← No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show
No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show
Why the Fever/Sun Game Blew Up + Early All-Star Predictions
00:50:23
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- [00:00]
Zena Keda
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Sabrina Merchant
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- [01:04]
Ben Pickman
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- [02:01]
Zena Keda
Hello everyone and welcome to no Off Season presented by Amazon Business. I'm Zena Keda.
- [02:06]
Sabrina Merchant
I'm Sabrina Merchant.
- [02:07]
Ben Pickman
And I'm Ben Pickman.
- [02:09]
Zena Keda
And today on the show we're predicting the future. I know it's a little early but we are a month out from All Star Weekend and voting is underway to figure out exactly who is going to be on those teams repping the league. And we're here to share our way too early thoughts about who are all the right obvious choices. And of course you know, some of the ones that might be under the radar but you should be keeping your eye on. Of course. And it's the top of the show. It's been a week, you know, lots of injuries around the association. We saw Nafeesa Collier go out with a back injury on Tuesday night and then Kelsey Plum currently out with a lower leg injury. And then Asia Wilson still dealing with a concussion as she is in concussion protocol. And then, then there was that game, that game on Tuesday night, Connecticut versus Indiana. And I was not Watching that game live, I think we all were working, but we checked our phones. We found out that some drama had happened out on the court. Of course, there was an actual game. The Fever took care of the Connecticut sun, but there were some other things that happened, particularly a play that started it all between J.C. sheldon and Caitlin Clark, which J.C. sheldon is putting on that Ohio State brand defense on Caitlin Clark. Little bit physical, pushing up on Caitlin, and in one play, as she extends her arm and is trying to move her feet, pokes Caitlyn in the eye, which, if you've ever played basketball, you ever been poked in the eye, it's the worst. You feel like you've been punched. And I think that's what Caitlin thought because immediately she grabs her face and pushes J.C. sheldon, which automatically, I don't know if you've seen the Connecticut Sun. I don't know if you know who was on their roster, but the protections came out. The Mama Bears came out. Tina Charles comes over and Marina Mabry comes over and chest bumps, hip bumps, pelvic thrusts. I'm not sure hip checks, all of the above, but it was a full bump on Caitlin, who got sent flying into the reference, gets down on the ground, and surprisingly, that did not warrant any objections. Sabrina, give me the breakdown of what that play actually warranted and then we'll keep it going.
- [04:30]
Sabrina Merchant
Right. So there was. There's a lot going on over the course of that game. I think Stephanie White said during the first quarter she had a feeling that this was going to get out of hand. And lo and behold, things got out of hand. You had some, some chatter between J.C. sheldon and Caitlin Clark. As a reminder, they have played against each other for a very long time, dating to AAU through Ohio State and now in the wnba. I should say Ohio State and Iowa and then into the WNBA. So they're, you know, going at each other. J.C. sheldon takes pride in her defense. Caitlyn Clark obviously has a lot of experience playing against her. Jc, I guess, as you mentioned, sort of pokes her, gets called for a technical foul for that, even though it looked like it was inadvertent. Then Marina hip checks Caitlyn, and that was ruled a technical as well. In real time. That was eventually upgraded to a flagrant, too. And then you have just a bunch of freakus, I would say, afterwards. And then that leads into the fourth quarter where Sophie Cunningham just sort of clobbers JC Shelton on a fast break. That's the best way I can describe it. She's immediately given a flagrant too. And then lots more nonsense transpires and people are ejected. And, yeah, I think Steph White's proclamation proved to be pretty. Like, have a lot of foresight there. And I. I just don't understand why any of this needed to happen in a game that, as Rashid Mezian said, they were already up by 17, the fever, and they really didn't need to be playing that kind of defense on a fast break with 47 seconds left in the game. But, yeah, it was an unfortunate situation, especially because this was, like, kind of an important game for the Fever. They won to clinch their spot in the Commissioners Cup Final, and that should have been the main story. And yet here we are talking about all of this nonsense.
- [06:10]
Zena Keda
Exactly. And I think it's also important to note, like, the history between J.C. sheldon and Caitlin Clark obviously dates back. I didn't know we went back to aau, but thank you for that, you know, for a long time. But it particularly dates back for the Fever and the Connecticut sun, because the last time they had played, you know, this was the game in which Sophie Cunningham had gotten hurt and Sidney Coulson had gotten hurt. And there were rumors. This is alleged, but there were rumors that the Fever pretty much looked at J.C. seldon as the impetus behind those injuries. And so there was a little bit of tension anyways between these two teams, which. I don't know. Is the national media gonna say it's a rivalry, Ben? I don't know. I don't know. But ultimately, the whole thing was around. Like, had the situation with the earlier J.C. sheldon, Caitlin Clark, then Marina Mabry bump, Had that been properly handled in terms of assessing the proper punishments or fines or whatever you want to call it, maybe the later incident would not have happened. That is, like, the thought process around that. And, Ben, I think a big conversation around this is, yes, people have their thoughts around Caitlin and the bump and everything. We'll get into that in a second. But first, let's talk about, like, the officiating. Like, what's the inconsistency here where we're seeing from game to game? One thing warrants an ejection. One thing warrants a flagrant. Like, what's happening.
- [07:29]
Ben Pickman
Well, I think actually it even starts before the third quarter. You know, mix up between Sheldon and Clark, like, Stephanie White's point. And this is a point that a lot of coaches make about, you know, how does an official establish how a game is going to be called from the outset of the game. Right. Like, for people who did not watch this full game, it was pretty physical throughout the game. There was a lot of pushing. There were, you know, bodies hitting the floor after screens. There were, you know, no calls that were being let go. Like, this was a physical game from the very beginning. J.C. sheldon, you know, she prides herself on her defense at Ohio State. You know, they would press and play full court defense the whole way. She did that in this game. Like she would pick Caitlin Clara 94ft from the very first possession to, you know, as long as she stayed in the game. Like, if Connecticut was going to win, they were going to need to be physical. They were going to need to mix it up in Indiana. Like, you know, someone like Caitlin Clark talks trash. They're a physical team right back. Like they're not just going to roll over. So this was a physical game from the beginning. And that is kind of what then led to, I guess, the moment in the third quarter and then the moment in the fourth quarter was like kind of the culminating factor here. Stephanie White talking about refereeing inconsistency. I mean, that is something that we have heard from coaches, from GMs, from players for a number of years now. Like these cries or these claims, rather like they're not necessarily new from, you know, people around the league. There's a lot of talk in recent years about the need for more consistent refereeing. And you know, there's some factors behind that, Xena, like coaches site high turnover rates. Right. Officials in the wnba, you know, every year now, basically some we'll move on to the NBA, right? Some of the best officials in the WNBA relationship building is actually like really important. From player to coach and player to official. Like even today, on Thursday, as we're taping this, I talked to Natasha Cloud at practice and she mentioned like, you know, she's been in the league for basically a decade. There's still refs she said she hasn't talked to ever and that have never talked to her. That she now makes an effort to try and go up to an official before a game and just say, like, hey, how are you doing? Because that way when a moment breaks out, like what happened in the third quarter, you kind of know like where the player is coming from. Like, you know who they are, you know, their character, you know how they react. Like the kind of interpersonal stuff, people don't think about it. But that makes a difference too in, in how calls are made and not made. So, you know, there are a number of factors that play into a turnover. I mentioned is another one communication between players, another one like you know, could this have been avoided? It seems like the answer is, is yes, absolutely.
- [09:59]
Zena Keda
And to your point of could this have been avoided? It sounds like. I think all of us that watched it are like, the refs should have done something earlier. But I think the question is, Sabrina, did they make the right call ultimately? Because there were also changes that had been made after the game, upgrades and changes of that sort. Right, Sabrina? Right.
- [10:19]
Sabrina Merchant
I think not ejecting Mabry right away is probably a mistake, because when you have all of that, I guess, tension building up to that moment, and then, like, her literally just, like, checking Caitlin Clark to allow her to stay in the game after that, I think was a mistake. And we saw that in the adjudication of the call afterwards that her foul was upgraded from a technical to a flagrant, too, which, like, why it wasn't a flagrant to begin with is beyond me. So that was the main mistake in real time was that they. They didn't eject Mabry. And I think if you do that, then, like, that kind of settles Indiana down. Like, okay, like, at least some of the stuff that Connecticut is doing has, like, been acknowledged and assessed, and we're not, like, still fighting for our lives here.
- [11:02]
Zena Keda
Yeah, no, that makes complete sense.
- [11:04]
Ben Pickman
We should also say, like, in our reporting on it. Yeah, the WNBA owned up to Marina Mabry kind of, you know, she should have been ejected, you know, per what came out on Wednesday afternoon in upgrading her initial call to a flagrant 2. Per our reporting, though, there was a regularly scheduled officiating call on Wednesday. Um, and in that call, the WNBA's head of officiating actually raised the idea that J.C. sheldon should not have been fined and her flagrant one foul should not have been assessed as a common defensive foul. That was not changed after the fact, which is kind of interesting, but that is another part of a play that they were actually looking at a day later. So, you know, we did see some changes. Sabrina mentioned the. The upgrade, the reassessment of the Mabry moment. Sophie Cunningham was assessed an additional fine for her role in the skirmish that kind of broke out after her foul. So we should say she gets a flagrant two. You're fine for that. Flagrant two. And then she was also assessed to find, in addition to kind of the moments that followed or for a role in the moments that followed. So those were some of the changes, but, you know, no suspensions have been issued. The other interesting thing coming out of this, and, you know, this, I think, raised a lot of eyebrows around the league Is as of Wednesday afternoon, Stephanie White had not been fined for her comments. Right. Criticizing officiating. And that is something that I think a lot of people took note of around the WNBA because, like, you know, whether her comments are fair or not, leagues typically stand on principle that if you criticize an official, you are going to get fined. Right. As of right now or as of Wednesday, I should say she had not been fined. And so I think that begs the question of, like, what warrants a fine. There's also a question of the WNBA does not traditionally or historically publicized fines in the way that, like, the NBA does. Right. And so it's interesting in this case that we have a little bit more information, we have a little bit more clarity as to who was fined and what fines were upgraded. Historically, we don't get that information. There are just some instances over the last couple of years, you know, really one offs, where we get that info. So it is kind of noteworthy that this moment attracts a lot of public attention and then suddenly we learn a little bit more about the discipline. There's a lot of calls for transparency. Cheryl Reeve, you mentioned it. Sabrina went on Richard Deitch's podcast, our colleague Richard Deitch, and talked about kind of the importance of transparency and how that could be valuable. I think that's something else that, you know, this moment, while it was unfortunate, it could spark or, you know, serve as a prime example for a lot of these conversations around transparency, fines, discipline, and how the league proceeds going forward.
- [13:30]
Zena Keda
It does feel very interesting that this is the sister company to the NBA and there aren't these same levels of transparency, the same parameters within which people can operate, understanding fines and what warrants fines. And the word that keeps coming up for various reasons is consistency. Consistency in officiating, consistency in the transparency, consistency between the NBA organization, umbrella. What does that look like out on the floor really quickly before we kind of turn into, you know, the kind of player aspect of this as opposed to just the officiating aspect. Like, Ben, you did a story on officiating two years ago. What's changed? What's stayed the same since then?
- [14:08]
Ben Pickman
I think coaches would say that not a lot has changed. Like in, you know, the story that I reported out back then, you know, there were claims about the inconsistent officiating then. That was a big part of the story. Like, you know, coaches complaining about inconsistency again was big. Like, they're saying they're now asking for perfection. They just want consistency. They're talking about, like, it's not necessarily worse, a Couple years ago. But it's just not as consistent. Like, it's not as consistent as it needs to be when the product is as good as it is. That was a common refrain two years ago. Now there's even more of a magnifying glass on the wnba. And so a lot more people just in the public are aware of these things. I don't necessarily think internally, like, coaches are sitting back and players and GMs and executives, they're being like, we've known this is a problem. We've known this is something to think about. And I would just say, too, just for the other side, like, WNBA would say, like, refs do a really good job. They get a lot right, and there is a lot of truth in that. So we should just kind of throw that in as a disclaimer here. Like, the league would say, you know, they do a really, really good job.
- [15:08]
Zena Keda
There you go. Okay, well, let's talk about the magnifying glass that you're talking about when it comes to this league. And let's just be real. Caitlin Clark, and particularly that class, that year, Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, particularly, have brought a magnifying glass to this organization and this association that has never been seen before, and particularly Caitlin Clark and how players have to guard her. We know that she's a physical player. The way she plays is physical. She's gotten even more physical throughout her WNBA career because she knows people are gonna be guarding her heavy because she is dynamic. She's unbelievable as a scorer. So she has to play in that. In that level. Now, that's the actual play. But let's just be real. The spirit of Diana Taurasi is not gone from this league. There's a lot of that, in my opinion, Caitlyn embodies. She is a talker, and she is gonna talk trash, and she's gonna back it up. And I ain't got no problem with that. But what I do struggle with is the talking trash, but then the innocence on the other end of, like, oh, I didn't do anything. You know, putting up your hands and things like that. And I think that that is the thing that frustrates folks on the court. At least the players, you know, match that energy kind of thing. Right. At least when I play, that's what it is. If you want to talk trash, let's talk trash. But don't walk away when the refs are around. Don't walk away when your teammates show up. And I think that that's the problem that some. Some players struggle with now, as a theme, Caitlin Clark is viewed as a confident player. Sometimes confidence can be seen as arrogance. It could be seen as cockiness, et cetera. And not talking about the fans, but from the player perspective. You guys are in these. These practices. You guys are at the games like you do. You guys feel that she rubs people the wrong way in the way that she plays just because how physical she is, but on top of it, she is talking out there in the games. Sabrina, I'll start with you.
- [16:54]
Sabrina Merchant
I think you have a player who has the ball in her hand so often, who is putting out highlights so often, and you know that, like, she has a highlight, it is going to be seen all the time, right? Like, you are going to be on the receiving end of that for. For days afterwards, right? So there is a extra challenge to defending her. There's the extra spotlight of defending her. And because Caitlin talks a lot of. A lot of. Let's be clear, she talks a lot during the games, I think all of that just sort of adds up. And so we see instances involving Caitlin because, like, she's just a prominent figure in the Indiana offense. Like, she's conducting the offense. She has the ball in her hands. There's just more minutes of her on the court, Right. And I think that the challenge of defending her just amplifies because of, you know, all of the attention that's on it. And again, like, I think you're absolutely right with the spirit of Diana Taurasi. Just like the little chirping throughout the game, like, which we saw over the course of that game against Connecticut with her and J.C. sheldon. All of those things pile up on one another. And I think you're absolutely right. Like, if you're. If you're gonna give it, like, you gotta expect that, like, something is gonna come back in your direction.
- [17:55]
Zena Keda
Absolutely. And let's just be real. I love Diana Taurasi. Like, I like that spirit and I like that spirit in Caitlyn. Like, I like the fact that she is a baller and she is gonna talk her and be, you know, in the midst of the competition, Right. But I think that it's just again, owning it in all moments, right? Including in the moments where you're pushing somebody because you thought you got hit in the face when they come back into you, like, be ready for it. Don't, you know, go to the crowd and be like, oh, what happened? I don't know what's. Like, that's what we're seeing sometimes. And I think that's where people struggle with her from that perspective out on the court. But Sabrina, you're hitting on a good point about she's constantly got the ball in her hands and she's amazing. She's really, really good at her job. She can.
- [18:37]
Sabrina Merchant
You gotta defend her so high out, right?
- [18:39]
Zena Keda
Like, she' you gotta start early on her exact. Sorry, I'm speaking over you. Please say that again.
- [18:45]
Sabrina Merchant
No, like, her pickup point is so high, right? Like she can pull up from 30 plus feet. Just the literal task of defending her. Setting aside the fact that like, you know, she plays on national TV all the time. It's just so much more difficult than it is for the average car to that.
- [18:57]
Zena Keda
And Ben, you talked about it like, this is why Caitlyn bulked up. I don't know if you guys saw the pictures over. I think there's pictures over the summer of her, like, at I don't know what games, but she's like pointing at a ref and that bicep is bulged. I'm like, okay, sis has been in the gym. But she knows that this is the task. She knows and she's prepared for this, right, Ben?
- [19:17]
Ben Pickman
Yeah. I mean, she spent all off season getting stronger so that if a player tried to push her off balance, that she would be able to stay on balance and still create offense the way that she wants. Now, you know, Stephanie White, people with the fever, I'm sure they would tell you, like, there is a difference between kind of a getting pushed, getting nudged, you know, having a defender play physical defense and some of what happened on Tuesday night. And there's absolutely truth on that. Like, what happened at the end with 46 seconds to go, like, that's not a basketball play. You know, that's why it was adjudicated accordingly as a flagrant 2 and led to a bunch of ejections. But, like, she knew physical defense was coming. I also think this year, like, people have to play her, as you're saying, tight. Sabrina, like, they have to be physical with her because that is the only way to slow her down. There is also a recognition that, like Caitlin Clark is, if we're being really conservative, one of the 10 best players in the. In the WNBA, right?
- [20:11]
Zena Keda
Absolutely.
- [20:11]
Ben Pickman
She know that, like, you know, you can say she's one of the five best and, you know, that's a little bit more debatable right now. But she's a year, you know, a year and a half in and she was first team all W last year as a rookie. Like, I think at the start of last year, there were certainly Players who were like, let's just see how good she is. But at this point, you know, a year later, as we have this conversation, like, there's no debate about what she can do. So now it is about teams trying to figure out, like, what are the ways to slow her down and, you know, being physical with her and trying to knock her off her spot is, you know, right at the top of the list.
- [20:46]
Zena Keda
Absolutely. And I'm happy you brought up that last piece, because I think dealing with Caitlyn is going to be a thing. She's not going to stop being good. She's only going to get better, in my opinion. And the physicality on her is not going to stop. But now there's this concept of, like, protecting her and her team protecting her. And of course, this concept of an enforcer and having some somebody that's imposing on the team has now gone to Sophie Cunningham, whose jersey sold out after that game as many people labeled her as the team enforcer. Particularly after that J.C. sheldon play, she grabs Jacey Sheldon's neck. Like, we gotta talk about, like, I want to note, like, that was a crazy play. She wraps her arms around J.C. sheldon as she's going up for a fast break layup. And then after, when J.C. sheldon gets up to basically be like, are you effing kidding me? She grabs J.C. sheldon's neck from the back and starts pulling her, which causes this melee and everybody comes running in. Crazy play. And of course, Indiana fans are like, yo, she's enforcing things. She is making sure you don't mess with my girl. But then a similar play, in previous years, we've seen dijonay Carrington do a similar thing to protect her teammate and be called a thug by the Indiana fan base. And it's not even just the fans. It's media has labeled Sophie an enforcer and also called other players that happen to not look like Sophie Cunningham thugs. And that is, I think, more of a subjective conversation, of course, but I think that's the big problem that people have, especially when it comes to Caitlyn protecting Caitlyn. Being around Caitlin is this. What's the word I'm looking for, a little bit of hypocrisy? And that is not a little bit. A lot of. Bit of hypocrisy. And I think that's gonna be a thing to keep watching for as this continues, as this league continues to quote, unquote, welcome Caitlin into the league. How is this gonna continue to grow of players being recognized as just playing basketball versus being dirty? Being tough versus being intentionally malicious, that area is gonna get real gray in the way that people are seeing things. But I think, as you mentioned, Ben, that last play was intentional, it was malicious, and it was properly adjudicated. Any last thoughts on that, guys?
- [22:58]
Ben Pickman
Yeah, I mean, to your point there, Xeno, like, there have been plenty of plays in the last 10 years, 15 years, 20 years in WNBA history that have been more physical, that have gotten out of control more, that have, you know, created bigger skirmishes than what we saw on Tuesday night. Right?
- [23:17]
Zena Keda
Yeah.
- [23:18]
Ben Pickman
And I think a lot of this, too, stems from, you know, just more eyeballs that obviously, Caitlyn, and just the league has right now, and people recognizing that, like, just like the physicality of the league, the talent level of the league, just how the WNBA is played, because historically, not a lot of people watch the WNBA compared to a lot of other sports leagues. So I think some of this can be grouped under this, like, kind of growing pain adjustment period. Because we see play moments like this in other sports a lot.
- [23:47]
Zena Keda
All the time.
- [23:48]
Ben Pickman
All the time. You know, it doesn't always, you know, relate, as you're saying, to Caitlin Clark or LeBron James or, you know, your biggest players, they're not always at the center of it, but, like, there's physical moments like this that break out a lot. I'm sure Sabrina can rattle off a half dozen in the W that, like, stand out in her mind as, you know, this. But a magnitude.
- [24:10]
Sabrina Merchant
I mean, yeah, I'm thinking of, like, the Candace Parker, Detroit.
- [24:13]
Zena Keda
Exactly. 2008. I was barely watching the W, and I remember that fight. Okay, go look that up if you guys want to see some real fight. But again, we are not encouraging violence, folks. That's not what we're saying here. We're not saying that this is a good thing. We're just saying that at some point, we got to give the WNBA the same treatment that we give other leagues in the sense that things get heated, competition happens, and it sometimes can go to that level. But that doesn't mean that we. We can label everyone involved in negative ways or in positive ways, depending on who we like. Right. I think that's where things get a little. Get messy. But anywho, I appreciate you guys talking through that with me, because between the officiating, between, you know, Caitlin's always going to be a spotlight, and this team is always going to be physical. It's going to be a conversation that we're going to continue to have. That game's in the books. As Sybrina mentioned. Indiana is now representing the east in the Commissioner's cup and they are set for that. They will square off against the Minnesota links on July 1, so mark your calendars for that. And the New York Liberty put up a good fight against the Atlanta Dream earlier this week, eking out a win. But without their with their loss to the Indiana feet over last weekend, it wasn't enough to get them to the final. So we'll have more on that when we get to that game or we get closer to that game. But now let's start thinking about the future All Star Weekend how can you free your team from time consuming office tasks? Amazon Business empowers leaders to not only streamline purchasing, but better support their teams. Smart business buying tools enable buyers to find and purchase items fast so they can focus on strategy and growth. It's time to free up your teams and focus on your future. Learn more about the technology insights and Support available@AmazonBusiness.com this episode is sponsored by.
- [25:57]
Sabrina Merchant
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- [28:09]
Zena Keda
So WNBA All Star Weekend kicks off on July 18th in Indianapolis. Woo. It's a hotbed over there in Indy. It's still about a month away, but the voting has begun for the public and it's open until June 28th. So we thought, why not throw our thoughts into this pool? You know, let's see, let's see what we think about this and then maybe we can help you figure out your vote. Also, you guys can be able to look at this episode in a few and be like, dang, y' all were wrong, or thank you for always being right. Now, before we do that, Sabrina, talk to us a little bit about how the weekend will unfold because it is different. We don't have an Olympic game this year, so how's it gonna work out?
- [28:48]
Sabrina Merchant
Right, so WNBA All Star Weekend starts on Friday with a skills competition and then the three point Shootout and then we have the All Star game on Saturday. As you mentioned, it is not an Olympic year. So it is not Team USA versus the WNBA All Stars. It is 22 All Stars get selected. 10 of them are voted on by the fans and combination of media and player vote. And then the reserves are selected by the coaches and then we have team captains who select the teams of 11 and they play against each other on All Star Weekend. So, you know, in the past we've had like Team Wilson versus Team Stewart a couple times. I imagine it's gonna be a different set of captains because the captains are the players with the highest fan vote. And for all of Asia Wilson and Briana Stewart's greatness, my guess is they're not gonna be the highest fan vote in Indianapolis for this year's All Star. But we'll cross that bridge when we.
- [29:33]
Ben Pickman
Come to one of them might still be a captain. We should say one of them might.
- [29:36]
Sabrina Merchant
Still be a captain, but I think.
- [29:37]
Ben Pickman
We know who the other captain's gonna be.
- [29:38]
Sabrina Merchant
Right?
- [29:39]
Zena Keda
Right. And we know, you know, sometimes with fan votes, it's, you know, out of sight, out of mind or insight in mind. And of course, with Asia Wilson being out right now with Custard protocol, hopefully that does not impact her fans remembering. I think the fan base in Vegas is pretty loyal, but they're gonna have to be diligent about that with her not being in right now. So let's get to it in terms of like figuring out how does the voting work and then particularly your guys's thoughts. Just break down the percentages of the fan vote versus the coaches vote. I think that's how it works. And then there's a media vote, right?
- [30:09]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah. So right now we're in the voting for the starters, which is 10 players. And so fans have a chance to vote for six frontcourt players and four backcourt players. That is also with the media, which Ben and I have ballots get to do. We vote for six frontcourt players and four backcourt players. Again, no affiliation to conference, just players around the WNBA and the players also vote. Six forwards, four guards. So fan vote counts for 50%. Media and players each count for 25%.
- [30:32]
Zena Keda
Got it. And this is every player will participate in the vote.
- [30:36]
Sabrina Merchant
Players get to vote? Yeah, every player gets to vote.
- [30:38]
Zena Keda
Oh, that's great. I don't know if I knew that. I feel like it was open to everyone. I didn't know if everyone does actually do it, but hopefully, I mean that's no question.
- [30:44]
Sabrina Merchant
I don't actually know if they all vote, but they have the opportunity to.
- [30:48]
Zena Keda
Got you, got you. Okay, well let's get into it. We're going to go into some categories and I want to see and hear Sabrina and Ben's picks. I got thoughts but I feel like guys, let's just be real. We want to hear Sabrina and Ben about this and I'll just be like oh yes, love that. Or mm, mm. We on different pages. So first and foremost let's go with the obvious picks. The most deserving, the mainstays, the ones that were like no brainers. You're in. Ben, I'm gonna start with you in your, let's say top 10. Who are your obvious.
- [31:18]
Ben Pickman
I mean there are a lot of names obviously in the obvious. The most obvious no brainer who is not normally a no brainer. I think that's kind of the most interesting category and for me that's Alicia Gray of the Atlanta Dream. She is a no doubt should be a starter. You know, she is a two time all star before the last two seasons. She also won the skills challenge in three point last year. But historically like she's not on the no doubter list, right? Yeah, she's usually one of those final spots this year, you know, 20 points per game, four and a half assists, five and a half rebounds. She's shooting a career high 50% from the field. Atlanta has been one of the three or four best teams in the league. She was Eastern conference player of the month, two time player of the week. Like, she's gone up a whole nother level with Carl Smesko as their head coach in Atlanta. She is the ultimate green light. She's played really well off Griner, really well off Bree Jones, really well off Ryan Howard in the like, no doubter category who wasn't normally a no doubter. Alicia Gray, I think is name number one on that list for me.
- [32:15]
Zena Keda
Yep.
- [32:15]
Sabrina Merchant
No arguments here.
- [32:16]
Zena Keda
Absolutely. Definitely agree. Yeah, no arguments here on that end. All right, Sabrina, what's your obvies? Obvious that this person would be voted in.
- [32:26]
Sabrina Merchant
Right. So I'm gonna. I'm stick with the guards. I have one other obvious guard, and that's Sabrina Escu. Just lighting it up this season, scoring 20.8 points per game, you know, 5.1 assists. The turnovers are lower than last season. Shooting the ball not as well from distance, but still shooting really well inside the arc. 58% on her twos and just like putting up really big scoring performances when the Liberty need it.
- [32:48]
Zena Keda
Okay, I agree with that, Ben. I don't think we're going against that.
- [32:51]
Ben Pickman
No disagreement there.
- [32:52]
Zena Keda
Absolutely. Now I need. I need a big. I need bigs that are obvious. Come on.
- [32:56]
Sabrina Merchant
All right, give me some love on the postcard start there. Nafisa Collier is number one on that list for me. Okay. She just came out with back injury. Hopefully that doesn't linger, but just I think maybe the most effective player in the league this season. 24 points, eight and a half rebounds, shooting 42% on threes. Defensively, she's the reigning defensive player of the year. Still a monster from Minnesota. Inside. Everything just looks so easy when she does it. I mean, she would be my MVP if the season were to end today. So I think it's pretty fair that she would be the all star starter in this case.
- [33:25]
Zena Keda
Right. And her, I mean, field goal percentage of all the top players, like above 50. Like it's crazy what she's doing out.
- [33:31]
Sabrina Merchant
There on the floor. Put a 50, 40, 90 season, which has only happened once before in WNBA history.
- [33:35]
Zena Keda
There you go. There you go. Ben, give me a big.
- [33:37]
Ben Pickman
Yeah, I mean again in the like, maybe not as obvious, but should be this year locks like to me, satu Sable should be a lock in that first 10. You know, she has made all w first seamen before, but remember she was not an all star last year because she missed some time due to injury. But this year, basically 20 points per game, eight and a half rebounds. She's been Phoenix's best player, most stabilizing player. She's basically kept the ship, you know, setting sail out at sea. I guess whatever the analogy should be, as Kalia Copper and at dealt with some injuries, it's a totally revamped roster. She has the ball in her hand a lot. Like she is not only playing down low garden fours, but like she is oftentimes initiating offense and has been very good at doing so. Her two and a half turnovers per game, like that's pretty in line with, you know, her history throughout her career. And it just feels like she's doing as much playmaking, if not more than she has ever done before. So satu for me in that kind of no brainer front court, I mean, look, Stewie, Asia Wilson, like, those are no brainers too. Don't get it twisted. But like, you know, Sawtu should be on that list as well.
- [34:40]
Zena Keda
Okay, I'm gonna add a few. My two, I'm gonna just add Jackie Young. I think she's been playing incredibly well as a no brainer for me. And then I have to add Lissa Thomas. I mean, seeing her go back up against Connecticut last night at the time of recording this, 1411 assists as the announcers called her Chico. And we know that about her. All right, let's keep it going to our next category. First time All Stars. And I'm excited about this because it's not always just rookies that we're talking about when we say that there's a lot of faces, that their games have just skyrocketed and this could be an opportunity for them to get on the national stage. And I think, Ben, correct me if I'm wrong, was last year Alisha Gray's first time being an all Star.
- [35:25]
Ben Pickman
No. Her second?
- [35:26]
Sabrina Merchant
No. Okay.
- [35:26]
Zena Keda
It was her second time. Okay.
- [35:27]
Ben Pickman
Yeah.
- [35:28]
Zena Keda
So I feel like she's continuing to grow. And I don't know, there was a lot that we've seen since last season in the off season as well and unrivaled, et cetera. But she's just continued to grow. And I think she's getting more and more implanted within the collective consciousness of like, wow, really, really good guard. And I feel like this is when we talk about first timers. These are guards that are in posts that are starting to implant themselves of like, ooh, these are mainstays. Like, they are. They are in the W and they deserve to be there and they're gonna be here for a long time. So first timers. Sabrina, I'll let you go first.
- [35:59]
Sabrina Merchant
So I'M still sort of working through my final 10, but I do think that this player is going to end up on my final 10 and that is Gabby Williams. Just defensively been an absolute menace for Seattle. Averaging 2.7 stills per game for the first time really in her career. Like the shooting has come a very long way. You know, she's a career like sub 30% three point shooter and she's making 43% of her threes this season. Just adds an entirely different dimension to that Seattle offense. She guards literally every position and is a good passer, good off the ball mover. Like just doing a lot of things super well for Seattle and for a team that's again been playing pretty well, I think it's kind of hard to distinguish like her neck as Skyler, like who gets all the credit for being an all Star. I assume all three are going to make it eventually, but for now Gabby Williams is in one of my front.
- [36:47]
Zena Keda
Court spots leading all like career highs in almost every category. She is playing phenomenally out in Seattle. Ben, thoughts for your first timer?
- [36:56]
Ben Pickman
Yeah, I mean I like that we don't prep this in terms of like sharing each other's picks because Gabby Williams is one of the two first timers I have as well. I think she is certainly deserving. Just if I can throw one other number into what Sabrina rattled off. Seattle is more than 33 points better per 100 possessions with her on the 4th and with her off of it, you know, they play a slower pace, they have more turnovers without her. She's been integral to what they do.
- [37:20]
Zena Keda
Absolutely.
- [37:21]
Ben Pickman
Another first timer who I think probably should end up making this all star team is Brittany Sykes.
- [37:26]
Zena Keda
Washington, that was my other one. I love that.
- [37:28]
Ben Pickman
Yeah, Washington, not a lot of preseason expectations for a lot of people and her game has gone way up. She's averaging, you know, more than 20 points per game, four and a half assists. You know people know her as this great defender, but we have really seen her offensive game explode this year, really expand. She has the basketball in her hand a lot. She has the freedom to playmake and she has done a pretty good job of that and been pretty efficient all things considered when doing so. So to me, like Washington's rookies have deservedly gotten a lot of attention but so much of their success is because of what Slim can do. Not only on the defensive end where you know she's a four time all defensive team player, but on the offensive end as well. I think, you know she should end up being a first timer this year, which, you know, for a veteran in this league, like, people will say, like, that doesn't come around all the time. So the coaches, the coaches end up making this decision, I think they'll end up rewarding her in this conversation.
- [38:20]
Zena Keda
I agree. And yeah.
- [38:21]
Sabrina Merchant
So not a starter, you think?
- [38:22]
Ben Pickman
Oh, she's not a starter. In my mind, no.
- [38:24]
Sabrina Merchant
Oh, okay.
- [38:25]
Zena Keda
Yeah.
- [38:25]
Sabrina Merchant
And are we doing the full ballots or just starters?
- [38:28]
Zena Keda
Whole balance doesn't just have to be starters.
- [38:30]
Ben Pickman
Those are two. Yeah. I don't think Gabby should be a starter either, but I think again, another first time or two.
- [38:35]
Zena Keda
Sabrina, did that change your thoughts about or anyone else you want to add based off of that?
- [38:38]
Sabrina Merchant
No, I had only listed my starters. Have prepared a longer list. Yeah.
- [38:43]
Ben Pickman
Interesting. Sabrina, you have. You have three Seattle Storm starters on your first 10.
- [38:48]
Sabrina Merchant
No, I don't. I think all three of them will end up being All Stars. I couldn't really decide between Gabby and NECA for that final front court spot right now. I just figured since we were talking about for first time All Stars that I'd put Gabby's name in the mix there.
- [39:00]
Zena Keda
Absolutely.
- [39:01]
Ben Pickman
I was gonna say for me, like, like zooming out a little bit, one of the most interesting things that I've thought about as I put together a list is just how many All Stars are each of the best teams in the league going to get right? Like, New York is really making a push for. For four All Stars. You know, Natasha Cloud is kind of the fourth potentially in this list. You know, you have jj, Stewie and Sabrina, who I think will definitely get in. Cloud, she started awesome. You know, she had three of her best games of the season, but they were the three. You know, her three best games of the season were the first three games of the season. She hasn't scored in double digits since. As we tape this on Thursday afternoon, like, how many Minnesota links are going to get in? Fee is definitely going to get in, but will it be McBride and Courtney Williams? Will it just be one of the two of them? How many aces is a really big question. Right. A year ago, you know, they're having three, four Olympians. They're stacked this year, I don't. Maybe Sabrina disagrees. I wouldn't be surprised if they only had two All Stars. Right? You know, maybe they get a third. How many players from the Atlanta dream, like, you know, we mentioned Leash. Ryan Howard has a strong case. Bri Jones has a strong case. Brittney Griner historically been an All Star, does she not get in? Can you have three Seattle Storm do you have Kelsey Mitchell get in? Like, I think there's just not a enough spots. Like, some lines are going to have to be drawn here by the coaches when they end up picking the reserves. It'll be really interesting who gets chosen.
- [40:18]
Zena Keda
And then you got. You got to think about some of these teams that have a lot of, like, cultural relevance and, like, people are excited about them. Like, you talked about the Washington Mystics, rookies or, you know, I can imagine that the Golden State Valkyries are going to be pushing for their team and Phoenix right now feels really good too. I'm looking at Phoenix, like, can they get three in the mix in Alyssa? And I mean, of course, you know, Kyle Hopper's missed a lot of time, but who's to say but between the time now and the time of All Star that she doesn't make a case for herself? So, yeah, I think the distribution between teams always has you counting down the numbers to be like, ooh, wait, might have to take one away. I want to add in first timer Paige Beckers. I think Paige Beckers is making a solid case for herself. Maybe not as a starter, but definitely in the mix of the overall ballot. Okay, this is good. I like this. Let's keep it going to my favorite part, which is the surprises. Who are the people that people are not, you know, talking about enough and might surprise you, whether it's through the fan vote or through the coaches and players. And I know I have one and I'm a little biased, but Ben, I'm gonna start with you.
- [41:27]
Ben Pickman
I have two kind of, and I think we've thrown some out. I guess one of the potential surprises. I'd be curious if Sabrina thinks Azari Stevens has a case for the Los Angeles Sparks.
- [41:36]
Zena Keda
That's a good one.
- [41:37]
Ben Pickman
How the kind of Sparks voting is going to shake out here? Obviously, Hamby's been an All Star before. Plum as well. Stevens has been awesome this year and has really gone up another level since unrivaled. But at the same time, it's hard to see the LA Sparks having three All Stars considering their record here. So I'm actually curious if Sabrina has a thought on that. I mean, for me, I think Bree Jones always slept on, but she should be an All Star in this conversation as well. What do you think, Sabrina? And what I just tossed out?
- [42:07]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah, Bree Jones was actually in my starters of my six. I think she's clearly been the best frontcourt player in Atlanta and like, the rebounding has taken a step forward this season, which has always been like My traditional bugaboo with Bre Jones. So it's nice to see that taking a step forward with Azeri Stevens. I still think Hamby is a far more effective player for the Sparks than Azari is. And just like the impact numbers really paint a picture in Hamby's favor. Like The Sparks are 18 points per 100 possessions better with Hamby on the court. They're basically even with Azerrae on or off. So I definitely seen like a big jump from Azeray, especially like the confidence in the three point shooting. Been a better rebounder this year than she has been. I don't know that the Sparks deserve two front court all Stars, so I'm kind of with you. Like, I think it's going to come down to one or the other and Hamby probably as like the legacy pick and then I think she's just frankly been better this year defensively. Deserves that. What's interesting is I was kind of looking at like the Indiana picture and I know Kelsey Mitchell gets like a lot of the love is the second scoring guard next to Caitlin. I think Lexi Hall's been quietly very awesome this season. I like the advanced hats. Absolutely love Lexi Hall. I imagine she's going to get a significant portion of the fan vote, but she's, you know, she's not going to be a starter. Let's, let's just be real. Like the favor of 32 points per 100 sessions better with Lexi hall on the court. That's like dramatically better than anybody else on the roster. She just defends her ass off, you know, has been shooting the ball pretty well. I mean, she had that stretch to end the regular season last year where she was shooting like what, 60% over the final half of the season. She's making 57% of her threes right now. Like it's a pretty good number. You know, the fever, the first adjustment they made this season was like, oh, we got to get Lexi in the starting lineup. Like this is not working. To not have her playing as many minutes as possible. And it just the effort that she provides, the off ball movement she provides. I think she's just so critical to what the Fever do. And like, maybe she doesn't scream prototypical all Star, but I look at Indiana and I think like she might be their third most impactful player.
- [43:57]
Zena Keda
Wow. Yeah. I mean now when you say third, Caitlin.
- [44:01]
Sabrina Merchant
Well, I have Aaliyah Boston in my front court reserve situation.
- [44:04]
Ben Pickman
She's going to make the All Star team.
- [44:05]
Zena Keda
I think so too.
- [44:06]
Sabrina Merchant
I would imagine she makes it as a starter, honestly. But right now I have her, like, solidly in my reserves. Yeah.
- [44:12]
Zena Keda
I think what's been so impressive about Aaliyah Boston is just. She's leading that team in assists, like, behind Caitlin. Like, that's crazy to me. You know, when you actually have to factor the fact that Caitlin missed a lot of games, she's actually per numbers leading that team in assists. Shout out to Stephanie White for putting her in that position to, you know, distribute the ball around. But I'm really excited about what you guys are saying in terms of surprises. I don't know if I have anything else to add to that. I think I like you. I like your. Your breakdown here. Is there anyone?
- [44:41]
Sabrina Merchant
I would say my biggest surprise is I don't think there are going to be any rookies on this team. O I think the time that Paige has missed is going to work against her along with how Dallas has performed overall because, I mean, we're only, what, eight, nine days away from the end of voting. It's going to be hard for them to completely make up Paige having missed the concussion time and like, the fact that they've only won two games as of this recording. And then the Washington players, both Citron and Iriafen, like, I could see cases for both of them. I think Kiki Areafen probably has a stronger case, but the frontcourt pool is just so freaking deep. Like, we listed all of these players who could be starters and, like, probably had eight or nine already. And, like, there's just. There's not a lot of room left for. For them. And I think Washington has sort of tapered a little bit after a stronger start. So that is, I think, going to be the most surprising thing to me is it's a very, very good rookie class. I don't think any of them are going to make it this year.
- [45:29]
Zena Keda
I almost forgot my surprise, though. Kayla Thornton. I think maybe Kayla Thornton has a case for maybe finding her way into the All Star overall team. Not a starter or anything like that, but between what I know about Golden State overall fans and their voting and then also I think that teams have been respecting the performances that Kayla's put up against them. I think that she might have made an impact in terms of entering her name into the mix.
- [45:56]
Ben Pickman
Yeah, I mean, I was gonna say the name that really I have that I'm watching. Does she make this team? Is Angel Reese.
- [46:02]
Zena Keda
Absolutely. Chicago in general. Yeah.
- [46:04]
Ben Pickman
Well, like, you know, she's obviously going to get a lot in the fan vote. I'm interested to See how she fares in the player vote. You know, she's played really well of late. Obviously she records a first triple double over the weekend. She backs it up with 17 and 10 against Washington earlier this week. But like, there have been some low points for her this season. She would be the first to admit that, whether that's, you know, turnover games, you know, games in which she's had four or five turnovers, obviously Chicago goes through the struggles that they, you know, they've been up and down, they're at the bottom of the league. You know, she obviously is so, so important to what they are doing, but they haven't had a ton of success. And you know, her shooting numbers are down from last year. You know, you look at her post up numbers like they're not as effective or efficient as some of the other bigs. Whether it's straight posts up or her as a roller that we've thrown out. Like, I'm just watching. Is she going to get voted in as a starter because of how the voting block is made up? And then if not, what do the coaches do? And like, how do the coaches evaluate Angel Reese's candidacy as, you know, the best front court player in Chicago versus Derick at Hamby, for instance? Right. Like that's the kind of calculus that a coach might have to make. How do they, you know, compare her to, you know, there's a number of bigs. Like we tossed out some of the bigs. They're not all going to start. Right. Someone like John Qual Jones has a really good case. Your, your six front core spots fill up really quickly once you start to write in like Fee and Asia and you know. Right. Stewie, what do you do with Neca et like Bree Jones? Like, it starts to fill up. Right. And so it's just going to be interesting. Like the All Star game is for the fans too. Obviously. Angel has a huge following. Like what happens there, that's one I have my eye on. Certainly.
- [47:48]
Zena Keda
Do you think that leading categories matters in all these things? Like in terms of particularly the coaches, the media and the players? Like, I think fans are going to be like, I just like that person. I like their game. They might even not like their game as much, but they just really like that person. And they're going to vote, however. But I think the coaches, media and players are going to be evaluating performance out on the court more so than just like their relationships with these folks. And you know, going across the board of. When you look at the voting site, it says points, assists, rebounds, Fantasy points. Right. And you can literally sort it by that. And it's like, do you think that that's going to impact the way that people vote? And you look at Angel Reese leading the team in rebounds, like, how do these things, these categories, you think, impact voting?
- [48:29]
Ben Pickman
I mean, I think they do when it comes to fan votes because I think, as you mentioned, like, the information is presented that way as it relates to the reserves. Like, I don't know. I don't know how much a coach is really thinking about, like, is this player leading the league in rebounds or are they number two or number three in rebounds? Right. I think, okay, they're going off who they've scouted, who they've played against, who they've watched and who's been impressive for them. You know, I also think, like, and I'm sure a coach would tell you this, the amount of work that they do on all star selection probably varies by the person. Right. You know, how much work is it the head coach, how much is it the assistants? Like, how much are they stewing over every pick when you have to still coach a game all the while? Like, I think that's interesting. Zena, do you have the. Do you have the leaders in front of you from that page or. I'm just curious, who are the top fives in fantasy points? Like, right now, I'm just curious, like, is that the people we think as locks or.
- [49:19]
Sabrina Merchant
It's very funny that Ben is asking this question when we're playing in fantasy this week and he's playing.
- [49:23]
Ben Pickman
Sabrina and I are in a WNBA fantasy league. I think we're both undefeated as we tape this as well.
- [49:28]
Sabrina Merchant
Ben will not be after the end of this week. I can tell you.
- [49:31]
Ben Pickman
I haven't been checking my lineup, so.
- [49:32]
Zena Keda
Well, the only person that we have not mentioned explicitly, but I think all three of us are like, yeah, she's a lock that are in the top 10 for fantasy points is Ryan Howard. But everyone else we've mentioned already, and including Paige, who right now is seventh or eighth, I believe. Yeah. Eighth in fantasy points.
- [49:47]
Sabrina Merchant
So is that fantasy points per game or total?
- [49:51]
Zena Keda
That seems to be.
- [49:53]
Sabrina Merchant
Cause Paige has missed a lot of games.
- [49:54]
Zena Keda
Right. Actually, I'm not exactly sure.
- [49:56]
Sabrina Merchant
I'd be surprised if it was total.
- [49:57]
Zena Keda
Yeah, I think it might be per game, but yeah. So either way, point being, like, statistically, I would imagine that that's what, like, who is statistically a problem for us? And that's why I was thinking that way. But I think you, you make a really great point of who actually poses a problem on the court as opposed to just the numbers. All right, well that's our way too early predictions still obviously working through the list. Sabrina's got more @ names to add than Ben I think. But it's gonna be a while before we actually figure out where all of this shakes down. But I think we got a really great start guys. Keep posted on the voting. Make sure you vote until June 28 and then of course we'll see where the starters land and who's going to be choosing their teams.
- [50:44]
Sabrina Merchant
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- [51:47]
Ben Pickman
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- [53:08]
Zena Keda
Okay, y' all. Well, it's Friday, so that means it is time to set your screens. Presented by BetMGM. Remember, make a fast break for encore action with a WNBA odds boost token. Use your token to get a bigger payout on a winning WNBA bet. Boom. We paid some bills. So now let's talk about what we're watching this weekend. What are we setting our screens to? Serena, what you watching?
- [53:30]
Sabrina Merchant
Well, I mean, after we mentioned potentially seven all stars from these two teams, New York, Liberty and Seattle, on Sunday is the game that I have my eye on. You know, two teams that came up just short in the Commissioners cup final chase, but two really good regular season teams. I'm curious how they match up with one another.
- [53:44]
Zena Keda
Absolutely. I like that. Ben, what about you?
- [53:46]
Ben Pickman
Well, I'm still dwelling on Sabrina bringing up the fantasy team because clearly I have just been slacking this week. My roster decimated with injuries. Not that anyone cares out there and listening audience, but that is something I was not watching very closely this week and I paid the price because Sabrina is gloating on the podcast already when the matchup is not already over. But in terms of basketball games, same Sunday, Indiana Fever at Las Vegas Aces. The Aces continue to be really intriguing. We just had the All Star conversation. Normally it's like pencil them in. There was one name you might have mentioned we didn't really bring up in the conversation for an All Star right now. Well, not even just her. I was going to say Jewel Lloyd, someone who historically we've just written in All Star. This year, we're not writing Juul Aydin as an auto All Star at all. So, you know, I'm just interested to see continue to see how Las Vegas plays with a good challenge in Indiana in front of them.
- [54:37]
Zena Keda
I like that. I like that. I think that the storm is intriguing for me. They're about to go through the gauntlet. They got the Fever coming up. They've got the Storm coming up. Of course. And before all that, at the time that we're taping tomorrow, they play the Aces as well. So very interesting little gauntlets to see how they fare. I will be watching Eurobasket. I'll be on courtside 1891 because half the Valkyries are currently playing overseas. Obviously very excited because at the time that we're recording this, it is Juneteenth. So hopefully by the time you guys are listening to this, you enjoyed your day celebrating Juneteenth Day to celebrate black liberation. But it is also an opportunity on Thursday for the Valkyries to play the Fever. And we're seeing how the Valkyries are faring without their team. Literally four players right now playing in Eurobasket. So I'll be watching a little bit of that over the course of the weekend. All righty, folks, we gotta get outta here. It's been a long time. We've been talking about a lot of stuff today. Officiating All Stars. I hope you got what you needed out of the conversation. Fantasy, fantasy, women's basketball and fantasy. There you go. And I hope you'll be back on Tuesday because we have more. We got to talk about the games that tipped off over the weekend. We got to talk about what's tipping off in the Sabrina scale. It is back for Monday, of course. And as always, before we go, if you haven't already, please follow Follow us. Do it. I'm going to be a desperate but it's alica influencer. Follow us. Please follow us and wherever you're listening, Spotify, YouTube, Apple, doesn't matter. Subscribe, follow us, tell a friend about us, drop us a comment and email. Make us popular folks. That's what we want. We want people to listen to us and know the game better. And of course, heading on over to our partner, the Yahoo Sports Hub for more content. Sports.yahoo.com Womens Sports on behalf of the Athletic Ben and Sabrina, I'm Zena Keda. Thanks for listening and we'll see you next time. No Off Season is hosted by Zena Caida with Chantelle Jennings, Sabrina Merchant and Becky Ben Pickman. It's produced by Tanika Burrell. Our executive producers are Andrea B. Scott and Cassius Fleming. 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. How can you free your team from time consuming office tasks? Amazon Business empowers leaders to not only streamline purchasing, but better support their teams. Smart business buying tools enable buyers to find and purchase items fast so they can focus on strategy and growth. It's time to free up your teams and focus on your future. Learn more about the the technology, insights and Support available@AmazonBusiness.com Skin care experts and.
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Unknown
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