← No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show
No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show
Sonia Raman gets candid on coaching Dominique Malonga, WNBA transition & more
00:52:42
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- [00:00]
Zena Keda
Guys, thanks for helping me carry my Christmas tree.
- [00:03]
Ben Pickman
Zoe, this thing weighs a ton.
- [00:04]
Sabrina Merchant
Drew Ski, lift with your legs, man.
- [00:06]
Santa
Santa.
- [00:06]
Sonia Raman
Santa, did you get my letter?
- [00:07]
Ben Pickman
He's talking to you britches.
- [00:09]
Sabrina Merchant
I'm not.
- [00:10]
Zena Keda
Of course he did.
- [00:11]
Sabrina Merchant
Right, Santa, you know my elf, Drew Ski here. He handles the nice list.
- [00:15]
Ben Pickman
And elf, I'm six' three. What everyone wants is iPhone 17 and at T Mobile. You can get it on them. That center stage front camera is amazing for group selfies, right, Mrs. Claus?
- [00:25]
Zena Keda
Hi, Mrs. Claus. Claus, much younger sister. And AT T Mobile, there's no trade in needed when you switch, so you can keep your old phone or give.
- [00:32]
Sabrina Merchant
It as a gift.
- [00:33]
Zena Keda
And the best part, you can make the switch to T mobile from your phone in just 15 minutes.
- [00:37]
Chantelle Jennings
Nice.
- [00:37]
Ben Pickman
My side of the tree is slipping.
- [00:38]
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- [00:59]
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- [01:56]
Sabrina Merchant
Hey, Ryan Reynolds here wishing you a very happy half off holiday. Because right now Mint Mobile is offering you the gift of 50% off unlimited. To be clear, that's half price, not half the service. Mint is still premium unlimited wireless for a great price. So that means a half day.
- [02:15]
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- [02:16]
Sabrina Merchant
Give it a try@mintmobile.com Switch upfront payment.
- [02:19]
Sonia Raman
Of 45 for 3 month plan equivalent to 15 per month. Required new customer offer for first 3 months only. Speed slow 135 gigabytes of networks busy taxes and fees extra. Seamit mobile.com.
- [02:41]
Chantelle Jennings
Hello everyone and welcome to no off season. I'm Zena Keda.
- [02:45]
Sabrina Merchant
I'm Sabrina Merchant.
- [02:46]
And I'm Ben Pickman.
- [02:48]
Chantelle Jennings
And today on the show, we're diving into the journey of Sonia Raman, the new head coach of the Seattle Storm. Ben and Sabrina sat down with her to talk about her unique path to the big role in the W and her plans for a big talent in Dominique Malanga. But first, huge, huge, huge, huge, huge Congratulations to Asia Wilson for being named Time's 2025 Athlete of the year. It is a milestone that not only celebrates her dominance off the but also her cultural impact beyond it. Sabrina, thinking about the timeline of the WNBA and just the credibility, the visibility it's gotten, it feels long overdue for someone like Asia Wilson and all the accolades that she's kind of mounted up over the years to get this title. But it feels like it's right in line with what's going on with the W and its recognition. It's getting on the larger scale.
- [03:43]
Sabrina Merchant
I mean, yeah, first things first, it's been a hell of a year for Asia Wilson. I'm not sure that this rises to the level of another infinity stone on her thanos gauntlet for the next time she celebrates a major accomplishment. But time athlete of the year, obviously a major accomplishment because of the wide ranging reach this has just beyond basketball, you know, and for the WNBA as a whole, like for last year, the athlete of the year to have been Caitlin Clark and now Asia Wilson, just a very big moment for women's basketball, for professional women's basketball. Right. For so long, the conversation around women's basketball has revolved around the college game. And now you have two pro athletes earning that honor in back to back years. I think it's just a confirmation of what we've known about the growth of the WNBA and the rise of this sport in the national consciousness. So that's awesome, awesome for Asia, you know, again, with all the things that she accomplished this year with scoring title, defensive player of the year, mvp, finals mvp, you know, another WNBA championship. And to add this to the list, you know, it's just cool to see that, like there is a recognition of what she's been able to do and it's the kind of thing that like puts her in very exclusive company, I would say, among the most recognized athletes in the country and like the most Successful athletes in the country. You know, Becky's been calling her the goat for some time now, and I think I'm still not quite there with the wnba, but, you know, things like this, the breakthrough that she's making, you know, into the public space, make it easier and easier to get to that point.
- [05:04]
Chantelle Jennings
Yeah. Shout out to Sean Gregory, who wrote this story for Time. But I will say this because of everything you just laid out, what we know about Asia Wilson, anyone could have written this story, and it would have been amazing. It would have been a crazy story to tell. And it was really fun reading this story and getting to go back in time and remembering all of the elements of this past year and all the accomplishments that Asia Wilson had, and then also getting to learn a little bit more about her personal life. Of course, the relationship with Bam and how they iron sharpens iron a little bit. I think my favorite line in the story was, I only know Kathy by when she's handing me trophies. Loved the. I mean, that was just like. This is goat behavior.
- [05:45]
Sabrina Merchant
I thought you were gonna say there's a line in the story of Sean Gregory writes that Don Staley wanted him. Sean. To pass along a question to Asia. When are Asia and Bam gonna get married? I thought that was gonna be your favorite.
- [05:57]
Chantelle Jennings
No, no. I think Bam experiencing that. People will know when they see that I'm gonna. Because they're nosy people being nosy. People need to mind their business. Things will happen on their own time. Now, my favorite was all the times that you just see Asia Wilson just be casually the best in every category. I mean, that line hit me. I was like, dang, go ahead, girl. That's how you know Kathy. But when you think about this honor, Sabrina, and, like, how it separates her. Caitlin Clark gets this honor last year. Asia Wilson gets this honor this year. Asia talks about in the article, particularly pertaining to her shoes. But I think this could pertain to anything and everything. Accolades like this and opportunities like this. For example, her now being named to the hosting committee of the Met Gala coming up next fall, spring. Excuse me. It feels like an accolade like this. And recognition is something that can continue to happen for the wnba. What sets her apart to be able to get it now and then open up the door for Moore's to continue to get it.
- [06:56]
Sabrina Merchant
I mean, I think I listed a lot of the things that set Asia Wilson apart. Right. She's just so very clearly the best player alive. All of the statistical accomplishments she's hit, all of the winning that she's done. The fact that she is a cultural force in the way that, like, her shoe sold the way that it did, and Nike made that commercial for her for her shoe, setting a different trend of how they could market athletes. Personally, my favorite line was a quote from LeBron in that story where he was like, it's not even what I see when I look at Asia Wilson. It's what Zuri sees his daughter when she looks at Asia Wilson. And the fact that she can be a role model for his daughter in a way that he can't. I thought that was just so lovely that he realizes that's her impact. It's the way that she's impacting the next generation of black girls. And she obviously wrote that book, Dear Black Girls, about her upbringing. And, you know, it's just. It's just a very powerful thing, the way she resonates with people who are basketball fans or not basketball fans or fans of the Aces or not fans of the Aces, you know, and I think it's pretty cool that, like, she's continuing to tell her story. There's so many details about this that I don't even know about Asia Wilson. Like, obviously not just the fact that she's been dating Van for four years, because, like, that's, you know, her own business. It's just interesting.
- [08:02]
Chantelle Jennings
You're, like, 20, 21 Tokyo.
- [08:05]
Sabrina Merchant
Wow.
- [08:06]
Chantelle Jennings
We were really behind. Okay, keep going.
- [08:09]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah, it's. It's interesting that, like, the more popular she gets, the more accomplished she gets. She continues to reveal more and more layers of her own story so that she remains accessible, you know, to the average fan.
- [08:20]
There's just a breadth in this piece of different topics that are touched on that I think, you know, make it worth reading. And it just speaks to the breadth of her impact in the sports landscape. I have to imagine that is part of why she was given this honor, Right? It starts out, winning is so important. Right? And the piece opens with a little bit of a scene related to the championship celebration and her being on the parade float and, like, winning and the success that she and her teammates have had integral to everything else. And so many athletes will tell you that. But it touches on exactly what Sabrina is talking about. Representation. It talks about, you know, her shoe deal. It talks about the press tour. It talks about her book. It talks about with Bam. It hits on all of that. It talks about her basketball greatness. I'm not normally one to highlight corrections and fact errors that. That journalists make, but this one in this store, if you get to the very bottom, has A kind of delightful and f correction. It says that an earlier version of this story, so when they initially published it, mischaracterized one of Asia's accomplishments, that she was not the first player in the history of both the NBA and W to win both a championship. Finals mvp, league MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season. It says she is the first now to do all of those things and also claim the scoring title. You know, it's like we got it wrong. Let's add one more crazy statistic to really, like bring it all home. Like, what an unbelievable kind of correction that just speaks to her greatness. There's just a lot in this story I will say. Last year, Caitlin Clark was the time athlete of the Year. Sheila Johnson, the Washington Mystics owner, she said, why can't the whole WNBA be on the COVID for the Time Person of the Year? We didn't hear, we didn't hear those comments this year. And I haven't heard any debate about let's put the whole league on it. Maybe someone on this podcast or someone on the Internet wants to start that. I'm not going to be the person to do that. I think Asia Wilson certainly justified in getting this honor. Now, do you have a take on that you're okay with? No, no, no.
- [10:13]
Chantelle Jennings
But I think to, I mean, not to Sheila's point on that, but to the point of why I asked Sabrina that question about what sets her apart and what opens up the door. Like, in my mind, it's everything you guys just laid out. Of course, it's the basketball, right? Like laying out all the accolades and the titles and things of that sort. But for me, it's the multi hyphenate. It's the aspect of being able to represent black girls in so many different ways in the fashion department as a businesswoman, you know, launching her shoe and how she marketed her shoe and then of course, the basketball. And I think that that was the really cool thing of having Caitlyn into Asia. Like Caitlyn's story, her timepiece was really about her basketball and the growth and the evolution of how she impacted the game, et cetera. And it kind of put you in a, oh, you're the time athlete of the year because you're an athlete for the most part. And we mainly thought we got to see Caitlyn as this athlete and all the levels to that. In this piece, we're continuing to see why the WNBA is so special because these athletes, a lot of them in the W and of course, all around all athletes, but are more like Asia at this point in their career where they've won and they've got all these other pockets going. And so it was just kind of like seeing like for those of you that are new to the W and you might have just seen Caitlin Clark. Yeah, yeah. That's just the bare minimum of how good this league is in being able to see what they bring to the table. And next year we're going to take athlete of the year again and you're going to see even more pockets of different things that athletes in the W find themselves in and excel in and get to see all the different layers. So I hope we see another WNBA athlete next year. We get to see more versions of how these players show up. And so it's really cool to just keep seeing the excellence being taken over in the media space.
- [11:58]
Sabrina Merchant
Can we also say, and I think we should spend another minute on this, like Caitlin is directly mentioned in this piece. There is a one of the digressions that is in this story is relates to the popularity of the sport right now and how last year, even with Caitlin Clark not playing the league, you know, saw viewership increases 5 to 6% per game across ESPN is the state is the stat that Sean Gregory specifically cites in Asia, who you know, presumably was asked a question, can answer it whatever way she wants, doesn't even have to answer the questions is sometimes you need a proof in the pudding. Basically referring to the idea that look, this league can grow and can show incremental growth even without Caitlin Clark being on the court for a lot of the league. And frankly, I think that is a sentiment that a lot of people maybe feel around the league. I don't think anyone is saying we don't want Caitlin to be part of the league or we don't think that she is a significant accelerant for the growth. But the league had already shown signs of growth before and it will continue to show signs of growth. And frankly it speaks to and I've had this conversation casually with different people around the league who work in different capacities. Like it was kind of a weird season last year, right? Like there were a lot of injuries to star players. Nafisa Collier, Brianna Stewart, Caitlin Clark. We saw Asia Wilson, we saw Paige Beckers come in and become a star. But her team was, you know, one of the worst teams in the league. We saw Angel Reese not play for a lot of the second half of the season. Like a lot of the biggest names who people gravitate towards miss stretches were not Participating, there was, you know, refereeing, complaints, all this stuff. And yet even with all that was going on, there was still growth. Right? And a lot of people, if you want to take a little bit of a glass half full approach, said, look, that is a good thing about where the league is directionally and where the sport is as a whole, that all these kind of non ideal situations, this not ideal scenarios can come up. And yet the league is still showing growth. And I think that is a little bit of what she is saying here, that, you know, Clark cannot play in, you know, broader speaking fee and all these other people cannot play. And look, things are still growing, right? And as Asia goes on to say in that same section about Caitlin Clark and the state of the league, we continue to rise to the occasion. This was just a matter of time for us to really bloom and blossom. And I think that is again, a sentiment that is widespread generally when thinking about the context of this past season.
- [14:14]
Chantelle Jennings
Yeah, I do appreciate Sean Gregory being very direct in the racism that the league experienced and just the divisiveness that fans kind of found themselves in, in trying to be in the Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark, rest of the WNBA buckets that didn't need to exist. So I appreciate him hitting that head on. And I also appreciate separately but relatedly, Wilson being like, listen, that's great, but let's not lose the recipe. I think that was the exact quote that she said. And I think that this naming of Asia Wilson to Athlete of the Year is a version of that. Let's not lose the recipe. It does need to be about winning, but it also needs to continue to be about people just being excellent at everything that they're doing and being involved in. And now we've seen that two years in a row. And shout out to Asia Wilson for getting this award. And I can't wait to see what she and Bam wear to the Met Gala. We'll have to go on a sports gossip to talk about that, I think. But anywho, let's get into a head coach that just joined the New York Liberty. Okay. Ben, you were there. You got to see the introductory press conference for the new head coach, Chris DiMarco. And he's already pulling back the curtain on the mindset, the strategy, the whole approach to what he plans to bring to the team. And we've already talked about this on this show. Coming from the warriors, having worked with the likes of Estefan Curry over the years, having worked with huge personalities in a dynastic environment, it feels like that's going to be imprinted on his plans for the team. What'd you hear from Chris DiMarco?
- [15:49]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah, it took about four minutes into who's his introductory press conference on Wednesday for the Golden State warriors to come up. Zena, I thought that would be music to your ears because Jonathan Kolb was kind of talking about some of the qualities that he looked for that stuck out to him and that they wanted in this search more broadly. Elite level tactical competence was one of the words. They want to be industry leaders in player development, you know, developing their stars and having their role players become stars. But another thing that he said was habits that go into dynasty building. Clearly a reference to we don't want to just win one championship. We want to be like the Golden State warriors, who, what, have won four over the last 10, 12 years in the NBA. We want to be like them. And Chris DeMarco has been with the warriors for 14 years in various capacities, from a scouting capacity to a player development capacity to an assistant coach to this season being, you know, a front of the bench assistant. He certainly said like, you know, Chris was important and experienced throughout all of that, all of the learning, the Mark Jackson era, who was the initial head coach, and Golden State, who Chris learned under, and then Steve Kerr, who has really been the, you know, the coach who's led them to all these titles. Among the interesting things that came up, and we can get into a lot of this was just a comparison to Steph Curry. And that was something that had come up in a lot of different conversations. You know, does Sabrina mirror Steph Curry? Are they going to just try and make Sabrina like Step? And Chris actually seemed to not like to cool that comparison a little bit. You know, he acknowledged they're both can shoot the heck out of the ball, they're both super smart. But the quality he focused on in making that comparison that I thought was interesting was their focus on the game. They're focused on getting better their work ethic. I thought that was kind of an interesting comparison that, you know, we haven't necessarily heard. One other thing that I think stood out and then we can go from there. There was a lot of conversation about Chris, who his experience coaching the Bahamas men's national team, being a head coach there, being adaptable, having different rosters in different scenarios, maybe not having the most resources, but still getting a lot out of that group. Now, they never ended up qualifying for the Olympics, so they came close to it. But that was an experience, too, that head coaching experience that also seemed important to Jonathan Kolb and was certainly something that Chris DiMarco touched on during his intro press conference on Wednesday as well.
- [18:03]
Chantelle Jennings
Interesting. Interesting. Yeah. I think that was like. A lot of the fans are like, wait, he doesn't have head coaching experience. He hasn't been in the women's space at all ever. I mean, one thing that I have a lot of respect for with Chris DiMarco is that he has been in the trenches. Okay, he's worked his way up, but he's been with that one organization. When you think about. And Ben, Sabrina, both of you guys can answer this. But the expectations of stepping into a role like this New York Liberty has become, especially from a front office perspective, like the preeminent kind of model of what you want in terms of your ownership, in terms of your gm. And then, of course, they shook up the league. They were the ones that really started even before the. I think you know what this free agency is going to be this season whenever it comes. Deal or no deal. Stay tuned, guys. But they were the ones that did the whole big shakeup with Brianna Stewart coming and Jonquil Jones coming and being able to make a big three. Like, that hadn't happened in the W before that. And it's interesting to see now you're shaking it up again, getting a coach like Chris DiMarco. What are some of the expectations to be able to coach a team with this level of eyeballs on it, but also this prestige on how they're supposed to operate as an organization?
- [19:12]
Sabrina Merchant
Well, I mean, I. I would just argue that there were plenty of big threes in the WNBA before the Liberty, but sure, I mean, like, bringing them.
- [19:19]
Chantelle Jennings
Together in that way. Right. That the whole free agent aspect and like, recruiting Brianna Stewart, that felt a little different. Right.
- [19:27]
Sabrina Merchant
I mean, I guess Candace went to Chicago before that. Chelsea went to Vegas before that. Those are big free agent additions.
- [19:31]
Chantelle Jennings
Okay.
- [19:32]
Sabrina Merchant
All right.
- [19:32]
Chantelle Jennings
I mean, I'm actually quoting you guys and telling me that by saying that they were. This was like a. A change and a shift in the situation. But. Okay, okay, okay. Either way, New York has become.
- [19:43]
Sabrina Merchant
It is a preeminent organization. It is one of the original organizations in the wnba. They obviously invest a lot into their team. You know, when you were talking about shakeups, I thought you were going to mention when they, like, got fined hugely for chartering flights when they weren't supposed to. Yeah, yeah. Because no, they've been trying to put money into their team for a very long time. And I shouldn't say very long time. Ever since the size came aboard. They've been trying to put a lot of money into their team and they have made this a world class experience for their athletes in New York. And it is a team that people want to play for. It is a team that expects to win. And that is what is interesting about this hire because, you know, we can quibble about like whether NBA experience should be sufficient to get a WNBA head coaching job. And like, you know, there are examples in favor of that. There are examples that are not in favor of that. You can talk about like whether Chris DiMarco was the best possible hire considering the other names who were on their list. All of that aside, this is a team that expects to win right now. This is a team that has Sabrina Unescu, that has Brianna Stewart. I assume, you know, we obviously don't know that right away, but they have spoken as if they intend to be back for the team next year. And it is hard to come into your first ever head coaching job for, you know, a professional team because national team is a different exercise. Right. It's a much shorter stint. It's not a full season. It's just like different really job than coaching a team over the course of 40, whatever games. And to put so much in the lap of Chris DiMarco when you have the highest of expectations is fascinating. And it doesn't really seem that Chris DeMarco had his eye on the WNBA for a very long time before this job presented itself or before this became an opportunity. And that's not to say that I don't think he could be an excellent head coach. That he obviously has learned from a great head coach and Steve Kerr, a lot of great minds in the Golden State warriors organization. But there isn't a lot of, there's.
- [21:23]
Not a lot of Runway here. Like there's a lot of high expectations. There's a lot of high expectations. I mean, he acknowledged that this is a, what he thinks as the best job. And Jonathan Kolb is talking about dynasties. They're talking about, you know, basically winning championships. Like they didn't say it's championship or bust. But I have to imagine if we look at this higher in four years and they haven't won a championship, they will look at that and say, you know, this was an unsuccessful tenure. If we've only come away with one title with the core that we have. And to Sabrina's point, I mean, Chris said like he's excited to get into the league, he's going to try and learn as much as he can about the WNBA now I mean he referenced like buying all these liberty books between us and all the listeners. If you've read a liberty history book, please tweet at us or send it on Blue Sky. I would like to know what the best New York liberty history books are. Maybe it's a book about the stuff Statue of Liberty. That was something that came to mind for me. Like, I mean there's just not a lot out there in terms of liberty reading. In terms of the book form I've looked. I think though like they are betting that his pedigree, that his ability to be adaptable. And Jonathan Cope said this makes him the right person to unlock the full potential of the group. There's still definitely an open question if that's true. He has a lot to learn about the players, the league. I mean I think probably being a head coach in the wnba, they hosted a clinic right after the press conference. I would say that like he looked very comfortable kind of on the court in sweats and a hoodie messing around with players, kids, other like, you know, Brooklyn Basketball Academy staffers just kind of hanging out like being a basketball coach. One different part of the job for him. And Xena can certainly you can attest to this is like he's going to have to do media every single day. And he's not just going to have to do media like in a small market with a like around people that don't have a lot of press. Like he's in New York, the biggest media market in the wnba. And that's not to say that everyone, myself included in the New York media is all nasty and just gonna grill him for you know, five months, day and day out.
- [23:23]
Chantelle Jennings
But like, I mean you've already started with the books now, Ben, it's okay.
- [23:27]
Sabrina Merchant
You know, we're just throwing jobs out here. It's about holidays. You gotta get, gotta get them in while you can. You know, last licks. Like that will be an adjustment too, right. Like being a front facing individual with this franchise. I mean like Xena, you've seen this. Like that was Steve Kerr and who are like some of the other assistant coaches on the warriors over the years. I feel like Mike Brown have done more.
- [23:51]
Chantelle Jennings
Right? Yep, you're absolutely right. You're absolutely right. And it is something that as you mentioned the, the quotes that Jonathan Colb were saying and how you want to win now. I immediately, immediately think of the quotes from Kurt Miller and Chris Kaklonis press conference. And it wasn't quite we're gonna win now. It was more so we're gonna get better and we're going to put our best foot forward. And I'm paraphrasing, but it just was a different vibe. And so yeah, there's a lot of pressure here to succeed in New York, but we will see what happens with Chris DiMarco. Ben, thank you. And very excited for you to continue to ask him questions, not grill them apparently. We'll see what happens. But you guys sat down, you didn't grill Sonia Raman. You were. And asking really great questions around Sonya Raman's path, her journey to the WNBA and what she's going to do with that center in the middle. Dominique Malanga. After the break, we'll listen to that interview.
- [24:49]
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- [25:35]
Zena Keda
Guys, thanks for helping me carry my Christmas tree.
- [25:37]
Ben Pickman
Zoe. This thing weighs a ton.
- [25:38]
Sabrina Merchant
Drew Ski, live with your legs, man.
- [25:40]
Santa
Santa.
- [25:41]
Sonia Raman
Santa, did you get my letter?
- [25:42]
Ben Pickman
He's talking to you, Bridges.
- [25:43]
Sabrina Merchant
I'm not.
- [25:44]
Zena Keda
Of course he did.
- [25:46]
Sabrina Merchant
Right Santa, you know my elf Drew Ski here, he handles the nice list.
- [25:50]
Ben Pickman
And elf, I'm six' three. What everyone wants is iPhone 17 and at T Mobile you can get it on them. That center stage front camera is amazing for group self. Right, Mrs. Claus?
- [25:59]
Zena Keda
I'm Mrs. Claus's much younger sister and AT T Mobile there's no trade in needed when you switch. So you can keep your old phone.
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Sabrina Merchant
Or give it as a gift.
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Zena Keda
And the best part, you can make the switch to T mobile from your phone in just 15 minutes.
- [26:11]
Ben Pickman
Guys, my side of the tree is slipping.
- [26:13]
Sonia Raman
Timber.
- [26:14]
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- [27:18]
Sabrina Merchant
Welcome back to no Off Season, where we are now joined by the new coach of the Seattle Storm, Sonia Raman. Now, for those who don't know Sonya, her path is untraditional, to say the least. She was initially pre med at Tufts and took a walk on playing career for the Jumbos into, well, a law degree at Boston College and jobs at the Federal Labor Department and Fidelity Investments. And all of that laid the groundwork for a coaching career which sees her now with the Storm. She was also the head coach at MIT for more than a decade, had assistant coach jobs at the Memphis Grizzlies and the New York Liberty, and again is now in Seattle. So Sonia, welcome. And we wanted to begin with this. Do you miss working in risking compliance and at the US Department of Labor?
- [28:02]
Sonia Raman
I do not. And in fact I did an interview recently and they asked me like some specifics about what I did there and it was so hard to even remember. I think it's probably not something that most listeners want to hear much about. But no, I enjoyed my time there and the people I worked with. But yeah, coaching basketball is a lot more fun.
- [28:20]
Sabrina Merchant
I feel like you even did compliance at MIT too, right?
- [28:23]
Sonia Raman
I did, yes. I was doing NCAA compliance, Division 1 and 3. So a lot of compliance in my background. For sure. I'll be following rules, I guess.
- [28:31]
Sabrina Merchant
I think that's enough compliance talk for this episode. So let's get into it on the basketball side and your journey specifically because do I have it right that your mom was a big fan of Syracuse men's basketball and Jim Boeheim and that, you know, you grew up yourself in Massachusetts and you've said that the 80s Celtics were like really important for you becoming a fan. So just growing up in Massachusetts, just what do you remember about watching the 80s Celtics, Larry Bird, you know, the Celtics teams of that era. Would you go to the Garden? Would you watch from home? How did you kind of get into basketball and the seas?
- [29:05]
Sonia Raman
Yeah, so like elementary school. I actually grew up in Tulsa before I moved to Massachusetts. And I just turned on a game and I started watching and Larry Bird was just having a night. And that's when I first sort of thought, like, I think I might root for this guy and this team. Then we moved to Boston, so it couldn't have worked out better. I think, like, I remember the winning most of all, you know, at that age, like, you just want your team that you're rooting for to win. I don't know that I knew much about spacing or ball movement or I didn't fully appreciate all the things that they did so well back then. You know, the gritty defense and all that. But I just love that they won a lot and it was just fun to root for them. And they were always in every game and mostly watched at home with my parents. We weren't going to the Garden. I did have like a high school teammate that had season tickets and was able to get to some games in person. But it was mostly like, you know, at home, you know, the big games that they would air on, like, you know, Sundays and, you know, just watching the big rivalry games.
- [30:05]
Sabrina Merchant
I mean, you want to root for a guy who comes into the three point shootout and says, who's coming in second? Right? Like, that's the kind of guy you.
- [30:10]
Want to root for.
- [30:12]
Sonia Raman
It was fun. Just the trash talk too, right? Like, that was kind of my first exposure to what all of that was. And it was a lot of fun to just kind of follow not just, you know, Larry, but all of them and what they did together.
- [30:22]
Sabrina Merchant
So, you know, you grow up basketball fan and then you end up walking on at Tufts, I guess. How did that come to happen? Like, did you ever envision yourself playing college basketball or, you know, I don't know, how did that come to be.
- [30:34]
Sonia Raman
No, I mean, I was a better. I was a better lacrosse player. And I think that was what I thought I was going to try to do at Tufts. I kind of just picked my school based on the school that I thought was best for me, not based on athletics. And it sort of worked out that I was at a Division 3 school, was planning on playing lacrosse, and then, you know, kind of went through the summer. I was coaching my high school summer league team. And I just think, like, I was never Ready to give up basketball, but I didn't really. So as we got closer to the start of this, my freshman year, just like walked into the coach's office because that was the way you do things back in the 90s, and told her that I was interested in playing and asked if there was a tryout process. And she gave me a big packet of preseason things to do and let me know where the captains were going to be. And I never missed a workout after that. I don't know if she thought she was ever going to see me again. But yeah, that's kind of how it all came about.
- [31:30]
Sabrina Merchant
I guess you're forever grateful to getting that packet. I wonder if you still have that piece of information. Like that would be a relish.
- [31:35]
Sonia Raman
Yeah, I wish I did. I wish I did. It was a lot of running. It was a lot of running.
- [31:40]
Sabrina Merchant
So again, like these small high academic schools, very important to your journey. And so, you know, going ahead a little bit, you get this job at MIT and you kind of make your name there. What was that like for you coaching at mit? Like, when do you feel like, I don't know, your profile rises enough for you to go from MIT to the Memphis Grizzlies? So how do you explain coaching at mit, not traditionally a basketball power that is on the national radar, let alone NBA teams radars, to landing an NBA job.
- [32:11]
Sonia Raman
I think that's a credit to the Grizzlies, to Rich Cho, who's, you know, VP of strategy there, for really being like an outside of the box thinker, to trying to find talent and diversity of thought wherever they can in the country to get them to come to Memphis. And so Rich had reached out and was looking for potentially alums of my program or current players for internships, entry level data analysts, that type of thing. And why wouldn't you go to the MIT coach for a person who can write an algorithm to code a pick and roll, but also knows how to run a pick and roll. So that was how that relationship started. And, and I think that in that process we just got to know each other. And then when the opening came up, when Neil Ivey went to Notre Dame, that was sort of how that, that happened. But I think just a forward thinking organization, you know, they're hiring women, they're hiring people from the college game, from Division 3, from all over, trying to get the best talent. And I think that's sort of how that came about.
- [33:13]
Sabrina Merchant
Did that relationship with Rich develop because like you were in Boston and through Sloan or how did that Sort of happen?
- [33:19]
Sonia Raman
No, it was a cold call, really. I think that he had reached out to some other coaches as well of women's basketball programs that have majors like computer science. So you can probably do the math on maybe what those other schools were. So that's really how it came about. And then it continued through Sloan. It continued through him coming up to Boston and giving him a campus tour along with his daughter, who was considering playing volleyball at the time. So just sort of show them around. Introduced him to some professors as well. Yeah, so that's kind of how that developed.
- [33:50]
Sabrina Merchant
I heard a story that when you were just getting into the NBA and maybe this is the first season back from the bubble that Becky Hammond, then coaching the spurs, left a champagne bottle and, like, a welcome note for you at some point. Close.
- [34:03]
Sonia Raman
So nice.
- [34:04]
Sabrina Merchant
Okay, can you tell the story?
- [34:05]
Sonia Raman
Yeah, yeah. So, first of all, just so much respect for Becky, and, you know, being one of the few women in the league, I can, you know, I was able to sort of benefit from things that Becky presumably had to really deal with, like having an area, like a locker room for women staff and things like that. And so much infrastructure was already in place because of Becky, for me in the NBA and others. And so when she got the job with the Aces, you know, I was really happy for her. She was still with the spurs for a little bit before she transitioned, and they were playing us, like, the next day or something. It was very soon after the announcement they were in town. So I just made sure I got into her locker room before the spurs got there and left her a little congratulations note and a little bubbly for celebration and a thank you, because, again, she's pioneered a lot. And I think that's really important to keep growing the pipeline and growing the game and growing the coaches that we have in the W and in the NBA.
- [35:05]
Sabrina Merchant
I mean, in a sense, basketball is basketball, and you're coaching at mit, you were coaching the Grizzlies. I imagine a lot of your job is similar. But also, what was the first moment when you were coaching the Grizzlies where you're like, oh, I'm not at MIT anymore. What sort of stood out to you?
- [35:17]
Sonia Raman
I mean, I think it was like, Jaw's workout that I walked into as the first workout I watched. And just, like, his athleticism, the way he pops on the floor, it's just like. It's nothing that I had ever really been that close to. So, yeah, that was definitely my welcome to the NBA, welcome to Memphis moment.
- [35:34]
Sabrina Merchant
Could John Morant can he code pick and roll via. Can he write code for pick and roll?
- [35:38]
Sonia Raman
Yeah, I don't know if he could do that, but thankfully he doesn't have to right now. So, you know, he can figure out his next phase later. But right now he can just run a pick and roll and that's, that's where he's good.
- [35:48]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah. So I mean, not to like highlight the obvious here, but you are a coach of Indian descent and I'm wondering, like, you know, when you're working at mit, there's probably part of your familial environment who's like, yeah, she coaches basketball, but she also works at mit. Like, was there ever a point like when you started to go back home and you were just like coaching basketball? Not just coaching basketball, you're obviously coaching the NBA coaching basketball. But like, what is that? Like when you sit among family and they ask you about your job coaching basketball?
- [36:09]
Sonia Raman
I mean, it's probably not much different than most people. I don't know that anyone has kids and think they're just going to go coach in the NBA or go coach in the wnba. So I think there's probably the same level of questions and awe and pride and all those things that any parent would have. But it was a little bit different when I was at MIT because that was the very beginning of it. And when I first decided this is going to be my full time career. And for sure, Sabrina, you know, especially family in India, they're like, oh, she works at mit. You know, like that resonated a lot more than she's coaching. Probably the compliance part of the job, even though we weren't supposed to talk about that again, resonated a lot with them. And you know, I think at one point maybe people thought I was like a lawyer for MIT before the extended family. And people started to really start to see what I was doing. Right. Like, you know, I would send out the schedule and links to games and like people, you know, could watch obviously. And I think that's what, where all of them started to just get excited, get on board and start following. But my parents have been following from the beginning, so it wasn't as crazy, I guess, if that makes sense.
- [37:19]
Sabrina Merchant
Your parents are both computer programmers, Right. All right. So I guess the coding pick and roll follows naturally from your upbringing, right?
- [37:28]
Sonia Raman
Yeah. And if I had known coding pick and rolls was a thing, I might have been more interested in that as a major when they suggested it. But I had no idea what all the different options were in that field. But yeah, it was fun to coach those women and have. Of course, they weren't all computer science majors. We had a lot of different variety there. But, yeah, I mean, it's just amazing how much you can do in this space and how basketball can touch so many different areas, not just the coaching area.
- [37:56]
Sabrina Merchant
Speaking of that coaching area, I mean, you are one of or part of a trend in recent years of people who have NBA experience then coming into the wnba. And you've gotten this job at Seattle after just one year in the WNBA where you were an assistant with the New York Liberty last year. I guess. What value do you think spending that year in New York presented to you and how did it kind of position yourself for where you're now at?
- [38:20]
Sonia Raman
Yeah, I think it was huge. I really did want to come into the league and learn the league. A year isn't a long time to learn the league, but it's still better than for me transitioning directly to being a head coach without that year. So being able to learn the players in the league, learn their tendencies a little bit more deeply. I've always been a fan of the W. I've always watched, so it wasn't like I hadn't been watching the game and following it closely. But I think it's still different when you're in it. You know, when you're in the trenches, when you're coming up with game plans, you know, night in and night out, learning the cadence of the league. You know, I think there's a lot of similarities between the two, but I still think that for me, like, preparation is everything. And so the more I had under my belt before taking this, this next step in my journey, the better it was for me.
- [39:06]
Sabrina Merchant
Did anything then. Also, I don't know if surprise you or just strike you about the environment of being in WNBA arenas now in 2025, compared to maybe when you had been there previously or what you thought W arenas might have been like 10 years, 15, 20 years ago?
- [39:21]
Sonia Raman
Yeah, I mean, I'm not sure about, like, surprise or not, but what struck me definitely was like the energy in these arenas. It's electric and it's super loud. I mean, night in and night out, these games were so loud. The fans are really knowledgeable. There's so many of them, like they're filling these arenas. And that was just great to see. You know, from my days in the 90s of trying to get out to, you know, a W game here and there all the way through to now, seeing where we're at, it was really special. And just kind of a testament to like everybody who's come before that's like got us to this point. But yeah, really cool. And just like, I can't even emphasize enough like how loud these arenas are, like louder probably than some of our playoff games that I experienced when I was in Memphis.
- [40:07]
Sabrina Merchant
I mean, you got to coach under one of the more decorated coaches in WNB history in Sandy Brandello. Like, what were you able to take specifically from her experience as a WNBA head coach?
- [40:17]
Sonia Raman
You know, I think Sandy has such a great way about her and for sure can draw from her playing days as well being in the league and just has amazing stories. She's really great with the players. You know, I think that it's been well documented, but, you know, she's a really good players coach. I think she's really good listener and, you know, can understand like, what she's asking of her and what she's demanding of them. And knowing that she's been there herself, knows what buttons to push and when. And also just like a great person, a really funny person, just like, great to be around on a night in and night out basis.
- [40:51]
Sabrina Merchant
Makes a lot of sense, it seems like. And obviously great atmosphere too in that arena. As you're talking about collaborative staff and environment that you've seen switching then to Seattle, you had had some potential opportunities at least explored head coaching, WNBA head coaching opportunities previously. Obviously there's a lot of uncertainty right now in the league as it relates to the cba. I'm not going to ask you to comment on any of the clauses or the state of the negotiations, but why take a job this year? And why did you feel like this was the right time and the right place knowing that who knows when the season's going to start? Everybody's a free agent, basically. Like, there's just a lot in the ether and you say I'm still going to jump.
- [41:34]
Sonia Raman
It didn't even cross my mind to not do that. I think that in any year there's always going to be uncertainty. Of course, this year is probably unprecedented when it comes to uncertainty, but, you know, you can't plan everything out when a job like the Seattle Storm comes available. For me, knowing that it's the perfect fit for me, I had to jump at it. So I feel like the rest will fall into place as it does and, you know, we'll continue to be able to lean into the championship pedigree we have here. Like, I don't feel like it's that big of a leap knowing who the Storm are and the track record that they've had here. So for me, I felt like all of that was. Was comforting knowing what I was getting into and that I wasn't as afraid of the unknown because there's also like, exciting challenges that come with that.
- [42:21]
Sabrina Merchant
Lots of unknown. But one player I think we can be pretty certain is going to be on your roster this year is Dominique Malanga. And just given your background in the NBA in New York, like, just how do you go about thinking about coaching a player who is as potentially dominant and generational as Dominique?
- [42:38]
Sonia Raman
I think it's a tremendous responsibility. I want to make sure that as unique of a player as she is, as someone we haven't really seen before and we don't really know what's ahead for her, I want to be able to help her unlock all of that and be like what you just said, Sabrina. That generational talent so building, making sure that I know when to keep her in her comfort zone, when to get her out of her comfort zone. Not putting a limit to her or a position on her, but really trying to open up her game and continue to develop where she's going. I think she had a really great rookie year and the development was tremendous. And so continuing that on both ends of the floor, but without any sort of understanding of what the ceiling is, is the best part about a generational.
- [43:23]
Sabrina Merchant
Player, I guess, than on the other end of the spectrum, so to speak, I guess. What kind of roster do you think you'll be coaching and do you expect, like to be coaching Neko Gumike and Skyler Diggins next year? What have the early conversations been like?
- [43:37]
Sonia Raman
Yeah, I mean, I think time will tell with all of that. You know, the conversations have to be had. We need to find out what, you know, when free agency is and what the rules are and all of that. So TBD over here, just like every other team in the league at this point. But, you know, I think that at the end of the day, it's going to be a team that competes, that's looking to win night in and night out. You know, a team that, you know, plays really hard, has a good feel good basketball iq, can get out and run, you know, space the floor, all the things that coaches want to be able to do, and that just really gets after it on the defensive end. So that's a lot of, you know, vague generalities. Right. It's like I just described kind of like the perfect basketball team. But that's what we're going to try to target. And obviously you Know, whatever we have, like, we're going to maximize those players and we're going to, you know, play to win every night.
- [44:28]
Sabrina Merchant
We haven't even hit training camp and we hit all the items on the bingo card for the sales.
- [44:31]
Chantelle Jennings
Right?
- [44:32]
Sonia Raman
Exactly. Exactly. Well prepared if I missed any. Sabrina, let me know if you had a few bingo card spaces unmarked yet.
- [44:39]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah, I just want to take like one step back real quick because, you know, you mentioned that you've come from the NBA and a lot of coaches in this cycle have NBA experience, and a lot of coaches in the WNBA currently have NBA experience. You were in the NBA at a time when there were a lot of women on staffs. Like, I think there were as many as a dozen at one point, like on different staffs across the NBA. And it seems like that number has gone down. I mean, admittedly, a lot of you guys are just coaches in the WNBA now. But like, what, I guess, sort of. What do you make of that trend of like that one, the increase in so many women getting to join the NBA and I guess maybe now the dissipation of that.
- [45:12]
Sonia Raman
Yeah, it's a great question. And you're right. I think there was like 11 when I first joined. And I joined and in 2020, coming off the bubble year and going into a season with nobody in the arenas and less ability to work face to face with people. So I kind of figured coming off of a year like that, that might have been a slower year. And then we were going to really start to see more teams head in that direction, and that ended up not being the case. But again, I know that I did work for an organization that really prioritized that and was forward thinking, not just with hiring women, but just in all aspects. I think that we just have to keep continuing to be intentional about growing the pipeline. And you've seen women have different entry points along the way. Like, I came in as a head coach and came in as an, you know, came right in as an assistant with the Grizzlies. You've seen women that might come in as video coordinators or player development assistants and work their way through in a similar way to a lot of men. But I think that at the end of the day, if we don't grow those roles and be intentional about the pipeline, then you're going to see less and less women on benches as assistant coaches. But it just takes teams doing it and hiring. And I can really speak for only one team that I work for, and I think they did a really great job with It.
- [46:35]
Sabrina Merchant
I mean, that kind of naturally leads us into a question about just the pipeline with regards to WNBA coaches. Right. You and Natalie Nakase are both non white female coaches, but there are no black female coaches currently as head coaches in wnba, and you coach in this league for one year. So I don't expect you to have all the answers. But how do you think we can get the pipeline of black female coaches back in the WNBA if not in the NBA?
- [47:01]
Sonia Raman
Yeah, I mean, I think it's the same thing. Representation really matters. And similar to what I said about the Grizzlies, I'm really proud to be part of the storm where, you know, I think that inclusivity has been a huge part of this organization over time. And I think, again, like, it takes teams being intentional about that, about growing the pipelines and maybe the W and the NBA working together a little bit more in that realm. I mean, can we get coaches into the G League? Can we get coaches on, you know, backup benches that then can grow to the front of the bench and eventually to head coaching roles? And when it comes to former players, obviously there's going to be some fast tracking, like they've played in the league a long time, so they didn't have a chance to start coaching when they were 22, you know, and so how do we find ways to do that and be intentional? But I think with anything, if you really want to do it and you're intentional about it, it can be done. And so it's that intentionality that I think is really important across the league that we have to be mindful of.
- [47:59]
Sabrina Merchant
I guess two more and then we'll let you go. And you're a big foodie. I know that you love good restaurants, I guess. Are there places you're most excited to eat, explore? Have you started to dive into that in Seattle? Just what is that going to be like for you? What are you most looking forward to in that vein?
- [48:13]
Sonia Raman
Yeah, I'm excited. I mean, Seattle's such a good food city. And, you know, my wife is originally from out here from Snohomish. And so we've actually had time already. I've spent quite a bit of time out here, you know, in the last several years and have been able to dive in on a few restaurants. I think what's fun is now, like, getting to do that next layer. Like, normally when you take a new job in a new city, you kind of do all the touristy things right away. And we've already done most of those things, so I can really Kind of unlock my inner foodie, Ben and really try to find those places even more. But yeah, there's a couple spots that our favorites, Communion Musang. Like those are two of our instant favorites. Spicewall off or a little Kathy Roll. So we have a few spots, but looking forward to finding more.
- [49:02]
Sabrina Merchant
All those places should partner with the Seattle Storm. That's the call.
- [49:06]
Or sponsor the no Off Season podcast. You know.
- [49:09]
We'Ll let you go with this. I mean, who knows when next season will open, when it will start, but hopefully in mid May as it has done. You've talked about it a little bit, but what are you most looking forward to or what do you think? Fans of the Storm or of basketball who just want to watch, you know, some of the qualities that you described, what should they look forward to? What are you most excited about? What should people look forward to?
- [49:33]
Sonia Raman
I mean, I'm excited about just getting time in the gym every day with our players, you know, having a roster, having everybody in this building. I'm excited to be in this building every day. Like I've never had, you know, a practice facility like this before. And so it's exciting to walk in every day. It's exciting to be here with, you know, the rest of the Storm staff. But, you know, obviously until the season starts, we're not going to have this. This place won't really be full. The locker room won't be noisy and busy. So I'm looking forward to that. Just a noisy building with, you know, all of the players here every day and spending time with them. I think for the fans, like, it's going to be a great season. You know, we have, we're adding two more teams to the league. There's never been a better time to be watching the W. The talent at every position is just incredible. You know, I think that the game has evolved so much and you know, you saw like, you've seen really, really high level playoff basketball for the last few years and I expect that to continue. So definitely a lot to look forward to for the fans, but for me personally, it's just like it's the people and being able to just like roll up our sleeves and get after it together.
- [50:35]
Sabrina Merchant
That makes a lot of sense, I guess, still with the uncertainty. One of the things that people can guarantee is an exciting brand of basketball and also a coach who's very compliant with the rules of the league and of her team. So with that, we appreciate you making a little bit of time sharing your story, previewing the Storm season and everything in between. So appreciate you joining us on no off season.
- [50:55]
Sonia Raman
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- [53:27]
Chantelle Jennings
I'm very very sad that I was not able to join this conversation. I heard that Sonia asked about me and I think that was really, really cool.
- [53:36]
Sabrina Merchant
That is true.
- [53:37]
Can confirm she did the first thing.
- [53:39]
Chantelle Jennings
I appreciate that I'm sad to have missed it, but I'm really happy you guys were able to, to execute this. You guys always get really great answers and responses out of these coaches. Got to hear a little bit more about her path and getting a deeper look at her journey into the sport. So thank you, Sonya, for sitting down with us. Coach. Now, Coach, let me call you coach. And thank you guys for doing that. Before we get out of here, here's a fun hypothetical I want us to discuss. Earlier this week in the NFL, a quarterback named Philip Rivers, who's been retired for five years, decided to come back and play for one of his former teams, the Indianapolis Colts, after being retired. And he is 44. He is a grandparent. He has 10 kids. I wonder if that had anything to do with these kids. Expensive, y'.
- [54:29]
Sabrina Merchant
All.
- [54:29]
Chantelle Jennings
I need to come back to the league. Okay. But yet he said he wants to have one more run as the Colts try and make the playoffs. Of course, with Daniel Jones being out, Richardson being out, I mean they've, they've had a bevy of quarterbacks get hurt and now they're bringing back a 44 year old with a huge arm. And it made us think here at no off season, who is a recently retired WNBA player, you would want to see unretire for the stretch run to try and help her team win. Guys, anyone you think who could actually help a team right now?
- [55:04]
Sabrina Merchant
Sabrina, I, I think you should go first as Philippa versus this is your guy. Sabrina.
- [55:08]
Big, big Phil Rubbers fan. My number one favorite quarterback who.
- [55:11]
Chantelle Jennings
Look at you. You and Robert May. Same here for him, who's like the.
- [55:14]
Sabrina Merchant
Same age as the quarterback currently ahead of him on the depth chart, Riley Leonard, which is just tremendous. It's like LeBron and Bonnie, but like not actually the same, but five years removed from the NFL is something to willingly put yourself back into. Oh, I'm going to get tackled multiple times on Sunday. Yeah, 10 kids. That's probably part of it. Okay, so I was trying to think of players in the realm of like retiring five years ago because I didn't want to just be like, oh, Candace Barker just retired. Let's get her back.
- [55:40]
Chantelle Jennings
My award. Come here. That's too long ago. Yeah, okay.
- [55:43]
Santa
Fair.
- [55:44]
Chantelle Jennings
Good.
- [55:44]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah, good.
- [55:45]
So my qualifications here was it could be just because she's, you know, been in the news of late, but Elena Beard coming back to help the Sparks, who had a historically awful defense this last season, a multi time defensive player the year returning to the lineup in Los Angeles feels like it would help Even just like from a veteran perspective of this is what you're supposed to do. Doesn't seem like any of you know, that you're supposed to do. Like, there's just no inclination of how defense works. So that would be a nice addition, you know, for my hometown team.
- [56:13]
Chantelle Jennings
Oh, that's good. That's good. Ben.
- [56:17]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah, I do have a Minnesota Lynx example. I have a player who. She hasn't been out of the league five years, so we're going to, again, give me an exemption here that I'm going to sell, create. I was thinking about Sylvia Fowles coming back to the Minnesota Links and specifically.
- [56:31]
Chantelle Jennings
Just now, Chicago specifically, though I was.
- [56:34]
Sabrina Merchant
Thinking about it in the context of, like, when Fee goes down at the end of the postseason, like, the equivalent would have been, you know, Fee gets hurt. And what was that? Game four against Phoenix.
- [56:45]
Three.
- [56:45]
Game three, you know, does Minnesota give a call, say, sil, you know, can you give us 18 minutes? Like, you know, we're like, we could use a couple post touches here. We need someone to stabilize the offense, to rebound the ball, to block some shots. Like, we'll play at a slower pace. You know, we don't expect you to get, you know, 30 to play 30 minutes. But can you give us something? You know, that's the kind of equivalent I was really thinking of. Can we get a Sylvia fouls come back? She definitely knows the system. Cheryl's still there. She knows a lot of the players. She's clearly around the team a bunch. You know, maybe. Maybe they called her. I have no reporting on that.
- [57:18]
Chantelle Jennings
So that's good. That's great. I actually, that. Particularly that bottom half of the season when Fee was out, it was a struggle, not too badly, but they needed some. Some of that length, I think. But that Sylvia Fowles thing, and I was thinking Chicago made me think, wait, that's the wrong retiree to Chicago. They needed shooting. Ali Quigley, come on back. You already in the neighborhood. Unretire. Listen, put the banner down for a second.
- [57:47]
Sabrina Merchant
You're like, courtney's on baby duty. Courtney's on baby duty. She's rehabbing her injury.
- [57:52]
Chantelle Jennings
Like, exactly, exactly. That's exactly right. Sloot can handle. She was playing a few extra years. While you were handling that, you put the baby over here to the side. Actually, you could do what Josh Hart did the other night.
- [58:04]
Sabrina Merchant
I'm just catching you.
- [58:05]
Chantelle Jennings
I saw that. Literally had his baby on his. The New York Knicks player had his baby on his lap to Mitchell Robinson to go check into the game. That's quite literally your opportunity. Ally Quigley. Just letting you know. Know it's sitting there. Okay. All right. This is good.
- [58:20]
Darina
This.
- [58:20]
Sabrina Merchant
This could be serious.
- [58:21]
Chantelle Jennings
Something serious here. We'll see what happens.
- [58:24]
Sabrina Merchant
Zena, you're gonna unretire. Maybe you're gonna give Yale a couple minutes or.
- [58:27]
Chantelle Jennings
No, absolutely not. I don't know if I can help anything that's going on with Yale right now. But that's okay. They're working on it. They're working on it. This was a fun little exercise. I'm like, with now with the new CBA coming, you might have some folks that are like, I'm sorry, what? Five million? Okay, let me rethink these things.
- [58:45]
Sabrina Merchant
Okay.
- [58:46]
Chantelle Jennings
All right, guys, we gotta close this out. That's all we got for you today. We'll be back next week. Wherever you're listening, do your job. Follow the show. Leave a comment, let us know you love us. That's what we like to hear. But of course, reach out to us. Make sure you are subscribed. Wherever you're listening, follow us on YouTube and tell your friends about us, tell your family about us. We're a great listen. We're a great hang. Make sure other people come, get to join us. And then go to our partner, Yahoo. Sports Hub. They got more content. Okay. Sports.yahoo.com women's-sports on behalf of the Athletic, Sonia Raman, Sabrina Merchant, Ben Pickman, I'm Xena Keda. We appreciate you guys listening. Thank you, and we'll see you next time. No off season is hosted by Zena Keda with Chantelle Jennings, Sabrina Merchant, and Ben Pickman. It's produced by Tanika Burrell. Our executive producer is Andrea B. Scott. Our theme music is by Marcus Bagala. Monica Compton is our video editor. Shannon Ryan is managing editor of women's basketball at the Athletic. Jesse Burton is our head of audio, and Tim McMaster is director of audio operations.
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Sabrina Merchant
Paige desorbo they are Tommy John and yes, I'm stocking up because they make.
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Sonia Raman
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Sabrina Merchant
Well, I'm a generous girly, especially when it comes to me. So I'm grabbing the softest sleepwear, comfiest underwear and best fitting loungewear.
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Sonia Raman
So nothing for your bestie?
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Sabrina Merchant
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