Bright lights, centre court, multimillion dollar contracts and adoring fans. That’s what most of us imagine when we think of the world of professional athletes. But what is the story behind the images? What does the road to stardom look like? What does it take to get there? Who better to answer these questions and many more, than the moms who were there every step of the way.“Court-Side Moms” is the first of its kind to focus solely on the experiences of professional basketball player’s mothers, giving us a new perspective on the lives of some of our favorite athletes. We explore the thoughts, feelings and experiences of those moms who have watched their children join the elite world of pro sports. The joys, the challenges, the heart aches, the big and small moments that transformed their lives and those of their children. No one understands this better than Wendy Sparks, the mother of Toronto Raptors Center, Khem Birch and the host of Court-side Moms. Wendy will sit down with other basketball moms to hear their stories, creating the first platform for moms to kick back and chat about their kids, and to discuss the reality of raising high performance athletes.
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Sarah Collier, mom of Minnesota Lynx WNBA star Napheesa Collier joins CSM. A standout at UCONN, drafted sixth overall, Sarah shares what it took to get there, the inequities between the WNBA and NBA and how it reflects on society as a whole. She talks openly about her daughter's life-her new podcast her recent engagement and what’s to come. Sarah shares what it’s like being part of a bi-racial marriage how the BLM has elevated important issues to the forefront and her fears and hopes for the fut...
Our guest today is Dr. Lydecia Holmes, an anointed teacher, author, playwright and the founder of "Women Destined for Greatness", a women's group which she ministers to. She is also the court-side mom of Richaun Holmes, 6’10” Centre for the Sacramento Kings. Dr. Holmes gives us a glimpse into the childhood of Richaun and what life was like raising four sons. Richaun, an extremely competitive child, excelled at both basketball and bowling most likely making him the only NBA player to ever have to...
Today Court-Side Moms, along with new co-host Stephanie Folahan, welcomes Daynia La-Force, a former American women's basketball coach and player with the Georgetown Hoyas and mom of Terance Mann of the L.A. Clippers Coming from the perspective of both a mother and player/coach, Daynia tells us about the challenges she faced and what it felt like to miss big moments in her son’s life because of the commitment to her team. One of her favorite topics is her son Terance and we hear how, from an earl...
The Portland Trail Blazers were on fire during their time in the NBA bubble and no one was more exciting to watch than point guard Damian Lillard. Court-Side Moms, joined by guest co-host, Amanda Mina, is excited to welcome Damian’s mom, Gina Johnson, to today’s episode. After being named NBA Bubble MVP, a season ending injury put Damian on the bench and Gina talks about how they are coping with the many ups and downs of the past few months. It takes a village - many of Damian’s family moved wit...
“Andre is a person (who) does his homework, when he commits to something, he is committed whole heartedly” so says Linda J. Shanklin, mother to 3 time NBA Champion and All-Star Andre Iguodala currently of the Miami Heat. In front of the “more than an athlete” movement since his early days he is now not only an athlete, but an entrepreneur, an investor, and a three time NBA Champion with “the Cinderella” Golden State Warriors.
Fred VanVleet heard three words from his agent on the night he went undrafted - “Bet on Yourself”. We are excited to welcome our first Toronto Raptor mom, Susan Danforth, who tells us Fred’s story and how these three words helped motivate him to where he is today and why this is only the beginning. From his early days and the tragedies he faced as a young child, losing his dad at age 5, to the night of June 13 2019 when the Raptors won the NBA championship, Sue shares what it’s been like raising...
Host Wendy sparks reflects on how Court-side Moms was started, the friendships she has made along the way, what it means to be the mother of two young black men, and the importance of “Black Lives Matter” in this in depth and personal season finale.
In this week's episode with Michelle Riddick, mom of Golden State Warriors Damion Lee, we hear about Damion’s story. A loving, compassionate and kind boy, Damion often credits his mom and his family for the man he has become. Michelle talks about the life lessons she instilled in her son growing up and the positive influences that surrounded him, including their strong faith in God. We hear how basketball became a refuge for Damion during the difficult times in his life, his journey to the NBA, ...
On today’s episode we are joined by Michelle Riddick mom of Golden State Warriors Damion Lee. Given the events of this past week, Wendy and Michelle talk about racial injustice and the impact of the Black Lives Matter movement. In an open and honest conversation they share what it feels like to be black in today’s society, the fear and anxiety that exists just living day to day and the feeling we are on the cusp of a changing world, with the millions of protesters worldwide fighting for racial j...
(PART 2) When her son was baptized, Iris James remembers something miraculous happened and she had a feeling that he was destined to do something special. Evan Turner, small forward with the Minnesota Timberwolves, certainly fulfilled that prophecy and today Evan’s mom, Iris, joins us to talk about him and his incredible journey. As a young child Evan faced many health issues. He fought back, worked hard and persevered and in his junior year at Ohio State he won every national player of the year...
