← No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show
No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show
Preseason Takeaways, Training Camp Cuts, and Who is Golden State’s New GM?
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- [00:00]
Zena Keda
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- [01:39]
Ben Pickman
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- [03:41]
Sabrina Merchant
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- [03:59]
Zena Keda
Be outside, so you gotta be out.
- [04:01]
Sabrina Merchant
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- [04:13]
Ben Pickman
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- [04:15]
Sabrina Merchant
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- [07:41]
Ben Pickman
So I got to watch two full preseason games this weekend, which is fewer than the amount that were actually taking place. Just, you know, I'm not here to like carry the shield for the wnba, but I think it's worth noting that all of two preseason games were televised last year and it has been upped to four in 2024. So progress. But I think, you know, there's definitely more interest in WNBA preseason than there has been in years past. And for good reason because, you know, I'll. I'll just talk about the one that, you know, really caught my attention. That was the Edmonton game between the Sparks and the storm and 17,000 people in the arena in Rogers Place to watch these two teams play. I think it was very cool that Kia Nurse, who is a new member of the Los Angeles Sparks. Her brother Darnell Nurse plays for the Edmonton Oilers. That is his home arena. They are still playing in the playoffs in the NHL. So really cool Canadian connection not only for Kia, but familial connection for the Nurses. And Kurt Miller, head coach of the Sparks has coached two other members of the Nurse family before coaching Kia this season for the Sparks. So really just the best possible team you could have picked to be in that game in Edmonton. And the fan environment was just, was incredible. It made me just a little nervous for what is to come for these first five Los Angeles Sparks games in a 5,000 person arena. But I'm going to just be happy right now that there were 17,000 people there and it seemed like a really cool environment and a pretty great game between two teams that have different goals. I would say this but got to show out a lot of different, you know, fun players. Skyler Dagan Smith looked great coming off of her maternity leave. Cameron Brink looked excellent in her first pro game. D'Arca Hamby looks to think that Dierka Hamby and Skyler Duggan Smith gave birth at the same time and dear Hanby has played 40 WNBA games since then. It's just like mind blowing. No, no shade to Skyler. Just like credit to what Derrick has been able to do and she was the best player on the floor. And I know the WMA trade deadline is not like a very hotly contested thing, but if any contender wants Deer Canby I think somebody should be looking at. So yeah, that's my main takeaw from Spark Storm on over the weekend in.
- [09:45]
Sabrina Merchant
Edmonton and that game was a lot of fun. That was one of the games I got to watch in full as well. Shout out to tsn. I thought they had a pretty great broadcast other than some like interesting mistakes on like I think at one point they said scholar Diggins Smith went to South Carolina and had played in the league for five years.
- [10:00]
Ben Pickman
I think she was a six to five year veteran from South Carolina there.
- [10:05]
Sabrina Merchant
It was I was very interested which.
- [10:06]
Ben Pickman
I thought about like is this describing a specific, specific player? And they just like got the information wrong. Like yeah, I don't know who was in the 2019 draft out of South Carolina Nobody. So it was just a fake set of details about Skyler Dickinson.
- [10:20]
Sabrina Merchant
It was very strange. And then they said Natalie Otronima was playing for the Lynx and that was interesting too. Other than that, tsn, I thought they had a wonderful broadcast. I felt the vibes in the arena and it was a really great contest between two teams that are trying to find their identities right now. We got to see the Seattle Storm, the first glimpse of what it looks like with their big four. And like you said, Skylar Diggin Smith looked like she hadn't left the game. She also looks like she hasn't aged. And I was looking at my skincare regimen like, let me figure that out because she looks unreal. But yeah, it was a lot of fun to see these two teams go up against each other. And yes, Darnell nursed with his entire family right there on the front line. Watching his sister play, that was a lot of fun. Ben, what game were you able to catch?
- [11:07]
Zena Keda
I mean, I just love that. We're now a few minutes into this podcast. This classic Sabrina, starting with SP Mark's commentary in the WNBA Canada.
- [11:15]
Ben Pickman
Ben, this was a big deal.
- [11:17]
Zena Keda
Look, I'm a full proponent for talking about the whole league and watching it all and breaking it all down. But it's very on brand that we started there and not on the 3rd, the Thursday and Friday night, the Friday night games rather between the Fever and the Wings and the sky and the Lynx, which I think were the overarching storyline of the full weekend. You obviously have the Caitlin Clark Aaliyah Boston tandem debuting against Dallas. You have Angel Reese, you know, putting up a near double double in her preseason debut against Minnesota streamed on a cell phone from the game. I mean we could go either place. We should acknowledge the Fever Wings game and just how, you know, right away Caitlin Clark and the Fever definitely did look like a different team. She was able to come in 14 first half points. She had that incredible shot over Natasha Howard in the first half. Certainly some sloppiness. I think five turnovers overall, but I think you saw enough and people in Indiana certainly saw enough to feel really good about what she is going to be entering this rookie season and what they are going to be as a team now. It should be noted they still struggled late game. They lost a lot of close games last year. They lost a close preseason game this year. But you know, I think overall a positive performance. One of the things that struck me though from that game was it was a really prime example of I think like what the impact of a Preseason game could be. And I'll get in the weeds now with this comment and maybe Sabrina will poke fun at me. But Jaylen Brown, who is a guard for the Dallas Wings, she's someone who, you know, undrafted, I believe, you know, she's in her mid-20s at this point, has never played a WNBA regular season game. I don't believe also went to Cal, no relation to the Celtics, Jalen Brown, who also went to Cal, I believe they maybe crossed paths for one year at that time. And just a funny bit of name trivia, but she had 21 points as well. And it's a good reminder of, like, that kind of performance can, you know, potentially get someone a job in the WNBA this year. It can also leapfrog you, you know, the league that you're going to play in overseas in a following season. Like, that's a really consequential performance for a player like that on that kind of stage. You know, a game that everybody is watching, fans, executives, they're getting that tape. And so I thought that's one of the kind of standout performances. And it's emblematic of just, like, how important preseason can be. She's someone who I don't think was on a lot of public radars initially, but now she is because of that performance. And, you know, for as great as Clark was, and that was one of the, obviously the storylines of the night, I think it's important in the preseason and training camp to kind of highlight those players who really elevate their games and their opportunities. And she is a prime example of that. After one preseason game, just to hit.
- [13:47]
Ben Pickman
On the fact, Ben said that this was, you know, a consequential performance for Jaylen Brown on Dallas. I mean, we saw it immediately. Dallas trades away Crystal Dangerfield in the aftermath of that preseason game. So that's one guard who could be competing with Jalen Brown for a spot on the roster. And Dallas saw enough out of Jalen in their only preseason game, let's make that clear, to get rid of their starting point guard from a year ago. So quite a performance, probably throughout training camp, but especially, you know, on league pass, for everybody to watch in that preseason game.
- [14:15]
Sabrina Merchant
That's amazing. And I know, you know, watching that game, it was like, who is this? Like, where did she come from? I was very confused. I was, like, looking through the different rounds of the draft. I'm like, where? I'm so confused as to where this person is from. But, yes, Jaylen Brown absolutely killed it. Let's not forget Enrique's Buzzer Beater 3. Again, like, that's what Ogunboale does. She hits those big pressure type shots. And the fact that she did it in a preseason game to take over the fever and to get the win over the fever is like, okay, we are in for a good season. I thought it was a wonderful way to kick off the preseason, that competition between those two teams. Okay, now, Ben, you alluded to this and then, you know, of course, Sabrina, you just talked about the, the trade that Dallas just made, but roster cuts, they're coming and they're happening. And you're already seeing some really talented players fall off the radar and get off of teams. Now, I want to ask, at what point does another team say, okay, for example, Brea Hartley just got dismissed from the Aces, solid guard that could, I believe, find a spot on another roster. At what point do they have the ability to go pick up some of these players that have been moved off?
- [15:37]
Ben Pickman
Well, WNBA teams can do that right now. Like, once they are waived from a previous training camp, another team can claim off of waivers if they have an available spot in their training camp. So, like, you think about Connecticut, they just waived Leah Brown and Shay Petty and Renia Davis. And, you know, Shea Petty has been a quality backup point guard, sometimes even a starting point guard in this league for a few years now. If you're a team that just needs a little veteran help in the backcourt, like, that's somebody who I think maybe Seattle could pick up, you know, and add to their training camp roster or anybody else around the league. Seattle is just the first thing that came to mind. But I think it's kind of a favor that teams do for their players. Like, obviously you'd rather just make the final roster if you're a younger player, you know, like Aaliyah Brown, for example, who, who's only played one season for Connecticut. But if you're a veteran like Shea Petty, like Emma Cannon for Dallas, and, you know, think that there is another spot for you around the league, it's almost beneficial to be cut earlier in training camp so that another team has a chance to bring you in and potentially add you to their roster. Like it's a numbers game everywhere, right? So if you think that it's just not going to work out for you in one place, like, let me get back onto the market and see if we can figure something else out before May 14th rolls around.
- [16:42]
Sabrina Merchant
Ben, I want to ask you, were there any cuts that stood out to you when you're looking at the first round of cuts.
- [16:48]
Zena Keda
Yeah, I mean I think Sabrina hit on some of them. What Connecticut did, kind of thinning their backcourt depth. Brown was a player who, you know, seemed to get some played solid when she got in games last year. A Michigan product, was productive in college. Shea Petty, obviously a veteran coming off an injury last WNBA season, but had also worked her way back in Europe and had just finished an overseas season and you know, had re acclimated to gameplay through that experience. I mean, mean, you look at what I think Crystal Dangerfield is one of the surprise moves. Her now being traded to the Atlanta Dream, who have continued to kind of shore up their guard depth with Jordan Canada being hurt to start the year or at least to start training camp. You know, they've now gone out and signed Destiny Henderson and added Crystal Dangerfield in trade. So they're clearly trying to shore up that position and just provide some depth there. I think that's a notable transaction. Also of note, what the Las Vegas Aces are doing. Bria Hartley was waived on Monday, which you know, does seem to set the scene for Deja Fair or Kate Martin, potentially both of them making this roster as second round picks. And so you know, it's not often you see one second round pick make a roster. There's, you know, a few per year but let alone two from the same team. I think that's a notable move and we should also say Las Vegas and their other transactions extending Jackie Young is a big deal, though not as notable as any cuts. Chelsea Gray also recently signed a contract extension. So the Rich are only getting richer. They're not surprising transactions but notable ones to shout out. But I think Sabrina hit the nail on the head on highlighting that like just because you get cut, you know, the first week of camp is not necessarily a reflection of you as a player or a reflection of that player. Sometimes it is kind of a like a professional courtesy. I think maybe is the best way to call it that you're really allowing that other player to start to talk to other teams and look for other opportunities. And you know, I think a lot of agents like situation is so important for a lot of these rookies and also veterans entering camp for that reason because there are just so few spots. So that is something to keep in mind when you look at, you know, some of these transactions too.
- [18:42]
Sabrina Merchant
Speaking of the rich getting richer, the Aces only have one preseason game against Puerto Rico. Is that correct?
- [18:51]
Ben Pickman
Yeah, teams just have differing opinions on the value of preseason games. So yeah, the Aces only have the one matchup against the Puerto Rican national team, which is taking place in Columbia, South Carolina. So a good spot for Aces fans, obviously hometown of Asia Wilson. And another game that is not going to be televised on league pass, but we'll get to that later.
- [19:11]
Sabrina Merchant
I'm so fascinated by this. And so over the time that you've been covering the wnba, is this pretty standard for most teams to have just one or two preseason games? And is it because the league is so small or is it just because of what you just mentioned of the value, the way that teams look at the value of preseason games?
- [19:31]
Ben Pickman
Well, I mean, a lot of it, you know, there's a lot of different factors that go into this. I mean, I think about if you're playing a rogue preseason game that's like three days of camp that are basically ruined in terms of travel and, you know, getting in and out of market, you're also dealing with a lot more people that you have to accommodate in terms of travel. Right. So part of it is just, would you rather be in camp for those extra days instead of playing a game? Like, is it that important to you to play against another opponent when if you have 18 players in camp, you could just, you know, play nine on nine in camp, you know? Right. You don't necessarily need another team to be bringing in bodies. So that's part of it. I know the Aces only played one preseason game last year as well, that was against New York Liberty. This one is obviously a different affair. And I think it's very cool that they're going to South Carolina, by the way, which, you know, there's no WNBA team in the Carolinas, and obviously an excellent women's basketball fan base there. But, yeah, I think. I think that's just part of it. Right. Like, sometimes maybe it's a coach who does see. See more value in game action and they want to schedule more games, you know, But, I mean, I don't think most teams get above two. So one game, like, isn't wholly different. Right. It's just a matter of what sort of priorities you have in terms of evaluating your roster at this time of year.
- [20:35]
Zena Keda
And you have to factor into just the footprint of camp. Like, that's really the other thing that is, of course, key to this whole context. Right. The training camps, from the start of camps to the first game is just over two weeks this year. So especially this year, there really is not a lot of footprint for just to schedule these games and make it work in terms of arena locations and travel. And, you know, if you're playing two road Preseason games, like as Sabrina mentioned, that could be five or six days on the road in, you know, out of 14 total or 17 total days. And you got to factor in some off days, a media day, maybe you're doing a content capture day. Like, you know, there's other obligations that are going on in camp other than just the encore basketball. So, you know, there really just is not a lot of time to get these two games in. And so that is a big reason as well why, you know, so often it's two or just one before regular season games begin.
- [21:26]
Sabrina Merchant
It's interesting when you think about the timeline between the end of the women's college basketball season and the start of the WNBA season. It is often talked about from the perspective of the rookies. Oh, the rookies have a quick turnaround. It's not enough time to, you know, you have to move, you have to get ready. You have to get in shape for the WNBA level of game. But it's also this aspect too that I don't think is talked about enough of this how much that small window impacts your ability to evaluate talent, to be able to have multiple practice days to not only evaluate talent, but figure out of the talent that you have, who do you want to play together and how many opportunities that you have to get them on the court together to practice. It's just such a small window of time for teams to be able to mesh. And what that all tells me, it helps me give a lot more context as to why the New York Liberty looked the way they did when they started the season last year versus where they looked, what they looked like at the end of the season. So I think it's really great context for everyone listening too. As you look at your teams or you look at teams around the league this first month, May is going to look interesting. May is going to look suspect for the teams that are going, that are particularly bringing in new personnel because they have had such a small window of time to get going. I don't want to skip over this because not only, you know, this is a small window of time for teams to get acclimated to each other, to their sets and all the above, but they're also getting acclimated to new rules. Ben, I know you covered that. There's a few more changes now in the WNBA game and I just wanted to quickly highlight them so that our fans, as they're watching, they can be aware.
- [23:06]
Zena Keda
Yeah, the two big ones are. A second challenge will be given if a coach is successful on the first challenge. There are some caveats of how that works, but basically, that is the rule. In short, it's similar to what the NBA had and put in this past year. In the wnba, challenges were first implemented last summer. It was put in on a trial basis. A lot of coaches kind of voice feedback about the rule change and wanting a second challenge and wanting, you know, not to be penalized if their first challenge was correct and they were successful. So now they have two challenges. The other one that I think is a little more interesting and going to be a lot new to people is something called a reset timeout. It is something that from my knowledge and from talking to some people, is like a pretty new and foreign basketball concept. You know, I asked Sandy Brandello about it at Liberty training camp a few years ago. She's someone who obviously is Australian, was a player, has FIBA experience. She was not familiar with the reset timeout. Basically what it is is that inside the final two minutes of games, teams will be allowed to use this quote, unquote, reset timeout to advance the ball and make substitutions, but not allowed to huddle up. It's basically an extra timeout to get a sub in the game. You're allowed only in the last two minutes. And the signal for it is not a twirling finger like challenges, but an X. So get ready to see coaches and players, late game kind of crossing their arms like an X symbol. That's going to be the new symbol of the year, the reset timeout. They've changed kind of general timeout structure, but those are the two big changes in the WNBA this year.
- [24:38]
Sabrina Merchant
Not to be confused with the X. That would be for flagrant. Right? Like.
- [24:42]
Ben Pickman
Like a refs would be making that.
- [24:44]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah, the refs would be doing the X for the flagrant. But if a player or a coach is doing the X, they want to reset, they want to move the ball up the court, maybe get a sub in.
- [24:53]
Zena Keda
No huddle, no huddle. Or else you can get a delay of game penalty and you're penalized for it.
- [24:59]
Sabrina Merchant
Okay. All right. All right. So they're probably trying that out now in the midst of these preseason games. So keep an eye out for it in the mix of this. All right. Now, are there any teams that you're looking to. As we close out this conversation around cuts, are there any teams that you're keeping an eye on in terms of, like, ooh, what are they going to do based on what they still have left in the midst of this training camp?
- [25:20]
Zena Keda
I mean, for me, it's Las Vegas it's for the reasons we said. It's just does Kate Martin and Deja Farah, will both of them make the team or one of them make the team? Will neither of them make the team? Which seems unlikely at this point, but you know, Candace Parker's retirement kind of freed up a spot in effect for one of these rookies to potentially make the team. You know, it's rare, as we've said, to have two rookies, two second round picks make a roster straight out of camp. And so that both of them have the opportunity to join the two time defending champs I think is notable. The other franchise that I think is interesting and Sabrina was at their camp for a little bit last week is Phoenix. Just because they have so many questions about who's going to fill out the bench in the bottom half of that roster, they haven't been as active, you know, Connecticut, we've alluded they've already made a bunch of cuts. Phoenix has not really done that to the same degree so far. So there's a lot of decisions that the Mercury are going to have to make over the next few days. Before next Tuesday and regular season play begins. They're another team to keep your eye on as training camp comes to a close.
- [26:16]
Ben Pickman
Yeah, just to piggyback on Vegas real quick, I think the fact that they cut Bria Hartley gives me just more confidence in Chelsea Gray's health coming into this season. I know she's been a limited participant in training camp, if at all, in terms of like what the public has been allowed to see. So, you know, I thought they might want a veteran point guard just in case Chelsea was unavailable for parts of, you know, the season or if they plan on load managing her. But you know, they also have Jackie Young and Kelsey Plum who can run the point and like Sidney Coulson is there. So maybe I'm reading too much into that, but I do believe it seems like a good sign for Chelsea. You know, Seattle's training camp has been interesting because, you know, they played this one preseason game without Ezzy Magmagor, one of their core four. I think there was a visa situation and then Nika Mule, you know, a player we've talked a lot about coming out of the draft. She also was unable to go to Canada because of her visa situation. So hard to see how those pieces are going to fit in just because they weren't able to play in their first game action. But yeah, and I'm just fascinated by Connecticut. I really thought LeBron had a nice season last year. I just I just can't get her out of my head in terms of that cut. But, you know, because Alyssa Thomas is arguably the most versatile player in the wnba, it's like, well, what position do you want to call her? That means like, we don't really need extra center depth because Alyssa could play center. We don't really need extra point guard depth because Alyssa could point guard. So there's just so many options for what they could do with their last roster spot. And, you know, I've got my eye on like Olivia Nelson, Adota and Teyana Jackson in terms of which one of these young bigs could potentially make that roster.
- [27:41]
Sabrina Merchant
Okay. I was thinking about Nica Mule as well, considering she didn't get an opportunity to play in that game and that Seattle right now looks stacked and they obviously, they've got their big four, they've got their guard depth, it looks like. But I, I want particularly to see Nica Mule there, if anything, to just continue the Subird legacy of just being a number 10. You like Subird number two, but like in her own channel, of course, in her own way. Nico Mule being the next generation, if anything. But. Okay, all right, so then that means we've got still a lot of action to wait on for this upcoming week in terms of moves being made, trades being made, and also names being picked up. So just because someone's not making a roster does not mean that they're completely out. So definitely just keep tuned to what the Athletic is saying. Of course, we'll be covering it all for you and keeping up with it. Now, let's look to the future a little bit as the time that we're recording this May 6th Monday, had the opportunity to go over to Chase center. And if you are a men's NBA, men's professional basketball fan, you'll know that Chase center is the home of the Golden State warriors, but it also is the future home of the WNBA Golden State team. They announced their new general manager, Ohema Nyanen, that used to be the former assistant GM for the New York Liberty. Now, Ben, I know you spent a lot of time with the New York Liberty, so I'll start with you. What can you tell us about the Golden State's team new manager?
- [29:15]
Zena Keda
I mean, I think in checking in with some people with the Liberty around the league on this hire, just getting a sense of it. I mean, this is a home run hire for the Golden State team, the nameless WNBA team in that market. I mean, she is someone who really has devoted, you know, the Last, I think, decade of her life, if not more to basketball. She has a ton of experience through the USA basketball system, doing pretty much everything you can do, you know, from a operations standpoint, coordinating travel, the administrative part of the job. You know, Dawn Staley is someone who is one of her mentors, and she has a really close, you know, connection with Dozo Hammer. She came to New York, she was in the bubble doing everything. She's coordinated travel. She, you know, makes sure that players know their schedules for when a content day is or what other obligations are going on. She's someone who, when they were recruiting Brianna Stewart Ohema, was there in Turkey with Jonathan Kolb, with Claire Wuzai, the owner of the New York Liberty, involved in that process. You know, Jonathan Cole has spoken highly publicly, privately of her for years, just about how invaluable she has been to making the New York Liberty run and operate. And time and time again, you hear him, and he, you know, said it again in his statement on Monday just, like, how excited he was for her and how he's never been so excited to, like, basically be so hurt to lose such a close colleague of his. And he was actually at her press conference in the Bay Area in support of her. And you could see that gesture really touched her. She, I think, teared up a little bit or definitely choked up a little bit when she was acknowledging him, because, you know, that speaks to the uniqueness of their relationship that, you know, basically her former boss, who is now going to a rival, who Joe Lake of made very clear, wants to win a title within five years. You know, they are competitors, but he's still there to support her. I think that speaks to, you know, the relationship that the two of them had. Someone who knows basketball was a college player, herself an American, you know, just really well respected and well liked, seemingly by everyone she comes into contact with. Again, a home run higher for. For Golden State.
- [31:16]
Sabrina Merchant
I think that's the number one thing that stood out to me, was Jonathan Cole being there. And not only being there, but just being, like, so engaged in the press conference and genuinely happy for her. That says a lot. I don't know about y'all listening, but my old boss ain't showing up to my new job to welcome me into the door. All right, not that we have any beef or anything. We don't have any problems, but I'm just saying that is some love right there. That is some respect. Respect and some appreciation for you to do that for your former employees. So I thought that was really special that he was there. And yes, Joe Lakob was there saying what he has said. He did it for Golden State and he's doing it now for the Golden State WNBA team. He likes timelines, folks. He likes to put some deadlines on himself and his team so they understand how imperative it is that they get going and that they get going strong. So he was there and he clearly was so excited about Ohima and her joining the team. And it was just generally everything you're talking about, Ben, everyone felt like she was the perfect pick. Now, Sab, I don't know about you, but this seems like a big job. This seems like a lot. Especially thinking about the pedigree of the Golden State warriors and wanting to continue that level of champion, championship getting and top caliber team. Right. Not only in the way that they play on the court, but also off the court. There is a standard and a pedigree that the warriors definitely appreciate throughout their organization. On the NBA G League side overall, tell me a little bit about what Ohema is about to have to do getting into this new role.
- [32:54]
Ben Pickman
Yeah, just real quick on the Jonathan Cole part of it. I mean, we just Talked for like 20 minutes about how tricky of a time this is for WNBA teams in terms of evaluating the rosters and how little opportunity they actually have to put together a team. And Jonathan Kolbitz flying across the country to be there for Ohio's press conference during one of the Liberty training camp days. So that's. That's very cool just to see that level of support. And I'm going to get your question in a second. But just the fact that like WNBA front offices have expanded to the point where teams can pick up talent from other parts of the league, I think is really important. Like Ben and I wrote about this during the Finals last year, how each team gets an extra coaching spot if it's a former player in the league. And that allows teams to have more coaches, you know, on their bench, assistant coaches, and that creates a larger pool for coaches to hire, you know, when other teams are looking for new people. And it's all within the WNBA family. They have WNBA experience and there's, you know, processes in place for them to get ready for these new roles. I think it's really important that, you know, we've seen just like three years ago, most teams in the WNBA had a head coach GM combo, right? And now we're at a point where everybody not only has an individual GM, but they have assistant GMs. So when Golden State was looking for a new person to hire. They could go in the WNBA pool and find somebody with experience in this league to pick up for the new expansion team. So I just think it's cool that, like, we have all of this WNBA institutional knowledge that Golden State can, you know, tap into in terms of building their expansion team, which just wouldn't have been possible three years ago.
- [34:21]
Sabrina Merchant
Right. That's unreal. I didn't think about it that way. And when you think about the growth of leagues, that's what you want. You want to be picking from people that have seen the expansion of this league, have seen the growth of this league and growing with the players as well. You just think about everything Ben just said that Ohema has done for this for the New York Liberty team. She's been through the trenches with these players, and she's coming in having learned from a great like Jonathan Kolb and bringing that over to Golden State. That's unreal. It's a really great point.
- [34:50]
Zena Keda
I would just add to all this, you know, just to shout out some other people, you know, in the WNBA press corps who I think have provided some interesting stories on her. Jackie Powell at the Next once wrote a profile last year of Ohama that I think is worthwhile reading, especially if you're a Golden State fan, just to giving her backstory. And then, you know, one other thing to add to this conversation Sean heard over at Anscape, he did a really interesting story last year about the number of people of color executives who are kind of assistant general managers or presidents of basketball operations. I believe last year there were four people of color who were assistant general managers in the wnba. Morgan Tuck, Monica Wright Rogers out in Phoenix, Travis Charles in Dallas, and Ohema, who is now, of course, a general manager. So when we talk about pipelines, too, and people getting opportunities and different people getting opportunities in leadership roles, you know, there's a whole number of folks who are awaiting opportunities, who have put in time, who have worked big jobs and could be kind of the next group of leaders in the WNBA that, you know, I think it's worth acknowledging those folks, too.
- [35:49]
Sabrina Merchant
Oh, that's great. That is such a good thing to point out. I mean, even seeing Ahema and her entire family there with her Ghanaian roots. And it's so funny because I believe they mentioned that both her parents are doctors or some sort of, you know, practice of that standard of like being African myself, I know that my mom, for the entirety of my business career in sports, would just tell people I'm in marketing. That's the extent of what I do in marketing. And so I, I want at some point to ask her parents, like, do you know what it is that your daughter does? And just how important it is for the W and now particularly for Golden State wnba. But it was really special to be able to see her whole family there in support of her and what it means to now her representing and being that representation in a position like that. So I'm happy we called that out. Any last thoughts on this?
- [36:42]
Ben Pickman
I mean, I should get back to your original question about what her job is going to be like, what's she going to do?
- [36:46]
Sabrina Merchant
I just remembered. Yeah, I just remember. That's important. We got to figure out.
- [36:49]
Ben Pickman
Yeah, that's also part of it. I mean. Well, first of all, it's just a crazy time for a new team to be coming into the WNBA because the players association has the opportunity to opt out of the current CBA at the end of the 2024 season. So that would trigger at the end of 2025. So you're building a team basically potentially for the last year of one cba, but also with an eye on, you know, what the next collective bargaining agreement could look like. We don't know what the expansion draft procedure is going to be like. Will, you know, teams have the opportunity to protect how many players, you know, what sort of trades and salary cap machinations are going to be allowed by Golden State in terms of, you know, picking talent from the existing teams and then like, what's going to happen in the 2025 draft? Are they going to get the first pick? Are they going to get a lottery pick? Like, who knows what sort of team building tools are available at their disposal. Like, she's taking this job, I assume, without a full knowledge of what that process is even going to look like in the 2024, 25 off season. So there's just a lot of questions still up in the air. But one thing I will say is it does seem like this is going to be a very good market for WNBA players to want to come to just based on the player experience that has been at the forefront of the Golden State warriors brand. It's a very successful organization as is. Like, I think players, you know, generally like coming out west, even if that hasn't always been used by certain markets in this state. But I think, you know, it's just like there's obviously a lot of excitement around this, the seven plus thousand season tickets that she mentioned that have already come in without knowing who the head coach is going to be, who's going to be on this roster. Like, there's a lot of good vibes and I think it won't be challenging to attract people to come to go state, but I just think it's worth mentioning that in terms of the team building process, there's just so much up in the air that we have no idea how this is going to work. And yeah, you don't turn down the GM job of an expansion team, but just also, there's like a lot of work, a lot of questions to be answered in terms of, you know, the next year of Ohima's life.
- [38:41]
Zena Keda
It's got to also be just like, this has got to be like the coolest job for any gm. Like, think about any kid growing up in sports. Like, all you do is, like, create like, teams on fantasy draft mode or.
- [38:52]
Ben Pickman
Like, it's the fantasy draft. Yeah.
- [38:54]
Zena Keda
Like, truly, you're coming in and you have such an ability to shape an organization and a culture and just impact it for not only the short term, but, you know, years and years to come. I think it's like, like what an opportunity she's kind of thrown into and that organization is coming into. And you gotta imagine it's, you know, that's one of the things that must have been so appealing to her and to the people who are gonna, you know, take part in the Golden State franchise going forward.
- [39:20]
Sabrina Merchant
Okay, I'm excited. She's got a lot of work to do. Choosing a coach, choosing a team around her, choosing, obviously players. And, you know, to Sabrina's point, there is not a set draft expansion rule process. They pretty much make it up every time they go. Last time this happened was in 2008.
- [39:42]
Ben Pickman
The Atlanta Dream.
- [39:42]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah, Atlanta Dream. So the rules from that expansion draft don't necessarily apply here. It can be completely different in the way they approach it. So this is going to be really, really cool. And it's true if you're a snake draft person that's just constantly coming up with random teams all the time, you want to be Ohema right now because that's literally her job. All right, let's pivot out. And I want to close this out on two things, both including video this week. League pass. WNBA decided that certain preseason games were going to be on television or on league pass. And then there were certain games that were not one of those games that were not that Chicago sky game that we talked about. Well, there were still about 200,000 people that were able to watch that game. Sabrina, how did that happen? What happened?
- [40:34]
Ben Pickman
So in terms of Broadcasting WNB preseason. It's not just incumbent upon the WNBA to decide that they don't want to broadcast the game. Like, that's not where it comes from. It's the local TV partners have to put in the manpower to actually get the cameras there and pick up the feed and all that. It's not just at the WNB level. These local TV stations are part of it. And I think there was some local hockey situation happening where the Bally Sports Network in Minnesota was picking up some other game, and so they weren't picking up the Minnesota Links Chicago game. You know, again, it's. It's unfortunate that the first professional action for a 2023 national champion and a 2024 national champion was not broadcast live for the public to see. And we definitely saw, as you mentioned, Xena, that there was interest in watching the game, even if it was not available to be picked up by league Pass. I don't know how Twitter counts its stream numbers, like if it's the total or just the people watching at a certain time. But whatever it was, a lot of people wanted to watch Link sky and made an effort to watch Link sky even if it was just on a cell phone broadcast of a fan in the stadium, which just what a sentence to have to utter in 2024 when we're talking about 4K broadcasts and virtual reality sitting courts. I know this is the standard that was apparently being applied to the preseason with somebody holding up a cell phone and just broadcasting the game for everyone who wanted to watch across the country.
- [41:56]
Sabrina Merchant
That, that is ridiculous. And from what I saw, like the feed was blurry and like not the top quality feed, but people watched it like people were perfectly fine to see it. According to what was reported on this. This grainy. This is how it was described for USA Today, but we also wrote about it at the Athletic. But 1 million views, nearly nearly 1 million views for this. And I want to properly credit who it was that streamed it. Their is HeyHeyItSali. So shout out to HeyHeyIt's Ali on X, whose bio says really big fan of the Lynx and Timberwolves, even though I feel as if there were more Chicago sky fans probably watching your feed. Hey, hey, it's Ali. Shout out to you for being able to stream, as Sabrina said, the first WNBA game for the 2023, 2024 national champions in Camila Cardoso and Angel Reese on your cell phone. Kudos to you.
- [43:07]
Zena Keda
I would say. I was one of those people who tuned in. You were. You know, we started this conversation Asking how many games did you watch? Like, yeah, I will admit that I pulled up and certainly like watched a few minutes of the cell phone stream. Like that's all you were getting. It reminded me a little bit. And you know, I think this is one of the comparison points. I remember at NBA All Star Weekend this past year, there was a two on two event that Hennessy hosted. Again, this is very different than a preseason game, but this is a comparison point that Hennessy, I believe it was on All Star Saturday night streamed a two on two game between Jewel Lloyd and Natasha Cloud and Enrique Goombawale and Jackie Young. And I forget what exactly the two pairs were, but it was like a game to 11 and it was actually like sneaky, competitive. And I believe, you know, it ended on like a last second shot, I think. Who hit the shot? Arike, I want to say it was.
- [43:55]
Ben Pickman
Jackie, but I thought it was someone.
- [44:00]
Zena Keda
Someone hit a shot, like a contested shot to win the game. But it was like all these people in the comments being like, change the angle or like, why is this not on a better feed? And that was, was all like, really fair pushback for an event that like, if you just, you know, had a higher quality production, I think would have like drew some more viewers in and attracted some more attention. Because like, it wasn't just like them joking around. Like there was some real like offensive flashes being shown in this, like two on two exhibition. Fast forward a few months. It's a preseason game and like, literally people are in the same spot, just like watching a game and watching a camera pan from right to left and left to right, like someone could be there. I mean, Cheryl Reeve, her comments afterwards, you think were phenomenal, you know, on so many levels. One, she took it, you know, took the serious approach, talking about how like the league and the sport needs to capitalize on these moments and that, you know, she hopes that the league will continue to learn. And again, we're saying this is not just a league issue, this is a broadcast partner issue. But again, this is something they're working in concert with. And so like, she's obviously hoping for change. But then she had some great quips. You know, she was just like, angel Reese has a strong following. Like, what if she whipped her phone out and started to stream it? Or like Alyssa Peely, same thing. You know, someone asked her a question I saw about Kayla McBride who didn't play, and Cheryl Reeves said, I thought about asking her on the bench. Like, can you imagine, you know, can you imagine if that would have Happened like Angel Reese on the sideline taking out, like, her phone on Instagram Live. Just like streaming that game. Like, what a moment that would have been. Talk about making a contribution in your first game. Potentially, like playing nearly having a double double and then streaming, you know, like the other part of it. Or like telling a teammate, hey, I'm going in. Like, can you hold my phone? Like the way people do at the park, you know, when they're joking around. Like, that would have been a great moment for Angel Reese.
- [45:45]
Sabrina Merchant
This is what they do at the national championship. That's what I was, like, asking, how are these girls got their earrings on already? As soon as they win, they got their phones ready. Like, shout out to all the team managers, because they usually have the phones in a bucket somewhere already to go. They might be getting some ideas from the college game. Well, I love that you pulled up on this grainy feed, and I'm happy you brought up the two on two, because that is a great example. The entire time, people had to turn their phone to be horizontal in order to watch.
- [46:14]
Ben Pickman
I literally had my laptop, like, as a people.
- [46:16]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah. And if you had a bigger screen, you had to turn your laptop on its side, literally, to be able to watch it. And. And speaking of credit, I do want to give proper credit. It was Jackie Young to Jewel Lloyd who hit that wing shot, and I think it was over Natasha Cloud. So it was Jewel Lloyd that put that down. Speaking of credit, and this is gonna be our last thing we're gonna talk about, A wonderful, wonderful documentary came out on YouTube for the Las Vegas Aces. It is called Aces versus Everybody, and it tells the story of the unbelievable up and down season that the Aces had on their journey to the 2023 WNBA championship. I mean, it is surreal. Every time there was a positive thing, something negative happened. Every time that there was something uplifting, something just downtrodden happened. It was consistently inconsistent all season long. But the main thing that was consistent was their ability to band together and ultimately win. Now, one thing I was fascinated by at the very end, I wanted to know who made this? Who made this documentary. Aces, where are your credits? There are people that worked on putting this together. They went through tons of film, not only from training camp, through practices, through games, they also went through, like, media, film, sound, audio, all of these clips. And I had no idea who put it together. I just wanted some credit for the people that, you know, whoever's on the video team. We see you, we love you, and we appreciate you putting this together. What'd Y'all think about this documentary.
- [48:02]
Ben Pickman
I mean, Ben features in it not so prominently.
- [48:09]
Sabrina Merchant
Ben's in it, my back is in.
- [48:11]
Zena Keda
It, Xena's voice is in it. Those are the athletic contributions. Hopefully next year.
- [48:16]
Ben Pickman
The one who was in Vegas for 40 days last year does not appear in it.
- [48:19]
Zena Keda
Hopefully next year. Now that we have this podcast going on a regular basis, we'll have more sound bites that we'll put out to the ether to make us look foolish.
- [48:26]
Sabrina Merchant
There you go.
- [48:27]
Ben Pickman
Just like, serious thoughts on the documentary, though. Like you mentioned, the Aces had this thing where everybody seemed like they were against them, even though they came in with potentially five future hall of Famers on their roster and, you know, won the title as a result of that. But I do think it is interesting just to think about all of the little things, the little ups and downs that they go through that we don't necessarily see on the outside. Like, I had forgotten that terrible game that Asia Wilson had against the Dallas Wings that came right after, you know, Nikki McCrae Penson had passed away. And she was her assistant coach at South Carolina and obviously a close relationship between the two of them. And, you know, the moment that really got to me was when she talked about how she missed a phone call from Coach Nikki and just didn't have a chance to return it. And the next call she got was the message that, you know, ultimately she had died. So just, you know, all of these things that we don't really see on the outside, even, like having more access than the general public, we still don't see all of these things. So it was. It was interesting to just see the arc and like, you know, how nervous like Tyler and Natalie Nakase were in terms of coaching their first games when Becky Hammond got suspended. And just these little pieces like I thought were just interesting to get the full story of what was going on and why they felt the way that they did when they won that Game four in New York.
- [49:35]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah, it definitely seemed like there was a deeper story behind it when they collapsed on each other and just let it all out and all the tears. This documentary makes more sense of it now.
- [49:47]
Zena Keda
I mean, I think that was one of the moments that stuck out is seeing, you know, you get footage of their pre game conversation in the locker room, kind of Becky Hammond really instilling the belief and making it very clear that they didn't just hope to win the game like they expected to win Game four. And, you know, that was something that she kind of voiced in her comments, like, they're gonna Go out and win this title, basically, in some other words. And it was cool to kind of see that pregame locker room footage that we aren't privy to. I mean, they also kind of highlighted the kind of practice, that midday stretch between Chelsea Gray and Kia Stokes getting injured in Game three and what happened in Game four. And I don't know about you, Sabrina, but it definitely, like, brought me back to, you know, I thought they captured that moment, that, like, 24, 48 hour stretch really, really well. Because I do think everyone who was at that practice or that shoot around leading into game four had that same takeaway of like, wow, they are very loose today. Like, I still remember Chelsea Gray on her scooter recently having been injured with a boombox, like, playing music and like hyping everybody up. And like, the energy was so, like, free. And they were all just like, I don't know what we're going to do during Game 4, but they don't know what we're going to do either. And that moment, like, they were so genuine there. That was something that, you know, I felt lucky that we were able to see from our vantage point, from our standpoint, you know, as media members, that then the documentary also captured and kind of brought to light to a broader audience. And I thought it really did a really good job of that. The other thing I would highlight too is I thought it was cool to see, like, Becky Hammond when she was inducted into the hall of Fame and just kind of their embrace of her, Tyler Marsh kind of surprising Becky and saying some nice words about Becky as a coach and what she's meant to the team and the game and like that organization. I thought that was kind of a cool and genuine moment. The other thing that I think was so fitting was, you know, there's so much Kelsey Plum and Asia Wilson in this and Chelsea Gray and Candace Parker from TNT that there's like, you know, Jackie Young is also featured in it, but it was like featured in the most Jackie Young way where so often it is like, you hear the audio, the interstitial of like 24 points, 28 points, 27 points. And everyone's like hyping up Jackie time and time again. But she's not like, she isn't made even in this documentarily, like a big public presence. But time and time again, the outputs are there, the production is there, the respect is there from her peers, even if she didn't get as much screen time, say, as some of the other people on the Las Vegas Aces.
- [52:06]
Ben Pickman
I'm sure that's exactly how Jackie would have wanted it.
- [52:08]
Sabrina Merchant
I was just gonna say, I was like, I bet you Jackie was just fine with the amount that she showed up in that documentary. And I think that that leads into what I noticed the most. I loved how much this documentary allowed us to see the individual personalities of each of the players. Kelsey Plum is funny as hell. Like, the amount of times that they quoted some of the jokes that she had, like white socks, black shoes comment to Holly Row, I appreciated that you saw not only their personalities, but also just how much they loved, loved each other. Like, they truly had this off court, genuine friendship in the way they teased each other, in the way that they came together for each other. And you saw that throughout the entire documentary as well. But, yeah, the only thing that was missing was credits. Just want to know who put it together. Aces. That's all we saying. That's all we're saying. That's all we're saying. All right, folks, that is all from us today. We appreciate you all tuning in again. Hit that subscribe button on our show. Leave us some comments and don't let the comment be about. Do we know the name of the WNBA team at the Golden State? We don't know yet, but according to our fellow writer at the Athletic, Tim Kawakami, it should be out as soon as next week. But don't leave that comment. Let us know other things, ask us other questions. We got a lot of things in the works for you this season and we definitely want to be able to answer those questions. Ben, do you have one more thing to say?
- [53:28]
Zena Keda
I was just going to plug our stories. We have a. A number of great stories going on the site this week about, you know, some of the best teams in the league. The Aces, the Liberty, some league issues relating to travel and security. We'll have some features coming out next week. You know, we're ramping up the WNBA season. The transition is fast, but plenty on the site. We'll do some predictions so you can see what we're going to be right and wrong about. Yeah. Follow the site, read the work. We appreciate you listening. Zena, back to you.
- [53:55]
Sabrina Merchant
No, that's exactly what we're talking about, folks. This is exactly why you got to hit the subscribe button. Okay? This is exactly why you gotta subscribe to the Athletic because. Did you hear all that? That's the promo I needed. Thank you, Ben. I appreciate it. All right, for Ben, for Sabrina. I'm Zena Keda, thanking you for your ear and encouraging you to keep listening keep learning and keep loving the game, because that's the only way we're gonna keep growing it. Until next time, folks.
- [54:26]
Ben Pickman
As we head into the playoffs, it's.
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Zena Keda
Safe to assume there will be a.
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Sabrina Merchant
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Sabrina Merchant
Hey guys. Welcome to Giggly Squad, a place where.
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Ben Pickman
We make fun of everything but most importantly ourselves.
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Zena Keda
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Ben Pickman
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Zena Keda
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Giggly Squad started on Summer House when we were giggling during an inappropriate time.
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Zena Keda
But of course we can't be managed.
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Ben Pickman
So we decided to start this podcast to continue giggling.
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Zena Keda
We will make fun of pop culture news.
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Zena Keda
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Listen to Giggly Squad on Acast or wherever you get your podcasts. Acast helps creators launch, grow and monetize their podcasts everywhere. Acast. Com.