Ep. 201 | Serena's Return, the WNBA's Future & Why Sports Are Bigger Than the Game

Season 2 is here.

Auntie Jen and KB are back, catching up after a busy summer and diving into the biggest conversations shaping sports today. From the New York Knicks' championship celebration to Serena Williams' return to the court, the evolution of the WNBA, NBA free agency, athlete branding, league expansion, and the business decisions driving today's headlines, the aunties bring thoughtful analysis, spirited debate, and plenty of laughs.

Along the way, they talk about legacy, leadership, race, media narratives, fandom, and why sports have always been about more than the final score.

In this episode:

• The Knicks' championship and what comes next
• Serena Williams' comeback and what legacy really means
• LeBron James and knowing when to pass the torch
• Caitlin Clark, media narratives, and the future of the WNBA
• Expansion, collective bargaining, and the business of women's sports
• NBA free agency, Tobias Harris, Jaylen Brown, and the Celtics
• World Cup excitement and Detroit sports
• Why golf might be the aunties' next adventure

Whether you love the games, the business behind them, or the culture surrounding them, pull up a chair. The aunties have a lot to talk about.

📱 Follow Aunties Talk Sports

IG & TikTok: @AuntiesTalkSports

🎙️ Hosts:
@kbgaston
@jbright713

📧 Email:
Auntiestalksports@gmail.com

🎧 Produced by @daynerco

Two aunties. Two mics. All game.

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:00

Welcome to Opti's Talk Sports.

SPEAKER_00 0:02

I'm KB. The courts of Indiana raise me, Detroit pays me, and I know ball both on and off the court, so don't underestimate me.

SPEAKER_03 0:11

And I'm Jen. Financial statements, I know how to read them. Fantasy sports, I know how to play them. Tough calls, I know how to make them. Whether you're heading home, headed to happy hour, or just getting ready for another weekend of sports, we've got you covered with the biggest stories, the hottest takes, plenty of laughs, and just enough friendly debate.

SPEAKER_00 0:34

From Detroit to the national stage, if it's worth talking about, we're talking about it.

SPEAKER_03 0:39

So grab your favorite drink, pull up a chair, because this is your sports happy hour. Two aunties, two mics, all gay. What's up?

SPEAKER_00 0:57

I know, I'm so excited. Uh season two. Uh so much has happened. But uh, yeah, I'm really excited. You know, I'm on my sabbatical.

SPEAKER_03 1:08

Oh yeah, yeah. I tell everybody, come on. How how how you get the whole summer off? Like you a teacher?

SPEAKER_00 1:17

You be teaching. I mean, not not quite the whole summer, but um, I mean, I think just to update everybody, uh, I was in a car accident at the beginning of the year, uh, suffered a concussion. Um, and thank God uh I wasn't, you know, severely injured. The kids are okay. Um, but you know, I work for an organization and they were just like, how can we support you right in this moment? And I was probably high off of the muscle relaxer, and I was like, you know what, I'm gonna ask for a sabbatical. And so uh they granted about two and a half months. So I go back uh basically around Labor Day weekend. So very thankful to have some time to rest, recuperate, um, you know, celebrate my birthday. Um, so yeah, looking forward to it.

SPEAKER_03 2:12

Yeah, yeah. I remember talking to you when you got that concussion. So you deserve this time off. And I was like, what are you talking about? You like, oh girl. I don't know. I was like, okay, sit, sit down, go sit down somewhere, please. Because uh, yeah, I don't know what that was.

SPEAKER_00 2:31

Right. Uh depending on when you were talking to me, it was a little shaky, but uh you also have a birthday coming up, too.

SPEAKER_03 2:39

So absolutely, absolutely. Turn to 25, you know. I can uh rent a car.

SPEAKER_00 2:49

That's right. Now, wait, are you so you're a cancer, you know? Auntie's love astrology, so you're cancer, right? Right. Okay, and then yes, I'm a Leo.

SPEAKER_03 3:00

Best sign. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 3:02

Yes, I'm surrounded by cancer.

SPEAKER_03 3:06

Yeah, because that's because we're the best, you know. You should everybody should have a cancer in their life. You know, it's it's uh we there we are like no others. So everybody get you a cancer.

SPEAKER_00 3:20

Get you a cancer. And so what else has been going on? I know we uh are back. It's summertime. Of course, you watch sports 365. Um I I'm I'm about 330, 330 days of the year, but uh lot, definitely lots to talk about, lots going on, uh and lots to catch up on.

SPEAKER_03 3:46

Yeah, I am, you know, I'm I love sports, and I I'm a homer. Um the only I've been I was sad about Detroit, you know, getting bounced from the playoffs, but you know, I guess it wasn't their time. But you know, last year we were talking about the great season that the Detroit Tigers had. And this year, I mean, you barely hear about them. I went the other day and and toured Comerica Park, and you know, I was just sad, you know, I was happy walking through there, but I was like, man, you know, last year was so great, and we were talking about a talk about them being at the top the whole year. Yeah and this year you you barely hear anything about them, and you know, they're you know, we've had some a lot of injuries, injuries after injuries, and that's all yeah. But I'm big on WNBA right now. I mean, I I'm that's that's probably the number one thing that I'm watching. Besides, you know, we got we got a lot going on. We got you know, WNBA and Wimbledon, we got uh football, football soccer. So yeah, we have a we we have a lot to catch up on here because there's so many stories that I want to talk about. So we're gonna we're gonna have to narrow it down because I won't talk about everything, but you know, we'll be here all week.

SPEAKER_00 5:13

So you know me for just full transparency. I'm not a big baseball fan. I love the baseball environment. I love going to the you know to the park in the summer. Yeah, it's warm. Uh, you know, I love the walk-up music. I love the hot dog. I love I love the whole experience, but I'm not a baseball fan. And so what is so funny? I think I told you this, but I I bet there are lots of people out there like me. I remember last year a group of us went to uh, you know, watch the Tigers. It was like, you know, family, lots of kids, you know, just everybody. And I had the time of my life at the game. You had my little jersey on, had my little baseball cap, I was dancing, and then we walked out of the actual park, and I was like, why do people here have on uh white socks jerseys? And everybody was like, because that's who we were playing.

SPEAKER_02 6:14

Do you even know if we won?

SPEAKER_00 6:16

I think we we did win, but I didn't know who we were playing, and I was like, I wasn't paying attention. Everybody was so mad at me, but I was I was there for the vibe. So when it comes to baseball, I'm there for the vibe, I'm there for the outfit, I'm there if it's on a Friday in Detroit, I'm there for the fireworks, you know what I'm saying? But I uh I'm mad at that.

SPEAKER_03 6:42

At least you're honest about it. I'm not mad at that. There's a whole bunch of people that's not paying attention. Most people, I'm gonna tell you the funniest thing, most people are on their phones, and then the ball comes and is almost hitting them because they're on their phone. So I'm not mad at that. You're being honest. I'm not mad at that.

SPEAKER_00 6:58

Yeah, I'm really I'm mostly go for the outfit. I'm I'm gonna be honest. I got a new baseball cap. I got a new baseball cap, and I was like, oh, what outfit am I gonna wear to match my cap? My tiger. Oh my goodness. Oh, but this is this is I mean, this is true. So I just purchased a vintage tiger starter jacket off of eBay, and I can't wait to wear it. It's gonna be so cute with my hat.

SPEAKER_03 7:27

You can wear it with your uh Harlem Little Trotters. Oh shit.

SPEAKER_00 7:33

Don't talk about that. Don't talk about that. Don't talk about that. I'm gonna pull it out though. I'm gonna pull it out. Don't worry. I'm gonna have it together.

SPEAKER_02 7:42

Yeah. So are you um what? What go ahead? What's it?

SPEAKER_00 7:50

No, no, no. I let's just okay. So a couple things. We gotta just do the run through. Nick's one, right? Everybody seems I'm happy about that. I'm happy about it, and I will also say that I am stuck and I can't, I can't get up. So I am watching all Nick's related content. I have gone down a rabbit hole. I'm watching all of the podcasts that they've been on. I was watching Mikhail Bridges on Instagram. I mean, the thing is, you know, they they they're I think they won, but they really have done a great job of continuing the rhythm, right, of content, of conversation, uh beyond just the win, right? We're probably what two weeks out? Is it's been two weeks? Yeah, yeah. They're milking it, right? Milking it. And I love it. I can't get enough. I'm I'm watching Jalen Brunson offseason workouts. I'm watching Josh Hart on vacation with his wife. I got it bad, and I need to kind of turn the page because now the Knicks basically are no more. The Knicks that won the championship are no more, right? Um, with free agency. But I don't know. It was just something about um obviously the game, you know, uh the storylines that were really developed. Um that I don't know, it just it's it's got me in a chokehole.

SPEAKER_03 9:28

Yeah, they deserved it. Um, I've moved on, but you know, I I love, you know, I always say I love the business side of sports. And the one the one clip I can't get enough of is the um, and I uh, you know, I shouldn't laugh at her, but the lady from she worked, she was an executive at JP Morgan Chase.

SPEAKER_00 9:51

Oh, yeah, she lost her job.

SPEAKER_03 9:53

Yeah, she dumped the she dumped the garbage can and walked off like she did her big one and got fired from her executive position at J. They identified her and fired her.

SPEAKER_00 10:04

I was like, I feel like that was I feel like that was harsh. I feel like that was harsh.

SPEAKER_03 10:09

I think I thought it was too.

SPEAKER_00 10:12

Like, if your team has not won a championship in 50 years and it's mayhem like that, you just let everybody go for what they know. As long as they're not, you know, harming someone, fighting, um, then I feel like all's fair, right? In a championship celebration, I was really really shocked. I thought about the business of sports you were about to go to uh Jordan Woods and the orange bag and her get into the bag for her line of clothing. I mean, you couldn't you couldn't have written that better, you know what I'm saying? If you if you are like her business advisor or a marketing, you know, her her CMO or whatever. It's like they rolled out, you know, uh, you know, the print ads. They had the electrical print ads or whatever in uh Madison Square Garden. Um, it's in the Guggenheim Museum. I mean, I don't know, but I'm I'm really excited to see uh a report from Forbes or Inc. about the boost that that created for her company.

SPEAKER_03 11:22

Yeah, the the orange bag was the MVP. The orange bag, yes. It was the MVP. But going back to the the the the executive, I I I wouldn't have wanted her to be fired. They should have made her go pick up some trash with the trash people, but uh not fired, but yeah. I I'm I'm I'm kind of I'm past the uh the Knicks, except you know, I was I don't know, I was all in on the on the Travis wedding the other day. I don't know why probably because it was on every channel, and I was, you know, people were mad about them getting married. And that that's Travis Kelsey and right.

SPEAKER_00 12:00

I was like, Travis, I never knew. I I didn't I didn't know that blend. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 12:06

Girl, and but they the people were mad because they said about, you know, we're the the there's a heat wave in New York, and you know, they're they're having a wedding. Well, the the MSG Madison Square Garden runs you know runs on generators, you know, they weren't you know using up extra power, so we're told, who knows? But that was the place to be, um, over a thousand guests, and that was the place to be. I can't even believe I'm talking about it because I really uh I'm not I'm not a fan. I'm not a fan of Taylor Swift's music. I am a fan of her like philanthropy or like her, you know, how she uh gives to people. So I I do like that. Uh I used to be more of a Travis Kelsey fan than I am now, but yeah. But that was all over the headline. So New York is um You are officially New York. I mean they're getting their shine, and you know, they deserved it. I I was happy that they won, but you know, my pistons have to knock them out next year. I I don't I don't care. Like no.

SPEAKER_00 13:13

Yeah. Yeah, I I'm not gonna I'm not gonna talk about the wedding. I'm not gonna talk about the wedding. I I'm not a Taylor Swift fan. I respect the hustle, but I just don't think, and I I don't want to speak bad or ill of anybody's marriage, but I'm just not quite sure that that Travis is gonna be able to hang in there. I I just uh I'm not quite certain. I feel like there are people I'm a type of person when you line up people that I've dated, they're all a little different. You know, some people be like, you know, I don't have a type, but I'm not quite sure that you go from a Kaylin Nicole to a Travis, I mean to a um to a Taylor Swift, and you still don't have any interest in black women.

SPEAKER_03 14:15

Well, to Travis Kelsey cares about what people think and he he's he cares about outward appearances. I mean, it's pretty, pretty obvious. Like, I don't think that's why he was never gonna marry Kaylin Nicole and he cheated on her, like so whatever. It is what it is. He he I don't think he was ever gonna marry her, and then I think that's you know, from his upbringing, his family, you know who he is. He's still a white man. He I don't think he was ever going to marry her. And you know, it look I think it I think he thinks it looks good if he married uh Taylor Swift. Um but you know, I I I'm not gonna speak on them, speak ill of their marriage, but you know, the odds makers are like a place of bets about how long it's gonna last.

SPEAKER_00 15:08

Oh, about how long they stay married. But he's I mean he's secured, he has definitely secured his post, you know, post-league career, right? Again, he's already been in a couple of movies. I was shocked, Adam Sandler officiated their wedding. That was crazy to me. Um, you know, and then he, you know, has appeared a couple times on stage during her concerts. But I think what I was most excited about or have been most excited about was seeing Serena back out there. And I knew that it would be a hard transition for her. Like I knew that intellectually, but emotionally, I wanted Serena to win. I'm not even gonna lie. I was just like, come on, I was cheering the whole time. I was holding my breath. I wasn't disappointed, but I wanted that so bad for her. Um, and then but the you know, the reality of her age coming back from two pregnancies, and I thought Yokovic, I thought Yokovic, you know, was spot on. It's just like she you can tell she's still very much an elite athlete, but transitioning back to the game a game, right? And playing at that caliber against that level of competition was just a little bit too much. But I hope she had fun, and that's what she said she wanted to accomplish was to get back out there and to finally have fun playing. Um, but it did my heart good. I was just so I was so happy.

SPEAKER_03 16:46

Um I s I look at this two ways. I I love Serena. She has and I I so I've been for the last couple weeks, I've been doing daily videos to, you know, so I can be better on camera. Is it working?

SPEAKER_00 17:08

Yeah, yes, it's working.

SPEAKER_03 17:10

Um so I can you know talk more, talk better on camera and have a you know get get past my comfort zone. Um but a couple of the things that I've been talking about on the videos, I've talked about sports, life, whatever, but I've I've touched on this in these videos, and and it is Serena Williams has had an amazing career. She cemented she's already cemented her her legacy. Um she cemented her place in history. She, you know, has has all the records, right? It was great to see her make a comeback, just like it was great to see Venus trying to make a comeback last year. But I kind of like the Knicks, I moved once when Serena retired or or you know said she retired, I moved past Serena and I went to the next generation. No. I I'm I'm I'm like this with politicians too. Um at some point you have to pass the torch to the next generation. Politicians stay in office too long, sports stars stay in the leagues too long too long. And that's so and you start to not tarnish your legacy, but kind of diminish it a little bit. Like I don't want to see you, I'd rather see you go out on top. If you go out on top, you know, fine. But if you know, she went out when she was supposed to go out. Coming back, maybe come back in doubles, where you don't have to just be the only one exerting all the energy, yeah, which she tried to do. Um, but no, I'm ready to see Coco, I'm ready to see Osaka, I'm ready to see, you know, all the new young players, not new, but just younger players, yeah, come up and do what she did. You know, uh, I'm ready for that.

SPEAKER_00 19:04

I still would like her to get the one more, and that could be the that could be the pipe dream, and I'm okay. I'm okay with saying that's my pipe dream. Because whenever Serena stepped back out there, I'm gonna always believe that she can win. I understand. But I don't feel like for me that takes away my love and admiration for any of the younger girls. I guess it's just different because we kind of grew up with Serena. You know what I mean? She was, we saw her, you know, young teenager, young adult, you know, pre-wedding, you know, baby, all of that. So I'm I I guess I'm just gonna always have a soft spot. But I do feel that way about your boy, LeBron. I'm tired of his ass. Um, I want him to, I want him to move on. I want him to move on.

SPEAKER_03 20:02

Um, I mean, I feel I so LeBron hasn't retired yet, but if he retires, don't come back. You know, when you're ready to hang it up, hang it up. But until then, I'm I'm rocking with you. And I I agree with all the other people. We are LeBron fans. We're not Lakers fans. So now Lakers, uh I, you know, I ain't no Lakers fan. I'm a LeBron fan. Right. Because LeBron.

SPEAKER_00 20:30

But you've just said that. No, no, you just said that you you be off of people, you'd be ready for people to turn the page so the younger generation can kind of take that their rifle place. LeBron is taking up space. I mean, it's time to move on.

SPEAKER_03 20:49

Let me clarify. Let me clarify. Basketball is a team sport, and he hasn't retired yet. Well, when you retire, don't come back. But basketball is a team sport, and he doesn't have to do everything. But you know, Serena Williams was playing, was playing an individual singles sport. So that's a lot to try to overcome. So I don't I don't want to see her get actually I kind of do want to see her get beat by the younger generation because she's not supposed to be out there. I I it's I it was nostalgic, it was great, but you've already cemented your legacy. Uh-uh. Go home to the babies.

SPEAKER_00 21:32

You know. This is this is y'all LeBron folks changing up the rules because y'all are LeBron fans. But that man is 42 years old. We just talked about him getting his son in the league. He is at retirement age. Whether or not he chooses to retire or not is another question. But even on the physicality, LeBron has not given a hundred percent. Game in and game out these past couple of seasons. There have been people that show him not walking back, him missing his coverages, all of that, because physically he's getting to the point where he may not want to admit that he can't do the same things that he used to do. He can, but the longevity of the season gets to him. So this whole where is he gonna go? Rich Paul putting all this stuff up on the board. It's like, come on, man, turn the page, go home to Cleveland, shoot your documentary, and move on. I agree.

SPEAKER_03 22:36

I agree. I agree to a certain extent. If if Serena had never left, if she was still playing, I wouldn't tell her to retire. I'd be like, she's still gonna play. She she might win, she might not. But if she retired, when you retire, don't come back.

SPEAKER_00 22:51

She never said retirement. She never said that she was gonna be able to get it. Serena left.

SPEAKER_03 22:55

Serena was gone. Serena was farewell. We we said bye. She never said retirement. That's all I'm saying. That's all I'm saying. If you leave, don't come back.

SPEAKER_00 23:05

She said she was evolving, but she specifically did not say retirement. But I know when she dropped that pound, them pounds with the GLP one, she was coming back.

SPEAKER_03 23:16

I I knew it too, but that but I I don't don't come back. Don't come back. You leave, don't come back. But if you're there, you're just there. Now, I do agree. You know, go home, you know, go home to your babies. Your babies are growing up, you know. They they they go home. And LeBron, you know, even even that, even LeBron's daughter is like, I can't wait for you to retire so you can come, you know, come to all my games, you know, come right retire. She wants them to retire. So that's right. Listen to the babies.

SPEAKER_00 23:48

Yeah, but the expectation is different. And it, I mean, and so there's there's an aspect of gender here, right? Uh, that, you know, can't be ignored. And also, right, having, and LeBron was on a podcast, I think with Steve Nash, and he was talking about the the aspect that people don't see of greatness, like the the sacrifice that goes into greatness, and he talked about that sacrifice many a times being the people that you love. So you're sacrificing the people that you loved for greatness. And I think just in pop culture and in society, we have not you, but people have more grace for fathers who sacrifice time with their children for greatness or to make money or whatever it is for their hobby than they have for women who may make those sacrifices physically, but are trying to get back to whatever their passion is or their love, or in this case, right, her her livelihood. And everybody know, you know, Serena is good, but I think the competitive aspect of her wanted one to just be out there again, but she also said she wanted her kids, her girls to see her play. Yeah, show them some videos. Um I cannot believe you.

SPEAKER_03 25:23

Let me just say, out of all of it, so I I don't I'm not one that doesn't think you know we could have it all. I don't like when reporters are like, how do you, you know, how are you gonna manage all that? And I don't like that, but you know, I don't want to see her come out and she's not her best, and and then could, you know, there she drained, you know, several needles worth of fluid out of her knee. And you know, I I don't I don't want to see that.

SPEAKER_00 25:50

So you don't want to see the much the mortality of your sports heroes.

SPEAKER_03 25:56

Yeah. I want to, you know, we I want to remember her how she was, not you know, you know, limping around and and stuff like that. And I want her to be at her best. LeBron's, I mean, he's still jumping through the jumps of it. Don't you say it. Don't you say it. But we can okay, we can we can move all on off of him, but uh he's still gonna be a little bit more than a lot of people.

SPEAKER_00 26:20

Y'all LeBron fans. Y'all, whoo! It's hot. Apparently.

SPEAKER_03 26:25

I think they they what do they call us? Glazers.

SPEAKER_00 26:30

Glazers. Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_03 26:35

But uh but it's just like you know, you know, they say the same thing in the WNBA. They're ready to, they're ready to write Asia Wilson off, and she's still the most dominant person. They're like, oh, Kaitla Clark is a no, she's not. Asia Wilson is hurting all, she's in a boot, and she's still the best WNBA player in the in the league. So stop it with all that. It's like they they they they sometimes they try to pass the torch too soon, and you gotta stop that.

SPEAKER_00 27:06

Well, the other thing is there the the rise of Caitlin Clark's career was kind of at this perfect moment, right, in in our country, right? And I think in some ways she was really the first WNBA player to leverage social media in the way that she did, right? Like in college, captive audience kind of coming off of the pandemic. Again, not for tried and true fans who've been with the W from the very beginning, who've seen, right? Diana, who've seen uh, you know, the the I mean, shoot, Sue Bird, right? All of these very talented white female guards come into the league and do their thing. And so for a lot of people, it was just like, oh, oh my gosh, she's the greatest player of all time because they just didn't have any sort of historical reference or anybody to compare it to. I also don't think that we can look over this moment of where we are in our political history, right? Our political climate. That is another aspect of it. So again, um she also went to Indiana. I always say it, I'm from Indiana, Indiana raised me, but I also know how Indiana is cut. So it's definitely a perfect storm, right? Um, not like fair, I wanna say fair weather, but new fans, limited basketball knowledge, um uh a desire for some to have relatable, and I'm gonna say it relatable white heroes. Um and that's I think what's most disappointing to me is that we can't have a conversation about what happens on the court without um, and I race and gender are always apparent, but I I just believe that now we're seeing kind of the underbelly, right, of American culture. Uh, and it's being directed at unfortunately a lot of black players. Um, and I don't know how you turn the page on that. I don't think that we're ever, and I I don't think the W has a good strategy at the moment. It's just like, oh, we're gonna be quiet, we're not gonna really say too much, we're gonna come out and say that we condemn hate speech, but they need to take it a step further. Just like now in the W in the NBA, if you have an issue with a player, if you confront them, you're kicked out, you're banned. And that's what it needs to be in the W as well.

SPEAKER_03 29:51

Yeah, they the W has a the leadership is just uh pretty trash when it comes to um any type of you know addressing thought that, you know, uh Kathy Engelberg Engelberg didn't even want to acknowledge that racism existed in the in the league, you know, and they when they answer the question, she had the prime opportunity to speak on it. But if you don't believe it or you don't, you know, live it, you don't you you don't know how to speak on it, and and nobody's given her any PR training to you know coach her to say it, so she was she didn't say it. Um still to this day is not speaking up enough. Um you know and I was watching so I was watching a story over the uh over the past week. Uh Linda Comb, who was a long time uh the uh uh uh host at ESPN personality at ESPN, she was the longest tenured woman um on I don't know if it was a sports center or just an ESPN period, but she she retired, she left ESPN. And when I tell you her Scooby-Doo mask came off this week, she did a whole video on her Instagram, and I I started following her. I just I guess I didn't know who she was. I so I was like, oh, okay, she's you know, let me see what she's gonna do after she leaves. And and I started following her on Instagram. Big mistake, big mistake, huge. Um, y'all know what that reference is. Uh pretty woman. Um uh and she came out and said, you know, she basically was saying everything that uh all these male that Boomer aside said, yeah. Yeah, that basically that the WNBA players should bow down to Caitlin Clark. They they should not bite the hand that feeds them. Are they stupid? You know, she's I and I thought I thought it was like a I thought it was AI. I'm like, yeah, I've never heard her talk like this. Well, go to the comments and they're like, oh, is I'm glad you finally said it. She said, Well, I couldn't say this at ESPN. Oh, yeah, your Scooby-Doo mask came off and you showed who you really are. Oh, yeah, I unfollowed her, so I don't know what she's saying now, but I I I man, man. See, you know, I I like when their Scooby-Doo mask comes off because I want to know what you really think. I want to know, you know, while you were getting paid, you weren't saying all this, you know, keeping your job and all that. Stephen A. Smith says it and and gets hated, you know, says what he wants and gets hated for it. Um, but I just the the you know and and Caitlin Clark doesn't say enough. You know, if if people are using you and have been using you now for what three years, you're in, you're you're in, you've been in the league long enough. Um that you should be speaking up when people are using you. Even when you talk, even when you say something, it's just like, oh, I know you guys have to say that. You know, I know you reporters have to say that stuff, but you know, the no. Well nobody's gonna use me and my name like that without me being very strong and saying what I want.

SPEAKER_00 33:26

Well, I think the thing is people are afraid, and again, you can't divorce what's happening apart from the political climate. People are afraid to say the R word. People are afraid to say racism. She's afraid to say, right, I do, I don't condone racism. It's one thing to say, I don't, I don't um like everything that's being said, or I don't agree. The clip that I saw, she was like, I don't agree with some of the things that are being said online. No, you should name it. But the fact that she's uncomfortable naming that there are race, racist, sexist, homophobic comments that are being made, it is it's obvious, right? That she doesn't want to necessarily divorce herself and her brand from those people who are buying her jerseys and buying tickets and coming to her games. But I think um I was shocked to hear the quote with the stupidity and the other comments bite the ham that feeds them because again, racial undertones. I did go back and look at the clip, and I feel like I actually feel like there needs to be an investigation uh beyond what happened when Bonner was in Indiana. I don't believe that this kind of tension is just run of the meal. I think there was something that transpired while she was with the fever, of course, causing her to ask for a trade, to go be with her partner. Now you come back. She has the issue with Sophie Cunningham, the pointing of the finger, and then the next game, your spouse, right, is getting into it with the star of your former team. Something ugly happened there, and I think the NBA needs to the WNBA needs to do an investigation to figure out all of what happened. It's just not happenstance, but I have been watching more games, you know. The oldest is uh is on my head every day about these WNBA games. She asked me to buy the League Pass. I'm like, no, you're not buying the League Pass, but I have been pleasantly surprised uh just by the level of competition. And I think people who again are new fans don't understand that the W has always been physical. You know what I'm saying? Like I was thinking back to my time, like just playing basketball in the 90s, right? It's like you would get pushed down. I remember this is so funny. Shout out to my friend, my former teammate, Danielle and Cece. I had a teammate get her collarbone broken in practice. Like it, you know what I'm saying? It will it would get physical. We were doing a drill, summertime workouts. You would put they would put the ball in the middle. Two people run from the baseline, a half court, try to get the ball first. Then whoever got the ball was on offense. If you didn't get the ball, you had to get back on defense. They ran straight ahead, okay, toward each other, trying to get that ball. And Danielle got her, got her collarbone cracked.

SPEAKER_02 36:44

Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_03 36:46

Well, I was at the game in the in back in the 90s when Candace Parker, I believe she was a rookie. And I was at the Detroit shot game when Candace Parker and Planette Pearson got into a fight. And it was a brawl. And and Rick Mahorn kind of pushed Lisa Leslie, and Lisa Leslie, you know, hated Rick Mahorn after that. I was at that game. That was back in the 90s. So that's right. I I have seen the physicality firsthand of the WNBA. This stuff here, it was it, it was, it's, it's, it, especially when you're a rookie, you're there, it's called your welcome to the league moment. Yeah, somebody's gonna knock the the uh Mario uh Mario Times. Yeah, yeah. But you know, it it just is what it is. But the you know, Alyssa Thomas was getting death threats, and you know, then people were like, you know, why didn't she report it to oh Linda Comb, why didn't she report it to the police or the FBI? Uh and and people in the comments were like, she didn't report it because she's lying. You know, they and they don't understand what a black woman, um, a black uh member woman, member of the LGPBTQ, I don't know how to do it. Queer. Just say queer. GS queer community. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Okay, I don't know. Uh, but you know, going to the FBI and the police and talking about uh Caitlin Clark fans giving, yeah, where's that gonna go? Like, you know, people are so unrealistic and just to me, just stupid. Um and Linda Comb, thank you for taking off your mask. Because yeah.

SPEAKER_00 38:46

Uh yeah, I mean, it's been uh uh I don't know, it's been interesting. I mean, I like the fact that Angel, you know, got out of Chicago, is there. I've been uh I didn't know, I mean, everybody knew her and Fly weren't as cool. I was a little bit surprised that when Fly Jay tried to dap her up at the end of the game, I think it was last week, she kind of igged her. And I felt like uh y'all should be able to turn the page a little bit on what happened when you were at LSU. You know what I'm saying? Um, even though it was a little bit It was during the game.

SPEAKER_03 39:20

There was still time on the clock. And so she said, not now, but after the game. See, nobody has shown the video after the game where she did dap her up. So, like they want to they want a narrative. If Floger was flossing, she was out of line.

SPEAKER_01 39:35

It was like it was like 10 seconds at the middle of the game. I mean, at the end of the game. People walk off at the end of the game.

SPEAKER_03 39:43

They don't do that. They you gotta wait, you wait till the game, the last second ticks off that clock. Floger knew what she was doing. So, so I'm gonna send you a clip of another bit of a video. And the way that this guy broke it down was excellent because I was thinking the same thing. There were other players walking past Floger that she didn't dap up. And, you know, uh, she was playing in Angel Reese's face. Thank you, Angel Reese, for not for not for telling her not right now. Thank you. No, you did, you did, you did not know.

SPEAKER_00 40:21

How much time, how much time was left on the clock? 10 seconds.

SPEAKER_03 40:26

Over a minute. No, over a minute. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 40:30

Over a minute is a little bit too much. I thought it was like 10 seconds left in the game. It's at the end of the game. Y'all getting the bake the brakes beat off for you. Everybody at the end of the game.

SPEAKER_03 40:42

And and after the game, I was I I was told I heard the Angel went and dapped her up. It was nothing. Yeah. But during the game, when I'm going to walk, and all my my other my teammates walk past you, you didn't say nothing to them. And these are and and they all the best thing was Flager said her favorite player ever was Ryan Howard, right? Ryan Howard walked past her. She didn't dab her up. That's her idol. She tried to play in Angel's face and make it a thing because she was beating Angel. Um, and she's a rookie, and they're there, they should not have uh a little bit of friend elderly.

SPEAKER_00 41:25

Right, a little friendly change.

SPEAKER_03 41:27

She was doing that. That's why, was it last night or the night before? She had one point in the game and played like 30 minutes. Everybody was like, Karma, no. I like Floge, but she does a little bit too much. A couple years ago, when um they were at the All-Star game and she was glazing um Caitlin Clark. I can I I guess I did I use that right? Ask Kiris if I used that right. Um glazing Caitlin Clark and all in her face, so that Angel will see it. Flogerie plays plays in Angel's face. And I've seen that several times now.

SPEAKER_00 42:06

All right, that's a high.

SPEAKER_03 42:07

And her mama.

SPEAKER_00 42:09

Oh, I don't really, I mean, people I follow her mama, but all in all, I think what the bottom line is Chicago's still a mess. Chicago was like a mess. Chicago and Chicago is like a mug. Chicago is still a mess. So I do think that Angel has been a little bit vindicated in what has transpired over the 24 hours uh related to uh, you know, people talking about Chicago because people made it seem like Angel was spoiled. And she, you know, she's accustomed to customs. So, you know, she should have been treated with the same respect uh and the same fanfare uh as the other rookies, which is interesting because I think this year after the draft, you saw a lot of teams, right, kind of up their fanfare, right? They had the balloons, they had the marquee letters, uh AZ down there in Dallas, they had a photo shoot, right? So wanting to give the women who are um you know drafted in that first round, I would say something that's a little bit more on par with what we see the fellas getting on draft night or the first couple of nights.

SPEAKER_03 43:28

Yeah, yeah. They um yeah. I Angel Um did not trash the team. She spoke facts. All the the majority of the players in the WNBA were gonna be free agents. And what she was saying is go get some of those dogs, some of those free agents that we need them. We need some dogs on our team. She was not, you know, putting down her team. They, you know, they weren't the majority of them weren't. Gonna be signed again.

SPEAKER_00 44:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 44:02

Um, she she told the truth about Van. I call her Vanderloop because she's looting Chicago right now. Van Vandersloop is looting them because she getting paid. She ain't, I mean, what's she geriatric? That's who needs to retire. You talk about LeBron. Vandersloop, get out of there. But she said all that. They made her the problem, made her the villain, as they always do. And what happened? They tried to go get all these players, and they got Skylar Diggins. And Skylar Diggins is a crash out queen.

SPEAKER_00 44:38

I love Skylar.

SPEAKER_03 44:41

She posted on her Instagram story today that she got benched. She they moved her to the bench. And she came on and said, I've been very quiet and nice. I'm about to go pop some popcorn so I can see the crash out that's coming. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 44:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 44:59

Yeah. She's I can't wait.

SPEAKER_00 45:02

Yeah, I think, I mean.

SPEAKER_03 45:04

And you know, it it Chicago has been a problem uh for many, many years. There's everybody, you know, all the players, there's a long line of players that will tell you all the problems that Chicago has. Chicago got rid of Teresa Weatherspoon after one season, and their coach now is not doing anything. Um, you know, you could say Rikia Jackson got hurt. Rikia Jackson is not the reason why Chicago is how they are right now. Um and you know, it's amazing. They have some real issues, they've had some historic issues. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 45:42

Yeah, it's a management ownership issue, but um, yeah, it was um I'm I'm I'm happy. I'm happy. I'm watching a little bit more, getting a little bit of a feel for the game. And you know, I did this for you and for Caris.

SPEAKER_03 46:02

They're already talking about the they're already talking about the MVP race, and um, you know, they're talking about Olivia Miles. Olivia Miles is the wonder the wonder rookie right now. And oh yeah, she is she's balling, she's gotten humbled a couple of times, and but she some some of the sometimes she's a little too cocky for me, uh like as a rookie, you know, talking to but you gotta love it. You know, I'm not I'm not mad at it, but on a couple of occasions, I was like, hold on, Olivia, you you might be reading the headlines. Don't read the headlines.

SPEAKER_01 46:35

Let her let her pop stuff. Let her pop.

SPEAKER_03 46:38

I don't know, I don't know, I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 46:40

So some of it it was I was like, whoa, oh, okay. I liked when her and Paige got a little chippy, but um, you know, I it's nice to see Paige back, you know, playing and you know, to see reunited with her her former teammate. I think the you know, the wings have done a great job this season. Of course, New York has always, you know, they've been strong for several years now. But I hope um it was interesting. I was gonna talk about uh actually the sabbatical and Asia Wilson talking about how she doesn't play basketball every offseason. Did you hear this interview? Well, I I see it. But uh but if I'm a little bit confused because she does post videos of her like getting her workout in, right? Like shooting. Yeah. So I think people were assuming that when she says she doesn't play basketball, like she's not touching a basketball. And I don't think that's accurate. She's no, no, no, no. She was in the gym all star with bam. So she's that's how she got better. So she's touching the basketball, she's working out, she's just not probably playing full court. But she said, you know, she was like, I don't touch a basketball. It takes me seven to ten games to get back in shape.

SPEAKER_03 48:11

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 48:12

She's yeah. Yeah, that I don't know why they're surprised at that. Um Well, I mean, I think it was just how she said it, but to this point about like sabbatical, needing time off, I mean, it's worked pretty well for her the past couple of years, but now she has an injury, so again, you're talking about getting a little bit older. It's like maybe you need to come back at being in play playing condition versus working.

SPEAKER_03 48:41

No, that's a lot of that's a lot. Like they people were flipping out when Angel Reese took part of the summer off. You know, she was doing the uh Victoria's Secret and other stuff, and they took they and then she came back and played in the playoffs of Unrival. And people were flipping out, like she needs to be in the gym because she can't shoot. But your body, or she was, she's hurt, you know, she hurt herself, her wrist and stuff like that. You know, your body can't take take all that. And Asia's getting older. Um, yeah, she's not, you know, ancient, but she's getting older. I mean, you want she wants to play as long as possible. So I don't, I don't, um, I'm not mad at her. I I do think um I like that you know, we have we're gonna get more players opportunities because we're gonna get to see the play play more play. Like we're like we're watching a lot of college basketball, and and uh, and a lot of in the and the team sizes are so small that the only way to get those players that we see in college, you know, don't have to go overseas to play is the expansion. So you mentioned expansion, yes. So we you know, um Cleveland's team comes on what next year, um Detroit comes on in 2029, and I just can't wait. And I love it. And I think we're at a time, you know, where um I want to see how big the the league can grow. You know, we've they've got new TV deals, they've they're they're getting more. You know, people I I did also did a video about this. Like people were saying that the players were crazy because they wanted that CBA and and they were gonna bankrupt the league. There, you know, and I I think we mentioned this um last season too. No team, no, no league that is gonna be go under is getting partnership deals, media partnership deals like that. No league that's gonna go over, under is getting cities that are paying hundreds of millions of dollars or millions of dollars to uh have an expansion team in their city. You know, it's you know, how big do you think the league can grow? And you know, um, because I I mean I think we're both in agreement that it can grow and it is growing, and it can only get bigger. But how big do you think it can become? Um do we have teams? You know how the how the NBA wants to go into other countries? Do we see international where we're competing with those international teams that the players now go? Do you see it besides Canada?

SPEAKER_00 51:33

Um I mean, I think you can have a strong international presence because we see, you know, players go in the off-season and usually make more money. So I do think eventually you're gonna see right the wings play a preseason game or in-season game, right? In Paris or whatever. But I think I don't know how big it can get. But for me, I feel like growth, the growth needs to be, I want to say more organic and actually um kind of fan-driven versus trying to make the growth be an exact replica of the MBA. Like I for me, I hate when that happens, like when you know, women have something, or you know, men have something, and then women have something, and in order for it to be successful, it has to look and feel and operate just like whatever the thing is that men had. And I think the the path for growth needs to be based on who the league is and who their fans are, and kind of seeing and and cultivating fans over a lifetime, right? Or over a life cycle, and just letting it happen as the product continues to get better and improve. And I think we're at that point now where people know these women can ball, right? They're they're giving us the full package, the personality, the brand. So just uh allow it to continue evolving. Um, but I think I'm not sure if they have the right leader. Because to me, you can't move forward. To me, you can't move forward as a league if the majority of your players don't respect who's at the helm of the league. I also think like Unrivaled, for example, is a wonderful competitor. There's another, I think is it overseas, another new league that is forming, uh, that's again focused on the players. What do the players need? So they're gonna have some competition, especially if these new leagues can be shorter seasons with larger payouts.

SPEAKER_03 53:55

Yeah, they have uh what is it, Athletes Unlimited. They're trying to be like the G League of the WNBA. And that's that's here. That's uh Sheryl Miller and and some other people. Um, but the the only issue I see with the WNBA gro growing is organically, they're not self-sufficient, they're so tied to the NBA, you know, monetarily, um, you know, and and infrastructure-wise, and you know, the owners of the some of the NBA teams are the owners of the WNBA team. So they're so embedded in it, so that and I don't think that's a bad thing because if you're not profitable right now, and then you know, then you kind of have to rely on them. But maybe later on, um I s I can see it growing more organically, but I do see it as a direct, you know, sister of MBA. Yeah, even in the name.

SPEAKER_00 54:59

Yeah, and it I think it can be, but the model doesn't have to be the same, right? And I think that's it can't be the same. Yeah, that's where people are are, I think, pushing, like, oh, I gotta, you know, maybe you have more mid-market or smaller market, you know, cities that end up having a team. You know, Sophie Cunningham was like, Who wants to be in Detroit? Who wants to be in Cleveland? Like, they should be in Kansas City and Nashville. Okay, right. I don't know. Maybe that is a good model where you go for So that's too many black people for her.

SPEAKER_03 55:37

That's funny. Detroit. There's too many black people for Sophie Cunningham.

SPEAKER_00 55:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 55:41

Kansas, who the hell is going to be?

SPEAKER_00 55:44

Kansas City and Nashville, but oh Kansas City, yeah, Kansas. Yeah. But it's like, who knows? Maybe, maybe, but to your point, that wouldn't work because you don't have it outside of like OKC, you don't really have a smaller market, Charlotte, that has a strong team. So you can't, you have to expand in partnership with the W, with the NBA. So I don't know. I mean, we'll continue to see. If it wasn't my birthday weekend in a couple weeks, I would be trying to go to Chicago for the All-Star. I would go. Um, again. That's why you should go. No, uh-uh, because I'm having a party. Uh the invitations are on their way today. Um, I'm gonna have a little a little party, but um I was trying to think. Oh, so speaking of collective bargaining, did you see the remark from Kyle Kuzma?

SPEAKER_03 56:46

Uh no, what what he kind of pops out every now and then. What what?

SPEAKER_00 56:53

Yeah, I mean, I I was really shocked. So, one, we didn't really talk about the NBA, but uh we see uh lots of trades, right? We done lost uh your boy uh here in Detroit. You were we were just talking about that. The $300 billion man, is that how much he's made?

SPEAKER_03 57:14

$300, $330 or something like that? Yeah. Woo! Highest career earnings for someone who's never made an all-star team, Tobias Harris. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 57:26

So how how do you feel about that? Because I feel like Tobias, kind of like Mikhail Bridges, everybody was you know on Mikhail Bridges' heads about the pick, the picks, the picks that they gave up. I feel like Tobias Harris gets a lot of flack from fans. I think in Philly, he got a lot of flack. Uh, he was also with the Clippers, got a lot of flack. I feel like he under people can see people feel like he underperforms for the amount of money that he gets paid. Like, do you agree with that?

SPEAKER_03 58:00

Uh don't hate the player, hate the game. I don't know. I like Tobias Harris. I like him. Um I I, you know, and he was one of our best players last year for the Pistons. And and you know, um, so I I don't hate it. I don't hate it. I love the fact, I love his story. Um, there's a few things I love his about his story. You know, never make it an all-star team. Probably he I I think he deserved at least one, right? What has he been in the um since 2011?

SPEAKER_00 58:37

2015, 15 years. One shot at being an all-star, is that what you're saying?

SPEAKER_03 58:42

He at least one. Come on now. Never? Um, and his father is his agent. Okay, so they keep they keep all that money in the family. I love it. I love, you know, his father is a master negotiator. It's you're you're only as good as the person that can negotiate those contracts for you. So I love it. Yeah, I remember I I love the business side of sport, so I love it.

SPEAKER_00 59:14

I'm not hating on Tobias. I I hear that he's a high character person. My boss had an opportunity to meet him. She said he was lovely. I think she asked him if he was single too. Um, because she was lovely. No, he's married. She was lovely. He's married. I know, but she don't, she doesn't follow sports. So she just met him like six months ago and asked him if he was married. Uh, because she's always trying to be a matchmaker. But I don't, I'm not gonna hate where he live. I need to talk to her. She was like, I asked him. But this is the thing. I don't hate the player, but I do think that large contracts set you up for failure if you don't produce. Right? It was like I was watching uh Draymond Green. You know, I love me some Draymond Green. So I was uh listening to his podcast, and he was talking about a conversation he had with Austin Reeves, and he just signed this. They said that he signed his $200 million contract uh during free agency. They said that he passed out at the golf course. Did you hear about this? Said that he passed, he was so shocked, like he passed out at the golf course. But Draymond Green said that he was talking to him was like you're gonna see the difference in the level of expectation at a $200 million contract. So people are expecting you, right, to perform game in, game out, whether or not you hurt, you better tie that shoe up, take that shot, do what you gotta do. So I I appreciate Tobias. I think he's the type of guy that you want in the locker room, but the fact that you haven't been an all-star, and let's also be true, he hasn't been able to help any of the teams get over the hump.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:13

Right. So he did he wasn't able to help the Clippers get over the hump. I think the expectations for him being in Philly were probably the highest that they've been. People didn't think that the Pistons were going to really do anything. It was like shock the world. But when he was there in Philly, Tobias, Paul George, right, uh your boy, which Joel Embiid, you know what I'm saying? Like they thought that that was the team to make the run for it. Um, who else did they have on the team? Tyrese Maxie. They had a couple of other people too, and it just always fell flat. Was that the year they had James Harden too? I think Ben Simmons was still there. They think Ben Simmons, I mean, they was loaded, right? So at some point, at some point, he gotta help a team get up get over the hump. Now, if he don't do that, I'm just I'm saying what I'm saying is for the thing.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:12

He's a role player now. No, but well, he was he was the lead on the couple teams, even the Pistons. Yeah, but it's first thing with the Pistons. But at the Spurs, I'm not expecting him. I'm expecting him to play his role in the hump.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:30

If he the narrative about him will shift. I'm not saying he doesn't deserve the money, but when you when you say that Tobias Harris is the highest paid person that has never been an all-star, most fans are gonna be like, well, what has he done to help teams? Because you can be an awesome role player, right? And help a team get over the hump. So he's going down there to San Antonio, he's gonna need to help him get over the hump to change people's narrative about him being paid so much. But I I mean, hey, get your money.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:05

This is over a this is over a what 15-year career though. That's like a long, that's a long time that he's been in the league. But um, look, don't don't come for Tobias Harris. You know, every time y'all come for Tobias Harris, I'm gonna say Ben Simmons. That's all I'm gonna say. Just Ben Simmons. And and they're gonna shut up. So and and we're gonna end that conversation with Ben Simmons. And he talks about that.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:33

But Tobi, but Ben Simmons get more flack than Tobias Harris.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:37

Good. He should be. I mean, because at least Tobias plays Ben Simmons gets.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:41

I mean, he street clothes deluxe. He should get, but I'm saying that's kind of like apples to oranges in the sense that Ben Simmons get more flack. But let me tell you, I just heard Rich Paul say, because you know, I mean, Ben Simmons is on the cover of Men's Health magazine. Body looking nice, must say that, right? And Ben Simmons is on the Ben Simmons is on the cover of Men's Health Magazine. So he's he's I think contemplating a return to the league, right? So the article, which I didn't read it, but I saw some quotes was him talking about he needed to really take time off to fully rehab his back injury, that you can't really play half-heard or not 100% well. And then Rich Paul, just today, I saw him saying that the goal is to try to make Ben Simmons like a $30 million man coming off the pick and roll, high IQ, right? Big who can play defense, come off the pick and roll, and distribute the ball. So I think that next season they are gonna try to bring Ben Simmons back and reintroduce him.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:00

So he can steal some more money.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:03

Leave that boy alone. He has some mental health. I mean, I'm just saying. I know, but he has some mental health issues. He has some mental health issues. I think he could be a Tristan Thomas, Thompson. You don't think Ben Simmons could do what Tristan Thompson did? Rebound, hit hit some layups. I can't, I will I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:28

I haven't seen enough. I don't know. I don't know. This the sample size is so small. I I don't know. No, but God bless them. God bless them.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:43

I mean, I'm not mad. Anybody they get their money, I'm not mad.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:48

I'm not mad, especially I'ma tell you what I'm mad about. You know, talk about racism. Boston. I'm mad, I'm mad at the owner, like you.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:00

try they they they they play in they played in um jailen brown's face for years like what more do you have to do for a team um you carry it all season while you while your star your other star is out um you win a championship they always make it seem like he's the problem any um he's a community uh guy he's an activist um the mayor had great things to say about you know but the owners why you know if just just trade him but don't well i'm add to the narrative and all that yeah like well i'm I'm glad that they did there's an old saying oh we're just celebrated not tolerated I'm glad that he's out of Boston but I also think it's clear that him and Tatum didn't really rock with each other that deeply because if they did if they did that he would still be there well that would I think that was always known like that even when they were winning the champ you know when when they won the championship and people were saying you know they there's you know they can't play together and they came out and and said you know see people were saying we can't play together there I mean you you don't have to get along but you want a championship not rocking with each other. So but hey do your job I guess I mean let me rephrase it I think that there was probably some disdain it's one thing for you not to be best friends with your your co-worker but y'all can still perform at a high level it's another thing for you not really to F with them and I think that's what was really underneath it because if it's a situation where your superstar is saying this is my my my Robin I need my Robin right I think that he would still be there but it's obvious that Jason Tatum thought that he would be better off without Jalen Brown which is crazy to me it is you know it's crazy to me I also think that um Jalen Brown is a little petty because I listened to some of his his streaming and he is adamant that the best season that he had as a Boston Celtic was this season. And he said it he said it like five he could be the man he could be the man because Tatum was out right and so I think that that I think that's more so the issue and nobody's really talking about I don't really hear people talking about it. I've been gone all year I've been rehabbing right while I'm gone you come into your own as a clear leader the young guys are rocking with you we're more competitive than people thought that we would be with you being gone and now I'm coming back. So I don't think that it was an issue of oh my God right we're not gonna be good if both of them are here. I think it was an issue of the the torch and who people thought the on the team the leader was going to be right and I don't think that Jason Tatum was prepared to come back to quote unquote his team and not have the locker room right or have the young guys looking more toward Jalen Brown and not to him and so they got rid of him oh you you smelling yourself you had a great season you you know I'm I mean seriously was like uh uh we want Jason Tatum to be that guy even if he's not that guy like I don't see Jason Tatum as a leader I never have no he's inconsistent um has been inconsistent you know didn't show up in the big games sometimes and then you know when they won the championship you know that was always the narrative so he's gonna he'll see he'll you know he's gonna miss him when he's gone so we'll see what happens like when Kobe and Shaq broke up as neighbors they both was like okay we should have thought about that a little a little should have thought about that a little longer listen to Shaq talk about it now oh yeah it's like we we both were immature we both wanted to be the man I think that was the I think it's the same issue but I also I do think that the Celtics came out to try to disparage uh Jalen Brown this whole we don't see him he's the eighth best person on the team or the seventh base they were trying to create a narrative to make it easier uh to control public perception once they got rid of him but he's gone I think Philly will be a good fit for him I don't think that you can the other person that I feel is underrated is Paul George. I can't stand Paul George I wouldn't put pay Paul George a dime to do anything oh I thought you said underrated I was about to say underrated no overrated Paul George is overrated yes yes yes he's overrated so I just don't see him yeah yeah I agree I agree um you know I have my I have my uh Detroit City football club shirt on you know because I was rooting for USA in the in the World Cup tonight um right now they are they're playing right now they're losing three to one so I'm kind of President Trump you know got their their striker reinstated for this game you know the their their their striker was uh suspended he got a red flag in the last game and you know President Trump made a call to FIFA and got him reinstated and and everything's fine you know he is such you know he's he's a soccer hero he's a war hero you know yeah right Trump you didn't do that stop stop but if they lose tonight they're eliminated from the World Cup so let's hope that they can come back and pull it out they're losing 3-1 right now but we'll we're staying on top of that one we'll we'll talk a little bit more about the World Cup you know is great it's been a great thing for the country um a lot of cities hosted they were in LA they were in Seattle they were in Atlanta it's been great um to see the excitement for the World Cup this year so um I was confused I've been confused I'm gonna be honest I don't really follow soccer but I saw all the activations in stores all the celebrities at the games but I wasn't quite sure about the popcorn games so is the World Cup always like that every year that they do multiple cities and I don't know or was that just an American thing I don't know but I know that that they went to six I I think that's what that was that was confusing for me because I was like normally I'll see World Cup games right on social media but I was like oh we they in New York they in Seattle they in Atlanta oh lotto was that a so I didn't I guess I didn't understand the schedule or I didn't understand if that was just what we were doing here in the United States in order to cultivate maybe more fanfare for the World Cup.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:09

Need to figure that out because I was confused yes the FIFA World Cup always takes place across multiple cities because of the mass massive scale of the tournament matches are spread across numerous stadiums and regions. Well there we have it learn something new so this year it was in United States Mexico and Canada Okay so the North American classic basically yeah I um I watch it but only I only watch the I watch like certain I was watching um I watched the USA but I watched Brazil because Camilla Cardoso who plays for Chicago Sky is was at the game and she was rooting for Brazil so I started watching them they lost the other night and then I was watching um Mexico but definitely I watched the I was traveling a couple weeks ago and I watched USA um when that was fun that was fun to see but let's hope that they can pull it out tonight we'll we'll um we're gonna learn we're gonna learn more about oh I'm a um so during the pandemic 2020 I was ordering everything anything somebody asked me to do I was I was buying it right I bought some Mary J wine don't do it don't buy it sorry mary sorry mary jay i i love you but your wine your wine was not good i'm sorry the mary j blodge boots did you get the boots no it wouldn't help it taste i think i did i drank that wine it tastes like no it was it it wasn't good uh maybe it's improved but yeah so I was ordering all kinds of stuff so Detroit City Football Club the Detroit Soccer team they sold uh shares of their team to the public and I bought one and um so now I'm a part owner of the team and they invite me to the owner's meetings oh wow sorry I haven't I've been MIA button and they sent me this a scarf I'll wear it one day and um you know you get the owner's scarf so I am part owner uh of the Detroit City football club um ask me do I I do go to some games shout out to my friend uh Shireima who I I go to she's introduced me to some of the uh games at the they have the best fan experience if you ever get to go to a Detroit sports game go to a Detroit City football club game it is the best fan experience I've ever been a part of I've not yet sat in the stands but in the stands they have chants they do like you know how like the um the gender reveal smoke it's like that I I call it the gender reveal smoke but it's they have smoke that smoke bombs that go off and they score and they have these songs like they have a um like a playlist of songs that they sing it is the best fan experience that I've ever been a part of and that's all I really like going to the games and one day I'll learn more about soccer but in the meantime my friend um uh Natalie who used to be a team member at my business uh she used to be part of my business she suggested that we take golf lessons so I will be taking golf lessons very soon I'm gonna take golf lessons I'm gonna take golf lessons I I I I I was telling the story on the video the other day and back in about 20 years ago when I was at OCC I I had to take a an elective class and I chose golf. So I took a golf class and I was pretty good and the at for the final you had to go play nine holes at a golf course over near the campus. And I had my brother Henry go to the golf course with me you know and I was like would you go play with me? I don't know what to do he's like okay let's go so we go and we're out there and you know if if I'm supposed to hit the ball this way my ball was going that way and and that way there was water that way so my ball I kept hitting it water I I've heard that water is have is a is a magnet and of course that was my there was a magnet that's all I'm gonna say but we were out there for like four hours and I was like oh does it usually take four hours he's like no nine holes should take about two hours 18 holes takes about four hours and so needless to say he was very patient and I completed the nine holes and completed the class and got an A.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:15

All right so I still I still have the textbook so I'm gonna read up and I do watch some tournaments I I do uh follow golf a little bit it's it's very um to me it was like relaxing I was just always nervous that I was gonna be holding up a line of people trying to hit you know and play through but um so I I'm excited to get out learn learn so I'll call you if you want to take lessons we'll yeah we'll we'll include you in and if you're available come on out and then we'll she was like even if we don't take lessons we can go to the golf range and hit balls and have some drinks and stuff like okay that is one of my um I don't have many regrets in life I think I only have two that I can recall two regrets and one of them is that I didn't learn how to play golf. So my again I'm gonna have to call her or text her Danielle one of my great friends and teammates from high school actually was a dual sport uh high school athlete she played basketball point guard but then also played golf went to I think she was a state champ a state champion in golf and so um you know high school I would always be ready for her to get off the golf course when I would hang out so I would actually go to the golf course the country club with her a few times she would get in her little putting practice or whatever she was doing and I would just be there like are you almost are you done yet? When can we leave? When can we go hang out? When can we party? And one time she was like while you here do you want me to teach you how to play golf and I was like no I don't want to play no golf let's um let's go and what's and so what is crazy my friend graduated from high school Danielle Radabush got a scholarship to play golf in college and eventually became the golf coach at Brown University in Rhode Island.

SPEAKER_03 1:21:19

Wow so Ivy League school Ivy League school and and now she's uh back home in Indiana and she's a full-time professional golf instructor uh and so she teaches women how to play golf and I'm like I I could have I could have got lessons oh my goodness so you have a you have a built-in golf instructor I um a lot of my family some of my family plays my nephew was an Evan scholar at Michigan State oh yeah he was a caddy he was a caddy in in when he was in high school and he got a full rise scholarship to Michigan State as an Evan scholar and he is out there playing all the time my brother and my brother in law play every Sunday in the summer you know our friend summer um yeah is a golf fanatic so yeah I um I I I have been saying for 20 years I was gonna take lessons like every every so often my brother be like I thought you were gonna take lessons I was like I thought I was too I didn't know it's so I'm gonna fulfill a promise to myself take lessons I don't know I don't know when I'll find the time or where we'll do it but um I'm gonna do it you know if I if I if consistent out I guess I have to get some clubs so I'll figure that out but I I think it's called Detroit there's a Detroit Women's League of Golf or something like that.

SPEAKER_00 1:22:50

Like a social kind of golf club for women but no I'm I'm like hey try something different but yeah that was my one regret I also uh Karis uh who is my oldest had an event at um an area country club and um after they left the country club passed out job applications for the young women so Karis came home and was like oh the manager of the country club gave me these applications um and said that we were lovely girls so that we should come and work at the golf course and I was like are you ready to work at a golf course and she was like I mean it can't be that bad I was like girl you're gonna be out there with a lot of drunk men walking walking 55 miles I said so you know from what I see the little golf girlies be making nice bank over the summer but you just gotta understand the environment that you're gonna be in you don't like hot weather right like and she was like nah I'm good I don't I don't want to do that I was and I and I told her I said you know of course you know no one can touch you or you know what I'm saying proposition you or anything but you're gonna hear lots of comments about hey pretty girl you a nice looking young lady how old are you you know I said so if you don't want to if you don't want to hear the comments you should probably not work as a golf girly over the summer and so she decided not to put in her application she're rethinking her life yeah um it'll be it'll this will be an interesting rest of the summer uh we got about you know a little over a month before we're talking about preseason football already it is already July so we'll you know so when we cut you know coming up in the in the next few weeks we'll talk about some more about football and all the the quarterback competitions specifically the one in Cleveland right now you know I'm I'm interested in that one but uh with uh Shador and and um Watson and and I don't want to hear nothing about I don't want to hear nothing about Deshaun Watson I I can't I can't stomach anything Deshaun Watson related I do believe oh so this is the hot take guilty no no not guilty or not or not guilty did he rape them women or did he not Jim with your perspective not guilty not what okay I'm guilty I'm I'm team guilty I do not believe that you can have 10 12 15 women say that you raped them or made sexual advances and everybody lying every single person lying Busby the attorney he's a go get go load the bus of people to come and talk and indict black men and so oh boy in Baltimore wasn't black but maybe one maybe one woman maybe two maybe three but we we are we in the teens now we in the teens we in the teens you don't think he would be in jail if if if that all that was true how they said it and then what so if somebody and this is very controversial for us to talk about I don't know what happened. I'm not gonna say I you know but there were several instances where um a woman said he did something and then she kept going back to service him service help yes I'm just gonna you know like I don't I think he'd be he would be in jail if if I I think that more times than not sexual violence or violence against women is underreported. We know that for a variety of reasons and I think that this is another situation that is similar to R. Kelly where some time is going to pass and then people oh giving the benefit of the doubt and it can't be that bad and then in 10 years then right there's going to be an unearthing of more information. There just ain't no way there ain't no way my man could be uh accused of raping or having yeah just sexual advances toward women and I'm gonna marry him?

SPEAKER_03 1:28:04

Well I'm just another school of innocent until proven guilty. So I I really don't I don't have a dog in the fight and well it was a hot take. He's he's been uh he's been a um he's been indicted in the in the public eye but you know so guilty not guilty I say not guilty until proven guilty that's what uh that's my take because I it's there's so many moving parts of that story and the and the other stories that come out and and that attorney is a he gathers up women and and gets all these women to tell these stories about men and it's just like huh? Like where are you finding these women?

SPEAKER_00 1:28:47

Where where there's some smoke is some fire. Now it may not be all everybody in there lighting a match but that's what I'm saying.

SPEAKER_03 1:28:56

Like when you come with 50 people it's a little less believable for me.

SPEAKER_00 1:29:00

I don't know I just well but they but there are serial rapists and serials but that's what I'm saying. So I do I I do not believe he's innocent. Now whether or not he's guilty in a court of law that's different. But do I believe that he's innocent? Do I believe that he was slipping and sliding? Yes.

SPEAKER_03 1:29:20

Because first of all when you talk about his uh when you talk about his fiancé I mean money talks and BS walks I mean shit I mean like that was the I mean yeah because you knew he did something he did something he done done something he didn't where he cheated with you where where he cheated on you. But 50 people uh that's the part that where I'm saying like yeah that's a lot yeah so I don't know how we got on that but well it was a it was well yeah well it was just my last question for the night no I'm just you meant you mentioned the shot why don't I got on it yeah how we got on it was me bringing up Cleveland that's right that's right yes no I know I know but yeah so um this has been great it's been great catching up with you and getting back to talking about sports I uh you know I love to talk about numbers I love to talk about sports but I light up when I talk about sports yeah sometimes numbers is tough so um glad to be back so everybody be excited this is the first episode of season two we are back we can't wait to bring you more exciting news and hot takes and let us know what you want to hear let us you know let us know what topics you want us to cover and if you have questions that we covered today or didn't cover you know the topics that you want us to cover let us know thanks again for spending some time with us this has been another episode of Auntie's Talk Sports if you enjoyed today's conversation be sure to like comment subscribe and share the show with your fellow sports fans it really helps us grow our community have a question a hot take or a topic you'd like us to cover? We would love to hear from you. Email us at auntistalsports at gmail.com or connect with us on social media at AuntistalkSports. Auntie's Talk Sports is a podcast hosted by Jennifer Bright and KB Gaston. Find us on socials at JBright713 and at KB Gaston. Auntie's Talk Sports is recorded in Detroit and produced by Danerco at Danerco on Socials. Thanks again for listening until next time two Aunties two mics all gay