Greatest WNBA Players with Mo Welch

I mean we were we were watching. We were in a group viewing setting last night, and you had some you had some bangers, then you had some duds too. You can't have the bangers are bangers because you got to say the duds and you learn from every day, don't know. I feel like they were I feel like I was back in a thousand last night. Well, welcome to the Greatest. Thank you guys for tuning in. We

have another great episode for you. Here. I'm there and we are joined by one of our best friends, friends, oldest friends, comedian writer Mo Welch. Thanks for having me, guys, Actually genuinely very excited to be on this podcast. Yeah, yeah, we do every week. Yes, there was, Yeah, there was a childcare situation, busy being a mother and she could I mean She's done two podcasts so far, and she could, but I have to stand up and it's just like, yeah,

that's She's on Sabrina's and Atlanta Johnson's. Okay, does seem like so she she only does Canadian, Yeah, exclusively Canadian, even though she watches so much basketball. Yeah, like I've had it on the entire Well, first of all, I played when I was pregnant. Yeah, but when you were pregnant, yeah, up to the second trimester. Oh my god, I didn't know that. Yeah. I took an offensive foul on the last day with my first trimester and Sam was like,

you're out. And when you're playing in the women's league or the yeah, yeah, she plays in every I coach. You're one team for a couple of games, and then coach, and then you're on and then you're on my team the next seven? Yeah, seven? And are you qualified to be a we meant to basketball? I mean, I was feeling in for Brianna Baker, who is another friend of ours,

but I mean it was like, she just plays. I don't know if she coaches, and she's like, you can do it, and I went and I was like saying things on the sideline, but I don't think anyone's listening, and well it's all about like the you know yes, and like a bunch of girls don't want to hear like a guy coming and be like okay, so you see it's like yeah, we're here. Yeah, was like for some reason, it's really weird. The hottest girl, the best player.

So I'm gonna play her the whole time, and then I'm also going to need to get her phone numbers and then we can talk after the game about plays and prises. I mean, that's a good that's a good transition into you met your wife from that from that basketball league. Yeah, well we didn't meet from um, we we met bowling straight sorry another straight and the yeah exactly. Um, but she was like, oh hey, Like her first line to me was like I think I know you from

the basketball league because there's a women's basketball league. But she did follow me on Twitter too, and then after that night she unfollowed me to follow me back like a week later. Yeah, that was the whole tactic. Yeah, but did know that, Yeah, yeah, I didn't know that. But then her our second date, we went to this restaurant in West Hollywood, and I was like I have to leave because she's like, do you want to hang out for this? I was like, I actually have a

basketball game after and she's like oh. She was like kind of bummed. And we were also drinking, but it was she was kind of bummed. And then I was like, do you want to go? And she's like yes, And that was the team that I was on with you, and then she just went watched. She went and watched. She met c J. Yes, this is this girl is really cool. I was like, she was only supporter. Yeah, it was really Yeah. She was like, you those are cool movies you did out there. I'm like, whoa, someone

is giving me confidence about basketball. Yeah, she said that c J like when he plays basketball, it's like he's dancing because he does moves into the lane. Okay, I she's caught me. In my later years, I've actually been banned from going to watch I've seen you at one of the games. That was the last one. Yeah, you guys beat us in the championship? Is that why? And I went to a game before that. That was the second one I went to. The first one I went

to A man had to go to the emergency room. Yeah, and they lost and so c J was just like, I don't think I did not say that she offered would you ever would you ever have that with with Sam if you felt like the coincidence that she was there every time you guys lost. She's been to so many games, and I will say that that Jim is so stinky. Yeah that like if there's been one game, like Sam will go in and she's like, I can't stay the whole time. She's like, oh yeah, she's not

shy about it either. She's just like everyone here smells Yeah, it's a new gym. Now, oh it is you p K. My teammate is now a commissioner. That is so funny. I did not know the new gym that has the same not the same exact, but it looks like the Lakers looks like Staples. It's incredible. Are you not you're not playing? I'm going to now, Yeah, I'm gonna get a team together. I've thought about getting a co ed team together for that league because I know some some

women who can take. But I mean, you've been hanging in even playing basketball recreationally. I mean you're maybe like my first friend who was like, yeah, I think I do comedy because there's so many basketball games. Yeah, well it's yeah, I don't know how that happened, because like in Chicago, there was a pickup game that I feel like Jason Sudeikis started started and it was like an improviser's game. There was a waiting list that if someone like wanted off the list, then you got bumped in.

Where was it at Park? Yeah? And what part of that is that Southport Corridor? You played in it? Yeah? Me and Mo played in it, and our friend Namdi and West Needham. It was It's just like all a lot of the improvisers obviously had to get some stand ups in there because they because problems. Like everyone was, let's get some more out of balances. They were trying

to sweep the core. But that was maybe the first sort of semi organized game as a comedian that I played in at least Yeah, same and it just is like we're like, oh, yeah, how come I think we moved to l A maybe around the same time, and we're just like, yeah, we should have a game again. And yeah, and then c J started a game in Silver Lake. Were you guys together then? Okay? Not to It was just like I was in a different phase in my life, I was with somebody. You can't remember

who was my husband, you can't remember who. I had a bit of thought, honey, Um, I've never played in a comedian basketball game. You played growing up? I played one season growing up, and I did not score ever, didn't make a layup. Do you remember what position they put forward? I think, um, yeah, because I couldn't be point guard, I definitely was going to be center. Actually, like I do remembers, I remember fouling out multiple times having not scored any points. And then my greatest crowning

achievement was once my parents were out of town. So I was staying at another girl on my basketball team who was like my good friend, who actually is very good at basketball. Her brother was on a Michigan State final four team. So maybe I thought like, oh, i'll sleep there, I'll get a little rubbed off on me. Escially just in the home. I've gotten my braces tightened

the day before. And so I took three Thailand all and didn't eat, And in the middle of the game I puked through my hands onto the court, and as I was running out of the gym, I heard someone say her mom's out of town. So so. I Yeah, I love the cost in the stands to town. When I had the UM. Basketball was definitely my worst sport because I played softball, you know, which was like the eval into my brother's playing baseball. And I was really good. I was an all star. My dad will say I

was the best tennis player. I was athletically inclined, but basketball was like a disaster for me. I feel like basketball and soccer don't really go well together either, Like if you can if you're really good at soccer, I don't know if you're really bad at soccer to actually horrible physically demanding. I feel like in basketball you can kind of like if you're tired, you can like hide in the corner, but soccer is just like you have

to run it all. You're running all the time. And I always like when I subbed into WRED games in college and soccer, I was like I would always put my hand up. It's like a handball all the time. I'm just like kind of let me do a crossover. You know, my dad still plays basketball. He's sixty four years old. My dad is like a very intense loves basketball. I just forgot Yeah, when we were there over over. I can't remember when we go there. Oh, during your shower,

your wedding shower. Me and your dad went to the gym and I had that terrible ankle injury a few months ago, and I was like midway through the recovery and he was like, we're gonna go play basketball. And we played and he was like, you're fine. He's like, we're just shooting jumpers, old Jeff Gay. And also he is good. He he I was beating him at horse

but he was like, all right, I gotta go lift weights. Um. And then also as we were walking, as we were walking into the complex, we he stopped at the front door and he looks at me goes, let's get large. That's amazing, and it's a my I texted my friend. I was like, hey, my future dad and Lodges told me let's get large right as we walk into the gym. Yeah, he loves basketball. There's like a group in Indy that still plays and it's a lot of guys that my

brother's group with. So it's like people our age. My dad is playing with them, and it gets so annoying to my brother because they'll see my brother if he's back in town. And be like, what's up, little Gaily, And it's like, no, I'm not little. My dad is not big Gaily. We are the same age. That's not your friend, that's a father who used to coach you in basketball. But now he's like the cool guy because he's still plays. I love that he still plays. That

gives me hope, I think. So, I mean, the biggest fear of playing late to his Achilles Achilles a c L knee replacements. Hips. Yeah, I mean I did physical therapy with all those guys, just getting bunked on the head. I go like, and I have two years year. I just like, I don't go into the lane. Really, I don't rebound, but I'll pass it. So so team, the team still you'll shoot those those deep three, Yeah, I'll

shooting three. I'm just kind of like, I know, I don't want I don't want to have it polutely not. How young were you when you started playing? I mean I wasn't. I was like ten. Uh. And then when we moved to Chicago, there was like these guys played in the alley at our house. Alley yeah, and the alley yeah crazy, there's a hoop out there out there, And so I thought it was worn baskets. Yeah, yeah, I know there's like a hoop and there's like ten

hoops in every alley and Chicano. So I played in that game, and then for a long time it was like since I was twelve, I didn't go a week without playing basketball. That's like that was for a long time until you got pregnant. It was No, it's basically when I started comedy. I think I took a little break because we started a comedy. I have an ex who says that he saw us on the same day and was like, what has happened that we like appeared at the same time. We did appear at the same

time Lisa. I remember seeing Lisa do her first set at Shoebus. I remember seeing her, or at least I remember being at edge with you, and it was like a funny time in my life because I would like wear a going out top and like heels go to an open. I relate to that, not the heels, but I relate to like stopping at the mall and picking up a new shirt before the open. Yeah, that was

part of I mean. The thing is, I don't think we were that off base because knowing what I know now we still look good, like we still have a look when we're doing stand up. We just you know, back then we were going to like wet seal right. No, truly, I think still exists that I wanted the buckle, but it wasn't my mom, like you wouldn't go in there for some wease him and that was like sort of like the Western, the Western look, yes exactly, and it

was really like low rise and like really big buckles. Yeah. Actually one last question before we get into the topic for the episode, but so was there a time in your childhood where you were like, I want to make the n B A w n B A and I think I could do it? Definitely. I mean everything that I've sought out to do, I I truly am like I can do this. So I have blind confidence, like I'm not insecure in that way, like truly, like when I started comedy, I'm like I'm on SML next year,

and like I don't even do scut comedy. But like, yeah, there was a time where I was, you know, in high school that I really got into basketball and I was like I think I can do this, but did not. I mean I was not talented enough to make it. Did you start in high school? I had a weird like I was. I don't know, like I started like freshman, sophomore, and then junior year got kicked off the basketball team because I like lied about a grade. I was like,

really bad in school. Yeah, I lied about a grade and I'll never forget it. But my my basketball coach and the the athletic director in my dean all brought me into a room and they were like, you lied, and we don't want that on the team. And then the ad said you'll never play a sport here ever again. And she was a lesbian and I was just like I I could not. I mean like, I just feel like she should have known a little bit that I was, but she didn't think like looking back and I was

a goodie goodie. But I've been in instances in my adult life where like it's three on one and that's not okay to do to what at least bring your parent. You probably didn't want your mom to come, but it's like, but I didn't know it was coming three grown adults. My football coach after it was no but like after we even I even played for him, It doesn't mean he's not even my coach. He was also a counselor

at the school. He brought me in like two months before where we graduated, and he said that being funny isn't going to get you a job, isn't going to get your wife and kids. Being funny is going to get you nowhere. I'm like, why did you bring me into your office to tell me this? And now he follows me on Twitter and I was about to say, you need to have him on the police. More importantly, he's not active. He uses it to like retweet clips

of his players who go D three. Okay, Well, I don't know what the power of player is there with like coaches. I just drilled up myself. Someone was like someone did a Twitter thing about like question about this last week. That was like tweet your like a time in your childhood when someone like told you you couldn't

do it. I feel like I was raised with a lot of ambition and hope, like I believed and no one was telling me no. Strangely, but yeah, my dad said he had a guidance counselor who was like, you'll never get into Cornell, like you are a jackass. And then he got and he lived this person lived across the street and then he did get in and they're on a scholarship. Guy went to Cornell. We were talking, we were making fun of my dad yesterday. Now he's like Michael Scotty goes. You know, I went to Cornell.

I didn't even watch the show. And I know, I love your dad so much. He's like a character. He's like Ed Helms in the office in the league. Right, it's once a day that you went there. It's considered the worst IVY league. So I love that. And it was at one point voted by g Q as the biggest douche bag school in the country. Wow. But I have one of my dearest friends, Allison Leby, went there, you know, and she's really I don't know. I mean, I don't. I mean, like, I don't say I went

to Columbia College. Should Yeah, I went. I did a semester in college. No basketball team. Weird. There are people that are like, I went to Columbia, and it's like college go one step forward. We're going to need a city or back end to that title. Okay, So and then when was it? When did you really lies you weren't going to be in the w n b A. I mean I tried to play basketball. Yeah, it's going to make a comeback. Brought you here to you guys.

You guys sent a highlight clip. Hold on what hat do I have already talked to said that you can do both. I love it. Okay, Oh yeah we should. We should say that to you guys. Work together, you guys right together on good talk with Anthony Gentlemans. I bet when this comes out, we'll be back right. Your boss is a bully, not a bully. He j on Twitter today and it was really funny. But then everyone's like, we got you. I was like, no, he's famous. It

looks cool. Yeah, being bullied by a famous person. You're like, this is IMDb lifting, okay and going up? All right, So let's just get right into the episode then. So today's topic is the greatest w NBA players of all time, which is gonna be great because I feel like I know the legends pretty well, but the newer ones I feel like I need some education on a little bit. Um. So, Megan,

do you want to go first? Maybe? Yeah, And I feel like there might be some overlap, but let's not you know, we can just keep adding to the resume. I think this has started to be a trend for me. I like to do a Homer pick as my number three spot. This this gal is a freaking legend. A w n B, a m v P Rookie of the Year, four time Defensive Player of the Year, won the title in two thousand twelve finals m v P and was part of the two thousand four two thousand and eight

gold medal team played under Pat Summit at Tennessee. Played her entire fifteen year career with the Indiana Fever. Give it up for Tamika catch nice. Oh my god, I love Tamika And what's great is everybody an Indie like worships her truly, truly the Fever. When they won, it was like really really big deal. My this is like a classic. My parents, my parents were like, we went to a benefit tonight. We sat with tim because she is such a nice lady, such a nice kid. Um.

But yeah, she's beloved. She's so awesome. And as I was like doing the research for who I wanted to pick, what I thought was really cool about w NBA players, which I know is not true of NBA players. A lot of them win. Players like m v p win finals.

And then they're also incredible defensive players, like they play both sides, And that seems to be kind of the stamp and the calling card that the w n b A has over the NBA for sure, because every single person I picked was also a multiple defensive Player of the Year, which interesting. I feel like that has to do with the fundamentals when you learn, because girls learned differently than boys. Yeah, when they're playing there, there's like

not as much hero ball. Yeah, And I feel like some of these guys who were there's a lot of NBA players don't last very long becau because they're like talented or like they're built. You're like, oh, you're gonna play basketball, and they're just like, yeah, it's just gonna carry me through. And they don't learn those fundamentals because they can dunk right, and I don't need that. I'll just to be the guy who shoots threes from the corner, and they don't learn those other things, which I feel

like women basketball players do. It's also wild to just like, even as I'm reading that and and my other two choices obviously have equally if not more impressive resumes, It's like that's an incredible Like, if any male athlete had that resume, they would be not only a mega mega mega mega millionaire, they would have endorsements and they would be so famous. And Tamika Catchings played in my hometown for fifteen years, and I like barely kind of know

what she looks like, right, Yeah, that's bad. I mean, yeah, what I mean, probably more legendary than most Indiana players since who Reggie Miller maybe, I mean, and spending your whole career there, I mean, Reggie did the same. Yeah, there's another person I have on this list who also spent an entire career at a team. And that seems to kind of be a w n B A staple too, And I wonder if that's because just from a market standpoint, they're like, we gotta get people invested in players, and

you can't really move them. It's not a bad idea, right to just be like, Okay, this is like not only an incredible player, and and obviously to like play under Pat Summit at Tennessee and was an incredible college player and probably the height of her fame was in college. Strangely, yeah, yeah, the crowds at Tennessee games for sure, had more than do they play at the pacers. They they play in Banker's Life. But they you know, it's the same way

that they do for the sparks. They put like Britons down, they shut down. Yes, exactly, They're the people doing one night ers in between Yoda gigs. It's basically the w n B A. That's a very specific Midwestern comedy reference. And I don't want it to count against me. Yeah, it's really interesting too, because Indiana thinks of itself as like the birth of basketball in a lot of ways, and definitely high school basketball is so important there and I I don't know if the Fever have captured it.

I know that them winning the championship was a big deal, but it just you know it the w n b A talking about it. It's a little bitter sweet. And it's especially bittersweet now that Kobe's gone because it was like clearly such a passion of his and I think a lot of people think that he would have gone on to potentially be commissioner and really revolutionize the way

women's basketball was perceived and rooted for. And so you kind of like, I'm happy we're talking about it, but it's like Oh my god, we're all gonna have to do a lot of work now, r I pick up this slab. I feel like in the last few years there's been a good job of awareness, but it's just like so much more to go, you know, because it's just like social media is all Lebron you know, um Steph and all these guys. But we have i mean

just from speaking about like work experience. Now we have teams that are dedicated to like w NBA coverage, and that's really all it takes us. Like the product the game itself has done being molded, like, oh, it's really good. Everything else, like watching a basketball whether it's like if if the w NBA isn't playing and the NBA is not, like I'm watching a high school game, it's like basketball basketball, Yeah, it's yeah. The channels are like the ones sticking it

on ESPN three. It's like just put it in prime time like and give it position to succeeds. So it's like everyone is a megastar. These are famous, famous super it is a megastar. If someone I mean, I feel like the first thing I thought when Kobe, like one of the first things I thought when he died was like, Wow,

he was like such a champion of women's basketball. And I feel like if like Lebron and stuff and like all these guys really like take the time to try to do the same thing, then the league can come up.

Because a lot of it's just sexism. It's like guys on ESPN Instagram anytime there's like a female athlete posted, like all the comments are just like girls can't play as Oh yeah, well, like you know, if you put one guy in there, I could beat them, you know, and I could do this, And like it's just it's so sexist instead of just being like do you want to just like celebrate yeah, the game, Like celebrate these

girls who have worked so hard. Yeah, And you see the US women's soccer team capture better ratings are are definitely have I think the public support to be paid better.

And for some reason that just has not translated the same for US women's basketball, even though they win Golden I mean they're as decorated, not more so, just because it's been longer so Olympian why eyes, they're almost better than the men, you know, Like the men's national team was very embarrassing, had a very embarrassing showing this summer and the women never do that. Maybe it's because they feel like, I'm just trying to think of what the

actual issue is. And like maybe the public feels like they can follow the soccer team because it's not a lot of people. It's not a lot of women that you're following, but like with the w n b A, you're following like whatever sixteen teams are, you know. And then like with tennis, I feel like women's tennis is very well because you're one person just lazy. All right, let's take a break and then we'll come back with Mona's first pick and we're back. Okay, mo, uh, you

pick first, because I don't want to steal any of yours. Okay. Well, I mean she's already been mentioned, and I was like hoping that you guys would just save her for me, because uh, I mean Diana Tracy, Yes, yea, the Italian stallion. Um she is. I mean she's I think she's from Chino. Yeah. Um, so they make good basketball. Imagine if she has I don't even know if she's on Instagram. I actually don't think she has a social media Okay, that's a problem.

We need to talk to her. Um. Oh look, look as you as you write recap, the ball brothers need to tag her. Um. Okay, So she went to Yukon for all four years two four she was the number one pick. Oh but it was. But she's been on the Phoenix market your whole entire career, Yeah, which is crazy. There's a really really crazy ESPN thirty for thirty podcast about her, and I think it's super being on a

Russian oligarch team and it's really what I mean. And so the back end is about the relationship with this oligarch, but the front end is about how they had to go play overseas because they were making so much money and this man was like so over he would like give them their credit card and they could go to Louis Vuitton and then back to the state and be like, alright, I guess. I mean there's some of these women, you

know where they weren't. I mean, Sylvia falls like is going to school to be a mortician, uh wild, and she's like the m v P. It obviously is a passion, but she's already planning her you know, her plan. B Diana Truscy, you got paid, like you know, she's like paid a hundred and ten thousand dollars whatever something like that. Um and she's the all time league scoring the w n B A Lebron gets almost half a million dollars a game, right, something like that. But she was like

in Russia. In Russia, she gets paid over a million dollars and and that's for like you know, September through March or whatever that is. And so that's like I see why they go and she took a season off so that she get ready for their Russian league, and I'm like, yeah, you're getting paid ten times as much. That makes that's that even is just kind of highlights

how insane it is. So it's like there is a market and European has there's European men's basketball too, right, so like if they like it and are the market demands that amount, we we have to catch up with Russia. Like that's insane. Well they have to stop looking at the numbers of like, well the w NBA doesn't bring enough in. It's like I don't know how the system works, like if the w NBA is like a subsidiary of the NBA. But I'm like, just just do it, just

pay for it and make an example yeah, yeah. I mean again, it's like a lot of the marketing positioning of they're not bringing enough money to even just like correctly dispersed it amongst the players, so it's like it's not on the players, right. And then too is like she's going into her sixteenth season this year and there is no talking retirement and she has had to move the NBA players had to move to other countries just to continue to play basketball, to play like eleven months

of the year in Russia. I mean like it's cold, it's h I doubt there's anything to do. But she's uh. She also just had like her wife had a baby last year or something like that. So I don't know if she's going to continue to go to Russia. Does her wife play? She Penny Taylor was she did play. I think she's an assistant on the Mercury now. Jenny Taylor is amazing. It's so good. It's so good. And I speculated that they dated way before the public knew.

I just knew. I went to the games and I was just like, I just had a feeling that they are hooking up. Yea, they had a connection. And I kept asking my friend who knew w NBA players and she's like, I don't know. And then finally I feel like it took Diana forever to actually come out of the closet, which makes sense if you're going to Russia every year. But it's like, we see that type pony. I I mean, I knew, I knew, I knew Diana.

I yes, I do think that okay, tight pony A lot of times with yeah, with lesbian athletes, they will go from a tight pony and then immediately it's short and you go, oh my god, they look so good

with short hair. So I don't know, I feel like I would be shell shocked if her type bun was even if she wore the pony down, I think, yeah, I think I've seen it down in it like sweats before, like her at a press conference, you know when oh I love even when you see like just the gymnast girls have their hair like so straight, you know, like they've taken up female athletes in their hair when they're

not competing. Could be a coffee table book. You're right, You're right, would flip that baby, because yeah, they and some people are hot on the court. You're like, you like have a thing for them and then they'll like take their hair down and they have like real clothes on. You're like, this is yeah, he looked like a mom mom. But you know how like NBA players have like wild

hair like Ross and and some of these guys. Who is there anyone in the w n B A who kind of has like ambitious haircut or like fun braids and some girl on the sparks like two years ago it was also a rapper that had cool classes in her hair. Always look cool. Yeah, it needs to be a show made about that, like if they have other side hustles to keep playing professionally, like that is a great show, right, you should write that show. Well, actually

Lankston and I did. But if you're listening and you are, yeah, listen, I've got two shows available. Um one the other one does have a pacers player in it. Um yeah, please, we're shows together. As a packaging agents can't do it, but boy will package shows nobody wants. Uh. So I had Diana on my list as well as my number one, and so I would just add to what you said, she I said. Rookie of the Year two Finals, MVPs four gold medals, five scoring titles, nine All Star teams

ten all w NBA teams. Her nickname is white mom buspeaking of Kobe and then also gave her that name. Yeah, I mean to get that from Code because everyone was is always doing like, you know whatever, Mamba. To get it from Kobe is like legit. But then also I believe she's going to be in Space Sham two, So it's like, I feel like there's some Sparks players in it too, Candice maybe Okay, I was I forget her

last name, So are you gonna You're gonna tell us? Yeah, so I'll just I'll tell my first pick that was like that. My third pick, I guess or my number three on my list is Sheryl Swoops. So I felt

like there was me some overlap there. But she was the technically the first ever w NBA player because she was drafted first, and she had three gold Olympic gold medals before that, or she I think she had one or two during that time, won an n c A championship, and then most importantly for me, has two signature shoes

with Nike, which is just like this Swoops. Actually, my sister had them and I wore them, and she's two sizes smaller than me, and I wore them two games because I was so She had them from like her high school team, and they were cool. They were I want them to bring them back. I want them to do like they did. They did the second ones. I thought, you, Oh, I like the first ones that lace up. Yeah, yeah, those, I mean yeah, I mean you just think about it.

What female athlete has had a signature shoe, right, Cheryl Swoops is my was my second one, so we can do this together. I think Cheryl Swoops is just such an iconic name too. I mean it sounds like a basketball Yeah, I guess it's like a Lonzo ball and them it's just like, yes, you were just made to do this. She started playing basketball at the age of seven with her three older brothers, which I do feel like kind of do. Yeah, that seems to be like

a storyline a lot of time. That's Cheryl Miller obviously was the older one, but would play with Reggie all the time. And she started playing in a league when she was seven called the Little Dribblers. I don't think that's so sweet and cute, but yeah, her jersey has been retired at Texas Tech. She she's definitely an icon, especially as far as marketing. Sick of her as the greatest basketball player from Texas Tech. Well, say, she was one of the first highest profile athletes to come out

too and then she went back in. Oh really, that's in the next article. I'm sure she went back in. Yeah, I guess so she did in a couple of years. H Yeah, I don't. I don't know. She came out and then she went back in. I mean obviously she's by yeah. I don't know when they when people go back in, that means they're by yeah. I guess she just was like, all right, I'm done with this. She is now she's an assistant coach at Texas Tech, where

she played too. So I think that's a lot of a lot of the former players are like Tina Thompson, Becky Hammond's amazing, Yeah, to get like a coaching job. It's like Tina Thompson was like, she's like a second all time score and she and I actually had her shoes in high school. I feel like it was one of those things where like players will have shoes with Jordan Brands, so you're not necessarily yeah, you're not out on your own, right, But she she coaches that Virginia

or something like that. I mean I had to, like, you know, I go on deep dives on these on the Instagram and I'm like, it was so sad that I have more followers like I at And then do you see their houses? Do their houses look nice? I watched like a little documentary with even Candice Parker, and she's like a condo. I'm sure she's good with money, but I'm like, why doesn't she have like I want her to have a palace. Yeah, it's yeah, it's crazy

because I make that TV money. She was endorsed it, and I know that doesn't matter, but she's just so cool. And she played while she was pregnant, played after she gave birth. When I was trying to research this, I kept finding that there was this one website and and they would be they would be talking about mothers. It was when we were thinking about doing like a Mother's Base one and all every athlete they kept calling steamy another steamy, which makes me think it was written by

like a foreign bot. But it was so bizarre, like even for for players, I wouldn't necessarily consider steamy, right, they'd be like Diana Trassi steamy player. It was so I actually think I read that article and that's what I was like, you know what, I don't know what I thought you're gonna say, actually wrote that arm I did like steamy just wait until she cuts off that bun. Okay, So Cheryl Swoops is my second so we can go

to your second player. I didn't know I was supposed to have more than but I can talk about anyone, ser right, love super She follows me on Twitter? Yeah, how are you? Big moment for me? I don't know because Twitter is not my medium. Uh And and she follows me, and uh, I love that about her. That's the best thing. Did you ever think that her bird and Larry Bird were related? I think yeah. I think there was probably a moment where yeah, where I did.

It just seems like a like how do you have incidents? Yeah? She's also like can you believe her name is Sue? Yeah? So cool? Her name is Sue. That's wild, I mean because her wife is Megan. They're not married? Are they just got married? Some from the US women's national team just got married? Because I was looking at the photos, I think it was in Miami, probably just as partner um partner. Oh, maybe their lawyers together a law firm in Seattle, but they're they're also maybe the to the

best dressed athletes, and she always gets it. She has like major shoe games. Yeah, like she I think she's a collector. She has like a Kyrie connection that she always has. I think that Nike actually did release special editions super kind. I know you're a big Kyrie shoe fan. Yeah, I am Lebron. We need to get those. We have similar shoe collections. Well, you guys also got My Baby and they're out and they're so awesome that the SpongeBob

Kyrie's and she looks awesome in them. That was obviously a c J. So she was like, you need to look at Sam and Moe's registry. And I looked at I was like, just just some of these don't feel like us giving you a p Yeah. Yeah, no, and it should. I like that when people went off the registry. Yeah, And I mean I put my own book on my registry. I said, we wanted one hundred of them. Did anyone get you any one? Wow? Yeah that I'll go and

buy one. We should put your specials, yeah, CJ. Three of my albums and they came in the midst of wedding presents coming, and it would I would have been really upset if someone gave me that. I'd be like, keep it. I want you to listen to it. That is my gift to you. Actually, so you've revealed how many of yours who said Sheryl swoops and then Diana, I have you just mentioned? I mean, we should just talk about her. Becky Hammond, he was just still continuing

to have an incredible career in basketball. Three time All American for the Colorado Rams, played in w n b A for the San Antonio Stars and the New York Liberty. Was one of the first female coaches on the Spur Stuff, which is maybe the best coaching staff in all of basketball behind Greg Popovich, and then became the first woman Summer League coach a couple of years ago this past year. And the thing is which is great now is that she is being in discussion for head coaching jobs. I

love that. Was she in discussion for the Bucks for a second? Maybe the Bucks are I know the Nicks, but I want to be surprised with the Bucks. I would I mean that that would be amazing. I was actually just watching I was like, because I have to watch them back. If you have the NBA past, you can't watch the Lakers games like right away. So it was watching the Lakers and the Spurs, and I couldn't take my eyes off of watching her coach. I just wanted to watch watch what she was saying, how she

talked to the player. And there was that clip that came out recently where she like told Popovitch to had them reviews something like no, no, no, and then he

changes his mind and then they won. And it's like, of course that happens all the time, I'm sure, but to like see this woman who has been the first woman to break up the intense glass ceiling in the NBA and to like watch it and to have obviously he has her respect, but like he is considered the greatest NBA coach of all time, maybe him and Phil Jackson, and so he's now ahead of him because he hasn't gone insane, and to just like watch that interactions like, yeah,

she should she should be. That clip should be like in a campaign for believing women, you know what I mean, that should be Here's why, and any dumb guy like, oh yeah, because it wins. It wins NBA games, right, But yeah, I think someone's a team the Knicks should have done it. You should have hired her on my worst enemy. But it's a challenge that she would want, and I think she would do a great job. Who's the worst team in the NBA. It would be amazing

to say it's the worst team and make them good. Okay, go to Atlanta. Yeah, yeah, I think it's I feel like the Hawks are meant to be bad, like they're trying, they're taking a little bit, but the Nicks are just just doing everything incorrectly, and yeah, they need some sort of sign of hope. But the good thing is the tickets are still really expensive, yeah for the franchise. Okay, should we take a break and then we'll come back with our greatest and we're back, all right, here is

our greatest pick. Okay, so um this obviously this was greatest w NBA players. Um, But it goes without saying.

I believe that Cheryl Miller is the greatest female basketball player of all time and clearly changed the game and is the first female broadcaster I ever remember seeing for male games, And yeah, I just want to give her props, to give her love She will obviously be mentioned when we do greatest female Athletes of All Time, but I'm sad that we didn't get to see her in the w n B A because I do think she would

have helped make it a bigger deal. Yeah I do. Um. Okay, so my number one greatest of all time born in l A, played at USC played her entire w NBA career for the Sparks. Two time w NBA champion, two time w NBA Finals m v P, three time League m v P, four time gold medalist, Lisa Leslie. She is iconic. Like I think you see her and you're like, oh, that I know who that is. She like transcends. Um. We were at the Lakers Clippers home opener and a bunch of w NBA players came in and sat courtside

and I cry. I mean, I was just like so happy to see them because it's like, yeah, you you should say you are part of the Staples Center history, like as much as any of these other men are. And now she is actually the coach of Ice Cubes Big Three expansion team, the Triplets, So she's coaching in the Big Three. I think does a lot of stuff with fashion, has um is that commentator. A commentator. She's so beautiful, which doesn't really matter, but it's just like

a legend. I met her like in two thousand and fourteen, because I don't get star Stark. I mean, living in l A. It's like I see an I see an actor, I see comedium, like I don't care, but like if I see an athlete, I can't help myself because they're different than us. They're better than they're better than us. Yeah, learning lines, anybody can do it any but dunk you read, you gotta remember, but to dunk, to dunk, to be the first female to dunk in a w n B

A in a dunk too. Yeah, she's uh yeah. I met her and I was just like, she's so amazing and some I was like, yeah, she's trying to get into acting, and I was like, she's great. What does she want to do? What does she want to do? She wanna I'll start a podcast? Like, Well, tell me about that show that you had. Who did you You had to have somebody in mind when you're writing it? Did you have any like actual players? Well? Yeah, that was animated, but it was it's definitely about like female.

It was basically. I mean, Linkston will tell you this, but Linkston was a practice player at Michigan and so it was about he was yeah, yeah, which I've actually seen, like they have Yukon. They did an episode when they followed them for a season, the season that they lost, and they showed the practice players. It's like that sounds like so fun and intense. Yeah. I know Tias Jones, who I think still plays for the Wolves, but his mom was a w NBA players, so he in high

school and college would would be a practice player. And he was like this, dude doesn't the NBA and he learned from women, right, you know, So it's just like, yeah,

to discount it is insane. I think that the way that they use entertainment with the m b A, they do need to do that with the w n b A. But I remember bringing it up to some people and they asked the Sparks if they would be interested in doing like some sketches, and like, I don't think they wanted to make fun, like they weren't ready to, like they don't want to laugh at themselves or like, at least at that time. Well, I think that's totally understandable.

I I you're as like comedy writers in sports were posed with this a lot of like don't make fun of the thing, but there's other things to make fun of. Yeah yeah, Or it's like you're not like you basically have to convice, like you're not part of the joke, you're not the butt of the right. Yeah. Well yeah, because Lisa Leslie is I mean, she's been on The Sister Sister, she played herself on The Simpsons, she traded places with Downtown Julie Brown on Celebrity Wife Swap Listen,

she was an Uncle Drew she got. Yeah, she's like deep in entertainment. Yeah. Yeah, I consider she's probably would be on the Mount Rushmore for l A basketball. Ye born, play at USC and then play your entire career with the l A w NBA team, is right. She spent her whole life playing l A basketball. I think that's so amazing, And she just seems I mean, we're keeping

like the w n B A and needs more. But like what the w n B A is rich with is legendary icons who are incredible ambassadors for the game. Really like these are these are not women that you're like, well, but you know, she had that one thing like in the NFL's top one hundred. I guess oj is great, but like that's a tough Like the w n b A had like one domestic violence thing and it was between two women, and that's not great, But that's it.

Like that is an honorable mention, right, Like maybe I shouldn't do mention Britney Griner, But Britnie Griner is great, and she is every single w NBA player that like you think of as incredible, the only one that has even a remote like tiny staying on it. I'm not telling domestic violence tiny, but she's the only one with

any sort of quote unquote record. Everyone else I would trust with Cleo l most children, I decide, I'm actually the surrogate of who get to watch mos baby and say Lisa Leslie would be a great They have to be a former player, especially, I mean, if you're a rookie, you're not making a lot, so please double up and br nanny. But Britney Grener is very, very talented and

probably like one of the biggest news stars. Right. She had the thing with DeMarcus Cousins to where DeMarcus Cousins was talking shit on on women's basketball, And I know it's just like sitting on the bench, you have not played, you chased to ring and didn't get one, as you'll just never be I don't know, Boogie, I like him. Why you got to do this? Yeah? Yeah, but they challenge one on one and I want to see that, and honestly I would. I would I put money on

on Brittany. I would too. Yeah. I think it's like the Billy Jean King thing. It's like you're challenging the greatest current female player perhaps, I mean Diana is but likes like in her prime and Boogie has not played and over a year, Yeah, and looks mad on the bench. Every time we watch games. She's always like, why is Boogie so mad? I'm like, is he okay? So much

money to sign but he seems mad? But I guess you know, when you have a lot of money, what is you know, sitting next to him, I'd be like, I don't want that. Yeah. And that's another thing too. And I hate to keep bringing up how much you

know under how underpaid some of these players are. But you hear stories about how andre Iguodala just got paid fifteen million dollars to not play for a team just refused to play for a team, or like some of these guys who were hurt and get paid millions of dollars, Like maybe some of the players need to stop up and start funneling money into the w n B A right, because it's like and I hate that, Like, oh, what

about if you had a daughter. It's like these guys might have daughters who play in the league and would want them to play full time, and like I have that be their job, and I love that you need a daughter. It's like, you don't need a daughter to like just like believe in equal rights. Like it's well, there was that this was going around during the Kavanaugh stuff, and it was like I think a calling card of

people being like you should be nice to women. It's like this is someone's like mother, and so it had like mother, daughter, sister, wife all crossed out and it's just a person, right, Like that is a person. It doesn't have to be anyone's child to be a value, right, that's a person everyone. You don't need to think about your mother to like remember that you should treat women right exactly exactly, so like whether whether or not they

have be male daughters. That play female daughters, daughters that play basketball or not, they should still care about the game. And caring about the game is caring about female basketball players. I just think the money is there. I'm like, so why not, like, why not just just take some of that? It sucks to be on your like, you know, to

put as much time into basketball as your counterparts. You're like the men and be at the top of your game and then get you know, well, And I think there's a lot of female athletes and and I guess athletes of both genders that look at basketball and are like, at least you have something post college, like you know, you were watching cheer and and that is a sport that's a very dangerous sport, and like there's nothing they they're done. Then it could be like NBA or NFL dancer,

but these these are gymnasts or not even dancers. So if you are you know, a rower, like it's literally you go to the Olympics or your prier is done. So cheer Lucky Cheer? Is that a junior college? That the junior college? So I propose that they are the halftime entertainment for the w NBA team near them. Why hasn't anyone thought of that. I always think it's like in l A. It's like it's the entertainment capital of the United States. It's like, why not have the greatest

halftime shows of all time? Not just people that you know, I mean even like cheerleading squads, Like I'm sorry, I was never a cheerleader, so I so I feel bad saying this, but I'm like, why not try something else? Why not try like America's best dance group, like those people. I mean, we had the Jesse White Tumblers in Chicago and that was Secretary of State. I believe he was like the attorney My god, yeah, and he had and they would do Bowls halftime shows and it was awesome.

I mean, the Jesse White Tumblers are like incredible. That would be an amazing documentary to see why do you have a tumbling? I just love Tom Lincoln politics, but I want to open for the l A sparks on the road. I just want to put that out there. I want to be why not would you ever consider

doing that? The people on the court that are like interviewing and like throwing out T shirts, I'm like, I don't know where they get the energy and I don't know who they go home to at night, but like, but no, you'd want to do like the funny version.

I'd want to do stand up And you should just be like one of the I mean, you know you're working on all these other shows, but like you should do what I did for the Pistons, but for one of these w NBA teams like that, and they didn't for some reason, they didn't want to do that because all these people, it's it's every professional team's marketing team. Everyone started as an intern just want to keep their jobs, so they never want to bring in creative people. Now,

I'm just like disgusted with my own. I wanted them to do a gay kiss cam. I don't know why they don't they do kissy cam's at the w NBA because they know they'll all be gay. So I know, I don't know why, but that's what I got. It's homophobic. I want there to be a gay kiss camp and even if it's your mommy got to kiss her, I would love that even if they're wrong. All right, so I do we I have one more pick and it's

Maya Moore. Do you guys know manya more? I mean so not she's like someone who is He sounds hesitant, like it's Maya Moore. Well, no, I think she is like bigger than basketball. And the reason that she is skipping her second season it's so interesting, right, it's it's interesting and I want to get more into it. But

she's skipping her second season. Well, not only in the last decade, she has won four w NBA championships, a Dynasty one championship her first championship as a rookie, and then has one four and now she's skipping her second season to help out a who she believes is a wrongfully convicted sixteen year old who got I think he was, or maybe he's twenty nine now maybe he's twenty nine nine, Yeah, and who got fifty years in jail for burgalizing at home.

And she's skipping another season in the Olympics to fight for the justice of this guy. And I want to say that that is the right thing to do, but I'm also like, what are you doing? Yeah? So yeah, what is the what is the feeling there? Because she's kind of like I would say she's the next Candice Parker in the way that she was getting endorsements and she was under the Jordan brand, and how great she

is for women's basketball. I do like that. She's probably like, I play basketball in my whole life, so you know, if I want to take a couple of years off, like I don't need to play my entire life. I like that, I guess. But it's so odd. It's odd. I mean, it's the most unselfish Christian. She loves the Lord a lot. I think when she first took off, like the first season, she said she just wanted to be with friends, family, and the Lord. I feel that

way sometimes. Three years of I'm just I was like, was it I did a sabbatical to be with the Lord? Everyone will be like, I think, you mean get sucked up. You're trying to get sucked up every day? Yeah, it was you going Lord to just be moving in with

your parents and then going out every night. Well, I mean sometimes when things like this come up, and and Kim Kardashian sort of like a perfect example, everyone was like, Kim Kardashian went to the White House to try and get and it's like, unfortunately it worked, I mean not

unfortunately fortunately it worked. That's what kind of what disarray our judicial system is in that female professional basketball stars are having to take time out of there like peak playing careers to try and work for the Innocence Project. Like it's one of those things of like I was yelling about this last week and hopefully when this comes out, the primary will be done. But it's like, why are comedians having to do all of this work? We are

not campaign leader? Like this is insane. Can't just the campaign people do it? And I can go back to tweeting about bre like I don't think it's crazy. This is insane, and it's like that it's a level of insanity that, like, our most talented female basketball player has to get a wrongfully convicted man out of jail. But imagine if you were like, I'm quitting all things comedy for two years to like help with the primary or whatever.

It's like, that's no, no, don't do it. When we have friends say things like that, I'm like, oh, they're off the deep end. But I think she's not off the deep end. I think she's just like, I want to help um this person, and she says she's not like called back to basketball at the moment, and I mean, if anything, it is really interesting. I'm like I've never

heard that. I mean, Michael Jordan took a break. I guess to play baseball, to be with the Lord is to be what he said right, to be jeans competitive, I think is just so weird. But yeah, it's I also she might she just did everything in her first Like, can you imagine just like winning a championship most of the time you played in in in the league. Yeah, she's like, listen, I've won championships. I want a real challenge getting a black man out of jail. Yeah. Yeah,

that is a crazier championship to win. You're right if she can do that? All right, Well did you do you guys have any honorable mentions at all? No, just my Cheryl Miller shout out. Um. Yeah, I feel like we've we had a lot of great ladies on here, great role models. I think we did a good job. And this is my favorite basketball like YouTube w n B a YouTube video if you guys want to look at us. Uh, Diana Tarassi kisses Simona Augustus like during a foul they called they called the foul like on

the kiss and the Australian who can dunk? No, she's I don't know what to. I think she was on the links. She's she's really good. Um, but there was like a foul called and they were like kind of it looked like they were about to kind of fight, and it's just like kissing her on the cheek and it's like and there was a foul and I was like, that's the most amazing. I can pull it up if you want to look at it. I mean, while oh yeah,

she talks about it. Could they go back to it? Okay, and we can play it well and people can pull it up. Here we go, me and Diana and Tango. Okay, they're there top. So it looks like they're about to fight, right there, two ampians, two great players going nose to nose. A little pick always says she just wants some of my piousness. I will say, as I'm seeing this clip, I do think it's okay to call for more female coaches in the w n b A and more female refs. Yeah,

I would be helpful coaches, are you know? Still I think that's more of like it almost seems like a marketing move, like, oh yeah, let's have a Yeah, yeah it wasn't. Derek Fisher is you might still be the Sparks coach right now. Yeah, and I agree with that as a basketball fan. Not gonna get me. I'll go to the game because it's a good game, not because Derek Fisher is a coach. Yeah, like I came for Derek fishery, I got my swingman suit. Yeah, huge fan,

great call, buddy. Well what can we play for you? The book? Yeah, the base on your registry? Yeah, how to Die Alone. I don't know if you'll find it if you put mo Welsh registry. So just look look on Amazon. It's on there. And you're not going to die alone anymore. I know you're sort of like guaranteeing that. Don't give that up. She has a baby. I know that was the reason you have a baby with somebody.

I was on the book tour when I was pregnant with her, so it didn't and everyone was like every people got there and was like, yeah, she's a Motherfuck this ye dialone if you try. And then you can watch the upcoming season of Good Talk this summer. Probably we've got lots of tippy tappy type of right and to do bully Anthony um. But then also you you've done stand up on Conan a couple of times to check that out. Oh you know what, yeah, first one, I actually name all of I mean, I can, I

can do it for you guys, please please Okay. These are all the w NBA teams Eli Sparks in New York, Liberty, Minnesota, Linksan Phoenix, Mercury, Indiana, Fever, Dallas Wings and San Antonio Stars Connecticut, Son, Seattle Store, Atlanta Dream in Chicago. S guy, if you put all the teams in the singing list, you become a feminist. And also the Santono Stars are now the Lassis. Wow they Las Vegas still to Tea Yeah, Candice Cambridge right, Oh my gosh, that was really good. Yeah. Sorry,

we had a request for that. Lisa was like, is she gonna sing the song? So now I'm happy. We should can tell Lisa our second favorite listener you have. You should you should update that or get an animator to do remember the animateiacs. Gosh, she's always trying to tell people how they can animate and get it on YouTube, elevate their content, elevate their content. Why don't you keep putting subtitles on your own clips and staying, oh my god, what are your handles? So that people can follow you

at Momo Wilch everywhere. Um, and then I've been Magan Gaily. You can find me at Megan Gaily or better Megan Gailey on Instagram, and my husband is at c j h H. No, well that's Instagram, I know. Told on on Twitter, follow House the Highlights, following rate in Review, and subscribe to this podcast, The Greatest on iHeart Radio. Yeah, thank you guys so much for listening and we will be back next week. Bye. The Greatest is a production

of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.