We're gonna get started in the w NBA, but a new season tipped off this weekend with several marquee matchups on the slate. Most fans were excited to see Caitlyn Clark and Indiana Fever take on Ajer Reese and the Chicago scot The game was a blowout, as the Fever beat down Chicago ninety three to fifty eight, with Clark's
triple double leading the way. But the biggest headline coming out of the game on Saturday is the investigation the WNBA is conducting in the allegations of hateful fan comments directed at Ader Reese.
It happened after this play when.
Clark slapped at the ball after reesecrabbed an offensive rebound and had a clear path to the basket.
Reese fell to the court, got back up and tried to.
Confront Clark, but Fever forward of Leah Boston got between the two women. Clark's foul was upgraded to a flagrant one, and Reese and Boston were assessed technical fouls. He's a statement from Scott CEO Adam Fox on fans who seemed a bit unruly following the incident, quote, we welcome to WNBA's investigation of allegations of famous common during our first
game of the season. We will do everything in our power to protect Chicago Scott players, and we encourage the league to continue taking meaningful steps to create a safe environment for all w NBA players.
End quote.
Joining me now to discuss this as a basketball analyst for ESPN and the MSG Network. She played college basketball for the Georgetown Hoyas. That's wror Hoya paranoia for those of you who don't know. By the way, and her jump shot, I must confess that it looks better than mine. It's pretty money right there, pretty money right there. Please welcome the one and only Monica McNutt to the show, who I affectionately call eminem.
What's going on, girl? How you doing? How's everything good?
I say, I'm good. I'm good. I'm good. Yeah, we got to talk.
We gotta talk.
But you know me, I'm a veal left just a little bit. You know, how's the hubby has the married life? I know you got married a few months ago. How's life?
It's lots of loving and learning.
That's a great answer, I said, Damn great answer.
I got to give it to you. No doubt about that. Let's get right into it.
This whole Angel Reese, Kaitlyn Clark Brew Haha, what do you make of it from a basketball perspective? First, I'll get to the other stuff, lady, your thoughts.
Basketball as say, basketball play, I mean, as much as the w husband elevated to all of these platforms, we've all pointed out that it is physical, right. I thought it was adjudicated appropriately by the officials. There's a push to Tasha Natasha Howard. First, to me, it appears that Kaitlyn takes exception to that, Angel takes exception to the file.
I think both sides are fine here because to me, when we talk about competition, you cannot parse out the emotion of that experience, and so I thought it was adjudicated correctly. You thought both young women were cool post game in terms of their explanations or as Angel resai,
it's a basketball play, let's move on. It is unfortunate that I think this is sort of blown out of context because it is a play that is common throughout the WNBA or earlier today on First Take, Jane highlighted other games I have very similar play because competing is an emotional experience and that's okay.
I'm gonna elaborate a little bit more on that in just a second, but before I do that, I want to ask you your thoughts about apparently some racial animist that was thrown in the direction of Adrew Reeves the Chicago Sky I've gotten involved talking about they're going to protect their players at all. Course, the NWNBA has issued a statement saying that it abhors and discourages hate of any kind, et cetera, et cetera. Your thoughts about it.
Here's the WNBA statement. The WWA strongly condemns racism, hate and discrimination in all forms. They have no place in our league on society. We are aware of the allegations and are looking into the matter. Your thoughts about that element of all of this, where you believe it emanates from, and do you think it will ever subside?
Man The latter part of that, stephen A is quite the thing to think on. I think when you go back to the impetus of the rivalry that we have between Caitlin and Andrew's remember funny on the internet about two different Americas based on the music that was being played in the Iola locker room versus the LSU locker room, and I think at.
The heart of it is.
An issue with being able to appreciate this and celebrate the humanity and the athletic accomplishments of both of these women. Right. I do not think that all Indiana fans are all Kaitlyn Clark fans represent any one particular belief, but it's been.
Clear over the last couple of years that there is a.
Sect of folks that root for her, that have used her to push their agendas. I don't think Kaitlyn Clark has any issue colleagues or the other women in the WNBA. I think between she and Angel Reese there's mutual respect. But anytime these conversations hit the mainstream, right, it's easy to see that Kaitlyn is usually portrayed as the victim and Angels usually played portrayed as the villain.
And that is rooted in my observation.
Somebody can tell me I'm wrong, but it is rooted in my observation in.
The racial identity of these women and where they come from.
Well, I have something to say to you, Monica McNett that I think will be of incredible.
Relief to you.
I have no desire to debate you on this on this platform. On this platform, I am giving you the floor and allowing you to educate me and my audience. I am completely at your mercy in that regard. I'm simply asking the questions. But I'll ask you this, in all seriousness, what is your bigger concern when you highlight that Angel Reese, like Caitlin Clark, is usually the victim, Angel Reese is usually the villain.
Is that your primary concern? Or is it this seemingly innate.
Belief that people have that men can conduct themselves any way they want to, but women are supposed to operate under certain lines. I listen to you and Shaney and Andrea talk about these kind of issues constantly, and I really want to know what's the bigger concern in your eyes?
You knows this one has unfolded.
Malika and I were on the countdown desk for halftime of this one, and literally as unfolded, I'm like, well, see how this one plays out in the media. Right, and I have grappled with two things being true, right in that women should be allowed to compete in the same way that men are, but also because to me, the sensitivity of the humans that make up the WNBA.
They deserve an extra level of protection. And I know that to a degree.
You might say, mine, you can't have it both ways, But I think that's probably why we are at odds in the larger picture, because people don't have room for multiple ideas or even feelings to coexist.
Right.
And So to your point, I think with time, the younger generation appreciates competition. I think women's sports is growing across the board. I think the competition piece will become commonplace and be accepted and celebrated. But to your point, I am struggling with some of the vitriol, not some with the vitriol that has come to an angel reach just to represent a swath of players who have had this experience being on the opposite side of interactions with Kaitlyn Clark, right, And.
I don't blame Clark at all.
And I am really sort of a fuddled at the solution because on the NBA side, if a player points to a fan in the stands and says that was inappropriate, the NBA, the officials, they move those folks are usually taken out right. I'm not sure if the WAA is
there and there still is a learning curve. But I one hundred percent believe I say that these women should feel safe to compete and be protected from insanity, right, And I'm not saying you don't get hickled, but there is a line in sports, and to act like that doesn't exist, it's just ridiculous to me.
Well, first of all, I think I want to make sure that we're clear, because I don't think we disagree as much as you have thought in the past or others have thought. I completely am aligned with you and you're thinking I think that where we we separate to some degree is that it's understanding it ain't gonna happen the way we.
Like it like. It's it's unfair and it's wrong. We are aligned in that.
But then I veel left from Monica or SHANEI or anybody else when I'm saying, ladies, it ain't gonna change. It ain't right, it's not fair, but it's not gonna change. And oh, by the way, there's an advantage to peal from all of this because it contributes to the elevated popularity of the sport. So guess what, sometimes it might be good not to really really mind. I know it's hard I know this is hard to accept, but sometimes it might not be hard.
It might not be.
Bad to accept the role of a pariah to some degree.
You know why, because who's usually listened to. It's usually the parias.
It's usually when people are polarizing, when people can be in your face, when people make you uncomfortable. That's who an audience gravitates to. And what happens is that if you have positive things for folks to peal from that, to edify themselves, it could end up being advantageous. So let's not get caught up in the wrong because we know they wrong and we know they ain't gonna change. Let's pay more attention to what we can peel from it. That's where I'm coming from to that.
You say what And I understand that I just and I have not personally been in a game versus Clark versus. In the end, I can tell you what my mentions look like every time we have a conversation about it. Right, I do understand where you are coming from, But I just wonder. You know, last year, folks showing up to team buses and team hotels Like I just my concern is how far does this go?
Right?
Because for someone to heckle in the audience and cross the line verbally or even across the line on the internet, that's that's one step, right, But if you are that committed to that, how many steps are you away from really crossing the line and safety concern?
Does that make sense here?
You're absolutely right. As a guys, you gotta worry about it too. And I think that for the ladies, what I would say to you is that we need to be significantly more concerned when men are trying to cross the barriers and getting ladies faces as opposed to ladies getting another ladies face. In other words, dudes gotta deal with dudes. Ladies gotta deal with ladies. But when you have punk dude that's trying to deal with the women that way, we all need to deal with you on that level.
You see.
That's how I'm looking at it. But you're absolutely right. I can't knock you for that. Do you think that that WNBA can end up elevating even more because of the attention this kind of stuff might bring from a competitive further standpoint?
You know?
I say, and again I am making space for multiple emotions in my experience as the w continues to move into the spotlight. Fair, yes, but at what costs rightly? Well, if it's come and love the league, if Kayla becomes your favorite player, amazing, If Angel becomes your favorite player, amazing. If it's Ae Wilson, Visa Colin, if it's Brian the Stewart amazing, amazing, amazing.
I just I feel that the league, and we've.
Kind of seen this in maybe missteps in conversations last season, the league has a responsibility to all right, and I don't know, I don't know how they navigate this idea of a responsibility to all.
The statements are great, right.
I say this one, This one boggles my mind because if we can have this conversation and then put a button on it and then get to how great the games were in the top three opening weekend experiences or performances, right, that's one thing. But I think to your point, the people that allowed us about this stuff, the.
Conversation stops there for them.
There is no depth in terms of appreciating the league at large, and honestly, like outside of Kaitlyn is great, like I mentioned to you as we started this conversation, she's used for whatever agenda folks have, and so I think for the for the league to really.
Row, it's not controversial topics.
It's been able to celebrate the beauty of the game, and that includes Kaitlin and the Indiana Fever right, who are gonna have a real chance to contend this year for a title.
So I don't know, I don't know, no doubt for good In terms of these kind of conversations being good for the game, Well.
I would say to you, though, I think that when it provokes conversation like we had this morning, when the world gets to hear Monica McNutt and it gets to hear SHANEO Guma, kay elaborate extensively, not just on what the league is or what it aspires to be, and how we all can serve a role in embracing the good and alienating the insidious nonsense that don't need to.
Be a part of the league.
That may be the best hope that the league and all of us from a societal perspective have in order to make things exactly what you think they should be.
Eminem maybe that's where the answer to this is.
You know what, I can give you credits, But like I said to you, also in our show, we highlighted great performances, right, And so I'm just I think I guess if we had to go with that being a positive, you hope folks come at it with a willingness to hear you. Ultimately may not agree, but I think we have the hold space for one another's experiences, you know
what I mean. Like as the thing went through last year, you know, I took the folks that felt like they were alienated because it almost seemed like to be a Kitlin Clark fran was a bad thing and that was never what was said. If that is the sentiment of
some folks, that's unfortunate. But I do think again, as much as we want to make sport about sport, and that is beautiful, these women can shoot, dribble, rebound all of that, we still have to acknowledge the society and the existence of the beings that we're talking about, and that will always find its way into the conversation.
Well, I got to give you credit where credit is due.
I think part of the solution also is people like myself and other male commentators being a bit more deferential to y'all when it comes to the WNBA, because damn it. Y'all know more about it than us. Y'all know more about the experiences than us. You damn sure know more about being a woman than we will ever know. So therefore all of those things come in to play. Let me get to one two last questions for I'll let you go and thank you so much for your time.
Let's get to the product on the field that was a ninety three to fifty eight beat down.
Is Indiana that good? On the sky that damn bad? How about that question, Minel.
I think it's somewhere in the middle.
I do believe that Indiana legitimately has a chance to be one of the last four team standing. The moves that they made this off season. Caitlin coming in as a rookie last year, blowing records to smithereens getting stronger this summer. I think at one point during the game her her arms was a trending topic because you could see her games.
In the gym. Indiana's gonna have a chance to compete for real.
I think I'm gonna give about forty percent of that performance to opening weekend nerves. Chicago is in a position to rebuild. Tyler Marsh is terrific he has been a part of the Aces championship as a part of Becking Hammond's staff. But they are figuring it out. They are sort of in a rebuild Indiana.
They made the moves to Stummer that needed to be made.
They went and got a coach and Stephanie White that has been to the w NBA Finals in the last two seasons. They went and got the leagues. I believe she's top three on the list. She tied Tina Thompson in terms of all time scoring and Dewana Bonner.
They add a Natasha Howard. They're in it. Indiana is really really in it and so and Delanavanna only has seven points in that game.
I say, like she didn't even get cooking yet. So Indiana is really in it. I think the sky are building. I think they'll be better than what they showed in Game one. But the guy in a different position than the fever art for.
Sure, and the team to beat in the w NBA is who is it? The Liberty? Is it the Aces coming back trying to venge? Who's it? Who is it?
It's deliberty, deliberty Because we talk about big games this offseason, Natasha Cloude is a big move for the already champions, right, she won a title NBC with the Mystics. She adds a dimension defensively that I don't know they had outside of Benijua Laney on the wing and Benije Lane Hamilton is actually out the season with knee injury. So yeah, Natasha Cloude is a big difference maker offensively and defensively.
I would say, though, don't sleep on the Minnesota Lynx shol Reeve has a track record every other she gets to the finals, might lose, but comes back the next year and wins. And they were in the finals last year and lost. And I think Nafisa Collier has a real shot at MVP this year as well.
And they got they got vengeance on their mind because they felt they were robbed last year by the Liberty with some you know, tell I get that part as well. Switching to the NBA before I let you get out of here, miss radio voice color commentary, extraord color commentated, extraorded there for MSG with Knicks games or whatever. Knickson in the conference finals. I mean, I mean, Liberty ain't the only one that got you know, they got a championship,
but the Knicks got a shot. How much of a shot, eminem, how much of a shot do you give the Knicks to get to.
The finals and ultimately to win it?
Last question, we'll say I got the Knicks getting out of the sea in seven games.
I've got to stay healthy.
They've got to control the pace, and that doesn't necessarily mean that they need to slow it down and be io all in the half court. But then they need to be deliberate about their opportunities to run and delibered about their opportunities to execute quickly in the half court. If they find themselves chasing Indiana, I don't like it. I think Indiana is really really good. I take nothing
away from that group, Harvey's Halibur and Pascal Siakam. I think Andrew Nemhart and Nie Smith don't get enough credit in terms of their defensive versatility.
On the wing.
This this is gonna be a slug fest, and it's really gonna be the battle of styles in it. So yeah, like they're deep, they're fast. I really enjoyed the opportunities. I've had to chat with coach Carlisle. I have one of their games versus the Milwaukee Bucks in that series. I don't know you can look at Cleveland, the Cleveland series and say, all right, well they were hurt, and I think that's fair, but I still don't take anything away.
Just like the next they had.
To make the most of the mishaps that the Celtics made. Indiana made the most of the mishaps for the Cleveland Capitaliers, and I don't take anything away from them.
Emm. I appreciate you so much, thank you so much.
I could just say thank you, but you know me, I'm gonna do a little extra come, thank you so much.
Thanks a lot. Take it ease. The here right I see Sue.
Okay, the one and only Modica McNutt in the house right here on the stephen A.
Smith Show.
She's special, special talent for us. Really really appreciate her and taking time out of busy schedule. She didn't have to do that, so I really really thankful for She's a great girl, great analyst by the way, doing big things.
Proud to call a colleague.