We Only Cry About Things That Matter
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When she said, oh, it wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. Don't say that. Don't say that. I was thinking the same thing. Don't say that. You can speak it all you want to. Yeah. But don't say that out loud. This is Queens of the Court. What's up, y'all? Welcome to another episode of Queens of the Court, an Odyssey original podcast produced in partnership with the WNBA. I'm your girl, Cheryl Swoop. And I'm Jordan Robinson. And Court. And Court.

is in session. No. After last week, us being in person, it was so good. That one was, I feel, needs to be done again, but whatever. We're not perfect. Okay. We're not perfect, and that's okay. Happy to be back with you, but we are virtual again. But I'm always happy to talk to you, especially

this week because not only is training camp underway, it started on Sunday. We're recording this on Monday. So it's just like something in the air. The season is officially starting. My timeline is full of training camp clips. And we're going to talk about that. But first, the biggest news of the day, the week, the year, Candice Parker.

shocked the WNBA community by announcing her retirement after 16 seasons in the league. I mean, actually, our producer, Alex...

broke the news to both of us in our group text because we were both off of social media for the time being. And we were like, what are you talking about? What are you talking about, Alex? Candace Parker retired. What? What? What are you talking about? So we thought we were getting punked, but we were not. And Candace Parker is retired. Cheryl, feels like an end of an era. Why did I just get tears in my eyes when you said that?

Everybody's probably like, because you cry at everything. I only cry about things that matter. And Candace Parker, right? And Candace Parker retiring matters. Like I was talking to someone this morning and I said, I'm not sure I've really, I guess kind of digested that. And I think it's because...

Like, like we, no one had time to prepare. Not that she owes us that, but it was like, you know, when Sylvia Fowles retired, when Sue Bird retired, they announced it the year ahead. So they had a year where it was their farewell tour. We got to celebrate them and give them their flowers. And Candace, do you know her middle name? No, I don't. Okay. Well, you know how I like to give people a middle name. Yeah. So I'm going to say Candace. I don't know why Renee, Candace Renee Barker.

Dang, you could have given us a warning.

It's like so Candace fashion to just drop this on us and wait till the first day of training camp when it would have been a question like, wait, why isn't Candace at training camp? She was like, don't even, I'm not even going to let you ask that question. Here's why I am retiring. She did it on her own terms. She, she didn't, you know, have a story drop. She released it on Instagram and had everybody just react to it. And it is very much in Candace.

her fashion to do it that way. But she's always said she wanted to retire on her own terms. And she always said she wanted to, when she couldn't give a hundred percent, when she couldn't, you know, play at the same level anymore, that's when she knew that she was going to retire and she underwent surgery and

on a foot fracture last July and and she wrote on Instagram this off season hasn't been fun on a foot that isn't cooperating it's no fun playing and paying 10 surgeries in my career so it sucks that it had to come you know from an injury but she she still had full control over the announcement and I think that was really cool there's there's a lot in

Everything you just said, but as a former athlete who had to go through the whole, you know, retirement and it was different back then when we retired, there was no tour and all of that good stuff. But what I respect is, yeah, like she did it on her own terms, the way she wanted it to be. And, you know, I respect more than than even that.

There are a lot of athletes in every sport that will just try to hold on and hold on and hold on because they're not ready. And there's nothing wrong with that. But I respect the fact that Candice said, listen, I'm tired of people of hearing people say she's not the same. She's not the same. Let me say this.

Everybody, as you get older, even if you're not an athlete, your body is going to change. Your body is going to do things. You're not going to be able to do things at the age of I'm 53. You're not going to be able to do the things at the age of 53 that you could do at 23. Right. Like that's just part of life. That's part of father time, mother time, whichever one you want it to be. But respect for her for saying, listen, I can't give 100 percent.

I'm not the player I used to be. I'm tired of dealing, not just dealing with, but playing with and through injuries because she did that. And then to say, matter of fact, I need another surgery and I'm just not going to do that. So I respect her for saying, listen, I'm done. This is it. So, yeah, here's my announcement. But Candace Parker said,

You cannot say enough about what she has meant to not just the game of women's basketball, but to sports, to women in general. Right. The things that she's been able to do on and off the court, the accomplishments that she has. You know, one of my favorite pictures or images I remember of Candace was the.

I think it was the ESPN, the body issue where she was on the cover and she was pregnant in the white dress. She, first of all, looks so beautiful. That just took me back to when I was pregnant and getting ready to have a child. And so for me, it's not all the accomplishments that she has as a basketball player, but it's everything she has been able to do and achieve and accomplish as a basketball player and as a mom, because that is tough.

Yes. And I want to talk about that real quick because one, we let's go through her accomplishments because I mean, because we need to, we have to, and let's go back to Tennessee because that was especially for me personally, her playing under Pat summit, wearing that orange, like that was my first introduction to Candace Parker. So she won two NCAA titles at Tennessee and

She was the first woman to dunk in an NCAA game. She was the first and only WNBA player to ever win MVP and Rookie of the Year honors in the same season. More on that in a second. First WNBA player to win three league titles with three franchises, 2016 LA Sparks, 2021 Chicago Sky, and 2023 with the Las Vegas Aces. She's a two-time MVP, seven-time All-Star, and a two-time Olympic gold medalist. Now,

I got to interview Candice in 2021 for a parenting magazine interview. And she told me, just like what you're saying, Cheryl, all the basketball accolades, being a mother is her number one best achievement. Parenthood is her purpose. That's what she told me. And I don't think a lot of people realize this, especially the new fans that we have listening. But

Candice was the only player to get MVP and Ricky of the Year in the same year in 2008. And those last eight weeks of the season when she was playing in the WNBA finals and getting awarded, she was pregnant and she didn't even know. How about that? What? And we talk about too from your story and we talked about it last season, just the whole...

around giving birth and coming back and playing. And this was at the start of her career. And so the naysayers, the doubters, everybody was like, just as fast as she peaked, she's going to plummet. You know, she's not going to be the same. She's not going to do this. So to be able to come back after that and have the career and the accolades that she was able to do, have three championships and finish the career like she did was,

not only did she elevate the game, but it was also different for mothers and athletes who wanted to continue and to prove that this is just a part of my story and being a mother is a part of my story, but I'm still going to go get buckets when I come back and hoop too. So I love that part of her story that I don't think a lot of people know. Which is exactly what she did. You know, you never...

And I'm not like making comparisons to myself and Candace, but she reminds reminded and reminds me so much of myself when I had Jordan. Right. She had Layla and Jordan.

everywhere Candace was, Layla was there. You didn't see Candace without her baby. And I was like the same way. It was like, yeah, I play basketball and that's important, but it ain't as important as me being a mom and taking care of my child. And I don't even know if people really truly understand like the dynamics of that and just how hard that is. Like it's hard to understand

Because she wasn't nothing she did was average, right? She was the best. She was amazing at her craft and took her craft as seriously as she takes motherhood. And to me, that's where I mean, I respect a lot about Candace. Yeah.

But the motherhood part is, that's special because I do, basketball is a sisterhood, but for me, I feel a connection with her from a motherhood standpoint as well. - And we saw her, you know, we saw Layla grow up, but we saw Candace grow up, you know, 16 years in the league, we got to really see her

blossom. And when the conversations, it's just filled me with so much joy, just seeing all of this coverage around her retirement on social media and, you know, on TNT, just everybody talking about it. And when we talk about how she changed the game for me, and I'm curious from

from a basketball on the court standpoint, it was the positionless basketball. You know, you saw Candace being a point guard, bringing it up, then doing a post move, also shooting it from the outside, then dunking like it just elevated

the way people saw positions in women's basketball. And now there are so many players, so many rookies coming in to say, Candace Parker is my favorite player because I wanted to be a point forward, as we called her. And that has been really cool to see the game evolve from her just loving hoop and wanting to have the ball in her hands and be able to score on all three levels.

So the, yeah, the game is never going to be the same because of players coming into the league, even today saying that they watched Candace Parker and they wanted to play like her. Yeah. I remember when she played at Tennessee, that was one of the first things I really noticed and paid attention to was her, her overall game.

At her at her size, her ability to rebound the basketball, bring it up the floor, get all the way to the hole or bring it up the floor, run the offense, whatever it was that Pat Summit, the late great Pat Summit needed her to do. She could do it and she did it well. Right. It wasn't, you know, because even when when I play with the Comets, we had more one, two, three, four, five. Right. Your position, then position lists.

And I think Candace was to me, like right now as we're talking, she's the first player that I can remember where I was like, this is positionless basketball, right? Because she does everything. She just, she could play the one through five and played it very well. I just, I have so much appreciation and respect for Candace.

Everything that she did at Tennessee, everything she did with the Sparks, going to Chicago, helping Chicago bring their first championship to the city. You know, people are always going to say what they want to say. But Candace Parker, without a doubt to me, is one of the best that has ever played the game without question.

Without question. And I personally thought she was going to retire after the Chicago championship. I did too. I thought that was just perfect. Storybook ending to go back home. Which is exactly why she didn't do it. Exactly. Because she was like, nah, I know y'all think y'all know what I'm talking about.

But no, that's not what I'm going to do. Always keeping us on our toes. Another part, too, because we hinted at it. You know, the farewell tour has been really popular. And she said in her Instagram that, you know, I always wanted to walk off the court with no parade or tour. But I saw this one tweet from WNBA Uncut. And, you know, they made a good point. We can't really blame...

for not wanting to do that because it has felt at times that she has been a little disrespected from her peers in the sense of you know what was that five years ago when they voted her the most overrated most overrated player so you know you go on this tour and you're getting your flowers and as much as a you know me as a fan would have wanted that maybe that was a part of it too of like oh

I'm just going to do it my own way because I got defensive player of the year and two championships after you guys said I was overrated. I'm just going to do it my own way. But that could have went into it. I thought that was a good point. Possibly. So because you just brought something up, I'm going to go back to last week's episode because I saw someone tweeted about it. Do you remember my two words for the Las Vegas Aces? Uh-huh.

Right. Disrespected champs. And you can take that as a whole. Right. As the team. But but I also meant that from an individual standpoint, individual players on that team, I feel that.

aren't getting the respect they deserve. Candace, Renee Parker being one of those players. Candace, I know that's not your middle name, baby. Baby, you're a baby. And Asia Wolf, like those are two immediately that I'm like,

I don't know. I just, I don't think they have gotten the respect that they deserve. Hence, that's why I came up with that. My two words. Last thing I want to say, because we're talking about her greatness. How about her being the first woman, and I'm going to go even further to say the first Black woman to be on the cover of NBA 2K. Mm-hmm. Like...

I don't know. That to me says, yeah, I'm going to say it, that she is the sh... I think we would have allowed it because it's Candace. I just said it. Yeah, she is.

Even further, she hinted in her Instagram caption where she announced her retirement that she's not done. Like, yes, she we already know that she's a TV broadcaster. She's a part of Angel City. I'm sorry. Really, really good at it. Really good. But she said, quote, in.

In the meantime, no, I'm a business man, not a business man. You know, get it? This is the beginning. I'm attacking business, private equity, ownership. I will own both a NBA and a WNBA team, broadcasting, production, boardrooms, beach volleyball, dominoes with the same intensity and focus I did basketball. So this is not...

the end of we're going to be hearing about Candice Parker. I think that she has made it very clear throughout her career that she is invested in the growth of this game and women's sports as a whole. And so whether that's her being a talking voice on,

you know on TV broadcasting deals or anything like that or putting her money into a team I can't wait to see all of that develop with her I think it's baby hair Productions because her baby hair has always been laid historically so I I love that for her too I do too all right so

We have this photo that you sent over, Cheryl, and it is of you and Candace cheesing away, smiling. It just looks like, you know, her arms wrapped around you. It just looks like you guys share a really strong bond. So tell us about this photo. So this picture was, I think, at first of all, she has a Whitney Houston T-shirt on that. She does. That's why she and I connect because I love me some Whitney t-shirts.

But that was, I believe, at the 2021 W All-Star game. And I put this picture up because Candace Parker, you know, we always talk about growing the game and everybody has a part to play and respecting the game and respecting those who come or who came before you. And Candace Parker always, always, always, always,

gave myself, Lisa, to players that came before her. She always gave us our flowers and would sometimes go out of her way to make sure that she said hello or that she recognized you or that she thanked you for

for what you did for the game and that we left the game in better condition than we found it. And this picture was she came up to me, we talked, we took the picture and I just have always respected her in that manner.

And now it's my turn to give her her flowers and to say thank you for everything that you have done to grow this game, to promote this game and for everything that you will continue to do. The game will absolutely miss you, but you have left your mark on women's basketball. And for that, I say salute, queen.

Well said. Well, well said. And now she's going to go and be a mom and be able to catch Layla's volleyball games and her son, new baby on the way. So she is going to be able to just have this new chapter in life. And wow, CP3, the real CP3. The real one.

Well, I think that is a perfect place to end it. We're going to take a quick break. When we come back, we're talking training. And now a word from our sponsors at Betterment.

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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. We're back. Welcome back to Queens of the Court. And training camp started on Sunday, and we're back.

wish I don't are you on TikTok Cheryl no do you know like the get ready with me that's too much for me I do I've seen that though so the get ready with me before we go so Izzy Harrison posted like a list

I don't have it in front of me. I kind of just thought about this. She posted a list of like four rookies, four people coming to training camp for the first time. Here's everything that you need. And my brain automatically went TikTok and was like, get ready with me for the first day of training camp. And like, here's everything that you need, which honestly, the content, I would love that. But little baby rookies. So are you wanting, you're wanting a rookie to do that?

I am wanting a rookie to do that. I think that is great content because 23 days ago, these players were just in a NCAA championship game or playing in March Madness. Now their whole life is changed. They are a pro. It's kind of like whiplash just seeing all these players that you're rooting for in college now be a professional and on a professional team. So it's

I mean, some teams even have scrimmages next weekend. Like this is, we're going quick here. So a few rookies were asked about this quick turnaround and we're going to talk about it. Let's kick it off with Angel Reese in Chicago. Here's what she had to say. What's the first thing you've done since you pulled up?

I haven't really done much. I haven't had an off day yet, so I haven't really been able to do much. Just enjoying my team, enjoying the environment has been great. I love just being here. They embrace me so much. They don't treat me like a rookie, so I feel at home. It's close to home. So what were your impressions of the first day at training camp?

Actually, I wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I thought it was going to be crazy. But being able to – so one thing I do need to adjust to is the three-second call. I didn't know about that. Well, I didn't have much knowledge in, like, being able to – you can't do defense in three seconds. So just being able to learn that and having a rest today on day one because we play Saturday. So being able to learn that early is going to be different.

me and Camilla and Bryn. And how was it with Spoon out there? I mean, I heard the insistence when we pulled up. Yeah, she's been super intense. I mean, I love a coach that's fiery, brings energy every day. You know what you're going to get from her. She's going to bring the best out of you every single day. You want somebody to push you every day out of greatness because I don't want to have all day. I want everything to be hard. So coming to a place like this, a special place like this, is amazing. So I'm excited to start from ground up and being able to work with her.

And you come from Beemore, so like give a shout out to Beemore. Shout out to Baltimore, Baltimore to Chicago. I'm super excited to be here. Baltimore, my family came here and welcomed me here. So I'm excited to be here. Baltimore, what's up? And then last one for you. What's on the playlist to get you right? A lot of Megan Thee Stallion. We saw you in the video. You see, we put it on the flow. We put it on the flow. All right. I love her. I love her energy.

I love her energy. She is made for this moment. Like she is made for it. What do you, what do you think? Shout out to the Chicago state of sports, by the way, for, for that interview, but defensive three seconds. There's, I think that's a rule change and there are so many rule changes that they are also going to have to learn immediately. Yeah.

first of all i'm glad she said it because you know i'm i i pronounce the l baltimore yeah we came from there baltimore baltimore yeah okay okay okay she's got to teach me how to do it the right way i love angel love her energy love her excitement i love how she's like just taking it all in um the one thing i would tell her

based off of that interview when she said oh it wasn't as hard as I thought it was gonna be don't say that don't say that I was thinking the same thing don't say that don't you can speak it all you want to yeah but don't say that out loud and especially with team spoon being your coach okay that was day one but uh it will get a little bit tougher

A little bit. Yeah. But, you know, we were talking about these rookies, right? And some of them, I think, are still taking classes, preparing for exams. So they got that in addition. Absolutely.

to training camp, right? And you heard Angel say they play on Saturday. So you gotta learn stuff on the fly. You gotta learn stuff quick. You gotta pick it up quick. Yeah, defensive three seconds, you don't have that in college. So you know what you can do? You're in help side, which Angel does or she did a lot in college, right? She is playing in the paint because she's help side. So for people who are driving, they're getting beat,

She's there in help side, but in the W you gotta get your foot out the paint. You can't be in the lane for three seconds. Another one, shot clock, right? It's 24 seconds in the pros, 30 seconds in college, I do believe. Alex, will you please make sure I'm correct on that? That's another adjustment, right? The game is quicker. So that extra six seconds that you have in college, maybe you're walking the ball up a little slower.

Things are happening quicker, right? It's faster pace. I'm not even entering the camp and I'm just excited to see the reaction from all the rookies and, you know, the vets welcoming them and angels like they didn't treat me like a rookie. It's going to be very interesting to see, you know, just how how the adjustments happen and how quickly they're able to pick pick things up from from every team.

Yeah. Before we get to the next one, she made a TikTok saying, okay, I'm in Chicago. I need a lash tech. I need, where am I getting my eyebrows done? Who is my hairstylist? Like she is putting the foundation for that transition. Oh, she's all about it. Me too. Cause you know, Angel, she's got to come correct.

She has to. I love it. I love it. Okay, next one. Rookie Kaitlyn Clark in Indiana. Here is her on the changes so far and on the veteran leadership from Erica Wheeler.

It was a good first day. It was hard, but that's what you expect for these practices. And just fun to get out there with all the girls and get ready for Friday, honestly. You've been in the same system, same coaching staff for the last four years. What was it like having an adjustment, having an entirely new slate today?

Yeah, I think it's definitely different, but that's what you expect when you start a new chapter of your life. This coaching staff is fully prepared. I think they've been watching me for quite some time. I think the stuff they have planned and the actions we're going to run are going to be really good for myself, but really good for this group in general. A lot of screening action. It's fast, a fast shot clock, but

I think all of you know, like, that's how I like to play. So I think it suits my game pretty well. And, you know, it's a fast pace, a lot faster than college. You got to learn quicker. You got to, you got to get your mind on fully whenever, you know, there's no time to be tired. You don't have however many weeks to prepare for your first game. You got less than a week. So I think that's the biggest thing is going to be a lot of, you know, film, a lot of like mental reps, more than on-court reps, because you got to take care of your body and

uh, be ready to go. Caitlin, what was the best piece of advice you've gotten from one of the veterans on this team? Man, I think, uh,

Well, Erica has been amazing. Like she's just been somebody that's been there constantly in my ear and somebody that I can always ask questions to. And I think just the biggest thing from whether it's people inside our locker room or whether it's people on the outside that I've talked to, I think just like giving myself grace, like it's going to be a learning period for me. And, but at the same, same time, like still have the same confidence and belief in yourself that you've always had. Like, that's, what's got me to this point of just being myself. So continuing to be me, but also like, there's going to be things for me to learn and I'm going to learn very fast, you know,

there's not much time to mess around. So I think continue to be myself, but also like give myself grace in that too. She talked about that fast pace.

we are moving. First of all, Indiana Fever's social team is working. It has to be 10 of them. They are working 24 hours around the clock to put out this footage. And it's working because it is getting me so excited to just see the pick and rolls in the training camp action between her and Aaliyah Boston. And it just, it's fast.

You see Caitlin already playing that point guard position and it's working because I'm really excited to see how it translates. But she talks about how fast it is and how they only have a week to prepare. So she's fully in it, fully in it. And the thing is, there's a difference in being fast and quick.

Right. And the Indiana fever, I think knowing, as she said, they've been watching her for a while. And so knowing I don't even know if it's she said, that's how I like to play. Right. But understanding her strengths and to say, here are the sets we're going to run. We're going to play fast paced.

But there's got to be a balance, right? Yes. This is how Caitlin loves to play. This is where her strength is. But is that the strength of an Aaliyah Boston, an Alyssa Smith, right? So I think it's a balance of we're going to push. We're going to get out. We're going to run when we can and when we can't.

We have the pieces to be able to run a very effective half court set. I agree with you. When I watched some of the clips and stuff for Indiana, I was like, oh, this is my word that I thought I said was fun. This is going to be a fun team to watch. So I'm excited about it. And, you know, when Caitlin talked about just the adjustment period, again, every single rookie, every,

And you know what, Jordan, it's not just rookies because there are players who, who, you know, who come from, from Europe, who come from overseas and they're not rookies, but it's their first year in the W it's an adjustment period for them because the game is different. The style is different. And one of the best things she said, I feel whoever gave her that advice, if that was Erica or whoever it was, was, yeah, you should, you absolutely have to give yourself grace.

Right. Like, don't be too hard on yourself, especially in the beginning, expecting to be that same type of player that you were in college because it is a different game. It's a different level. But I'm excited to see what this Indiana Fever team is going to do this year. And I'm going to give myself a little plug.

Um, I'm actually doing the Dallas wings. Indiana fever came on Friday. So, and I'm excited to see Dallas. So yeah, I'm excited. Looking forward to it. That's going to be good. And I also think we're talking about, you know, the rookies and all this adjustments and all of that. Not a lot of rookies are going to have an offense really tailor made to them.

Like everyone else is like, get ready. This is what we do. This is how we've been doing it. And now it's like, we are restructuring everything for our number one draft pick. So it is a very different circumstance for, for her than other rookies. But, you know, training camp, like you said, isn't only for the rookies. It's for a lot of, uh, of returners, people in new spots. Um,

So at Washington Mystics training camp, Shakira Austin was asked about what she wants to show this season. Shout out to the incredible Washington Post Kareem Coatland, who shared this audio on social media. Let's take a listen. I want to show that I can be the best player on a team, but also make the people around me better.

I think the two kind of get intertwined. Some people think that just being the best player, you don't have to be a leader or you don't have to really come in and do any extra. It's just showing up and giving your buckets and then that should be enough. And that's not what I want as a player. That's not what I want.

for a team, I don't think it works. So I just want to be able to show that, you know, caring about your team can get you a little bit further than focusing on yourself. Hey, Shakira Austin, she said, I want to show that I can be the best player on the team, but also make people around me better. And...

There's no real ceiling for her in my mind. Like she is just going to ascend and keep ascending. I think on both ends of the floor. And we've talked about, you know, Washington, how my two words for them was question mark,

Because we don't know what they're going to do this year. But I do know what Shakira Austin is going to bring. And so, you know, she battled injuries last season. So for her to come into training camp already be ready, I think she's just going to hit the ground running from game one. Well, I mean...

She said it best. She wants to show that she can be the best team on the best player on the team. And I think she's headed in that direction. You know, it's always the key to me is always can you stay healthy? Right. She has all the tools in the book. And with Edie not playing this year.

I mean, Shakira Austin is going to be able to just play basketball. And I love when she said, "And make everybody around you better." I think, you know, the pieces to your question mark, if they can find a way to get all these pieces to come together, to gel, to figure it out. I mean, this Washington Mystics team can be interesting.

They can be very, I don't know if that was my word for them. Maybe. Interesting. Maybe. I know we need to have a, we need to get a running list so we can keep going back and referencing. I will say to your healthy. I love everything about, I'm sorry. I just love everything about what she said. And I'm excited to see what she brings to the floor this year. To your point about staying healthy, you know, she was a part of the WNBA initiative, you know, where it's,

it kept certain players from going to play overseas and just put them into marketing things and, you know, kept them here, paid them to stay. And she was really one of the faces of the league during this off season and a lot of marketing materials and everything like that. So I, I think it's obvious that,

she has that star power and I think it also helps that she wasn't playing overseas and was able to kind of rest her body some. So even more primed for this upcoming season.

Next one, last one. In Chicago, new Sky head coach Teresa Witherspoon was asked about Dana Evans, who is about to start her fourth season in the league. Shout out to the Chicago Sun-Times, Annie Costabile. Here's what coach had to say. Incredible leadership in who she is.

She wants it. As a playmaker, that's important that you lead by example. You know exactly what the head coach wants, being the extension of who I am. And she wants it, and she has it. She wants to be a leader. You can't imagine what that young lady is going through right now. But she's here in practice, and she's fighting, scratching the clock for us to be better. Okay. Wow.

Well, we can't imagine what she's going through. Maybe that'll come out later. But, you know, Dana Evans is so fascinating because she has had sparks of

of play, but her playing time was kind of up and down over these past couple years. Now you look at the Sky roster and everyone left or went somewhere else and she kind of stayed. And I hope she's rewarded for that. And when you hear those words from Teaspoon, it seems like she is really high on her point guard. Well, I mean, Spoon herself was a point guard.

Right. And I know the type of point guard she was. And for some reason, I feel like that's the type of coach she's going to be. Very intense. Very competitive. Like she said, Dana wants it. Spoon wanted it. So if I'm Dana Evans right now, like I'm just salivating.

The fact that Teresa Weatherspoon is my coach, I get to learn from one of the best that's ever played the game. I think for Dana Evans, and you said it earlier, I think it's just opportunity, right? Like she needs minutes because to your point last year when she got those minutes, she

She produced. She was good. Right. Who has to be on the floor so people can see what she's capable of doing. And right now for the sky, you know, I think Spoon is just one thing I know about Spoon. It's not going to be about if you're a rookie, if you're a vet, if you've been in the league 10 years, you've been in the league four years. Spoon is going to play the players that are going to compete and that want to win.

right right and so looking at that team right now it's up in the air like you gotta go earn it you gotta go get it you gotta want it and to hear her say what she just said about Dana Evans I would say Dana Evans can expect to see some more playing time this year right you have to be feeling good and I just looked up real quick I wanted to know what she was doing overseas and she was in Turkey

played 27 games was averaging 23 points, shooting 36% from three. So she's coming off of a really great overseas season. And hopefully that has built her confidence up and she can just roll in to a bigger role with the Chicago sky. And I think she's ready for it. I think the fans want it. I mean, she's so fun to watch, especially when she gets hot. So I think this is going to be a great fit for her. So yeah,

I love training camp. It's going to go by so fast. I'm trying to get to the Sparks training camp tomorrow. I'm trying to get to the Sparks training camp tomorrow before I leave town. So I'll keep you guys posted on that. I want to see what's going down on the ground. Do tell. Give me the tea. Give me the tea. All right. Another break. When we come back, we're going to introduce a brand new segment. Ooh.

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All right. All right. Welcome back. I am so excited to introduce this new segment. This is going to be called Bring It To Court. Bring It To Court are the rules. This is incredible. Each person has 24 seconds to make their case. That is the same as a WNBA shot clock.

We are going to do, let me just set some precedent, use some lawyer speak. I am obsessed with lawyer shows. I'm obsessed that we have this wordplay with Queens of the Court and we have gavels engraved with our names.

love everything about this. I just finished The Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix. If you have not watched it, it is great. It's incredible. I love Suits. I love Scandal. I love How to Get Away with Murder with Annalise Keating. I love lawyer shows. So I'm bringing what I've learned from my extensive research. Cheryl's rolling her eyes. My extensive research to Queens of the Court. So here's what we're going to do.

I'm going to go first because this is my topic and I am going to defend my case next time.

If it's Cheryl's topic, she's going to go first. And the listeners, here's where you come into play. You're our jury. We will post this on social media. And this is not about your personal feelings on the topic. Take that out of it. You have to be unbiased. It's about who made a better argument. Okay? We're going to have a timer running so that we stay true to our time.

And we have to do, yeah, our opening statements. This week's topic, does pineapple deserve to be on pizza? All right. The timer begins. Your timer starts now. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I think...

that pineapple deserves to be on pizza. It not only adds a sweetness to the saltiness of the pizza, it's a little fruity taste, a little tropical taste to your pizza. It adds a little extra nutrition to your meal, if you really think about it. I like the sweet with the salty. Pineapple deserves to be on pizza. Yeah. And you went over your time, but okay. Thank you. Thank you very much.

I like your argument, but your honor, I object. And here's why I object. Okay. Here's why I object. Pineapple absolutely does not belong on pizza because of the strong taste of pineapple. It will take away from why you're ordering a pizza, the cheese, the meat, the vegetables. I need all of that. The pineapple is just going to distract from the real taste of pizza.

Objection! Speculation! Who's saying that it's going to distract? I have so many more thoughts, but we just have one statement to prove ourselves. This is not sponsored. You should have put all of those thoughts in that first 24 seconds you had. Whatever. I will let it slide.

That's a fast 24 seconds. Oh, I'm sorry. It was very fast. I'm also going to debate this. I'm not sure where Alex got that clock from because that time was moving pretty fast. We need some longer Mississippis in there. All right. You guys have to vote. Not on your personal taste buds if pineapple deserves to be on pizza, which it does. But that's besides the point. Please vote. Put in, you know,

Pizza, pineapple on pizza or not on pizza. All right. Finally, that was fun. First of all, I love that. We're going to keep doing that. Can I add one thing before we move on? Yeah. Also, if you all have some topics that you want us to take to court, send them our way. Send them our way. That's what we're here for, to take it to court.

Objection. Yeah, I've been watching. I binged that whole show in like three days. So it is really on my mind.

I loved it. That was so much fun. All right. Finally, today, we want to shout out Lena Moss Glazer, who just concluded her last week at Odyssey. Lena was the person who spearheaded this podcast and brought it into production. We will always be thankful for her support. Like I told her, she helped foster this dream of mine to be able to talk WNBA basketball every single week. So, Lena, we love you. You are...

Thank you.

Wish you nothing but the best and sending you big love, big kisses, big hugs. And you will always have us in your corner. Thank you, Lena. Love that. Please continue to follow, rate, and review the show. It's available on the Odyssey app wherever you get your podcasts. You can also send us questions or feedback to the same listener email address, queensofthecourtatodyssey.com.

And y'all know what it is, what we do. You can find us on social media. I'm at airsweeps22. And she, her, Jordan is at...

- Hey, Jordan R. - Pineapple belongs on pizza. Queens of the Court is an Odyssey original created in partnership with the WNBA. - The show is produced by Alex Ozzie. The executive producers are Maddie Sprung-Keizer and Leah Reese-Dennis. Social media assistance from Isabella Apple. Music from T-Storm Battle. And again, a very special thanks to Lena Moss-Blazer.

And court is adjourned. Is adjourned.