Recapping A Wild Weekend In The Wild West (Presented By AT&T)
50:03 Share

Shout out to AT&T for keeping us connected and for sponsoring today's episode. An Everything Shower is a shower where you pull out all the stops to pamper yourself from head to toe. And an Everything Shower isn't complete without Osea's new Andaria Algae Body Wash. Osea will turn your shower routine into a tropical paradise with its iconic, all-natural, and uplifting citrusy scent.

Andaria Algae Body Wash infuses your shower with the healing power of the sea. Formulated with nourishing, nutrient-rich Andaria seaweed, glycerin, and an oil blend. It's pH balanced, hydrating formula, doesn't strip skin, lipid-rich, and has a lot of anti-inflammatory properties.

leaving it feeling soft and renewed. Osea has been a major upgrade to my everything shower, from its gel-like texture to its luxuriously rich lather. And of course, its super fresh scent. The Andaria Algae Body Wash has totally upped my skincare game. Its natural, plant-based ingredients creates a gentler cleansing experience than traditional body washes. It's the same...

iconic and uplifting citrusy scent as the best-selling Undaria Algae Body Oil with uplifting notes of grapefruit, lime, and cypress blended with sweet notes of mango mandarin. If you want to experience the scent of summer all year around, you'll want to make it a staple in your everything shower too. With Osea, you never have to choose between your values and your best skin.

Their skincare is clean, vegan, cruelty-free, and climate-neutral certified. Osea is mother-daughter and women-founded and has been making clean, clinically tested, seaweed-infused skincare for over 28 years.

upgrade your shower with clean vegan face and body care from osea get 10 off your first order site-wide with code queens at osea malibu.com you'll get free samples with every order and free shipping on orders over 60 head to osea malibu.com and use code queens for 10 off

School is back, and Dick's Sporting Goods has what you need to win your year. We've got everything from cleats to sambas, dunks, and more. Plus, the hottest looks from Nike, Jordan, and Adidas. Find your first day fits in-store or online at Dick's.com. There are some really good international players, and somebody on our team, Team USA, is going to have to take that challenge of guarding somebody and shutting somebody down. This is Queens of the Court.

What's up, y'all? It is your favorite duo of all time. Welcome to another episode of Queens of the Court, an Odyssey original podcast produced in partnership with the WNBA. I'm your girl without much of a voice, Cheryl Swoops. And I'm Jordan Robinson. And court is in session.

We made it, Cheryl. We made it to our respective destinations after craziness of airports and weathers and glitches and all of everything. What a weekend.

Oh my goodness. All Stars is just always my favorite, but one, we got to record in person for a little preview episode. If you guys missed that, go back and listen to it. Super excited. I was so excited about that. It's always fun. I felt like we just kind of hung out a lot this weekend.

I don't know if that was just me. I felt like I got my dose of Cheryl for a good long while. I got to see you more this All-Star weekend than any other. And it was like, we...

I don't know. I just, I had so much fun and that's probably why I don't have much of a voice right now. Just, just not even yelling, but like, you know, just laughing a lot and enjoying being there and being around so many amazing people. But I probably yelled a couple of times across the room at somebody. So maybe that's why my voice is gone, but not always. Wow. But what a time, you know, Jordan, um,

So probably the last, I'm going to say, I'm going to say three all-stars have actually felt like more like NBA all-star. Yes. Because in the beginning, right? Like when the league first started and it was just that, it was just a game where there was no skills competition, no three-point contest, no, like all the different parties and events and activations. It was just,

It's just so different. And I think that's what excites me about All-Star Weekend is that it's actually that it's an All-Star Weekend with so many different things going on versus just going there, playing the game and you leave.

Yeah. It's a moment where we all get to come together with our cutest outfits and we're going to different activations. We're going to different parties. Everybody is there. It's very much, you know, be seen and be on the scene, but also to celebrate the W and to celebrate not only this all-star, but all the ones that have come before, right?

And especially this year with the send-off for the Olympians and Team USA.

And we talked about it over and over again. And we're going to talk about the game in a second. But it was different than a normal All-Star because it was so competitive. The whole weekend was competitive. And we're going to start with Friday with the skills competition and the three-point competition. Typically, those are a little more lighthearted, maybe a little fun, jokey. But there was some big-time money on the line. Yes.

we have to give you your props. You called it again. Starting with the skills competition, Alicia Gray took home the crown. And I repeat from a previous episode, Miss Swoops, how does it feel to always be right? Don't do that. Don't do that. Don't do that. Listen, Alicia Gray did not come to play. Or maybe she did come to play. But

I mean, so my whole thing was, and if you didn't listen to the previous episode, at least for the skills competition, for me, I feel like it's all about like speed and quickness and accuracy. You got to have that too. But the speed and quickness. And when I looked at the contestants in it, I was like, yeah, Alicia Gray. But I also thought Erica Wheeler would have had a chance had she been able to make it. If she did.

I mean, we do have to talk about that. Yes, her flight was canceled. She was stuck in Atlanta. So her teammate Kelsey Mitchell filled in for her while wearing Erica Wheeler's jersey. But not the same. Like she could have. That's kind of going to be a shoulda, coulda, woulda. Like what would have happened if she was there? But yeah, yeah. The flight's messed everybody up. But you know.

they're always going to compete. But when you have $55,000 on the line for skills for three point contests, like all the jokes and games, like they throw that to the side because everybody is going to get the bag. And Alicia Gray, like, I think I told, I think I told my brother, I don't know. I told someone, I said, she just made nothing. I'm like counting anybody's money.

I mean, it's public. It's out there, right? It's out there. It's out there. But she made $110,000 in less than an hour. Yeah. An hour max. And her salary is $165,000. How about that? How about that? So that really puts it in perspective that Aflac put forth this money with the WNBPA to

to, yeah, make it count for a little bit more. That was nice. You know, we talked about it, but Alicia Gray was serious. When they were starting, she was focused. She was not messing around. She was going so fast. Also, the skills competition this year,

I feel like it had a lot more shooting elements. Like you had to make a top of the key, right? A mid, a free throw line jumper and a corner three with this contraption, like a windmill trying to block you and distract you. So I felt like that was a little unique this year where it's like usually dribbling and more of passing. Yeah. Yeah. So there was shooting involved. Um,

Which also leads us to her winning the three-point competition as well. And I did not get that one right. Woo!

I saw that coming. Like we were talking about Marina Mavry putting her name in both, you know, both opportunities, but Alicia gray, she straight up said when asked like, why the three point competition? She was like, uh, you know, I was already here. Like mine as well. And this really worked out for her. Man. The wire, Cheryl, the last shot, John Quill Jones and Alicia gray were in the finals.

JJ missed the last shot and that would have won. Alicia Gray had the best reaction ever on the bench, on the sideline, realizing that she just won both competitions. Oh my God, how crazy is that? Speaking of, let me do this. And so Alicia, excuse me, Alicia, when you hear this episode, so, you know, I was sitting like,

courtside. So when she came by at one point, I think they were shooting free throws. And I said, let me get a loan. So she said, oh, I got you. So Alicia, you forgot about me, boo. Yeah. Let me hold just like 10,000. I love it. I love it for them. It's God, that's nice. Big ups to Aflac. I love it. I love to see it.

And, you know, with the three point competition, I think I picked Kayla McBride because this was, you know, I think both of us did. And this is her third time competing. And, you know, when I was watching her and Marina Mabry, I think we were also thinking Marina was going to shoot well, too.

The three-point competition is different. It's not in-game three-point shooting. And sometimes players are just better in-game three shooters. And I think Jonquil Jones really surprised me because she just had the rhythm, the cadence of,

of the competition, of grabbing the ball and having to do the same stroke every single time. And that's how you are successful in these competitions. It's not always who has the best three-point percentage during the season, right? Like that's not always the case. And for a three-point shooting contest, that's what it's about. Like just that rhythm and the cadence. And when you find your spot,

It's just nice to be able to keep that rhythm. And that's why a lot of players who are actually good shooters don't like getting in shooting competitions like that. Yeah. Which is really weird when you think about it, but...

It's different. It's different. Like, I think of Stephanie Dolson because she, you know, this was her first time and she finished with like, I think it was 12 seconds left on the clock. Like she just went so fast. You don't know that rhythm, that cadence. She was just letting them rip. It's the time. It's the spotlight. It's the crowd.

It is nerve wracking. But Alicia Grey stayed calm, cool, collected. We learned that her goggles weren't actually prescription. They're just for style and protection. I don't know about which one I like best, knowing that they're not prescription or thinking that they were. I know.

I kind of liked that I thought that there were prescription, like, oh, this is helping her see, but they're just cool. That was funny to me. But she was like, well, the secret's out. My goggles aren't prescription. She's so funny also. Just so country. Oh, my God. Yes. So hilarious. Oh, my God. I love it. I love it. I love it. I love it. Oh, man.

And Asia was rocking the goggles courtside, too, cheering her on. So that was a fun time. I think it was a fun Friday night putting it all together. The 3x3 game was also there during that time. That was the first. You know, I'm a big 3x3 fan, so it was fun to see 3x3 on that stage as well. What did you think about that? I thought it was fun.

And we knew who, you know, the WNBA players are, right? For me, it was also fun to look at and see the collegiate players, right?

who were playing but out of all of it I was happy to see Ryan Howard back out on the floor me too yeah me too and back on the floor looking confident looking ready she scored majority of the points for Team USA and this is what I am expecting when they go um to the Olympics so I think

They have a good squad. They took care of business. They showed us all why they are supposed to be in those positions. I did have those feelings of like, man, Cameron Brink should be here. I know. Will be here. But my heart was going to let it go.

But it's okay. Next time, the future, she'll be there. I was excited to see something different, right? For the skills competition. I know that wasn't it, but the 3x3, it was fun to see that. I don't know if I knew that was happening. Yeah, I actually didn't know. I'm like, I didn't know. It was a pleasant surprise. Okay, yeah, yeah.

I loved it. And then also before we bump to break, I just want to talk about Phoenix for a second because I think Phoenix was a great host city.

for the All-Star, being able to show off the new practice facility for the Mercury, just have everybody there to put eyes on it. They had a custom-built court for the All-Star game, which was never done before, and it had all the former names of everyone who was an All-Star on the court. Just like special touches, but it just

Just felt elevated. Like you said, it felt like an NBA all-star. They really brought it. So shout out to Phoenix.

Well, and I mean, Phoenix, the fans, they've always been some of the best in the league. And so no surprise that they showed up and showed out and did the same thing for All-Star Weekend. To me, the worst part of it was the heat. It was hot. Yeah, it was very hot. It was just miserable. It's very hot. Very hot.

I'm not made for it. I'm not made for it. You know, it's so hot when you just, you like, I walked outside and I had a fan and it did nothing. Like I was just waving hot air into my face and it was nothing. It just felt like you walked into an oven every time you stepped outside. Yeah. No, no, no, no, no. So let's, uh, don't know where it'll be next year, but let's hope it's

Somewhere a little cooler, maybe? Yeah, we've done back-to-back deserts. We've done Vegas. We've done Phoenix. I think we all deserve to be somewhere a little cooler. I mean, it is July, but just, I don't know, maybe by the water or something.

I don't know. Somewhere with a breeze. Seattle. Seattle could be nice. As I was walking in the heat, sweating, I was thinking of Seattle being the next place. Seattle could be really, really nice. But for some reason, I think it's going to be Indiana. I think so, too. I think that's a fair prediction. That's a lot of what people are saying.

Indy, Seattle. I think we also would just have an opportunity to see the facilities that the Storm have built. I think they have the resources to have a really solid all-star weekend. People love Seattle and love going to those games at Climate Pledge. So yeah, I would love Seattle. But Indy? I've never been to Indy. I have. Do you like it? No.

Jordan, I can't laugh with you today. I just can't laugh. My voice won't let me. It won't let me. But Seattle, Indy, eh. It's a toss-up. It's a toss-up. All right. Well, we're just making the big win. Wherever it is, I'm there. We're there.

We're there. I'm there. Hopefully we can we can do it again. We're going to take a quick break. But when we come back, we're going to we're going to get to the nitty gritty. We're going to talk about the game itself in prime time. We'll be right back.

Calling all WNBA super fans with AT&T 5G and home internet. You can connect to what you love your way. You can cheer like crazy in the comfort of your living room, kitchen, bedroom, or backyard, which might startle your neighbors, but they won't judge you for it. You could fist pump after watching your team hit a buzzer beater while you're on a train surrounded by strangers. Who cares how you look? You enjoy the moment.

Or you could let out a triumphant roar when your team makes an incredible trade. Don't worry if you're out with your coworkers. They know what this trade means to you. So however you watch, listen, or read about your team. And no matter how, that makes you act. AT&T 5G and home internet keep you connected at home and on the go.

AT&T, connecting changes everything. AT&T 5G requires a compatible plan and device. Coverage not available everywhere. Learn more at att.com slash 5G4U.

And now a word from our sponsors at Betterment. Do you want your money to be motivated? Do you want your money to rise and grind? Do you think your money should get up and work? Don't worry, Betterment is here to help. Betterment is the automated investing and savings app that makes your money hustle. Their automated technology is built to help maximize returns, meaning when you invest with Betterment, your money can automatically

auto-adjust as you get closer to your goal, rebalance if your portfolio gets too far out of line, and your dividends are automatically reinvested. That can increase the potential for compound returns. In other words, your money is working like a dog while you can be sleeping like one and snoring like one too. You'll never picture your money the same way again. Betterment,

the automated investing and savings app that makes your money hustle. Visit Betterment.com to get started. Investing involves risk. Performance is not guaranteed.

This episode is brought to you by Honda. When you test drive the all-new Prologue EV, there's a lot that can impress you about it. There's the class-leading passenger space, the clean, thoughtful design, and the intuitive technology. But out of everything, what you'll really love most is that it's a Honda. Visit Honda.com slash EV to see offers. Welcome back to Queens of the Court. And it's time to break down the all-star game.

Okay, let's just put out the facts first. Team WNBA defeated Team USA 117-109. Arike Gumbawale wins MVP, game leading, career best of any all-star game, 34 points on 8 from 13 from 3, just insane.

And I can't wait to talk about this with you. But my first question is, did it live up to the hype for you? Absolutely. It did. I don't know what my expectations were, but it lived up to the hype. Right? It was fun. It was exciting. We got to see just

Just some talent. I know we're going to talk about Arike rightfully so, because we should, and she probably is the only one we should be talking about. But I would also say, like, watching Kelsey Mitchell, Alicia Gray, and Arike Gumbuale, those three guards were, like...

I don't know. I don't know. Like quick, fast, can just score. Like they can just score the basketball. And it was so much fun to watch up close and personal. Up close, yes. Let's set the record straight. You're sitting courtside. I didn't say it for that reason. Well, I'm going to set the record straight. I have the bird's eye view from way, way up. And it's still a little good.

On the court, being able to see it very up close and personal. So you got a real front row seat. Jordan, I mean, some of the fadeaway, falling out of bounds at the buzzer, like Kelsey Mitchell hit. And Arike, every time she shoots it, though, I'm like, that's good.

Because it just looks like it is. And it wasn't until, honestly, I just read these notes where it said she had zero points in the first half and ended up with 34. All caps. Zero points in the first half. I, you know, I was sitting in media seating and they're handing out the stats every quarter. They give you a printout.

And at halftime, I, you know, followed with my finger Arike's name all the way over to zero. And I just said, oh, okay. You know, she's just not going for it this year. Like, I was okay with it. I'm like, you know, she won MVP the last time they played Team USA. Maybe she's just not going for it. Wow. Yeah. She had...

I think it was 12 points in the first like five minutes of the third quarter. And she said after, you know, in an interview that she just took a deep breath. Cheryl Miller, the coach for team WNBA just said, inhale, exhale. And that was a result of 34 points. So I'm going to start doing some more deep breathing. Maybe I'll drop it. It was so pretty. It was so pretty.

And then, and then she was just laughing. Like she was having a good time, but the laugh to me was like, this is just so easy. You know what I mean? Just what she does. And I also think, you know, we talk about living up to the hype team, WNBA, uh,

they, it was still their all-star game. Like, I think that's what it proved to me. It was still their all-star game. So they were having fun. They were doing, you know, a little more trick plays a little bit like there. It was more on Team USA, the expectation wise to win this game. So Team WNBA was playing a little more loose. And I think Arike's

Circus shots off one leg. I mean, it was just her night, but it was very much their all-star game. So they were just playing a little more free. Well, absolutely. I think for Team USA, they were focused more on running their stuff because let's not forget they're preparing for the Olympics, right? So they're trying to figure out, like Coach Reeve is trying to figure out

combinations, what works, what doesn't work. And they're working on sets. Two observations for me, for Team USA. I don't know how healthy Chelsea Gray and Nafisa Collier are. Because of their limited minutes. That, but also when they were in there, they weren't in there for long, right? And it wasn't

I don't know. So I have question marks besides both of their names. Okay. Right? Like, how healthy are they? Second observation, defensively, especially on the perimeter, we, meaning Team USA, we got to be better. Now, granted, I don't think they're going to run up against...

the Arika Gumbawale type perimeter players, right? But I will say once they get to the medal rounds, there are some really good international players and somebody on our team, Team USA, is going to have to take that challenge of guarding somebody and shutting somebody down. I think that's a great point because even if you aren't going to run into an Arika specifically, in a lot of these games,

games in the Olympics, sometimes it is one player that's going to kill you. Like there usually is just like a superstar on that team. And I think this showed that

okay, who is going to be that person to say, okay, you're done. You're not going to drop 30 on me anymore. And they, and I, again, Arike was just out of this world, but Ka tried to stop her, tried to slow her down. Couldn't do it. Then it was Jackie Young tried to stop her down. Kelsey Plum. They had, they put them through the rotation and,

But nobody was able to kind of stop her. And I think that that has happened before where someone's just like, all right, Team USA, I'm about to have the best game of my life against you. Because I also know that this is the stage that I'm going to be able to be noticed if I play well against Team USA. And so you're going to have to shut that down so that...

you got to make somebody else beat you when it comes to a metal round type of deal. So I think that's 100%. But in saying that,

Let me also just remind the people who might be saying since two years in a row, W All-Stars beat Team USA. Well, even when it happened last time, Team USA went on to win the gold medal. Now, don't get too excited. They keep thinking that we don't have the right team, right? Because without a doubt,

we're sending some of the best players in the world. So I'm not worried. I'm not questioning. Are we good enough? Do we have the right pieces? Without a doubt, they're going to go over and take care of business. Those are just a couple of, I can't talk today, of observations I saw that I'm like, okay, they really got to work on this. And the bad part is they don't have practice time. They don't have a lot of time.

They really don't. I mean, we're recording this on Monday, July 22nd. They played on Saturday and they were on an overnight flight to London. They have the USA Basketball Showcase in London on July 23rd against Germany. So that's Tuesday. And then...

It starts like July 29th. They go against Japan and we are off to the races. So team WNBA definitely took it as we are getting more

our sisters prepared and we're not going to go easy on them because we wanted them to feel prepared. But to your point about sending the right team, I want to toss to some sound because Arike was after that performance, a lot of people were saying, well, how come she's not on Team USA? How did they

I put her on the team. And we have to remember that she withdrew her name, but she actually had an interview with SportsCenter where she gave a little more detail. So here's that sound. You said in June that you took yourself out of consideration for the Olympic team months ago. Your brother, Darre Ogumunwala, he tweeted during the game, quote, an all-time Team USA snowman. I see you laughing right there. What went into your decision for you not to be involved in that selection process?

Yeah, I mean, I was involved in it, you know, the whole years leading up to it. You know, I went to camps and stuff. And just as a player and just I know myself and I know what I see. And I just wasn't feeling like they really wanted me on that team. So, you know, I just removed myself because it is a process to, you know, keeping your name in the pool and, you know, having to go to these things. So if I already knew and felt that I wasn't going to be on the team, I just removed myself from that. You laughed a little bit when I talked about your brother, Darre, tweeting you bad out. Yeah.

You know, what did you think when you saw him tweet that? I'm 100 percent sure you didn't tell him to say it. But I mean, it's your brother. So, you know, he's going to go out there and defend you. You also mentioned that there's a little bit of politics involved in this election process and really politics involved in anything and any sport that anyone is out there playing. But what are those figurative red tapes or hurdles that made you say maybe it's not worth the trouble?

I think, like, when I said politics, I was just referring to, like, just sports in general. Like, and it's not even just women's basketball. I said, you know, all across professional sports. And, you know, there are some great players that aren't on teams. There are some players that aren't that good that aren't on teams. And I'm not just specifically talking about USA basketball. So when I said politics, I'm just speaking in general. Just I've obviously been involved in basketball my whole life. And, you know, I've been...

a part of some things that had political, whether it was college, you know, WNBA. So I kind of just said it like that. So there were flags. There were, you know, things that I just felt. But at the end of the day, you know, they choose who they want to choose, and that has nothing to do with me. And I'm very confident and comfortable in myself and my skills. So, you know, whether I'm on the team or not on the team, I'm still blessed to play the game. You know, God has blessed me with my abilities, and I'm just going to keep doing what I do.

What's your reaction to that? I thought that was a great little snippet to put in context what's been going on. Well, I don't disagree with her. Right. I don't either. I know she said she's speaking in general, right? Just about in sports. But I think we know what she was really talking about. Yeah.

To me, there's no question that she deserves to be on the team. But you and I had this conversation before. I do think she is one of the players that deserve to be on the team. But then you go back to the whole, well, if she's on the team, then who do you take off? So I don't want to get into that. But it's interesting.

And that's what brothers and sisters and family is supposed to do. For sure. They're supposed to do that. And so when... Listen, let's just be very real. Let's just keep it real. Without a doubt, I know she had zero points in the first half to finish with 34 points all in the second half. Like...

I don't want to say she was trying to prove something because she even said she knows her game. She knows who she is. She knows that she deserved to be on the team. But to say, you know, when you've been around it and you've been doing it, you get a feeling or you get a sense of, you know what? I don't care what I do, how good I play, how much I show that I'm better than her or her or her. I'm just not going to be on the team. Mm-hmm.

feel that, right? So you get to a point where you're like, I just don't want to deal with the politics of it. So I'm just going to remove myself from the situation. And I think that's what Arike did. She was like, listen, I went to training camp. I did it.

Show that I deserve it. But I know like right now I am not going to be on this team. So let me just remove myself and go focus on something else. Like I'm not mad at her. I'm not either. Protect your peace. And mad respect. Because a lot of people wouldn't have done that. It's a little bit of like.

I'm going to break up with you before you can break up with me type of deal. I'm at peace with this. So I'm going to remove myself. And I love the part that she said at the end, whether I have a USA Jersey or not,

I know how great I am and how good I am. And that confidence is so important because sometimes with accolades and all-star MVPs and all-star, you know, awards and, and Olympic roster, sometimes it feels like you need that validation in order to solidify yourself as one of

the best hoopers in the world. And I think that what I always say about Arike is she is your favorite hoopers, favorite hooper. She is. That is the type of score that she is. And so it's always nice just as a human, just as a woman to just hear her say like, yeah, all of that is nice, but I know what I can do. I know what I bring to the table. I know who I am.

Remember last year, Asia Wilson, remember when she said, I don't need a stat sheet to validate who I am in this league? Yes. That's like a recap saying, I don't need a USA jersey or to play on the USA team to validate my greatness. Like, I don't. And so, like, shout out to her. Yeah. But I'd love to see her on one of those. And she sure is. For selfish reasons. That's just me.

She sure ain't let you forget it. I don't think it's a coincidence that these two MVPs have come against Team USA. So she's going to make sure that you know and that she, you know, walked away as the biggest storyline from this All-Star weekend. But just to go back real quick to the Olympic roster, I'm right there with you. I don't feel like we should be worrying about

uh, Brianna Stewart, who had a quiet 31 points, 10 rebounds. If you can even have a quiet 31, but it was quiet. I know she did some work. Asia Wilson is putting in work. They show that they are really the two anchors of the squad. Um,

I think they're going to be five. And I think the All-Star Game showed to me, anyway, that the future Olympians are also going to be exciting. Like, Kaitlyn Clark having 10 assists in an All-Star Game and Angel Reese having a double-double in the All-Star Game. That right there is insane. What? Who does that? Who does that?

In an all-star game. She does. She does. The connection between Caitlyn and Angel was perfect. It was fun to watch. So fun. You said Stewie had a quiet, what was it, 31 and 10? Yes, yes. Angel had a quiet double-double. I know.

I didn't realize that until after the game. I was like, what? A double-double in an All-Star game? Her offensive rebounding was on full display, even against all of the best players and all the best rebounders. And it's like she has...

a magnet underneath her skin in her palm. Like she just has a magnet for the ball and just goes after it and grabs it. So seeing that on the biggest stage as well, it definitely lived up to the hype. Like everybody was where they were supposed to be and they performed in front of a sold out over 17,000 people in that arena. It was a great time. It was a great time. No notes.

No notes. I don't know. Like what's, how, how do we top next year? Do you have thoughts on Pitbull? And I don't mean just on the court. I mean, off the court, my thoughts on Pitbull. No, none. I don't, I, my, I questioned why him? That was no. You weren't alone. You weren't alone.

That was the one kind of miss for me. I think in retrospect, I was like, yeah, Mr. 305, Mr. Worldwide. But then I was like, you know, there could have been some other options that we could have ran with here. This would have been great in like 20, what, like 2013? This would have killed everything.

The players today are probably like, who is that? Yeah, I don't know. That one didn't excite me. All right, maybe we have one note. No. Maybe not Pitbull. Okay. I will ask you this before we get to our flower segment, though. What was...

I don't know why I can't talk today. What was your favorite part of All-Star Weekend? Oh, my favorite part of All-Star Weekend. The games were great. Three-point competition was amazing. Even though I was nervous without a Caitlin Clark Sabrina, it still was a lot of fun. My favorite part of All-Star Weekend was finally being able to put to rest

that I showed up for the Swoop Suisseuré brunch. And I did not only show up, but I was the emcee and I was able to just give you your flowers. Oh my gosh. And

put the event was beautiful it was so well done it had a personal connection to it with you Cheryl people showed up for you and rallied behind you and it was a blast and I was so happy to be there and that was my favorite part

I was happy you were there, and that's not why I asked you that. I know, you didn't even know I was going to go there. No, I didn't, but for a lot of reasons, there were so many different events. But that was my favorite thing about All-Star Weekend, was bringing together not just former players, but women in the media in that space, but also...

being able to give free mammograms to everyone that wanted them who attended. So, cause that's pretty special to me. I just, I really enjoyed all-star weekend.

It was great. It was great. People were DMing me in my comments. Like, did you go to Cheryl's brunch? Were you there? Like they, you have a small army behind you making sure that I showed up and I did. But you know what, Jordan? I never doubted how, like, I never doubted that you would be a great like MC or,

But it was even better than I thought it would be. And it was so great to have you there and for you and I to be in the same space together. And yeah, you held it down. You just did what you do. So good. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. All right. Well, that was me giving you your flowers before we get to our flower segment. I'll take them. But when we take a quick break, we're going to come back and we're going to talk some more flowers. We'll be right back.

Overnight, Duncan's Pumpkin Spice Coffee has sent folks into a cozy craze. I'm Lauren LaTulip reporting live from home in my hand-knit turtleneck that my Nana made me. Mmm, cinnamony. The home with Duncan is where you want to be. At BlueNile.com, you can find endless ways to make your moments sparkle. From classic and timeless jewelry gifts to creating the custom engagement ring of her dreams. All at prices you won't find at a traditional jeweler.

And right now, you can save up to 40% on fine jewelry and 25% on engagement ring settings during the Blue Nile Anniversary Sale. Going on now. Go to BlueNile.com to shop the Blue Nile Anniversary Sale and save up to 40%. That's BlueNile.com. Welcome back. And it is time for Giving Flowers presented by AT&T.

My favorite segment because... Mine too. I just feel like All-Star Weekend was a lot about giving flowers. And so, Cheryl, why don't you kick us off? Who do you want to give some flowers to? Oh, well, I gave you yours already. Thank you. I accept. There are a lot of people that I want to give flowers to, but I'm going to...

I'm going to give flowers to all of those who not only attended and showed up for All-Star, but they show up anytime we need them. And that is the stylists, makeup artists, hair. And I'm going to say particularly the three that I had this weekend because they kept me fresh. They kept me late. They kept me slayed. And they showed up. So my...

Man, thank you. These are your flowers. I love you for just taking care of me this weekend.

um, Maddie, and I know everybody out there, you're getting to know her. If you don't know her, you will, but Maddie had me fresh every single day. Um, the looks were looking and, um, Donnie, Donnie did it, the makeup. It was just, you know, and not just for me, for all

All the players, like they keep everybody looking good. And so I don't think we give them their flowers enough. We give them their credit enough. And so I am giving this to the three of you in particular, but to all of the makeup artists, beauticians, hair, stylists, just thank you. They're behind the scenes, but they're doing a lot of work and they're showing up for...

These big moments, like you got to look good for these big moments and you look great. So that was an all-star team that you had with you all weekend. Thank you. What about you? Who are you giving flowers to? You know, I want to give flowers to just being a sports journalist and really diving into the WNBA over, you know, the past like five years or so.

I just want to give flowers to all of the journalists, all the media people who have a focus on the WNBA and women's basketball, who have been in the trenches, not just parachuting in. Like you have been here covering this league for many, many years and even from the beginning.

I just love being in those media work rooms and just up with people who are telling the stories of these student athletes because it is so important, especially now when the spotlight feels bright. Like we need to know these.

Players in this league. We have some really talented but funny and personable players that their stories need to be told. So content creators, digital creators, other podcasts, like there are just a lot of people.

who have dedicated their work. And sometimes they're not even being paid by an outlet. Like they are just there because they love the game and they just brought their mic and brought their phone to record. And I left the weekend. I was sitting at the airport, very delayed, but I was very inspired. I was like,

I want to create more content. Like I want to look at different ways to tell stories about players. And that is how I feel every all-star weekend. But I feel like this one was,

A little extra. So I just want to give all those flowers to the other media members who are in the trenches way past the game. They're, you know, cramming out a story to make sure that they're in their outlets on time, on deadline. So, yeah, just want to give their flowers to them. And rightfully deserved. Because to your point,

All of you, because you're a big part of that. You guys have been here from day one and you are truly invested in telling stories and making sure that the player stories are out there. And lots of times you don't get your credit. So, yeah, I like that one. I like that one a lot. And I will say this because there are so many people we could give flowers to. But I do want to this one person. I'm going to say a huge thank you to Christina Williams for that.

um, the icon dinner alongside with Coren Carter. I was pleasantly surprised and just so grateful and appreciative of everyone that showed up. I had no idea what they were doing, but Christina, you did your thing and, um, I am forever grateful. So thank you.

That was a blast. That was so much fun. I don't think I knew it was a surprise. I'm glad you didn't. Cause it was a surprise. All I knew was that I was told, Oh, come to my dinner.

They had posters of you. It was to give you flowers. So that. I'll come to your dinner. Wait, that's amazing. I don't, I did not know that. But yeah. I'm glad you didn't. I'm glad you didn't hurt it. Oh wow.

But I love surprises. And also, side note, that party, Christina, the goodie bags were so good. Cheryl, we were just talking about how the goodie bags all weekend. Luckily, just for some random reason, I packed an extra like tote bag. I would not have been able to get all of that stuff home. Like it was incredible. I love free stuff.

And it was good free stuff. Yeah. You know what I mean? Like it was stuff that when I got home, I was like, Ooh, let me go do this. Yeah. Let me try this. Yeah. Yeah. It's a real goodie. Put the goodie in goodie bag. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yep. All right. Well, this has been giving flowers presented by AT&T.

And make sure you guys keep following, review the show. I enjoyed meeting all of you, you know, so many of you in person saying how much you love the show.

That will never get old because it just reminds me that people really listen to the show. Sometimes I just think, Cheryl, we're just chatting away and this is our weekly call, our weekly catch-up. But no, people are actually listening. They really do. They really do. Well, we love hearing from you. It was so great to see you all at All Star. And starting next week, we're going to start doing...

a mailbag. So if you have some pressing questions, and Cheryl, I'm just going to say, it could be about basketball, but it could also be about

life too. If you just have some questions for us, we're going to be pulling from the mailbox. So send us an email at queensofthecourtatodyssey.com. I have a lot of people come up to me and talk about the podcast. Like you guys keep doing it. You're my favorite. So thank you y'all. That means a lot to us. And if you didn't see us and you didn't speak to us,

You know, you can always find us on social media. You can find me at air swoops when 22. Let me say that again. Y'all I can't talk today. Great. Social media is air swoops 22 and she heard Georgia. You don't get along with it. She is. Hey, Jordan. Just a quick little shoulder shrug. I get it. I get it. Queens of the court is an odyssey original created in partnership with the WNBA.

The show is produced by James Jackson. The executive producers are Asha Saluja, Maddie Sprankiser, and Leah Reese Dennis. Social media assistance from Isabella Apple. Music from T-Storm Battle. And a very special thank you to Lena Moss Glazer and the one and only Alex Ozzie. And court. And court. Is adjourned. Is adjourned.