Episode Summary: GOOD FOLLOW - Lexie Brown Talks CBA Negotiations, Seattle’s New Head Coach, Athletes Unlimited & More!

Podcast: The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (Good Follow Show, presented by DraftKings)
Date: November 20, 2025
Host: Roz Gold-Onwude
Guest: Lexie Brown (WNBA Champion, Seattle Storm guard, Athletes Unlimited executive committee member)

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode centers on WNBA player Lexie Brown as she reflects on her nine-year career, her evolving leadership within Athletes Unlimited, the ongoing CBA negotiations in the WNBA, the impact of new coaching leadership in Seattle, and her personal goals for the upcoming season. It offers a candid look at the challenges and triumphs of professional women’s basketball, emphasizing how players' voices and power are growing in the industry.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Lexie’s Resilience and Journey in the WNBA

• Lexie marks her 9th year in the league, discussing the ups and downs, including illness (Crohn's disease), being cut, and traded (03:01-03:37).
• The competitive challenges of the WNBA and her career perseverance:

  “Almost anything you can experience as a WNBA player, I’ve probably experienced, like, a walking testimony of just how hard it is at times, but also how amazing it is at the same time.” — Lexie Brown [03:27]

2. Athletes Unlimited: Leadership & “Pouring In”

• Lexie’s approach this season is to transition from being supported to supporting others, signaling a mindset shift as a league veteran (03:46-04:55).
• Describes AU as an environment enabling her to "pour into everybody that's here."
• Highlights the importance of alternative leagues for player empowerment, development, and leverage in negotiations (04:55-05:31).

3. CBA Negotiations and Women’s Basketball Momentum

• Breakdown of Lexie’s contract extension designed for health and security rather than maximizing immediate salary (06:07-07:12).
• Reflections on free agency frenzy and why she’s opted for stability:

  “I knew maybe in the back end I would lose like a year of this new CBA money. But there is a possibility for them to, like, renegotiate it, rip it up, whatever. But I know for a fact that, like, at least I’m gonna have my health insurance. And for me, that was like, top priority.” — Lexie Brown [07:01]

4. Seattle Storm: New Head Coach Sonia Raman

• Excitement about working with Raman, who is praised for her intellect and historic hire (first coach of Indian descent in WNBA) (07:34-08:23).
• Raman’s engagement with Lexie’s personal projects (Lexie’s podcast) creates optimism for a positive player-coach relationship:

  “She just reached out to me, mentioned the podcast. Like, that was really special to me.” — Lexie Brown [08:23]

5. The Uncertainties of WNBA Free Agency

• Anticipation for an “insane” free agency period with major roster uncertainty and expansion drafts looming (09:15-09:35).

6. CBA Negotiations: Progress, Power, and Player Leverage

• Lexie now takes a more active, informed role in CBA calls and the negotiation process (11:17-12:38):

  “The only concern is just, like, pushing back the season more and more. We have more games, more teams. We need more roster spots, obviously… that, like, I never thought I was going to be able to experience in my career.” — Lexie Brown [11:20]

• Players feel unprecedented leverage due to alternative opportunities (like AU and Unrivaled), shifting dynamics away from being dependent solely on the WNBA (12:45-13:17).
• Change from a culture of “just being grateful to be here” to “we’re partners”—players demand greater value and transparency from the league (13:17-14:28).

7. Ownership, Investment, and Infrastructure Issues

• Discussion of the WNBA’s complicated ownership structure and lack of minimum facilities as a symbol of underinvestment (16:11-18:06).
• Lexie emphasizes:

  “There’s no league without the players ... we’re asking for a bigger slice [of the pie] than we have right now. And we want the pie slice to grow as the pie grows. And right now it’s going the opposite direction and we need that to change.” — Lexie Brown [15:03-16:11]

8. Personal Aspirations and Leadership

• Lexie speaks candidly about not feeling she received the opportunity she deserved in Seattle last season despite being healthy (19:28-21:26).
• Her coping strategy is to focus on supporting younger teammates and contributing off the court when on-court chances are limited (21:26-22:42).

9. Athletes Unlimited’s Player-Led Model

• Description of the executive committee’s active role in AU’s operations — from picking rosters and cities to uniforms and rule changes (23:24-24:39).
• AU seen as a proving ground for leadership and front office skills, which Lexie aspires to (24:39).

10. Family Ties in AU

• Lexie’s father, Dee Brown, joins AU for player development, contributing both expertise and a special family dynamic for Lexie this season (24:45-26:11).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On her journey:

  “I didn’t think I was going to even get to five years, honestly. I mean, I got cut after year three. I was like, oh, wrap it up. But now we’re heading to year nine. I’m so blessed and grateful. That’s crazy.” — Lexie Brown [03:01]

• On player empowerment:

  “This is now an era of NIL, of people having star power before they enter the W, of people being millionaires before they enter the W. Like, y’all are partners.” — Roz Gold-Onwude [13:34]

• On institutional change:

  “We wanted to kind of keep it behind closed doors, but sometimes you just have to kind of let everything out in the open and see what happens.” — Lexie Brown [14:28]

• On WNBA investment:

  “Do y’all really care about us? Do y’all really want to invest in us? Do y’all want everybody to have a facility? Because right now it’s giving. No, y’all don’t, because everyone doesn’t have one. And that. That’s bare minimum.” — Lexie Brown [17:15]

• On player leadership in AU:

  “We literally do everything. Like, the only thing, like, we don’t know is, like, what everybody’s, like, getting paid. ... We handpick the roster, we discuss uniforms, what refs we’re bringing in, if we’re doing any rule changes. … We vote on everything. We’re, like, extremely hands on.” — Lexie Brown [23:24]

• On having her father involved at AU:

  “At first I was like, no, like, this is my thing. … But I was like, actually, that’s a great idea, Dad.… He coached my AAU team. He’s really passionate about women’s basketball and the game. … So for us to be able to, you know, have some daddy daughter time in Nashville. And I’m not gatekeeping him anymore, so I hope everybody just loves him as much as I do.” — Lexie Brown [24:53]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Lexie discusses her 9-year WNBA journey and gratitude – 03:01
• Lexie on shifting to a leadership & mentorship role in AU – 03:46-04:55
• Contract extension for health security – 06:07-07:12
• Anticipation of working with Seattle Storm’s new head coach, Sonia Raman – 07:34-08:23
• Active involvement & new leverage in CBA negotiations – 11:17-12:38
• Changing attitudes among players: “We’re partners.” – 13:17-14:28
• Complicated ownership issues and infrastructure challenges – 16:11-18:06
• Lexie on her limited role in Seattle & desire for reintroduction – 19:28-21:26
• Supporting young teammates when not playing – 21:26-22:42
• Player-led nature of Athletes Unlimited – 23:24-24:39
• Bringing her father into AU, deepening family connection through basketball – 24:45-26:11

Flow & Tone

The conversation is candid, energetic, and conspiratorial, with Roz and Lexie bouncing from deep industry talk to personal anecdotes. Lexie’s tone is reflective but forward-looking; Roz amplifies and contextualizes Lexie’s insight with warmth, pride, and critical awareness of the stakes in women’s basketball today.

This summary captures the major themes, insights, and memorable exchanges in Lexie Brown’s conversation on the "Good Follow" show—ideal for those interested in the realities and future of women’s basketball, both on and off the court.