Club Shay Shay - Nightcap - Hour 2: Bronny's next move, Angel Reese heads to WNBA

Episode Date: April 4, 2024

Shannon Sharpe and Gilbert Arenas discuss the possibility of Bronny James transferring from USC and Angel Reese's decision to leave LSU to enter the WNBA Draft. 1:40 LeBron on supporting Bronny’s fu...ture if he transfers from USC7:30 Ja Morant fires agent11:20 Josh Hart jokes Jimmy Butler does “side quests” until the playoffs start16:30 Lavar Ball blames Puma for his sons injuries24:40 Angel Reese announces that she’ll declare for WNBA draft41:20 Chauncey Billups and Vince Carter elected to Hall of Fame46:50 Q and Ayyyyy #Club #VolumeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Starting point is 00:01:16 NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal. Five days a week, you'll get all the latest news and the best analysis delivered by the time you get your coffee. The show hits every single game every single week, but I can't do it alone. So I'm bringing in all the big guns from NFL media like Colleen Wolfe. Subscribe today and you'll immediately be smarter and funnier than your friends. Listen now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Bronny is possibly transferring.
Starting point is 00:01:54 He put his name in the transfer portal. Questions about Bronny's future have picked up this week after coach Andy Enfield left for head coach at Vegas at SMU. Maybe he goes there. LeBron addressed the rumors last night. Let's take a listen to what LeBron had to say. Well, I don't know where it came from, but at the end of the day, Bronny's his own man. He has some tough decisions to make, and
Starting point is 00:02:14 when he's ready to make decisions, he'll let us all know, but as his family, he's going to support whatever he does. Bronny is eligible to enter his name into the NBA draft, but mock drafts suggest that he's likely to go undrafted in 2024. He had an underwhelming freshman season at USC, understanding that what transpired this summer,
Starting point is 00:02:34 it's just a miracle that he was even on the court. Played 25 games, averaged a little less than five points, a little less than three rebounds to assist the game. The Trojans failed to qualify for the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2019. But the sheer fact he overcame, the sheer fact that he overcame that health scare
Starting point is 00:02:51 was amazing feat in and of itself. And so I think it would be wise for him to go back and maybe he gets a clean bill of health and he's able to play 30 minutes, 35 minutes because he was on a minutes restriction, showed some flashes of athleticism.
Starting point is 00:03:10 But like LeBron said, and I'm sure LeBron, he and his mom and Savannah is going to help. But LeBron, like he said, he got some tough decisions he got to make. And you just support him in whatever he decides to do. Yeah, you know, when they said he was training, I mean, transferring, I'm like, that doesn't sound like Bronny. Like, you know, Bronny is not a quitter.
Starting point is 00:03:34 He's going to stick it out. He's a loyal kid, right? Yeah, I know his coach left, but it's not like he played him any goddamn way. Right. You know, I hear Musselman might be the coach coming in. Eric Musselman. Eric Musselman. That would be great for Bronny. I played under Musselman.
Starting point is 00:03:56 Musselman gave me my shot in Golden State, right? Okay. He's one of those fiery, fiery small guard type of players. So if you're playing the right way, he loves to play small ball. He'll play four or five guards if he had to. He's going to put up a lot of threes, and that's
Starting point is 00:04:14 going to play to Bronny's strips, where they're just going up and down. I think they will stick it out. I don't see Bronny just getting up and leave. He loves it in L.A. His home is here. His family is here.
Starting point is 00:04:28 His friends are here. His brand is here. I don't see him going to... He said MSU. Where is that at? SMU. That's in Dallas. Nah.
Starting point is 00:04:42 They got money. They got money. Unfortunately, that's Bronny James. Bronny James got money. They got money. Unfortunately, that's Bronny James. Bronny James got money. That's one person you're not going to sleep with. He got that already. John Moran fires his longtime agent. Woe is treated.
Starting point is 00:04:58 John Moran has fired his longtime agent, Jim Tanner, have parted ways. Sources tell ESPN Tanner had represented Morant since coming out of Murray State as the number two overall draft pick in 2019. What do you think is next for Joth? Right now, I'm just happy for him. What does this move tell you, Gil?
Starting point is 00:05:18 I think he's cleaning house. I think he's cleaning house. He's surrounding himself with, I can't say nothing about his agent. Smarter people. People who cleaning the house i think he's cleaning the house he's surrounding himself with uh i can't say nothing about his agent smarter people uh people who can take him to that next step um you know uh the fact that he's stayed out of the limelight um you know he's getting healthy right you know for the most part his troubles was his cell phone. Right. And, you know, the fact that he's laid low. I think everybody just can't wait the next year with him. And I think he's just going to this summer is going to be a real rebranding form.
Starting point is 00:05:59 And, you know, just like, you know, everybody in Memphis, you just can't wait for him to come back just to see the magnitude of who he is. Yeah, I'm excited. I'm excited to see what comes, how he bounces back from that injury, what he had. I mean, he's a phenomenal player. I got an opportunity to see him a couple of times in person. And the way he can elevate, the way he can contort his body, the way he plays, the effort. And he's such a small guy. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He's thin, yeah, yeah. Yeah, but you know what?
Starting point is 00:06:30 He has a tremendous foundation. If you look at him from waist down, he ain't feeling like he is from waist up. So he has a tremendous foundation. He has a tremendous foundation. And he has to have, Gil, because he spends so much time up in the air you know that's going to be something that he's going to have to learn if I'm
Starting point is 00:06:52 him he should study like the the Shays right now study the Jordan the Kobe like them later on years when they started posting up they started staying lower to the ground. Yeah, you don't have to jump out of the gym on every play.
Starting point is 00:07:09 Jump out of the gym, only on fast breaking wide open lanes, right? For the most part, you know, work on your floaters, your up and unders, right? Your post, your fades, right? For that longevity. Because, you know, every time you jump, you're not jumping, like you're not Wimby jumping where he's just using arms. You're using your jumping ability. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:07:29 Wimby barely, barely has to jump in order to block your shot. He definitely could be an ED where he don't even need the ladder to cut down the net. He just start cut. Yeah. Yeah. No. I mean, that's great for him. You know, that's his advantage where, you know,
Starting point is 00:07:48 he's going to stay from getting those ankle sprains that, you know, normally a lot of big guys get. So, you know, with Ja, I just, you know, this is one of those years where he just studies the game and study longevity type of game, right? And give us the excitement, give us the excitement plays when you know you have that runway space. Right. Yeah, I'm just,
Starting point is 00:08:10 hopefully he had an opportunity to do a lot of self-reflecting, look at some of the things that he did great, some of the things that didn't go quite so well, learn from those and says, okay, come out as a better person, start the 2024 season. So I'm excited to see what holds,
Starting point is 00:08:24 what the season holds for Ja Morant. He's parting ways with his long-time agent, Jim Tanner. I'm sure that didn't come easy because when you've been somewhere and you build
Starting point is 00:08:40 up a relationship with your agent. I've had my agent since 1996. And so, wish him y'all the best of luck, speedy recovery. Let's get 22, 24, let's get it. Josh Hart jokes that Jimmy Hart, Jimmy Hart, Jimmy Butler does side quests until the NBA playoffs.
Starting point is 00:08:58 Hart said, Jimmy kind of does side quests during the year until about April. Then he starts locking in. I'm sure people are going to see him, see that maniac competitive side now that he's done with the sidequests and he's on the main quest. Gil, what do you – Because Jimmy's very unique. I don't know if we've ever seen a guy that go to that –
Starting point is 00:09:24 I mean, you look at what he does in the regular season. I mean, we see guys. Jordan increased his playoff average. He scores 34 career. His playoff scoring average is 33. Kevin Durant averaged 27, 27.2, 27.3. He goes to 28, 29. LeBron averaged 27.2, 27.1.
Starting point is 00:09:43 He goes to 28.5. So we've seen guys incrementally we ain't seen a guy like Jimmy Buck yeah but this can go either way right a guy at his magnitude
Starting point is 00:09:59 averaging 20 during the regular season right are we looking at this wrong? Are we looking at a guy who should be doing more in the regular season to match what he does in the postseason? Yeah, because we're looking at this big gap of a performance, right? We're saying this guy is finals MVP style, right? He's an Eastern Conference final.
Starting point is 00:10:24 We're giving him this Jimmy Butler, this juggernaut playoff Jimmy. Playoff Jimmy, but it's 17 games. When the 82 games, he's just passing through.
Starting point is 00:10:40 Like, right? The Tatums, right? The Tatum is averaging 27. And then in the playoffs averaging 29, I'm pretty sure if Jason Tatum averaged 20 in regular season and then average 29, we'll be looking at, Oh,
Starting point is 00:10:54 this is the best performance that, but these guys are maximizing their talent. And, you know, Jimmy is averaging 2021 playing as a second, third option, and then in the playoffs he turns it on, that seems like
Starting point is 00:11:08 it kind of seems backwards to what we are telling you know our fans and telling the youth. Yeah. Because, okay, you give us that kind of performance in the postseason, what's going on in the regular season?
Starting point is 00:11:25 Because the basket didn't change. The teams are just as difficult that you're going to, because those teams that you played in the playoffs, you played against them in the regular season. So what's so different about the postseason than the regular season? Like I said, I understand incremental growth in points and scoring or rebounding or whatever the case may be.
Starting point is 00:11:46 But not that vast of a difference. Yeah, I mean, what is he in scoring per game? He's ranked 35. Is he averaging 20 points this year? He's averaging 21. Tyler Hero, I mean, you got Terry averaging 21. Tyler Hero, I mean, you got Terry averaging 20, Bam averaging 19.
Starting point is 00:12:10 Right? So he's ranked 35, right? So it's like, you're scoring with Terry Rozier, Scary Terry. That's where you're seeing your game is. And then you turn into
Starting point is 00:12:23 a playoff player. you're seeing your game is, and then you turn into a playoff player. If he was playing like an all-star, right, an all-NBA player, and he was averaging 26 in the playoffs, would we be excited about it? If he was averaging 28 and 26,
Starting point is 00:12:42 the only reason we're excited about this is because it's 20 to 26. So we're like, ooh. Right? Right. But if he was averaging a 26 in regular season, averaging.9 more points, we were like, eh. Right. And then we see him do go get 57. We see him get 50.
Starting point is 00:12:58 We see him get the 40s. But you know what I think it is that kind of makes him special, right? As much as I can say I don't like the style it is, he is excellent when he needs to be. So it's hard for me to say I don't like the way Jimmy approaches the game because when he needs to be great, he doesn't fail, right? In the playoffs, what he does is the last five minutes he takes over regular season. He doesn't take over in the last five.
Starting point is 00:13:31 You defer. Right. He defers in the last in the playoffs. It is Jimmy Buckets in the playoffs. The last five minutes. He is great in the last five minutes. He is great in the last five minutes. So, you know, I'm pretty sure if Miami and Spoh and Pat Riley didn't like the way he played,
Starting point is 00:13:51 he would have changed his game. So the fact that they haven't done anything about it, it makes sense to them. And if it makes sense to them, it makes sense to me. LeVar Ball blames the NBA training staff and the Pumas raggedy shoes for his son's injury. LeVar Ball said, I quote, the reason they hurt is because they got away from me. And they start doing these Rudy 2 workouts because if you keep running them heels, you're going to keep that power and strength. But you start dealing with those rubber bands and doing lightweight stuff. Of course, you're going to start breaking down. A lot of things have to do with the raggedy shoes that Melvin made.
Starting point is 00:14:25 Melvin's shoes are not made the right way for him. That's why he keeps tweaking his ankles every single time. I understand what he's saying when he's saying, you know, he's coming from a football background, just like yourself. You guys understand that something that
Starting point is 00:14:43 these new doctors don't have the understanding. They think more rest creates longevity, not realizing your muscles staying strong, right? Yes. That's why I said if you're lifting every day and then you don't lift for a week and then go out there and try to perform, your muscles is not ready for what your body wants to do. And you get these little leaks. So I understand what LeVar, because the study is showing that the more you're resting the guys, the more they're getting hurt. Now, when it comes to shoes, shoe companies and players really have to understand their feet in the shoe.
Starting point is 00:15:24 Shoe companies and players really have to understand their feet in the shoe. Sometimes the shoe heel sole is too big for a guard. You're talking about a guard like a Kyllo, the back part of that shoe needs to be more of a curl versus a block. We need our ankles to give. So when we come down, we're coming down on our ankles.
Starting point is 00:16:02 So it needs to roll. Sometimes the bottom of the shoe is too thick, which when your ankle rolls, it snaps quick. Instead of rolling, it snaps. And I think the best ankle-supported shoes is the Jordans. The protection is in the heel part. It's not the top. The top is, that's flamsy. That has nothing to do with nothing.
Starting point is 00:16:30 Like when people are like, oh, you don't have the mids and the lows. You don't got no ankle support. The ankle support is in the heel. Right. The heel structure, keeping your foot in place is the key to it. So I don't know anything about the Pumas, but it kind of does look bad structurally that he keeps getting hurt in your shoe.
Starting point is 00:16:49 So whatever you're doing... So let me ask you a question. So what's Lonzo's excuse? He don't wear Pumas. I think, I mean, he did hurt his original, he hurt his shoe and his daddy's shoe. In Big Baller. So was that shoe raggedy shoe. And Big Baller.
Starting point is 00:17:06 So was that shoe raggedy? Was that Big Baller shoe raggedy? Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's raggedy. There's a difference. I think there's a difference between a player's shoe and a shoe that they sell. Of course. Yes. Yes.
Starting point is 00:17:19 They need to really worry about what the structure of the shoe feels like for the player himself. What you sell in the shoe is... No. Because I'm sure they do all kind of monitoring. They put you in those things and they see how you stand and they have you run and they
Starting point is 00:17:38 see, as you said, the dorsiflexion of your ankle. How does it roll? I pronated in, so I didn't really roll over the top, Gil. I rolled in because I was kind of, you know, yeah, that's what normally happened to me, but structurally, anatomically,
Starting point is 00:17:54 my parents was messed up. I got both my hips replaced. My sister in a month, in two weeks, is getting both of her hips replaced. My brother got one of his hips replaced. He's going to get a knee replaced. You see? Ain't got nothing to do with you. My sister ain't play no sports
Starting point is 00:18:11 and she about to get both of her hips replaced. So my brother played seven years. She ain't play no sports. And sometimes structurally, I don't think when God created us, I don't think he created us like, you know what, yeah,
Starting point is 00:18:27 I want y'all to be out there playing football. You know what I'm saying? I want y'all to be playing basketball. I want you to jump up high and, you know, you land on somebody's ankle. You start. It's a lot of torque. Even though Melo is a feet in frame, that's still to be running as fast as you can with a basketball.
Starting point is 00:18:44 Stop. Go in a different direction. Man, that's a lot of twerk on those joints. It's real. When you're talking about just the basic mechanics, you have to understand your body. It's weird that the whole family is
Starting point is 00:19:00 built strong, but the two boys, right? Yeah. But look how their brothers is all compared to Jell-O. Yeah. Look at Jell-O. He's built like his dad and the other to a thin frame. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:19:16 And that's the weird part about it. But I just think that when the taller you are, the lower your soul needs to be to the floor. Right? Okay. I wish, like people ask me, why did I wear running shoes? One, it was a thinner sole, lighter. Right?
Starting point is 00:19:36 I didn't like those big, like the LeBrons or like Anthony Davis, those big heel, two inch sole, them two inch heel. Hell no. Like my son, two-inch sole, them two-inch heel. Hell no. Like my son, for the first time, he was trying out. He had a media day for his AAU team. Put on basketball shoes.
Starting point is 00:19:56 He went up for a layup, twisted his ankle. He's like, I'll never put on a basketball shoe again. Because he wears running shoes. Wow. The taller you get, the closer your foot needs to be to the ground. You can't be wearing, motherfucker, three-inch high heels on your shoes.
Starting point is 00:20:17 And some of those... And so... Yeah, some of those shoes is two and a half inches. Like, let's say you measure without your shoes, six, five. With shoes, you want to be around six, five, six, six and a half.
Starting point is 00:20:34 You start jumping into six, seven and a half, you got to watch it for your ankles. Wow. I got, I mean, but here's the thing. Most Blacks are flat-footed. We don't have a whole to begin with. So you have, you know what I'm saying?
Starting point is 00:20:53 You know, we, I'm, most, especially athletes, most athletes, Black athletes are flat-footed. Yeah. And so you have to, we have, like, we used to have turtle shoes shoes but they have a narrow arch man I couldn't wear that because I have no arch to begin with man I need hey
Starting point is 00:21:12 I'm flat footed I need something and I got a wide foot so I don't have a narrow foot so I need something oh look at the shoes right there yeah they look good but I ain't gonna be able to play them because I'm gonna roll slap over the top of them. Yeah, there's some shoes that if I put
Starting point is 00:21:28 them on, they just hurt my feet from the beginning. They just hit my feet. There's shoes that the bottom of my sole, the bottom of my feet will burn. Yeah. It'll just burn on the bottom of my feet. Some shoes, I can walk,
Starting point is 00:21:43 I can step on a penny and twist my ankle. Roll right over the top. Wake up with football every morning and listen to my new podcast, NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal. Five days a week, you'll get all the latest news,
Starting point is 00:21:59 previews, recaps, and analysis delivered straight to your podcast feed by the time you get your coffee. No dumb hot takes here. Just smart hot takes. We'll talk every single game every single week, but I can't do it alone.
Starting point is 00:22:12 So I'm bringing in the big guns from NFL media. That's Patrick Claiborne, Steve Weiss, Nick Shook, Jordan Rodrigue from The Athletic, and of course, Colleen Wolfe. This is their window right now. This is their Super Bowl window. Of course, Colleen Wolfe. This is their window right now. This is their Super Bowl window. Why would they trade him away?
Starting point is 00:22:32 Because he would be a pivotal part of them winning that Super Bowl. I don't know why, Colleen. Catch the podcast, the NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal every day. Subscribe today and you'll immediately be smarter and funnier than your friends. And who doesn't want that? Listen now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Okay, okay. Angel Reese made a decision today. She's set to enter the 2024 WNBA draft.
Starting point is 00:23:00 Thank you. After much anticipation, Angel Reese announced her decision. Let's take a listen to her announcement. All right, let's do this. Four years. Where to begin? To my family, my mom, my MVP. To Baltimore and the Terps. To LSU, my PMAC home, to my teammates and coaches,
Starting point is 00:23:33 managers and trainers, to God and his blessing of a life. Thank you. This was a difficult decision, but I trust the next chapter because I know the author. Bayou Barbie, out. Bayou Barbie, out. I love that. I love that. The WNBA draft is just right around the corner,
Starting point is 00:24:02 April 15th in New York. ESPN latest mock draft, have her going seventh to Minnesota. Where do you think the best fit for her is going to be? Indiana Fever has the first pick. Sparks have the second. Sky, third. Sparks have the fourth pick. The fourth pick.
Starting point is 00:24:21 Wings have the fifth. Mystics have the sixth. Minnesota have the seventh pick. Sky have the fifth mystics have the seventh the sixth minnesota have the seventh pick sky have the eight the wings have the ninth and the connecticut suns have the tenth she's gonna be in the same color she's in right now that purple and gold is she going to sparks she's going to the spark sparks need two uh rebounding big, two shot blocker type bigs. And at the two, they can take the girl from... South Carolina?
Starting point is 00:24:51 Carmela Cardoso? No, no, no. The girl from... Cameron Brink? Cameron Brink. And then they can take Angel Reese. That's the personality you need here. That's the person
Starting point is 00:25:01 that's going to sell tickets, right? You need that personality in Los Angeles. Like the purple and gold is built off like names, names, charisma, style, swagger, right? And she checks those boxes off. Yeah. Man, it was a great run.
Starting point is 00:25:29 She had an unbelievable career uh made a name for herself uh with the fashion you know the eyelashes she have her makeup on her lip gloss and she goes out there and she ball um at the end of the day she's she's a heck of a player. She represented Baltimore extremely well. She represented LSU extremely well. And I think she's making the right decision. There's nothing else for her to prove. She's won a national championship. She's been an All-American. She's been SEC Player of the Year. It's time to go on this time. You know, that's what you do. You graduate, you move on and you say, OK, I'm ready for the next chapter in my life and as she said she knows the author so she gets to write the story in her own in her own words yeah and because this seems like it was planned there there this has been
Starting point is 00:26:21 um a scheduled drop on how she was gonna release her announcement. Mm-hm. I'm pretty sure that the only way she was gonna come out is if her brand itself was in a big city. I don't see the way this has all been dropped. I don't see she's coming into this draft not knowing where she's going. I don't see that.
Starting point is 00:26:53 I just don't see that she's going to end up in Minnesota somewhere. I just don't see it. I think that her brand was going to be in the big city of New York or in LA or Chicago. That's where her brand needs to be. Yeah. Oh, absolutely.
Starting point is 00:27:14 Absolutely. She is a, she is an, an LA, LA young lady. And like you said, her brand and what she wants to do, what she's trying to represent,
Starting point is 00:27:25 I think L.A. is the ideal situation for her. I wish her the best. DeJuan Hines, this is for Angel Reese, DeJuan Hines asks, Unc and Gil, how do you feel about all the hate Angel Reese has gotten since last year?
Starting point is 00:27:42 It kind of... You got more hate than I got. Go ahead, Gil. Go ahead. Listen, only successful people get hate. If you're not getting hate, you're not doing nothing
Starting point is 00:27:55 that irritates people, right? You're doing just enough to keep people out your business, right? The fact that she does get hate lets you know she's good. She's doing something that you don't like, and it's irritating you so you don't like her. A lot of the hate for Angel Reese, her and I are kind of different. A lot of the dislike and the jealousy and the envy come from people that look like me.
Starting point is 00:28:26 A lot of the hate and envy and jealousy at her looks like, don't look like her. Yeah, no, no. Because they don't like, see, this is all, this goes back to Jack Johnson and Muhammad Ali. They don't like, they think you should be humble and meek. Be thankful that we allow you to play our sport. Be thankful that we allow you to play our sport. Be thankful that we allow you to take our money. Be thankful that we watch you. But if you're great
Starting point is 00:28:51 and you brag or you boast and you back it up, that's not how you're supposed to be. I want my athletes to be seen and not heard. So nobody cares what you want. You're not the athlete. You don't get to determine how we behave
Starting point is 00:29:07 in our said sport I mean she's a double double machine when she gave you 17 and 20 in the Elite 8 game on a bum ankle why do we have well such and such don't do it like that
Starting point is 00:29:22 that's not what this would do so but they did they did caitlin so if caitlin is caitlin caitlin clark might not talk but do you see those those mannerisms on the court she was yeah she was like she like if we'd seen that mannerism that the same mannerism that you hate injuries for came from Kaitlyn Clark. It was her, man. It was her. This. Yes.
Starting point is 00:29:49 Doing this to players. No, no, no. We like that. We like that. We like that. We don't like that. We don't. No, no, no.
Starting point is 00:29:57 Don't you do. Larry Bird. One of the biggest trash talkers. Ever. Ever. Right? John Stockton. Like, it's part of the game. Likeers ever, ever. Right. John Stockton, like it's part of the game. Like, so just let it go.
Starting point is 00:30:08 You just you're just mad that it happened back. Right. When when when when Caitlin was doing it to the South Carolina girls, no one cared. Your ass couldn't shoot. And she turned around on you. That's your. I ain't even looking at you. That's a hooper.
Starting point is 00:30:28 A hooper does that to you. You can't shoot. I'm not guarding you. Turn around. That has nothing to do with black and white. Right? You can't shoot? Huh. I'm down that brick. She can't shoot a gun. That's what you do.
Starting point is 00:30:44 And we enjoyed it yeah and I look I think the thing is that I think I've been around it you've been around it long enough a lot of people are happy that LSU lost because Angel's on that team
Starting point is 00:31:00 and that's just the way it is we like to see you rise but there's a fraction of us like to see the downfall as well now the WNBA has this
Starting point is 00:31:20 this is a moment that they need to capture. They have a rivalry that's coming into the W. They do not make those games, wherever those two go, marquee games. Yep. On special, whatever your special summer day is, 4th of special, whatever your special summer day is, 4th of July, whatever, they need,
Starting point is 00:31:52 those games need to be hyped. Like when Magic and Bird came into the, it was them two. When those two played, it was war. You have a built-in audience already for both groups. If you do not exploit it, something is wrong with you.
Starting point is 00:32:16 And where you guys are, you should be. Like I said it on Gil's Arena. on, you know, Gills Arena. If I'm the USA team and the W, Kaitlyn Clark will be invited. Juju will be invited. Angel Reese will be invited. And Paige will be invited
Starting point is 00:32:37 to that team. I think Kaitlyn Clark was the only one invited, right? All of them will. These are the four big... These are the four biggest names in women's basketball, period. Right now, Sabrina is probably fourth or fifth in Asia, fifth and sixth. Those four girls in women's basketball right now is the biggest names.
Starting point is 00:33:06 When you're talking about going to Paris, those four jerseys will outsell every jersey on the rest of that team. Those are going to be the biggest jersey sales for WNBA and women's. All four of them will move units. So if you do not put them on the team, you are doing your league a disjustice. When the NBA, that 0-4, they put LeBron
Starting point is 00:33:34 James and Carmelo and D. Wade on the team, people were like, oh, LeBron lost the fight. LeBron didn't play. Melo didn't get off that bench. It was for the names. It was to build their game. These are our young futures, and we're going to put them on
Starting point is 00:33:50 the team. You're only going to go about eight deep anyway, so you don't really need to play the four. And if you do, they're for specialty moments. You're using them for the names. You're building these names for your league's future. I
Starting point is 00:34:06 do not care about who deserves to be there. Congratulations. Heads need to be cut off to move the needle in your sport. And if you're not willing to cut it off, do not complain. Right. I thank Kalen Clark.
Starting point is 00:34:24 If you look at the team that I really watch is the Aces, the Vegas team. Look at the passion and the fire that Asia plays with. Look at Chelsea Gray. Look at Kelsey Plum. I love that
Starting point is 00:34:39 passion. You could tell it means something. They fighting tooth and nail yeah i mean i love uh uh uh stewie uh dt um i mean i met dt when she was still uh i met dt when she was just she was as a matter of fact she had might have just they had might have just won the national the national uh championship her last year i think this was like 2004. I met... Was it 2004? I retired in 2004. Might have been 2005 when I was
Starting point is 00:35:09 the All-Star game was in Denver. And I met her. I just love... I love the way they play. I love the energy, the passion in which they bring. And Asia... Kaitlyn Clark, she definitely brings that passion.
Starting point is 00:35:26 Paige brings that passion. Now, Juju is a little bit more subdued. She's a little bit more subdued. But she's game strong. Paige is fiery. You know, A, she's got that long, that lineage of UConn great players. But I agree with you, Gil. I think this is a golden opportunity for the WNBA to take advantage.
Starting point is 00:35:49 I wish it could be like the college for the men, that Juju could go if that's what she wanted to do. She could go to the WNBA because I think her game is strong enough to go. Paige has already made the decision that she's coming back. But the others are going. And that's why I said you need to build that relationship
Starting point is 00:36:12 for your WNBA fan base. You need... Think about it. Just think about it globally. We're watching how big the Elite Eight was, right? Now the same four girls on the U.S. team, what does that
Starting point is 00:36:30 do to that fan base? They're going to watch it too. Now you're going to be sitting, people are going to be sitting there trying to figure out when the WNBA because we never What was the last time you watched a U.S. a USA girls game?
Starting point is 00:36:46 Yeah, I watched Gil, but at some point in time, Gil, you got to start bringing some new girls on. DT ain't going to play in 28. Now she's coming back in 24. I think this is going to be like a fifth Olympics. Sue Bird is already retired. I mean, at some point in time, you need to start bringing the influx of young girls in there
Starting point is 00:37:03 so they can get some experience on the international level. And experience, I mean, you get the experience, your jersey set, like this is, they're never going to, the opportunity they have today, they will not get it again for a while. That's why this moment in time is very important for them. The NBA
Starting point is 00:37:20 seen it and they capitalized. They seen when Kobe was, when Jordan left, Jordan left the game, Kobe. Kobe's right there. T-Mac, Kevin Garnett. They were looking like they were coming in their own. NBA went young, 2001 draft, all high school kids.
Starting point is 00:37:42 Boom, took off. And that's where the game has been going, right? You have to look at the moment in time, and they don't come often. And when it comes, you got to strike and strike fast. Or put them on the, oh, because Kelsey Plum, because remember, they got a three-on-three tournament in the Olympics, too. Guys and gals. Hey, because Kelsey Plum was on the three-on-three team with Stephanie Dawson.
Starting point is 00:38:04 I forget some of the other young ladies that were a part of that. But at some point in time, you got to get them international experience. You got to get them. I mean, you got to get up. It's just like you have to somehow try to bridge this big gap. And the gap that W don't have is Juju's fan base, right? Paige Becker's fan base, right? Paige Becker's fan base, right? The fan base, like those girls got the high school girls still, right?
Starting point is 00:38:35 Now, I'm going to tell you somebody who played it smart. Sabrina played, like, the reason she's so big is because all her shoes is in high school basketball boys is wearing it all the girls is wearing it so when Nike are putting their shoes out they're not giving them the KD's
Starting point is 00:38:57 and back then the Giannis's, the Paul George's they're giving them Sabrina's so she can push her product to the youth kids. Caitlin Clark is the next one. She's going to get a signature shoe. Adidas, Nike, someone
Starting point is 00:39:15 needs to grab it. Somebody's going to throw a bag on them. I'm throwing a bag. This is the time when you've got to capitalize why the fire's hot. If you don't and you miss it, you miss it. There's nothing you can do about it. Right. So congratulations, Angel.
Starting point is 00:39:30 Great outstanding college career. Much success to you moving forward. Bayou Barbie is on the move, headed to the WNBA. Vince Carter and Chauncey Billy will be part of the Nate Smith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class of 2024. The rest of the 2024 inductees will be announced Saturday evening at the NCAA Men's Final Four.
Starting point is 00:39:52 What do you think about BC, Vinsanity, and Chauncey going into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame? I think it's great. Both players had remarkable careers. Vinsanity is Vinsanity. I think it's great. Both players had remarkable careers.
Starting point is 00:40:09 Vince Sanity is Vince Sanity. He was a highlight reel. He's the one who really put Toronto on the map. If it wasn't for Vince accepting Toronto and understanding that what he does and who he is can put a light on a whole country. The Toronto we see today, it was because of Vince. Vince, like the women that was there. No one knew those women was there until Vince was throwing parties there, right?
Starting point is 00:40:42 And you going in like, what did it come from? This is what Toronto has? Toronto's my, he's the one who did that. So, you know, he deserves it. You know, Chauncey, you know, has been solid.
Starting point is 00:40:58 And, you know, that championship, big shot, big shot bill of that championship he brung, the Pistons, where I consider that Piston team the best defensive team championship big shot big shot bill of that championship he brung the pistons where i consider that piston teams the best defensive team the pistons ever had right when you're talking
Starting point is 00:41:11 about defense that was the deepest of team the other team was brute hacking and all that right they you know what jordan them said they played dirty basketball that 2014 they were a defensive team they outsmarted you they didn't use the physical they were smarter they played basketball and they understood how to play defense with the rules of the game right so and Chauncey was the leader of that and he deserves it right I know Chauncey uh he went to Washington and Denver, right down the street from where I lived at the time. So I've been knowing him since he was in high school. Great guy.
Starting point is 00:41:52 Actually, I just saw him when I went to, I saw Primed and played when they played at CU. They was up at CU. He happened to be there. So I had a great conversation with him. I'm happy for him also. Ball of Vance when he was at MC, Toronto and Orlando. I'm happy for him also. Followed Vance when he was at NC, Toronto and Orlando.
Starting point is 00:42:07 I'm happy for those guys also, but I'm really, really especially excited for Chauncey because I've been knowing him seemingly for like 30 years or so. Well, well-deserved. Well-deserved. The one year he spent at Colorado to play college ball for his
Starting point is 00:42:23 hometown college team. Well, it's in Boulder, but his state was great, and I'm excited for Chauncey to represent going to the Basketball Hall of Fame, and congratulations to him and Vince and the rest of the class that will be announced Saturday during the Final
Starting point is 00:42:39 Four of the Men. So congratulations guys and to the rest of the class that's coming tonight, coming on Saturday. Wake up with football every morning and listen to my new podcast, NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal. Five days a week, you'll get all the latest news, previews, recaps, and analysis delivered straight to your podcast feed by the time you get your coffee. No dumb hot takes here, just smart hot takes. We'll talk every single game every single week, but I can't do it alone. So I'm bringing in the
Starting point is 00:43:10 big guns from NFL media. That's Patrick Claiborne, Steve Weiss, Nick Shook, Jordan Rodrigue from the Athletic, and of course, Colleen Wolfe. This is their window right now. This is their Super Bowl window. Why would they trade him away? Because he would be a pivotal part of them winning that Super Bowl. I don't know why, Colleen. Catch the podcast, the NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal every day. Subscribe today
Starting point is 00:43:35 and you'll immediately be smarter and funnier than your friends. And who doesn't want that? Listen now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Gil, it's time for our last segment of the night, and it's a Q&A. We're experiencing some issues with guys, with people being able to donate and ask questions.
Starting point is 00:44:07 So we're working on that ASAP. So just bear with us. Upgrade King says, greetings, Nightcap fans. Shouldn't MVP war for you? Most valuable player, not the best player in the league. Why we complicate the award or change the name? Your thought, gentlemen. That's what the players the players themselves we have that question is it the most valuable player or the
Starting point is 00:44:35 best player on the best team what we're you know what i mean they we don't no one gets a real definite answer to this right like we've seen what OKC looks like without shade. Right. Right. Right. That means his value, his importance to that team's success is very high. Right? Right.
Starting point is 00:45:01 Which means he is a valuable player to his team, right? It reminded me of when Westbrook was having a triple-double, right? He had to play 1,000 miles an hour. He had to rub his engine up to maximum
Starting point is 00:45:19 to get them to win. When you're on the best team, you don't necessarily have to go 100% all the time because you have all these guys with you. When Steph Curry and Klay and KD was together, they didn't have to go 100%. Right. Because, hey, you go, you go, you go,
Starting point is 00:45:42 and then I'll fit in where... Russell, to play against you guys, he can't take a playoff. No. So we always had that struggle with what does it mean, right? What does it really mean? And we don't get a real definition. No one knows because the people who are voted don't give out those answers. Right.
Starting point is 00:46:02 Luke Husky asks, you think we'll see playoff P or pandemic P in the playoffs the last couple well this last playoff I think he got hurt
Starting point is 00:46:14 yeah playoff before last the one Kawhi got hurt that was playoff P playoff P yeah that's where he got his nickname from I think
Starting point is 00:46:22 I think playoff P is coming. It's just right now everybody seems to be getting healthier to get ready for this last push. That's great for us. I don't see really
Starting point is 00:46:39 anybody going into the playoffs with lingering injuries besides Shea, we don't really know, you know, how serious that thigh is. Right. But for the most part, most teams have their star players right now. Right. Cameron Norwood Jr., love the orange blazer you had on yesterday on first take.
Starting point is 00:47:02 My question is, who do you have winning defensive player of the year in basketball? And Gil, you're my favorite wizard player. Thank you, bro. You know, I had to break out a little something because Stephen A. been on me lately about my gear, but he don't know I can put these rags together. I just, you know, I want to make everybody feel good. I think Wimby. I agree with Gil.
Starting point is 00:47:21 I think Wimby should win defensive player of the year. And that's not a knock on Rudy Gobert, but I think Wimby has been just as impactful and his blocks are just... The shots that he's blocking, he's coming out of nowhere. I'm like, where the hell you come from? He's chasing down people and blocking. He's just not coming weak side. He's chasing down people and blocking the shot. He chased Jokic down several times last night to block his shot.
Starting point is 00:47:54 No, this is the real, if I'm voting, this is what I will base it off of. If I switched both of them, if I switched both players them, if I switched both players and said,
Starting point is 00:48:08 all right, Rudy, you're the defensive player on the Spurs, and we're going to take Wimby, would you have the same defensive rating? No, Rudy wouldn't. Because Rudy don't have the intangibles
Starting point is 00:48:23 to do the things Wimby does. We're only judging Wimby because his team is bad. When he's in the game, they're ranked one in defense. Remember, he's only playing 20-something minutes. So that means 20 minutes he's off the floor,
Starting point is 00:48:40 which means this is what's going on when he's not on the floor. When he's on the floor, they're ranked one, and Minnesota's ranked two, and they have multiple defensive players. Right. So single-handedly, he is number one by himself. Wow. I agree.
Starting point is 00:48:58 I would vote Wemby. I think he's had a phenomenal season. He's even better than I thought. He's better than they advertised. Yep. They said he was going to be good. He's better. He's better than what they said. He's
Starting point is 00:49:12 skilled, but he's going to be more skilled. I'm like, man, this dude's so thin. He can shoot the ball. He can put the ball on the floor at 7'4", 7'5". He's blocking shot. He hustles. He's going to be good. You know what?. He hustles. He's going to be... And you know what? He's the next guy that's
Starting point is 00:49:27 going to get a quadruple double. He's going to get multiple of those. This is how we know he's good. There's only a few rookies that came into the league that really dominated. You know what I mean? You talk about Magic Bird. You
Starting point is 00:49:43 got MJ. Shaq. Shaq. You know, you mean? You talk about Magic, Bird, you got MJ. Shaq. Shaq. You know, you have, you know, LeBron came in. I mean, Allen Iverson came in, but for the most part with Luka, when you're talking about young,
Starting point is 00:50:00 when you're talking about young, it's only a few now, right? Bird came in at 22. Jordan, you know, when he played his birthday, he turned 22 that year. But you're talking about Magic was all of 19, right? Luca, you know, Wimby, you know what I mean? These guys are on
Starting point is 00:50:16 a whole different stratosphere. And, you know, I like what I'm seeing. The rest of the season is going to be great. The summer is going to be very big for him, and I can't wait to see him next year. Yeah, I think he's going to get better. He's going to get stronger.
Starting point is 00:50:35 He has an understanding of what the NBA is like. They're going to increase his minutes. So you increase his minutes two to three. That's more opportunities for him to score. That's more opportunities for him to block shots. And so I think he's only going to get better. He strikes me as a guy that's willing to put the work in because he wants to be great. He understands that he's been given a lot of God to give an ability and to replay and to show how thankful he is to the man upstairs.
Starting point is 00:51:02 And with that ability is to work his ass off with that skill. And so I'm anxious to see. He makes you, I don't normally pay attention because I always thought the Spurs were broccoli. They're good to you, but they're boring as hell to eat. You got to put cheese on them and you got to have
Starting point is 00:51:19 a nice steak and a baked potato to go long-winded for you to digest it. But Wimby makes you want to watch the Spurs. He really does. He makes you want to watch the Spurs, and I think they got something really brewing and special. Guys, that's it for Nightcap.
Starting point is 00:51:35 Thank you guys for watching another edition of Nightcap. Please make sure you hit that subscribe button. Make sure you hit that like button. And guys, do us a favor. Please go vote for us for a Webby Award for Best Sports Podcast. We pinned the link in the chat. We're in second place behind New Heights.
Starting point is 00:51:54 We got to catch these Swifties. I might come up with me about 500 or 600 emails and vote and just keep voting. Blood, blood. Go ahead. Someone in your chat said, who is Sam Vincent? Sam Vincent is our backup point guard for the Lakers.
Starting point is 00:52:12 Gabe Vincent. No, Gabe. He left Gabe in Miami. The dude that we got here is Sam. We got Sam Vincent over here. We ain't seen Gabe yet. We ain't seen what the Miami had. We got Sam Vincent. We got an Finston over here. We ain't seen Gabe yet. We ain't seen what the Miami had. We got Sam Finston.
Starting point is 00:52:27 We got an alter ego here. We got to let it work here. Let it work here. Let it work here. And did he need to earn his first name back? So right now, y'all, Sam Finston is where we got him. Man. Thank you, guys, for joining for another episode of nightcap.
Starting point is 00:52:47 We pin, please go vote for us for the Webby awards. We greatly appreciate that. We pinned it in the chat. Please make sure you guys subscribe to the nightcap podcast feed. You can listen to us through the club. Shea, shea feed,
Starting point is 00:53:00 but we greatly appreciate it. If you listen and subscribe to the nightcap podcast feed, thank you guys again for selling out. Shea by LaPorte. Yay. but we greatly appreciate it if you listen and subscribe to the Nightcap podcast feed. Thank you guys again for selling out Shade by La Portia. We are taking pre-orders only, and we pinned the link in the top of the chat. So thank you guys. Also, make sure you subscribe and listen to and watch Gil's Arena channel. He has a show that airs every Monday through Thursday live at 1130 a.m. Pacific time.
Starting point is 00:53:28 That's Gil's Arena channel on YouTube. His show airs Monday through Thursday live at 1130 a.m. Pacific time. He also has a personal page that's on YouTube and it's called No Chill Gil. That's his personal page. Gil's Arena, Gilbert Arena's personal page. No Chill Gil. Let's go get his subs up. Thank you for joining us for another episode of Nightcap.
Starting point is 00:53:50 I'm your favorite unk, Shannon Sharp. He's your favorite number zero. Hibachi Man. Arizona Wildcat legend. Wizard. Great. Golden State. Orlando.
Starting point is 00:54:01 You play with anybody else? No, I wasn't good in Orlando. I was great. Hey, I played for Memphis, too. I was the bench warmer in Memphis. Best bench warmer, though. I was the best bench warmer. I was the nicest out there. You were cheering them on. You were cheering them on. Thank you for joining us for another episode.
Starting point is 00:54:17 Thank you, guys. We're back tomorrow. Myself and Ocho. Thanks for joining us, Gil. Appreciate that. See you next week, bro. All right. Wake up with football every morning and listen to my new podcast, NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal.
Starting point is 00:54:35 Five days a week, you'll get all the latest news and the best analysis delivered by the time you get your coffee. The show hits every single game every single week,
Starting point is 00:54:44 but I can't do it alone, so I'm bringing in all the big guns from NFL media like Colleen Wolfe. Subscribe today and you'll immediately be smarter and funnier than your friends. Listen now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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