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- [00:00]
A
Jordan, you are a rock star.
- [00:03]
B
A few years ago, it was the WNBA or overseas, and now you have options.
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C
Some of those players are just gonna go and elect to potentially play in project B full time or in unrivaled full time.
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B
We don't want the biggest stars to just peace out in the W. We flat out want to make sure these women are getting paid what they deserve.
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A
Lauren Betts, who's six seven. She is six' seven. I was like, oh, my God. That poor woman has to do for.
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B
The rest of her life.
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A
41.
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C
Forever. ATT. The party is about to commence.
- [00:41]
A
Welcome to the party. What's up, party people? I'm Julie Foudy.
- [00:49]
C
And I'm Abby Wambach. What's up, party people? Jules, how are you? God, I'm so excited. I'm so excited. I was so excited for what?
- [00:58]
A
For the new year that we're back to be back.
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C
And, you know, I missed you guys. And I even said yesterday, because she asked me, do you have Sunday scaries? Do you ever talk about Sunday scaries with Sunday scaries?
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A
Like, worried about Mondays? Yeah, this is a weird Monday. I did. I did come to that conclusion, like, after the holidays when you get back to, like, okay, life is starting again.
- [01:19]
C
Yeah, it's. It's. It's a weird one. But I was like, oh, I'm. I'm actually excited. Like, I feel excited about, like, talking and interviewing all the people that we interview today and getting back into the flow because, like, I don't know, it just feels like women's sports also, like, all of sports basically takes the time off also. So I'm like, what am I? What. What am I? Who am I with?
- [01:39]
A
I actually had that thought. I had that thought this morning. I was like, how lucky are we that we get to talk to all these rad women that are doing all this amazing stuff in women's sports, and that's what we call our job.
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C
I know. It's so great. It's so.
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A
But then I also got sad because Izzy, My Izzy, I wore her sweatshirt. My Izzy had to go back to school. So it was like that emotion of now, like, again, you're sending your kid back. And I walked by her room this morning, which was empty, and I was.
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C
Like.
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A
So I wore my Izzy sweatshirt to bring her with me today. But I also didn't want to tell her that because I want her to go back and fly and do her things. I didn't want to be like, oh, don't go. I miss you so much.
- [02:22]
C
There's a balance there. You got to have a balance, like, because you don't want them to feel bad, but. But you also want them to know that you miss them. So when we were dropping Tish off at school, she. She held a boundary for us. She said, I really need you guys to hold it together while we're doing the saying goodbye part. And when you are back in the car driving away, I want you guys to then cry and let me know. And let me know that you cried. But, like, I need to be able to keep it together. And it was like, so perfectly Tish trying to make sure that she can control the environment that she's in. And so we held it together and we took pictures of all of us with sad, teary eyes afterwards and sent.
- [03:04]
A
It to her to prove it. We did cry. Yeah, I know. Before we get to our party starter, just a reminder, we have some awesome guests coming up. So this Thursday, we've got league one volleyball. So love volleyball that Abby and I are now owners of the new team, part owners of San Francisco. I got on that wagon because I was like, I've got fomo. I want back in. But we got Madison Skinner coming on the pod. She plays for Love Austin, and she is rad. They won it last year. Season two kicks off on Wednesday, January 7th. We've also got all these rad Winter Olympians coming on. Kendall Coyne Schofield, Captain of the U.S. women's Ice Hockey team. Alana Meyers Taylor, Olympic bobsledder, most decorated black athlete in Winter Olympics history. She's also raising two kids with special needs at the same time as she's traversing the globe. She's. She's amazing. We've got Aaron Jackson, the first black woman to win an individual Winter Olympic gold. She's a speed skater. She actually didn't even start speed skating until she was 24. I mean, these stories are amazing. It's just story after story. So.
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C
And she just qualified for the Olympics yesterday.
- [04:19]
A
I saw that in the thousand and the 500 meter, which is very cool. So all of that coming up this month or the next on the pod. And we've got an extended version remix of the new segment. We're making an episode called Party Buzz, which is the unrivaled edition with this league and how year two is shaping up for unrivaled and all the things that are worth paying attention to. And that's with our hoops insider, Jordan Robinson. But before that, party people, let's get this party started with the highlights and Headlines. You'll want to celebrate this week in women's sports. Our party starter is brought to you by Ally the bank that is your Ally. Okay, abs, you want the first topic or do you want me to go?
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C
I'll do it, Jules. Michaela Shiffrin locked down her six World cup in the slalom.
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A
It's like sixth world win in a row.
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C
In a row. The fifth slalom win of the season. And she did it at Zemmering Audi Fiski World cup race on December 28th. Now that's certainly worth totally celebrating. And the attention after the win was mostly focused on the dangerous conditions of the course. According to the ap. What mild weather forced organizers to attempt to harden the course surface. Listen to this. By injecting water and salt before the race. But the surface broke in several spots during the afternoon run that started at 2:15. Conditions slightly improved and the course hardened up by the evening session. But damage had already been done. Just 40 of the 77 starters completed the first run. Like what? That's barely over. Heck, how could this be? Like allowed Shiffrin. She discussed the dangerous conditions with the media following the race. Then on Monday, December 29, the American ski star released a full statement to social media calling out the dangerous conditions of the course. But still, we're going to congratulate you. And also awesome on, on, you know, standing up for the safety of all of you athletes. It's really awesome. Michaela, well done. Also.
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A
Jules, our girl, Aaron Jackson, Our Aaron Jackson takes first. I, I, we claim her now. She's our Aaron Jackson because she's coming on the pod. Takes first place at the US Speed Skating trials. And she secured her spot in the Milan Games, of course, in the 1000. And she also had already secured her spot in the 500. And the US women's hockey roster for the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics has also been finalized. 22 year old Layla Edwards will make Olympic history in Milan as the first black woman to represent the US in women's hockey at the game.
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C
So good.
- [07:27]
A
She also helped lead University of Wisconsin to two national titles as well. And team captain Hillary Knight will lead the squad. And she's set to compete Abby in her fifth Olympic Games. If she earns a medal, Hillary will tie the all time record for most Olympic hockey medals. How cool is that? That's great. Yeah. And she has stated that 2026 will be the final Olympics of her career. And it will also mark the fourth Olympic appearance for Kendall Coyne Scofield, who has been clear about the team's mindset, really. And because they were CR Canada and the rivalry series, anything short of a gold is not the goal. I love that. Okay, NWSL has some news again, because the latest NWSL news is, and it centers on, and we've talked about this on, on the pod. We had Megan Burke, the executive director of the Players association come on the pod. But it, it centers on that major conflict with the league and the Players association over the new high impact player rule. And as the NWSL attempts to adopt the rule despite players association opposition. So basically the hip rule, as they're calling it or I'm calling it, would allow $1 million to be spent outside the salary cap to attract or retain a player that meets the nwsl. The league wants it to meet one of eight qualifying metrics set by the league. So you're a Ballon d', or, you're on the Ballon d' or list, which is the, the best players as voted on by largely European associations and end of the year NWSL award that you're up for an ESPN FC top 50. So there is a set of certain criteria, right? But the NWSL Players association has spoken out saying, setting that criteria and they said we shouldn't have that criteria. You should just actually increase the salary cap by 1 million without these league imposed spending regulation. So they're in a bit of a fight because the NWSL came out and said, no, we are going to set this and it's going to go into effect on July 1, 2026. And the players association shot back and said, well, actually under federal labor law, changes to compensation under the salary cap are a mandatory subject of bargaining, not a matter of unilateral discretion. Oh, fighting words. So, and that was what the union wrote last Wednesday. So we're going to see where this shapes up. Um, it's, it's going to be interesting. I actually don't love the way NWSL has handled this. Yes, we want to attract the best players in the world and yes, we need to move on this. As we've all discussed with the Trinity Rodman situation happening. But I don't think you can do it without negotiating it with, without the Players association, you can't just be like, okay, and maybe that's above my pay grade. From a legal standpoint. I don't know what their legal, the legal statement says that allows them to do so, but they're saying we're doing it and the Players association is pushing back.
- [10:44]
C
So more to be revealed on that one, that is for sure. Now Jules, we gotta tell them what we did on. On Sunday, Saturday.
- [10:53]
A
So, so fun. So fun.
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C
We went to the UCLA versus USC women's NCAA.
- [11:01]
A
Yes, we did.
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C
Basketball game in Poly Pavilion on UCLA's campus. The party people know the UCLA coach, Corey. Close. She got us some tickets to come to the game and watch. And I brought my wife, Glennon, and I brought my daughter, Emma, and you brought your son Declan. And we just. I just had the best time.
- [11:24]
A
It was so fun.
- [11:25]
C
Sincerely. I just had so much fun. UCLA went on to beat USC 80 to 46. It was a. It was a first conference matchup, and UCLA just dominated on the boards, 46 to 26. They controlled the game after a tied first quarter. I must say, was pretty close. Corey. After the game, she told the crowd that their offense wasn't as good as. As she wanted it to be. And. And this is. And watching Corey, like, she's got her leather pants on. I can't imagine how sweaty those things must be, but she owns it. And she's walking up. She's, like, stalking the sidelines. Like, she's so intense. And they're up at the end of this game by, like, you know, almost 40 points. And she's still intense. Like, she still is. Like, we can get better, you know, our offense, we could. Our defense really won this for us today. Like, I just was. I don't know. What did you think? How did you feel about it?
- [12:21]
A
You were fascinated by Corey. I wanted an ISO cam on Glennon because this was Glennon's first ever live basketball game, and Declan was dying. He was like, oh, my God, Glennon is cracking me up. She was like this the whole time. She was like, oh, my.
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C
Oh.
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A
Oh, my gosh. What. What is happening? What is happening?
- [12:43]
C
She's like, her facial expression. Oh. And then, because it's so you're. We were kind of sitting close to the actual court, and so there was so much. There was so much energy. Like, when the ball would come by, I had to tell her while we were sitting in our seats before the game started. I said, honey, if the ball's coming towards you, nobody's gonna catch it. Like, you gotta duck or you gotta, like, you gotta put your hands up. Like, there's no net here to protect you. You're like. You're basically on the court. She was like, oh, my gosh, this is gonna be. So we had the.
- [13:17]
A
And then Jazzy Davidson, like, saved us. Remember when I was like, thank you. Jazzy, like, basically the USC freshman star.
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C
Yeah.
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A
All of a sudden, like dove by.
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C
And thank goodness because Emma, who has a broken collarbone right now is sitting in between me and Glennon and I'm gonna have to protect both of them somehow without injuring Emma's collarbone again. So I'm like, I'm like, heads up. And I knew that it was tracking towards me. But anyways, Jazzy, it was super fun. Jazzy saved us. Yeah.
- [13:47]
A
Lauren Betts led all scores with 18 points, by the way. She is amazing. Okay.
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C
All of them are so good, but Lauren is so freaking tall. I'm like, yeah, I just want Lauren to keep that ball up here because nobody can get it.
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A
Oh, yeah. You think Lauren Betts is tall at six seven?
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C
Yeah.
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A
Listen to this. And, and this is the final bit of the. Our party starter, Texas Tech just signed the tallest women's NCAA basketball player ever. So she is seven foot tall. Her name is Stephanie Okeechukwu. She's Nigerian. She's joining the team as a mid season recruitment. She has a seven foot four wingspan and. Yeah, and basically an assistant coach for the Red Raiders traveled to Africa a few weeks ago to close the deal on her recruitment. Texas Tech is 16, 0, undefeated and it's had its. And I guess that's tied its best start in program history. And now they're getting Stephanie Okeechukwu at seven foot tall. Oh, dang. We gotta talk about more. We're talking about more with Jordan on this because it's fascinating what's happened in in women's collegiate and collegiate hoops in general. That is your party starter. Thanks to Ally for sponsoring this segment. As we know, Ally is more than a bank. And their do it right approach helps customers unlock their economic potential and guides their efforts as a leading sponsor in women's sports. Just like us, Ally believes that when women in sports win, we all have a reason to party. Ally BANK Member, FDIC.
- [15:33]
C
Okay, Jules, so here's the thing that nobody tells you when you start a business like we have, they say, you know, do it yourself, everything turns out great. But here's the thing. Doing it yourself means doing everything yourself. And it's hard and unsustainable, which is why QuickBooks has become literally a game changer for people like us. QuickBooks gives you an actual team, AI agents and trusted experts. So doing it yourself no longer means doing it alone. And I love that because it really does feel like finally get getting the support that you assumed everyone else has except you. The customer agent that finds leads, follows up and helps you bring in more sales. The accounting agent that automates and categorizes transactions and preps your books for tax time without you losing an entire weekend. And the best part, Jules, is that everything works together all in one. Connected data, accurate books. Real insight, Jules. You're not just juggling eight different tools and guessing. You're actually making informed decisions with confidence. And if you are like me, I was not trained in finance. I played soccer. Right? Ditto QuickBooks. It. It saves my life. I swear. It's like every time we have to file taxes, I'm like, thank God for this service, because I would have absolutely no idea. Outdo it with Intuit QuickBooks. Learn more about Intuit QuickBooks@quickbooks.com Sustainable health is about consistency, drools, not perfection. And AG1 really understands that. And AG1 simplifies everything, Jules. Your multivitamin, your pre and probiotics, your superfoods, your antioxidants, all in one scoop. I just put it in my smoothie jewels and I am set for the day. I feel good. Okay, they know we want simple. And by that I mean 20 seconds. This is all it takes, Jules. 20 seconds, one scoop, eight ounces of water and then you're done. I take it first thing in the morning before coffee sometimes. And it is the little motivation. It's like this awesome motivator that I need the push I need in the morning to start my whole day off the right way. And with the new next gen formula, they've added more vitamins and minerals than ever. Clinically proven to fill common nutrient gaps, AG1 now comes in original citrus, berry and tropical flavors. My favorite is berry. But honestly, try all the flavors. They're all delicious. Give a try and tell us what you think. AG1 has over 50,000 verified 5 star reviews and comes with a 90 day money back guarantee. Go to drinkag1.com wttp to get their best offer for a limited time only, get a free AG1 duffel bag and a free AG1 welcome kit with your first subscription order only while supplies last. That's drinkag1.com WTTP drinkag1.com WTP okay, so Jules, you know that I just sometimes don't have the mental capacity to properly grocery shop or plan meals. Like, I don't understand how people do it every day we have to think about and make food.
- [19:15]
B
Yeah.
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C
And eat the food.
- [19:16]
A
It's exhausting.
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C
And before you. You think about making the food, you gotta get the food right. Like before you make the food, you gotta get the food right. So. And also I want to eat healthier I want to feel good, but keeping track of what I should buy or cook, it just feels like literally another full time job.
- [19:37]
A
Right?
- [19:38]
C
But I have a fix because Hungry root, honestly, it just feels like having a little nutrition coach and a personal shopper living inside my laptop. I tell it what I like, what I don't. A few of the healthy goals I'm focusing on this year and it plans the week, recommends great groceries and recipes, and even adjusts based on what I actually eat and enjoy.
- [20:08]
A
Yeah, and you fill out this little form that says like, okay, do you like this, this and this is, or do you like this, this and then so it knows like what you like, what you don't like, which I like.
- [20:18]
C
Yeah. And guess what? I love the rainbow veggie mix. It's always so good to have on hand for sandwiches and salads. It's just, y', all, you gotta try this. Plus, the groceries are genuinely high quality. No junk ingredients, great produce, amazing proteins, even snacks that kids will eat. Take advantage of this exclusive offer for a limited time, get 40 off your first box. Plus get a free item in every box for life. Go to hungryroot.com wttp and use code wttp that's hungryroot.com wttp code wttp to get 40% off your first box and a free item of your choice for life.
- [21:13]
A
Party people, we are doing our second ever segment of the party Buzz where we dig into everything buzzy in the world of talking Unrivaled, the new player owned and led women's basketball league that is starting its second season tonight. Actually, who better to give us all the buzz around Unrivaled season two than our hoops insider, Jordan Robinson. She is the host of the Women's Hoops show podcast and and a new author. Very exciting. Her book Court Queens, which is basically a love letter to women's basketball from the 1800s to the present, is now available on pre order. Jordan Robinson, welcome to the party.
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C
Welcome back.
- [22:02]
A
Welcome back to the party.
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B
Thank you for having me. So excited to be back in the party.
- [22:09]
A
Oh my gosh. You are an author. Let's go. A very important author via look at it.
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C
Listen.
- [22:18]
B
I can't believe it, you guys. It's real and it's here and she's so cute. I mean it was such a labor of love and then to actually see it here and then see people pre ordering it is such a bizarre experience. But I'm so excited for you guys to see it, for everyone to see it. It's beautiful photographs, essays. You go back to the 1800s where they're hooping in dresses down to their ankles and heels all the way to Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, unrivaled. We talk about that in there. The everything in between. There's a lot of hoops in between, so it's great.
- [23:02]
C
Did you find out that I scored over a thousand points in high school?
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A
Did you mention that? I knew this was coming. I knew it. How did that, did that make the book? Because you're going to have to redo.
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C
It if it didn't.
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B
And now we're going to have to re.
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C
Print. Yeah. Reprint.
- [23:17]
B
Dang it. My bad.
- [23:19]
C
Second edition. It'll be the second edition of your book. It'll be in there.
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B
All right.
- [23:25]
A
We are very excited that Unrivaled is kicking off tonight. But Jordan, while we have you, I have to get into this because we just talked about it in our party starter, the 7 foot tall Texas Tech player Stephanie Okeechukwu from Nigeria literally just signed with Texas Tech. A person on Instagram commented Fembi question mark which made me so female.
- [23:54]
C
Wemby.
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A
That's good because, because Wemby of course is the seven foot four. My son says he's seven six because he's still growing. French basketball phenom who plays in the NBA with San Antonio Spurs. But anyway, tell us about Okechukwu. And also I saw. And then I started going down this rabbit hole and I couldn't stop. I saw Donald Daly. Yeah. Just signed Al Tourninsby, a 6, 7 center out of France who also played professional basketball and is available to play immediately for South Carolina. So what is going on with women's college hoops?
- [24:37]
B
It is a super phenomenon that is happening right now in women's college basketball because not only are these tall trees coming in flying in from international waters, but also these mid season signs. Right. That's not typically what happens. So let's first talk, let's break it down into two separate parts. So let's first talk about these two players. So Stephanie, who's at Texas Tech, she is officially the first seven footer in women's college basketball. Not the tallest player to ever play because there's seven footers in the W. But in women's college, she is the first one. And the thing that's super interesting about this is that she played high school in Japan, so she is a freshman. She has not played college basketball before. She hasn't played pro before. But she's coming in very green. But to a Texas Tech Team still undefeated. One of the few undefeated schools in college basketball in the Big 12, TCU with Olivia Miles and their whole team was supposed to win the Big 12. Now everybody's like, hold up, Texas Tech is here to play. And they added someone else to help them. The tallest, the next tallest player on their team is only 6:3. So this is going to help them massively in the paint and be able to stop some of those bigs that are around the Big 12. So huge news for them.
- [26:04]
A
Abby and I were at the UCLA, USC game over the weekend, and Lauren Betts, who's 6, 7, she is 6 7. I was like, oh my God, that poor woman has to do for the rest of her life. Six forever. Forever. She was like. It looked like she was like three feet taller than everyone else on the court. Like, and that's six, seven. So imagine what Stephanie is gonna look like because we, Abby and I were like, oh my gosh. Well, I mean, she just skies over.
- [26:34]
B
Everyone have been able to see Brittney Griner play basketball. She is way taller than everybody else. Brittney Griner is 6 9. So still Stephanie Okachuku is going to be taller than bg. And that is something that women's basketball fans still have to wrap their head around. A seven footer running up and down a woman's basketball court is not something that is normal. She can dunk with ease. You guys. Like I'm talking about, just turn around, dunk with one hand. Barely getting off the floor like this could potentially change the game. And when we talk about Dawn Staley and who she got from France, this is a 6, 7 post player as well. And Dawn Staley is notable for her post players. So what do you think about. And I'm sure this is the same in soccer. When you think about a college program, they're kind of known for the type of player that goes there, right? So Notre Dame is like guard university. That's what it's called because you think of Skyler Diggins, Jewel Lloyd, Arique Gumbawale, like the best, best guards have come from Notre Dame. Dawn Staley is making South Carolina a post player destination. You think of Asia Wilson, Aaliyah Boston, and six seven Camila Cardoso. So we've been able to see how dawn is able to develop post players. Even though dawn was a point guard in her day, she can develop post players really well. And it gets me so excited to see what she can do with this new freshman coming in. And the thing is, with France, they are very Close to the US when we think about the Olympic team and that gold medal game, I'm sure we all were on pins and needles because USA won by one point because Gabby Williams had her foot on the three point line in the gold medal game. That's how close France is to women's basketball. And I think it's been able to put on display all throughout the WNBA with French players. This is the next best player coming in and she goes to South Carolina, who's ranked in the top three right now. And that's only going to make them even better. She can also dunk two hand jams. She's the first French player to dunk in a game and she was playing pro in France.
- [29:01]
A
How? Okay, how? Because I know this is gonna be your second part, but how are they signing the mid season and how are they taking professionals like they are?
- [29:11]
B
Yeah. Okay, so like that seems weird.
- [29:14]
A
Obviously you go usually from college to professional, but you're going backwards now and it feels like you could be 27 and still be signing.
- [29:22]
B
I want to break this down as simply as I can, but I think we have to start with how it's historically gone to how it's changed since then. So international players coming to play college basketball isn't anything new. Like just that piece isn't anything new. According to the NCAA, 264 international players competed in March Madness for men's and women. So that's like 15% of all the players were international players. But the top echelon international players typically skip college and go straight to pro. They get drafted from their home countries into the wnba. And the only international WNBA draft rule is that they just have to be turning 20 years old in their draft year. So Don Malanga in the last draft went number two overall. She was from France, she was 19 years old and she just turned 20. So that is okay. That's kind of the only rule. And typically that's when we meet them, it's like, okay, somebody, a name we didn't know in the draft comes into the wnba. But now with nil and revenue sharing and the NCAA level open the door for international players to say, wait a minute, maybe I don't skip that college step. Maybe I can go back and get a full eligibility because I didn't play college anywhere else. And that is still in the NCAA eligibility rules. If you didn't play a professional game in the WNBA and you were not enrolled in college basketball anywhere else, you have four years of eligibility. That's how they are getting approved now. The player that has set this off because this is happening on the men's side and the women's side, it was a woman's player, Nastasia Claysons. This past year she was a top international pro player from Belgium, even playing in the Olympics. In 2024, she was drafted 30th overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft, but she didn't sign a contract and she didn't even practice with the Washington Mystics. And the NCAA granted her college eligibility this past July. July. And she is currently playing for Kansas State. So it's. Yes, there is a drafted WNBA player playing in college basketball right now. And that is blowing everyone's mind because.
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A
Getting through the court system, how are they, how are they allowing that to happen? Because I know that NCAA has taken it to court to try and not allow her. Right. Because of the professional status and the courts shot down. Ncaa, is that, is that correct?
- [32:16]
B
Essentially the NCAA are saying if they are sticking to their rules of, of eligibility and this fact that she didn't play a game, she didn't sign a contract and she didn't play college basketball. If you get to the basics of what the NCAA rules are, she still has college eligibility. And that is what, what is pushing these through. Because on the men's side you have other international players who are drafted to the NBA, played an NBA summer league, but because they didn't sign a contract or physically play an official NBA game, they are coming back. And. And a kid is playing at Baylor right now and he got signed Christmas Eve. So another mid season. This is kind of a new phenomenon because when I talked about the player Natasha Classens, this happened in July and I think coaches were like, wait, we can do this. Let's hurry up and start this process. And it's just.
- [33:17]
A
And now they're all scrambling probably, right? Because they're like, holy hell yeah. Now this global game. Yeah.
- [33:25]
B
And so for me it's the amateur, right? Like that amateur professional line is so blurred now. When I played college basketball, it was like, did you get, get $2 to shoot a free throw at a halftime game somewhere else? You're a pro player, you're not eligible. And now this, this line is so blurred and I don't know where we go from here. I know that other players are thinking about like, okay, I didn't get, I got drafted, but I didn't play. I got waived. Can I go back? Can I take my Covid year five years later? Like there's so much gray area now and that's Where I think the legal battles are going to start ramping up even more because the NCAA is going to have to define that gray area more. And this is just for international players. So American players are going to be like, wait, what about us? Can I come back? You know, that's where it gets weird.
- [34:21]
A
Oh my gosh.
- [34:24]
C
I do not envy the NCAA right now. It feels like they're. It just feels so overly complicated. And like to me, the way my brain is working right now is like, well, I guess the way that it's being seen by the world is this. That now NCAA is essentially a professional entity. And it's like just going from different professional entity to different. Like maybe you want to go play overseas in Europe at a different professional entity. Maybe you want to go play in unrivaled. Maybe you end up going in to the wnba. And I wonder if the WNBA is going to start taking away the age limitation. Yeah. Of. Because that to me feels like the right move in terms of being able to get some of this talent in to your system. Does the wnba, this is a weird question, totally random. Do the WNBA teams have like lower level teams underneath them, like a system in place that supports. Supports the talent and the, the production of talent?
- [35:24]
B
No, that is a huge miss. That's a hole. Because that's what the NBA has. They have the G League, what it was called before, the D League, the developmental league, and they still get paid. They still get to, you know, get into the system of a team. If someone gets injured, you can call someone up from somebody who is developing underneath you. The WNBA does not have that. And that is, is the whole thing. There's limited spots. And so this is someone that is, is taking a spot potentially coming in. The thing that I don't understand about this is that going back to the player, Natasha, she was drafted. The Washington Mystics still own her rights. They still own her draft rights. And she's playing college basketball.
- [36:14]
C
How. Yeah, and.
- [36:15]
A
And did they take that one to court too? They got shot down in court. Ncaa, I'm actually not sure.
- [36:22]
B
I'm actually not sure if that has gone to court specifically.
- [36:26]
A
Like if they own her rights, how can she play? I don't love this. I don't love it.
- [36:31]
B
I don't love it either.
- [36:33]
A
I think there has to be some parameters on protecting that space. And I don't love that the courts keep ncaa. I know we bash NCAA a lot, but it does feel like they're trying to create some parameter. They lose in court every time. So we're gonna have to get like a lawyer on with us, Jordan, and be like, okay. Because someone said it's gonna have to go. It's gonna have to go to Congress. And I was like, why do you.
- [36:58]
B
Want congress to fix this?
- [37:01]
A
Oh, we're definitely effed.
- [37:02]
B
We're done. We're done for. But it is. I mean, coaches are also furious. I haven't heard too much from the women's coaches, but from the men's side, you know, John Caliperi, an incredible coach. Everybody knows him. He is upset with this role. He's basically saying, for the men's side, why would we recruit from. From high school? Why would a high school player have any shot when you can get someone in the transfer portal? When you can get somebody who is drafted to the NBA and older, an international player who has played NBA experience can come back on your team. Like, this is just like we said, said college basketball once was this amateur place to develop you for the pros. Now you can make millions of dollars. Why would you go to the G league? They only make 600,000. You know why?
- [37:57]
A
Only, only, only.
- [37:59]
B
Can we have some of that, please? We'd love some of that on the women's side, but yeah, yeah, I don't know, guys.
- [38:05]
A
All right, we're going to put on the table because there will be more discussions about this.
- [38:11]
C
This. Okay, so, Jules Peloton is shaping the future of fitness with the brand new peloton cross training tread plus power. It's the most incredible thing. It's powered by peloton iq.
- [38:31]
A
Yeah. Have it. It is amazing. And as you can imagine, abs, I'm am pretty particular about how I work out because I can't just like run on my own anymore. I can't just run like that. Like, obviously we spent our life doing that and training that way, but it is the hardest thing and I won't do it. I just won't. I won't do it anymore. It's not enjoyable. And that's why this new peloton tread plus is amazing because you get all the classes, of course, in front of you. So you feel like you're in a class, but you can totally mix things up. You're not just running. Can swivel that screen and you can get off and start doing a little boot camp on the side. It's so cool, the swivel. I was like, what?
- [39:18]
C
It's the best. It's also. It's been a game changer for me because like you, I can't run, but I can't run because I have foot problems. And so the tread and the forgiving nature of the actual tread helps me to be able to actually move. I can walk on there, I can get an incline on there there. I can swivel that screen. But I think what I love most is that the screen swivels in a way where I can guide and I can do the pilates on the ground. I can do weightlifting. I'm like literally looking at this peloton plus tread.
- [39:51]
A
It's just, it's in your basement. It's stunning.
- [39:53]
B
My wife loves it.
- [39:54]
C
Seriously, I am stunned how much I actually didn't know I needed this. It mixes up my weekly routine. It's guides by instructors. Like I feel like I've got friends and I've got trainers on my side now.
- [40:05]
A
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I love it too. I love it. So let yourself run, lift, sculpt, push and go.
- [40:13]
C
It does it all.
- [40:14]
A
Explore the new peloton cross training tread +@1peloton.com. Let's dive in with unrivaled because ABS and I love this league so much being that it was founded by two players, Nafisa Collier and Brianna Stewart. Being that it's player led, they have equity in the league. It's all the things that we love. Of course. Right. So if you would Jordan, because for our party people maybe some of them are like what the heck is unrivaled? Can you do a reset of just like what the league is and all of that please first yes, yes.
- [40:56]
B
Well first of all I love it too. I'm wearing my unrivaled shirt. I am obsessed with this and it is a professional 3 on 3 full court league and its sole purpose was to give WNBA players an opportunity to play off season basketball in the states because everybody has to go overseas to make some money after the WNBA is over. The WNBA is a part time job for a lot of these players and they have to play pay multiple jobs jobs. So you mentioned it. Nafisa Collier, Brianna Stewart created this player first league. It's first class facilities. Everybody plays in Miami in a Sephora. You know you can get your makeup done by Sephora. They have spas, they have weight rooms, they have everything is first class and how professional athletes should be treated and it and it's been a shock to the system for a lot of these players who maybe their WNBA teams don't have practice facilities. They have to still practice somewhere else on YMCA courts or high school gyms. Unrivaled. Wanted to make sure that it was everything that the players desired. And I totally respect Nafisa Collier and Brianna Stewart for saying, here's a list of everything we want. And they made it. And they made it very popular. The, the players are making well over six figures. They have equity in the league and they are able to get more money throughout the season. One on one competitions. If you win that, you get an extra $50,000. If you win the championship, each player gets $50,000. So it's a way to make money. We're entertained. The social media is off the charts. I think people really realize there was a gap in when you got to see your favorite WNBA player from the end of the season to the start of the next season. And now we get to be following them all year long, get to see how funny they are, how great they are. And it's exciting. It's taken off and this is season two. I'm excited.
- [43:05]
C
Yeah. And not to mention it's 3v3 versus 5v5. And the actual game. So the game, there's more space so you can see their individual. For me, I like watching it so much because I can actually see the individual raw talent. Like sometimes one on ones are like, you know, it's just like it's a different game. It's a lot like the seven aside, like the Sevens tournament for women's soccer. It's like World Sevens. Yeah, the World Sevens. And then the other one, which is the T. What tournament is that called?
- [43:37]
A
Tst.
- [43:39]
C
Tst.
- [43:39]
A
The soccer tournament.
- [43:40]
C
Wasn't the soccer tournament. Yeah. And it's a seven aside tournament essentially. And it's like so cool to see the game in a smaller version. Yeah. In a way. Even though it's a normal size court. Yeah.
- [43:53]
A
Is it a normal size?
- [43:54]
B
It's a smaller court.
- [43:55]
A
It's a smaller court.
- [43:56]
C
Okay.
- [43:56]
B
It's a smaller court. Just so first of all, they have to be in shape in general to do three on three, full court. But they should shrunk the court just to make sure it's not breakaway layups the whole time when people can't get back on defense. But it's great. And the talent, they added two new teams. So they added which I think I'm gonna root for the breeze, which is Paige Beckers, you have Domina, Kate Martin, R, Kia Jackson, Cameron Brink, a lot of the young stars, they put them all on a team. And I talked about the social media. Dom along can also dunk. We've been talking about dunking a lot on this podcast. Paige Becker's throwing Alley oops to Domalonga in practice. And I just want to see it in a game. If it happens, you guys, we are going to lose our mind. So I want that to happen. That's why I'm rooting for them. But we also have the Hive and the Rose team with Chelsea Gray. They won last year, so. So a lot of players to root for. And we get to see the talent on full display in the WNBA off season. And like you said, Abby, it kind of gamifies basketball again. Like, it's not so much about plays. It's just people having fun, showing off what's in their bag. And it's a great time. So you guys should watch.
- [45:17]
A
Did. Did they. Did they. Did they keep the same teams from last year or did they mix that up entirely? Like, is it all.
- [45:24]
C
How do they choose.
- [45:25]
A
How do they choose? The way they drafted them last. Last year was fascinating to me and maybe give that background.
- [45:31]
B
Yeah. So how they drafted them last year is the coaches didn't know what teams they were going to be coaching, so they put them all in a room and they just made the teams even, regardless of who was going to coach what team. And I think that was a great way to just be fair and just to make sure, okay, we have a post player here, we have a guard here. This player plays well with. With this player. So they were just kind of in this brainstorming session and that's how they'd pick the teams. And then they drafted the coaches to. To coach a different team for this year. Not every player came back. So I think that would be different if every single player came back for season two. Maybe they could run it back with the same teams. But essentially they like gave a franchise tag to two players. So there's five players on a team. They kept two players that were on the team that returned last year, and then they kind of threw everybody else's name back into a pot. And so those two new teams are all new players. And then say the Rose got to keep Chelsea Gray and Kalia Copper. Everyone else kind of got mixed around. So that's how they redid it. And it makes it fresh and exciting. Even though sometimes from the Lunar Owls, they were so close to that championship, they're like, we want to run it back, but it makes it fair so that everyone gets a new chance. And they kept. Yeah. Those two players on each squad.
- [47:00]
A
Okay, what. What do you think worked from last year and what can they get better at this year?
- [47:09]
B
I think what worked was the social media, the Hype. They had almost a billion impressions. I think everyone was talking about the league and that is something that you want when you have a new business period. But I think that made it very fresh and exciting. I want to make sure that they keep. You got to keep that momentum. Like you got to make sure that you keep riding that and giving us the same type of content when you're.
- [47:36]
A
Not like the shiny new object anymore. Right. It's a little bit more difficult.
- [47:40]
B
It's hard.
- [47:40]
A
It's not the new buzz.
- [47:42]
C
Yeah, especially. Yeah, especially because there's also this new project, project called Project B that could impact this league. So I think that. Can you tell us a little bit about what Project B is so that the party people can have a better understanding of. Of kind of this competitor league that's popped up?
- [47:59]
B
Yeah, it's. It's so interesting because a few years ago it was the WNBA or overseas and now you have options. Now players have options. And it's. That's the good part. That's the exciting part. You can do unrivaled. You can do Athletes Unlimited, which is another 5 on 5 type of league that's happening in February through March. And Project B is going to happen November through April and it is going to be a global league where you're essentially having tournaments around the globe and then there would be a final team winner at the end of the season. So I kind of. They kind of equated it to tennis. Like everyone's coming to the US Open, it's in New York and everybody's there. You play whoever gets the win, then that adds points to their overall total and it's going to be like that. Now they're talking money. They're saying they are going to pay these players potentially allegedly millions of dollars and they are going to be able to have a global brand. That's the whole thing is just taking these WNBA players and making sure are global stars. There's a lot that we still don't know about Project B, but what we do know is that tech giants have started this Atlanta beard who is a WNBA great, is behind the basketball operations and they are making men's and women's teams starting in November. But if you think about it, the WNBA season goes from April pretty much May to October. Then you'd have to go from November to April. You are playing all year around if you join Project B and the wnba.
- [49:47]
C
Wow.
- [49:47]
B
That's.
- [49:48]
C
That's. That brings it kind of full circle for me right now and, and makes me really want these players in the WNBA to get a better deal so that they don't feel like they have to choose between one or the other, that they can potentially choose staying home and playing in the WNBA without having to go search for the cash. Because I understand what that feels like. Like your, your, your career's finite, your legs, who knows how long that they will last. And, yep, you got to make as much money as you possibly can so that you can secure a future for yourself. Because we don't, you know, in these leagues. I don't know what it's like in the wnba, cba, but, like, I didn't get a retirement fund, you know, I had to do that on my own. And there still wasn't there very much at the end when I retired. So I was like, wow, I have to figure out a new life for myself. So this is an interesting. This is interesting to me because also, if the WNBA doesn't pay their players, some of those players are just going to go and elect to potentially play in Project B full time or in unrivaled full time. You know, like, got to figure out how to, how to do both. Here.
- [50:56]
A
Here. Yeah.
- [50:57]
C
Yeah.
- [50:58]
B
Of course they all help each other because without the W, we wouldn't know these names. You know, the WNBA is, is a key part of what these players want to do and show off. It's the best league in the world still, for talent wise. But like you said now, oh, wait, do I have to play in the W? If I can go make millions over here and that's guaranteed and then I can rest during the summer that history, hello, history has told us that that has happened before. Diana Taurasi was paid by her overseas team to sit out the WNBA season because they wanted her so much. She got paid more to sit out than she would have been paid to play in the WNBA that season. So we don't want a repeat of that. We don't want the biggest stars to just peace out in the W and say, well, I don't have to play play. We want to make sure there's options, but we flat out want to make sure these women are getting paid what they deserve. That's all I care about.
- [52:00]
A
Jordan, you are a rock star. Thanks for filling us in on what's happening in the buzz that's happening in the world of women's hoops. And if you want to find more on Jordan, you can find her on Instagram or TikTok jordanliggins. You can also find information for the very important new author on her Book Court Queen. Big slow clap. 4.
- [52:26]
C
I just pre ordered it. I just pre ordered it. You all should. Folks, I just pre ordered it.
- [52:31]
A
So fast. How did you do that? So impressive.
- [52:34]
C
I got my ways. Thank you so much for. For coming on again. We're going to.
- [52:40]
B
We're going to make party pose.
- [52:41]
A
Party pose. Party pose on three.
- [52:44]
C
O.
- [52:44]
A
1, 2, 3. Does it look like I'm shooting?
- [52:51]
B
Or maybe.
- [52:53]
A
Do I have my hands right way?
- [52:55]
C
Oh, my gosh, Jules. I love her.
- [52:57]
A
I know. She's so cute.
- [52:59]
B
Seriously.
- [53:00]
A
Such a good vibe, huh?
- [53:01]
C
Good energy. She knows her shit.
- [53:04]
A
Yeah.
- [53:05]
C
And gosh, unrivaled and all of these things that are happening in women's basketball, it is a cool time to be alive for the. This time of. Of women's basketball in this world. It's so cool.
- [53:20]
A
Yep. And Jordan is there to keep us abreast of all of it. All right, party people, don't forget to subscribe to the welcome to the party YouTube channel. Click that little bell icon so you can get updates when our new episodes go live.
- [53:32]
C
Yeah. And if you wouldn't mind just taking one quick second.
- [53:36]
A
Oh, please do so.
- [53:37]
C
We would appreciate it if you can rate. Leave a comment and subscribe to the podcast podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. And be sure to follow us on TikTok and Instagram @ welcome to the Party show where Julie, Billy, and I will bring the party straight to your feed. Thank you so much, Kate Diaz, again, for our theme music. We love you. Bring it in, Jules. USA on three. One, two, three. I finally figured out your.
- [54:07]
A
Timing. Did you take a.
- [54:09]
C
Pause? Yeah, I paused and then I'm on with.
- [54:11]
A
You. And then you're on.
- [54:13]
C
Yes. Welcome to the Party is an independent production brought to you by Treat Media. Treat Media makes art for humans who want to stay human. Silver Tribe is our production partner, and you can also watch our full conversations on the welcome to the party YouTube channel and follow us at welcome to the Party show on Instagram and.