DLS HOOPS: Juju Talks His Rap Career, the Aces, and Ellie the Elephant

Summary

The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Episode: DLS HOOPS: Juju Talks His Rap Career, the Aces, and Ellie the Elephant
Date: August 27, 2025
Location: Elser Hotel, Downtown Miami

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Overview

In this episode, Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, and their crew deliver a lively and candid discussion centering on the current state of the WNBA—from team dynamics and standout players to mascots and coaching legends. The episode’s special guest is Juju, who shares heartfelt insights about his dual passions: sports commentary and his hip-hop career. The conversation is interspersed with unfiltered fan questions, producing a dynamic blend of sports analysis, personal reflection, and humor.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Choosing Your WNBA Team

(03:05–04:20)

• Fan Question: How should a fan without a WNBA team decide who to root for?
• Juju's Advice:
  • Atlanta Dream is the honest, "non-bandwagon" option: “We’re not necessarily the top of the list... If you go with New York Liberty, guess what you are, sir – a poser. You just got here. They're the champs.”
  • Minnesota Lynx: “They be having such a good time... they're so easy to root for that anybody in any walk of life... you will like them.”
• Notable Quote:
  • “Give the Atlanta Dream some love, brother.” – Sports Analyst, 04:16

2. Alyssa Thomas: The Underrated Superstar

(04:20–06:04)

• Fan Salute: Alyssa Thomas should get more MVP chatter.
• Juju’s Take:
  • Despite shoulder injuries, Thomas excels and embodies selfless play: “Sis shoulders is like out of here. She refuses to get the surgery. … She could get 10 more points if she really, really just wanted to go for stats. But Sis got that dishing it.”
  • Her contributions go beyond scoring: “A lot of people are so focused on scoring these days… she be dishing it.”
• Memorable Moment: Her triple-double performances and unorthodox playing style.

3. The Las Vegas Aces: Setbacks & Adjustments

(06:04–08:22)

• Fan Query: Is Vegas’s recent resurgence a product of an easy schedule or real improvement?
• Juju’s Response:
  • The Aces’ improvement isn’t just schedule luck, but a 50-point loss to the Lynx is unacceptable: “You can’t get beat by 50. I don’t give a damn who you’re playing.”
  • Jewel Lloyd’s voluntary move to the bench has improved team chemistry: “…that camaraderie get together, especially after you lose an all-star guard.”
  • Kelsey Plum’s absence is underrated: “Kelsey Plum was a dog. If A’ja ain’t got it for this quarter... Kelsey going at you… Ms. Devoid of that… they're still trying to get it together.”
• Notable Quote:
  • “…if you’re a together-getting-it team. If that makes sense. If it doesn’t, find me $2.” – Sports Analyst, 08:17

4. DJ Knight Carrington & Finding Joy in Minnesota

(08:22–10:45)

• Fan Prompt: DJ Knight Carrington’s newfound happiness with the Lynx.
• Juju’s Insight:
  • Transitioning from Dallas to a winning culture in Minnesota has been transformative: “It’s easy to find your happiness when you jump on the number one team... Imagine going from that… to the number one team in the league.”
  • Minnesota’s culture: “They're making her feel like, we need your toughness... She bought in.”
  • Leadership and love lead to success and fan engagement: “Message even to Dallas – lead more love and you won’t have fans in the crowd chanting against the coach.”
• Notable Line:
  • “…it's not hard to be motivated when you around love.”

5. Ellie the Elephant: The Best Mascot?

(10:45–13:05)

• Fan Debate: Is Ellie the Elephant the WNBA’s and maybe all sports’ best mascot?
• Juju’s Assessment:
  • Ellie’s unmatched energy and presence: “Ellie come out clocking T... She boots on the ground. Ellie got the Beyonce moves down pat... Ellie might just be twerking on you.”
  • Championship credentials: “Ellie got her a championship ring. … She’s just a bigger part of that team as the fans are.”
  • Comparison with other mascots: Braves’ Blooper, Philly Phanatic, etc—but Ellie tops them all.
  • Throws shade at the Suns’ gorilla mascot as outdated.
• Notable Quote:
  • “Ellie got it going on. For real, for real.”

6. Best WNBA Coaches: Past & Present

(13:05–15:04)

• Fan Salute: Greatest WNBA coaches, ever and current.
• Historical Standout:
  • Van Chancellor: “Four in a row with Swoops, Big Swoop Dog, with Coop Dog, Tina Tom Dog... you can't beat four in a row.”
• Current Leaders:
  • Cheryl Reeve (Minnesota Lynx): “Cheryl is the best coach in the league right now... She done been there, done that, won with these folks.”
  • Honorable Mentions: Becky Hammon (Aces), Stephanie White (Indiana Fever, formerly Connecticut).
• Notable Quote:
  • “If you go four in a row, then talk to me. But you ain’t went four in a row!”
  • “Cheryl Reeve’s, bruh. Bought it back.”

7. Juju’s Rap Career & The Struggle to Pursue Passion

(15:04–18:31)

• Fan Question: Reflection on Juju's early rap collaborations and why he left music.
• Juju’s Heartfelt Response:
  • Deep roots with collaborators Tagard Fahim & Mark Homme: “We came up together... Dumb boys still rapping they behinds off right now... Always forever gonna ride for them.”
  • Life changes, prioritizing mental health: “Doing this sports stuff … I just haven’t had time enough to focus on that side of life, which is one of my downfalls.”
  • Personal struggle balancing passions and mental health: “These days, I’m spending time in therapy, working on my mental, chilling with my girl… I’ve neglected that part of myself.”
  • Hints at return: “I did a song for the Atlanta Dream right now to kind of shake off some cobwebs. Them folks been playing it in the arena... I'ma get back in the booth.”
• Notable Quote:
  • “That question is a great reminder to wake the hell up, Jew. … You know your passion is. Is that music, you know, you want to spit.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On MVP Contenders:
  • “Sis ain't got no shoulders bruh... She refuses to get the surgery… she still does everything that coach asks her and more.” (Juju on Alyssa Thomas, 04:36)
• On the Aces’ Struggles:
  • “You can’t get beat by 50. I don’t give a damn who you’re playing.” (Juju, 06:44)
• Mascot Showdown:
  • “Ellie got a championship ring too. That’s what folks don’t even know about.” (Juju, 12:30)
• On Passion and Balance:
  • “Even though I love doing the alley oop, I love doing this sports thing, but it’s not my true passion. … I’mma get back in the booth like I supposed to.” (Juju, 17:23)

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Important Segments & Timestamps

• [03:05] – Picking your WNBA team (Atlanta Dream & Lynx love)
• [04:20] – Alyssa Thomas’ MVP credentials
• [06:04] – Las Vegas Aces’ ups and downs; Jewel Lloyd & Kelsey Plum
• [08:22] – Knight Carrington finds joy in Minnesota
• [10:45] – The Ellie the Elephant mascot debate
• [13:05] – WNBA coaching legends: Chancellor & Reeve
• [15:04] – Juju on rap career, mental health, and future music plans

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Tone & Style

• Conversational and candid: Juju delivers heartfelt responses, answers fans directly, and doesn’t shy away from vulnerability.
• Humorous and irreverent: Frequent jokes, playful jabs at teams, coaches, and mascots.
• Community-driven: Heavy engagement with fan questions and salutes, creating a participatory atmosphere.

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Summary Takeaway

This episode of DLS Hoops is packed with passionate WNBA talk, deep dives into player and team culture, some good-natured mascot competition, and serious self-reflection from Juju about finding joy and authenticity both on and off the mic. Fans get sports insight with a side of humor and realness that keeps the Le Batard show uniquely engaging.

Transcript

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[Fan/Caller]

Joey Chuck92 says as a fan without a W team, how should I choose? I'm a Sixers fan. Do I wait five years for the Philly team?

[Sports Analyst]

If you don't have a team already, I got two words for you. Ryan Howard. You feel me? I encourage you to go ahead and hop aboard the Atlanta Dream Train right now because think about it. You're not a bandwagoner. We haven't won in a in a while. We. We're not necessarily the top of the list. If you go with New York Liberty, guess what you are sir opposer. You just got here. They're the champs. What are you doing? Even if you go with the Aces, I feel like okay we've heard that before now the Minnesota Links if you want to go there. If you don't, if you have a problem with Atlanta, don't like the players or anything I suggest you go with the links because they have of course MVP number one but they got the stud buds over there man they be having such a good time. I think they're so easy to root for that anybody in any walk of life just tuning in, you will like them links. So yeah links but my bias opinion Give the Atlanta Dream some love brother.

[Fan/Caller]

Salute RD Mancini says Alyssa Thomas and why she's an underappreciated all time great and should be getting louder MVP chatter.

[Sports Analyst]

Yeah I think her MVP chatter should be a a dab lighter even though she loses to the dream every time she steps on the court with them. But I think she should also get way more credit. Sis ain't got no shoulders bruh. Sis shoulders is like out of here. She refuses to get the surgery. I don't know what it's called torn labrums. Whatever it's called is torn on both of them and she just be shooting that thing like that she shot. I think she hit one three pointer her entire career because and she still she got a triple double yesterday. She still does everything that coach asks her and and more. Never really not an all star all star performances like she USA squad last year. She is definitely definitely one of the stars of the league who should be talked about more and Just for her, man. A lot of people are so focused on scoring these days and so focused on being the man in that world, bro, she be dishing it. She could have a. She could get 10 more points a game if she really, really just wanted to go for stats. But since we got that dishing it, oh, my wife open and so. Yeah, you right, bro. She should be mentioned way more right now in that MVP chatter. But I don't know if she would get it just because you get spanked by the dream every single time I seen you go out there. Neither here nor there. Salute.

[Fan/Caller]

Red and gold 24. And the mad sailors say Vegas is 4 to 1 since Jewel Lloyd went to the bench. But the one game they played against a, they lost by 50 plus. So are we looking at a turnaround or did they just benefit from a soft schedule? And have we ever seen year to year drop off as drastic as the Aces?

[Sports Analyst]

Yeah, man, the Aces. I definitely don't think that their schedule is the reason for them putting it together. As well as that 50 point loss came against the Links. Like, you gotta be fundamentally sound. You gotta have a plan. You gotta be working and running on all cylinders when you go against the links. Links ain't gonna play with you. You see, they. New York Liberty is still trying to beat the Links for the first time this year. Still this day. I mean, they play tomorrow night, so I don't know when you're gonna hear this, but the Liberty have lost to them, what, three straight times already this year on home court, on another court, wherever, it don't matter. So I think that the Aces, we can't fault them for 50 points. Yeah, you're right. I was finna try to make up a. A little soliloquy, but you can't get beat by 50. I don't give a damn who you're playing. I don't give a damn you playing the Bulls, you're not gonna be losing about 50 points. So you right, they. They gotta get it together. But I do see more promise in them because Jewel going to the bench voluntarily, might I add, has been a better look for them. They made that camaraderie get together, especially after you lose an all star guard. And Kelsey Plum, that's what people don't necessarily talk about. Enough. When it comes to the Aces, Kelsey Plum was a doll, is a dog. If Asia ain't got it for this quarter, for this stanza, Kelsey going at you to the hole no matter what. And 1 and 5, getting contact Ms. Devoid of that. They're still trying to get it together, but I don't think 50 point losses. 51. But I don't think that they're schedule has anything to do with that. 4 and 1. I think it's just this part of the season. You can. You can get it together if you're a together getting it team. If that makes sense. If it don't make sense, find me $2. But salute to the question.

[Fan/Caller]

Dale305 says, I'd love to hear Juju talk about DJ Knight Carrington finding her joy in Minnesota.

[Sports Analyst]

Yeah, I mean it's easy to find your happiness when you jump on the number one team up seven games in the playoff. Standing there, I find me some happiness too. You go from Dallas, who getting the dog behind kicked out of them every game almost Salute the page. I see you. You know, you already know what time it is, but it's not your fault. It's just ran in a certain way that's just not working for me. Like, I don't know what's happening in Dallas for real. It be times where back when they had Alyssa Smith, her girlfriend, you feel me? Like they would have her on the bench in times. I'm like, put. Listen like what's happening? She ain't play but two minutes in the second half. So imagine going from that even Dijon. Excuse me. Pardon me. Three Janae these days because wet at this. At the end of the day, you go from having a what battle for minutes with Grace Berger salute to Grace Burger. No disrespect, but you go from there to the number one. The number one team in the league down. Nafisa call you right now. And them. Them girls say, you know what we need? We need you right now. They're making her feel like, we need your toughness. We need you a part of what we got going on. We need you to do the bus stop after the game. We need. This is. And. And she bought in because you have an option to buy in or think all that shit goofy or whatever. Nah, sis got the pink hair now. Courtney, everybody showing the love. Jessica shepherd, everybody's showing her love when she got there. So I think that it's a great move. And it's not hard to be motivated when you around love. And I think that's a. A message even to Dallas, bro. Lead mo love. And you won't have fans in the crowd. We won't. Nola Chance was coming from the crowd because they sick of the coach. When you got that going. Maisha Hines Allen had to go and tell the fans. Hey, come on, man. We love our coach. Dad. When you get away from stuff like that, you can find a little happiness no matter where you go. I feel like if sis would have went to Connecticut, she would have been more happy than she is right now. But great question. Salute to you, dog.

[Fan/Caller]

718 Chocolate and Dicky Tiki Tembo. Say, is Ellie the elephant the best mascot in the W and best mascot in sports? Might be a debate, but Ellie boat races.

[Sports Analyst]

All others in the W.718 chocolate. You feel me? What a name you got to know, man. Salute. Is Ellie the elephant the best mascot? I don't know, bro. Blooper from the Braves is hilarious. The. The Fanatic in Philly is pretty awesome. The Phoenix sun still got that gorilla? I don't know. Work on that, y'. All. We need to. We need to get that mascot together, brother. We can't still be with the gorilla. The in 2025 is mascot neither here nor there. Let's see. Football rampage for the Rams. He's pretty awesome. I don't know. You might have a point, because no one I'm mentioning is as awesome as Ellie. Ellie come out clocking T. She got on fans. She boots on the ground. Ellie got the Beyonce moves down pat. You might be courtside. Ellie might just be twerking on you. Oh, I mean, we'll get in there like Ellie got it going on. For real. For real. So you might be right. That Ellie. You know what? I'm gonna agree. I'm gonna agree because Ellie got a championship ring, too. That's what folks don't even know about. Ellie got her a la size championship ring from the Liberty, and she just be rocking, man, because she's just a big. A bigger part of that team as the fans are. You feel me? A little bit more, probably because she be hyping them up. I seen Ellie on the Allstate commercial, man, with John Quail. What the hell? So, yeah, she the best mascot in all the sports right now. Now, a lot of. A lot of teams don't have a mascot. I'm not pointing any fingers or any elbows, but some teams don't even have a mascot. And I think that if some teams could find themselves a mascot, we could get in some running, because I feel like a mascot from this place right here, we'll be like, bro, we'll. We'll have it all together. Like, we'll have the best mascot hands down. But for right now, in reality, in this plane that we live in, Ellie got it.

[Fan/Caller]

Salute the Big Ellie tethered Urkel says who is considered the best coach in the WNBA all time and current. I'll hang up and listen.

[Sports Analyst]

Oh my goodness. The all time is scary. I don't want to leave out people all time best coach in the W. Oh my goodness. Van Chancellor. I mean four in a row with Swoops. Big Swoop dog with Coop dog team the Tina Tom dog like bro, I don't know if you can go. You can't beat four in a row. So salute to Van bro. Van the all time. If you go for in the road then talk to me. But you ain't went four in the road. Can't I? That's how you feel me now these days man. I like what sis out there she doing out there in Golden State. I love what she doing first year and contender. But Sandy bro. Becky Hammond, Minnesota coach Cheryl is the best coach in the league right now. I'm gonna go ahead and go with Cheryl. I have a J for damn sure. It ain't the Dallas coach, Coach Lanis. It ain't too big bro. So he only got to worry about that. I also like my sister though. Fever coach right now, Stephanie White, bro. Like what she did with Connecticut cannot be understated. Like Connecticut was never like that. But they were always like that. You feel me? Like she definitely she look she went over and replaced Ms. Christie Size for a reason because she's just that good of a coach. So Stephanie White definitely deserves like an honorable mention in this. But Cheryl, man, Cheryl Reeves, bro. I think like she done been there done that one with these folks. Bought it back. Yeah man.

[Fan/Caller]

Cheryl Salute J Felici 3089 says can juju speak on his early music career that involved Tagard Fahim and Mark Homme. Juju's contributions were great and wonder why he hasn't continued collaborating with them.

[Sports Analyst]

Yeah salute man the guy Fahim mah look the my dollars like we came up together as far as like a specific time in life. You know what I mean? Dumb boys still rapping. They behinds off right now too. So go check out ma homie on every platform you can right now. And the God Fahim on every platform. The 50 tape legend. I think it's up to about 70 of them boys right now. Always forever gonna ride for them. Whenever I started doing this sports stuff they we move. We just move to different places and move to different areas in life. And you know my dog Mark got the deals on deal. You feel me? My boy going crazy and my dog 5 he done started a family. So, yeah, bro, we. We still. I'm still cool as hell with the. With the game, but at the same time, I just haven't had time enough to focus kind of on that side of life, which is my. One of my downfalls. Like, I think that I want to do music so bad, but waking up every day, if you don't know out there, we tape our show, what we go live at 9am and finish around noon. And for some reason, I haven't got my wiggle together, my pace together to be as confident as I supposed to be while I'm doing this show that has taken up a lot of my mental health space, you dig? And so times where I'm used to writing and spinning, going to the booth, which I still do, I'm usually these days spending time in therapy. I'm spending time working on my mental, working on myself, chilling with my girl, you feel me? Like, I'm giving them pretty much all of my time, and I've neglected that part of myself, for real, if I'm being honest, that I do need to dust off, you feel me? Because that's where my true happiness lies. Even though I love doing the alley oop, I love doing this sports thing, but it's not my true passion. So I think that's a great question. I think that's. That question is a great reminder to wake the hell up, Jew. You know, your passion is. Is that music, you know, you want to spit. Whether it's. Whether it's bars on bars, dunk tapes, or whether it's Atlanta music that make you feel good, it got to be something coming out more than what I'm putting forth. You right, bruh? I did a song for the Atlanta Dream right now to kind of shake off some cobwebs. Them folks been playing it in the arena. You feel me? Salute to all the dj, DJ Chalet, DJ Mohawk. I don't know, man. Let's go back. You right. I'mma get back in the booth. I'mma get back in the booth like I posed to. Because that's the ultimate goal for me. That's where my ultimate happiness lies. So I got you family salute. I don't give a damn. Like, I don't want to kill. I'm a feeling like the opposite of work. So working there never been a purpose.

[Sports Announcer]

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