Coop, I mean, what the experience here, the manufacturing, when it matters most, I guess, generating what you need on both ends of the floor? I

mean, what a matchup for a 1-8 matchup.

New York and Minnesota.

Minnesota had the top, you know, they were at the top of the standings last year as well.

I think they have a chip on their shoulders to prove that they can make their way back to the finals by winning this first round matchup.

I've always said, if you want to be the best, you've got to beat the best.

And that's just, it doesn't matter when you get to them.

I do.

What are your thoughts on this?

I don't know.

I don't know if I have thoughts.

Here's the thing.

When I played in the WNBA, I mean, we were right at the beginning and there were a lot of things to talk about and a lot of things that we needed to do better.

The league needed to do better.

You know, the players have a great collective bargaining agreement that they just signed.

Am I making up a world and you all had no problems?

What are your thoughts on this?

I don't know.

I don't know if I have thoughts.

Here's the thing.

When I played in the WNBA, I mean, we were right at the beginning and there were a lot of things to talk about and a lot of things that we needed to do better.

The league needed to do better.

You know, the players have a great collective bargaining agreement that they just signed.

Am I making up a world and you all had no problems?

Give us some highlights about some of these women on the team that you chose over Coach Spoon.

Yeah, so for me, I wanted to get one of the best point guards in the world in Paige Becker's to lead the charge.

And then I had to have someone to counter MVP Asia Wilson.

So I got Stewie to get that done.

But my number one goal was, since I know that there's never been a game that finished 0-0, I wanna get the team.

I wanted to choose a team that could put the ball in the bucket.

That's what I wanted.

What makes these two so special? And I'll throw Olivia Miles in there in your eyes.

One month into being a part of the WNBA Prime, what has it been like to be able to react in real time to some of the stuff that has been happening in the league and just to give that player's perspective?

It's been fantastic.

And I've had the privilege of not just being in studio, but also at the games.

And so I get the real, the real stuff, you know, the real stuff, the, the sweat, the files, the, you know, talking trash to each other.

I'm, I mean, I'm right there, courtside, hearing it, seeing it, experiencing it.

And I'm able to give perspective.

on why.

When people talk about the Houston Comets, what's the first thing that they usually get wrong about? I think

So is there, like, did you go and have conversations with your pastor? Or who did, who you talk to to help you get through, 'cause that was a real tough time for you.

Yeah, it was a real tough time an- and particularly because my mom was obviously in hospice and, and she was dying.

Um, Kim had just been diagnosed, so we didn't know kinda where that was gonna go.

Um, and, and this is January, February now.

So as we move through the, the process, the season starts, my mother is no longer there.

But I w- I will tell you that, you know, when you're going through those different things, you don't know what it is.

I remember some days it would, people say you gotta crawl before you walk.

So this is where you, you know, you can pick a friend, player, family member, teammate, someone who raised you, somebody who is always been in your corner, and this gives you your opportu- yeah, impactful, that gives you an opportunity to kind of give them their flowers for helping you become the player, person that you are today.

Yeah.

When you talk about just the mentality, just the assassin type of mentality, you, you gotta, you gotta mention Kobe's name every single time.

Yeah, got to.

Like how he confronted a game, how he confronted practice, how he, workouts.

And, you know, I'm, I'm with them.

People wanna know how you become a Hall of Famer when you start playing basketball at 15, is that you put in the work.

Mm.

You know? I'll- I'll just say, I'll just say greatness.

You know, so that, that picture was at a Nike event when, um, Phil Knight was retiring, and so we were all there to celebrate Phil Knight.

Really quick story, before that picture, uh, I was in, uh, pull up to the hotel, get out the car.

I see some Italian-speaking, you know, people in front of me.

I, I, I, I can understand.

We get... they're checking into the hotel and they're speaking Italian.

... any relationship with Kobe? Y'all have to both have a Italy connection?