Nightcap - Nightcap - Hour 1: Monica McNutt on her viral exchange with Stephen A. Smith on First Take

Episode Date: June 4, 2024

Shannon Sharpe and Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson are joined by ESPN analyst Monica McNutt to discuss the social media discourse around Caitlin Clark and the WNBA and her viral First Take exchange with Step...hen A. Smith.03:41 - Show Starts04:04 - Monica McNutt Joins Nightcap28:26 - Angel Reese Comments30:30 - Pat Mcafee Comments48:00 - Mavs vs Celtics57:20 - Kyrie reflects on Celtics(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements.)#Volume #ClubSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Starting point is 00:00:00 You're listening to an iHeart Podcast. I'm Michael Kassin, founder and CEO of 3C Ventures and your guide on good company. The podcast where I sit down with the boldest innovators shaping what's next. In this episode, I'm joined by Anjali Sood, CEO of Tubi. We dive into the competitive world of streaming. What others dismiss as niche, we embrace as core. There are so many stories out there. And if you can find a way to curate and help the right person discover the right content, the term that we always hear from our audience is that they feel seen. Listen to Good Company on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Starting point is 00:00:48 In the fall of 1986, Ronald Reagan found himself at the center of a massive scandal that looked like it might bring down his presidency. It became known as the Iran-Contra affair. The things that happened were so bizarre and insane, I can't begin to tell you. Please do. To hear the whole story, listen to Fiasco, Iran Contra on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Starting point is 00:03:32 it's an episode another episode of nightcap i am your favorite on shannon sharp bottom left he's your favorite number 85 he's a rock runner extraordinaire He's a bingo ring of fame honoree. He's a pro bowler. He's an all pro out of Liberty City. Y'all know him. Chad Ocho Cinco Rosado Johnson in the bottom right weighing in at 6'4 137
Starting point is 00:03:58 pounds. The lady Hoya herself. Y'all saw her this morning. She's trending. She's a Georgetown Hoyer alum. She played in the WNBA, and she's the one that you need to go to all things basketball. Women, young women, boys, men, y'all see her.
Starting point is 00:04:19 Monica McNutt. Thank you for joining us for another episode. Thank you guys so much for joining us. Please make sure you hit that like button. Please make sure you hit that subscribe button. Thank you guys for selling out Shea by La Portia. We have it back in stock. We're going to fill the back orders first
Starting point is 00:04:36 and then we're going to pin the chat at the top and then guys, you'll be able to order without all the delay. So thank you so much for your patience. Please go follow my media company page on all platforms. That's Shea Shea Media and my clothing company, 84,
Starting point is 00:04:49 with 84 being spelled out. My clothing line dropped last Friday. The link to Nightcap merch is pinned at the top of the chat with a use the code UNK for a discount that applies on all merch, even my personal merch. So thank you guys.
Starting point is 00:05:04 We have an interview special with Bad Boys, Martin Lawrence, and Will Smith that's coming up later in the show. But, as I said before,
Starting point is 00:05:12 we're joined by Monica McNutt. Please, go follow her on her social media, McNutt Monica. I guess somebody took Monica McNutt.
Starting point is 00:05:23 You can pay $150, Monica, and get the name back. But you say, nah, I'm just going to flip it around. There we go. I like that last name. Hi, guys. Thanks for having me. No, thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, Monica joining us, hopefully not
Starting point is 00:05:39 the last time. Monica, we had a very healthy, that's the term I like to use, a healthy discussion this morning. You said, Shannon, I knew I was in trouble because you normally call me, when you call me Shannon, I'm like, oh, here we go. You said, Shannon,
Starting point is 00:05:56 Steve and A, this deserves a more nuanced conversation. You know how television works. You got the top of the hour, you got the bottom of the hour, you got to get in and out, and you got a lot of people. I wanted to get, because we reached out to you earlier today, asking could you come on. You said yes.
Starting point is 00:06:11 So I want to give you an opportunity. What do you want to say, Ocho? Before y'all go, being that y'all have a better knowledge of the game of basketball, whether it be NBA or WNBA, as someone on the outside looking in that was able to watch y'all this morning, I want to tell you that was peak elite sports journalism as far as conversation is concerned. There are going to be so many different opinions, whether wrong, whether right. Monica, I didn't know you could cook.
Starting point is 00:06:39 I didn't know you was a chef. Because, honey, you was cooking this morning. You hear me? You was cooking. You had your points. But the passion, the passion and authenticity, Monica, that you spoke with today.
Starting point is 00:06:52 Well, I'm talking about, man, bro, I was on the edge of my seat. Unc, you made your points. And then Monica, you and Stephen, they going back and forth. And I'm sitting on the edge of my seat like, man, what is going on?
Starting point is 00:07:04 That was, listen, that was peak elite. I'm talking about elite television. So anytime there's any type of NBA topics, WNBA topics, if the execs at ESPN knew what they were doing, they need to make sure they had that same trio and all along with Molly. Because that was great. That was fabulous. I'm just saying, like, I'm not saying it because you're on a goddamn show tonight because you see I'm cursing.
Starting point is 00:07:30 That shit was fucking fabulous. That was good TV. Well, the thing is that, Ocho, that when you do television, and Monica attested this, you never know what you're going to get because you have so many, you have sometimes two, three, maybe even four people and it's an opinion based show.
Starting point is 00:07:46 Yeah. Monica had her opinion. I had mine. Stephen A had his. And so Monica says a topic like this deserves a more nuanced conversation that we don't have to worry about getting into a break. So if Monica needs to talk 15 minutes straight, we can allow Monica to do that. Monica, the topic came up, basically, is Kaitlyn Clark is the NBA or some of the players in the WNBA have a personal vendetta? Are they
Starting point is 00:08:12 envious? Are they jealous? Are they, is there resentment? I think the term resentment even showed his head up into the conversation. So I want to turn the floor over to you. What point do you want to reiterate? What point to you what point do you want to reiterate what point did you didn't get an opportunity to make that you would like to make now the floor is yours well so let me i'm gonna take y'all two things happened to me i actually went to the liberty game on friday and this episode sort of speaks to the growth of the game my fiance and i we just take the train home because it's easy to spend new New York. And there are a couple of white boys. One of them went to Auburn.
Starting point is 00:08:47 His brother went to University of Missouri. His girlfriend was with him. Another young white man. And they're probably in their late 20s. One of them might have been in their early 20s. And it was a black woman that clearly just left the Liberty game. That sat across from them. And they just spark up, y'all, this spontaneous conversation about women's basketball.
Starting point is 00:09:04 And yes, it was about this particular play and it was a little bit about the sky and angel and it was caitlin it was about the liberty and i'm looking at my fiance like this is crazy like we're just on a train and folks that you might think are watching the wmba pop into this conversation and they're both engaging they started talking about auburn and the tuskegee and i was peak ear hustling for the record, but they was loud. But I say that to say, Ochoa and Shannon, I get that we are at a special place when it comes to women's basketball and the growth of the game and all of the eyeballs. I think what I was frustrated by in our conversation earlier is that we can hold more than one truth, y'all. Like the idea of some players being jealous. Yes, that probably exists but I think in
Starting point is 00:09:46 Caitlyn's debut since or since she has made her debut there's been a large and loud clamoring or push yes that is Caitlyn versus the W and that is unfair
Starting point is 00:10:01 to me yeah jealous sure I mean would you be jealous of somebody got 28 million dollar a shoe deal or whatever the deal is before you step foot in the pros right i just need us all to do a better job of holding room for multiple truths jordan as a rookie joe right lebron as a rookie like wimpy as a rookie when you look at guys that have gone on to be great i'm sure they would not say their rookie years were cakewalks. Now, in the case of LeBron, and if we use Wimby this year, they have physically dominant and powerful statures. And so maybe that has allowed them to skirt some of her.
Starting point is 00:10:35 But Kaylin is a guard coming from college. She got to get her weight up. The W has to continue to allow her to be one of the leaders of this platform, as Angel Reese has also been, because I know that's going to be a hot topic tomorrow. And so my whole thing is just, it doesn't have to be either or. It can be both.
Starting point is 00:10:53 But the prevailing idea that it's the W versus Caitlyn and that these women don't understand the power of the eyeballs and the audience that she's helped grow the league to, that's just unfair.
Starting point is 00:11:02 And that's what bothers me. Go ahead, Ocho. Listen, again, from the outside looking in, I have come to enjoy watching WNBA now. As a new fan, I had the opportunity,
Starting point is 00:11:16 Monica, to see the dream play the wings. I mean, yeah. Yeah, the wing. Dallas Wings, right? Dallas Wings in Atlanta maybe two or three weeks ago. And I have never been in an atmosphere like that.
Starting point is 00:11:29 From the game to the enthusiasm with the crowd, the DJ, everything was jumping from first quarter to fourth quarter. The halftime show was phenomenal as well. So the engagement and the experience that I had at that WNBA game when the Dream played the Wings, that's what I'm expecting now. I have a chart with the misses where we're starting on the East Coast and we're working our way up to the West Coast. I'm starting with I'm going to another dream game. Then I'm going to make my way to Dallas.
Starting point is 00:11:59 And from Dallas, I'm going to Chicago to see the sky. From the sky, then I'm going to L.A. to see the Sparks. And then we're going to Phoenix. And then we're going to Phoenix. And then we're going to finish off in Vegas. Okay. Now, I'm hoping, based on the experience I had in Atlanta, in that stadium, I'm hoping the rest of the atmospheres are like that, too. Obviously, the game of basketball is good.
Starting point is 00:12:20 I've come to learn all the players now. I have a bunch of jerseys that I bought for my road trip. I'm hoping. I'm not sure how. I don come to learn all the players now. I have a bunch of jerseys that I bought for my road trip. I'm hoping I'm not sure how. I don't know them personally. I'm hoping they'll sign my jersey so I can put it up here in my man cave. And I'm locked in now. I'm locked in. And watching y'all this morning
Starting point is 00:12:37 solidifies everything. Because obviously I'm a new fan. I'm new eyeballs to it. And I think I think after this year, they will almost, I'm not saying they're going to be able to compete with the NBA. They will almost,
Starting point is 00:12:55 from an exciting standpoint, what's going to happen next? Okay. Let me ask you this. Let me ask you this. Because this is where I'll turn to Shannon from me this morning. I just want to mush them. Let me just give you a hypothetical,
Starting point is 00:13:09 Ocho. Come on, come on now. Let me take you back to your playing days, right? Okay, okay, okay. Boom. This new corner. He, he, bop, bop, bop. He all this. Big, fat, conscious. You about to square up with him, Ocho. What are you going to do with a squaring up against
Starting point is 00:13:24 a cross from somebody who was supposed to be all this and all that for the future of the league? Oh, he finna get his work, bro. Hey, honey, he finna get his work. You hear me? He finna get his work. You ain't miss a beat when you said that, Ocho. So, all of a sudden,
Starting point is 00:13:39 some in the media have allowed this idea of roll off the yellow brick for gold, roll off the red carpet because this is your cash cow. Why that idea has caught so much steam blows my mind because we are still talking about competition,
Starting point is 00:13:56 which is a beautiful thing that y'all both have made millions on. Let me ask you a question though, Joe, to Monica's point, that hot shot corner, he's a top five pick. Let's just say for the sake of argument, he's standing there. You going to roll up in the back of his legs? Oh, I see. I see where you're going.
Starting point is 00:14:11 No, don't see what I'm saying. Just like you fired off like Monica, I need you to fire off when you roll up in the back of his legs. Don't be trying to use my technique. Don't be trying to use my technique. You know, I don't take no cheap shots. You know that. Okay, done.
Starting point is 00:14:26 That's it. I'm going to stay with Shannon's example because now you're back to Shannon because you're getting on my nerves. Now, Ocho, you're not going to do that. And tell me what percent of the league you probably think would probably agree with you. As far as not doing that? Yeah, no, nothing dirty.
Starting point is 00:14:44 Probably about 98% because there's a 2% chance there's something that really don't give to you know what and they'll do it. Okay, so I hate math. In fact, my friend, I say last time, he calls me a mathematician all the time. But let's just roll with me for a second.
Starting point is 00:14:57 We got 11 games. We got one incident. I think that's a little less than 10% of the events so far in which this has happened to have a conversation. So I just want us to hear out that competing, because you
Starting point is 00:15:13 have been deemed the next step, is a part of competition, man or woman, right? We all agree that Kennedy Carter had a bad look. We all agree that was a bad look for her. And I'm not making an excuse for that. I think the thing is also, Monica, who did the look, given her track record,
Starting point is 00:15:29 and who the look happened to. Ocho, I used the argument this morning. Trent Green got hit in the pocket in his knee and they didn't train the rules. 11 years later, eight years, nine years later, Tom Brady got hit in the knee. What did they do to the rules about hitting the quarterback below the waist,
Starting point is 00:15:46 Ocho? They changed the rule right away. So I think, Monica, to your point, had it not been, had it been someone else that doesn't have the track record of Miss Carter, and if it wasn't on the person who she did that to, I agree with you. I don't believe the outcry would
Starting point is 00:16:02 have been what it was, but it was because of who it was. And I'm actually add this. I think the fact that it wasn't called a flagrant on spot is probably what helped elevate this conversation. But we're talking about bad officiating across the NBA and WNBA for however long. You know what I mean? So, yes, literally, we get the call this morning that we're going to leave the show with this, and I'm like, this is the most non-story story I think we've ever led a show with. Because to me, it's just not that big of a deal.
Starting point is 00:16:33 Hey, it made for great TV. That's not what Twitter, that's not what we're training. That is, and you know how TV, Monica, you've been in TV long enough. You know what leads. People are like, man, all y'all do is talk about the Cowboys. The Cowboys,
Starting point is 00:16:48 people want to talk about the Cowboys. People want to talk about Kaitlyn Clark. All of a sudden, a larger percent want to talk about the WNBA, which is good. What is bad is that they're not talking about the WNBA in a positive when you're looking at it in this
Starting point is 00:17:03 situation. And I get what you're saying. You're like, yeah, it's a nuanced conversation and two things can be true. People want to compete. This was an isolated incident. There's not a whole lot of incidents where people are clotheslining Clayton Clark tripping or shoving or doing
Starting point is 00:17:19 petty things of that nature. So let's look at this. This is what it was. This happened. But let me ask you a question. Tell me. You and I, we talked about it. Like, damn, we're teammates. Y'all saw the girl get clocked in the back like that? Ocho, you know, in football,
Starting point is 00:17:36 you do something to one of our guys, especially one of our main guys. We got to get you back, Monica. But we got to make it look like it's a part of football. Okay, right? And I think making it look like it's a part of football. Okay, right. And I think making it look like a part of the game is a huge thing. But I'm going to tell y'all a story.
Starting point is 00:17:50 In college, we played Louisville and we actually got the rule changed in women's college basketball because Louisville used to take a lap around the court, around the whole court. We were warming up. In your home stadium, in your home arena? They did it everywhere.
Starting point is 00:18:02 They did it at Georgetown, in McDonough Arena. We were on our side warming up. I'm not going to name any of my teammates because I still love them dearly. Somebody tripped up somebody from Louisville and a brawl ensued. We made it to the sports center
Starting point is 00:18:20 in a little... Now, Monica is not a fighter. Do you know what i did in that moment you scrapped no i grabbed the basketball and said y'all stop we gotta go what i'm saying to you what i'm saying to you is if your dna is not i'm a goon i I'm an enforcer, I'm finna scrap, that's not a switch that you can just turn on. Turn on, you're right, you're right.
Starting point is 00:18:49 If I was on the baseline and I was actually in the tussle, then I'd have had to flight or fight, right? But I was shooting a jump shot, I looked down, they was scrapping, and I was like, oh no, we can't do this, right? And so this idea
Starting point is 00:19:00 that the personalities on the fever squad all of a sudden need to turn into enforcer is unfair to who they are they go pick their teammate off the ground they grab her they encourage her to calm down and take a deep breath we're not in their practices i don't think that is oh they must not love her like i think we might be reading a little bit too deeply and y'all they've won two games out of the 11 they played they got some real things to worry about in terms of trying to win versus trying to play but let me ask you a question could it be a situation if they were
Starting point is 00:19:30 had a better winning record it's like man y'all talking about this team y'all talking about this person and she's shooting 40% they only won two games y'all talking about it like she's Stewie y'all talking about them like they the Connecticut Sun or the Aes or somebody come on now do do as as as women do you guys because i
Starting point is 00:19:52 know look y'all keep talking about this and they ain't done anything do y'all do you hear that and get fed up like hold on bro there are other people out there playing the game too now come on now i know that this is not journalism one-on-one, Ocho, but I'm going to flip it right back to you. When you were competing at a high level, if somebody was appointed next up, and their team was not, the needle wasn't moving in the W column, and you
Starting point is 00:20:15 felt like you were better then and had earned more accolades and attention then, how was you going to respond? I'm trying, me, anybody that had a name, I'm trying to embarrass them because I'm trying to elevate my name. Yeah. That's the way I went about it, Monica, is that I wasn't going to do it. Now, all I needed to know, and I told Ocho and Ocho can attest to this, all I needed to know, are we playing snap to whistle or snap to after the whistle?
Starting point is 00:20:44 I just know. So I just need to get in the right frame of mind to how we're going to do it. Because if we're being nasty, I just need to know at the start of the game, okay, we're going to be some nasty mofos for four quarters. I'm down. Yeah. I mean, listen, even though the Fever have only won two games, we have to understand the Cowboys, they haven't won in, what, 30-something years. They still move the needle.
Starting point is 00:21:07 The Lakers, they haven't won, well, 2020. I'm not sure if we count, but there's an answer behind that. But again, the Lakers, they moved the needle. The Yankees, they haven't won the World Series, I'm not sure in how long, but they moved the needle.
Starting point is 00:21:21 Kaitlyn Clark, she moved the needle. Angel Reese, she moved the needle. I mean,, she moved the needle. Angel Reese, she moved the needle. I mean, that's just the makeup of it. And that's the way it will always be and it's going to be
Starting point is 00:21:31 like that for a long time. I wish people would get comfortable with that and that's the way it's going to be. And you created a different demographic, a different set of eyes
Starting point is 00:21:39 and they're going to enjoy the game. And now I'm excited to watch the WNBA because I want to see what's going to happen next because I have no idea. I have no clue. I'm Michael Kassin, founder and CEO of 3C Ventures
Starting point is 00:21:55 and your guide on good company. The podcast where I sit down with the boldest innovators shaping what's next. In this episode, I'm joined by Anjali Sood, CEO of Tubi, for a conversation that's anything but ordinary. We dive into the competitive world of streaming, how she's turning so-called niche into mainstream gold, connecting audiences with stories that truly make them feel seen. What others dismiss as niche, we embrace as core. It's this idea that there are so many stories out there. And if you
Starting point is 00:22:25 can find a way to curate and help the right person discover the right content, the term that we always hear from our audience is that they feel seen. Get a front row seat to where media, marketing, technology, entertainment, and sports collide. And hear how leaders like Anjali are carving out space and shaking things up a bit in the most crowded of markets. Listen to Good Company on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. In the fall of 1986, Ronald Reagan found himself at the center of a massive scandal that looked like it might bring down his presidency. Did you make a mistake in sending arms to Tehran, sir?
Starting point is 00:23:15 No. It became known as the Iran-Contra affair. And I'm not taking any more questions in just a second. I'm going to ask... I'm Leon Nafok, co-creator of Slow Burn. In my podcast, Fiasco, Iran Contra, you'll hear all the unbelievable details of a scandal that captivated the nation nearly 40 years ago, but which few of us still remember today. The things that happened were so bizarre and insane, I can't begin to tell you.
Starting point is 00:23:49 Please do. To hear the whole story, listen to Fiasco, Iran Contra, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. Your hands can't hit what your eyes can't see. Muhammad Ali was never afraid to express himself loudly and boldly
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Starting point is 00:25:15 Listen to Ali and Me, now on Audible. So, Ojo, I love that. And this is where I continue to say more than one thing can be true they have absolutely moved the needle and i think caitlyn clark and andrews both are going to be all-stars and superstars in this league they are both rookies right and so i quite frankly the idea that she would see less than true competition again obviously we are excluding non-basketball and dirty plays. It's not only disrespectful to the rest of the league, but it's disrespectful to her. We talked to her two years ago in Dallas at the NCAA championship game. And you guys are probably all seeing the features at this point.
Starting point is 00:25:58 Grew up playing with the brothers, was the ultimate competitor. And so as a competitor, you don't want to buy a square up across from you and take it lightly. You're trying to go prove yourself. And so as a competitor, you don't want to buy a square up across from you and take it lightly. You're trying to go through yourself. And so for me, the fact that we've lost, that at the root of this thing, we are talking about competition
Starting point is 00:26:12 and women competing at a high level, that is the part that bothers me the most. And then there's 28 years of this league being established. And in the last five, the needle has moved. The charter thing has been in motion. You got to shout out Mark Davis, the Vegas owner,
Starting point is 00:26:28 Joe and Clara Sy, the Liberty owners, like people that have really helped to put the pressure on these women receiving professional level treatment. Has Kalen expedited the process? Yes, but there's also been a groundwork that has been laid. And so I just encourage all the new folks like you,
Starting point is 00:26:43 come on in, come on in and watch. Come one, come all. Grab your notebook, take some notes before you start bumping them gums. That's all I ask. So, let me ask you, because when I look at Kaitlyn Clark, and people look at her, and they're like, well, uh, what about all that
Starting point is 00:26:59 trash talking she was doing in college? What about all the stuff that she was shoving people down in college? They saw that, and so now her talking trash in college might intimidate some folks. You come to the W, these are grown women. These women got kids.
Starting point is 00:27:16 These women 25, they 28, they 30 years of age. They don't care. And like I said, Monica, you got the name. If I tear you up on the court, they're going to be talking about me. You know what?
Starting point is 00:27:31 I think there's a learning curve as a rookie. My rookie year, I was talking trash in college. My rookie year in the NFL, I didn't say nothing. I didn't say nothing. I didn't even talk to the media until I got acclimated to the media. Until I got
Starting point is 00:27:46 acclimated to the game, I understood the game, and the game started to slow down for me. So when year two came, and I started talking, once I figured it out, it was a wrap. I'm sure at some point, Angel Reese already talking.
Starting point is 00:28:02 She's letting it fly. As soon as Kaitlyn Clark gets acclimated to the game and it starts to slow down for her and she picks it up, I guarantee you she's going to be back to her talking ways, I'm sure, based on what we saw at Iowa. I think, though,
Starting point is 00:28:17 I think, Ojo, you're spot on, right? But I think part of what has made this such a hot topic is that when a GOAT like Cheryl Stoops, who was a multi-time gold medalist, a four-time WNBA champ, an umpteen-time WNBA all-star, the first
Starting point is 00:28:36 woman to have a signature shoe for Nike, when she said there was a curve, it was she was hating. When Diana Taurasi said there's a curve at the women's final four, she was hating. And Diana Taurasi said, there's a curve at the women's final four, she was hating. And I think for the new fans, I get it. Y'all rolling with y'all girl,
Starting point is 00:28:50 you protected, whatever, whatever. But that wasn't hate. That was people that have been here and watched this league. Those were truths. And that is okay. That's part of all of our journeys. You're going to hit a curve at some point.
Starting point is 00:29:00 Especially for a guard. See, people look at, I say, bro, y'all expecting her to be candace parker where she comes out as rookie when rookie of the year and mvp candace is six four caitlyn clark might be what six foot monica so you're asking a guard to do something that a dominant big in college hey candace parker was legit she could rebound got your double digit rebounds got what she was a 1910 she was a defensive player of the year she was tremendous and i think everybody you look at uh caitlin she led the nation in scoring at about 32 points a game led the nation of us in a sith so
Starting point is 00:29:34 automatically people automatically think well she's gonna come in and do an nba then women will not let that happen you play harder harder against someone. It's just nature because you know they can embarrass you. You're not going to embarrass me. You're not going to have me on SportsCenter, especially now. And I know ESPN is really covering the WNBA. I'm nothing to be your highlight package.
Starting point is 00:29:56 It ain't going to happen, Monica. I'm sorry. It's not. When this conversation come back up, man, I'm not around. I just want you to keep that same energy because that's all it is. And to me, that is beautiful.
Starting point is 00:30:07 That is the point of competition and it should be celebrated. Yeah. Angel Reese had some comments today. Monica, take a listen to the sound of what Angel Reese had to say today. It all started from the national championship game. And I've been dealing with this for two years now. And understanding like, yeah, negative things have probably been said about me but honestly I'll take that because look where women's basketball is people are talking about women's basketball but you
Starting point is 00:30:30 never would think that we talk about women's basketball people are pulling up to games we got celebrities coming to games sold out arenas like just because of one single game and just looking at that like I'll take that role I'll take the bad guy role and I'll continue to take that on and be that for my teammates and if I want to be that and I know I'll go down in history I'll take that role. I'll take the bad guy role and I'll continue to take that on and be that for my teammates. And if I want to be that, and I know I'll go down in history, I'll look back in 20 years and be like,
Starting point is 00:30:49 yeah, the reason why we're watching women's basketball is not just because of one person. It's because of me too. And I want y'all to realize that. A lot of people have done so much for this game and Kennedy has been here before, obviously, but there are so many great players in this league that have deserved this for a really, really long time.
Starting point is 00:31:02 And luckily it's coming now. Yeah. Talk your track. What you talk about, man? You watching the game because of me. And she ain't lying because I'm one of them. What you talk about? Thoughts on her comments, Monica.
Starting point is 00:31:17 I love it. I love it. And this is where we talk about you're not going to turn into somebody different overnight. Andra Reese has never shied away from the mic. She's willing to wear that villain label, however unfair it may be, but she gets it in
Starting point is 00:31:30 the macro. And what I love about Angel, even when she announced she was going pro in Vogue, she speaks about the macro. And she does that deliberately. That is not just, oh, I'm just throwing in the women that have come before me, right? And I think that is important and what makes and what is endearing about watching her.
Starting point is 00:31:49 But she's absolutely right. The girl, I'm sorry, I don't know her name, but the girl streamed a Sky's preseason game on her phone, y'all, and had umpteen tens of thousands of viewers that were watching. I think it was like two million. Wasn't it like over a million? It got over a million. You know what I mean? So there is a demand. She absolutely has been a part
Starting point is 00:32:08 of creating that demand. She's a huge part of this rookie class as well. Well, we can't let Pat McAfee, I guess he watched us this morning. He had some coffee. He probably had an energy drink. Do we have his sound?
Starting point is 00:32:28 we can't play his sound Monica I know you've heard it by now I think Pat got a little bit too amped he forgot like man this live you know normally we have a conversation like this Monica you and I you and your girls off air but we got a microphone
Starting point is 00:32:44 and we got a and we got a camera with a red dot going so what what what did you think when you heard pmac start going so i didn't actually watch it but i read the transcript and all articles that came down honestly y'all, my first thought was, okay, here we go with this not being about race. I'm a person who is white, right? And again, this is where I say, and I'm speaking honestly, clearly, concisely. This is where I say multiple things can be true, right? I wonder what this would look like if Kaylin Clark was Black.
Starting point is 00:33:30 She's proud of who she is. That's fantastic, right? But this is where all the layers of this conversation come in. The WNBA is a predominantly Black women's league. It's also largely a queer league, right? And the gender, sexuality, race,
Starting point is 00:33:45 it's hard to parse this out of that conversation, at least for me as a woman, because I can't walk away from any part of who I am, right? And so his point about the other white chicks in the league that have been buckets, sure. Stewie's the MVP. He has won multiple championships with the Las Vegas Aces.
Starting point is 00:34:03 DT, obviously we had a conversation about her as a GOAT, right? But to act as if there is no space to sit back and just wonder, again, all I'm asking for folks that have just joined is to open your mind. Ultimately, you may disagree and that's fine,
Starting point is 00:34:18 but you should be able to hold space to evaluate all the pieces that seem to be at play. Now, if you decide to pick up three instead of six, that's on you, but you got to be able to sit back and evaluate all the pieces that seem to be at play. Now, if you decide to pick up three instead of six, that's on you. But you got to be able to step back and acknowledge all the pieces at play. Just out of respect for humanity at large, I would say. Monica, you said something very interesting and you would know better than I. But I was I was thinking this, but I never said it.
Starting point is 00:34:39 But since you brought it up, let's go here. How much do you think predominantly black queer helps or hurt the WNBA that's a loaded question Shannon I think the W in the last few years has done a great job of leaning into who they are they are not hiding who the who these women are hiding who they are one thing about this rookie class has been their willingness to share their lives but I had a chance to catch a great documentary this summer, courtesy of WNBA PA. And I'm blanking on the name of the documentary and I apologize. But it highlighted John Quayle Jones, Brianna Stewart and Nneka Agumake.
Starting point is 00:35:18 Right. And as veterans in this league, JJ has been an MVP. Nneka Agumake has won a title and been an MVP. Stewieka Gumke has won a title and been an MVP. Stewie, obviously, has been a multi-time MVP and won championships. As veterans, they talked very honestly about opening up their lives, right? Because that was a big choice for them. And one of the commentators,
Starting point is 00:35:37 Lindsey Gibbs, in that piece, talked about being able to enjoy this league and celebrate these women even more when you get to know them, right? And I think that star power of this rookie class growing up with social media, Kayla has 2 million, Angel has 3 million, right? They've already been used to sharing their lives. Right. And so I think the W has leaned in on who they are, but as new audiences are getting to know
Starting point is 00:36:01 these women, hopefully they find a way to strike a chord with them beyond just being basketball players. And so candidly, I'm not 100 percent sure what happens in marketing meetings when you begin to look at who you want to partner up with with the WNBA. Because like we started this conversation, gender, race and sexuality are parts of conversations that you just cannot escape. The documentary you're talking about is called shattered glass a wmba pa story thank you i'm glad you have this conversation because at the end of the day you like people like well go market go market but at certain times you know certain certain demographics you're trying to market too because like when we go out okay we have to pitch okay who are you trying to who are you trying to reach we we club shea shea nightcap
Starting point is 00:36:47 we might not be able to reach who an advertiser or a sponsor try to reach so it doesn't make sense for them to give us money if the people that they're trying to reach are not watching nightcap not watching club shea shea right and so what, Monica, is like, okay, we got to appeal to the people that you're trying to reach. But to say that gay and queer people don't buy health and don't buy auto insurance
Starting point is 00:37:15 is just not true. To say they don't go grocery shopping or buy cars is just not true. So, they are people. They might have chosen an alternative life that's outside of the norm whatever norm is there's a new definition of norm now but i believe that you can reach people because everybody that watches television they're a consumer you buy something whether it's food whether it's's auto insurance, whether it's whatever the clothing,
Starting point is 00:37:45 whatever the case may be, you'll purchase something. And when it comes to marketing and branding and WNBA and those that are queer are part of that community in general, that community always sticks together and support each other. So the marketing on that end should be easy anyway. It's common sense, especially when it comes to the higher ups and the execs that are sitting in positions of power. That's a no brainer as far as when it comes to the higher-ups and the execs that are sitting in positions of power. That's a no-brainer as far as when it comes to marketing and branding and doing it that way. Now, if they want some ideas, you know,
Starting point is 00:38:11 from the true number one marketing and branding himself, I can guide them in which way to go and know how to do it. That's what I did. You might need to get some boardroom tables, Ocho. Monica, let me ask you this. Because, you know, a lot of times,
Starting point is 00:38:27 Black, we used to have, like, who was in that room? Why are you talking, trying to, you know, market the Blacks, and there's no Blacks in the commercial? Would it help if there were queer, gay, in the rooms that could say, hey, guys, they have purchasing power.
Starting point is 00:38:45 I don't know. I'm in California. Man, they shut down, we hope. Gay pride is a big thing. So somebody drinking beers, buying cocktails and buying clothes, I'm just saying, somebody doing that. Yeah, and listen, the marketing has improved, right?
Starting point is 00:39:01 But if we wanted to get into the weeds and gosh, oh man, I should have pulled up all my research because there was a wonderful article done, I want to say about two seasons ago, that looked at
Starting point is 00:39:11 what demographic still, in terms of representing the WNBA, still got the lion's share of marketing opportunities. And it was largely straight white women. Now, in two years,
Starting point is 00:39:21 I do believe that there have been improvements made in that area, right? And like I said, the WNBA has leaned into who they are. These women are leaning into who they are. There's a number of queer athletes out of W that I can think of
Starting point is 00:39:32 that have had commercials and are currently in commercials that are still airing. And it's beautiful to see. And so I do think that things are changing. But just like in society, y'all, as painful as it is, right? When we start having conversations
Starting point is 00:39:44 about this societal totem pole, people, especially women that sit at identities, shout out to Dr. Alfie, my girl, that have intersectional identities, often don't have privilege. And so they're minimalized a little bit or not a little bit. They become minimalized. And so that, again, that's a whole nother loaded conversation and i'm not trying to tell anybody that they can't be a fan of this player or that player but as you join this wmba fanfare welcome it's room for everybody there have been 28 years of groundwork and there have been numbers of opportunities of research right like and then when you look at the demographics of this league like just keep your mind open to what is the reality of someone else's
Starting point is 00:40:31 experience that may not look like you just that's the part that's frustrating to me in this conversation y'all like one to hear ex-athletes say oh just let her do whatever and two folks that aren't taking the time to just do a little bit of digging about what the WNBA has been, how powerful these women have used their voices, what they stand for, because it's beautiful. It is. And thank you for opening up and sharing that with us. I mean, you know, you being around the game, you playing the game, you being a woman yourself, you're better to speak to this in Ocho than I, because you're in that situation. There's no better person to speak to about a woman than a woman. And so sometimes, you know, as men. There's no better person to speak to about a woman than a woman. And so sometimes, you know, as men, we try to sit back and try to, I don't
Starting point is 00:41:10 know what it's like to have a baby. Never had one. I don't want them kind of problem. So, so I like women when women talk about women issues. Yeah, I can have an opinion, but I'm just speaking at it from a man's point of view. And sometimes we only see things through the prism in which we are. You know, if I'm looking from a mountaintop, I don't know what it's like in the valley because I'm on top of the mountain looking out. You being a woman playing basketball, playing in the WNBA, who better to speak to issues like this than a person like yourself? But how often do how often when things like this do the WNBA, the PA, do they have you speak to the women that's coming into the, how many times do you go out and speak to women's group being who you are being the platform that you do have?
Starting point is 00:41:55 Are you given those opportunities to speak, speak up for women? So I was going to let you rock with this, but I gotta, I gotta check you one thing on my resume. I decided that I was done after college and wasn't about to dive into W. I did not play in the W. But also, I'm going to have to get with
Starting point is 00:42:11 the Chad Ocho Cinco agency to get me some more speaking engagements. Whatever you need. Listen, listen. I have a marketing firm, a branding firm, so anything you need, just holler at me.
Starting point is 00:42:22 I can get the ball rolling. I got you. All jokes aside, I have had the opportunity to speak, not just to women's teams, but like last year I had a chance to talk, to rap with the Los Angeles Rams, right? And just offering a different perspective as a member of the media.
Starting point is 00:42:38 I do know that our friends and colleagues, LaChyna Robinson and Nneka Ogunke led a great media preparation session for the rookies coming in this season. And so the W and the PA are about giving their players resources, as are the NBA, right? And so the league is just continuing to grow. And when you talk about its male counterpart, it has a 50-year head start. Right. I'm Michael Kassin, founder and CEO of 3C Ventures and your guide on good company, the podcast where I sit down with the boldest innovators shaping what's next.
Starting point is 00:43:11 In this episode, I'm joined by Anjali Sood, CEO of Tubi, for a conversation that's anything but ordinary. We dive into the competitive world of streaming, how she's turning so-called niche into mainstream gold, connecting audiences with stories that truly make them feel seen. What others dismiss as niche, we embrace as core. It's this idea that there are so many stories out there. And if you can find a way to curate and help the right person discover the right content, the term that we always hear from our audience is that they feel seen. Get a front row seat to where media, marketing, technology, entertainment, and sports collide, and hear how leaders like Anjali are carving out space and shaking things up a bit in the most crowded of markets. Listen to Good Company on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
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Starting point is 00:44:40 In my podcast, Fiasco, Iran-Contra, you'll hear all the unbelievable details of a scandal that captivated the nation nearly 40 years ago, but which few of us still remember today. The things that happened were so bizarre and insane, I can't begin to tell you. Please do. To hear the whole story, listen to Fiasco, Iran Contra on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, your hands can't hit what your eyes can't see. Muhammad Ali was never afraid to express himself loudly and boldly and stays true to form in Ali and Me, an eight-part Audible original. Guided by his own words, this series explores Ali's life and legacy through never-before-heard audio recordings and discussions with those who knew him best.
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Starting point is 00:46:45 Monica, I think the thing is a lot of times and people's like, well, I think the thing what really got it trending at the end is that was you said, Stephen, you had this platform and you're doing it now but you probably should have done this a lot sooner me I'm gonna address that but I have club shea shea and people like well why do you have more women I've reached out to women that play or played in the WNBA and I get no returns I've had one lady she's not she's not a professional basketball player. Two days before, she's like, I'm going to have to reschedule. And now my team can't get a hold of her. So I've tried to give women, because, hey, I got a nice size platform. So I want to give you an opportunity to share, tell whatever story that you want to tell. You want to talk about your upbringing.
Starting point is 00:47:23 You want to talk about your life as a professional athlete. You a as an entertainer or celeb have at it but it's not as easy as you think monica because a lot of times women say no i'm about to stop you right now i believe you but i'm gonna also say this because i had to think twice before i said yes because i have seen some nightcap clips okay yes? And you do have to ask yourself, is this a safe space, right? And so I believe when you say you want to have that conversation, right? But I think because of the opportunities
Starting point is 00:47:54 to brand for women are a little bit... Hold on, let me get my words right. The opportunities for women to build their brands are so heavily scrutinized, right? That you probably think more dutifully before you say yes to an opportunity, depending on how it fits. And if you feel that space is safe. So I don't know why people are saying yes or no to you,
Starting point is 00:48:18 but honestly, like if we had this thing this morning, like I would not have thought of myself as a nightcap guest just based on the clips that I've seen. And I've met Ochoa in person. I've obviously met you in person. I think y'all are great guys, but like, I'm not going to tell y'all what goes down in my bedroom. Like, come on.
Starting point is 00:48:33 Right? And so you do just wonder if spaces are safe. And so as you continue to grow your platform, I would encourage you maybe to offer the topics in advance. And you may have done this already. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:48:47 Right? I always ask any guests, is there anything that you're uncomfortable with? I ask a question. You can also say, well, Shanna, you know that question that you asked me earlier and I talked about. Can you not air that? Boom. We take it out. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:49:00 Because I want you to be, most of the time when people come they're speaking their truth now if I ask you a question and you tell me what went down in your bedroom how am I being messy you could have said shout out now you know I ain't gonna answer that now I am sad but I don't know if that's my little pressure to keep up with the Joneses
Starting point is 00:49:20 I don't know if I can speak to other people now I know y'all can get a little wild on here yo yeah we get we but see that's the thing they know. I can't speak for other people now, Ochoa. I know y'all can get a little wild on here. Yo, yeah, we get... But see, that's the thing. They come for the sports. They stay for the stories. So, you know, it's kind of like,
Starting point is 00:49:31 Monica, a game. Let's just say, for the sake of argument, I let you into the arena for free, but I charge you to get out. You see what I'm saying? That's what I did.
Starting point is 00:49:39 Now, listen. All jokes aside, I do want to address the end of that clip. I genuinely was surprised by the reaction. And I did not intend to make it personal. But when I look at Stephen A and my relationship with Stephen A, he the head honcho at ESPN as far as I'm concerned. And I have been in this women's basketball space for so long and have been privy to many a conversation pushing and pitching and asking for space so as from where i sit if sa says let's talk about it it's going to be discussed right
Starting point is 00:50:11 right he and i've had a conversation tonight okay cool there are things that played that maybe i did not consider when i made that statement but what i do stand by is that the way that the wmba is being covered in the last, this season just started in May, this particular season is at a different fervor and tenor than it was three years ago. Now, whatever factors go into that, be that as it may, but three years ago, we were not having these conversations about the WNBA as we are now. And that is just a fact.
Starting point is 00:50:44 Yeah, well, we weren't having this conversation three months ago. Fair enough. But you said, Monica, it's never too late to do the right thing. Absolutely. And I think that some people will be like, oh, nobody was talking about it. Like you, I heard you at the end of that show. You lucky Molly had to go to break. You talking about something.
Starting point is 00:50:57 Monica, you proving his point because nobody was talking about Kayla Clark after 30 years ago. I heard your old Southern sass back there. Now, this is where we have to really argue and tussle with this idea of cart before the horse or horse before the cart, right? And I know we don't TV work, Shannon. Just like you said, Ocho,
Starting point is 00:51:21 you can talk about the Cowboys, you can talk about the Lakers. Like there are these things that hit. And so I understand the idea that the WNBA may not have been drawing the same numbers that it is now three years ago. But again, two things can be true. That doesn't necessarily mean that those women, prior to the arrival of this rookie class, were still not worthy of coverage. Right. Let's transition. The NBA finals. You got the Dallas Mavericks, Luka, Kyrie, Boston Celtics,
Starting point is 00:51:48 JT, JB. Who you like and what matchup are you looking most forward to? I don't know who I like yet, y'all. I think we're going to get seven. Seven and five really great games. Might be a couple duds in there. But I think we are really in for it
Starting point is 00:52:04 in this series. I think one of the matchups that intrigues me most is obviously what is Kristaps Porzingis going to look like? And I think of a Derek Lively probably before I think of Daniel Gafford, but either one of them in terms of
Starting point is 00:52:17 Kristaps Porzingis' ability to pull them away from the paint as their run protectors, right? And then, okay, so after that, then I immediately go to clutch. And Luka and Kyrie, oh baby, they light it up when it's clutch time. Yeah, they do. Right? Now, we obviously had the Jalen Brown three in the Indiana series.
Starting point is 00:52:34 That was big time. I can't, I'm pretty sure we have... The game four, they were down with like eight, with like two minutes to go, two and a half minutes to go. Right? And so I cannot say, and I should have pulled up the clutch numbers to go? Right. And so I cannot say, and I should have pulled up the clutch numbers
Starting point is 00:52:48 before we got on here, but I cannot say that I don't trust Boston in the clutch. But recent history tells me that Luka and Kyrie are about the clutch, right? Right.
Starting point is 00:52:58 I'm going to stay Boston for now because that's where I've been all season long. And I do think that they have a unique ability to defend and make life a little bit more difficult for those guys.
Starting point is 00:53:09 But I could be so wrong and I just think we are in for a really great series. You know, do you think it's a narrative where people out there trying to put the media, you and I both in the media,
Starting point is 00:53:20 I don't think we've done it, but maybe I'm wrong, that we try to put JT and JB, try to pit them against each other? I think when something doesn't work, the media's job is to pick it apart. Okay. And I think we all would agree,
Starting point is 00:53:35 no, it feels like they're a little bit late to the party in terms of winning a championship, right? Like, they were the better team in 2022 when Steph maybe got his finals MVP, right? Right. And so I think when something, when expectations are unmet, the human nature is,
Starting point is 00:53:52 well, what happened? Why? Right? And those two being your stars are the easiest target. Right. Because I think, and I've said this,
Starting point is 00:54:00 I believe, and I could be wrong, you correct me because you watch basketball as much as I watch basketball if not as much as i do if not more i believe jt is the better player i believe jaylen brown has been the better player in the playoffs when you look at the entirety of the playoffs if you look and i know jt averaged more in in the finals in the western in east oh. But I thought Jalen Brown played better.
Starting point is 00:54:26 The big shot notwithstanding, you look at the efficiency in which he played with. I said that's why I thought he was deserving of the Larry Bird trophy, which goes to the MVP of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Starting point is 00:54:41 What do you say? I think that's fair. I do think, and again, I'm not naive. I know sports conversations don't have nuance, which is, again, why we started this podcast.
Starting point is 00:54:51 Thank you for giving me the space to have nuance. Because if ever there was a conversation to have a little bit of nuance, it's this WNBA conversation. But when it comes to the Celtics, I think we got to stop
Starting point is 00:55:01 moving the goalposts, right? Jalen Brown earned Conference Finals MVP. He did. I love that, right? Okay. Jalen Brown earned conference finals MVP. He did. He took that, right? Boston, Brad Stephens and company, they put together a team, right? The reason in my mind why Jason Tatum
Starting point is 00:55:15 was less discussed in MVP and all of that stuff is because it was a team. Our colleague Brian Winters has talked about how much of the load one has to bear. And because Boston has a team. Our colleague, Brian Winters, has talked about how much of the load one has to bear. And because Boston has a team, it looks like Jason Tatum has had to bear a little bit less. So for me, I do think the Celtics have to get it done.
Starting point is 00:55:34 I think Jason Tatum is still young in his career. He's an excellent ball player. I do not think he has to win finals MVP. I think that is a goalpost that continues to move because I'm not going to penalize him if the guys around him that were brought to the organization so they could finally win a title help to get it done. But you know that happens.
Starting point is 00:55:52 You know that happens. We saw it with Steph. We saw it with Kobe. You know that happens, Monica, when the best player, and he doesn't win that finals mvp they like the only guy and this was before your time that i don't remember getting criticized for being the best player and not winning finals mvp was larry bird that's way before my time tell
Starting point is 00:56:17 me no cornbread maxwell won it in eight when they beat the six when they beat the rocket and he had eight points the last two games if i I'm not mistaken. Cornbread Maxwell was finals MVP. But he was the rookie of the year, and he had like 33 votes. The Magic got three. But, you know, I believe, I agree with you. I believe they need to win. If they don't win,
Starting point is 00:56:37 and he plays like he did against Golden State, Monica, you know it's going to be a bloodbath. You know that. Well, it's going to be a bloodbath anyway, because I already told you, Mavs in seven to be a bloodbath. You know that. Well, it's going to be a bloodbath anyway because I already told you Mavs and Seven. Ooh, old chump. I already told you. This thing is close.
Starting point is 00:56:54 Listen, there's no way to stop Luka and Kyrie. And it is what it is. They have the clutch gene. If the Celtics have too many off nights shooting three and they're not efficient from the field, it's going to be a long series. I really want to believe
Starting point is 00:57:11 that they're not going to trip over the three-point line in that way. Like, there's enough basketball prowess that they would not be lulled to their own demise by shooting three.
Starting point is 00:57:17 But that's who they are, Monica. You know that's who they are. They take the most. They make the most. Oh, I just really want to believe, though, y'all. I just want to believe. I love what I get to do for a living, but this kind of stuff
Starting point is 00:57:30 is actually very agonizing, right? Because you got one fan base that's going to hate you, one fan base that's going to love you, but I can see it go either way, y'all. I do. So can I. Let me ask you a question. Who do you think they start out on Luka? Because I think Holiday and Derek White might be too small. You think they start out on luca because i don't think i think holiday might be holiday and derrick white might be too small you think they start go jaylen brown knowing that he's
Starting point is 00:57:50 gonna have to give up something offensive because luca is a monster on the offensive end so to try to neutralize some of what he does you might have to give us some of the offensive load and that's why jt uh or and and holiday and der Derek White might need to be really big. Because if JB starts out on Luka, he's going to have his hands full. Well, here's the thing, right? Luka kept getting loose versus the Wolves when them screens came and the switches came. So it didn't really matter who started primarily. I think Drew Holiday is such a versatile defender that I don't know if they start him on Luka.
Starting point is 00:58:28 He was my first thought because I think Drew's size is underrated. His strength is underrated. He's strong now. As a defender, the whole bit. Because again, this thing is going to be about making it as difficult as possible. And so if you are playing ahead
Starting point is 00:58:41 and thinking that the screen action is going to, if the screening action is going to come, especially if they end up doing the Luka Ky guard to guard thing like it don't really matter you know what I mean my first thought is still going to be Drew but I think at points we will see Drew, Derek, Jason and Jalen I think they will all get a piece at some
Starting point is 00:58:58 point and to me that might be the X factor of what the Celtics have in terms of four guys that can make it difficult I don't know about difficult but can make it difficult luca is a guy that he also he'll go away from the screen the mavericks do a very good thing they like to set the screen because they know if you put the screen in either corner they can trap it they can blitz it they do a great job of setting the screens in the middle of the floor which makes it a lot more difficult for you to blitz it or to trap that trap that
Starting point is 00:59:26 when Luka or Kyrie have the ball. So what do you think is going to happen when they try to run the slip? Because now Lively or Derek Gafford, they slide out, he passed them the ball and boom. This is where Porzingis becomes a big deal because his length can at least disrupt
Starting point is 00:59:43 long enough to, you know, sometimes they say hold it for a second, right? length can at least disrupt long enough to, you know, they sometimes they say, hold it for a second, right? Like his length can disrupt long enough that either of those guys got to look to survey before they make a pass. And they're certainly got to pay attention if they make a play on the
Starting point is 00:59:54 rim, but you're absolutely right. In terms of the corners, they put Kyrie in the corner and Luka on one side, like the space is just, it's just too much room. Like it's just too much room. Um,
Starting point is 01:00:04 so I'm, I'm excited, though. I just think what game, game one probably will look different from game two. And then, you know, all the adjustments. Like, Jason Kidd has been phenomenal. Joe Mazzulla has been great for this group. Like, I cannot wait to see all the adjustments and the wrinkles.
Starting point is 01:00:18 Because, you know, we think we know what happened. I'm sure they got some stuff up their sleeve now. They do. But eventually, you know one thing, Monica. You got some stuff up their sleeve now. They do. They do. But eventually, you know one thing, Monica. You're going to beat me with what I do best. I'm not out. Hey, I'm going to give you a wrinkle here and a wrinkle there.
Starting point is 01:00:34 But I've got to get back to what got me here. This is the lady that brought me to the party. I know there's some other pretty ladies out there. But I got to dance with what got me here, Monica, at the end of the day. Your analogy is why women don't want to be coming on Nightcap. Monica, we got to dance with one guy at the end of the day. Your analogy is why women don't want to be coming on Nightcap. Monica, we got a few more questions, then we'll get you out of here. Kyrie reflected on his self-tenure earlier today. Let's take a listen to what
Starting point is 01:00:56 Kyrie had to say. You know, last time at Boston, I don't think that was the best, not this regular season, but when we played in the playoffs and everyone saw me flip off the birds and kind of lose my shit a little bit, that wasn't a great reflection of who I am, how I like to compete on a high level. Um, you know, it wasn't a great reflection on my end towards the next generation on what it means to control your emotions in that type of environment, no matter what people are yelling at you. Um, you know, I'm built for these moments to be able to handle circumstances like that.
Starting point is 01:01:28 And I've been able to grow since then. So, of course, it's going to be a hectic environment, but I'm looking forward to it. And I see it as a healthy relationship to have with the fans. You know, I almost think about Gladiator just when the crowd over. You know, it's good to hear the TD Garden silent
Starting point is 01:01:43 when you're playing well. They still respect great basketball. So regardless of, you know it's good to hear the td garden silent uh when you're playing well they still respect great basketball so regardless of um you know the attention that's being paid to what it's going to be like on my end i have a group to lead you like kairi's growth maturity listen shout out to insecure and i can't think of the actress's name i played kelly but that's growth okay we got the growth um i love it and look y'all i mean oh so you had some moments with the media right like i don't know what it is right good ones some good i think i think again and this is one thing that i try i hope is attached to me in this space i kind of i try to come at this thing not forgetting the humanity of these elite athletes. Just because y'all can do and have done things that most of us can only hope and dream about,
Starting point is 01:02:29 it doesn't mean that you are also not human people with emotions and feelings and passion to grow in. Right. And so for me, that is a fantastic demonstration of growth. But more than that press conference, what we saw in the last series, what we've seen the Mavs be able to do to get to the finals. It's not just talk with Kyrie. There's real growth there. Now, I will say somebody sent me a hilarious screenshot that was like, not the media talking about Kyrie like he wasn't an asshole for the last five years. Okay.
Starting point is 01:02:57 There's a dichotomy there. But we're going to lean in. We're going to lean into this growth. And so I think as much as he's grown as an athlete he's also grown as a man and a sponsor marriage Natasha
Starting point is 01:03:12 Rothwell is the actress you're talking about she's hysterical she should get a spin off please Issa Rae can we just get a Kelly spin off thank you which duo would you rather have in this series? Luka, Kyrie, JT, JB? Mm-hmm.
Starting point is 01:03:29 Yeah. Someone whose basketball ethos tends to lean toward the team that can defend better, the duo in this conversation that has a little bit more two-way mm-mm-mm is the Celtics duo.
Starting point is 01:03:47 Mm. All right. We're going to see how good that defensive prowess turns out when the man's sweet. You ain't lying, no joke. We're going to find out. And we're going to get you out of here on this one, Monica.
Starting point is 01:03:59 Whose legacy do you think will be more impacted by this outcome? The Jordan brand because Jason Tatum is a Jordan athlete. Hey, this is going to be big for Kyrie's own brand, Anta. It is. Can you imagine Kyrie wins his second title, especially as you said, what he's gone through
Starting point is 01:04:21 since he last played with LeBron 2017. So 18, 19, 20, 21, 22. And, you know, half he's gone through since he last played with LeBron 2017, so 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, and you know half of 23 he was there and to see what he's become as we talked about, the maturity, the growth, the maturation,
Starting point is 01:04:37 marriage, kids, he's at peace. That's the thing. Sometimes we fight demons that are not even there. Man, I'm a Maryland girl. I don't know if y'all said this down in the South, but my mom and I'm an Amsterdam. Just keep on living.
Starting point is 01:04:54 Just keep on living. And you like, if you keep on living, you are going to be forced to grow. Yes. Yes. So, you know what, Monica, thank you so much for joining us tonight. I wanted to have this conversation. I wanted you to give you an opportunity and a space to have a nuanced conversation where we're not up against the clock, that we don't have to get to a commercial. We don't have to get to the top of the hour. We don't have to do anything. We just had a 55 minute, 56 minute conversation. And I hope our viewing and listening audience enjoyed it. Thank you for coming on.
Starting point is 01:05:27 You're welcome back anytime. You know, well, you know what I'm trying to do. You know what I'm trying to do. So, we're going to keep that between you and the fifth post. Yeah, I got a little text. Okay.
Starting point is 01:05:38 Listen, I, Shannon, I'm going back and forth today. I really appreciate this. I think the internet went ablaze and truly that was not my intention. And I walked away from our conversation not thinking that I had said anything earth shattering.
Starting point is 01:05:52 It was just, if you take a step back and look at the big picture, you know what I mean? Stephen A is our boy. We all good. And cheers to more Chris basketball coverage. Like, let's get it. He definitely,
Starting point is 01:06:06 he definitely getting a watch from me for Christmas. Where's my watch at? He should go buy a watch. I'm not on the contract yet. I need the watch. Oh, well,
Starting point is 01:06:16 I got that new, I got that new updated Apple watch. You want it? Wow. I mean, for the free, I don't turn down quality. That's still quality.
Starting point is 01:06:26 Monica, thank you so much. I really, really, really appreciate that. Thank you for joining us. We know it's probably past your bed. It's 11 o'clock on the East Coast time. You're probably normally in the bed. So I'm not going to keep you Ocho Nine Nightcaps. I'm not going to keep you any further from your fiance.
Starting point is 01:06:41 Get to him and turn this camera off. Thank you, Monica. Thank you, guys. Talk to y'all later. I'm Michael Kasson, founder and CEO of 3C Ventures and your guide on good company. The podcast where I sit down with the boldest innovators shaping what's next.
Starting point is 01:07:00 In this episode, I'm joined by Anjali Sood, CEO of Tubi. We dive into the competitive world of streaming. What others dismiss as niche, we embrace as core. There are so many stories out there, and if you can find a way to curate and help the right person discover the right content, the term that we always hear from our audience is that they feel seen. Listen to Good Company on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. In the fall of 1986, Ronald Reagan found himself at the center of a massive scandal
Starting point is 01:07:38 that looked like it might bring down his presidency. It became known as the Iran-Contra Affair. The things that happened were so bizarre and insane, I can't begin to tell you. Please do. To hear the whole story, listen to Fiasco, Iran-Contra on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
Starting point is 01:08:00 or wherever you get your podcasts. You're listening to an iHeart Podcast.

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