← No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show
No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show
The Houston Comets are Back. Here's What it Means
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- [00:00]
Zena Keda
It's finally March, and you know what that means. Bracket season, baby. Picture it. You're hosting the big tourney game, you've got your jersey, you're looking good, and now all you need is, well, everything else to host. No sweat though, because you're a Sam's Club member. And one trip, you say yes to grabbing everything you need and to getting it all for unbelievably low prices. Plates, cups, tables, chairs, pizza, wings, snacks, sweets, and the ultimate three pointer. A big screen tv. Heck, you could even get it delivered. That's because the play that Sam's Club runs is called yes. And it means getting just what you need and enjoying the perks that come with membership, like express delivery, bonus points. So even if you don't win your bracket, you'll win best host. Join Sam's Club, the club of yes and on eligible items, terms and fees apply. See samsclub.com yes and for details.
- [00:57]
Capital One Bank Announcer
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- [02:18]
Zena Keda
Familiar de cancer de colon
- [02:22]
Capital One Bank Announcer
en espanol Visita cologuard punto com diagonal.
- [02:44]
Zena Keda
Hello everyone and welcome to no Off Season, presented by Sam's Club. I'm Zena Cata.
- [02:48]
Laysha Clarendon
I'm Lazia Clarinen.
- [02:50]
Zena Keda
And today on the show, we're talking about a major shakeup in the W. The Connecticut sun are on their way to becoming the Houston comets starting in 2027. We're gonna dive into what this means for the league, the players, the fans, and what role the NBA has in all of this. But first, a of programming notes, if you're not already subscribed to the show, you know what you're supposed to be doing. Okay? You need to do that wherever you're listening. We've got a lot of great shows, especially coming out in the next week tied to the final four, including some YouTube exclusive live streams. One on Saturday morning, we've got a live stream coming from Phoenix ahead of the championship game, looking at what we could be looking at for each team on Sunday afternoon. Remember, that's when the championship game is so on Saturday morning we got a show that will get you ready. Then we'll have an instant reaction livestream planned for after the title game on Sunday. So there's gonna be that and a deep dive into that game which will hit your feeds on Monday morning. We're all gonna be there. Lajah, you out there?
- [03:49]
Laysha Clarendon
Bah, bah, bah. Yeah, I'm in there.
- [03:50]
Zena Keda
I love it. I love it. The whole crew is gonna be out there. So make sure you subscribe or follow our show so you don't miss a thing. Now, before we talk about the second coming of the Houston Comets, first talk about Team usa. This was an interesting thing. Lajah. I saw this announcement that the next Team USA camp is happening and it's happening in Phoenix and some big names are back at camp. Asia Wilson, naFeesa Collier. The two of them will be joining six players that are new to this cycle. WNBA vets Sabrina Ionescu, who has obviously been with Team USA, but safety Dolson Azara Stevens, Brittany Sykes, Kayla Thornton and rising NCAA junior Mikayla Blakes of Vanderbilt, she's gonna be the only outside of her and juju Watkins, the only active NCAA players. Paige Beckers is back while Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Kelsey Plum and a couple other players are gonna be sitting this one out. Now Lay, you've been a part of the Team USA World cup squad and that whole system because it's really a system in the past. I'm curious when you think about some of these new names like we didn't even mention, like Monique Billings being a part of this, right? The Kayla Thornton's of the world, the Brittany Sykes, some of these people that have been around the W space for a very long time and have been, you know, prominent names, but not necessarily teen USA prominence. So this is really cool to be able to see some new names being injected in here. What do you think Sue Bird is trying to do here with all the different versions of these training camp rosters?
- [05:26]
Laysha Clarendon
I mean, I think it's pretty clear to me that they're looking to develop talent. That's been one of the biggest critiques of USA Basketball over the years. Has been like, of course it's the best of the best, it's the top echelon. It's the highest level you could possibly reach in women's basketball. But it too often it's been really exclusionary. It's been too political at times where if you didn't have the name, you were never going to see a Mo Billings name in there, right? A person who didn't come from, like, the biggest, best program. You've seen people do it a little bit over the years, but this to me clearly is a shift in, like, let's develop younger talent. Let's actually make sure we're thinking about the future. There's clearly different generations here. And so it's no surprise to me that a person like sue is taking her experience being a part of USA Basketball. Although she was always one of the names included, like, she was never the one left out. To think differently and to think bigger. That's something sue is really good at, something she did with the CBA over years. And seeing her leadership internally, I think is very clearly reflected through USA Basketball. And I think bringing the fun back to basketball. Like, though you see them at camps, it looks like they're enjoying themselves. There's more of a levity a part of USA Basketball when you're the best of the best. Like, there's pressure, but you should be having fun, right? Like, why are we doing all this? Like, we should be enjoying it, getting to be around the best player. So I like seeing the different rosters. I love seeing feedback on the court. That was a big one to me. I think the point guard battle is going to be really fascinating of who actually makes the squad. Like, who is the actual squad. But camps just give you opportunity, right? These camps happen periodically. They're a chance to show up. They're a chance to learn the culture of US basketball. To put on that jersey. It's always tucked in when you come to the circle. There's like these little things that they do. You always wear the same color ankle braces. Like people don't wear headband. Like, there's these little things. And so you're getting people to learn to be a part of the system and to be a part of the bar of excellence. And across the W, like, there's different teams and cultures. So, like, they're not. Everybody comes from knowing how to be a part of, like a top notch level of excellence. And what it takes and the little
- [07:24]
Zena Keda
details 1000% when the three letters on the front of your jersey are literally all that matters. And you can tell this is why they've had the same excellency is because everyone buys in. And there is a process to that buy in that you're laying out. One of the things that's very interesting is Juju Watkins again is gonna be a part of these camps. And we know that she's been rehabbing since her knee injury a year or more than a year ago. But she's still being invited to these camps. She's gonna be non participant within this camp. But how important is it that you have the lights of a jujuakins still getting invited, still being asked to be in the, the space and being included in this.
- [08:04]
Laysha Clarendon
It's brilliant. From one, from a marketing perspective, two, from a talent development perspective, because she's the future, right? She's gonna come back, she's gonna get healthy, she's gonna do what she needs to do. So it would be silly that she wouldn't be a part of it. And I think it just speaks to again, sue and the committee being smart enough to understand the bigger picture. So you want juju there, you want her seeing what it's like. It's valuable to sit there and watch even if you're on the court or not or shooting around on the side, that pervasiveness of like the culture and you're living and breathing, it is really smart because you've got to be thinking, what, five, eight, ten years ahead of like, who's our next generation, right? Chelsea Gray is not going to play forever. Like she's still really good, but she's on the back end of her career. The Kelsey Plums of the world still in their prime, but in four years, right? That's starting to shift. And so how do you think about the legacy of USA Basketball? And I think like sue thinks about it differently now too from a marketing perspective with these younger players and what they can continue to do to grow the game.
- [09:01]
Zena Keda
It is interesting that Sue Bird is behind this and also is switching it up in such a way because she quite literally, as you mentioned, she was never someone whose name was all like left out of the mix. And I think there are two quote unquote snubs that everyone can remember Neko Gwymeke being left out of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. And there was also Candice Parker's and you know, Candice has had her thoughts on both of those actually. Not only her experience and others, but there was always a question of politics, you know, of the choices obviously made by GMs, but particularly also who's coaching. Gene Oriema being at the helm of things. Sheryl Reeves has been at the helm of things. Now there's Carol Lawson and Carol Lawson doesn't quite have affinities in the way that those previous coaches might have. And Sue Bird having seen the positives and the benefits and also maybe the negatives of the element of politics, it's really cool to now see her Being like, let's go a different route. Um, now, what's interesting is we know that a World cup roster and formulating a World cup roster is very different than an Olympics roster. So you're seeing a little bit more leeway here with the World cup roster. How does it work in terms of that mindset of going into these tryouts, going into these training camps for a World cup roster, Olympics roster? Your expectations as a player, I mean,
- [10:28]
Laysha Clarendon
expectations as a player, when you show up for USA Basketball are always like, you better bring it. Because you step on that court. Like, it doesn't matter if it's a. If it's a World cup, if it's a camp where we're playing exhibitions or we're playing the college players. As soon as you put that jersey on, there's just a standard and a level. But I think from just the reality of it, when you're in a World cup year, you don't. Your star. Stars don't have to play. It's always an opportunity for Team USA to continue to build, to build chemistry, to build trust, to, like, try on pieces. So you want, like, a good amount of your main players who will probably be on the Olympic roster, but injuries, people are exhausted off years. That's where you'll see. Maybe, like, your main stars aren't a part of it. Right. And I was a part of the 2018 World cup squad, so it's like, I was on that team. I, like, got in where I fit in. Bow playing great. Coming off my all star year in 2017 wasn't going to be a problem. Right. Was able to fit in, was a chemistry person. And so they're just a reality. There is more wiggle room in women's basketball. Like, the Olympics is the pinnacle in soccer. The World Cup's the pinnacle. It's the opposite. So for us, the World cup is like, you know, and I have feelings about this because I wanted to be an Olympian. I was like, almost like I was a gold medal world champion, but not an Olympian. So it was.
- [11:42]
Zena Keda
Okay, first of all, yes, yes, I am applauding here. Shout out for that casual drop gold medal right there. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
- [11:51]
Laysha Clarendon
But, like, it's. Right, it's different. It's like that is our. Like, it's our soccer World Cup. It's our biggest moment. And so in that way, there's also the way it connects to sponsorships and deals. Like, when you're an Olympian, like, that stays with you, right? Yeah, yeah. It's different. It hits It's a different bar. And so of course people in the Olympic, it's gonna be the best of the best of the best. Like it's just so hard to reach that. And I think that's something people didn't talk about. Enough with the snubs was Tamika Catchings, who I love and adore. She came out and announced that she would retire after that Olympic and did catch deserve to be there. And this is that question of like how do you generationally continue to move
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Zena Keda
through
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Laysha Clarendon
developing young talent and players who put in their time and energy, right? So like Catch played a different role on that team. She was willing, she came off the bench, she wasn't the main player. And so I think sue, having lived through all of that snubs and seeing it's like she's thinking big picture, how do I develop talent? Right? Like they didn't Diana played in the last Olympics.
- [12:52]
Zena Keda
I was gonna, I was literally, yes, I was literally going to say the Diana Taurasi point is very similar to the Catch point of you are a veteran and there is that element of bridging the two worlds together in such high stakes competition. You need someone that's been there, done that before. And Sue Bird saw the benefits of that and. But we also saw the, the outcries about Caitlin Clark not being on the roster and people thinking that those minutes could have been Caitlin Clark being having the opportunity to see up close what Team USA what that experience is like, whether she played or not. It could have been an opportunity. Either way, most likely Caitlin Clark will be on this next Olympics roster. She definitely has had obviously the opportunity to play for Team USA in the qualifying tournament recently. And we imagine that she will continue to be in this camp, not this camp coming up in Phoenix, but in this ecosystem of Team usa. I kind of wanna close on that note before we move on to our next part of the conversation about just like that veteran balance. Because people, we talk about this all the time, veterans in the locker room. So important, right? You wanna put the veterans beside the rookies locker so they can kind of like chill out. It's okay. Don't get too much in your head. If you had a bad practice, if you had a bad game and someone that just kind of levels things out, you are that veteran in the W at the end of your career. You've seen it, you've had a veteran, you had Tamika Catchings. Oh my God. As you're a veteran, which is crazy. What is that? What is the importance of that from a Player's perspective on these high level stakes, like, or high level stages. Excuse me, what does that really mean?
- [14:34]
Laysha Clarendon
I mean, it's everything. Cause experience is everything. And you're a veteran, you've been through it. So you need those people who understand the moment, understand the pressure, understand how to handle the pressure in the moment. The global stage is something like, you can't describe it in terms of what it's like to go travel across the world, to play in the biggest moment of your life. So people who are just unfazed, right? And you can look to them like,
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Zena Keda
what are we doing?
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Laysha Clarendon
Okay, got it. That's like, everything's different. The way you get drug tested, like, it's just a different beast. And it only happens so often. So it's not like there's a ton of time to even be getting that experience, right? It's not like you get. There's an Olympics every year. And so that's why these training camps are so important. Like, getting people in, getting them to be like a veteran of USA Basketball to understand the culture. So veterans are everything. I was so fortunate and blessed to, like, walk into my rookie career with veterans like Tamika Catchings and Brion January. Like, who just told you? And there's other people who walk into locker rooms or teams. I'm like, dang, I see why you kind of don't get it because your veterans were kind of trash.
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Zena Keda
Like, like, that's so real.
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Laysha Clarendon
And that impacts the player as a rookie. It's like, oh, you don't even know what leadership look like because, like, you didn't have access to it. Like, and I think we sometimes blame those players. And I look and I'm like, wow, like, yes, you're accountable for yourself. Like, you haven't had a good coach. You haven't had good modeling. Like, where you land your foundation matters. When you get into the league, of course, where you came from college, we know we could rank them based on who you were coached by and what program you were on. But when you come into the W, it matters who your foundation is, how you, how you were, like, groomed and taught and the things you learned. That carries with you. So if you had a shaky foundation, like, or you had a solid foundation, things I learned, like, helped me build on it, helped me be prepared for that, that World cup roster.
- [16:22]
Zena Keda
Ooh, that's amazing. And you know what? That's something for all of you listening, you know, as we go into this next WNBA season, which is happening. This is so exciting. Pay attention, pay attention. To the rookies that are coming in and who takes them under their wings, you know, who kind of helps them kind of get adjusted because it is an under. It's an under recognized and appreciated role, but it's huge. And it's funny, as you were talking about, like, you know, chilling out and like, understanding the pressure, I'm immediately brought back to a press conference. I was sitting in with the warriors, covering the Golden State warriors, and Klay Thompson was asked about a comment that was his rookie. Brandon Pajemski had made a moment before he got into the press conference about, like he was. They had lost the game and Brandon Pajemski was putting it all on him, like, oh, man, it was on me, et cetera, et cetera. And like, Clay was doing his thing where he like, folds up the box score into a paper airplane. Just goes, man, rookie, you gotta chill. You gotta chill. And it was just like such a calm moment of just being like, it's a long. He said, like, it's a long season. And it reminded you of, you know, teams like that have the likes of a Sue Bird, right, that have the likes of Tameka Catchings, that have the likes of thinking about veterans now. Tina Charles, Elizabeth Williams, Breonna Jones, like, I'm thinking about people across the organization or across the association and w. That people have said, like, it's nice to see their face or it's just nice to know that they're calm. So I feel calm. They remind you, it's a long season, you gotta chill. It's fine. You're good. Um, that's. That's fascinating. And we'll see what happens with this camp and how everything continues to go at Team usa. But appreciate you giving your thoughts. And on the other side of this break, I got more questions about the Connecticut sun now becoming the Houston Comets. It's finally March, and you know what that means. Bracket season, baby. Picture it. You're hosting the big tourney game, you've got your jersey, you're looking good, and now all you need is, well, everything else to host. No sweat, though, because you're a Sam's Club member. In one trip, you say yes to grabbing everything you need and to getting it all for unbelievably low prices. Plates, cups, tables, chairs, pizza, wings, snacks, sweets, and the ultimate three pointer. A big screen tv. Heck, you could even get it delivered. That's because the play that Sam's Club runs is called yes. And it means getting just what you need and enjoying the perks that come with membership like express delivery bonus points. So even if you don't win your bracket, you'll win best host. Join Sam's club, the club of yes. And on eligible items, terms and fees apply. See samclub.com yes and for details.
- [19:18]
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- [19:48]
Laysha Clarendon
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- [20:24]
Zena Keda
All righty. Our listeners will remember the sale of the Connecticut sun has been a whole drama. They were put up for sale by their owner, the Mohican Tribe, and nearly sold twice. Once to a Boston Celtics minority owner who wanted to move the team to Boston and the other time to a former Milwaukee Bucks owner who wanted to move the team to Hartford. Neither of those deals were approved by the wnba. And it is worth saying that those deals were for allegedly more money than they actually sold. They sold eventually to the Fertitta family. Okay, the owner of the Houston Rockets for 300 million. That is a record fee. But allegedly these other owners from Boston Milwaukee were offering 325 or more, but the W said, no, no, no, we ultimately have the right to say, you know, where, where teams are relocated to. And these new owners, they've already said, lazha, the team will be called the Houston Comets. There is no, there's no thought about it. Right When Cleveland was announced, people were like, oh my God, are the Rockers back? Like, there was a little bit, you know, still trying to figure out what's going on there. Nope. Houston said they will be the Houston Comets. They literally honored. We saw Cheryl Swoop's Tina Thompson was honored the other night at the Houston Rockets game. This is gonna be a throwback to one of the W's original franchises. One of its first dynasties. Remember, four titles. Four. Yes. Okay. And they will start playing in Houston in 2027. So the saga seems like it's coming to a close, but there's still a lot to get into. So, Le. When you first heard about this officially being, you know, this Connecticut sun officially being sold to Houston, what were your initial thoughts?
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Laysha Clarendon
My initial initial was, like, Beyonce, like, we back. It was just like, it was so, like, finally.
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Zena Keda
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Especially as you, you know, you were a player for this franchise. So.
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Laysha Clarendon
Yes.
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Zena Keda
So, thoughts?
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Laysha Clarendon
Yes. My initial initial was just, like, Houston has felt like, a long time coming and desire of mine as a player. And Beyonce, we always be like, beyonce, are you gonna own the team? Where you at, girl? Come get us. You know, and just the heartbreak. I think we'll get more into it for Cheryl Supes and. And folks whose banners don't get to be in a rafter, like, just all of the, like, deep history that these amazing women who carried our league and did something phenomenal and that they have. No, they don't get to walk into an arena and have it. So I felt an outpour of just, like, love and, like, restoration for them. Like, finally, like, God, they deserve this. And I loved seeing the way the older generation has been honored in this new wave of movement. Like, we've intentionally been making sure we, like, give the flowers to the people before us. So after my initial, like, excitement for Houston, I was like, oh, I had. Then I was like, damn, Connecticut. Like, I played for that team. I lived in Connecticut. I went to the finals with them in 2019. Like, such a talented group. Was a part of two of Kurt Miller's teams. He also coached me in la, just with some. I mean, jazz. Thomas is like, a gem of a human who I got to play with. Like, I have really fond memories of being in Connecticut and my time there and just some really lifelong bonds. And so thinking about, you know, as hard as it was as a player to travel there, like, all the things about, like, the location of it are really difficult and the casino at times are difficult, but just the fact that now, what happens to their history and asking those questions and those fans, like, what the UConn fans, the way they would consistently show up in the Northeast in Connecticut, like, noon game, 3 o', clock game, 7pm like, didn't matter. Like, that arena stayed packed, and those people showed up and thinking about the loss that it is for them. And so while, like, Houston's gaining this beautiful thing, like, someone else is losing something that meant so much to them. So I just really had the mixed, like, ah, it was a both and moment.
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Zena Keda
Yeah, no, I feel you. I mean, I took in my very first WNBA event at Mohegan Tribe Casino at their arena. And I. I immediately felt weird about it. I was like, what does this mean for Connecticut Sun? And the thing is, let's just be real. When I heard it first sold because this melodrama had been building up for so long, it was kind of like, yeah, I'm now even more convicted on what does this mean for the Connecticut Sun? Because when they were gonna move to another city like Boston or Hartford, they are now moving to cities that have never had WNBA teams so that history can go with them. And that can just translate really nicely. The Houston Comets. I love this word that you said, restoration. You think about Houston Comets, you think about some of the best guard play, best post play. Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes, Tina Thompson, right. They win the first four WNBA championships within the league. Right. They were an inaugural team. They were a founding team. They were insane. And that all went away. And you're right, there was no way. It's part of why we always feel like Sheryl Swoopes doesn't get the due credit that she deserves. Right. And Cynthia Cooper is at that too. And I mean, yeah, the Big three, you just think about that team and you're just like, damn, they don't really get that space to be honored other than at maybe WNBA events. But they don't have a home to truly be honored. And so I'm happy from that perspective. But, yeah, my number one thought is about what happens to those fans and what happens to that history. So let's go ahead and talk about it and take a step back from our initial thoughts and just talk about what this means in terms of is this a good move for the team, Moving the team and moving the team for this league, knowing that the league has not had a. An abundance of southern represent or located teams. Right. There's the Dallas Wings, and that's about it. Right. Like there used to be the Miami Soul. Yeah, you know, north, but Atlanta's in the south, but they're Southeast. It's a little different. Yeah. So I would say even Charlotte is different than, you know, in the south and Texas. And so from that perspective and moving into the league, adding another team to an NBA franchise, we know the benefits of that, of, you know what the having that as a background, as a backbone of an NBA team and the resources that are set up, how that can Help a team. We think about that. What are your thoughts of. Is this a good move for the Connecticut sun becoming the Houston Comets and for the league overall?
- [27:22]
Laysha Clarendon
I think overall, yes, it is a good move. Okay, 100%. I think it's sad and we can say all the things and think about the history and the fans, but overall I'm like, if I just put my big business hat on, I'm like, yeah, this is good for a few reasons. One, like the south needed another team like Texas being that big, not having a team like regionally, the Northeast was so saturated up there. So like in terms of location and traveling, it makes more sense to bring a squad to Texas. I think about talent and how to get talent. And Connecticut was a hard place. So I think when you look at the big framework of the league too, it was always something we talked about as players. And I think what Connecticut did such a good job with that ownership was like they were very well resourced. Like they. We got massages before every game. Like, we had one of the nicest. We had one of the nicest practice facilities at that time. But like, you look at the league now, it's like leveling up, leveling up. Whereas like, like, you know, the Seattle Storm way back when, before they did climate pledge, like they were one of the best. And then they started kind of like people started catching up to them and then they leveled up. They were like, yep, they average out and they were like, hold on, they punched back. Right. And so you're looking at now, like now these billionaires are coming into the WNBA and throwing money. Like the standards have really changed. And so I think you see it in NBA too, in terms of locations are just hard. And that's why you have the ability to core players, like, because you're going to keep them in markets. That's why teams argue, ownership groups and the league argue for these kind of rules and contracts so they don't lose talent to places. And so Connecticut's just become a harder and a harder place to continue to get talent because it's. The location's tough to get to. That's why the potential to move them to Hartford would have been better also because. Or Boston, you can fly in and out easier. Like there's more in the city of Hartford. So it's just tough that part about it. And I think you're going to get more talent in Houston. It's where people will want to play more in the South. So in terms of market, I think it's better. Yeah, like, if you had to throw the city out there. No shade of just, like, Houston or Connecticut. Like, and look at the makeup of the WNBA players. Like, people want to play in Houston over playing in Connecticut. I will say that as a player in free agency, if I looked, I'd be like, yes. Why wouldn't. Right? Like, yeah, versus New York. It's like, that's a big market. Yeah. New York is New York. Right. Like, the proximity to New York. When you're in Connecticut, it's not. When you're playing games, you're not in the New York market, you're not even in D.C. yeah. You're in Connecticut properly. Right?
- [29:45]
Zena Keda
Yeah.
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Laysha Clarendon
And then you have to think about, like, even maybe why Stewie. I don't know. This. This isn't like, me personally talking to her. But when you look big picture, what her opportunities were in New York versus Seattle, like, that's just becoming, like, big star. Like, it's like a list star. Right. You can't even. As Seattle leveled up, did all they could. They're still. They can't control where they live. It's Seattle.
- [30:07]
Zena Keda
Yep.
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Laysha Clarendon
She could be in Brooklyn, where every night, who's coming through the building in the brightest lights. So that kind of stuff is starting to matter in our league because we're leveling up. Our league is growing and getting to a place where, like, we're thinking about this from a marketing perspective, from a location, from a talent perspective. It's different now. It's a different ballgame.
- [30:25]
Zena Keda
Yeah. No, it's absolutely real. And you talk about these billionaires, and you talk about the level of standards, you know, rising, and I'm with all of that. I think that this is why it's a good thing for the league in the sense that it just reaffirms you that this whole notion that there was no money in the W and that there's no value in The W, it's B.S. it's B.S. the same owners, NBA owners are part. They are percentage part of the overall ownership of the WNBA as a league. This is the same ownership group that was just saying the math ain't mathing. We're gonna lose money, like, if we try to get this money paid out, et cetera. Now, I ain't gonna hold it against them. Cause they did come to a cba. Okay? So shout out to the owners, shout out to the players. However, that whole notion, you gotta throw that away. If you're spending $300 million on Teams and you got homies in the W. I mean, in the NBA, alongside you that are like, I could pay more.
- [31:24]
Laysha Clarendon
Right.
- [31:25]
Zena Keda
And I'm down to pay more. I'm willing to pay more. And so I think it's great for the league for, like, from a perspective of, oh, we are valuable hearing, like, if you are someone that is a hater of the WNBA and you try to claim that there is no value, it. It's really hard to hear that teams used to be sold for $2 million, that Mark Davis bought the Las Vegas Aces for $2 million back in, like, what, 2019, not that long ago. Yeah. And now teams are going for 300, and there were people that were trying to pay 325. Yeah, you can't. You can't. I'm gonna just throw that number in your face. Like, I'm just gonna be like, is it really not valuable? Because these NBA players, I mean, these NBA owners are, like, very willing to get involved. And I think that that is always good. To see these teams move means that there's value, and I think that's good for the league and it's good for the team for folks to see the value in that. I also think it is good for the league to balance out, as you mentioned, the geographical landscape of things. I want to transition to you, Lajah. I referenced this in my initial thoughts of thinking about the fan base and what does this mean for the Connecticut sun fan base and their team going away. And it's not as if they can just, like, cheer for their team in a different place. Their team is gone. We don't really know what's gonna happen with the history of the Connecticut sun, history that you are a part of. And this is a small market. They have been dedicated, as you've alluded to already. You have. Connecticut has had a lot of success. Have they won a title? No, but they've been close a lot. Okay. And they've been really, really high performing overall. And so from your experience, whether it's fans, whether it's players, like, what are you hearing about how people are feeling about all of this? And where do people land on this move?
- [33:17]
Laysha Clarendon
Yeah, I think it's mixed feelings. It's like the happy for the growth of the league, the team, but, like, the heartbreak and the loss. Like, I'm dear friends with Morgan Tuck, and it's like, dang, you're like, is that someone's job? Like, she's a young player, a young GM in the league who played for Connecticut, who went to UConn, who, like, it made so much sense for her to get that job. And be developing. And there's just the sad reality of, like, when this stuff happens, like, people are impacted and they're affected. And, like, I love that we're having this conversation because I think that's like, the breath and the humanity and, like, what makes our league special is that, like, we do actually care. We don't just, like, put our business hat on or, like, get over it. That's so a part of who the people are in our league that we think about these things thing. So, yeah, I'm sad for the fans. I really am. Like, I think about them coming in there. I mean, it was like, also an older fan base. I don't know the breakdown. But we had those people who, like, I think one of the best attendances in the league for, like, the 11am games. Like, they'd be like, yeah, we went to breakfast morning and we came. Right.
- [34:20]
Zena Keda
They already got to exercise in. They did their walk. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [34:25]
Laysha Clarendon
People who also have, like, money to spend and leave, like, time. Right. Like, so they would show up consistently and those fans, like, showed up consistently. Like, that place was rocking. And that's why we had one of the best home court advantages for years. Like Connecticut's home court statistics. Like, our record was really good and we had some really talented teams. When I think back to the year I was there, who was coming off the bench when I got traded in 2018 from Atlanta to Connecticut was. I came off the bench with Jonquill Jones and Morgan Tuck. That was our bench.
- [34:59]
Zena Keda
Oh, that's crazy.
- [35:01]
Laysha Clarendon
Alyssa Thomas started with Cheney Agumike, and Jaz Thomas was a point guard. It was Strickland. Courtney got traded. Me and Courtney were traded after she got in the fight with Alex Bentley. And there was one other starter. I can't remember at the time, but yeah, when I think back to, like, oh, my God, like, that's who I was playing with.
- [35:19]
Zena Keda
Yeah. We can thank Connecticut for the stud buds, right?
- [35:23]
Laysha Clarendon
That's where they started. Oh, yeah. Yes.
- [35:25]
Zena Keda
That's where they started. That's Letitia Heideman. Was Courtney Williams rookie?
- [35:29]
Laysha Clarendon
Yeah, he got injured. Then Tisha Heideman got waived. Like, it was the point Jazz with the point guards. I got injured in June. And this is the crazy story. Bridget Carlton made the squad. Cause she was a better fit. Like, I was point guard. They had to waive Bridget because I got injured. And they brought Natisha Heideman back. So it was like my injury. Then she got the opportunity to come back. And then Natisha performed really well. Bridget ended up going on to Minnesota and having a great fit there. And then the stud buds eventually take off, and baby T's great. I love her. So just. Yeah. There's so many beautiful, fond memories of the people there. Amber Cox is a really good, dear friend, and she was the president there, and she's now in Indiana, and, like, I met her there and became, like, a colleague, a friend, a mentor in the space. And so I think about all the people and the actual folks in the tribe, like, we would do every year before we started, not necessarily the day of training camp, but at some point in the year, in the beginning, they would come, do a ceremony to, like, bless us, a traditional ceremony where they would sage and, like, had, like, a feather leaf, and we would gather around to honor the fact that we were, like, on this tribal land and owned by this group that had really deep indigenous roots. And it was so beautiful. And to know the folks in the tribe. And so I think about that kind of loss also for those people.
- [36:47]
Zena Keda
Wow.
- [36:48]
Laysha Clarendon
And also gratitude for, like, what they did do and the years we did get. Yeah.
- [36:53]
Zena Keda
It is sad. I don't know how many tribal groups still own teams or have ownership now across major sports, and I'd have to look that up, but I did feel like the Mohegan Triheib were doing it right and doing it well. And so it is tough, too, to think that that's no longer gonna be a part of the family that is. And I hope that the Fertitta family finds a way to still honor that in a way. But it feels like they are all bought into the Houston Comets, which is perfectly fine. You know, that they deserve that. But when you think about this, about the optics of this, you know, I referenced the fact that people were willing to pay more. There were other teams that were in line. Right. Jayson Tatum was part of an ownership group that wanted to bring A team to St. Louis. Candice Parker was part of a team that wanted to bring a team to Tennessee. There was a lot of folks that were like, we want one, too, raising their hand, and it feels like the WNBA set, we are going to prioritize, number one, NBA owners and NBA ownership, and two, that they kind of kind of got to cut the line. But when you think about it, this was a founding team of the wnba. If there's anyone to bring back before you bring a new team in, it would be an original member of the W. No. So you just. You kind of feel like you're on both sides, you're teetering back and forth. Does this matter that, you know, you're. Instead of bringing a new franchise, that you're going backwards in time to honor one of the teams that was at the original point of women's professional basketball in the United States.
- [38:39]
Laysha Clarendon
Ooh, that's a good point. I didn't think of it that way of a. Like, doesn't matter as long as they're coming back. Interesting. Yeah.
- [38:48]
Zena Keda
I don't know. I feel like it's hard because I do understand this concept of, oh, well, we were willing to pay more and we want to bring it to a new city, but what is happening, and I'm not shaming anyone for this. I'm actually excited about this. Everyone is buying into the momentum of women's basketball.
- [39:08]
Laysha Clarendon
Right.
- [39:08]
Zena Keda
People are realizing how much value and money and opportunity and growth potential there is in women's basketball. And it's like, that's great. But the women that were part of setting the foundation of what this moment is, they deserve an opportunity to be celebrated, and they deserve to have an opportunity to have their legacies mean something.
- [39:31]
Laysha Clarendon
Absolutely.
- [39:31]
Zena Keda
You know, and live in this moment now.
- [39:34]
Laysha Clarendon
It felt like a matter of time. It also feels really. It makes me really happy. Proud that the league is, like, making sure to honor the history without just moving forward. Right. Like. Like, not just are, like, flippantly being like, yeah, you get a team, you get a team. Let's just grow it as big as we can. I think Kathy has done a good job of trying to be smart about the timing of growth. And so I think going back to make sure we honor, like, the first dynasty in our league. Right. The Minnesota Links have gotten, like, they've had no one to contend with, essentially. And people are always like, but the. But Houston. But like, there was folks. Unless you were like an og, right?
- [40:10]
Zena Keda
You didn't know that.
- [40:11]
Laysha Clarendon
You know, like, top notch fan. You didn't really know that, like, wait, what they did, what. There's even stuff that I haven't known
- [40:16]
Zena Keda
that, like, four in a row is crazy. Crazy.
- [40:18]
Laysha Clarendon
It's insane.
- [40:19]
Zena Keda
Yeah, it's insane.
- [40:21]
Laysha Clarendon
Houston absolutely needed to have a team to honor, like, the foundation of what they did for our league and the breadth of talent. Like, it was a matter of time before they came back. It's unfortunate that Connecticut had to take the, like, ah. In order for that to happen, which I think is just the timing. I don't know the reason why, but I'm also, like, Boston, are y' all still bidding for a team in the future like Hartford? Bring the Connecticut sun back. Like, there's money still to be spent. So, like, they could still be out here. But I think it's really important for Houston, and I'm really happy for them.
- [40:52]
Zena Keda
I absolutely think more NBA teams, like, just because this happened, if anything, it just galvanizes other NBA teams to be like, all right, let's just wait our turn. It seems like the W is prioritizing us anyways. Let's wait our turn. And, you know, Boston, Milwaukee, these are teams that haven't had a team yet or have had a team in the past. I imagine that if Miami raised their hand and wanted a team, they probably would get one back. If Charlotte raised their hand and wanted a team, they probably get one back. And they might, quote, unquote, cut the line. However, either way, whether they had a team in the past or they didn't have a team and they want to bring one to an NBA team, it does feel like having NBA ownership establishes a level of standard, as you mentioned, security, in a way, and just an abundance of resources of tying a team in that way, whether it's tying them to another NBA franchise or even, you know, what Portland is doing in. In Portland with the Portland Thorns and the Portland Fire. But having an ownership group that is invested and bought into sports on a major level. You look at the aces with the Las Vegas Raiders, right? It doesn't matter if it's NBA or not. But particularly in this circumstance, tying a WNBA team to an NBA ownership model feels like it's just elevating everything. How do you feel about that? Having been on the side of being tied to a team that did not have ties to NBA ownership? And then over the years, seeing the teams that were. What did that feel like, you know? But Indiana, for example, what was that like?
- [42:29]
Laysha Clarendon
Yeah, I played for all the different models. It was the casino model with Connecticut, the independent owned with Atlanta at the time.
- [42:37]
Zena Keda
Oh, wow.
- [42:38]
Laysha Clarendon
Right.
- [42:38]
Zena Keda
In la, too, too.
- [42:39]
Laysha Clarendon
In la. Yeah. So I played. I played for all those three models during my career. And I mean, like I mentioned, Connecticut did a great job. So independent, like, casino owned the tribal group. Atlanta was the toughest and a tough city to play in at the time. It was. Kelly Loeffler was the owner. There's a lot. There's a lot of history there.
- [42:58]
Zena Keda
History there.
- [42:59]
Laysha Clarendon
Yeah. But, yeah, being at Indiana was like the resources were just. Were just better. But it also. The thing that's different to me now was like. Like the NBA when I came into the league was still like, giving us the scraps. Right. It was like you had A team. But they weren't. It was still there weren't dedicated employees. Right. Even in the league office. It was like, oh, you work in the NBA but like make sure we also.
- [43:21]
Zena Keda
You do some W stuff on the side.
- [43:23]
Laysha Clarendon
Yeah, it was like the charity almost of like. So that has been the big shift of like actually getting dedicated WNBA full time employees to work year round. Us being able to fight for own sponsorships, not just being like oh NBA, y' all got a whatever JBL deal. Like can you also sponsor the W. Like almost like they would almost say you have to take us on. Right. And so in that way we just weren't well resourced internally even with NBA ownership. And this is the difference now where NBA ownership, instead of saying we lose money, we lose money, we don't want it, they're like, we're willing to throw $325 million at you guys because we want it. Right. So that shift is insane. And I think regardless of ownership model, just the money being willing to be poured into the teams and I do think NBA ownership is a good model because of all the things mentioned, you already have facility is one of the hardest things to come by. And so that's something we used to battle with when I was in Atlanta. Like whatever went down with the Hawks, like we, they never, we used to play in the arena and then we weren't anymore. So like then we had to. We were cast out playing in Georgia Tech or trying to find a place. And so if you're able to be in the arena and your team actually wants you owns you. Like you saw with the Valkyries, they did have to move one of their games last year because they had the tennis tournament that had been scheduled for years, years before. Yeah, right. But like other than that, it's like you're going to schedule your concerts around when you're WNBA team is playing and not like battling them. They actually want you to succeed so they're actually on your side.
- [44:51]
Zena Keda
Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. For existing, let's be real, like capitalism exists, we operate in it. And these co. These. I was gonna say coaches, these owners. When the league was thriving in 1997, 1998, when it first started, up until, you know, that 2001, 2002 period where things were not. Not profitable in the same way ownership felt that attendance wasn't worth the. And wasn't creating the worth and the value to keep their arenas open or block calendar dates on in their arena calendars. And overall teams were given the ability to sell their teams and they Did Owners were like, this isn't worth it. We'd rather have sold out concerts or we'd rather have, you know, other. Other elements within our calendar dates of our arenas and a lot of teams sold. And I think that's why a lot of fans feel bitter still about these long term. Fans feel bitter about the idea of WNBA teams going back to NBA ownership because they still feel slighted that a lot of some of these NBA owners were like, this ain't worth it. Ain't worth the squeeze, you know,
- [46:03]
Laysha Clarendon
to like, grow it to the point.
- [46:04]
Zena Keda
Correct, correct. It is important to note that these are different owners. A lot of the teams that are trying to get WNBA teams are not the same owners that gave their teams up back in the day. And so these aren't people that are trying to be like, oh, my bad, let me get that back. You know, like, let me get back with my ex, or whatever it is like, they. They're not doing. There's not a lot of that going on. For the most part, you're seeing people that are actually seeing the value and wanting to be involved. I think Joe Lacob is with the Valkyries is a great example of that. But even thinking of, like, Joe and Clara Tsai in New York, they ain't playing around. I would say the Liberty get more attention than the Nets do, like, because they warrant that. So I do think there's a little bit of a. There's a different feel and belief in the product than what those original owners ended up being when things took a little dip in the W. So let's move away from the business side and examine this more from an on the ground perspective because, you know, this is obviously a very new market. Houston has University of Houston. I played them before. I am trying to think of anything else from a women's basketball perspective in terms of, like, what's in the soil. And I'm sure from a high school perspective and, you know, youth basketball. Yes. But it feels like this is a city that's clamorous for this opportunity to have women's basketball on the pro level. So what do we think? Houston being a diverse city and some being a city that hasn't had pro women's hoops, you know, rooted in it before since, excuse me, the Houston Comets, like, it's been a while. What do we think this means for Houston to have this team come? And also. So what was the feeling? How different is the feeling gonna be from a Connecticut vibe to a Houston vibe? Because again, my first experience to a WNBA event it was actually WNBA all star going up against the USA team. And I believe this was before the 2012 Olympics and they played at All Star. And I went for. That was my very first event. And I was just like, I can't believe North Carolina. What are you doing? Why haven't we had a team? So seeing that. But being in the arena and being like, ooh, this is. This isn't very diverse in here.
- [48:42]
Laysha Clarendon
No, not at all.
- [48:43]
Zena Keda
It's not. It's not diverse from a race perspective. It's not diverse from an age perspective. Houston feels like it's gonna be very different. So I wanna talk a little bit about what that feels like culturally.
- [48:53]
Laysha Clarendon
Yes, it's gonna be much different. So I was playing for Atlanta at the time when I got traded to Connecticut, so it feels like that where. It was just like I was in Atlanta of so black, so queer. Like, the food, the culture, every. The music, the history, the civil rights movement, like, all of it. And then I. It was a really good basketball move. I was really happy and grateful at the team, all of that. But, like, just from a purely. I'm a black queer person who walks out of the gym every day to exist in a space. It was like. Like, where did I get plucked into? And going to the grocery store and. And just. Just being like, oh. I went from being the. Like, no one pays me any attention in Atlanta, which is the best feeling in terms of like, I'm just another cute black person walking around, like, just, we're just all beautiful in Atlanta. To like, the sore thumb at the grocery store of just like, double take, right? Because I was the person who stood out. And so I think of that way from, like, going from Connecticut to Houston, where you're just like, oh, and there is an exhale for me and my body. And like, when you can just exist in a space where you're not. Not thinking constantly and having to, like, contort your body. Right. Does racism exist in Houston? Absolutely. It's everywhere. Sexism, all of it. But there is something to say about culturally being able to be somewhere where you feel safe, where you feel like you can just be yourself and you're not having to be the only one in any given room at any given time. We know what that feels like as women, as black people, as queer folks, trans person. And so I'm really excited for the players in that way to be in Houston. I don't know what NECA Story is going to be or not, but I'm like thinking of those kind of players and Just like. And it's interesting, like, the geopolitics of it, because you think about. One of my initial thoughts too was like, oh, wow. Like, I was. I was very concerned about the W going to Boston because the racist history of those Boston fans. Like, we've seen it.
- [50:44]
Zena Keda
Yeah.
- [50:44]
Laysha Clarendon
With the NBA. And I was like. Like, I don't packed arena or not. Like, I'm not trying to play in that energy. I actually just flew into Boston when I worked in Connecticut last week, and I drove Connecticut. And I was just like, I landed. I was like, why is the inner. Like, why is Boston so racist? Like, I just. Why does it feel this way? I was texting my friend. She was like, I know. And I was. She was like, let me know when you get home safe. Like, to your hotel.
- [51:07]
Zena Keda
Yeah.
- [51:07]
Laysha Clarendon
And so that is just a lived experience of like, oh, you know, and so to have that feeling. But then you think about going to Texas. Right. Whereas, like, you're in Houston. It reminds me of being in Atlanta. But you're in the state of Georgia, which is. Has extreme voter suppression, who is fighting to take our country backwards. So, like, you're in Houston. Yes. And you're in this bubble of kind of safety more so. Or culturally, it's great for the W. But like, you're still in Houston where, like. Or Texas, where there's abortion law. Like, there's laws that literally are fighting against the freedom of women. And I think that's like this dystopian moment we live in where our country is doing one thing and the WNBA is like, moving forward, but still exists in all these different. In these different states where you have to factor in all different laws and everything that comes with that. So I think it's interesting that we're in the major cities in the states that are doing the weird state things.
- [52:01]
Zena Keda
And that's the thing. The WNBA is always going to come up and confront and butt up against this issue of the existence of just being a league that is so diverse in sexuality, race, socioeconomic class. Every single type of human you could possibly think of can exist within the context of the wnba. And that is a great thing. But when it comes to where the country is now in terms of the rights of that full gamut, that's where things get incredibly complex and incredibly difficult. And of course, Dallas already exists in Texas, and they probably have experienced their own levels of conflict or of complexities, but it would have been the same thing if they. They would have went to Boston if. Hell, if they brought a team to Milwaukee. And we know that the women don't acquiesce in the same way that the men might. I'd be very curious to talk to someone from like Love, you know the Love Volleyball League. Cause they have a team in Houston and what that's been like and I'll say all this, you know and close out on the I do want to give love to the sold out games in Boston because that Those you know, TD Garden they have shown up in 2024 and 2025 they have this annual and they're going to do it again this year and you know you hope to see it again that but one game is very different than an ongoing season. And so you're just curious as how, how all would it would play out over the course of a year. I don't think Boston's going to get so I don't feel like that concept or that notion that this might happen is gonna go away. But as of right now, Houston will be where the Connecticut sun end up being starting in 2027. As of right now, the Connecticut sun fans have one year to pour out their love to their franchise and be in this sunset season for them. And you know of course we'll keep you guys posted on all of it and how everything plays out. It is important to note you mentioned Morgan Tuck being the still technically seems like she is going to be kept on as gm. They did hire the Fertitta family hired Kevin Pelton, a former ESPN WNBA and NBA writer to be a special consultant to Morgan Tuck and her team as they build out this new team essentially because remember CBA free agency. All the things still crazy right now
- [54:39]
Laysha Clarendon
in the W is the players sign thinking of the future, right? Because all this money's about to come down the line. Like do you sign be like oh I'll play one year in Connecticut because I know, right? Am I going to sign a three year deal knowing I'll do a year in Connecticut. But I'm getting to Houston for my last two years of that contract.
- [54:53]
Zena Keda
That's that might. And that's another thing that might change. You know the, the layout of what the roster construction of what Connecticut looks like. Good news is they've got a lot of babies on that team. So a lot of rookie scale contracts. But yeah, it's going to be very interesting to see what happens in free agency. Okay, well on the other side of this break we got one more thing. It's finally March and you know what that means bracket season, baby. Picture it. You're hosting the big tourney game. You've got your jersey, you're looking good, and now all you need is, well, everything else to host. No sweat though, because you're a Sam's Club member. In one trip, you say yes to grabbing everything you need need and to getting it all for unbelievably low prices. Plates, cups, tables, chairs, pizza, wings, snacks, sweets, and the ultimate three pointer. A big screen tv. Heck, you could even get it delivered. That's because the play that Sam's Club runs is called yes. And it means getting just what you need and enjoying the perks that come with membership like express delivery bonus points. So even if you don't win your rank bracket, you'll win best host. Join Sam's Club, the club of yes, and on eligible items, terms and fees apply. See samclub.com yes and for details.
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- [57:27]
Zena Keda
Friends, it is time for and One More Thing brought to you by Sam's Club. Shout out to Sam's Club for giving me extra time to just yap on One More Thing every week now. For years, WNBA players, you all know, were earning a fraction of what their male counterparts in the NBA make. But through smart strategy and careful negotiations, they completely, completely turn the tables. There's still more to be turned, I think, but they have completely turned the tables from where they were. I would say imagine this. Imagine in your everyday world, you get a 400% raise. That's insane. Like that would be wild. Sounds like a dream. And that's exactly what happened this season. And you ask yourself the question, like, ooh, how do the WNBA players go about this? How they go from these modest salaries to an average of over 580,000. Well, it turns out that they tapped a Harvard economist and Nobel laureate, Claudia Goldin, to help them make sense of the math so that the W could make sense of the math. And they get paid. I don't know if you've heard this story, and it's been going around for a while, and I saw this first. I don't know, someone shared it, I think maybe on X or Blue sky, but I was immediately like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. First and foremost, I know Claudia Goldin. Why do I know Claudia Goldin? Oh, it's because she wrote an opinion piece for the New York Times way back in the day. Way back in the day being like a year ago or so, talking about, like, how ridiculous it is essentially that the WNBA players do not get paid well. And I don't know exactly what the order of this was, but she writes this piece and the WNBA taps her to help with these negotiations. Lazha, how quick would it have been to have somebody like Claudia in your pocket back in 2020?
- [59:24]
Laysha Clarendon
It would have been so nice. Ridiculously nice. Yeah, it would have been amazing. I think it speaks to, like, the strategy that the players and Terry Jackson, the union, learned from, you know, the last time you do it. We've talked on this podcast about experience and being a veteran, and now people are a veteran like that internal EC leadership overall is a veteran to how to go through a CBA negotiation because you learn and you grow. So I think this point really speaks to finding the right people. And at the time we found the people, the best people we could, we didn't know, right? You. You know better, you do better, you learn, you grow. You don't get cut out the same way. And that's why veterans rule the court. And so I think it really speaks to that. I think it speaks to Claudia's, like, she's. She's a symbol to me of, like, how much everyone is in the fight and rooting for the W in terms of. Of like, every woman or the sexism. Like, it's like people feel connected to it. Cause, like, we know what it's like, right? To be. Even if she never is gonna get a scent of this. It's like she's fought sexism in her life and, like, being someone who's forward thinking. And so it's just so beautiful that way of, like, the breadth of people who are connected to our league because of what it represents. And, like, it's that idea of, like, when the WNBA is winning, like, other people are winning, too. Again, whether they get a dime or not, or, like, get to attend a game, they know in the larger fight of things like, this stuff really matter why we're part of it. And it just feels like those people who are, like, behind pushing. And I'm so glad this story came out, because you actually get to see, like, who those people are. And there's so many folks you'll never know are here. Every fan who held a sign, like, I was at the All Star game in Indiana last year, and when I looked around, I was fantastic.
- [60:59]
Zena Keda
People were bought in. Yeah.
- [61:02]
Laysha Clarendon
And then Britney Sykes was holding it behind in the interview. Like, I was like, oh, like, so shout out to every single fan, every person who held a sign who bought a shirt who, like, we're not gonna, you know, be able to shout name out like a peloton instructor right now on, like, the screen. I wish we could, but, like, that it matters. And it's so important that you guys have been behind pushing and pushing and pushing.
- [61:22]
Zena Keda
Court of public opinion is so important. And when you've got people in the public that are willing to be a part of this, it's. I want to give just a quick little synopsis of, like, Claudia golden won a 2023 Nobel Prize for her work on the women's labor market outcomes. This is a solo economic. Only woman to win this in 2023. The first woman, at least. And there were three things that she accepted after she won that prize. She received hundreds of invitations and requests, and she was like, I'll do three things. One of them was deciding to just advise the WNBA players union and what everyone keeps referring to in the Wall Street Journal piece about this. And it's kind of very much laid out in her New York Times opinion piece about this, which you should go check out, where she talks about it being embarrassing how much less the women are being paid. She removed the emotion out of this in the way that the court of public opinion may have been like, you need to pay the players what they're worth because these women are valuable and they deserve this. And she removed all of that. She was like, it's economics. It's math, if you do these numbers. And the premise of how she did this was basically looking at the quote, unquote, like a version of a life expectancy of WNBA players. How long they're gonna be in the league, how much they're gonna be paid over the course of that time and how much they're gonna be exerting in the period of that time and does that match up in the levels of what they're exerting versus what they're gonna receive? And she was like, no. And she looked at the TB deal, she looked at all these different mathematical elements, elements to what was being proposed. And every time the players or the WNBPA was feeling a little bit anxiety about what was happening with the W, she was like, it's just math. It's gonna make sense. And that, to me is like having an elder in the room to tell you to calm down. Isn't that where we started when we were talking?
- [63:25]
Laysha Clarendon
It's like the veteran being like. It's the veteran to just be like, just chill.
- [63:29]
Zena Keda
Yeah, been here before. Know what? This is so perfect. Perfect way to end. To start and end our conversation today. Shout out to Claudia golden for helping the win get exactly what they deserved. And hopefully those earnings and those learnings are gonna be continuously used in the future CBA negotiations to continue to get these women what they deserve. All right, y', all, that is going to be it for us today. Sabrina and Shantel will be back tomorrow. They're gonna be talking about the expansion draft and final four. Don't forget, you can catch us live on YouTube on Saturday morning where we're gonna break down the expansion draft outcome, the final four takeaways, and pre. So be sure that you are following the show because you don't want to miss anything. All right, Wherever you're listening, watching, subscribe and share, you know, be generous. We love those type of people. And while you're at it, give us a rating. Drop us a comment. We want to hear from you guys. All right, on behalf of the Athletic and Laysha Clarendon, I'm Zena Keda thanking you for listening and we'll see you next time. No Off Season is hosted by Zena Keda with Chantelle Jennings, Sabrina Merchant and Liz Laysha Clarendon. It's produced by Tanika Burrell. Our executive producer is Andrea B. Scott. Monica Compton is our video editor, and Charles Childers is our social video editor. Our theme music is by Marcus Bagala. Shannon Ryan is managing editor of women's basketball at the Athletic. Tim McMaster is our director of operations, and Jesse Burton is global head of cell.
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