← Casuals with Katie Nolan
Casuals with Katie Nolan
WNBA Preview, Diana Stories, and a Tim Teufel Shout Out | with Sue Bird
00:50:54
Hello! It's the podcast that always believed in Luke Kornet. Today, Katie and Isabella discuss the Celtics refusing to go down in the NBA Playoffs and how Isabella's italian ice can be blamed for the Knicks loss, plus Timothée Chalamet's sweat glands, the latest in the NHL and why Pete Rose not like us. Then, Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee, Team USA Managing Director, and host of the all-new "Bird's Eye View" Sue Bird joins the show to preview the start of the 2025 WNBA season, the Liberty as defending champions, the Lynx revenge tour, the new-look Aces, the rebuilt Storm, the infinite possibilities for Caitlin Clark in 2025 and why comparisons for Paige Bueckers may not be fair, why the Sky will surprise you, why the Valkyries will entertain you, the upcoming CBA negotiations, and endless stories of dicey air travel, the 1986 Mets, and the ice in Diana Taurasi's veins. Follow Bird’s Eye View on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts
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- [00:00]
Sue Bird
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- [00:32]
Katie Nolan
Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile with a message for everyone paying big Wireless way too much. Please, for the love of everything good in this world, stop with Mint. You can get premium wireless for just $15 a month. Of course, if you enjoy overpaying. No judgments. But that's weird. Okay, one judgment anyway. Give it a try.
- [00:50]
Sue Bird
@Mintmobile.Com Switch upfront payment of $45 for 3 month plan equivalent to $15 per month required intro rate, first 3 months only, then full price plan available, taxes and fees extra. See full terms@mintmobile.com hey, Isabella, did you.
- [01:03]
Katie Nolan
Hear that HBO Max. Max is gonna be HBO Max.
- [01:07]
Isabella
Yeah, And I don't get it. I don't get it. I. I feel like, I'm just like imagining, like, in succession when they have those board meetings and it's like so super chaotic, and they're like, we're going back to HBO Max now. And it's like, why?
- [01:17]
Katie Nolan
You had it. You had it. You threw it away.
- [01:20]
Isabella
I don't understand it.
- [01:21]
Katie Nolan
We can't go back. Or we could, we're gonna, but I don't think we can.
- [01:26]
Isabella
Did they say why?
- [01:28]
Katie Nolan
It's probably because we all laughed at them for a long time.
- [01:30]
Isabella
But I got used to Max.
- [01:31]
Katie Nolan
I know. And as soon as you got used to it, they said, you know what? We should have kept hbo. And now they're back. Yay.
- [01:40]
Sue Bird
Yay.
- [01:55]
Katie Nolan
Hel. Hello and welcome to Casuals, the sports podcast that loves you so much and is so happy you're here and is also really stressed out today because we're in a different building. I'm Katie Nolan. I'm the host of this here Train Wreck, joined today by an illustrious guest. A guest so illustrious we had to switch our podcast studio. We're in the main serious building in the fishbowl, because if you have Sue Bird on your podcast, everybody wants to see Sue Bird. So we're. If the. If the chairs sound squeaky or if we sound uncomfortable, we're in a completely new space. And also Isabella's sitting next to me so that we can talk about in a second. Nick Celtics. But first, I have to tell you if you want to email us, it's Casuals with Katie noah gmail dot com. Our voicemail 646-801-0043. On IG and tick tock, we are at Casuals, the podcast. Isabella is here. And she's here because against all odds, the Celtics beat the Knicks last night.
- [02:52]
Isabella
It's fine. It's okay. Six fouls just means Knicks and six. That's all. Yeah, well, you know.
- [02:57]
Katie Nolan
You know you were telling me you were responsible for the loss.
- [03:01]
Isabella
Yeah. Okay. So halftime, five minutes in, My boyfriend was like, let's go to Rita's.
- [03:07]
Katie Nolan
Her boyfriend a Brooklyn Nets fan?
- [03:08]
Isabella
Yeah, let's not talk about that. Let's not too long. And I was like, it's already five minutes into halftime. You said you didn't want to go. Now we're gonna. We're not gonna be back in time. And he was like, no, no worries. We could watch on YouTube, TV, on my phone, whatever. And basically that's when we lost it. It was during that time period. It was during the third quarter while you were ordering. I was like, the reason why we lost is because we were not in my living room. In my living room is where my next jersey is. It's where I hang it up on the chair. Okay. And he was just like, this is not how it works. And I'm like, you don't get it. I've been in the living room every single time I've watched them. Yes, there have been times I've been in the living room. They lost. But this one was different.
- [03:46]
Katie Nolan
Right? Of course.
- [03:47]
Isabella
You know what I mean?
- [03:48]
Katie Nolan
Yes. We made a sports fan. I don't know if anybody's seeing this. We've fully brewed a sports fan in like a month or two.
- [03:55]
Isabella
Because I was like, I'm not showing up to work. And they lost. Like, this is so. You know, I planned to wear my Josh Hart shirt today.
- [04:00]
Katie Nolan
And then what happened?
- [04:01]
Isabella
And then they lost.
- [04:02]
Katie Nolan
You couldn't. And then. So now you hate Josh Hart. That's crazy.
- [04:05]
Isabella
No, I just like, was like, no, I was scared you were gonna make fun of me more if I wore it.
- [04:10]
Katie Nolan
I would never. It still feels like delaying inevitable for the Celtics. I don't think that this is like, okay, now we're gonna win the championship. But it was fun.
- [04:17]
Sue Bird
I don't know.
- [04:18]
Katie Nolan
It was fun when stressed me the out when Timothy Chalamet traveled to Boston.
- [04:24]
Isabella
I know.
- [04:24]
Katie Nolan
I didn't know he goes with the team. I also. It brought up. He feels like it. It brought up a debate for me of if the fit is really nice. Do you suffer sweating? He was wearing, like a fully zipped up starter jacket that I was like, you are definitely hot. There's no way you're not sweating. But it was a nice jacket.
- [04:43]
Isabella
Did you see him at the. The one in the Garden where he was wearing, like, shorts and Timberlands?
- [04:47]
Katie Nolan
Yeah.
- [04:48]
Isabella
And he had, like, Kylie Jenner and Kendall Jenner and next to him both wearing Nick's hats.
- [04:52]
Katie Nolan
Yeah.
- [04:52]
Isabella
And I was like, this is so interesting. I wonder if they have a team or if they just like.
- [04:55]
Katie Nolan
Well, I mean, they are so associated with la for him to have gotten two certified la.
- [05:00]
Isabella
I know. I saw a tweet, like, it was so, like, awesome that you got two LA baddies, like, wearing Knicks hats.
- [05:06]
Katie Nolan
Yeah. If anyone can do. I guess it's Shaman. I just felt like yesterday I was watching him and I was uncomfortable. It's like, take your jacket off. I get it. It's a cool jacket. There's no chance you're not still there? Damp? I don't know. I didn't see.
- [05:15]
Isabella
I don't know. Did you see that, that video of him where he was like, yay. With all, like, Nick's crew afterwards.
- [05:21]
Katie Nolan
You love the Knicks.
- [05:22]
Isabella
I do.
- [05:23]
Katie Nolan
I'm so happy for you.
- [05:23]
Isabella
I need to get one of those, like, Jaylen reverse voodoo dolls.
- [05:26]
Katie Nolan
Like that girl. Yeah. Where she iced his ankles before the game. Luke Cornett. Who knew Luke Cornett? Seven blocks from Luke Corn. I've always been a big Corn.
- [05:35]
Isabella
Was he always playing? I feel like I didn't see him.
- [05:37]
Katie Nolan
I don't know. I don't think we saw. I mean, he used to. Throughout the season. He had some big games, but I don't know.
- [05:42]
Isabella
I'm upset at him.
- [05:43]
Katie Nolan
He's just. He did it.
- [05:44]
Isabella
He made Josh Hart bloody. That was him, right?
- [05:47]
Katie Nolan
Was that him?
- [05:47]
Isabella
Yeah, it was. It was his elbow.
- [05:49]
Katie Nolan
It was his elbow. He had a sharp elbow on the way up.
- [05:51]
Isabella
I didn't know your eyebrow could bleed that much.
- [05:53]
Katie Nolan
Listen, your face bleeds a lot. It felt like last night they needed somebody on the broadcast to go. Your face bleeds a lot when it bleeds.
- [06:00]
Sue Bird
Yeah.
- [06:00]
Katie Nolan
Have you ever had a cut on your face? It.
- [06:02]
Isabella
No.
- [06:02]
Katie Nolan
Gushes blood. I've had a cut right here on top of my eyebrow. When I was a little kid, I woke up and I smacked my head on my windowsill because I woke up really fast. I don't know. Don't ask about the physics of it. It happened. Weird lie. I was like, in bed. My bed's next to the window. And when I sat Up. I smacked my. I don't know why I was so close to the wall. Again. It happened. I wouldn't make that up. Point is, maybe you didn't want to.
- [06:23]
Isabella
Go to school that day.
- [06:23]
Katie Nolan
I went to school anyway. I was bleeding down my face and I didn't want to wake my parents up. And I walked into my brother's room. I was like, kevin. And he said he woke up and I was covered in blood. And he was like, what the. But it was just a tiny cut. So cuts on your eyes bleed a lot. You learned it here first.
- [06:40]
Isabella
Okay, listen, it'll be all right, you know, be in the Garden brown. It'll be kind of iconic. If we win this series in the Garden, so will it be.
- [06:49]
Katie Nolan
I mean, I will. Living in New York. Sick of you Knicks fans. Not you particularly. You're the only good I have.
- [06:56]
Isabella
Every single person I have met has said you're the most likable Knicks fan.
- [07:00]
Katie Nolan
It's true.
- [07:01]
Sue Bird
Why are you. Why does that make you so mad?
- [07:02]
Isabella
It's a compliment. But, no, because you're dissing my family. You're dissing the fandom.
- [07:06]
Katie Nolan
Okay? And that's your family.
- [07:08]
Isabella
And yeah, the fandom is your family. And also my literal family is also a bunch of dicks fans.
- [07:13]
Katie Nolan
And I've never met them. I'm sure they're also very likable. They made you. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. I have to run through other things that happen in sports before we get to Subir, and I'm not going to make you leave. So you just sit here while we do this.
- [07:24]
Sue Bird
Okay?
- [07:25]
Katie Nolan
Thank you.
- [07:25]
Isabella
I'll just make ASMR noises.
- [07:27]
Katie Nolan
Thank you so much. She's just going to squeak through the chairs, guys. The Florida Panthers are now up 3 2. And that's series after the Toronto Maple leafs had a 20 series lead. I will remind you. Okay? The Florida Panthers won six nothing last night.
- [07:38]
Isabella
Oh, my team, it's.
- [07:40]
Katie Nolan
Oh, God, I forgot about that. She's only doing that to hurt me. She doesn't actually like this team. The. The Toronto Maple Leafs may actually blow this. Their fans are so disgusted. Two of them threw their jerseys on the ice last night. Thousands left early. They were booing in their own at their own home ice. Wild. Not to mention that the NHL has suspended their minority, the Florida Panthers minority owner for tweeting angrily at a Maple Leafs fan. So things are going well in that series. Edmonton eliminated the Vegas Golden Knights in five games. They're moving on to the Western Conference finals where they will play the winner of the Dallas Stars Winnipeg jets series. Dallas is currently up three one. Game five is tonight at 9:30 on TNT. That's the series. You know, Dallas's Miko Ran and we've talked a lot about Miko Ratnan and all those goals that he's scored. The Minnesota Timberwolves eliminated Golden State warriors in five. They will play the winner of Denver OKC. OKC is up three two in that series. Game six is tonight at 8:30 Eastern. A little earlier than most of their games have been. Oh, and Pete Rose, you know, Pete Rose is able to be in the hall of Fame now, which great. If we're going to remember him, I just want to advocate we remember all of it, write it all down on his little plaque. Just make sure you, you know, the guy who admitted to sleeping with a 14 or 15 year old when he was in his 30s is now a major, could be a Major League Baseball hall of Famer. I just want us to remember that, put that in there that, you know, led the majors and hits. But he was, he had a good time in the minors as well. He also committed the number one crime against baseball. So it's crazy to me to think that you can commit baseball's number one crime, which is ruin the integrity of the game and also still potentially be enshrined in the hall of Fame forever. At a time when gambling is coming into the sport, it's crazy that we're like, ed, what Pete Rose did was, okay, so find somebody that'll pay you to throw the game. Okay, you know what? Sue Bird's just sitting here watching me do this. So she's like, let's four time WNBA champ, 13 time WNBA all star, five time Olympic gold medalist, two time NCAA champion, four time FIBA world Cup. People forget about the FIBA World Cup. She won that four times. And in April of this year, she was elected to the Naismith Basketball hall of Fame. She's launching a new podcast with Vox Media called Bird's Eye View. The first episode drops tomorrow, May 16th. Please join me in welcoming the incredible my dear friend, Sue Bird.
- [10:04]
Sue Bird
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- [11:41]
Katie Nolan
Because getting delivery doesn't mean you have to miss out on in store deals.
- [11:45]
Sue Bird
Like the creamer that doesn't upset your stomach or the pasta sauce that you.
- [11:48]
Katie Nolan
Can'T not buy when it's on sale. Download the Instacart app, shop flyers, and.
- [11:53]
Sue Bird
Never miss a deal.
- [11:54]
Katie Nolan
Plus, get delivery in as fast as 30 minutes. Super. Thank you for being here.
- [12:03]
Sue Bird
Of course.
- [12:04]
Katie Nolan
This feels very normal. I apologize.
- [12:06]
Sue Bird
It's just the noise. Yeah, there's a little.
- [12:08]
Katie Nolan
It's like no one's ever sat in this chair before.
- [12:11]
Sue Bird
Hopefully the mic brought in the new stuff for me.
- [12:12]
Katie Nolan
Not picking it. Yeah, we bought a whole new couch and. And this is the biggest the logos ever been, so it looks good. It's all for you, Sue. I hope it's. I hope it's working. You're launching a new podcast.
- [12:24]
Sue Bird
Yeah.
- [12:25]
Katie Nolan
Just in time for the WNBA season.
- [12:27]
Sue Bird
Exactly.
- [12:27]
Katie Nolan
And they can find it where?
- [12:29]
Sue Bird
Wherever you get your podcast.
- [12:30]
Katie Nolan
Nice. Sick. Mine says YouTube, Spotify, and Apple podcasts.
- [12:35]
Sue Bird
Those two.
- [12:35]
Katie Nolan
I guess we're supposed to call out.
- [12:37]
Sue Bird
Okay.
- [12:38]
Katie Nolan
I wanted to have you in for, I mean, a million reasons, and I could talk to you about a million things, but with the WNBA season starting, I feel like, look, we're a podcast for casual fans, and I think the WNBA is in this big period of growth, which means a lot of people are casual fans of the wnba. So this is the perfect time, I think, to kind of set the tone for the season.
- [13:00]
Sue Bird
Okay.
- [13:01]
Katie Nolan
Because you know, everything and everyone. And you can help us do that.
- [13:05]
Sue Bird
Absolutely.
- [13:07]
Katie Nolan
So we'll start with the Liberty. They won the franchise first WNBA championship in 2024. They went the distance in the best of five finals against Minnesota this year. The core return. So, Stewie.
- [13:19]
Sue Bird
Yep.
- [13:20]
Katie Nolan
A dear friend and former teammate of yours, Sabrina and John Quell, all return, but they lost Kayla Thornton to the expansion draft. And they. There's a lot of pressure to repeating coming off the high of last year's. What's the expectation for them this season?
- [13:37]
Sue Bird
The expectation is to win.
- [13:39]
Katie Nolan
Yeah.
- [13:39]
Sue Bird
To defend their title. You mentioned losing Kayla Thornton in the expansion draft. They also lost Benija Laney to injury. She just got announced that she's out for the whole year.
- [13:50]
Katie Nolan
Cool.
- [13:51]
Sue Bird
But they added, well, this player, Rebecca Gardner was already on the roster, but she was hurt last year. So she comes back. Leonie Phoebus, who's a. A player from Germany. She comes back. She was on the team last year. And then they added again a player that was on the team a couple years ago but is coming back. So it feels weird saying. Added Marine Johannes. I bring that up to say they lost a lot, but they also gained a lot in. In very similar positions. They also added Natasha Cloud, who essentially replaces Courtney Vandersloot. All that to say it's the core group is the same like you mentioned, but they kind of feel new in a way that. And, you know, we talked about Bird's Eye View, which comes out tomorrow. My first guest is Sabrina.
- [14:32]
Katie Nolan
Great.
- [14:32]
Sue Bird
And she even said this. There's something that's really good about their locker room right now because they're repeating, which has a lot of pressure. But they're new because they have all these new players.
- [14:42]
Katie Nolan
Yeah.
- [14:42]
Sue Bird
But they have the core group. So it's like a nice little mix of, okay, we just did this. We have this experience to pull from, but we got a new thing to figure out. So they're not trying to replicate.
- [14:52]
Katie Nolan
Yeah.
- [14:52]
Sue Bird
And that's kind of what you need.
- [14:54]
Katie Nolan
Yeah. Where it's like you have the. You know, you can do it, but it's different enough that you're not trying to do exactly what you did last year.
- [15:00]
Sue Bird
You're writing your own story.
- [15:01]
Katie Nolan
Yeah.
- [15:02]
Sue Bird
You're not trying to rewrite history. Huh. So they could repeat history.
- [15:05]
Katie Nolan
They could do it again.
- [15:05]
Sue Bird
They could do it. Yeah. I think they're the favorites.
- [15:07]
Katie Nolan
Yeah.
- [15:08]
Sue Bird
Yeah.
- [15:08]
Katie Nolan
Okay. So they're the team to beat, obviously. Any conversation about the wnba, we have to talk about Caitlin Clark. She's in her second year. In her rookie season, she got rookie of the year. She was an all WNBA first team pick. She led the league in assists. Brought the Fever to their first Postseason appearance since 2016, but they got swept out by Connecticut in the first round after seeing her first year. How high would you say the ceiling is for Caitlin? Year two.
- [15:32]
Sue Bird
Yeah, I mean, what ceiling? What did Michael. I was. I always like to quote Michael Jordan in these moments, the ceiling is the roof.
- [15:37]
Katie Nolan
Yeah.
- [15:39]
Sue Bird
Yeah. She was incredible last year. Learned a lot about the league. So she's just probably going to add, you know, not necessarily anything to her game. I know she worked out in the off season and talks about, you know, her strength and wanting to get more physical, but it's the experience part that as you get older in this league starts to show itself combined with the skill. So she knows the league now and so that's dangerous. She's surrounded by a ton of talent. They did really well in free agency. They moved up immediately to. To also like a top four favorite. But yeah, it's her second year, so it'll be fun to see like, what adjustments she makes and what she did learn.
- [16:15]
Katie Nolan
Yeah, they talk about sophomore slump sometimes in sports, in wnba. Has that been a thing?
- [16:20]
Sue Bird
Has it been a thing now?
- [16:22]
Katie Nolan
Usually any of your friends, but did anybody have a shitty second year?
- [16:26]
Sue Bird
Honestly, usually it's like the rookie.
- [16:28]
Katie Nolan
Yeah.
- [16:28]
Sue Bird
Lumps.
- [16:29]
Katie Nolan
Yeah.
- [16:29]
Sue Bird
Because I mean, more slump.
- [16:30]
Katie Nolan
It's got to be like a shock to the system.
- [16:32]
Sue Bird
Yeah.
- [16:32]
Katie Nolan
It's totally different getting to the league. And what's shocking to me, I think people glaze over. This is the way the timeline is for.
- [16:40]
Sue Bird
It's quick.
- [16:40]
Katie Nolan
It's like to go from March Madness into the draft into the season, the. That quickly. It's like such a shock to the system. I have no idea how you guys process any of that.
- [16:54]
Sue Bird
You know, that's what being an athlete is. You just compartmentalize. Shoulders back and float above and just keep going.
- [17:02]
Katie Nolan
Well, does it like hit you when you retired? Are you like everything is kind of just slower? Yeah.
- [17:09]
Sue Bird
Yeah. It's an adjustment.
- [17:10]
Katie Nolan
Yeah.
- [17:11]
Sue Bird
Yeah. At first I love not having a schedule.
- [17:13]
Katie Nolan
Yes, of course.
- [17:14]
Sue Bird
That was like the best part. And then like sleep in.
- [17:16]
Katie Nolan
Were you bad?
- [17:17]
Sue Bird
I mean, you know, I was eating pizza.
- [17:19]
Katie Nolan
Oh, my God.
- [17:20]
Sue Bird
I was going crazy. But then very quickly, like a couple months, I was like, where's my schedule?
- [17:25]
Katie Nolan
Yeah.
- [17:26]
Sue Bird
Somebody Turned into like your toddler self. Yeah. So that was weird.
- [17:30]
Katie Nolan
I need activities, I need things to do, hobbies.
- [17:33]
Sue Bird
So I was just like, you know, let me do like eight podcasts.
- [17:35]
Katie Nolan
Yeah, well, and also let me just become the. What? Managing director.
- [17:39]
Sue Bird
Yep, Managing director.
- [17:40]
Katie Nolan
Which I was going to wait to.
- [17:41]
Sue Bird
Get into USA Basketball.
- [17:42]
Katie Nolan
I mean, we could get into right now. What does a managing director do? I googled it. Just like business wise. It says, overseas day to day operations, ensuring alignment with the organization's strategic goals. Similar to a CEO, but more focused on the daily ops.
- [17:56]
Sue Bird
That sounds intense.
- [17:58]
Katie Nolan
Yeah.
- [17:58]
Sue Bird
I'm basically what you do. No, I would say it's more. I say the easiest way is I'm the GM of USA Basketball.
- [18:04]
Katie Nolan
Okay.
- [18:04]
Sue Bird
So your responsibilities are picking the coach, picking the players.
- [18:07]
Katie Nolan
Okay. That's stressful.
- [18:08]
Sue Bird
Yeah.
- [18:09]
Katie Nolan
Which is also kind of overseeing day to day operations, ensuring alignment with the organization strategic goals, kind of.
- [18:14]
Sue Bird
But USA Basketball is not okay. USA Basketball, the business is a day to day business. Of course there's people there that are.
- [18:19]
Katie Nolan
Inside of it and stuff. You're not doing that.
- [18:21]
Sue Bird
But the national team. But the national team. I'm terrible at math. The national team, you know, it's like the obviously Olympics and World cup or things people know about. We have qualifiers that we have to do and there's training camps, but it's not an everyday thing for me.
- [18:37]
Katie Nolan
Right.
- [18:38]
Sue Bird
So it's like I can kind of pop in and out of it in a sense.
- [18:41]
Katie Nolan
Right. And the next Olympics are here.
- [18:44]
Sue Bird
They are here.
- [18:44]
Katie Nolan
Is that why you said, Is that why you took the job?
- [18:46]
Sue Bird
It's a nice little cherry on top. Yeah.
- [18:48]
Katie Nolan
Of like, oh, it's not.
- [18:49]
Sue Bird
Not why.
- [18:50]
Katie Nolan
Right.
- [18:50]
Sue Bird
If that makes sense.
- [18:51]
Katie Nolan
But it isn't fully why.
- [18:52]
Sue Bird
No. I would have done it regardless.
- [18:53]
Katie Nolan
Yeah.
- [18:54]
Sue Bird
Yeah.
- [18:54]
Katie Nolan
Why? And what was the main. Your main driving force? I know Grant Hill is a good friend of yours and he does this gig for the men's side.
- [18:59]
Sue Bird
Yes.
- [18:59]
Katie Nolan
That I assume played a part in you. It did, yeah.
- [19:02]
Sue Bird
Yeah. He. He was definitely in my ear about. Wasn't like I got recruited. I just got, you know, bugged from time to time about it.
- [19:09]
Katie Nolan
Yeah.
- [19:09]
Sue Bird
Over the course of the last couple years and then probably around the holidays, the conversations got a little more serious, a little more in depth. I started thinking about it a little bit more. And at first I didn't want to. And then when I sat with it, I was like, man, this could be. I don't know. Grant always talked about how it got his juices going.
- [19:28]
Katie Nolan
Yeah.
- [19:29]
Sue Bird
Like being an athlete, playing it's a whole different thing in terms of the juices.
- [19:32]
Katie Nolan
Yeah.
- [19:34]
Sue Bird
It's hard to find those juices elsewhere.
- [19:35]
Katie Nolan
Of course.
- [19:35]
Sue Bird
So he talked about that. And I am uniquely positioned. I think I'm bringing just, like, a different perspective that's never really been, like, in that seat.
- [19:44]
Katie Nolan
Yeah.
- [19:44]
Sue Bird
So the combination of all that and just really wanting to be a part of it, at the end of the day, I just was like, I really want to be a part of this.
- [19:50]
Katie Nolan
And I think we're at a position, like a time when, you know, the women's game is growing internationally. So competition is about. I mean, the United States women's team has won how many in a row? Eight in a row.
- [20:01]
Sue Bird
Yeah, eight in a row.
- [20:02]
Katie Nolan
And so I feel like it's, you know, this happened in women's soccer, as, you know, from, you know, your friends, but also your relationship is like, when the growth internationally meets the level that the US Is at, things get a little more difficult internationally. And I feel like having you in a position of power over that situation, this is like, a good time for that. It's a big. It's like. It could be a challenge pretty soon.
- [20:26]
Sue Bird
Yeah. I mean, I don't know if you caught the gold medal game in the last Olympics came down to, like, a pinky toe, which really, I mean, interestingly enough, I think a lot of people got whipped up about that. Like, oh, no, what's happening? It's always. Okay. Has it come down to the final shot in the gold medal game every year? No, I'm not gonna sit here and l to you, but the competition has always been like that. There's always been a game or two in every Olympics that I played in, where, you know, off the top of my head, we were down to Australia at halftime in one. I believe it was the semifinals. So it's like, it happens, right? It's not. It's not. This is not that far.
- [21:00]
Katie Nolan
These teams, that can always happen anyway.
- [21:02]
Sue Bird
These countries have always been right on our tail, so. But. Yeah, but now that there's more eyeballs, there's more tension, there's more pressure. So that's what's changed.
- [21:12]
Katie Nolan
Don't screw up. Super.
- [21:13]
Sue Bird
Yeah.
- [21:13]
Katie Nolan
Don't mess up. All right, back to the wnba. So the Aces. The Aces, are they retooled?
- [21:22]
Sue Bird
Yeah.
- [21:22]
Katie Nolan
Asia Wilson won her third WNBA MVP, but they fell short of winning their third straight title. They went 1 and 6 against Liberty on the year, and then they lost New York in the semifinals. Asia now has her own signature shoe, which is doing very well, very well, it's a nice shoe.
- [21:37]
Sue Bird
It is.
- [21:37]
Katie Nolan
Went public with her relationship with Bam. How long have you known about that? Long time.
- [21:42]
Sue Bird
Yeah.
- [21:42]
Katie Nolan
While ye. What do we think is going to happen for the Aces this season? They lost Kelsey Plum and add Jewel Lloyd.
- [21:53]
Sue Bird
Yeah. So that was like a blockbuster trade in terms of. Yeah, wnba. There hasn't really been that many blockbuster trades. It's just the CBA and the way the contracts are and the salary cap and all the things. It's really limiting, which the CBA is up this year, so I'm sure that will all change. Okay. So. Yeah, so this is like a. This was a big trade. So losing Plum hurts them, but then gaining Jewel obviously is a huge lift. I think last year when they were trying to do the three peat thing, I think, you know, from the start you could tell they're. They. They were struggling a little bit with depth. Chelsea Gray had an injury coming into the start of the season, so she wasn't 100% healthy. Then after the Olympics, Jackie Young was banged up a little bit. A couple other players had some issues, so they just were never healthy. And in this league, I would argue more than any league, health is really what gets you by.
- [22:45]
Katie Nolan
Yeah.
- [22:45]
Sue Bird
Every. Every team that's won, I bet there's been a scenario where they were just lucky to not have injuries and other teams did. So that just, I mean, literally hurt them. Yeah, they just didn't really have a chance. And you saw in the playoffs, they kind of just ran out. They just, like, ran out of all the things. But this year, they've added Jewel. They're healthy. Chelsea Gray especially, is healthy. She's definitely the head of the snake, so they can make it interesting.
- [23:08]
Katie Nolan
Interesting. Paige Beckers, obviously, a lot of people talking about Paige, and she's who I'm thinking of when I say what a crazy couple weeks that she's had.
- [23:15]
Sue Bird
So was I. Yeah.
- [23:17]
Katie Nolan
Familiar story. Dallas wins the draft. Lottering gets to pick a generational talent with the first overall pick. How high are expectations for her coming into the league?
- [23:28]
Sue Bird
High. They're high for every number. Yeah. I always say, I'm like, it's not even about the player. It's just that they're the number one pick.
- [23:34]
Katie Nolan
Yes.
- [23:34]
Sue Bird
Like, it has nothing to do with.
- [23:35]
Katie Nolan
The player, which she's an electric and exciting player and everybody wants to watch, but it's. Yeah, the number one pick puts a lot of pressure.
- [23:42]
Sue Bird
Yeah. Yeah. It's always like that. But I think. I don't know, She's. She's handled all of that at UConn she had a really. I think when you look back on it, you zoom out. Such an interesting career there, given that she started as literally the play, not the freshman of the year, not the national freshman of the year. She was the player of the year her freshman year, then had a bunch of injuries, a lot of setbacks in that way, only to come out on the other side and win a national championship. So it's a great story. They're. They were really like the Beatles this year, you know, going around the country everywhere they went. Yukon, Paige, I mean, it was crazy. Obviously. I know everybody, you know, in that program just hearing some of the stories of the way they got followed. So she's used to all that. She's just the attention, used to the hype. I do think what's interesting and maybe different, a lot of people compare Paige and Caitlyn. I totally get why. So it's fun to do. What's different, I think about her is. I don't. I don't. I think Paige is more like going to feel out the team, feel out the system, and then eventually you'll see her impact and you'll see her play. You kind of caught that a little bit in preseason. So I think it might take her. Not in a bad way. Listen, I could be wrong. Maybe game one, she comes out like guns a blazing. But I find her to be more like a feel player. So I think she's going to feel her way in, feel her way playing with Arike. Feel it. Feel the WNBA out. And then when she figures it out, she'll have a great season.
- [25:03]
Katie Nolan
They have a lot of people on Dallas this year that could be a really fun team to watch. But that's good to say to people so they don't go like, if she doesn't go off in her first few games, nobody to worry about.
- [25:14]
Sue Bird
Not very many rookies go off right in their first couple.
- [25:17]
Katie Nolan
Let them get the feel for it again. She's had a crazy couple months. Maybe we let her, I don't know, figure out where the bathrooms are and how to get to them before we need her to do something crazy. Minnesota surpassed early expectations in 2024. They went 30 and 10. They got the number two seed in the playoffs, but they fell just short of the WNBA title, losing to New York in a winner take all game five of the finals. And Nafisa Collier established herself as one of the top two or three players in the world. Just absolutely incredible. What do you see happening for them this year?
- [25:48]
Sue Bird
Oh, they're on a revenge tour. Yes, they are on a revenge. They are not happy with that final call in game five with the officiating general in that series. Not happy. And I think they, they are just holding onto that and using it as motivation. They didn't really have like a ton of shakeups in their roster. They're, they're, you know, some people left here, some additions were made there. They're, they're pretty much the same team, which could be a good thing for that revenge tour.
- [26:16]
Katie Nolan
Right.
- [26:17]
Sue Bird
Like they all have that bad taste in their mouth. And Cheryl Reef, she always finds a way to get her teams playing extremely hard and getting them to play. And I think this is the differentiator together in a way that makes them, it's never about one person. Yes, they have Nafisa, don't get me wrong. They don't win if she doesn't play well.
- [26:34]
Katie Nolan
Right.
- [26:35]
Sue Bird
So they have their mvp. But it's, it's, that's what makes them tough to play. It's like everybody's given something. Kayla McBride played amazing and unrivaled. She had a great unrivaled season. So I imagine she'll have you know that that'll just carry over into the WNBA season. So. Yeah. It's that revenge factor for them though, that's interesting.
- [26:53]
Katie Nolan
New York, you were saying they've got enough different to make them not feel they have to repeat. And then Minnesota basically has enough the same that they can use that to fuel them to be angry.
- [27:03]
Sue Bird
Yep.
- [27:04]
Katie Nolan
And anger works.
- [27:05]
Sue Bird
Anger is better I think in terms of fueling a team than that like championship hangover feel.
- [27:11]
Katie Nolan
Yeah.
- [27:12]
Sue Bird
I think when you win and you're repeating that next year, there's a tendency to look back and not remember how hard it was. You're like, oh, we won. Everything was great.
- [27:19]
Katie Nolan
Right.
- [27:20]
Sue Bird
Whereas obviously for Minnesota, they're going to.
- [27:22]
Katie Nolan
You know, or when you like hit a rut to go back and try to like look at what you did last season and try to repeat instead of just going like it's different, everything's different. It's, we're here now, we have to do it now. So that should be very interesting. This is the first season without Diana Taurasi since 2003. The WNBA's all time leading scorer by a lot. You're eighth. Sue's right there. Okay. She retired in February after 21 seasons with the Mercury. 11 all star appearances, three championships, over 10,000 points. Everybody has a Diana story. I'm sure you've got a million Diana stories. Is There any Diana story that I can share that we can have that.
- [28:02]
Sue Bird
I haven't told, or.
- [28:03]
Katie Nolan
I mean, maybe one you have, but just one. That maybe that's your favorite Diana, your craziest Diana. You know me. The story about Diana, I would find the funniest and best.
- [28:13]
Sue Bird
I mean, listen, this is one that happened on national television, like, just recently in her retirement. I'm sure you saw it. So I don't think I'm telling anybody anything they didn't see. But the minute this happened, I was like, this is the story that if I. If someone was like, you have one story to tell that, like, encapsulates. I just messed that whole word up.
- [28:32]
Katie Nolan
No, that was it.
- [28:33]
Sue Bird
I nailed it. That. That really brings and ties just everything that Diana is, from her humor to the way she can dig from her timing. It's this story, and it happened on the View when Whoopi Goldberg introduced her.
- [28:49]
Katie Nolan
Oh, my God.
- [28:50]
Sue Bird
And flubbed her name. Introducing Diana, you know, whatever. To Ruzzi. Whatever she said.
- [28:54]
Katie Nolan
Not a hard. Not even that hard of a name, I don't think. But sorry, Whoopi.
- [28:58]
Sue Bird
D comes on as, you know, sits down, takes a question or two. It wasn't right away. You know, this is where the timing comes in. She waited. She waited for the right moment, and when it was her time, she went, oh, yeah, I don't know, Whippy. I mean, Whoopi. And just like, just. That's D. Yeah, that is D. And do I have a thousand stories like those? Absolutely. Some I can't share online. I'll tell you offline.
- [29:21]
Katie Nolan
Sure. They're gonna. How much is the WNBA gonna miss her presence?
- [29:25]
Sue Bird
You know, a lot. I do think it's. The game's in such a great place, like, from a playing standpoint, from a personality standpoint. When I think of Dee, the thing that makes me most sad about her retiring now is all the excitement again. All the eyeballs we have. People would have loved D. I mean, you think any of these players have, like, that. Like, just that feel? Man, you would have loved watching D in her prime.
- [29:47]
Katie Nolan
Yeah. You could tell with WNBA fans, it was frustrating. You know, the growing pains of new eyeballs. It's always like, the people who've been here for a while, loving this league for a while. I. I understand the frustration when new people come in and are like, this is good now. And you're like, okay, it's been good. I also understand that you have to allow for that in order to grow.
- [30:08]
Sue Bird
Of course.
- [30:08]
Katie Nolan
But I. The thing I think I saw Most from WNBA fans was like, you all would have loved Diana. This would have been the play.
- [30:16]
Sue Bird
You would have loved her play.
- [30:17]
Katie Nolan
Yes.
- [30:17]
Sue Bird
You would have just loved her. Her swag, her cockiness. Like the way she talks shit. Just the subtle way she did it, the loud way. I mean, she just. She was born at the wrong time.
- [30:27]
Katie Nolan
Yeah.
- [30:27]
Sue Bird
Mario and Lily, you met too soon. You met too soon. If she was 22 now.
- [30:31]
Katie Nolan
Yeah.
- [30:32]
Sue Bird
It's like everything that American sports is.
- [30:34]
Katie Nolan
Yeah.
- [30:34]
Sue Bird
Diana was 20 years ago.
- [30:36]
Katie Nolan
Yeah.
- [30:37]
Sue Bird
That's the sad part.
- [30:37]
Katie Nolan
Who do you see that most reflects what Diana brought.
- [30:42]
Sue Bird
Oh, man.
- [30:44]
Katie Nolan
Whether they're coming, whether they're currently in college or if they're currently in the league, like, who do you think most? Obviously, no one can replicate what she is.
- [30:52]
Sue Bird
It's okay. So current WNBA players in terms of like the swag.
- [30:58]
Katie Nolan
Yeah.
- [30:59]
Sue Bird
And the confidence. I would. It's not that many. I would say. I would say. Okay, Courtney Williams from Minnesota has a little bit of that.
- [31:10]
Katie Nolan
Yeah.
- [31:11]
Sue Bird
The problem is she's not. She's great, but she's not, you know, like an all time great. She's not like the generational player. So then you move over to Caitlyn and so Caitlyn has like the generational play with a little bit of that cockiness, and you're starting to see that come out more. So Caitlyn might be the best comp.
- [31:26]
Katie Nolan
Yeah. It's a different kind of cockiness, though.
- [31:29]
Sue Bird
I feel like Angel Reese has a little bit, by the way.
- [31:32]
Katie Nolan
She sure does.
- [31:32]
Sue Bird
That's like a player that. Whose confidence.
- [31:34]
Katie Nolan
Yeah.
- [31:34]
Sue Bird
Like, it's just. She wears it.
- [31:36]
Katie Nolan
Yeah. It's fun to watch them grow, too, throughout the. I don't know. Maybe I'm just being sex. Reverse sexist. I don't. But I feel like watching female players grow is more fascinating and interesting to me because I just.
- [31:50]
Sue Bird
I agree.
- [31:50]
Katie Nolan
It's more interesting.
- [31:51]
Sue Bird
I could do a whole take on why that.
- [31:53]
Katie Nolan
What if you did? Do you want to do right now?
- [31:55]
Sue Bird
I just think. And this isn't like, it's not about better or worse. It's more just where the NBA is, like where the men's game is. These guys at, like. I mean, it's a sad thing, honestly. These guys at like 13, 14 years old just get. I don't know, like put in a bubble. A bubble that. Honestly, not that different from what we're sitting in right now.
- [32:14]
Katie Nolan
Again, we don't love this fishbowl. We're not huge fans of by bubble.
- [32:18]
Sue Bird
I should have said fishbowl. They're Putting a fishbowl where everything. And so they just get. I feel like they get a little more guarded. It's hard to see that growth.
- [32:26]
Katie Nolan
Right.
- [32:26]
Sue Bird
You see it on the court, you see it with their play, but it's a little bit different in terms of, like, who they are.
- [32:31]
Katie Nolan
Yeah.
- [32:31]
Sue Bird
And maybe the woman's game gets there.
- [32:33]
Katie Nolan
Right.
- [32:33]
Sue Bird
In terms of all of that. But right now, you are. You're just able to see people and their personality a little bit more.
- [32:38]
Katie Nolan
Yeah. That is the thing, I think, that makes it different is that it's. It's also exciting to watch. Also scary for, I guess, if you're in the league, but in the earlier years of the wnba, when you're like, is this league gonna make it? Not just, like, what's going on with me and my team and my play, but you also have this, like, what's going on with the league? And so it's fascinating for a number of reasons. It's a fascinating time to watch the wnba, to be like, it's establishing itself. It's in a place where it's, like, nothing but up and growth and just. I don't know. I just love it. So let's get back into it. Seattle, which we have to say, sue has an ownership stake in the team. We must establish.
- [33:18]
Sue Bird
Say that when we get to the CBA part.
- [33:20]
Katie Nolan
Yeah.
- [33:20]
Sue Bird
Because that's. That's the part I can't talk about. Oh, yeah.
- [33:22]
Katie Nolan
True. Okay.
- [33:23]
Sue Bird
Fair. It's gonna be boring.
- [33:24]
Katie Nolan
Seattle trade Julloy to get Dominique Malonga in the draft. Right. Skyler Diggins has called us the most talented team that she's been on. They got swept out of the playoffs by the Aces after being the most improved team in 2024. What do you think? How are you feeling about this season for Seattle?
- [33:43]
Sue Bird
Really good. I think it's a group that, you know, last year, it was Skyler's first year. It was Neca's first year. Obviously, Jewel was there at the time, so it was the first year for them. Jewel's no longer there, as you said, replaced with the second pick, what ended up being Dominique. And so I think with Skyler and Neca, to have another year under their belt, another year under this coaching staff. Ezzy, Gabby, players that have been in Seattle for a while. There's just something where this core group has now just had time together, and that's just so beneficial. So then you add the young talent that they brought in, and it's. It's a good mix. Plus, they're highly motivated. It's not quite a revenge tour like Minnesota, but I think each individual is really motivated in a different way. They have something to prove. So that's a. That's a good mix.
- [34:26]
Katie Nolan
Yeah. To. To be improved last season, but not be able to turn it into something. I could see that being very motivating this year of, like, we got, you.
- [34:34]
Sue Bird
Know, there's a lot of chatter about a lot of things, so.
- [34:36]
Katie Nolan
Like, what things?
- [34:37]
Sue Bird
You know, players take things personally. I don't know.
- [34:40]
Katie Nolan
Like what?
- [34:41]
Sue Bird
Search it up, as my nieces like to say.
- [34:42]
Katie Nolan
That's what your nieces say? Search it up.
- [34:44]
Sue Bird
I don't say Google anymore.
- [34:45]
Katie Nolan
Well, because they use chat.
- [34:46]
Sue Bird
I asked them. No, I asked them why?
- [34:48]
Katie Nolan
Why?
- [34:49]
Sue Bird
And I was like, do you know what Google is? Of course they know what it is. It's because on your. On your iPhone, for them. IPad. Think about it. When you open it up, like, open up Safari, whatever you're using at the top, it says search it here.
- [35:00]
Katie Nolan
Huh?
- [35:00]
Sue Bird
They go search it up. Or whatever it says. It says search. It doesn't say Google.
- [35:05]
Katie Nolan
Yeah, but they are Googling it. They're not.
- [35:07]
Sue Bird
No, they're searching it up.
- [35:08]
Katie Nolan
Yeah, they also. Kids also use TikTok as a search engine. Sue.
- [35:13]
Sue Bird
They're not chachi between. They're too young.
- [35:14]
Katie Nolan
Okay, good.
- [35:15]
Sue Bird
They're searching it up, though.
- [35:16]
Katie Nolan
Search. Gotta search it up.
- [35:18]
Sue Bird
Gotta search it.
- [35:18]
Katie Nolan
Gotta search it up. Who do you think is the best young team coming into the season, and why is it the Chicago Sky?
- [35:30]
Sue Bird
They. Chicago's up there.
- [35:31]
Katie Nolan
Yeah.
- [35:32]
Sue Bird
I think Chicago's gonna be a lot better than people realize.
- [35:34]
Katie Nolan
Yeah.
- [35:34]
Sue Bird
Yeah.
- [35:34]
Katie Nolan
Why?
- [35:34]
Sue Bird
I think because they added Courtney Vander. Sloot. Yeah, that's a big piece. I also think they added Ariel Atkins. So they're giving Angel. They're giving Camila Cardozo. These two young post players, great guards around them. They also had a key on nurse. They have a bunch of shooting, which they didn't have last year. So that'll open things up. But to me, it's. It's really. It's Sloot. It's Sloot. Sloot's gonna. I bet Sloot has a great year this year.
- [35:57]
Katie Nolan
Yeah. Who other than Chicago has a great young team?
- [36:01]
Sue Bird
I would have said Washington, and it still is Washington in a sense, but Georgia Amore tore acl, so that's a little devastating. I was really excited to see just all that young talent come together. LA is interesting because Plum went there, who's not young, necessarily. I mean, she's still young, but she's not. She's a Vet in this league, but she was going to be teamed up with. Or she is going to be teamed up with Rickia Jackson. Cameron Brink, who tore ACL last year. We haven't seen her yet. So if she comes back. So LA is kind of interesting. We already talked about Dallas. Yeah. Those are the ones that jump out.
- [36:34]
Katie Nolan
Okay. How about the new kids on the block, The Golden State Valkyries.
- [36:39]
Sue Bird
Yeah.
- [36:40]
Katie Nolan
Who I will be, I'm. I believe I'm rooting for. Yeah. I think that for them. No. But I'm saying I think that might be.
- [36:46]
Sue Bird
It might be a tough year.
- [36:47]
Katie Nolan
I know it's probably not going to be right out the gate winning. And I. But here's the thing. I just didn't have.
- [36:53]
Sue Bird
They're building.
- [36:54]
Katie Nolan
I don't have loyalty to a WNBA team yet. And when.
- [36:57]
Sue Bird
Really.
- [36:58]
Katie Nolan
Yeah. And. Well, I've, like, watched a lot of the Liberty, but I just. I don't. I. It feels weird for me to root for a New York team.
- [37:06]
Sue Bird
Where are you from? Boston. So you're not. Connecticut, son.
- [37:09]
Katie Nolan
It just sounds like a newspaper. Honestly, if the name of the team didn't sound like a newspaper, I feel like I would. Okay, so change the name. Suggest.
- [37:18]
Sue Bird
What would you call them? What would be a good Boston woman?
- [37:22]
Katie Nolan
The Boss. I mean, we just went through this with the soccer team. They named them the. They named him Boss fc. And we were like, no balls. No. Yeah. We're like, they're gonna call it Girl Boss. We just know it. And I don't want that. Yeah. So I just. I never. I feel weird. I want a New York team because it'd be nice to have a team where I live. But then I also feel weird rooting for New York, and I especially feel weird rooting for New York after they've won. Now I'm like. I feel like I'm bandwagoning New York, which I'd rather die than bandwagon in New York.
- [37:49]
Sue Bird
Just, like, buy a Teresa Weatherspoon jersey.
- [37:52]
Katie Nolan
Okay.
- [37:52]
Sue Bird
Or like Rebecca Lobo. Like, I've been here for years.
- [37:54]
Katie Nolan
Yeah. And just lie.
- [37:55]
Sue Bird
Yeah.
- [37:55]
Katie Nolan
You want me to just lie? Super do. No. So I'm rooting for the Golden State Valkyries. They're brand new.
- [37:59]
Sue Bird
Okay.
- [38:01]
Katie Nolan
When they're in great colors.
- [38:02]
Sue Bird
Yeah. They like the great franchise.
- [38:04]
Katie Nolan
And they just. I just saw them do some sort. They have a hashtag that I loved. Of course, I can't remember what it is now, but it was Valhalla.
- [38:12]
Sue Bird
What?
- [38:12]
Katie Nolan
Like Valhalla, where the. Where the Vikings go when they die.
- [38:16]
Sue Bird
Okay.
- [38:17]
Katie Nolan
To Valhalla. And it's like. It's where you go. It's like the ultimate warriors. It's like, yeah, you're honored and. But they call it. Right. She's in. Seabirds. In.
- [38:27]
Sue Bird
I do like their colors a lot.
- [38:28]
Katie Nolan
They're purple, black and silver. No, just purple, black and white. Whatever. Talk to me about what I have to look forward to with the Valkyries.
- [38:39]
Sue Bird
So they're building.
- [38:41]
Katie Nolan
Yeah.
- [38:41]
Sue Bird
They didn't get much in free agency, which in some ways is fine because of the new cba. This year is a little bit of a throwaway. Nobody was going to sign more than one year anyways. So next year you can just start all over with that. They have Kate Martin, they have Tiffany Hayes, two players you can easily follow, get on board with. They have some other talent, too, but they actually have a lot of international flavor.
- [39:04]
Katie Nolan
Huh.
- [39:04]
Sue Bird
So they have a lot of international players.
- [39:06]
Katie Nolan
Love that.
- [39:06]
Sue Bird
They. They don't have much from the draft, so there isn't really anything to follow there. Their first round pick is not coming over this year. She's Lithuanian. She's young. I think she's like, gosh, 18 or 19. Hit the scene at like 14, 15.
- [39:18]
Katie Nolan
It's crazy.
- [39:19]
Sue Bird
Yeah. But she's not coming over this year, so that's, you know, a little different. You don't have like that young draft pick. Yeah. And they're building Natalie, their coach. Amazing. She came from. From the Aces. She has that pedigree. And again, if you want to start from scratch with someone, this is the ticket. This is.
- [39:37]
Katie Nolan
Get it on the ground level, you guys, to Valhalla. We're going to the top. You got to start at the bottom to go to the top.
- [39:46]
Sue Bird
This is it.
- [39:46]
Katie Nolan
They're also the first in a wave of expansion that we have coming.
- [39:49]
Sue Bird
Yeah.
- [39:50]
Katie Nolan
Toronto Tempo, I believe, is next year, as well as Portland, who does not have a name yet. Do you have a good name idea for Portland?
- [39:58]
Sue Bird
I don't.
- [39:59]
Katie Nolan
The hipsters just be the Portland Hipsters. The Portland Taco Trucks, they were the.
- [40:05]
Sue Bird
Fire when they were in the WNBA many moons ago. I guess there was a big fire there.
- [40:10]
Katie Nolan
Have you noticed the WNBA is big on no S s at the end of the name more than I would say any other league.
- [40:16]
Sue Bird
Oh, yeah. You know what's interesting about that? People love to put the S. I can't even tell you through the course of my career. Go Storms.
- [40:23]
Katie Nolan
Oh, why?
- [40:24]
Sue Bird
Because they just love it.
- [40:25]
Katie Nolan
What a weird one to add to pluralize too, because Storm, it's like you're very rarely going there.
- [40:29]
Sue Bird
Storms here, they were saying it so much, we just, like, kind of took it on as our team would be like, all right, Storms on three. One, two, three. Storms. We just kind of added the S.
- [40:37]
Katie Nolan
That's very funny, but, like, tempo. That's not going to work. But, yeah, it's. It used to be a fun trivia thing where people go, like, in the four major sports, who are the few teams in college. Yes. And then in the wnba, you're like, Cardinal. Yeah. Every team has no weird. Which I kind of like expansion. What do you know how. What's the ideal amount of teams to have in a league, do you think?
- [41:01]
Sue Bird
I don't know.
- [41:01]
Katie Nolan
I know.
- [41:02]
Sue Bird
Yeah.
- [41:02]
Katie Nolan
I feel like smaller isn't the worst thing.
- [41:06]
Sue Bird
No, I agree. Smaller is not the worst thing, I think, but you got to grow business.
- [41:11]
Katie Nolan
Yeah.
- [41:12]
Sue Bird
And I, I. Okay, so smaller is not the worst thing. Why? It makes all. All the talent is going to be on all the teams.
- [41:18]
Katie Nolan
The distribution of talent.
- [41:19]
Sue Bird
The parody is going to be amazing, which makes for a great play, yada, yada. But how do you grow the talent pool if you don't have more teams? Because if players don't make it to the wnba. Yes. They can play overseas. They can work on their games. It's really difficult to become a WNBA player if you're not in it. So there's an argument there that there might just be a growing pain with the amount of teams, and then eventually that talent, like, catches up in a sense. I mean, my prediction there is we're just gonna see a lot of players breaking a lot of records.
- [41:48]
Katie Nolan
Yeah.
- [41:49]
Sue Bird
For the next. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Because it's gonna get a little diluted at first.
- [41:52]
Katie Nolan
Yeah.
- [41:52]
Sue Bird
So all the players that are averaging, you know, Asia average, don't quote me, like, 24, 25 last year.
- [41:57]
Katie Nolan
Yeah.
- [41:57]
Sue Bird
Who knows? 28, 29. No joke, go off. So. Yeah.
- [42:02]
Katie Nolan
All right, so we'll see.
- [42:03]
Sue Bird
We'll see.
- [42:04]
Katie Nolan
Okay.
- [42:04]
Sue Bird
Overall, good, though.
- [42:05]
Katie Nolan
Overall, of course, we're very happy. Clip the part where we say, we're very happy with growth in the WNBA and expand as much as you want to, girl, we've reached the part of that you have to dance around.
- [42:16]
Sue Bird
Okay.
- [42:17]
Katie Nolan
But the cba. A lot of talk about this cba, the conversation has been like, like you said, a lot of people aren't signing deals that are long term because this new CBA is coming. I think to a casual fan, they might even be going, what's a cba? Collective bargaining agreement. So that's between the players and the league and basically deciding the terms of what? Like, everything. Media. The. The amount you can pay somebody.
- [42:43]
Sue Bird
Yeah, it's. The easiest way is like, the salary cap.
- [42:47]
Katie Nolan
Yeah.
- [42:47]
Sue Bird
How much is in it? Which means how much does, you know, a roster get paid? Can you go over that? Currently, the WNBA has a hard salary cap. A lot of people know probably the MBA better, which is, like. Because you always hear about the luxury tax. That means that they have a number in their salary cap that they can go over. They just get taxed on it.
- [43:04]
Katie Nolan
So it's like a ceiling, but it's soft. So you can. But currently, ours is supposed to go over it. But if you go over it, you have to pay more money. But in the mba.
- [43:11]
Sue Bird
Yeah, it's.
- [43:12]
Katie Nolan
You cannot.
- [43:12]
Sue Bird
You cannot. So that, I'm sure, will be on the table ceiling, if you will. Yeah, if you will. We can. We can break those. Katie. They say. Yeah. So that will be, I'm sure, a big part. And then there's things like, what's the max amount of money a player can get? What's the minimum amount? What's the vet minimum? Like, all the different limits and terms surrounding money will be talked about. There was a huge media deal signed, bigger than we've ever seen in women's sports.
- [43:37]
Katie Nolan
Shout out.
- [43:38]
Sue Bird
Yeah. So that the. The, you know, incoming cash, if you will, that'll have a major impact. So that'll be all part of negotiation. And then. Yeah, there's other things. You know, I'll take it back to our last cba. That's what I can talk about openly. And for you.
- [43:49]
Katie Nolan
Perfect.
- [43:49]
Sue Bird
Things we. Things we were able to negotiate.
- [43:51]
Katie Nolan
What year was that?
- [43:52]
Sue Bird
We signed that in 2020, basically. January, February.
- [43:55]
Katie Nolan
Oh, a year when nothing was changing.
- [43:56]
Sue Bird
Yeah. Right before the whole world.
- [44:00]
Katie Nolan
When we had it all figured out.
- [44:01]
Sue Bird
You know, we were able to get on the road. Hotel rooms for individual hotel rooms.
- [44:08]
Katie Nolan
Crazy. Can we please pause on how crazy that is? That in 2020, essentially, was when you guys finally got individual hotel rooms on.
- [44:16]
Sue Bird
The roster for everyone on the roster. You always had it for vets, but, like, rookies and whatnot. Didn't have it. Yeah, different things in terms of our travel. Just, like, certain lifestyle things that we really needed. Oh, here's a great one. 100% maternity leave. So the player got pregnant, they get 100% of their money. So those are the types of things that you talk about in. In CBA negotiations.
- [44:39]
Katie Nolan
I mean, specifically unique to women's sports.
- [44:42]
Sue Bird
Exactly.
- [44:43]
Katie Nolan
That's like. There's a lot of stuff with the WNBA being a younger league and also a league Full of women. I think those are the two things that make this a very interesting thing because you have to negotiate differently. And also you're still growing and still getting things like not flying commercial to go to your away games.
- [44:59]
Sue Bird
Right. So now, though.
- [45:00]
Katie Nolan
Yeah, thank you.
- [45:01]
Sue Bird
But that'll be a part of the conversation for sure.
- [45:03]
Katie Nolan
That was so.
- [45:04]
Sue Bird
I know that's where I'm like, I should have played one more year in. Just to charter. Like one time.
- [45:09]
Katie Nolan
How many times. How many times did you miss a game because your commercial flight was delayed?
- [45:13]
Sue Bird
I never. We never missed a game. There's, you know, that's. There's only like one game that ever got missed.
- [45:17]
Katie Nolan
That's.
- [45:18]
Sue Bird
And it's because the team actually forfeited.
- [45:19]
Katie Nolan
I still crazy. That's still crazy.
- [45:21]
Sue Bird
I know it's crazy that we never missed a game, but I definitely. There was one or two times, one I can pull off the top of my head, where we were on a back to back, which meant you were flying, you were playing. Wherever you're playing, you were getting out the morning of the game. So you're flying on the back. This is the chance. This is really the only way you would miss a game. So you're flying that morning to get to the city to take the best nap of your life because you're exhausted. And then you find a way to play. And our flight got delayed and then we had a mechanical issue. And they were able to get the five starters. They were able to get five seats. They gave it to the five starters. They were like, you guys go crazy. We got there, landed like four hours before the game. So we're able to like, freshen up, if you will. The rest of the team and the coaching staff arrived like an hour before, like, literally from the airport. Had to go straight to the gym.
- [46:07]
Katie Nolan
Oh, my God.
- [46:08]
Sue Bird
And we played the game.
- [46:09]
Katie Nolan
And did you win?
- [46:11]
Sue Bird
You know, I don't know. A long time ago.
- [46:12]
Katie Nolan
I feel like if you won, you'd remember. So we can look it up, but maybe don't look it up. We'll just say you played your best, you did the best you could.
- [46:18]
Sue Bird
You know what? It probably doesn't exist. Probably can't search that up.
- [46:20]
Katie Nolan
So we won. Don't search it up.
- [46:22]
Sue Bird
1. Back in the early 2000s. We won.
- [46:25]
Katie Nolan
How dare you. What do you think should be the main areas of focus for the cba? Like, what's, like, the real. I'm seeing sources are saying it's possible max salaries could reach a million. Do we feel like that's the big Area of focus.
- [46:37]
Sue Bird
I'm sure compensation will be number one.
- [46:40]
Katie Nolan
Yeah, yeah. Is there anything that people aren't talking about that you think is like, we should really think about this?
- [46:45]
Sue Bird
No, no, no. It all exists in compensation. Are there like specifics in terms of. Because if you have, if you had a million dollar max, how does that impact? Is that. Because that's going to trickle down and impact everybody. So it's like making sure it's set up for success where teams can like put on, put together good rosters, you know, not be too top heavy. No, I think it'll all live in compensation. There's nothing that jumps out.
- [47:09]
Katie Nolan
Okay, and when does that start, the negotiation for this?
- [47:12]
Sue Bird
Already going.
- [47:12]
Katie Nolan
Already going. You didn't even know it's been happening while you've all been sleeping. All right, so that is mostly our look forward at the season. Is there any narrative that you think isn't getting enough attention or a player that you think a casual fan would really gravitate to? Anything. You basically a last ditch sales pitch to anybody listening for why the W rules.
- [47:37]
Sue Bird
I don't even think you have to do sales pitches anymore. That's where we're at. I feel like everybody knows.
- [47:41]
Katie Nolan
Show up.
- [47:42]
Sue Bird
Yeah. Come check it out.
- [47:43]
Katie Nolan
Show up. Show out.
- [47:43]
Sue Bird
Yeah. I will say the in arena experience is. Is next level. It's great at a lot of these places.
- [47:49]
Katie Nolan
Been great for a while too.
- [47:50]
Sue Bird
For a while. The.
- [47:51]
Katie Nolan
The fans of women's sports in general, but the WNBA are just.
- [47:55]
Sue Bird
I think it's special.
- [47:56]
Katie Nolan
Yeah. Yeah.
- [47:56]
Sue Bird
Don't get me wrong, like, I'm going to the Nick game tomorrow.
- [47:59]
Katie Nolan
Yeah, I hope.
- [48:00]
Sue Bird
What you mean going to the Nick game tomorrow?
- [48:02]
Katie Nolan
Look at Isabella just losing her mind.
- [48:06]
Sue Bird
So, yeah, I mean, don't be wrong. There's a lot of special. I mean, the Garden in a playoff game is. Is crazy. But WNBA games in arena, it's different. It's different than anything you've experienced. So you should. I'm sure you've checked out Liberty games before anyone in New York. Liberty games are great. Seattle games are great. I've never been to an Indiana game when Caitlin's played. I can only imagine what that's like and so on and so forth.
- [48:28]
Katie Nolan
Yeah. So go to a game, get out to a game, be there. And also listen to Sue's new podcast, Bird's Eye View. I mean, how long have you been sitting on that pun?
- [48:37]
Sue Bird
My whole life.
- [48:38]
Katie Nolan
Bird's Eye View.
- [48:39]
Sue Bird
My sister was like, what if I want to do a podcast? I was like, like, okay, I've had it.
- [48:43]
Katie Nolan
Okay, go for it. Second bird's eye view.
- [48:46]
Sue Bird
You can do a bird's eye view.
- [48:47]
Katie Nolan
There's many birds in the sky.
- [48:49]
Sue Bird
She's a bookstore owner, so it'd be about books, and.
- [48:52]
Katie Nolan
People love books.
- [48:53]
Sue Bird
People love books.
- [48:54]
Katie Nolan
People love books. She could do, like, a crossover books and sports.
- [48:58]
Sue Bird
We're already doing a book club.
- [49:01]
Katie Nolan
On the other podcast. You can find her on a touch more. But we're not here to promote that. Megan. Okay, so maybe you could do your own promotion.
- [49:07]
Sue Bird
Yeah. Megan, you'd have to be in the fishbowl.
- [49:09]
Katie Nolan
Megan. Maybe you could come on the podcast. Every camera I look at Megan. Okay. Yeah. Tomorrow, May 16, your first episode. You can catch it on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. Sue Bird, thank you so much for being here. So good to see you.
- [49:25]
Sue Bird
You too.
- [49:25]
Katie Nolan
Yay.
- [49:25]
Sue Bird
We're not gonna talk about the Knicks, do you?
- [49:27]
Katie Nolan
Okay, go ahead. What? Say you've got time.
- [49:29]
Sue Bird
Say Nicks in six.
- [49:30]
Katie Nolan
In six.
- [49:32]
Sue Bird
Isn't that tomorrow?
- [49:33]
Katie Nolan
Yeah.
- [49:34]
Sue Bird
I thought it was Nixon. Five.
- [49:35]
Katie Nolan
Me too.
- [49:35]
Sue Bird
But. But I. Deep down, I knew. Listen, I've been on teams where players have gotten hurt, star players, and it's like that game, good luck. You never win in that game.
- [49:45]
Katie Nolan
Devastating.
- [49:46]
Sue Bird
Oh, it's devastating. But I'm saying the Celtics, you knew they were going to win.
- [49:49]
Katie Nolan
Yeah.
- [49:49]
Sue Bird
I was not surprised by the blowout. I didn't even really watch the second half. I was like, I knew this was happening.
- [49:54]
Katie Nolan
Shouldn't even like basketball. That's crazy. You just admitted that here on the podcast.
- [49:57]
Sue Bird
Well, once Brunson fouled out, I was like, did they make from, like, another room? Did they start a comeback yet before he fouled out? Sorry. Did they start? No. Okay. It's over. It's all right.
- [50:06]
Katie Nolan
It was a good game. It's a good second half to that game that you didn't watch.
- [50:10]
Sue Bird
I guess. Yeah.
- [50:12]
Katie Nolan
The Celtics are probably gonna lose. Okay. Does it make you happy to. For me to say that? For me to have been down on the ground, screaming, writhing in pain, and you're kicking me.
- [50:21]
Sue Bird
I don't think it's a given. The Celtics are still. The Celtics.
- [50:25]
Katie Nolan
I know they're still good. And last night, it was just fun watching. I like watching a team respond to adversity. And obviously, losing your star player is adversity. Now, am I worried about him responding to the adversity of an injury? I feel like he's never had a big injury like that, so I worry about Tatum. But he's, you know, basketball is his life, so.
- [50:44]
Sue Bird
Yeah. I felt bad. The. The. The why me? Quote was tough to read.
- [50:49]
Katie Nolan
Yeah.
- [50:49]
Sue Bird
Just because you, like. You feel that. But that's actually. I feel like a response to anyone's first major injury. Yeah, you always ask that, right? First major dream, then you have, like, your second, third, fourth, fifth, and you're like, oh.
- [50:59]
Katie Nolan
You're like, oh, it's me.
- [51:00]
Sue Bird
I'm thankful for the time off. No, no.
- [51:03]
Katie Nolan
I guess I'll go on that vacation I've been planning. Darn.
- [51:06]
Sue Bird
He'll be okay.
- [51:07]
Katie Nolan
Okay, so Nixon six, hopefully, or seven. Let's say Nixon seven. I'll give it to the Knicks in seven.
- [51:16]
Sue Bird
You want to see your home team lose a game? 7.
- [51:18]
Katie Nolan
No, I don't care. Here's the thing. I hate basketball.
- [51:23]
Sue Bird
Oh, yeah? You're a baseball fan? Yeah, I watch enough to know the.
- [51:26]
Katie Nolan
Job is that I like them all. I have to like them all.
- [51:29]
Sue Bird
I think the Reds have name, like, five baseball players.
- [51:32]
Katie Nolan
Yes, you could.
- [51:33]
Sue Bird
I don't think I could try New York.
- [51:37]
Katie Nolan
Big slugger in New York.
- [51:39]
Sue Bird
Oh, Aaron Judge.
- [51:40]
Katie Nolan
Right. One Japanese.
- [51:44]
Sue Bird
Something. Harper.
- [51:45]
Katie Nolan
Yeah, well, Harper. Harper is Bryce, but she knew it. And then Japanese pitcher everybody talks about all the time. He's.
- [51:52]
Sue Bird
Oh, yeah, yeah. I can't pull it.
- [51:56]
Katie Nolan
Yes, you can.
- [51:57]
Sue Bird
He had that whole thing with his translator. I can't pull it. I'm not. I'm not joking. I don't watch.
- [52:03]
Katie Nolan
Yes, you can.
- [52:04]
Sue Bird
Ohtani.
- [52:05]
Katie Nolan
Yep. Right?
- [52:06]
Sue Bird
And then I did love Ichiro in Seattle.
- [52:08]
Katie Nolan
Okay, that was a really long time ago.
- [52:09]
Sue Bird
I know.
- [52:11]
Katie Nolan
These kids weren't alive for any of that. There has to be another I could.
- [52:16]
Sue Bird
Name, like the 90. The. Sorry, the 86 met before I can name anybody.
- [52:21]
Katie Nolan
Teams to come into my podcast and name is the 86. HoJo.
- [52:26]
Sue Bird
HoJo. He's your man. Who. They can't do it. I don't know. I was six.
- [52:29]
Katie Nolan
The Red Sox.
- [52:30]
Sue Bird
Oh, sorry. Daryl Strawberry, Doc Gooden. Tim Tuffle. Yeah, Tough shuffle. Perfect for this couch.
- [52:37]
Katie Nolan
This is so long ago. This is such.
- [52:39]
Sue Bird
I do not watch baseball. It's crazy.
- [52:40]
Katie Nolan
Get back into it, Sue.
- [52:41]
Sue Bird
No, if you name the big names, I'd be like, oh, of course. Oh, of course. Oh, of course. But otherwise, Mookie, Betsy, I was just. Dodgers, right?
- [52:47]
Katie Nolan
Yeah.
- [52:48]
Sue Bird
There we go.
- [52:48]
Katie Nolan
They're mostly on the Dodgers. You could probably name everybody on the Dodgers because they have everybody.
- [52:53]
Sue Bird
That's Cece Sabathia, hall of Famer this year.
- [52:57]
Katie Nolan
Okay, great, great. This counts. Get back into baseball. But not right now. Right now. I mean, you have. You're kind of busy.
- [53:03]
Sue Bird
Yeah.
- [53:03]
Katie Nolan
You have a lot.
- [53:04]
Sue Bird
Well, they start. Didn't they start spring training?
- [53:08]
Katie Nolan
No, it's. They're in the season. They're like, fully in the season.
- [53:11]
Sue Bird
What I know about spring training is it always started when the college basketball season was ending.
- [53:15]
Katie Nolan
There you go.
- [53:16]
Sue Bird
Yeah.
- [53:16]
Katie Nolan
So, yeah, it's. It started. We're, like, in it. We're a couple months in.
- [53:20]
Sue Bird
Okay.
- [53:20]
Katie Nolan
There's still room for you.
- [53:21]
Sue Bird
I am a Mets fan growing up.
- [53:23]
Katie Nolan
That's fine. Mets is a lot better than your other option.
- [53:25]
Sue Bird
Yeah.
- [53:26]
Katie Nolan
We can still be friends. Okay, that's. I've said bye to you 15 times now.
- [53:28]
Sue Bird
Goodbye.
- [53:33]
Katie Nolan
Okay, that's it for today's episode of Casuals. Big thanks to Sue Bird, the absolute best person on earth. You can email us at Casuals with Katie nolan gmail.com our voicemail 646-810043 on IG and tick tock, we are at casualsthepod. Cast. We love you, we mean it, and we'll see you on Tuesday.
- [53:49]
Sue Bird
Bye.