The Breakfast Club - INTERVIEW: Monica McNutt Talks WNBA, Playoff Predictions + More

Episode Date: May 29, 2024

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Wake that ass up early in the morning. The Breakfast Club. Morning everybody, it's DJ Envy, Jess Larris, Charlemagne the guy. We are The Breakfast Club. We got a special guest in the building. Yes, indeed. We have Monica McNutt. Welcome! Hi, guys! Monica is a, what are you, a sports reporter? Oh, gosh.

Analyst. Basketball analyst. Host. All of the above. What else? What are we missing? We working. Cycle instructor on the side. Okay.

And, you know, just trying to take care of my mentals, my chicken. Shout out to Marshawn. Now, I saw you tweet the other day that you misplaced your Beats by Dre headphones on the plane. And you said that it messed up your movie watching experience. Very much so. Did you have to use the airplane headphones? So I was. Listen, not airplane headphones.

So full context. Okay. It was before the Knicks lost to the Pacers. So it was team travel, charter life, smooth. We love it. I used my AirPods. But the plane's still loud. So it was very much like, I can kind of hear I want to watch this.

Versus, you know, the surround experience. Who were you watching? Mr. and Mrs. Smith on Amazon Prime. Is it good? I'm getting into it. It took me about three episodes. Okay. It was a little on Amazon Prime. Is it good? I'm getting into it. It took me about three episodes. It was a little predictable. But I want to support, I think.

So I'm going to hang on. Did you ever find your headphones? I did not. The locators lost. I'm pretty sure I lost them on the trip to Chicago. I'm one of them people that I don't lose a lot, but when I can't find something, I lost it. So you just left it somewhere.

Yeah. And somebody got them. I hope they're blessed. Well, when you walked in, you and Charlamagne were having a conversation about makeup. Yes. Like, discussed? Because he was like, did you get this treatment? And he was like, I haven't got that treatment.

He was like, oh, my God, that treatment is so well. Shout out to Brenda Colon, our amazing makeup artist. What treatment are you talking about, sir? Because I was amazed. When she removes the makeup, the removal is incredible. I'm going to have to tap in now. The problem, though, is I'll be trying to save her the face by Brenda, and then she's not in my house at night.

I knew those were on your eyebrows, Charlamagne. I knew that. What do you mean? These are absolutely my eyebrows. Now let's talk. Can we talk some sports for a little bit? Let's do some sports. Let's talk WNBA.

Let's talk about Monica first. Can we get to know Monica before we get into the sports? Okay. You know she played basketball in college for the Georgetown Hoyas? I did. I did. we get into the sports? You know, she played basketball in college for the Georgetown Hoyas. I did, I did. Why did you stop playing? You know what? Okay, so I was very realistic, right? And I remember saying

to my dad, like, I don't want to be 28 coming back from overseas and being at entry-level positions. I didn't, this is the, I don't live with a bunch of regrets, y'all, but it is the one thing that I do regret not even trying to see if I could stick on a roster in the W. I had so much respect for the craft. I didn't think I was good enough.

And frankly, I was ready to put my energy elsewhere. Basketball was like third grade every Saturday, every summer, you know what I'm saying, that commitment. And so it was kind of like, all right, I'm ready to do something else. So I did not attempt to go pro. I immediately began my foray into media. Do you think you could have went pro? Do you think you could have went pro seeing everybody the way they played

and knowing the way that you play? I graduated 2011. I think I could have made a roster. I don't know if I would have stuck for the entire season, if I'm honest. The W is just that tough. It's just that tough. Why do you feel like, you know, like you said you have regrets, but it's like you physically know or spiritually know

when it's time to move on to the next thing. Correct. So if you knew that, like why do you still have regrets, but it's like you physically know or spiritually know when it's time to move on to the next thing. Correct. So if you knew that, like, why do you still have regret? I think trying would have honestly given me some intel in terms of the process, for one, which would have benefited me now. And then I think it would have been like, well, you tried it. Now let's move on. You know what I mean? Even if the result was still you're going to move on because if the plan was it's time to move on, it was going to be revealed one way or another.

Got you. So that's the only. And I use regret lightly. There are a few things that I look back and I'm like i should have done that um thankfully i don't live with a ton of those so so do you feel tall for no reason uh no i love being tall i feel tall on purpose okay baby like it took me a long time to get comfortable in these size 11 size 12 feet okay i'm here because you walked in and when we hugged but you like leaned down that's disrespectful to short men i don't know if you know that but to short king i don't down. That's disrespectful to short men. I don't know if you know that, but to short kings, that's disrespectful.

It's not. Yes, it is. What am I supposed to do? Like when tall women kneel down in the picture like this. Like why are you doing that? I'm not a goo goo goo goo. I wouldn't be tall if you weren't short, though. So we work together.

Like we work together. I'm surprised he didn't try to post you up. Usually any woman here that's tall, he tries to post you up like he plays basketball. Don't do that. Don't do that. We passed that. Don't do that. Don't do that. We passed that. Don't do that.

Don't do that. He does that all the time. I do the women I know. I'm not going to do that. I don't know Monica like that. He's in the street, right? Any time we go, he try to back him out. We all accustomed to it.

Move. No, get out of here. Move, man. Get out of my way. Now, how did you get to being an analyst and reporter? So when I graduated in 2011, we lost toukon ironically in philly and at the press conference final press conference i'm like yo like my career is over i'm trying to get into media what's up um and a couple of folks in the audience actually gave me cards and connected and i think

i'm very thankful to my parents advocating for myself has been something that i have never struggled with courtesy of my parents and so all along the way i'm meeting these people and letting them know what i wanted to do i actually ended ended up being at a Washington Post event and sitting in front of the director of the Philip Merrill College of Journalism or sports program for sports journalism at University of Maryland. Again, advocating for myself. He's like, come check out our journalism program. At the time, I didn't know who he was. Turned out to be George Solomon. That gets the wheel rolling in me in terms of opportunities to learn the craft of journalism, study it, be able to go and perform in various mediums,

and then take my basketball passion and basketball knowledge and merge the two. So 2012, 2013, I graduated from grad school and then just kind of been pushing ever since. Was there anybody that inspired you to want to get into broadcast journalism? Robin Roberts. Like, I was a 1996, 97 WNBA foundational years. Robin Roberts was still working on the call at that point. And I just remember seeing her and then following her to ESPN and SportsCenter and obviously on the GMA. Like, it was like, yo, like, that's me.

Like, I could do that. And so I think Robin Roberts is probably my first muse in the space. And then I would say somebody like Doris Burke probably. Does the stigma still exist that women don't know sports 100 it's it's changing um but it's definitely still out there and I'll be honest y'all for me it was so funny this week Monday first take Stephen A Shannon all those guys and Stephen A has to take this moment to address this whole thing with Jalen Brown right and I am listening and I'm like dang this man been in the industry 25 plus years, well respected, and he's still having to clarify. And so for me,

you know, less than 10 years in, at least doing that show and on that platform, it was this, that's just the nature of the beast moment. Because I'm like, I didn't say that when people are like tweeting stuff at me. Like, I didn't say that. That's completely out of context. And so I think you learn and you build the scar tissue, the tough skin

to deal with it because it's just the nature of the beast i do understand differently we forget fan is short for fanatic and so sometimes when i'm engaging i'm like all right is this misogynistic bs or is this just a crazy fan right and you gotta be able i don't want to say hold space but you gotta be able to navigate both because there is still a sentiment out there that women just don't know what they're talking about and for me i'm like look we don't have to agree that's the nature of the beast that's the nature of human experience but don't be nasty for no reason that's my only thing yeah i think when it comes to like uh sports pundits you can immediately tell if you like somebody just by listening to them because you know what they you know they know what they're talking about yeah I remember the first time I saw you was on, I think, the Yes Network with Kaz.

MSG, yep, it was MSG. It was MSG? Uh-huh. It was MSG? My boys love Kaz. It was with Kaz after a Knicks game. And I was like, I remember hitting Kaz like, who is that? Like, you know, she knows what she's talking about,

not because she's a woman, just that person knows what they're talking about. Yeah, and I appreciate that. That compliment and compliments from basketball people mean the world to me. Like if this assistant coach or this coach or this former athlete is like, yo, we like what you do, like, thank you. And like what you do doesn't mean we always have to agree. I was in a class with Diana Taurasi two years ago at the women's Final Four, and she's like, Ma, you look like you're having fun though.

She's like, I don't always agree, which is fine, but you look like you're having fun and you've done the work. And that is the bottom line. Now I've got to ask you, WNBA. Let's do it. There's been a lot of conversation recently about the WNBA. Things have changed in the last year, but I think people wanted more. And I see them starting to talk more and more and more and more trash, right?

Kaitlyn Clark, for example, right? You know, she's doing well, scoring 22 points. That's difficult, right? Like, this is top level basketball but people wanted more they wanted her like what she did in college and they're saying that this could actually hurt the WNBA what's your thoughts on that so two things can be true and this is why the run-up to Caitlyn getting drafted and becoming a pro was so fascinating to watch for those of us that have been in the space right she's dynamic she has changed the game changed the game. She's worthy of all the contracts, the dollars,

the rise in tire raises, all ships, whatever. Although there is trajectory of the WNBA in the last four years, some of these things were going to happen anyway. But the W is also tough. It's the 144 of the best women in the world, period. Not in the United States, in the world. And so she is fine and talented and will be okay. And there's also going to be a curve and i

think that's what we're seeing in real time you don't get drafted number one because the team just won a championship the team is struggling right and the fever have struggled since they won a championship with tamika catches i think that was 2016 so they're trying to get back to the promised land so to speak i think the hope is okay we're tuning in to watch caitlin oh but let me i'm i'm learning about the connecticut sun i. Oh, but let me I'm learning about the Connecticut Sun. I'm learning about the LA Sparks. I'm learning about the Las Vegas Aces. These other teams that I now want to follow. That's the hope. Now, the reality, I literally had this conversation a week ago

with one of my bosses, is that fan base for her going to hang on while the fever continue to struggle? Now, I can't answer that. I can already see growth in her first, what, two weeks a month of the season. But I hope that the eyeballs that she's bringing are about women's sports at large and not just her. And that encourages and boosts the WNBA at large.

I've never rooted for a white woman so much in my life. Okay. Because she has to be successful. I feel like, you know, the more success she has, the more success women's basketball is going to have. People should want her to succeed. It's kind of weird to see people rooting against her. So first of all, Charlamagne and Embiid, let's unpack that. Who is Chuck talking to the other day?

Who is Chuck talking to? Stop hating. It's the internet. Now, if you're talking to the internet, make that clear. Because I have talked to WNB players. I've talked to her teammates in Indiana. Like, folks are excited and thrilled. But the idea that the WNBA has to play kumbaya and not compete. Like, whoever said, I'm blank.

Was it Jeff Teague that said y'all shouldn't be competing because you want to make her look good? I don't know. I said one of the podcasts. I said you say that. Right? This clip, like, cut it out. Cut it out. Like, at the base, at the foundation of this, it is competition. and that is beautiful and worthy of celebration if you're listening you don't know

what she's talking about uh he was saying that the wmba should fall back off of her let her score let her score 30 40 the first two years and get more people involved and then play hard on her but i'm like you it's competition like no i want to show that i can defend her i want to show that when she comes into my city that she's scoring two points. Also, that's an insult to her. She's a competitor. She's going to go do what she got to do. Do not give this any real rational space in your head. Don't even do it.

I'm like, Jeff might not be a little all. He might not be wrong. Because he was saying, let her go crazy for two years. Get more people involved. You know people. Especially little white girls want to go see her. It's not like she's not getting shots. Come on, y'all. She's going to be fine. To me, if I'm her, that's an insult. That's an insult. And it's only been what, five games?

I got a double check or something like that. Yeah, five or six games. I mean that's a 10 for sure. I've seen her score 20 a few times, but I'm looking at everything else she's doing. She's getting assists. Passing the ball. She's getting rebounds. She's getting cut down on the turnovers. But yeah, she looked like she's doing she's gonna be all right she's doing the thing quiet as it's kept i don't i shouldn't say quite as it's kept but it just hasn't been as much of a national headline but her comrade in that class angel reese has been off to a rocky start right like she angel is hooping and i'm hooping and i'll be the first to say that in college i was like ah how's this going to translate in terms

of position but the work ethic the energy get into the glass like the toughness all of those things have translated and i'm really excited for her this rookie class is dope and i think the timing of it um is really unique in terms of the growth of women's sports at large and then you have these personalities that you can latch on to and really root for and they are cool sharing their lives which is super dope so it's a beautiful combination so right now you're rookie of the year so far as injuries? In terms of product, I mean, both of those teams are struggling. I haven't even thought about rookie of the year.

It's so early. My big thing going into the conversation of rookie of the year, though, is whose numbers are going to impact their team's overall improvement. So right now you would give a slight edge to Chicago. Both of those teams are struggling. Well, I shouldn't say struggling. They're still young. They're still building.

But you would probably give a slight edge to Chicago right now. And Cardosa not even. Yeah, she had a shoulder thing. She's getting back. How hard is it being a woman at ESPN? So I live in New York. I operate out of the Seaport studio. I have no issues.

The times that I've been in Bristol, I've had no issues. It is, that's a, ESPN is a great place to work. No place is perfect, right? And so I don't find it to be hard. I think I'm probably hardest on myself. And that's just the background of an athlete, right? Like, y'all, it's crazy to me. The other day I had a conversation with my guys over at Knicks Film School.

And they asked me about my most memorable moment from the season. And this wasn't an ESPN moment, but it was with Mike Brink, right? We're doing a game in Golden State. Second game game I had the opportunity to call for the Knicks might have been the third and Mike Brink does his signature bang on the call and it was like surreal for me because I'm like whoa like whoa and so there's this moment of I'm sitting next to this hall of famer that has done this for umpteen years or even the other day on in the studio like I'm sitting across from you donna's haslam a three-time champion like a dude that played 18 plus years in the nba like and here i am someone who has loved the game of basketball done my best to study and prepare and just bring in my perspective so whether it's espn or msg there's an innate confidence that you have to

have in terms of my voice and my perspective adds to this conversation now that does not mean i don't operate with a ton of deference and respect because, I mean, I'm writing off all these people that I have the privilege to work next to and I have a ton of respect for your experience. However, this is also what I've observed. Can we have a conversation? And so that goes back to basketball people being like, yo, that was solid. Or on the occasion where it wasn't solid, you have the opportunity to receive constructive feedback, adjust and grow. So I have not found it to be hard. I'm very thankful. I've had the opportunity to do a bunch of different things. And I think moving forward for me, it's about finding the lane that best suits my skillset.

And I got to ask, you said you did a bunch of Knicks games, right? It feels like the NBA gets a lot better and more talked about when the Knicks are in the playoffs. Only New Yorkers feel like that. It feels like that. Okay. Yes. Yes. It does. You crazy. Listen, I would, so this was my first year as a Knicks radio analyst. We had a blast, right? This was also probably their best year in terms of, you think of January.

They was on that hot streak. I have learned how national television works. There's a few, y'all know, it's a few markets that hit, and we're going to keep recycling these topics. When the Knicks are playing well, there's definitely more energy. Like there's more energy about the teams that are coming into the Garden.

How did the results end up going down at the Garden? Like the whole bit. So yes, I think that's a fact. And I also got to ask, you know, people have been complaining about the refs in the NBA recently. And they're saying they make bad calls and this, that, and the other.

What are your thoughts on the refs in the NBA I think refereeing is a thankless job your best case scenario is we say nothing about you right um the one time the paces complained 78 times it's like that's crazy like in one game yes I think between game two and three they sent 78 clips to the league office wow Rick Carlisle popped a $35,000 flying for his post-game press conference after game two and three, they sent 78 clips to the league office. Wow. Rick Carlisle popped a $35,000 flyer for his post-game press conference after game two. And in game three in Indiana, the tenor of the game was a little different. That was worth every coin.

That was during the Knicks series? Yes. That was during the Knicks series, right? That's why I think they won that game. I'm a Knicks fan. We're going to keep moving. I think the officiating definitely has room to improve, and it's just a matter of consistency.

Even last night, complete accident. Was it Jalen Brunson clock kicks TJ McConnell in the head? Everybody listening, J.J. Redding, Mike Breen, George Burke, like, by rule, this is going to be a flagrant one. Unintentional, but you kicked the dude in the face. And the crew ruled that it was just a regular foul. Like, it was like, oh. And so I think there is consistency by the letter of the law that is missing.

And that probably would be my biggest gripe. And who's the face of the league right now? You look at some of the biggest stars in the league. They didn't make the playoffs. Well, out the playoffs, I should say. LeBron, you're talking Curry, you're talking Kevin Durant. These guys out. So who is the face of the league?

And we've only been debating this for like three weeks on television. Ah. I still think that those guys when you think NBA you think of the Giannis, KD, Steph, and LeBron still first in my mind. But I do think we are witnessing a changing of the guard. Minnesota might get swept.

Right? Look like that's how it's going to happen. And so I think that probably puts a little bit of a pause on the Anthony Edwards talk. talk but then you got like kairi who's going off alongside luca right they love kairi now they totally listen listen michael jordan is the face of the nba okay and you know how you know michael jordan is facing the nba because even the greatest players that are still playing right now still get compared to michael jordan anthony edwards is still getting compared you know to michael jordan right now lebron to Michael Jordan. Anthony Edwards is still getting compared, you know, to Michael Jordan right now.

LeBron James, if he was in the playoffs, they would say he's still chasing Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan is the face of the NBA, guys and gals. Okay. I don't know if I agree with that, but sure. I understand your logic. I mean, I think the face of the league is such a it's a loaded question right because so much of it is also like wanting to and so in terms of the guy that's front facing a vocal is definitely

steph and lebron in terms of like they're gonna capture all of these deals regarding the league they're gonna wear mics that you know they're gonna be strategic and everything that they're doing um i don't know if there's anybody that seems to embrace it quite the way they do until you turn around and got and edwards but i will say i like it edwards i love it talk shit though he's like he's honest he comes from a side of it almost like a more like an iverson approach i don't give a fuck about none of y'all i'm gonna say what i gotta say and it is what it is and then if you talk back to me i'm gonna try to dunk on you by the way i love it i love it i like anthony edwards too but it feels like once those Jordan talks really started

to heat up for that week, his performances didn't match. So this is year one, though. I feel you on that. But this is year one. I'm going to say this baby. This young man, this athlete, this star. You know you're a black woman. This baby.

I mean, he's never been this far. And to me, he looks absolutely cooked and fatigued in this series. So I think he has time. The question around him has been, is he the new face of the league? I don't think he's there yet. But like you said, the MJ comps, the personality, all of these things are reasons for folks to tune in.

And so I think he's got, he's 22, y'all. He's got plenty of time and plenty of runway. But I think knocking out the defending champs and the way that they did, that made that very exciting. And talking trash all along the way, please. I got to ask about one more Nick question what we got what do what do the shut up what do the knicks need to do for next year you know they've been talking about do they trade randall do they keep randall do they bring somebody else in you know what should we do so hear me out

i'm listening i think people forgot what this team could look like healthy. Yeah. Right? Mitchell Robinson goes down in October. Julius goes down at the end of January. OG misses a month-ish down the stretch of the regular season. You get to the postseason. OG's still dealing with the injury stuff. And then, obviously, it ends with the Jalen Hand thing, right?

Julius was a 25-9 guy. Excuse me. All-star, right? Allba mitchell robinson was having the best season to date before going down with that foot injury and then when he did get healthy he was productive until he got hurt again in that philly series i actually would be okay if this team stood its ground and ran it back healthy but to me the culture has to be protected yeah i know y'all heard all the conversation about tibbs i was i like wanted to kick anybody in the face that wanted to talk to me about tibbs and minutes like stop it say tibbs work come on like we're trying

to win y'all want to count minutes y'all want w's like what we doing so if they're going to add i think that front office has earned tremendous respect with the trade that they made to get og and precious to chew him. And even the two guys out of Detroit were beneficial down the stretch. They deserve respect. To me, you got to get a guy that fits the Tibbs system. You got to be able to play. You want to play on both sides of the floor.

And the ball can't really stick. I think the misconception is that the ball has to stick with Jalen. Jalen, to me, is an incredible high basketball IQ guy. Yes, he's going to get his buckets. But if you gave him somebody that also is drawing a double team, which is Tib's favorite thing to say, he's going to pass the rock. He's going to get off of it because he's a winner. So I would actually be okay if they ran it back and they were healthy.

But whoever it is, you got to be a real hooper and not in the NBA because of the lifestyle and you just happen to be talented. Devin Booker even saying, what's your thoughts? Don't love that. Why not? Two ball dominant. And what are we doing on the other side of the ball? Okay. I just don't love that. Why not? Two ball dominant. And what are we doing on the other side of the ball? Okay. I just don't love that one.

Bronny. Bronny? I mean, I see where you're going there, right? Bronny. I do see where you're going. Look, that is literally Monday. Should LeBron James test for the agency? Sincerely, right?

Two places in my mind. Philly has the money. They could actually do it. And everybody's like, he ain't going to Philly. Ain't no chance. And then in terms of Brandon's thought power, like, it ain't no place like New York. I don't think that's realistic. But that's a guy.

You don't question his work ethic. You don't question his availability. Like, he going to hoop when he went. As long as he's healthy, he going to hoop. Is Bronny ready for the league? I have not watched Bronny enough, so I can't say. But I do appreciate that I think my favorite thing

in this process as the highlights have come down from the combine was his player comps like he was honest like he's like these are the kind of guys

I love Davion Mitchell like they called him off night in college because when he guards the other guys have off nights and that comp was one of my favorites obviously Derek White

I think was a guy he mentioned as well who's had a tremendous path to get to where he is now with the Celtics as they head to the finals so I liked that he was in touch and he wasn't delusional in that way I don't question that the young man is willing to work this

draft class might be the opportunity that makes most sense because you're not talking about a Victor Wimby or a Zion or a Ja I think you can get ready you know what I'm saying like and if he has anybody if he has anybody, if he has the opportunity, his dad is LeBron.

He going, he going to tell you what you need to do in terms of the work and not just from the nepotism side, but literally from the work because that's one thing LeBron has never cheated.

Caitlyn Clark versus Bronny James one-on-one. You want to, like, I'm going to say Caitlyn off of like, go women, but like also,

what, can they play horse? Horse? Horse, I'm saying Caitlyn. Okay. Yeah, because she, she's going to, she's going to, like, also, can they play horse? Horse? Horse, I'm taking Caitlyn. Okay. Yeah, because she's got buckets. She's going to give you Steph Curry shots. I think one-on-one, Caitlyn would take them.

I have not watched Bonnie close enough, I can't say. Okay, okay. But I'm just, in my head, a little more athleticism there. That could be problematic. You said something earlier that was, like, you said the person has to want to play ball, not the lifestyle. Yeah, you got to want to hoop. You got to want to work and hoop. You can't just be an NBA player because of the lifestyle. I feel like you said that, and has to want to play ball, not the lifestyle. Yeah, you got to want to hoop. You got to want to work and hoop.

You can't just be an NBA player because of the lifestyle. I feel like you said that, and I never even thought about it, but I feel like that's the majority of the league. It feels like a lot of these people are just into the lifestyle as opposed to wanting to go out there and really be the best. I mean, it's a hell of a lifestyle. I ain't mad at them. If you are talented enough that your talent keeps you afloat,

then God bless you. Like, I ain't that talented. I got to work hard. Like, you know what I'm saying? And I don't – that is a real, like, only you know. Well, I shouldn't say that. Only you and your teammates know who those types of guys are. But to me, the culture that Tibbs has built, those guys, off days,

what are those? I mean, besides taking care of their bodies and medical but like the opportunity to go improve your game like a dude like Josh Hart

can't survive playing three straight 48 minute contests because he just skating off talent like even if the work is not

necessarily on your feet it's how you eat it's taking care of your body like you know what I mean and this current

Knicks group is a really cool group of dudes that are willing to work I think the Knicks team this year is

going to change the league a little bit. The way that they work, the way that they hustle, the way that they want minutes, the way that they dive on the floor. They look like old NBA, the way they play. I think that's fair. I think that's fair. And I think I, in the last couple of years, y'all, I'm like, simple things should not be conflated with easy, right?

It sounds simple to just play hard and work out, outwork everybody. But that's not necessarily easy, you know what I'm saying, when that's your identity. And I think that is what has allowed them to be so successful. But then you look at their leadership. Whether you argue about Tom Thibodeau in the minutes or not, you never going to question his preparation. Same thing with Jalen Brunson.

Has won at every level. You never going to question his preparation. He not going to cheat the work. And so that sets the temperament of the entire team. Yeah, what you said, that line you said made me think of even college with the NIL, right? Because I'm like, what do you tell these youngins that are in school who have the talent and they have the talent enough to make the millions

of dollars that they're making? What do you tell them to keep them motivated other than there's more money in the NBA? So it's like money is the nba so so so it's like money is the motivation now so it's still lifestyle right well i think we could throw in like true love of the game right like for whatever may come with it there are dudes in the league that we know just love the game right like kairi's on this renaissance tour if you want to call it that but like you never questioned whether he loved the game and his talent right it was it was some other stuff right like you look at a guy to me um like

drew holiday i don't question that he loves the game jaylen brown i'll question jason tater like i don't question that those dudes love the game now they might not always come to the podium spitting fire like you know being intense but like i don't question that they love the game of basketball and i think when you truly are in it not just for the love but also to win at a high level and i'm talking from my experience and i finished playing ball in college like there is not a sacrifice that is too great when you're all in what are your early thoughts we look like we're about to get a boss in dallas great cities i'm happy about that i mean i'm sad for many one of my homeboys is part of the mini organization but this is gonna be a great series y'all okay like

the security guard downstairs like like, who you got? And I was like, bro, I'm not ready to make picks yet. I'm not ready to make picks. I really feel like this is Boston's year. Dallas been playing, though. Dallas been balling. Dallas has been balling against a defense that can't deal. Boston has the pieces to deal.

That's right. Right? Like Drew Holiday, I know defensive player of the year, Rudy Gobert, like, respect it. But in terms of most versatile defenders, like, if that was a separate award, Drew Holiday, OG Ananobi, like, those type of dudes

that can guard one through five. Who stops Kyrie? The team. It's a collective. But listen to me. If they're running pick and roll, right, Drew got switched with, I don't know,

the first three, the other three the other three guards right tatum brown um white white yeah that ain't easy now i'm not saying carrie still might not finish with 30 and i'm not saying luca not gonna hit some crazy shots but they also gotta go down the other end and they're gonna have to defend as a collective now dallas's defense has been a lot better than i think folks gave it credit for particularly after those trades and i love the hunger that pj washington and dan Daniel Gafford have brought to that team coming from organizations that wasn't doing that. But at the same time, like, the chess match of this

might very well come down to Missoula and Jason Kidd on the sideline. Right? Like, you got Drew Holiday, who has won. You got Kyrie, who has won. Both won alongside big-time faces of the league type of guys, respectively. So there's an experience there. As a collective, Boston's been to a few finals, a couple at this point, right? So, like, they get it.

And as much as Kyrie's experience is powering the Mavs, like, what does the rest of that group look like on the biggest stage, assuming that they're going to get there? We don't count Minnesota all the way out until they're all the way out. But I'm excited for this finals. I'm really excited for this finals. And this finals, if the conference finals and in five like this is going seven this is gonna be so much fun

Kyrie the villain back at the team that he was once a part of the logo right I mean logo you hate him for that yeah Chris that's where Zingas gets healthy he was in Dallas at one point yeah Yeah. Like this, I'm excited for this one. Question, what's your thoughts on the gambling of the NBA now? I hate it! Tell us why. I just think it's dangerous. And even this year when

the Porter kid had his episode, I just was like, I understand making an example, but literally, whether it's insert gambling property here, the tagline of the commercial is the side effects, and if you need help, call 1-800-GAMBLING. So now we're going to act like we're not presenting something that comes with a cautionary tale, and now this dude gets no grace?

I felt like that was incredibly unfair. I also think that besides like— He was the example, though. He was the example. He wasn't a big player where it would hurt. He was the example though he was the example he wasn't a big player where it would hurt he was the example i feel you envy but you really gonna roll this out with the caution tape and then i have no grace because they wouldn't do that to envy the point they wouldn't do that to a superstar yeah absolutely not then you have zero grace like if this is if this actually could turn into a

problem we're just gonna skip the part that you might have a problem and you just got to be the example yeah i thought that that was heavy-handed and unfair. I do get it, though, but I thought it was heavy-handed and unfair. In general, it's also changing the dynamics

between these players and fans in such a crazy way. I hate it because now you got fans in there talking about, one more basket, I need my parlay. One more basket.

Come on. You know what I mean? One more rebound, I got to get my parlay. It's like, what? Come on. I love my cousin. Clueless about sports, sending me parlays, talking about something gross. I'm got to get my parlay. It's like, what? Come on. Like, I love my cousin. Clueless about sports.

Sending me parlays. Talking about something gross. Trying to win a little dollar. I'm like, get. I cannot. I cannot. Like, and I get it. Like, engaging.

More money for the league. All that good stuff. But I really think we are entering very murky space. Particularly college space. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? Like, mm-mm. I'm not a fan.

You don't trust the integrity of players? I trust the integrity of players, but I think it's only adding more pressure to what is already a pressure cooker. Gotcha, gotcha, gotcha. Right? Because now, if, first of all, anybody sitting on the court and I can hear you hollering about your parlay, you paid a grip for them tickets.

I don't know what your relationship with gambling is. You hollering at players, we already got, you know, you saying X, Y, Z the wrong thing. Like a player can turn to a ref and be like, you know, they got to go. It just creates more tension in my mind that just doesn't need to be there. Sports are already emotional enough. And now you're talking about people's money? Oh, God.

Or a player that's not making a lot of money, like what happened with Porter, and said, you know what? I'm a par ladies. When I score 10 points, I'm sick. I need to come out the game. Which is why I understand why he had to be made an example because there can be no room for that. But even we just started talking about officiating, right? Gambling is just putting so much more pressure

on everything. That's right. Everything. Is it true that you got engaged and knocked your fiance's phone in the water? What happened? Yes, that is true. But you said he was recording? No, no, no.

I didn't knock it in the water. We were in Grenada. Some of our best pictures have come on like self-timer. And he timed it and got on one knee on a self-timer. Then the wave came and knocked the phone over. So before I could say yes, I was like, your phone? And he's like, is that yes? And I'm like, yeah, but your phone.

Like, we need that. It was a really fun, great moment, good story. You didn't look at that as a sign like oh my god um i did not look at that as a sign i was like very shocked in the moment um no no chance that that was a sign if anything the phone was able to recover thus the sign is that we will navigate adversity together oh okay i like that I like that. I like that. Is it tough balancing a career and a relationship? Because they like to tell women you can't have it all. My fiance is amazing.

And we're both in sports. So he gets it. We get it. Is it tough? Yeah. Anything worth having is tough. Is it tough maintaining your relationships and your career? And so I think it's funny, y'all.

I hear my mom and my aunts and my grandmothers more in the last year than I think I ever have. But just that one line, keep on living. Right. I know y'all, you know what I'm saying? I know we all heard that, right? Keep on living. And I think the closer I get to both my dreams professionally and personally, I'm like, oh, this is what they're talking about. It's beautiful and I'm excited, but there is a level of energy and maintenance required so that these things are healthy that you can't skirt. You know what I mean? And so, yes, it's tough, but I'm absolutely enjoying it. And I'm so thankful to have a partner that gets it.

We, you know, really starting to have the conversations about family planning and what that looks like because we all over the place with our jobs. And so those are not always comfortable conversations. But the beauty of it is and one of the reasons that I felt for him was, like, I realized very early, like, this is the type of teammate and partner that I want to do life with. It ain't always going to be easy, but I want to figure it out with you. We had Lil Rel up here, and Lil Rel said you should focus on the marriage, not the wedding. He said so many people focus on the wedding, but not what the actual marriage will entail, what the marriage would look like.

Amen, retweet. I agree. Now, granted, my wedding, like. Amen, retweet. I agree. Now, granted, my wedding, my wedding planner, Melissa Williams, is amazing. It's going to be beautiful, but we are also very intentional about working on our foundation beyond that. Like, that's a day.

I think the older you get, people, jobs all across the country, family members getting older, we really wanted a moment for everybody to celebrate. But we are not naive that that's just the day to celebrate, and there's a real substance and foundation that we're building. I don't know how tall your fiancé is.

How tall is he? He's six foot. He's six foot, okay. Would you ever date him? He's in the NBA too. He's an NBA player. No, he got an NBA player name, but no, he's not an NBA player. I thought he was part of the NBA Players Association.

Players Association. He works for Players Association. He's not an ex. No, he's not. He's not a player. He is my height. I know where you're going with this. No, but the reason I say that is Charlamagne always says that, you know,

women, tall women should date short men and always say he's too short he always feels a way because he says short man you're making he's just making this up okay well get it straight what do you want to ask her that you're afraid to ask her would you ever would you ever date a guy as small as charlamagne because a lot of times tall women don't date that much shorter so i i think charlamagne you're a little short for me, but I have opened my mind to too short. And my fiancé knows this. Like, there was a time in my life, and I can remember me and my best friend, like, we was hoop girls.

We was like, girl, 6'3 is the minimum. Like, maybe 6'7 would be amazing. Like, whatever, whatever. My fiancé is 6'0. Like, and for me, I had to get to— But you wouldn't do 5'2. No, probably not. I had to get to a very real place where it was like, what matters? And my therapist, she gave me this project.

She's like, your ABC list. I've applied this to relationships, work, friendships, the whole bit. Like, what have you had in the past? What do you fall for? And what are the actual non-negotiables? And my fiance checked all the non-negotiables. And I was like, all right, bet. Like, height is not as big a deal as I thought it was.

Yeah, I'm not about to argue with you about missing your blessings because you haven't missed any. You got a great fiance. You got a great friend. I was like, wait, yes. Okay, wait, I got it. Listen, great things come in small packages. I will give you that for sure.

Yes. But I just think there is – that is a very personal decision. Like, I have had friends that have been like, girl, I just couldn't do it. I just couldn't do it. That's the truth. It's true. My assistant is 6'3". And I tell her all the time,

you might have blocked your blessing because she was like, when I wear heels, I tower over. It's true. And she didn't want to date anybody, you know, Charlemagne's height. Dating a shit man is a very personal decision. It is a personal decision.

It is, bro. I have heels that I'm taller than my fiance in and he's fine with it and i found that to be something that i loved as we continued to get to know one another and got deeper in our relationship because i i've dated taller dudes i still wasn't as tall as you but dated and like how tall i was in heels right and so like what i'm supposed to do i want to feel good too and so like he's like if you feel good i'm good let's go like let's roll and that's important that's what that matters but i have heard women equate the height thing to feeling protected which i get i get i do get it don't fight

i get it i do get it but i'm also like what society are we in where you gotta like drop your bags and fight in the middle of the street? Like, what's going on? That is hilarious, man. Tell us about your nonprofit, Grow Our Game. Okay, so that's actually my homegirl, Chanae Joy Jones. Shout out to her, true New Yorker. She's a Hooper referee. She runs the organization Grow Our Game, which is basically keeping girls in sport from the age.

I think her youngest babies are four all the way up to 13. And they have activations all through the city. They work out a lot in Harlem. But the parents are in. Shanae's energy is undeniable. She's effervescent, the kind of girl that got the zest for life and is just using sports as a vehicle to help these young women grow and develop in their confidence.

At the end of every practice, they usually wrap it up with affirmations. You are kind. You are smart. You are beautiful. and you can do anything. And I think it's about using sport as a vehicle. And I know I'm a product of the power of sports for women. But at the same time,

she has helped some young women go on to play D1 college ball. And I think that is beautiful. And so the things that sport gave me, y'all, in terms of confidence, friendship, the ability to communicate, all of those are foundational to life. whether you go on and play at a high level or not. And so it's been such a blessing to be able to help put Grow Our Game on and partner with them in that work. The girls got a ton of energy, some hoopers in there, the parents are about it.

And like I say, my girl, Chanae, she's always on energy bunny and I just love her passion for life. How do we support that? You can follow on Instagram, Grow Our Game. The logo is G-O-G. It's the black and white logo. Make sure you got the right one. Definitely tap in there. I'm sure there's links there to donate and get involved.

And I'm always kind of trying to shout them out, so it's super dope. And I want to ask one more question. What do you think about this new media world that we live in, where you have, you know, the athletes hosting podcasts, athletes hosting the YouTube shows? Like, what do you think of that? And how is that impacting traditional outlets like the ESPN? I love hearing directly from athletes.

Now, I will also say, as someone in the media, I also shut it all down on purpose just because I need to recharge, right? And I'm sure y'all can relate to that. I think there are more players, both men and women, that are interested in doing it and giving a true behind-the-scenes lens than there are interested in maybe creating petty beefs and nonsense, right?

But the idea of accountability, I'm okay with that. Like, you cannot fire off at the hip and not expect anybody to say anything. That's right. Right? Or not expect anybody to respond. And so I know, because I can remember in journalism school, like, as this was starting to change

and Twitter was really, or X was really starting to get popular, some of the OG writers were kind of like, I used to be a newsbreaker. Now guys can break their own news. And I still think there's space for relationships and healthy relationships with trained journalists. But I also think it's okay to hear directly from players on their experience. I mean, whether you like Draymond Green or not, like his podcast is captivating, particularly after something happened in the game, he got to address it. Like those are the pies that have the best numbers.

I mean, you look at a guy like J.J. Redick, right, who was an athlete, has really delved in and embraced the media thing. And who knows what his next chapter may be? Whether he wants to go on to peak millennial. You can have as many careers as you want. So I think it's cool. I think it's cool. I think it still needs to be done with respect.

And if you really got an issue, people front facing are not hard to find. They got managers and teams. Like everything doesn't necessarily have to be addressed over the public medium. One last question. As a journalist, what is the number one mistake that people in new media are making? Because you're you're a journalist. Yeah. Right. So what do you think the number one mistake? And I'm not talking about just even with the sports, just in general, all of these people with podcasts, YouTube platforms and everything.

What do you think? So and this is where you got to define yourself, right? Like, are you trying to fall into the journalism category or the discussion category? Because credibility is so fragile, right? It's. Or if you just going glaze over it, you need to be very clear. This is just high level. I'm not I'm not the source on this. Like I'm just touching it because I think what you can do inadvertently, not just credibility with like your audience. But if you want to matriculate, say, say in sports like you got people that you have to work with that are looking at you like, what are your actual intentions here? Like you're trying to go viral or you're trying to respect the craft. And so I think credibility is something that you have to keep top of mind. Alright. Well, Monica, we appreciate you joining us. Are you hitting the ESPN now? No. Okay.

No, no, no. If we get a game five, I'll be out in Minnesota. If not, I'll probably be chilling until we get ready for finals and I'll be out there. Okay. Well, it's Monica Minut. How do they follow you? Socials is McNutt Monica. Same on everything. Alright. It's the Minut. How did they follow you? Socials is McNutMonica. Same on everything. All right. It's The Breakfast Club.

Good morning. Wake that ass up early in the morning. The Breakfast Club.