So am I leaking? Like you're mindy?
• 40:28
  Speaker 2: There's so many things that you didn't even think to
• 40:31
  Speaker 2: think about before. Yeah, so it's definitely like a hard
• 40:35
  Speaker 2: mental thing to kind of adapt to.
• 40:38
  Speaker 1: Well, the seasons after Mela have been your best basketball
• 40:41
  Speaker 1: she might be.
• 40:42
  Speaker 2: She makes sure what doesn't kill me makes you stronger.
• 40:44
  Speaker 1: Yes, absolutely, Before we go, we ask every person the
• 40:48
  Speaker 1: same question, who has been your biggest assist off the court?
• 40:53
  Speaker 1: My parents, for sure tell me more. I've read a
• 40:55
  Speaker 1: lot about them. Your dad seems phenomenal.
• 40:58
  Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah. They kind of the definition of like ride
• 41:02
  Speaker 2: or die. They have always just put our family first,
• 41:06
  Speaker 2: my brother and I and I mean they really especially
• 41:11
  Speaker 2: when I grew up and kind of saw the pressure
• 41:13
  Speaker 2: that some parents put on their kids to play sports.
• 41:15
  Speaker 2: I just never experienced that. I didn't even know it
• 41:17
  Speaker 2: was a thing. Every single season, they'd be like, is
• 41:20
  Speaker 2: this still something you want to do? All the way
• 41:22
  Speaker 2: up until I left for college, is it still something
• 41:25
  Speaker 2: you want to do? You still want to play? Like
• 41:27
  Speaker 2: there's no pressure whatsoever. They don't care if I win
• 41:29
  Speaker 2: or lose. It's not about them. You know, they care
• 41:31
  Speaker 2: about my happiness and my well being. And then you know,
• 41:35
  Speaker 2: the first year I had Mela when I came back
• 41:37
  Speaker 2: that that's those eleven weeks or whatever, six weeks when
• 41:40
  Speaker 2: I came back to the team. My mom was there
• 41:41
  Speaker 2: the whole summer with me. My dad has been with
• 41:44
  Speaker 2: us the past two summers helping to care for Mela
• 41:47
  Speaker 2: while I'm away on games. And Alex obviously like works
• 41:49
  Speaker 2: full time too, so we're super busy. And so they
• 41:53
  Speaker 2: just like just the type of people to drop everything
• 41:55
  Speaker 2: to help their family. So just like so the best
• 41:59
  Speaker 2: role models that you off that's beautiful.
• 42:01
  Speaker 1: Shut out to moms and dads, Goomal and Sarah. Yes,
• 42:05
  Speaker 1: truly doing the Lord's work. Also, I have to say this,
• 42:07
  Speaker 1: I learned this nugget researching Fee that I did not know.
• 42:11
  Speaker 1: Thirteen year old Fee almost signed and went to Miszoo.
• 42:14
  Speaker 2: Yeah but you gone dat her? Yeah? My dad stopping wild?
• 42:18
  Speaker 2: Would that have been? That'd been crazy?
• 42:20
  Speaker 1: Sorry Maszoo fans, I know you don't want to hear
• 42:22
  Speaker 1: that she came in on your team.
• 42:24
  Speaker 2: Play my dad? Who did it?
• 42:26
  Speaker 1: You are a pleasure. Thank you so much for having
• 42:28
  Speaker 1: me here, for taking the time to do this, and
• 42:30
  Speaker 1: I'm excited for the games tomorrow.
• 42:31
  Speaker 2: Thanks SYD