Draymond Green Show - Lisa Leslie

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defense like a relationship, you know. I think you have to be accountable and you can't just talk about it, even though communication is key, right, So to that first line is that communication in the back the same thing that you do. You know, you're back there directing traffic.

But we also, because we have high IQ for basketball, that anticipation of what's coming next, and that starts with our scouting reports, right we understand what's going to be happening, understanding what their offenses and what they're looking for, and then anticipating what they want to do and trying to

take that away. But at the end of the day, when I was at the five or at the four, that rotation and coming across blocking somebody shot, like I live for that, where my guards know that they can play up and you know that I'm going to be there. Like if we do it ten times, ten times, I'm rotating and I'm there, And I think that is the selflessness of defense. It's really a part of it is pride because you have to take it upon yourself that I'm coming with this effort every single time. It doesn't

matter what the results are. I'm coming back. Like you're gonna know when you played me, you was in a battle, whether you won or lost. I want a whole lot. But the battle is like like damn, I just you might circle me on your calendar because you played against me, but you also are like dam him, you better be thinking about that shot you're trying to get off, you know what I mean. And I feel like the consistency

of that is just what I look like. I feel like the pressure is on the person with the ball, right like when we talked of offense, like I felt like my offense was amazing, but my defense is like I don't have the pressure with the ball. You have the ball. You got to try to figure out how to get in this basket. And as low as far as I'm there, like I'm really gonna be reliable, and I think that's the relationship right.

to those guys and they start laughing. I never yearned for that, Like I never yearned to be the guy in the NBA that has to go score every night, that has to do I think that comes with a totally different mindset, but also a totally different pressure.

was a single she was a single mom. I have two I had well, I have three sisters, but at that time, it was just my older sister and I and we both had our own room. Like I'm like, bro, we got our own room. We live in a three bedroom house. Now that I understand, square foot now big. It was probably not, but that's saying a lot. So I felt like in the situation I was in, I felt very blessed. Like my mom was a very hard worker, and that is probably what I saw most Like my

mom would at that time. First, when I was young, she would carry mail, so she was a mail carrier. She'd get up at five thirty, she would get dressed in her uniform, and then she would leave me who was I probably was kindergarten. My older sisters five years older than me, so she would go to element school on her own and I stayed in the house like dreamine. I was like four years old in the house with the key around my neck. I was a latchky kid,

and my mom would turn on the TV. She leave me like food out and she was like when this show comes on, and she had to take one day off to show me when this show comes on. Then you turn the TV off, you go out, you lock the door, knocked on a neighbor's door across the street, and then you walk to school at eleven o'clock. Eleven o'clock because school started at eleven thirty. For a kid who went half day, that was it. So it was kind of like I've been having I've had to be responsible,

like from day one. That's all I know. Is like so it's discipline, it's focused. It's like, don't turn the channel. Now, imagine if I was not a good listener and I turned the channel, BRO probably would have never made it to school because I wouldn't have known what channel. So I never changed the channel. I had to wait for the show, you know, turn the TV off, lock the door. And I felt like just from day one and Compton, it was just kind of is it was survival, you

know what I mean? And sometimes I feel like just those survival skills and yes it was a kid and it was the streets, but it's still an opportunity to survive, live, figure out what we're gonna eat. Then my mom became a truck driver, which then with my mom leaving, there's three girls now, so my older sister, I'm the middle now and I have a younger sister. We got to figure it out, like what are we eating. We did have an opair or a housekeeper. Someone was there, but

it wasn't that great. You know, it wasn't my mom, So who's going to look out for us?

cook and clean up. Or we can head out to Cabo, you know what I mean. We can go to Paris, we can go to the best of the best. But either way from me, Compton just taught me that you know, you love people. I love people. I meet people where they are. I have very low expectations, you know, so I don't disappoint myself with how people show up. But I try to show up and just be a consistent person that I just love people and meet where they are. And everybody's not the same. We're not all the same.

We have different backgrounds, so therefore our personalities are different how we buy. But I find myself that I can adapt in any situation. And that's really I think what Compton taught me.

asked that question, because that's always one of my biggest fears. Obviously, you know how we travel when we're on you know, when we're doing this job, and how much time you miss, and that's always one of my biggest fears.

taking care of my younger sister. I kind of didn't know what that meant, you know, but I understood that my mom was trying to say, I got to do what I got to do in order for us to be able to survive, in order for us to be able to pay these bills, which means I need for you girls to step up and help me and help each other. And so it was pretty much that conversation I never really forget because I knew that my mom was trying to ask us to be a village, to

be a support group to one another. And from that moment on, I just stepped into a different role, which was a motherhood I ended up raising my younger sister, who's eight years younger than me. I ended up I mean from that day on, I mean from changing diapers to walking her to school first and then me going to school and then picking her up from school. Just every game I had, I have to leave school go

get my sisters. She was in the stands while I was playing and I'd be like it'd be a time out, and I'm like sit down, you know, I'm like, you know, just mothering her. She was always on the bus when our team went to away games, Like I really had a child, you know, from eight years on, eight years old up until I actually sent her to college. You know. So I think that level of responsibility again, it's hard work, it's discipline. It's when I got to go play basketball.

That was like my relief, you know, from real life of being a mom. Really at twelve thirteen, fourteen thirteen, I'm taking care of a kid, you know, that type of mindset for me. Basketball was the outlet for me to just say, bro, I get to go play, Like what are we doing out here? You know, like let's go. And so I really focused on basketball and put like

my heart. I was like married to ball. I always say I was married to basketball because that was just my outlet from like real life, you know, ups and downs, like we have we got three dollars. I got to feed my sister, you know, like I'm gonna get her some French fries, and you know, the fish market was up the street to the corner, Like we got French fries and she got some ketchup and I just sit there and it's a piece of fish and watch her eat. And if she didn't, you know, she got full, there

was something left. I would eat the recks, you know. So it was like sacrifice in a way that I was just always a really perful kid. That's what I could just tell you that really saved me is just I was just always praying, like Lord, just I just know that you got something, something more than this situation where we are, And if my working hard can help get us to anything better, then that's what I'm gonna do. I'm the one. I'm the chosen one who's gonna work

double time. And my older my younger sister, which is kind of funny because she would always say, you seem like you were just so serious, and I'm like, girl, you have no idea, the amount of pressure I'm under trying to figure out what you're gonna eat, you know what I mean, or when you gotta go to bed, or giving you a bath, like I was really being a mom, you know at fourteen. It's really crazy, but all work a sacrifice.

I always try to throw myself into that fire. And throwing myself into that fire, there's days where I'm like, it's too much, Like all of these things come together, it's way too much when you ultimately made that decision.

Because I as someone who's kind of building another career for after basketball while playing basketball, not playing basketball as scary as hell, and to make that decision when you didn't have to make that decision but solely based on I want to be great at these things also, and this isn't allowing me to do that. What was it like transitioning to the other side of saying, you know what, I am wrapping it up, I am done and I'm

moving on. Like, did you face that fear of what was on the other side of basketball like a lot of us do.

gift my ability to go out and speak and hopefully inspire. Right, So I think I always had these other things that I was prepared to do in preparing to do, whereas I always looked at you know, in men's basketball, I feel like you guys have the freedom to just like focus on ball, like day in day out, that's what you're going to do because the compensation level can you can you can retire and you can you don't have to work. Obviously, it's hard to just stop and not

do anything and not have that fire fulfilled. So I think that's important to do something else like this broadcasting, having to show all the many things that you're doing. You know, when you do retire, it's important. But you didn't have to necessarily think about those things until like now, you know what I mean, because you know, like, hey, how many more years are you going to play? I don't know, but I'm saying you know that you're closer

to that. For us as women, we are like always like, just in case this doesn't work out, this is what I'm gonna do. And you got to think I'm from the error now where the WNBA did not exist. So most of the women and went overseas. Every year I went overseas, I played in Italy for a season, and then when I came back, I was working for ESPN,

I was doing the Women's tournament. I was just working, working, working, working, Murking then, like I said, I was modeling, So I had already created the idea that I had other careers and outlets. So I just feel like basketball for me was that one tool that was going to give me the freedom but also the opportunity to reach these other goals that I have. And I think it's important for

all athletes to think about those things. And now that we have so much more access right than the social media brings us together with the world with our ideas as entrepreneurs. Times have changed, but I always had that entrepreneurs spirit from the time I was at USC because I'm like, I don't even know that I'm going to play basketball, Like I really thought I was done with basketball after the Olympics, Like I was. I thought, you played one Olympics, tiring, you know, then I'm gonna go

do I mean, I really thought I was retired. So then they said they're gonna start the WNBA, and I'm like, oh, okay, that's like a summer league. Okay, that's cool. I'll just I can come back to the LA and play in the summer. I thought we were gonna wear like reversible jerseys playing like Long Beach State or something like. I didn't understand the impact of what the WNBA was gonna be.

So I love it for these young girls now, young women, it's amazing, Like I'm so in love with you know, Angel Rees and Kaitlyn Clark and just all of these women do are having the opportunity to have a platform that's being watched, to have the nil deals. Like, I'm just I'm so happy for them because we always have had the personalities, you know, whether it's you know, obviously our looks were different. We didn't really have, you know, all the lashes and everything because we didn't have access

to those things. But I just love where the game has gone and the opportunities that these young women are getting. I love it.

think it's very interesting. But something you just said brings me to my next question, which is you said, all right, this is summer league, and I actually had.

back down to eleven. So when you have eleven, but you're holding the spot for three or four players that are still overseas, even if it's not Americans, it could be foreign players that you've drafted, you're kind of you're you're you're kind of in a tough there. So that's the first part, and then how long the season can go. There's always going to be that tough competition, whether it's

the NFL getting started, television time is really important. But I think I don't know that I have the answers, but I do think that that need to be something they could consider, is to continue to try to stretch it out on both ends. Start a little bit earlier if you can get those players back from overseas, and

then maybe trying to extend it a little bit. But it comes down to as we know, money, TV time, those spots you start getting up against, you know, Baseball World Series, and then at the beginning of the NFL, which is tough. You know, we watch preseason football. I think those are the areas that really again depending on where people get their their game from. But I believe it was this wasn't that you and I actually talked about with Lebron, Like the finals fell on on Big Sports Day.

and they're building. They're building, and they're getting better, and they're further along than where we were when we started in nineteen ninety seven.

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Like if it's just built on TV time with ESPN, tn T, obviously things get a little tougher. But if you can now get some of these streaming platforms and make that a part of the deal, which I personally think that that's going to happen with the NBA deal, Like I think you'll probably see some different packages or whatnot, and like maybe Netflix has something, maybe Apple TV has

some of it. But I think that will be possibly an avenue depending on what happens with the NBA deal, that the WNBA can explore because the problem that you run into with a lot of these these streaming platforms, is or do they have the capabilities of having a million people watching the same live event at the same time. And I think that's starting to be created with WWE and n NBA, So I think that may.

we used to. We had and I don't even remember if it was like Lifetime or something, but it was like catch a WNBA every Tuesday and Thursday on Lifetime. Let's just say that's what the advertise. Whatever it was, it was very consistent, so people knew, oh, we got to get a lifetime we got to catch them. The thing that I think we've over promoted, like we used to say we got next that was that was huge. We should have said what we got next for twenty

five years, because we come after the NBA. That's catchy. I couldn't tell you what the WNBAS catchphrase is. Now I don't know what it is, and so I feel like the importance of being consistent. Consistency is really important because NBA, I love this game. We heard for fifty years. We understood that that's a part of it. I think the consistency is important of where you can find the WNBA.

I believe that the followers of the WNBA and through social media, people will find them if it was consistent, not just I got to search it up and say, oh today they are on Hulu. Oh, but now I got to have Apple Plus and then I also over here got to have Hulu. That's a lot, and especially on some of our devices where you may have a subscription to one, but you may not have a subscription

to all three. So I think finding the consistency in that is just as important as having that opportunity to have the WNBA streaming life somewhere wherever that is.

and then stay with it. It's okay to repeat the same marketing for a few years so that people get the habits of it. You know, we just changed so quick. Every year somebody's got a new marketing job for the WBA. It's like last year. We don't have that consistency. So I think that's something I would suggest for them.

I love to work. That's not a problem. I think the hard part was that I'm still so I was still so familiar with all the players there, and I think you need a break of like, you know, I could come in and maybe the new generation have that offer tunity, But I feel like, you know, I can't go back to the Sparks and coach Candace, who was my teammate, you know what I mean, Like that's my girl, but it's like she would just we're too close for it to really be I think a coach player relationship.

So I think over time it would be better to coach team players, Like like now, I think we're kind of finally at the you know, Candace may be finishing up in a year or two, you know, Neked like all the girls at Cheney, people that I'm like really close with and have relationships with. I think it would be better when you have groups that you don't have those types of relationship with so you can just have

a clean slate. But I've never really been approached about coaching a WNBA team, to be really honest with you, not that I've even thought of it, thought about it, or applied for it. But I really enjoy coaching the men. I have a good time. And I don't know that it is just because they're men, but I enjoy coaching in the victory. I guess I should say the hard parts about coaching though. Coaching is a lot. Man, it's

a lot. I mean, you take it home. I mean I can't stand losing, and I don't like when you're at a professional level and you need to be motivated

to do your job. Like that's probably the biggest part that I didn't really understand, And I think when I looked at my teammates, I kind of was like, as a leader, like y'all, let's go, like we're gonna run the lines, like don't cut the line, you know what I'm saying, Touch the line, Like I've always been that kind of player, Like don't cut corners because if you cut corners now, we're not going to deserve to win

in the end, you know what I'm saying. Like whether we're on the track, we're on the weight room, don't be a player who's late, like be fifteen minutes early. Like I'm just that kind of person where the efficiency of how we train affects everything to me. So I'm like, we it's already hard, let's not add to it. Let's not cut corners and then expect the best, you know, and so being that you know, you know, you're a champion. It's just it's just the it's the nature of it.

And so I have a really hard time trying to motivate people to do something that you should be passionate about, you should love, you should be seeing that it is an honor to be able to play this sport because you could get hurt at any time and not be able to play. So to me, it's like respect the game. And I have a hard time with like babysitting people and just trying to I don't know, I'm just I'm not built like that. So it's that's the difficult part

for me, you know. I think it's one thing where you talk about like high school kids, everybody you know, some people sign up. You got to pick the best people you have at the school, every kid's not that, like that's not their dream. But they may be athletic enough to make a team. Okay, but you're talking about top tier, you're talking about a professional.

not want to go out tonight. Like I shouldn't have to explain those things to you because my hard work is a part of what we're trying to build here, and I need everybody. We need everybody to win, you know. That's the that's the hard part. So coaching for me, I'm like, I cannot motivate you to want to win, Like that's all that I know. I'm so bad, Like it's space I'm just way with everything though, space Bag

and whatever we're playing. Bro Domino's like you don't want to see me in nothing tongue whatever it is, like, I am playing to win. Don't sit down at the table with me if you try to, like, what are we doing? I don't like people who just want to play for fun. Don't come to my table.

girl got no fundamentals. But for the most part, like fundamentally sound. But I think and me and you have actually spoke about this a little bit before. I think some things that the WNBA do they shoot themselves in the foot, this being one of them. Like why have you not been approached the pioneer that you are in the WNBA. I think you're you. I mean, I don't think you are the first real star of the w n b A. And yet your first real star you never go back and say, hey, like do you want

to come back and coach? Like, so we can have you so close to this league because of what you know, you've seen it from the very beginning. You know all of these things, we can have you so close to this league. It's things like that that when it comes to the WNBA, I don't understand those things, like you're not helping yourself in all the ways that you can help yourself.

of us, but we don't get it right. And for whatever reason, and I don't know if it's a women's thing, I'm not sure, but we get pushed out because they're like, well, if you're here taking up the spotlight, people can't see the next one's coming. However, I'm like, well, the NBA have like seventy five one hundred like great players that come and support and it's like a it's a fraternity, right absolutely, And we don't create a sorority. And I'll tell you that from the sparks that behind the scenes

conversations the WNBA. I have tried, trust me. So it's not like it's not like I haven't tried. It's not like I haven't reached out. It's not like even when I was in LA, I'm like, there's anything that I can do. I wasn't even trying to be paid to help. But it was just one of those things where I was like, you know what, this is my last time. I'm gonna like really put myself out there to try to help and then I'm done. And that's when I was like, I'm done. I'll go coach. I can coach

in the Big Three. But I wasn't even trying to do it, like it wasn't even like a money thing, really just trying to help and lend my services, like you're saying, like to think about growing the game to be able to give back. I saw that the tenants was dropping off, you know, things like that, and so it's not that I didn't think of it or try, but I'm sure a lot of the women who are veterans of the league feel that way. And we could do a much better job as a whole of finding

ways to support veteran women players bringing them back. And I'll kid you know. I'll tell you one story. I went to go watch a practice and I was like, oh, and you can let them know if they want me to talk to the players, right, I will go after the practice and I'll talk to the players if they want drama. When I tell you, I mean, I was like, oh okay, I mean I don't know. I'm just saying of service. I'm not saying to be there to like, oh you know, I'm so it's like this is what

I did, Like that's not even my personality. But if there's some words that I can give you to motivate you to come out work hard, like man the paint, like you guys need to crash the boards. Whatever it is, Like whatever was in that moment, I would have given it to that team, just because I'm a spark for life, like I'm not just visiting y'all, Like i really care about what happens with the Purple and Gold. And they were like, no, that's okay. No he or she didn't

want you the same thing. I'm like, not a problem. And I leave it at that like that's it. So I just say that to you, not to be like a hater on the outside, but I but to confirm with you we need to do a better job as not just the league but also individual teams of how they support their veterans and bringing them back to be a part of it. And I'll tell you two programs

that do an excellent job of it. Dawn Staley does an excellent job with South Carolina and connecting her players to her other players and just creating a community that supports one another. And Gino Ariama does a very good job at Yukon that you see their returning players coming back thirty forty players. That is how you build that type of chemistry. It's a culture and I tried to even I'm glad that we're starting to see that back with USC because we had those problems before in the past.

We have a new coach and Juju is doing so amazing. I'm so proud of her, and you're starting to see other Trojans come back and support and that's what it's about. Like, if we're not building community and no, we're not pouring into one another, like a, what are we really doing? I don't know. So it's bigger in basketball to me, but we haven't completely figured that out. And I hope that we can do a better job of that in

the future because I love our sparks. I love our Sparks fans, Like every time I'm there, the people are so amazing. The ushers like got hug and you know, I just see people that you really care about, and it's just unfortunate that I didn't have that opportunity to do that because that would have.

to be a part of this family. Like I was, it was kind of down to them in Michigan, and I didn't feel like Michigan basketball was a family.

that way. But speak to me, Juju Watkins. I had the opportunity to actually work out with Juju. Well, she came to my workout maybe when she was like in the tenth grade, and like you could see the skill was there. Shoot the lights out the ball I work out. I still work out Mike who trains me. His name's Travis Walton.

she knows, she's nice. She came back to this workout again the next day. Now every day, you know, every now you look up, Juju has a game and she breaks this record. She breaking that record, She's I think she broke mind already. Like which number one says so much about you that you know, here we are thirty years later since since you left USC and she's just now breaking those records.

like Caitlin, like what's going Everybody looks at the next level. Okay, she's balling here, but what is she going to do at the next level? And it's like when you have that freshman year when you come out. I had the same thing happened after I scored one hundred one points in high school. I went to USC which was like in eleventh, tenth, eleventh place in the pack ten back then. But I was like, I want to do something different. I didn't want to just go to Tennessee where everybody

was winning championships. I wanted to start something new. And I feel like Juju had that same mindset of like I want to bring it back here to La sc was okay, she made s C like you take it back up to the top. And I feel like that is a big deal in itself when you talk about that challenge, when you take on the challenge to turn around a program. That's what Juju Wakers is basically doing for LA, like putting SC back on the map. And we've had some great players out of SC like for real.

So you know, I love that her handle is like Juju b balling if you want to hit her on Instagram because every time I'm like Juju be balling, like she really is a baller, and it's like she's so LA, which is also a lot of people go to LA, but a lot of people are not from LA, but those of us is like from LA. It's a certain kind of dog in us. It's just like she really from LA, Like you know, like Tina Thompson is really from LA. Cynthia Cooper is like really from LA, like

we are. It's something about like our motor and the way we think, like you're just not gonna outwork us and outplay us. We may lose some stuff, but you gonna know you was in a battle. And I see that in Juju, like she's just when she needs to put the team on her back. The team is on her back, but watching her play like she's not selfish with it, you know, she's not like over dribbling and

keeping it like she's very unselfish. She's a great passer, rebounder, but her ability to shoot the ball is just it's next level. And I feel like that is like the effect of what your teammate Steph Curry has done for the game has just been It was almost one of those things when I played in the post, and I'm like, if I didn't have an outlet, I'm gonna take the ball up, Like I can bring the ball up, I can push it up. I'm a five, but I can

play four. I used to tell my team, is I only play this position because y'all need me to play this position. I can play any position, right, So that's how I used to think. But I feel like the coach would be like make the outlet pass and get on the rock. Like you know, coaches used to coaches in a way like you had a certain spot to be in or position, But now we're moving to more of a European style where it's positionless. Right, your four

can pull it up. The four can bring it up and actually run the play, call the play, get you into your motion, the same thing that you do. They do in the World Women's Game, where it was very seldom was I allowed to do that. I did it at sc sum, but as a pro, very seldom did I do that. Like fall a play. It was like pass it and get you know, get down to the

block or get to your spot. I love that Staph has changed the game where people never really thought that you were even in shooting range when you crossed the half court, like we had a few players like in Nate Ruthie Bolton, which people probably wouldn't remember to shoot shoot Ruthi across half court and be in that range like Steph, but she didn't get the publicity and didn't have this stage like we have. But Ruthie could shoot long range consistently. Where we were like Ruthie, we used

to laugh, like where is your range? She's like, Hey, as long as I see the basket, I'm in range. You know she would say that. But I'm like, now we see these players that he's opened the game in a way that you are not out of your range shooting. I don't even what is the fee forty four feet like forty five. Like, Bro, they are so far out, and I love that Juju has that long range shot. Just to get back to me saying she has that long range, she's in her range wherever she is getting

to the basket to pull up like. They are true students of the game, and we can see that in their game. Like the way that they play, you can tell that they've studied the game. And that's what I love. I'm passionate about people who are like Bro. If I was in this era, I would be even better than what I was in my era because I can see the game differently.

and the talents continue to get better. So bight on, I got my burnery on.

she's a freshman in college. I think the biggest test first would be the USA team because how she would manage with those pros would then tell you if she could truly play in the w NBA. I think it's I think we're getting to that point now. I don't think that Juju could get out there and not be effected. But also it's kind of that same thing, the body, the the the physicality of it. It changes a lot defense.

You know, you may be strong offensively, but how's your defense because you got you know, you got some ballers to guard in the WNBA. Also, so a lot of times the rookie year for guards is actually harder than it is for the post. I find that all of the guards, if we like went back in time and you look at like number one pick guards their first years in the it's not like all star years. They really struggle because you be indeed up in a way like I got you and I don't need to go

help nobody else, you know what I mean. Whereas college college is saw of that system. You know, you got that rotation. Sometimes the coaches just like stay on her, like she's not getting off today. That's that's the decision of the coach, which means, I'm on you. How you gonna get the buckets that you're used to getting when I'm staying with you, and we have defenders like that and coaches that make those types of decisions. So I think that for the guards, they struggle a little bit.

But could Juju go into the WNBA and just be like solid? I think so, I really do. I think she could. Should they change the rooms? I don't know about that, but I think she. I think she'd have success.

For every Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, there's there was also uh, I'm Melvin Eally or I'm under Butcher this name, but e b NB or his name was something that like you also have some of those guys as well, more of those guys than you necessarily do the Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett who's actually able to figure it out.

you had that dip happens there. The other thing is just the overall sheer heart of these veterans that have that defensive mindset to like, oh, you not about to come in here and bus be up, you know what I mean. That's how we used to be, like, oh, it's a rookie, not on my wives, like not today, you know what I mean. You might have a good game somewhere else, but you're not about to have it.

So I don't know how many dogs we have like that in the w BA. I don't know about the defense, but I know when we played like if I told Swoops, if you saw any guard that was coming in like our USA team, I could speak to probably more, but I'm like Swoops was like Swoops the defense there, Nickie McCrae, the defense like you not gonna see the light of day because we had certain people that was just defense

on guards. You're not gonna have a chance, Ruthie Bolden, You're not gonna have a chance to get what you've ever gotten in college. You know we had that post. Same thing with me. It's like, no, today's is I'm about to take a whole It's a full clinic. You know my footwork, let's right underneath spind move, it doesn't matter.

Fade away, like you can't stop all of this. So I feel like it depends on how the players in a WNBA take on that grit and that idea that you are Orkie coming in here and today you're not gonna have the kind of game that you're used to. That's going to be the biggest decision on how and if I think Kayln Clark will have major success in the WNBA. I think she will because her range is one of those things. It's just like Steph you can get on him, but the fact that his range is limitless.

Not everybody can play defense starting at half court and really maintain the movement that they have and still guard them and their range. And there's the six seconds that it takes for them to get the show up late. It's not even six seconds. What is it a point?

gotta like we live waits every day. I lived waits before her pretty much every day and after games because your body is like our season is too short. It's a game, you know, it's a game every other day. You have to stay in the weight room. And then her food, you know. I used to make her oatmeal and make her stuff and like she lived. I don't know if we lived in the same building for a little while, yeah we did, so I would like make her oatmeal and just trying to, you know, be a mentor.

I think more than anything else, of just to be a pro is different from college because everything is not given to you. It's like you have to start to make choices. So I think the biggest impact that I had on Candids and I guess you probably have to ask care about just trying to be more of a mentor of like this process as a rookie, you got to learn to respect everybody you know, and she's like, KENNI is hilarious. Though She's like, who's that other girl.

I'm like, that's one of our teammates. And she's like, I don't understand why she's trying to tell me what to do, Like she don't even play, and I'm like, Cann, this is no baby, no you can't. It doesn't work like that. It's like she's watching us play. So she has valuable information that can be helpful to us, you know. So it's like be open to everybody. You can learn

from anybody. And she's an amazing veteran and a person that I trust, Like you could you could like when I get subbed out, I would go sit, you know, and I'm asking different teamates what y'all see? Like what could I do?

was like, girl, I was a mess. I was like, I just couldn't believe her mindset of like her the teammates. But I get it that you see them here and they don't play a lot, you don't recognize that to respect their voice and that is still important. And so those are probably our early, you know, our few years. I feel like I wish we had more time together, but I had already had my daughter, and I was just the pull of motherhood was just bigger than me really trying to stay and figure out how we could

just like win championships together. I had to go, you know, But I loved it. I loved it, and I love Candice absolutely.

you know what I mean? Like, there was a time where I was like, you don't want to see me, you know what I mean? But then it's like there's lows to it. Then I had like a hamstring injury. Then there's a year where I think Swoops and I were you know, we were battling back and forth. She won and I won. We'd win every other year, and you know, so I think it's just we we gave it our all. That's really what I could say. I gave it my all. I did the best that I

could do with the resources that we had. And it's just I never think about ranking this because there's so I mean, Diana to Rosie is an amazing player. I wouldn't want to leave the country, you know without Swoop Swoops is an amazing player. I feel like I feel like they wouldn't want to leave without me, you know what I mean, like to like get it done, like the level of like heart and fight that it takes and just showing up every day, whether it was practice

or a game. Like there's there's not that many players, but you know what Maya Moore was was amazing and I never played with her. I don't think I've ever played on the team with Mayamore, you know, And I thought she was an outstanding player. So sometimes she gets left out of the conversation. And she left the game early,

yes she did, so, I mean she was. And then Breonna Stewart in Asia Asia Wilson, I mean she on fire like she's that lefty is no joke but step back like and her motor also her defense and blocking shots like she's getting better and better, and she's I mean so naka gumaka. Like there's so many players, I feel like it's just almost disrespectful. Cynthia Cooper was unstoppable, and she was at the end of her career and unstoppable. Nobody could stop Coop, not any guards that we had

out there, Like she was just a scoring machine. So I think it's kind of a I didn't even try to disrespect the players and just name you know, like my Mount Rushmore. I did that before, and I was like, oh, I don't like that.

The men supported us, which was you know, I was telling the WNBA when we had these conversations that our number one fan are the NBA players, And I was telling them way back then, like bro, they're come out and they support us, And we never really promote that, but the fact that they supported us so much, you know that they would like play ball. I would shoot before them. There could come in like Kobe. Obviously, we

we just had so much like connection. And I think the biggest thing about being in LA is that it's about winning. And every season that we didn't win, it felt like a bust.

supported us. And I know you guys are getting ready to get a women's team there, you know, in Golden State, and that's important that means a lot, and it doesn't have to be, you know, anything big, but it is that support is it goes a long way, and we see that and I'll never forget that. And I always loved the way the Doctor Bus made the Sparks feel and Johnny Buss and the Bus family in general just

not giving us. You know, it wasn't it didn't feel like it was like this this little team that they're just investing in or a tax write off. Like he was serious, like they wanted to win championships.

You know, we were trying to make our way. But what happened with Stephan Sabrina was like that was like the stamp of like bro, the fact that she came out first of all they were sitting around forever. I was like, oh my god, this could either go really well or this can go bad, just because you know how hard it is, just like shooting, not get a full warm up, like, bro, you got fifteen seconds, Like

it's impossible. It's impossible. She came out and shot the heck out of that ball from the NBA line, like and she it was smooth too. It's not forced. You know, she don't have like a hitchy shot, like a shot look beautiful. And I was just like she was like, go in you. I wanted her to make every shot. So the fact that she got the twenty six I was telling my husband, I said, you know what's crazy.

She's not just shooting against stuff. She's really shooting against the whole three point contest because no matter what her number is, you're gonna compare it to all of those men, not just.

just affected. You guys are like verbally so supportive of us. It really means the world. I don't know if the players that are like these young players now if they recognize the importance of it. Maybe they do, maybe they don't,

but I certainly do. It doesn't go unnoticed because it's validation for our hard work, you know, in the same hours of just the grind of getting up, shooting balls, running on the track, lifting weights, the blood, sweat, tears, that it takes, the sacrifice from your family, missing holidays,

Like it's all the same. The game is not that I'm not trying to say our game is all the same all that, but I'm just saying it's the same level of sacrifice in terms of your time as an individual, just trying to give everything you can to this sport, to hone your craft. And so with that, to have you guys like really be so supportive, to see Sabrina out there and to score twenty six points, it was

like so solid, so amazing. And then I thought it was also great that Steph won, though, because he really is the greatest shooter that we've ever seen, like ever, And I don't like the fact that people like just can't say that, like Bro, nobody ever has shot the ball as great as that man shoots the ball consistently across this game for years, nobody, And I just I don't like that we don't give people they flowers, like

the way that they deserve sometime. And I actually was happy that he was able to win because it's like Bro's he's the key, but she shot that ball.

Like I talk to him just as much as as my wife and him talk, you know, And it's like, I think that needs to be more normal. I think like it's lost so often when like relationships fail and then it comes in between the kids and the relationship and the parents.

best you know, co parent And that's awesome. Dremn. Yeah, that's awesome. Thanks for sharing that.