A Trip to the Desert
52:36 Share

This episode is presented by AT&T 5G. Fast, reliable, secure. 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, lube-soluble, and has a lot of

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 OseaMalibu.com. You'll get free samples with every order and free shipping on orders over $60. Head to OseaMalibu.com and use code Queens for 10% off.

For

$45 upfront payment equivalent to $15 per month. New customers on first three-month plan only. Taxes and fees extra. Speeds lower above 40 gigabytes. See details. And De'Erica Hamby tweeted this, and I loved this so much. She said, the girls must be synced up this month because what is going on? Or something, right? De'Erica, that was funny.

That was funny. I didn't see that one, but that's funny. This is Queens of the Court. What's up, everybody? Welcome to another episode of Queens of the Court, an Odyssey original podcast produced in partnership with the WNBA. I'm your girl, Sheryl Swoops. And I'm Jordan Robinson. And Court is in... Is in session. Let's go, let's go, let's get it, let's get it.

Oh my gosh, we have so much to talk about. I feel like these weeks are getting longer and of all the things. Juicier and spicier. I see. I know I was just going to text you just one of those chili emojis because it's good. And I would have so understood it.

It's been spicy. Let's just get right into it because we don't have a choice. Let's start with Sunday's game. The New York Liberty defeated. I don't even know if that's the right word. No, no, no, no, no. They didn't defeat them. They spanked that ass.

They spanked it. I'm sorry, Aces. They did. 99-61 per ESPN. The 38-point difference is the largest loss by a team holding the WNBA's best record in league history. We were just talking about all the records that the Aces have been breaking. I don't think this one was on their bingo card. Like...

I get it. Teams have off nights. That's why you play the game, right? That's why you play the game because you never know who's going to win. But I saw somebody, it was either LaChina or Tarika. Somebody said, if you tell me you saw this coming, you're a lie. Lies. Like, no, there's no way, no way at all. First of all,

A lot of people pick the aces to win the game. I didn't pick either way. I was just like, it's going to be a good game. Yeah. I was excited. I thought the same thing about the first time they played. I was like, this is going to be a really good game. A 99 to 61 point game was not a very good game.

Yeah. That was a beating. That was a beating. If you're the Liberty, you are so happy and you are smiling from ear to ear. Inescu scored 31 points. She was just on fire. Had a freaking flamethrower for an arm that game. And the crowd, like you can't underestimate the crowd. 11, over 11,000 fans.

sellout crowd. They had to open up the upper deck. It was beautiful. It was beautiful to watch. It was beautiful to listen to. Can I rewind for one second? Because it's not our flower segment, but you know, I just keep it real. I call it like I see it. And let me preface this by saying, I still don't think Sabrina has done enough to be on the cover of 2K. I don't. I don't. Not yet.

I'm gonna say this Sabrina shot the leather off the ball last night or yesterday incredible I found myself actually mesmerized by how well she was shooting the ball and and the reason why I was impressed yesterday is because I personally think I think Jackie Young is a a pretty good defender right

So in my mind, I was like, Becky, you need to leave Jackie on Sabrina, like for the entire game. Because I'm watching and I'm like, anytime Kelsey Plum was on Sabrina. Oh, yeah. It was her. I her eyes lit up like, yeah. OK. OK. Come on. Come on.

I'm only bringing that up because I'm not a hater. I know people will be like, oh gosh, she's just a Sabrina hater. I'm not. I'm just a keep it real type of person. So I'm just giving her her flowers a segment because what I saw Sabrina do yesterday was beautiful basketball. Mm-hmm.

It was, I mean, beautiful is just the perfect way to describe it. I mean, it was great to see Courtney VanderSloot pass Tisha Pinochero for assists in that game. It was just so much star power on the court. And going back to the fans for a second, just...

It just felt exciting. And I think my favorite part about all this, the Aces and Liberty are playing four times this month, including next Tuesday, August 15th in the Commissioner's Cup Championship game presented by Coinbase. And the series for the regular season is tied 1-1 because the Aces did win in June by 17 points.

But I am like giddy. I'm like, I have butterflies just every single time they're going to meet up. Even though the Liberty were up by as many as 42 points, it was still really good basketball, especially that first half. The third quarter was just something else. But the first half, it was just back and forth, high scoring. It was fun. It was fun. It was. And you know what?

it was a, what is that, 38 point deficit? But games like that are so good for our game. It's so good for the game. National television, everybody's watching. I don't care that it was a 38 point loss by

By the Aces, I care about the, let me see, 11,418 fans in attendance. Yeah. And people woke up this morning talking about that game. Like, it was good. It was so, so, so, so, so, so good. It was good. It was good. Asia Wilson finished with only nine points. She was two for 14 shooting. She took a...

an elbow to the face by jonquil jones i think that was in what the first quarter first yeah that was almost the end of the first quarter i think it was like her her neck yeah wrote somewhere yeah it was it was ugly it was ugly it was but she bounced back she finished the rest yes she did we're gonna talk about her uh her press conference what she had to say a little bit later because i think

Yeah, I think she was right to say it, but we'll get on that. But my favorite quote is what Becky Hammond said. She said. Becky keeps it real. Always. She is always going to keep it real. She said, that's a good old fashioned ass whooping. But I don't mind.

getting our ass whooped every now and then. It's a good reminder that you're still human and you've got to go out and prove it every moment. Lord knows we're going to see them plenty this year. I love that quote. Well, I love it too. But I, you know, I'm always trying to

find little underlying tones and stuff I read. Read between the lines. Well, no, so here's what, and because Becky was a player, right? Mm-hmm. Played for the Liberty, played alongside Spoon and VJ. Like, I know how these Liberty, former Liberty players think, and now the head coach. So the part where it said, um,

but I don't mind getting our ass whooped every now and then. I took that as we're pretty good. So tonight just happened to be your night. All right, we'll take this one. It's a good reminder that you're still human and you've got to go out and prove it every moment. I totally agree with that because here's the thing. Sometimes you get so comfortable in being so good that you made a good ass whooping every now and again to bring you back to reality.

So now you're like, oh, okay, we're good, but we still got to bring it every single game. I don't want to take anything away from the Liberty because Stewie played well. Yeah. Sabrina played well. Yeah, just everybody that entered the game for them. So not to take anything away from the Liberty, but I will say this about the Aces. There were times in this game

that I didn't recognize that team. Yes. Do you know what I mean? They started going one-on-one. And you saw Asia in the huddle saying, like, that's not us. That's not us. We got to get back to who we are. So it was a little bit of an identity thing. And that just goes to show how much New York kind of took them out of that and how big this moment was.

Okay, let me ask one thing. It was a lot of conversation about Candace Parker. Do you feel like the Aces missed Candace in this game? I do. One, from a leadership standpoint. So when we were talking earlier, when I said they didn't even look like the same team that we've seen.

I think a lot of that is Candace not being there, just her veteran leadership and her presence on the court. There were moments in that game, because even Asia is not completely there yet, right? From a leadership standpoint of pulling everybody together, saying, "Listen guys," right? And that's what Candace's presence brings. But the other thing, I

I feel they missed in that game is having Candace's presence in the paint. Yeah. Right? Her ability to score the ball in the paint. Even her ability to bring JJ away from the basket. The space, the floor. And put it on the floor and create things. Absolutely. Like Alicia Clark, you know, I rise hard for her. Love Alicia Clark. Alicia's not Candace. Kia Stokes is not Candace.

I do. I feel like they miss Candace on both ends of the floor, offensively and defensively. Good question. At one point, it was second chance points 0 to 12 in favor of the Liberty. And I was like, the Aces aren't even getting offensive rebounds. That doesn't even seem right. That's what I meant, like the Liberty really taking them out of their game and making them play at a different speed at their own separate game. So...

And yeah, we're going to see this matchup over and over again because the Aces have heard the New York Liberty. It definitely heard all the talking from the first law in June. Now the Aces are hearing all the chatter about this loss. Okay. Well, there was definitely some, some drama in after that game that we're going to break down our tweet of the week later, but yeah,

Let's move on to the rest of the drama throughout the league that really just happened yesterday. And De'Erica Hamby tweeted this, and I loved this so much. She said, the girls must be synced up this month because what is going on? Or something, right? De'Erica, that was funny.

That was funny. I didn't see that one, but that's funny. Let's start with the Sparks and the Mystics. Okay. I don't know if you saw this. We're going to get to the Dallas and Chicago, but I don't know if you saw what happened. The final 30 seconds of the game, the Sparks were up by three points. Leja Clareton was driving the lane. Brittany Sykes came over aggressively late to help.

They both fell to the floor. It seemed like Sykes pulled Leja down. It seemed like Leja pulled Sykes down. Then Sykes quickly got up while Leja was still on the floor. She grabbed Leja's back of the neck, pushed their face towards the ground. Leja starts kicking. Oh, I didn't see that. Oh, my God. From the beginning of it, I didn't see that.

part. Maya shines out and luckily swoops in. She whiffs Sykes away, but it was about to go down. And both players got ejected. The Sparks went on to win 91-83, but... Alrighty then. That was just one... That was just one game. That was what...

Oh, see, I was ready for the spice from Dallas and Chicago. We gonna get there. I had a purpose. I only saw. Yeah. So what I saw, and I think this must have been the highlight. I saw Lay going in for Layup. Sykes comes over. I thought Sykes took Lay down. Yeah. But Sykes, Brittany felt a different way. Mm.

Like, like Lay took her down. So all I saw was when both of them were on the floor, Sykes gets up, right? And is coming over, stands over Lay. And Lay was like, oh no, what you not gonna do is. Gave her a nice little kick to the growing area. And yeah, and I guess I missed the rest of it.

The ladies are ready to tussle. That's all I'm going to say. And I didn't watch because all these games, I have to say, were on at the same time.

Which drives me bananas. Bananas. Because I tuned in right before this happened. So I did. I had my popcorn already ready because I turned over from the Aces game. But I didn't get to see what kind of led up to this, if they were going back and forth all game. Because this was the final seconds. It kind of came down to it. And the Sparks were able to pull it out. But that was a lot. And then...

Let's go to Dallas and Chicago because you want to talk about a lot. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let me set the scene. So first thing that happened was a scuffle between the Wings guard, Odyssey Sims, and the Sky guard, Dana Evans. So when that went down, it was both of them got technical fouls.

And also Ruthie Hebert came off the bench and like pushed Odyssey Sims in the back. Ruthie Hebert plays on the Chicago Sky. So she got ejected from the game after that happened. And then the other part, just a little bonus. Then they took it to social media and started talking a little bit more.

They were throwing some virtual punches, as you may say. So Odyssey Sims commented on the video of all this going down. She says, don't ever come for me. All caps, period. I don't have time to give little babies my energy. That's my Odyssey Sims voice. Okay. Oh, my God. I live for this. I'm thriving right now.

When Dana Evans came back, she said, babe, you fouled out in nine minutes. Your only stats were six fouls and one turnover. And one turnover. And the kissy face emoji. Oh my gosh. Listen, I don't know what's the funniest part to me is Odyssey,

calling Dana baby basically or Dana coming back calling Odyssey babe like just the way she addressed it babe I'm like oh wait she said 6001 turnover that's all you did tonight blue hey oops I I I love it I'm here for it this was we need a little spice and juice and all of that in our game you

little spice. It's August. It's like mid season. We just need a little little dry. So some paid out.

It's hot outside, so let's bring the heat inside, too. According to ESPN, the officials called 54 fouls that game. Most in any WNBA game this season. So they were going at it all game. And then we got to get to the final minute, which happened to Arike, which everybody is also up in arms about. So Courtney Williams made a hard foul on Arike. It was less than a minute left.

Courtney Williams may received a technical foul for that call because it was very just blatant. It seemed like she just wanted to stop the clock. So she kind of tackled our Rike a little bit.

And our Rike's momentum was taking her towards the ref. This is my opinion, her momentum from that foul. It was taking her towards the ref. The ref was also stepping towards our Rike. They slightly bump into each other. And then after the refs review the foul situation, they toss our Rike out for making contact with the ref and she's ejected. So it wasn't even right after it happened, which,

which normally happens, a ref gets bumped and they just throw them out. It was after they reviewed it and I'm just scratching my head. Cheryl, help. Help me understand. But Jordan, even after... My thing is this. If you didn't eject her when it first happened, to me...

That says there was nothing there. Like, like it was nothing about that was intentional. Right. So then you're going to the replay monitor to look at the foul. I'm assuming right. The foul by Courtney Williams and you come back and you eject the

Arike because you see her first of all I watched it a gazillion times right I was like let me because as a former player right sometimes we're in the moment and I was like did Arike try to get a cheap little shot in right right like I I know refs are human they are they're human just like we are we all make mistakes

But what I have seen, and not just this game, what I have seen all season long from the referees, I'm like, y'all need to go back to school. Let's start over. Here's the part that frustrates me because there are no repercussions for refs making

just horrible calls, especially in the heat of the game, right? The game's tied, it's close or whatever. And you, you go eject Arike. I'm just, those are the types of things that have happened this season that if you're paying attention, leaves everybody just scratching their head. Like, like what is what's honestly, what's really going on. Yeah. So, so as a player, um,

And I know you got to watch what you say. You got to hold your tongue because you're going to get fine. You'll get suspended, whatever. But it's so hard to do that in moments when you're like, please, like you can't even ask them questions, right? Like, please explain to me, what did I do? Please explain to me what happened. And then they just look at you like, how dare you ask me any questions? You're out.

Yeah. No, it just, it doesn't, it doesn't make sense. And especially when these, these ladies like they're busting their butts every single day for moments like this and to get ejected over something that was nothing. That's ridiculous to me. Like at,

Last thing I'll say at some point, like the refs have got to be held accountable, just like players are held accountable if they go in. And I think we're going to roll the clip of Arike, right? But if players go in and have comments on refs, they're fine, they're suspended. But yet what?

What's happening to the refs who are making these types of calls? Yeah, and I think just on an over, even beyond that, is the league looking at, okay, this season it's been a little...

out of whack or it's a little abnormal with the refs. So let's go back to, to our investment in how we process and get referees for the league. Can we start back even from there to make sure we're getting the best product to come ref these best players in the world?

So it's like we gotta go a couple steps back. But you mentioned our Rike, let's roll the clip of what she had to say after the game after she got ejected for the second time this season. I just got mauled by Courtney Williams like obviously no offense to her. She filed me. She wanted to do a file but the ref is walking into me. I don't know. She wants me to jump out the way but they can't be sensitive if they get hit like she was looking for something.

I just watched it back a million times. She's saying I intentionally pushed her. If I'm going 100 miles per hour and I get fouled and pushed and you're walking into me, there's no stopping. So I don't know what's going on this year with the revs, but that was the worst call I've ever seen in my life. There you go. But it makes sense, though. Like her breaking that down, it totally makes sense. Like if she...

Courtney Williams fouled her hard, right? Just the momentum. Her momentum takes her into the ref. Like, I don't know. I have no idea. Like, that's what she said. What do you want me to do? You want me to jump out of the way? Like, here's the thing. Like...

Last thing we'll say, because we got to move on. But Arike, this was her second ejection of the season so far. You don't expect that from her. Like she doesn't carry herself in that way. And in just this game, two players were ejected, four technical fouls. And if you remember in June, a Dallas game, when Arike was ejected that first time, it was 10-10.

10 technical fouls in that game, the most ever in a regular season game. And it's like, what is what's going on? Like, I don't I don't know. But uh, this is a lot. It was a lot of drama. It is. It is. And let me I want to go back for one second before we move on. I don't remember when it was. But Phoenix played Chicago. Mm hmm.

And I looked at the game. There are two refs right there. Diana, not saying she intentionally did it. Mabry has the ball at the top of the key. Do you know where I'm going with this? I remember this. Yes. Yeah. And, and she, Diana slaps her in the face, like a big slap in the face. There's no call. Watching that video. It was like, I was getting pranked. I was like, what did I just watch? Like it,

It wasn't just a little baby tap. Like, oh, my bad, my bad. Like, it was a real whack. Mabry just kind of like, like she was shocked. I don't know if she was shocked that she got slapped or shocked that there was no call. Right. So my point, you can't let something like that

slide and then an accident of a player who just got hacked clobbered her momentum takes her into you and you eject her after you go look at the replay

Excuse me. Really the inconsistencies and even with the challenge being added this year, you know, that just is another thing that players and coaches have voiced frustration. Like I have to use my challenge on a basic call because you guys aren't getting this right. Right.

So it's been a lot of conversations around the refs, and I think that's going to be continued throughout the season. I would just ask if we can just make sure that we're getting the top tier refs just as another league or any other professional league. That's all I'm going to say on that. We're going to take a break. It was a lot of spiciness in this segment, but we're going to come back and we're going to talk all things. 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

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. All right, we're back.

And Cheryl, let's take a trip together. Oh, where are we going? We are going to the desert. We're going to Phoenix. I don't want to go to the desert. But with you, Jordan, let's go. Let's go. It'll be a quick trip. The Phoenix Mercury. Oh, I tell you, they are currently in 11th place. And yet...

They have so many storylines and so much going on. And let's start with the positive because Diana Taurasi became the first WNBA player to reach 10,000 points. And she only needed 18 points in the game to get it, but she dropped 42.

Because it's Diana Taurasi. And she's dropped 42 at age 40 and said, hold that. But Cheryl, what I want to know from you, because you know Dee, you played with her. How special was it to see her reach this milestone? Well, you know, I think for people who truly know the game and know Diana, it was just a matter of time, right, before that happened.

To me, I'm just so glad that she was able to stay healthy, be healthy and make this happen. I loved her press conference. I loved everything she said. You know, she's like at some point there will be another player that will come along and will be just as dedicated to this game and their craft as I was and will break this record. Maybe. I don't know. 10,000 points. That's a lot of points. A lot of points. So

but Dee's very, she's very humble. She talks a lot of you know what, but she's very humble. I feel like I know how special this was to her because of the work she's put in, the time she's put in, and then to be able to do it and celebrate with her wife, with her kids. It was a special moment. And

I didn't watch the game, but just seeing the highlights and everything everywhere, it was so special for me to be able to see it, to witness it. And if any player was going to do it, if any player was going to be deserving of it, absolutely, it should have been Diana Taurasi. She has put the time in. She's put the work in. Dee's a hell of a player. And that record alone, I don't know if it'll ever be broken.

Maybe. I really don't know. Tina Thompson is next on the list, 7,488. The next active player on the list is DeJuana Bonner, 6,694. It's going to take somebody just starting their career with this goal in mind and is averaging 30%.

30 a game because Diana scored so much for so many years. And I just thought it was exciting. Of course, she broke the record on a three-pointer just to see the crowd and just to see everyone kind of rally behind her because it is special. And it's very much special for the

I think so many people and so many people at the beginning of the inception of WNBA couldn't even have imagined a player, you know, the league being around long enough to get 10,000 points. So to have this, this milestone and I,

I hope it gets broken one day because that means that the league is thriving and there's many more years and more players. And that's what records are made for. But there was something I read on Twitter, and maybe, Alex, you can search this for us. It was real interesting because I saw someone said that Diana scored – I know it was on a three, but she scored 42 points and it had –

had something to do with eight and 24. Yeah, it was on the game clock. Right? Yeah, it was on the game clock. She scored 42 points at 824. Is that correct? I believe so. I just thought,

I think that was right. That in itself, and especially how Kobe called her the white mamba, I just thought all of that was so significant. But it was, I don't know, there was something special about that to me.

Yeah. And they were saying, you know, the 42 points is BG's number as well. And BG was out that game, but she was wearing a Diana Taurasi jersey. And let's talk about Griner for a second. Just saying with Phoenix, you know,

She missed three games to focus on her mental health, which we talked about last week. She returned on Saturday and she put up 22 points, six rebounds. But she also had something to say about just being able to take that space away.

to focus on her mental health. Let's listen in. Brittany, was the plan from way back for you to take some kind of mental health break during the season or did that just... There's no plan with mental health, really.

there's no plan for that you can't plan for when you might need some time or anything but um i just want to shout out the venus mercury organization um from the jump they were there for me uh making sure i was good letting me know that at any moment if i needed some time off i could do that and i would come back and everything would be fine um so i just want to thank

I just want to say thank you to Jim, Nick, Matt, and everybody that made it okay for me to do that. Made me feel like it was okay to take some time. Can I say something before you even get into that? Yes. Who asked a question about, was this the plan all along? Oh yeah, on this particular day, I'm going to need to take a mental health break.

Brittany's answer like, no, you don't plan for that. Yeah. Anybody in their right mind. And this isn't this isn't just for Brittany. It's anybody. But Brittany in particular, given everything she just went through a year ago, I'm surprised she's even playing, to be honest with you. So take every minute, every moment, every break you need. And don't feel like you owe anybody an explanation for that.

Sorry, I just I heard the question. I was like, was this the plan? Yeah. And I don't know if it was meant of like, OK, you're going to play for this amount of games and then you're going to take this road trip off and then you're going to keep playing like that was what they came up with. I don't think so. I think it was her just saying, OK,

I needed a break. And I'm so happy that the organization was able to give her that space and not, you know, and treat her like a human that we constantly talk about on the show and not say, well, you're a product. We need these wins or we need this.

you know say it was a different type of season that the Mercury were having and this was for playoff implications it didn't matter if she needed the break she needed the break and it's a break yeah he went on to say in that press conference you know it's always okay to take a mental break life's hard life's tough and just kind of saying that to everyone about everything um so I'm so happy that

this has been able to fuel these conversations around mental health and the importance of a Brittany Griner, who is an all-star can still say, no, I'm a, yeah, we can, I can take a break. You know what I, what I saw in, in Brittany and that press conference, someone who has a lot on her shoulders right now, like she,

There have been times, excuse me, when I've seen her, like the All-Star game. Honestly, she looked so happy. She did. And I'm sure she was to be back, to be playing. She's in the All-Star game. In the press conference, I didn't see that same look. To me, she looks like she is stressing, like she has a lot on her plate. And again, to me, I'm like, BG, BG.

take all the time in the world you don't owe anybody an explanation don't feel bad about it because the number one thing you need to do is take care of you and make sure that you're okay period

Yes. Well, BG, as we continue to say on the show, we are with you. We love you. And anybody else who may be struggling with their mental health, it's okay to take a break, step away for a little bit. Listen, step away. I'm sorry, Georgia. Step away. And then you come back and do what Simone Biles did. Shout out to Simone. Yes.

Oh, my goodness. I'm sorry. I had to put that in there. Wait. Talk about joy. I had to put that in there. And, I mean, BG said that in a press conference, too. We've seen this on the world stage at the Olympics. And she was alluding to Simone Biles. And she came back looking good, taking first place, back into it. And now she's a wifey. She looks so happy. Doesn't she? I love this. Sorry. I had to get that in there. No, that's good. Because I love me some Simone.

That was a good note. Yeah. That was good. Don't do you. Okay. Last thing that we're going to cover on this trip to the desert is. We are still in the desert. And we have to talk about, you know, Skylar Diggins Smith, who is out this season for the Mercury on maternity leave. She kind of popped off on Twitter last week and,

And it just got a lot of people talking. So I'm just going to say what we know, which is basically what she said in her tweets.

What we know is she tweeted, they're not going to acknowledge me this year and it's okay, guys. We're not affiliated unless it's the checks per management. I can't even use the practice facility or any resources. She said this in a response to a fan saying, Hey, why didn't the Phoenix Mercury wish you a happy birthday on social media? Skylar, that was her response. Um,

Per the, you know, WNBA's most recent CBA, the Phoenix Mercury are paying Diggins-Smith her full salary while she's out on maternity leave. We don't know what that means with facilities or resources, but this is, again, coming from Skylar. She tweeted saying that she doesn't have access to massage therapists, chiropractors, chefs, strength and conditioning, nutritionists,

et cetera, that every other player has access to. However, I'm still down 48 pounds on my own and I'm feeling great, which wonderful. We love that. Um, she gave birth to a baby girl in spring and she hasn't played in a Mercury Jersey since August 4th, 2022. So almost exactly a year ago. Um, and,

Yeah, that's what we know. She was really just going off firing these tweets.

When head coach Nikki Blue was asked about it, she said, Skylar's on maternity leave right now. And as we do with players on maternity leave, we give them their space. And then she immediately started talking about the game that was ahead of them. The WNBPA executive director, Terry Jackson, she said, the PA has been in regular contact with Skylar through her representation throughout the year. We will continue to support her. The WNBA had no comment. So...

Yeah, Cheryl. That's all. That's what we got. There's a lot. I don't know. I just one I would really love to hear besides what Nikki blue said, right? I would love to hear Phoenix Phoenix's side on all the allegations, everything that Skylar has said, my question, and this is a real legitimate question.

When Skylar says she doesn't have access to massage therapists, chiropractors, chefs, strength and conditioning, nutritionists, accessibility, all of those things.

Was there ever a conversation with Skylar and management in the Mercury when she left for maternity leave? Like, is she still... My big question is, is she still a part of the team or is she not? That's a fair question. Right? Because her contract is expiring after this season. Yeah. Yeah. And so...

If she's if she's not if she's no longer a part of the team or the organization, have they had that conversation with her? I don't know. I'm just asking questions, right? And so if you're not, people may hate me for this. But if you're no longer a part of that organization, then you don't get access to those things that the players get access to. I'm just saying that's the business. I'm not saying it's right or wrong. That's the business. That's the way it works. Yeah.

And if she is still a part of the organization, then shame on Phoenix for not giving her access to these things. The last question I have, and I'm only, I'm asking questions because I don't have answers. This is fair. I've seen Skylar posting videos of herself working out in the gym. I know she's done some stuff with, I think, Bridget Pettis, and I've just seen her in the gym doing her own thing. Why did it take her so long to comment?

to say to say these things to say I don't have access to facilities. The timing of like, yeah, I don't I don't know. I don't talk to Skylar. I don't know what's going on. I know I was in her situation as a an athlete, a pregnant athlete, a mom coming back like it's hard. It's hard. And then you got to make all these different adjustments.

If she is and was or is truly feeling the way she feels, I would have put it out there months ago when I was trying to get in a gym and work out. It's a good point. But I would be very curious to hear what the Mercury has to say about Skylar's allegations.

It has just been reported based off of Skylar's tweets. That's kind of all we're going off of right now. So I know that we're going to be following this until the rest of the season since her contract is up because she is back in the gym. But no one, it seems like, and it seemed like the Mercury organization made it clear that they were not

pushing her to come back this season. There was no pressure for her to come back and quickly after her pregnancy. So we're gonna be following this. I think it's gonna be interesting as more sides of the story comes out. Skylar is known for tweeting the infamous clown emoji that we will never forget that goes in the Twitter Hall of Fame.

So yeah, we're going to be monitoring this. But that ends our trip to Phoenix for the day. Let's get out the desert. It's too hot. I don't like the desert. It's hot here. It's hot. We're going to take a quick break. We come back with the Tweet of the Week.

Think you know the Brooks Ghost? Think again. Introducing the all-new, better-than-ever Ghost 16. Now with nitrogen-infused cushioning for lightweight, supreme softness that feels good every step, every street, every single day. So go ahead, take your daily joyride in the all-new nitrogen-infused Ghost 16. It'll turn your everyday miles into everyday endorphins. Let's run there. Head to brookssrunning.com to learn more.

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. Our tweet of the week is from Asia. It's a good one. It's a good one. It's from Asia Wilson. After the Aces loss, she finished with nine points. She was a little fiery in the post-game press conference, and this is what she had to say.

At the end of the day, I'm gonna always shoot. I don't care, I don't care. I'm gonna always shoot the basketball because my teammates need that for me.

Do I live with this? Of course, I'm gonna live with this. I didn't have it. But when it comes to me career low or whatever my numbers are looking like, I really don't, I could care less about that because that's not gonna shatter my confidence to continue to shoot that basketball. The Aces drafted me in 2018 to shoot that basketball and I'm gonna continue to do that because that's just who I am. And I don't need, this doesn't validate me in this league at all. So I'm not gonna harp on this at all.

I don't need a stat sheet to validate who I am in this league. As a reminder, she was 22.

for 14 from the field. But according to her, it don't matter. The Aces drafted her in 2018 to shoot the basketball. I'm going to keep shooting that thing. Tell them, eh? Listen, I watched the whole press conference and

I didn't hear the question, but I know Chelsea, I think it was a question for Chelsea and Chelsea was getting ready to respond. And Asia just tapped her wrist like a mom would do. She tapped her wrist like, I got it. I got it. So that's when she went off. Yeah, she was two for 14. But I just loved her saying, dang, I wish I would have thought of that when I was playing. But I loved her saying, I don't need a stat sheet to validate who I am. Yeah, put it on a shirt.

Everybody's going to have an off night. Everybody's going to have an off night. She was two for 14. But I... Yeah. By far the best tweet of the tweet. It was so...

I don't need no stat sheet to validate who I am. Because here's the thing. That was good. Just like you said, everyone's going to have an off night. And I think what she was just, you could just see her blood was boiling. And she went off to fire a couple more tweets, you know, when she got to her phone and she was able to tweet out herself, basically saying like the disrespect is not, I'm not tolerating it.

I knew the MVP conversation was going to come up after this game. I knew that was going to happen. But don't come for me because everybody has off nights. And when you say that, and I know that I'm an Aja Wilson fan, but it's also in your response, right? I believe that the next game or the next time even these teams see each other, she's going to show up. Like, she's not going to –

I will not put money that Asia Wilson's going to have multiple two for 14 nights. No, here's the part that bothers me about people who are into stats like that, though. Maybe she didn't shoot the ball very well, but she did other things really good. There was one possession. I think she had three blocks in one possession. Oh, yeah. She defended. She rebounded. Like, come on now. She was like, you don't have to be a fan of mine.

but the disrespect ain't gonna fly. Right. Okay, reminder.

reminder reminder aces play the liberty again next week how lucky are we in the commissioners cup championship game presented by coinbase that's next tuesday august 15th at 9 00 p.m in eastern time at michaelob ultra arena with the game streaming live on amazon prime video i can't go to vegas

Oh, let's go to Vegas. Let's go. That'll be fun. Let's go back. As we should say, that would be fun. Okay. Good one. We had to cover all the spice. I think there's going to be plenty of more because everything that happened, I feel like all these teams are going to meet again. Will the spice still be the same level? I don't know.

But yeah, it's going to be good. Keep sending us your questions or feedback to our listener email at queensofthecourtatodyssey.com. We're planning to do a full listener mailbox segment in the not too distant future. So please continue to do that. And please continue to follow, rate, and review the show. It's available on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. Yeah, we got some good listener emails. I can't wait for that segment. Plus, you can always find me

me and jordan on social media i'm at airspace 22 and she jordan is at hey jordan i do a slow-mo cabbage patch every time you do i have a little matrix i'm a little matrix queens of the court is an odyssey original created in partnership with the wmba

The show is produced by Alex Ozzie. The executive producer is Lena Moss Glazer. Social media assistance from Isabella Apple. Imaging from T-Storm Battle. And court is adjourned. Oh, yeah.