Podcast Summary: Good Follow – Connecticut Sun’s Bria Hartley Talks Sophie Cunningham, This Season’s Sun Team, Motherhood, & More!

The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, September 25, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode of the Good Follow series, host Raz Gold-Onwude sits down with Connecticut Sun’s Bria Hartley for an honest, heartfelt conversation. Fresh off her return to the WNBA after overcoming multiple injuries and years away from the league, Bria discusses the demands of her comeback, the change in league culture, locker room dynamics, notable on-court incidents (including the viral Sophie Cunningham play), and the balance of motherhood, love, and career. The episode offers a candid exploration of resilience, growth, and life both on and off the court.

Key Discussion Points

1. Returning to the WNBA After Years Away

• Injury Comeback & Mindset
  • Bria was out of the WNBA for three years due to repeated injuries (notably two ACL tears 11 months apart) and had to grind both physically and mentally to get back ([02:11], [05:24]).
  • “I try to give myself grace... I think I showcase what I can put out there on the floor still, even though I'm older, even though I had the injuries, like, I could still go out there and make an impact.” — Bria Hartley [02:40]
• Adjustments to Physical & Mental Demands
  • The pace and physicality felt different from her earlier WNBA stints, requiring new anticipation and body preparation ([03:14]).
  • “I'm older and... with injuries, I'm not as fast as I used to be. So adjusting to that speed, the physicality was a lot more... they let us play a little bit more, at least on the perimeter.” — Bria Hartley [03:14]
• Increased Media Attention and Social Media Scrutiny
  • Bria noted the explosion in league attention and new challenges posed by social media.
  • “Every little thing you do... goes right to social media. The fans, whether it's haters or positive, they're immediately commenting on your stuff... I didn't know they were going to take it that way, but it was definitely an adjustment.” — Bria Hartley [04:13]

2. Courage, Resilience, and Mental Health

• Faith, Therapy, and Support Networks
  • Bria credits her faith, regular church attendance, sports psychology resources, and therapy for her strength ([07:59]).
  • “First, God. I just thank him for... the abilities... Even therapy, even sports psych... staying on top of that.” — Bria Hartley [07:59]
• Facing and Acknowledging Emotional Lows
  • Host Raz emphasizes it's okay to address pain, not just gloss over setbacks ([08:54]).
  • Bria opened up about the emptiness of her first summer away from basketball, coping through coaching, quality time with her son, and learning to be present ([09:24]).

3. Connecticut Sun’s Rebuilding Season

• Young Team, New Coach, Growing Pains
  • The Sun finished 11th of 13, but Bria highlighted how the team’s chemistry improved through adversity ([11:10]).
  • “Just with my experience throughout the league, I’ve been on teams that kind of were rebuilding... we have to be able to learn each other, understand each other, figure out how to work together.” — Bria Hartley [11:10]
• Team Dynamics On and Off the Court
  • Hartley shares how bonding with younger players and building chemistry off the court (thanks to personalities like Saniya and her fellow UConn alums) helped solidify the team ([11:53]).

4. On-Court Skirmishes & The Sophie Cunningham Incident

• Viral Fever-Sun Scuffle
  • Bria describes “chippy” games, where things escalate quickly and sometimes spill into altercations ([15:12]).
  • “There’s a lot of stuff that goes unseen and then fans... see the big moment and react to that. The game's been physical, people kind of jarring back and forth... Sophie may have gotten fed up... but we’re competitors at the end of the day.” — Bria Hartley [15:12]
• Injury Play with Sophie, Fallout, and Backlash
  • Bria recounts the unintentional play that led to Sophie Cunningham’s season-ending injury; Sophie publicly defended Bria from social media pile-on and racist comments ([16:56], [18:02]).
  • “I remember I was driving... I didn’t even see Sophie... I landed on her leg... But yeah, after that... there was a lot of just messages... like racist comments, really. Just that I did it intentionally.” — Bria Hartley [17:30-18:02]
  • Bria coped by turning off social media comments but felt grateful when Sophie’s public support slowed the vitriol.
  • “When Sophie did go on our podcast and said something, it actually did slow down a lot, so that was definitely appreciated.” — Bria Hartley [18:51]
• Reputation and Stigma
  • Bria expresses her pain at being called “dirty” when her career has never reflected that, and emphasizes her New York “no back down” mentality ([19:46], [20:23]).
  • “Throughout my career... I was never really labeled a dirty player. Now... she's dirty. She's this. And I'm like, I swear I'm not dirty. Now, don't get me wrong. If someone hits me, I'll probably... hit them back, but... I never felt like I was a player... to grab somebody on purpose.” — Bria Hartley [19:46]
  • “As you get older, you find your voice... I'm never going to back down from anyone. So if anyone has a narrative... that's fine... I'm going to be a New Yorker... I'm out there to hoop.” — Bria Hartley [20:23]

5. Motherhood, Love, and Fullness of Life

• Balancing Basketball and Being a Mom
  • Bria discusses the profound impact of having her son Bryson in 2017, how it changed her perspective, and added drive to her post-injury comeback ([24:05], [26:17]).
  • “It helped me become more unselfish... I think my best years... came after I had him... You have someone watching you now... the biggest thing for me is showing him with actions.” — Bria Hartley [24:05]
  • Bria and Bryson have a playful, mutually supportive relationship (“he keeps me in check at the same time” [26:37-27:51]).
• New Engagement and “A Good Year”
  • Bria glows about her engagement, how her fiancé surprised her in Cancun, and the joy of building something new after all her life transitions ([21:45], [22:36]).
  • “We've been saying it's been a good year for me. 2025 has been a really good year for me.” — Bria Hartley [21:45]
  • “I always said he wouldn't be able to surprise me... but he actually did it in Cancun... and he also surprised me with my best friend, Kia Stokes.” — Bria Hartley [22:36]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Resilience:
  “I just tried to control what I could control. I was in the gym every day, rehabbing every day. Even a day after I tore my ACL... I was in rehab.” — Bria Hartley [05:24]

• On Social Media Culture:
  “Anything I tweet that normally no one paid attention to... I didn’t know they were going to take it that way, but it was definitely an adjustment.” — Bria Hartley [04:13]

• On Emotional Process:
  “It's okay to address the pain, sit with it... sometimes it's all right to admit that it hurts, that this sucks, maybe that you fell short…” — Raz Gold-Onwude [08:54]

• On Reputation:
  “Now... she's dirty. She's this. And I'm like, I swear I'm not dirty... If someone hits me, I'll probably... hit them back... But I never felt like I was a player... to grab somebody on purpose.” — Bria Hartley [19:46]

• On Motherhood:
  “He's my biggest supporter. So that's, that's amazing too.” — Bria Hartley [24:05]

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• Bria Discusses Her Comeback: [02:09]–[06:44]
• On Mental Health and Handling Adversity: [07:54]–[10:39]
• Connecticut Sun Team Dynamics & Growth: [10:44]–[12:47]
• On-Court Incidents & Sophie Cunningham Injury: [14:44]–[19:19]
• Motherhood, Engagement, and Life Beyond Basketball: [21:27]–[27:59]

Tone & Final Thoughts

The conversation is encouraging, honest, and richly personal, conveying Bria Hartley’s toughness, gratitude, self-awareness, and multidimensionality. For listeners, the episode is as much about on-court basketball as it is about navigating public scrutiny, setbacks, and new chapters of identity and fulfillment off the court.

“You know, we love to see that you are a tough player, but you also are multi-dimensional, full-faceted... you're doing it all. You've lived a lot of life in just 32 years.” — Raz Gold-Onwude [27:59]

For anyone needing a dose of motivation, transparency, and real-life athlete perspective, this episode is a can’t-miss.