The Ringer NBA Show - Lakers Check-In and Women's NCAA Tournament Championship Discussion With Sabreena Merchant | Weekends With Wos

Episode Date: April 7, 2023

Wos returns this weekend with familiar guest and women’s basketball writer for The Athletic Sabreena Merchant to discuss her two favorite things: the Lakers and women’s basketball. The two mull over the Lakers as they head into the postseason, and potentially the play-in tournament. Later, the two discuss the big headlines over the women’s NCAA tournament championship game between LSU and Iowa, examining the basketball, race wars, and the internet eruption over this game. Host: Wosny Lambre Guest: Sabreena Merchant Producers: Isaiah Blakely and Jade Whaley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, everyone, it's Ariel Hawani, and I wanted to let you know that each and every week, I'm part of a great program called The Ringer MMA Show. I hosted alongside two absolutely brilliant minds. Their names, Chuck Mendenhall and Pizzie Carroll, and every Thursday, a new episode drops where we preview the weekend in mixed martial arts and react to all the biggest news. Plus, after every UFC pay-per-view, we give you a post-fight show. So this is what you have to do. Just follow the Ringer MMA show on your Spotify app.

So you don't miss an episode. We'll talk to you then. Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen, to weekends. I'm your host, Big Was, Waz, A.K.A. Wazni Lambray, and I'm joined by my dear friend. You've read her great work in The Athletic.com. Sabrina Merchant, welcome back. It's been too long.

Thanks for having me, Waz. Always happy to talk hoops with you. Of course, of course. This week has been a big week in your world, both Laker World. Yes, people. Sabrina's a big Laker Homer. Probably the biggest that I know,

then she wears it proudly. And women's basketball, man. They dominated the freaking news this week for great reasons and probably some other not-so-awson reasons. But I want to start about with the Lakers. They got trounced by the Clippers last night.

I hadn't realized this, but they've lost to the Clippers 11 straight times. I guess Tyloo was undefeated during his clipper tenure against the Lakers, which is funny because they were too cheap to pony up the money to hire him. But the Lakers

have generally been playing well lately. Ever since they did that deal at the deadline, we've got to give Rob Polinka his just due. They look good. They look like a real team. Last night's drubbing at the hands of the clippers notwithstanding. How do you feel

about the team since the deadline? They brought your Boy, Dilo back. He's back home. How do you feel about the team since, you know, all of these deals? First of all, Dilo is not my boy. I was petitioning for Dilo to be traded for Russell Westbrook for many years, which is so funny to think about now. That's crazy.

That is insane. That is unhinged. In 2017, that was a very reasonable take. Sure. But yeah, I think the Lakers make sense as a basketball team, which is something we haven't been able to say for about two years, considering what their roster looked like last year and to start this year, when Dennis Schrooter, Patrick Beverly and Russell Westbrook,

was like a regular back court that was happening for the Lakers. I still can't believe that's a real thing, but it was. So, yeah, I mean, I think the Lakers are really well set up for 23, 24. You know, I think if they can, you know, get Russell on a new deal, keep Vando, keep Beasley, keep Reeves, obviously. like this team is a lot of juice going forward. I don't feel very good about where they are this season. And it's not because they lost to the clippers last night.

It's just because LeBron doesn't look right. And if LeBron doesn't look right, there is no hope for this Lakers team. Yeah, I think the thing about LeBron, obviously he's going to have his basketball IQ, I guess, or, you know, his smarts out there on the court. He's the most aware, court awareness player we've probably ever seen. But his ability to get buckets in the one-on-one is just not what it needs to be. If this team is going to be taken seriously in the playing, much less the Western Conference playoffs.

Well, what are you seeing as far as LeBron's shortcomings right now, as far as you can tell? I mean, he looks like he needs to have foot surgery, regardless of what the LeBron James of feet has told him. He needs to have foot surgery. I mean, he's not exploding. He doesn't seem to have the same lateral mobility that we've grown accustomed. I mean, like, that's been going away for a little while anyway.

But, like, he can't get past Kelly Olenic, can't get past, you know, Damien Jones. Like, these are not the names that I thought we would be dealing with when I came to who LeBron was going to have trouble with in the playoffs. So, yeah, I mean, it just, he needs to be a number one apex score if the Lakers are going to be okay in the playoffs. And he's not that guy right now. I mean, the jumpers, like, whatever, you know, he got feeling. himself at the beginning of the third quarter against the clippers and hit a couple of deep threes, but that's not what you rely on the Bronn James for. So yeah, I just, I don't think he's quite what he needs to be around the basket. And that's fine. He's 38 years old. Like it is what it is, but the

Lakers are not equipped at this point, especially with D. Angel Russell out of the lineup every other day. Like, where is the offense supposed to come from? Unless, of course, Austin Reeves is getting like 12 free throws a night, which I realize is a regular thing for the Lakers now. But there's just a lot of complimentary pieces around LeBron, but he needs to be that guy for all of that complimentary stuff to work. Yeah, I think the game that he really messed his foot up, that Sunday against the Mavs, what encouraged me before, you know, he went down in that game was that he was posting the hell up out of everybody.

And I was like, well, man, if he can make his post game into the thing that forces defenses to commit extra resources to stopping, the Lakers are cooking with something here between that and what him and AD can produce in the pick and roll because AD to me is the best role man in the NBA, right? Was, I cannot explain to you how happy I was the day of that Dallas Mavericks game. Like, that was a morning game. I think on the West Coast morning afternoon game.

I come out of that thinking like, oh my God, this is it. This is a team that's winning the West. Everything looks right. Even when LeBron went down, you know, we came back, tied in his shoes a little bit. comes out, closes the game. You know, the way they came back, like, Vando, his defense, finally having a wing defender to keep,

yeah, finally having a wing defender to keep LeBron and AD away from those matchups, like AD obviously menace in the paint. Admittedly, it was the Dallas Mavericks defense. Everybody can score on them in the paint. That was the pinnacle of what this team was supposed to look like. And literally could not be happy for more than 12 hours before the LeBron injury scheme.

Right. Yeah, it was just, the way he was just manhandling Tim Harder with, It's like treating him like he was a fly, just destroying these guys. I'm like, man, if LeBron is going to embrace this post-up thing, then they're going to be really dangerous. Because not a lot of guys can deal with him down there, especially not a bunch of wings. Like, that's just not a thing that most wing guys can handle.

But he does have to still mix it in with paint attacks when they inevitably switch bigger guys on him. And if he's not, you know, like you said, if he's not doing the blowbys, then it's not going to, work. I think they're probably locked into either the seven or eight, which means they just have to win the one playing game. Who would you rather play between Memphis and Denver? I think the Lakers match up really well with Nuggets. And I feel a little guilty saying that because obviously my favorite player not on the Lakers is on the Nuggets. That's KCP. And I don't want bad

things to happen to him ever. Protect KCP at all costs. I mean, the Lakers do their damage in the paint. and Nicoliochich for all of his gifts is not the most talented paint defender. So I think that the Lakers would do really well in that matchup. That's Sabrina for fat and slow y'all, just for the people at home.

Just so I could translate that for y'all. I think that'd be a really good matchup for them. The problem is, rooting to be the eighth seed in this plane is a terrible, terrible idea because you're basically saying, I want to lose the first game and then in a do or die game, the Lakers that absolutely have to win.

this is a team that just blew a 10 point game, 10 point lead in 100 seconds to the Utah Jazz, without even turning the ball over or missing any free throws. This is a team that couldn't beat the Houston Rockets. Admittedly, you know, Anthony Davis wasn't playing that game, but I don't trust them on any one given night.

So I think Memphis would be a fine matchup. I think they would do perfectly fine against them. They finally have like a quick guard and like Schroeder who could kind of do something with Morant. But the fact is like Memphis's bully ball, like it's a little muted without Stephen Adams and Brett and Clark.

So fine either way. You know, honestly, I think the Kings are like kind of a tricky matchup for the Lakers because they don't want to shoot enough threes to keep up with that offense. Right. Yeah, but, you know, again, like you said, they do their damage in the pain. I've been saying this. A bonus as backline defender. That is a welcoming site for any offense.

I don't care who you are. You see that dude in your way as the only thing between you and a layup. You got to feel pretty happy about that. if you're an NBA player. So it sounds like you don't feel hyper optimistic about their prospects going into the postseason. But what do you think they need to do

in the off season to show this thing up besides those signings you mentioned? Get LeBron James a German doctor? I think that's number one on the list. There you go. LeBron get better. Keep the guys. Even D.Lo, you really think

they should throw some money at Dilo? I just don't understand who a better. point guard replacement is for Delo because inevitably you're going to get a guy who wants the ball on his hands more often and I don't know that that's exactly what his team needs. He can shoot well enough and like personality wise I just think he fits in especially because we have all these guys who are still from Minnesota when they played together there. I'm just not sure what the alternative is. Like there's no good point guard on the market that's going to be cheaper than Delo who the

Lakers can actually fit into the mid level exception or whatever it happens to be. Is he going to sign for the mid level? No, no, no, I'm just saying like, that's all you have available. Oh, you're saying the replacement would have to fit into the mid level. I was going to say, right. No, no, I don't expect D. Delo to sign for the midlo. I was about to say, wow. I just can't wait so Polinka offers Reeves more money than Tilo and the, you know, inevitable backlash that comes from. And he's going to deserve it, by the way. We're going to do the Austin Reeves pod at some point, but it deserves its own thing because that has just been incredible to watch. Just the level of trust, they've placed in him to just

he's just running pick and rolls. Like it's like it's him. He's initiating the offense. Possession after possession. I'm like, this is craziness. As much as we loved absolutely was obsessed with Alice Caruso. We all know like his shortcoming

and I'm not saying it because he's white. I'm just saying it because he was a great young Laker player next to LeBron. His shortcoming was his on ball stuff and just shooting at all. Not that. that his shot was like super inaccurate. Nobody would call him a dead out, but he just didn't like to shoot.

And he wasn't really much of an on-ball threat in pick and roll where Austin Reeves is just like, no, I'm going to let it fly every single time LeBron kicks it out to me and I'm initiating offense, which is just, that is just a revelation. Yeah, it's too bad they get compared so often, you know, for the obvious reasons because they're just such different players. Like the only thing they have in common is they play well next to LeBron James, which kudos. A lot of players play well next to LeBron James. James, but they seem to have maximized that opportunity, both of them.

Yes, those are the only things they have in common. I want to switch over. Sabrina, State Farm is here to give you a fresh take on insurance. One where you worry a lot less about those what-ifs, like what if our home floods? What if I get into an accident? State Farm is like your best defensive lineup. When the other team comes charging down the court, you've got people. peace of mind that you won't be caught off guard.

And honestly, when I think about defense this year, Sabrina, I don't know who your pick is for defensive play of the year, but it's got to be Jaron Jackson. When he's not fouling the heck out of people, he's just incredible on defense. Who's your defensive player of the year? Janus. I like the Bucks defense a lot,

and I think he's at the center of all of it. That's fair. Agree to disagree. There's a reason why adaptable defense is a must-have in basketball. You get all the coverage you need throughout the court without putting all of your resources by the basket. Everybody knows the principles of defense, Sabrina. With State Farm, agents give you hybrid coverage in person and over the phone plus digitally. So you can get reassurances for those what ifs exactly when and how you need it. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Call or go to StateFarm.com today to create your State Farm personal

price plan. Prices vary by state. Options selected by customer availability and eligibility may vary. All right, let's take a quick break. We'll be back with Sabrina to talk some women's hoops. The NBA season is coming down to the wire and now is the perfect time to download Fandul, America's number one sportsbook, because new customers get a no-sweat first bet up to $1,000. That's bonus bets back if your first bet doesn't win. Just download the Fandu Sportsbook app It's safe, secure, and super easy to use. Then you can bet on anything from the money line to point scores to threes drained. Right now, Joel Embed is the heavy favorite.

He's taking Nicola Yolkich's spot for the MVP betting favorite. However, I think NBA sports riders are very hard-headed and stubborn, and they've loved Yolkich all year. I think ultimately they're going to pick Yokic and he's going to get that MVP award. I like that bet. Great value at plus 1,200. So don't miss the chance to get your no-sweb first bet up to $1,000 in bonus bets when you go to fandul.com backslash ringer MBA. That's fandul.com backslash ringer NBA.

And Fandul is now live in Massachusetts. Download the app now and take advantage of their great special offers, boosts, and more. Make every moment more with Fandul an official sports betting partner of the NBA. 21 and over and present in select states, first on, online real money wager only $10 deposit required refund issued as non-withdrawable bonus bets that expire in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See full terms at fandul.com backslash sportsbook.

Fandul is offering online sports wagering in Kansas under an agreement with Kansas Star Casino LLC. Gambling problem? Call 1-800 gambler. Call 1877 8-8-Hope-N-Y or 107. text Hope and Y in New York, call 1-800 gambler or visit fandul.com backslash RG in Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Tennessee, and Virginia. 1-800 next step or text next step to 53, 342 in Arizona,

188-889-7777, or visit ccpg.org backslash chat in Connecticut. 1-800-9 with it in Indiana, 1-800-522-470-470, or visit KSgamblinghelp.com in Kansas, 1877-7-770 stop in Louisiana, visit www.md-Gamblinghelp.org in Maryland, 1-800-522-470-400 in Wyoming, or visit www. 1,800 gambler.net in West Virginia.

And we're back, Sabrina, I got to confess, the real reason why I even have you up here today is because I'm watching all of this news flow out of the NCAA women's college basketball championship. And there's a lot of it, right? I think a lot of people are learning who many of the participants in the Final Four and the championship game are for the first time,

myself included. And, you know, it's hard to have opinions about something that you're really just parachuting in. But also, you know, when you consume as much media as I do and seeing like these really strong reactions, I'm just like, hold on. And then, of course, because as always, we have to have a culture war component to all of this where it's like, you know, the fate of the race is at stake, Sabrina. I just sort of wanted to get your more 360 view because this is what you do on a day-to-day.

You're consuming this stuff and interpreting it for people on a daily basis. What's your sense coming out of all this, having a week to digest literally the sheer volume of news generated by the women's final four? Yeah, so first things first. I think it's just really awesome

how many eyes were on the women's final four this weekend. The numbers that came out for the Final 4, you know, breaking records for any national semifinal, and then even the championship game on Sunday, which was the first time in decades that they put it on ABC, maybe the first time ever, you know, nearly 10 million outpacing like any hockey games since 1973, any MLS game ever, any NBA game other than the finals last year. Like it's just a really, really big number. And, you know, selfishly, like I think it's cool. The thing that I'm working on, people are watching and reading it out. So that's obviously a very nice feeling. But, you know,

It's just good basketball. Like, everybody talks about March Madness every year. And the thing with the men's tournament is it's hectic. It's crazy. Like, a lot of ridiculous things happen. But nobody actually wants to talk about, like, the basketball of Yukon playing San Diego State. No. I watched that basketball, Sabrina.

It was tough. I mean, we watched it because the NBA was off that night. Like, that's why we watch it. Facts. Big facts. But this was actually, I think, a really fun, you know, basketball matchup. between Iowa and South Carolina, between LSU and Virginia Tech, and then we get LSU and Iowa in the final. And yeah, the game got a little out of hand at the end. But I think everyone got to see what Angel

Reese is made of, you know, just a rebounding machine and what Caitlin Clark is made of, you know, especially when they make that run in the third quarter. And for as much as the talk has been about culture war in the past few days, I do think that enough of it has been about basketball and just, you know, you being in the NBA business, you understand, like silly season is part of the game, right? So if we have to talk about Angel Reese pointing at her ring finger and chasing Caitlin Clark down the court, like that's part of it. That's okay as long as we're still talking about it. So in general, I think it's really, really good. Obviously, some racist stuff going on that I prefer would not have happened.

But unfortunately, that's just part of the package when you get into every little detail that goes on with basketball. Yeah, look, watching these games, which struck me, especially with LSU, I'm like, these women are playing a modern-ass style of hoop. They're spreading the hell out of the defense, five out damn near. And then with Angel Reese, they got a role man who's planting people on screens. And like, this is, this is modern hoop. And then of course, you know, Caitlin Clark pulling up from 30 feet, crossing the hell out of people. Like, this is stuff that I've never seen. Again, like, when I was younger, I sort of, you know, I grew up on the Yukon women's team being dominant. I, I miss Shemiko Holesklaugh and that Tennessee run.

For me, it was Diana Tarasi, Sue Bird, Swin Cash, all of those women. And, you know, Diana Tarasi had a slick handle. She had incredible range on her jump shot. She was, man, talk about a shit talker. That woman could talk with the best of them, okay? Like Sue Bird was the more sort of stayed, relaxed. By the way, shout outs to Sue Bird. CHSAA legend, New York City legend Sue Bird is.

But yeah, I grew up with these girls. And they played, like, for me, what I was watching, what I felt like, they played modern basketball for that time, right? And, you know, I'm not going to pretend that I've been keeping up with women's college basketball since. But yeah, like you said, the style of play, they're firing a ton of threes. They're spreading people out. They're making reads, read and react.

Like, this is real modern stuff. So when I see you know these reactions being elicited where it's just like a couple of old fogies on the internet

Keith Oberman we can name them that was trash Dave Portnoy where I'm just like it's harder for me to get as excited about that Sabrina

because like that's what he does that's how he makes his money like we don't have to take that big but Keith Oberman it's just like

you're supposed to know better for somebody who's covering Angel Reese. Can you talk to me a little bit about her story? Because Zay was telling me before the call. Like, she actually, this isn't not, she's not straw manning this, like, people telling me how I need to be and I'm not this and I'm not that. Zay's like, no, this has actually been a part of her story for a while now.

Can you talk about her story? Yeah, so Angel Reese started her college career up Maryland. Her brother and her both went to Maryland. He still plays there. And, you know, she got injured most of her freshman season. And it was kind of cool because literally the way she stayed involved with the team was her and one of the strength coaches would literally have a choreographed dance for every single thing that happens on the Terrapins court. And that's what they would do, keep her involved because she couldn't play. But literally, anytime something could happen for the Terps, there was Angel Reese on the bench celebrating the hell out of it.

That's what she does. Wow. And, you know, Maryland's situation didn't quite work out. She wanted a place where she could kind of play a little bit more freely on the basketball court. and so she transfers to LSU this year. And LSU has Kim Moki, which, you know, I don't know how much people know about Kim Malki. We'll get into that. There are reasons not to like her that I think are, you know, completely fair.

But they also have a team that's, you know, full of black women who are proud of being who they are and who talk a lot of shit. I mean, Angel Reese, multiple technical foul this year she got one. Literally, her shoe fell off. She picks up the shoe. She blocks a driver with the other hand. stares in her face, gets called for a technical, and just, like, spends the next six hours answering the haters on the internet because people don't like when she does that. But that's, that's who she is. Let's get into just some of this other stuff. You know, this is somebody who puts a crown on her head

every single game. She has trademarked herself the Bayou Barbie. She's dubbed herself the Bayou Barbie. I say all of this to say, this is not new. She didn't just, She didn't just get on the national stage and start acting a fool. This is part of what she does. 100%. This is exactly who Angel has been all season. People have been clowning on LSU all year because by the end of the season, they had beaten exactly one ranked team.

So the fact that they had lost two games wasn't all that impressive when you look at the type of non-conference schedules that the other teams go through. And, you know, basically just a chip on her shoulder all year. Because she came from Maryland. You know, Maryland is the program that puts out the best pros. They've got Brenda Freeze. She's won a national championship. And she's like, no, I want to go to LSU.

I want to have some more fun playing basketball. And you don't get to be the Bayou Barbie in Maryland, right? You don't get to crown yourself on Brenda Freeze's team. But she got to do all that. I mean, she plays with Flaje Johnson, who literally was a rap star before she got to LSU, whose track was playing in American Airlines Center as like the confetti was falling when they won the championship. This is a team full of players who are a little bit extra, but that's exactly who they've been all year.

Gotcha. That's exactly who Kate and Clark has been all year, right? Yes. The same celebration that Angel Reese did in Caitlin Clark's face in the national championship game. That's what Caitlin Clark did to Haley Van Liff and the elite eight. Caitlin Clark told Haley Van Litts, shut up, you're down by 15. Like, this is built in to who they are. And I think it was a very nice, you know, just confluence of someone who, like, has like the Midwest,

you know, corn fed face of Caitlin Clark, right? But then Angel Rie's, right? Yeah. Yes. Nobody thinks of Iowa as some melting pot, some cultural hub. It's just we just got to be honest about this. Yeah, but I think Caitlin Clark transcends the stereotype of what, you know, good Midwestern girl is supposed to be.

She's always in your face. She's always chitok. And I'm surprised she didn't get more technical files, frankly, in the national title game. And Angel Reese has been that too. And so you just got to see two people who are both excellent at what they do, just great basketball players, both first team all-Americans. and then people who just love to talk back to one another

and Angel Rees' team got the upper hand so that's what she got to do. So I want to ask you about this and you can tell me if I'm wrongheaded or not. You talk about that chip. Like me, being an observer, being a black person first and foremost, right? I watch Angel Reid's comments at the end.

Even, you know, Don Stanley after they lost to Iowa. It felt like to me, and I'm not saying it's not justified. I'm saying what it felt like to me was like, we just beat that white girl, right, in LSU's case, and y'all been slurping them for weeks, okay? We've watched how you guys have fawned over the white girl. Yeah, she's one player a year, but we got all Americans on this team.

You know, we got former players of the year on South Carolina, and all of that, and we didn't get half of that, right? That's what it felt like was happening there. And I think it's just, like, I remember the Steph Curry thing to bring it to the NBA. I remember it vividly that there were NBA guys who felt resentful of how much love adoration that Steph Curry was getting.

And it would manifest in their comments. Like, if you heard the way LeBron and them would talk, and this is the stuff that they would. say off the record, shit that they were saying, I mean on the record, excuse me, stuff that they were saying off the record, it was tinged with like resentment, like, why are they sweating this dude, right? That's what I, it felt like for me when I saw the sort of comments coming out of that game. Again, I'm one of those people that they were, you know, mad at. Like, I started watching this because I seen all them highlights, all of them crossovers, all of those 35 footers. I was guilty of

this. I was one of those, you know, fly by night fair weathered people. showing up for the Caitlin Clark show. So I say all of that to say, like, was that justified? Yeah, so there has been research into the fact that there is a large racial disparity in the way women's basketball players are covered. Now, in women's professional basketball, they're definitely, in college, there isn't the same divide in terms of, like, how many great white players versus great black players there are as there is on the men's side. White women have not quit basketball. It's nice to see. The way white guys have.

There are still many great white women basketball players. But even saying that, the coverage is always skewed towards white players. It's always skewed towards female presenting players. And that is something that, you know, black players, especially ones who are, you know, are more masculine presenting. Like, that's just something that they had to deal with and it's not fair. And it's, you know, the numbers support the fact that like there is a disproportionate amount of coverage towards white girls who look a certain way compared to black girls.

and so that we have to go into that, you know, with this Caitlin Clark discussion. But what I'm saying is like my interpretation of that is not completely wrongheaded. No, no, absolutely. There is a legitimate reason that they feel that way and that they, you know, use that platform to talk about it. Absolutely. That being said, Kailen Clark, I don't think it's unreasonable to think that she's the most fun player in college basketball. Like the way she plays is going to draw eyes. And the 30-footers are more fun than double-doubles.

I don't know what to see. Offensive rebounds are nice, but it's not as fun. as threes. Right. And I think we saw that same evolution happened on the men side. Is that make me a sellout? Am I uncle Tom now? If we got to ask the hard

questions up here. No one's asking that, plus. You know, we saw this on the men's side, that people started taking threes and those became every kid's favorite player. And we're seeing this with Caitlin Clark where she is every young girl's favorite player

because of the way she plays. And yeah, maybe she's not going to win a national title playing that way because it helps to get, you know, all rebound every once in a while. Like, that's a good thing for a basketball team. But I say this that, you know, Angel Reese, Siliabast and Don Staley, they have a right to feel disrespected because of the way the game has been covered.

But I don't think that the way Caitlin is covered, like I don't think that she necessarily needs to shoulder the burden of all of that. Right. Yeah, that's, man, that's so, that's so beautifully said. And interesting because, again, you know, and I just see some of the stuff online where it's this like, I struggle when it's this idea that Angel Reese is somehow an avatar

for all black women across America. I mean, like, she's a celebrity. Like, she's a famous person. Like, she don't got the same problems as people in Section 8. But, like, cool. But I understand how people can, like, use her as a proxy for the problems that ail,

you know, black people. all across this country and have for hundreds of years. But, like, you know, for me, I always get itchy about that where it's just like, we don't got to make this young woman and her success, the mascot for black struggle in America, right? Like, I'm just going to always reject that notion out here. But, you know, I think it's dope that you just explained. Like, no, there's legitimate, you know, racial issues

in the coverage of women's basketball. But I do want to get you out of here on this. unlike the men's game, fair or not, these women, they're coming back next year. And they're going to hoop for their schools again. That's exciting, especially when you consider all the interests that their games have generated. Just what do you think about that, man?

That's so dope. Yeah, so I think one of, you know, I'm just going to put this from an NBA lens just because I assume that's where your audience is mostly coming from. But one of the problems with NBA fandom right now is that it's so hard to attach to any particular team, right? Because there's so much player movement. And, you know, yeah, like, I'm the kind of person

that anybody who puts on purple and gold, I'm probably going to cape for them. But, like, it gets harder and harder when, you know, two years after winning a championship, nobody is left. Right. You're talking about. Yeah, the Laker is not LSU. Although I do have LSU as my preseason number one next year, but that's a different story.

And I think it's just harder when there's so much roster turnover. And we're seeing in college basketball, like there is more roster turnover because of this transfer portal situation where you're allowed to transfer without sitting out a year anymore. But in the grand scheme of things, there's still a lot more continuity. And you get to see these teams grow together and develop with one another. Like that Iowa team that was in the national final, their starting five had played 93 games together. Wow.

That's pretty cool. And I just think it's so much. James Harden, Kyrie, and KD did. And there's 80 games in an NBA season, but I digress. I just think it's easier to latch on to something like that. when you know that you can watch these girls over and over again, and you get to see them for at least four years. And now five because of this COVID bonus year that the kids in school are currently getting

if they played during the 2020-21 season. So, you know, when you're trying to, like, build a footprint in terms of fandom, it's so much easier to be able to market the same faces over and over again. So I think it's awesome that, like, we could see Caitlin Clark versus Angel Race again. You know, we've been talking about Iowa, South Carolina for two years before it even happened. And all of this major players were basically involved by the time the game happened. And so you get to build these rivalries. You get to build that little animosity,

but also just the greatness gets to develop, too. The stakes are higher. Yeah. Three years ago, right. So I just think it's great for college basketball that, like, you have these teams that, like, people can invest in. And I've had that problem even, like, as a Duke fan, as everybody on this feed knows that I, like,

is obviously a big Duke fan. But, like, it's harder for me to invest in these teams where every good Duke player just leaves after one year. I think it's so much more interesting that Caitlin Clark got to play with you know, her four starters for three seasons. And that Angel Reese is going to get to play with, you know, Flage and Terry Pool and all these players coming back next year. Like, that's awesome that we get to see what they do for an encore.

And maybe it's bad for the WMBA. That's an entirely different discussion. But in terms of college basketball, which is the product that is actually making inroads in the national conversation, it's fantastic. Yeah. I think the WMBA, just generally speaking, needs to do a better job of incorporating the grassroots of women's basketball into what they do, whether it be on the club side or on the college basketball side, and they would do well for themselves to figure out a strategy

in doing that. But yeah, to me, you know, seeing the numbers, watching it, like, these people at the game were so freaking into what was happening. And I know you were actually there, and you can attest to that. Just watching these games, the quality of the, the hoop, the enthusiasm for it amongst the fans, and that, you know, that, that quality and enthusiasm was able to translate in such a way to draw even more eyeballs towards it. This is legitimately exciting stuff, and, you know, just the idea that my attention could be diverted from the Orlando Magic for a few hours next season. You put it in nicer terms than that.

I'm just saying. I'm just speaking selfishly and personally, Sabrina. I'm happy that I don't need that crap next year. I can do something that's actually fun and feels worth my time investment, man. So I'm excited about it, to be quite honest. This is a really dope story. I think the Caitlin thing in all of this is fascinating. I think white people make basketball more fun.

And here's the thing. This is what I mean. What I mean by that is, as annoying as the race war was after the game, it's what built up the matchup. Like this idea of like, you know, these little white girls from Iowa and the black women from LSU and like it's a cultural clash and blah. Like it built up the stakes. Like I think it made it more interesting.

It's just we just had to deal with the consequences of it afterwards. And that was, that was tough. That was tough. And quite frankly, I think these things are missing from the NBA. You know, it's hard for people to get behind some Slovenian guy or Serbian dude, even if they are, quote, unquote, white, right? I legitimately think these dynamics are missing from our sport. I just hope next year we can be a lot more adult in the run up and in the aftermath about how we cover this. stuff and how we deal with it.

Because I'm fascinated by this story and the hoops of it are just as exciting. Yeah, I just hope more than anything that we get rematches between Iowa, LSU or South Carolina or just any of the big players from this year's tournament because

you need to capitalize on that momentum. Let's do it. Sabrina, tell the people where they can find you and your incredible work, please. Yeah, so as you mentioned, I cover all things women's basketball for the athletics. So check my workout out there. And I'm on Twitter at Sabrina J.M. All right, guys, that's our show for this week. Make sure you're checking out all the other

offerings on the Ringer NBA feed. We will see you guys next week. Peace.