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Speaker 1: Levels to This is an iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Speaker 2: What's going on, Everybody, It's Your Girl? To Rica Foster Brasby.
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Speaker 3: What's up, y'all? Is your girl?
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Speaker 4: Cheryl swoops And this is a levels to this.
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Speaker 2: This is the show where we talk about all the shit that women go through. And we have a very fun guest line up for us today. Who's going to join us a little bit later to talk some basketball and some hoops. But before we get there, Sure, did you watch the Super Bowl?
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Speaker 3: Did? I?
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Speaker 4: Wait?
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Speaker 3: Wait, wait, no, I watch bad buddy?
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Speaker 4: Oh you watched the benou Well?
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Speaker 3: Yeah, because the game itself was not it?
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Speaker 2: You didn't enjoy the game. I thought the game was amazing. Really yeah, I was expecting more, I guess, I don't know, but like it was amazing because won.
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Speaker 4: And it was amazing because Patriot I was.
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Speaker 1: I was happy that the Seahawks won, not a anyway, not a Patriots fan.
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Speaker 3: Per se, But like, you don't even you don't even score to the fourth quarter.
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Speaker 4: Girl, No, the game itself was trash.
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Speaker 2: But the fact that the Patriots lost my my football season has been made.
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Speaker 3: Good job.
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Speaker 1: But I can say this bad Bunny was a bad boy. Oh my god, wasn't it that did not understand a work, didn't understand the work.
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Speaker 3: But girl, I was in that thing, you hear me.
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Speaker 4: I was in that thing, like, oh my god, I.
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Speaker 3: Think everything about the perform the message.
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Speaker 1: They of course somebody people are posting. We had to explain to them last year what Kendrick LeVar will say.
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Speaker 4: And he was speaking English.
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Speaker 1: Yeah, so we got we got to explain to them what bad Buddy was saying. Yeah.
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Speaker 3: Man, he hit, he touched on everything, you hear me. He had everything.
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Speaker 2: There was the symbolism, the cultural impact. I said a few times yesterday to a few people that he was to latinos in Latin America yesterday what Kendrick was for us in twenty twenty five, like it just put the culture on babe. We put seasoning up in the Super Bowl the last couple of years. Okay, yeah, last last year we put the Lorries and this year they had the Adobo.
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Speaker 4: Okay, but honey, it was going down.
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Speaker 2: Okay, that was well. Seasons the Cameo, Ricky Martin and Lady Got Lady Got Out. Loved it. I loved it. The saucer version was so good. There was symbolism and the light poles was that anybody's familiar Puto Rico knows about the energy crisis and the way that they are tripping on the power outages.
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Speaker 4: So I loved that.
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Speaker 2: I love seeing the like I sitough the whole that was the bomb.
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Speaker 4: So nig you got CARDI be back there. Yeah, Jessica.
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Speaker 1: After page handed when he handed limb Lim the little five year old boy from Minneapolis, And.
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Speaker 2: Is that is that a really him? Because I've seen some people saying that that is really him. I saw some other people saying that what I've seen says it. Well listen, if it was, I love it even more. And even if it wasn't, I'm like, it was just an amazing moment. It was so amazing. And the flex, the flex of the evening, the flex of the evening. Is that that couple that got married got married for real, for real.
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Speaker 3: I'm like, okay, that bunny, Like my gosh. The production of the halftime show was so good. Off the charts. It was off the charts.
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Speaker 4: You know what sucked me up, Cheryl?
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Speaker 3: But what because I was about to say something too, what.
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Speaker 2: That the bushes, the sugarcane bushes was real people.
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Speaker 4: I did not know that.
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Speaker 2: Huh it was people like there were I thought the sugarcane bush.
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Speaker 4: Yeah, I thought it was. It was pete.
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Speaker 2: Somebody got a video of them coming on and then a video of them leaving the field when the show was over.
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Speaker 4: It was people.
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Speaker 1: Okay, yeah, I love the production without knowing that, and I really love that. So I got a question for you. And this can't this cannot just be a black thing. But I got a question for her because I do this all the time.
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Speaker 5: Okay, Now my Spanish, I understand Spanish better than I speak it, right, but I can speak a little bit, a little bit, just a little bit.
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Speaker 6: M hm.
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Speaker 4: I don't know a single bad Bunny song. I don't know. But why but listen, but why was I.
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Speaker 1: Up dancing girl and he singing in Spanish and I'm up here talking about something. I trying to pretend like I know the words and I ain't know.
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Speaker 4: My husband baby here to my baby? You know this song?
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Speaker 1: I said, Nope, But I'm showing about to pretend like I do girl my Spanish I was, I am screamed, Okay, So to be fair, I do have I loved it.
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Speaker 4: I do have some bad I have.
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Speaker 2: I have bad Bunney downloaded to my my Apple Music.
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Speaker 4: So although I am not well.
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Speaker 2: Like I am not fluent in Spanish, I knew enough and I knew the songs. I knew the album, so I knew the song. So I might have like my one little line and my one little part. There might have been like three songs I know at all. But for the most part, and here's the thing too, we have we have the natural gift of rhythm.
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Speaker 4: So we hear a song, we hear a song. We even got nice there. That's what we do.
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Speaker 2: So that money told it up. So yes, I was very excited about that.
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Speaker 4: I love to have time.
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Speaker 2: Show that I saw last night, it had one and one hundred and twenty seven million viewers compared to the five million that whatever the.
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Speaker 4: Other the other show. But you know, it is what it is, you know worldwide.
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Speaker 2: I will close by saying I thought it was so good that at the end of the show he said God bless America and then can sit and then went to list all of the Latin American countries across North and South America, because America, that America is more than just the United States. America consists of two continents. And so I knowed every bit of that, every dy of.
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Speaker 4: That he did. He did that it.
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Speaker 2: Was, it was a global performance and it actually ties perfectly into what we're going to be discussing today because our guess is helping to create a global basketball league. And so today we are going to have the one and only Elena Beard joining us to talk about projecting some other some other just dope things about women in basketball. And I can't wait to get into that conversation.
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Speaker 4: So without further ado, let's just take it to the next level.
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Speaker 2: Well, we are incredibly excited about the guests that we are having on today's show. I don't even know where to begin when it comes to describing and introducing the incredible player, businesswoman, mother, just everything. I'm all wrapped up into one Duke's finest for sure, multi time w NBA All Star, I mean twenty two thousand and five, two thousand and six, two thousand and seven, two thousand and nine, twenty sixteen.
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Speaker 6: That's.
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Speaker 1: What I mean.
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Speaker 4: My goodness.
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Speaker 2: Please, welcome to the show. Elena Beard.
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Speaker 4: Good to see you.
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Speaker 6: No, it's good to see you again. Cheryl, always good to see you. You're my idol. Upset it to you many times, but it's good to be on the show.
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Speaker 7: Right back at you. Listen.
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Speaker 1: You know, Okay, what what show was it with Earth the Kit where she says you.
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Speaker 7: Shouldn't have to toot your own horn? Y'all don't know.
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Speaker 2: Dat?
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Speaker 4: Yes, I think that'sbody.
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Speaker 1: Somebody y'all listeners will know and I'll figure it out. But I brought it up because Earth the Kit says too. I don't know if it was Eddie Murphy somebody. She says you shouldn't have toot your own horn, doesn't isn't it Earth the Kit? Anyway, I'm saying that because a B you ain't got to toot your own horn on this show, because we're gonna toot it.
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Speaker 4: For you, period.
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Speaker 1: Because the young guns out there they need to know history, and you are a huge part heart of our basketball history. So we are so super excited to have you on the show today.
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Speaker 6: No, I'm excited about it as well. Thank you for having me.
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Speaker 2: All right now, listen, this is between me and you. I've been trying to give somebody to get me some dirt on Cheryl for over a year now.
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Speaker 4: I can never find.
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Speaker 2: Anybody who I've been trying to get some dirt on Cheryl for over a year and nobody has none anything is so I am given the floor to you. You played against her, there has to be something. Was there a moment was there she? I know she'd been talking crap.
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Speaker 4: On the court. It's got to be something shit like you know what, I can't.
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Speaker 6: I can't say that I have any owner right and quite in all honesty, like, yes, I played against Errol when I first came into the league, but I met Cheryl for the first time maybe four o five months years ago. I think we're in Vegas, Cheryl, Yes, and yeah, like meeting you for the first time, having not between you, just to sit down and just really talk to you. And I think that was the moment where I was like, man, Cheryl, you were my idol. I remember when the lead first started, right, it was nineteen ninety six. I'm sitting in front of the TV, and I remember telling my parents that I felt like I was in jail for another eight years because I wanted to be where you guys were at that time, the Houston Comets and that that triple threat that you guys had, and it was I would VHS video, write the games, watch.
00:11:28
Speaker 4: Over and over and over again. And I know I'm dating myself, you're dating guys. But then I would go, h yes, ma'am.
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Speaker 6: On the dirt court in Louisiana and just practice practice the moves right that I that I saw from Cheryl, that I saw from Coop.
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Speaker 4: So I'm sorry, I don't have any dirt on it. Don't be sorry.
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Speaker 7: He is a hater, she really is.
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Speaker 2: She's a little I've been trying for over a year and no one and in my head I just keep saying, like, there's no way Cheryl was this perfect.
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Speaker 4: There's no way nice to everyone.
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Speaker 2: There's no way we're gonna their ab.
00:12:04
Speaker 1: But here's what I'll say before we get into you know, this interview, because I'm super excited about it because.
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Speaker 7: A B is doing all the damn things right now.
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Speaker 1: You know, it makes me feel good to hear that from anybody, from any player, but especially somebody.
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Speaker 4: Who like AB.
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Speaker 1: I watched to play at Duke obviously in the career she had there and always appreciated.
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Speaker 7: Just how hard she competed.
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Speaker 1: It didn't matter who they were playing, it didn't matter who she was guarding.
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Speaker 7: She was a competitor.
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Speaker 1: And people actually ask me this, like about the w when you talk about toughest players to guard, toughest players to go against. AB to me, like people talk about Timika, Catching's right rightfully, so being a hell of a defender, a hell of a two way player.
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Speaker 7: But I'm saying this to AB on this show.
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Speaker 1: I think people really truly underestimated who she was like as a player, and not just like, yeah, we talk about who she was as a defender, but Ab to me also was a really really really good two way player. But on the defensive end was a problem a prob hear me, there were times when we played and I was like, man, it's so okay. I'll tell you this ain't dirt, but I'll tell you like sheed me.
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Speaker 4: But I was like, Aby, I have to do something.
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Speaker 1: But I was like, ab, go guard cool, go guard to neth, go guard somebody else. Why why why you always running over here to me? Because there are just certain players though seriously, there are certain players that you already know they're going to defend you and you know what they're gonna do, but they find a way to get under your skin.
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Speaker 4: And AB was that she was that player.
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Speaker 1: But I absolutely loved and enjoyed competing against her because I knew she was gonna make me better.
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Speaker 6: I appreciate that. I appreciate it. That's what I you know, and quite honest, in all honesty, I had. That's what I had to hang my hat on.
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Speaker 2: Right.
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Speaker 4: I was injured. People know the story, right.
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Speaker 6: I was injured in twenty ten and had a ten percent chance for returning to an elite level. And before I went out, I was capable of matching the best right offensively, defensively, what have you. And then I knew that when I stepped back onto the court again, I was going to be different. And the sooner I accepted that the quicker I could move on and I knew that I can hang my hat on defense.
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Speaker 2: Right.
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Speaker 4: I had a really, really, really.
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Speaker 6: Good high school coach who taught me the fundamentals of the game, and there were moments we would walk into the gym. I mean, he pulled from sort of the systems of Pat and Leon Barmore right in terms of how he approached the game with that type of discipline, and he instilled that in us just really early. And so I knew that when I was coming back from injury. Defense it doesn't take a skill, right, it just takes us work and it's all outdoors. And I knew in commitment, like, but people don't want to do that, and so I knew I had to figure out a way to make myself just invaluable with any locker room, and defense became that thing.
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Speaker 2: So yeah, when you talk about like defending some of the best players in the in the league, I'm curious to know if it was tougher to do that or to navigate life after basketball, because a lot of players seem to have to figure out what is their purpose right once the once the game is over, and you know, sometimes that's a transition that folks find very challenging.
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Speaker 4: So you know, what was it for you?
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Speaker 2: Maybe was it was it playing the defense or was it figuring out the purpose after basketball?
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Speaker 4: My god, that's a loaded question.
00:15:44
Speaker 6: I mean I started out playing against obviously Ryl and then you had Deanna Noeln and right like those were the Detroit days that I just I got my welcome to the League moment every single time I played against him. I mean that that was just tough in itself. But then like you fast forward to like the you know, twenty fifteen, twenty sixteen, and you have a great Maya more who I respect, you know more than anyone who's ever stepped on to the floor because of how she approached the game, just from a professional standpoint, and you knew that you couldn't take a playoff, you couldn't take a second off because they were going to dominate in that moment. And the same thing applies to Dana Tarassi. Right, two different players in terms of how you think about them, but they were just two of the most prolific scorers that ever played the game. And so yes, that was hard, but it was also a game within a game, and I absolutely love figuring it out right. And so just that transition to life after the game, I don't want to say it was easy, because everything is an adjustment, but I think it was that fear of not of that fear of potentially not knowing what I wanted to do that drove me to figure out what I wanted to do after the game. And it was always business focus, and so I keep talking about that injury because it was such a defining moment in my life and it forced me to become hyper focused in that moment thinking about what I wanted to do.
00:17:12
Speaker 4: And so it was always venture capital.
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Speaker 6: It was always sort of building out my own portfolio or franchises. It was always just figuring out and tapping into the people within my network to just ask like, will you teach me? And everyone that said yes, I said yes right back to them. And so the transition it was tough because I was stepping into spaces that I knew very little about, and I was vulnerable in those moments. I remember walking into one of my first meetings at Silicon Valley Bank Capital as a senior associate and sitting around this table this conference room, about thirty people in the conference room, and we're discussing raising a one point three billion dollar fund, right, And I'm sitting there and I'm thinking about the opportunity that I have in this moment to not be the only one sitting at this table, right. But I'm also thinking about and looking around that room to just try to figure out who's my teammate in this moment, right, And so it was just learning how to navigate the corporate space, but also learning how to exist within a team that sometimes didn't really know how to be a team with that's which you're so used to sort of being a part. And so all of that to say that, yes, it was a challenge and I wouldn't have expected it to be anything else. But I absolutely love every single moment of not knowing and then figuring out sort of that next step.
00:18:29
Speaker 4: Wow, I love.
00:18:30
Speaker 1: It too, because t I will speak from experience as well. Hell yeah, and it's scary, right, like that transition of your identity. Has been a basketball player for so many years and now all of a sudden it's like, Okay, I'm done, I'm retired.
00:18:50
Speaker 7: What does that look like?
00:18:51
Speaker 1: And you know, for me it was a scary moment as well, just that transition into like a B sid the unknown or the unfamiliar.
00:19:00
Speaker 4: Like what does that look like?
00:19:02
Speaker 5: Right?
00:19:03
Speaker 1: So, Ab, I want to ask you before we get into some some Project B stuff, because I'm super curious about that everyone else, what how would you say the game like the w the game has changed today from from what it was when we played.
00:19:26
Speaker 6: I mean again, another voted question because I had the privilege share of playing against multiple playing across multiple generations, right, and seeing what was being in that present moment, and then having kind of the opportunity to play with the Kelsey Poms and a Sabrina and Nascuzle like during that time and seeing that transition on the court. Talent just continued to increase, right, and and develop. But it was because we started to get more access to the resources that were available, you know, to our counterparts and these women just to tap into that. But just from a fluidity standpoint, a speed standpoint, a pay standpoint, an autonomy standpoint, right, all of that is shifting because we're becoming more comfortable and not only in who we are as individuals, but also our ability to just play the game of basketball at the highest level. And so it's been really really cool to just sit back and watch, yes, what's happening on the court, but also seeing kind of these women just really step into their power off the court and understand that they are basketball, right, that they have a profile, they have a brand, and they're understanding how to leverage it and they're not asking for permission.
00:20:41
Speaker 4: They're actually just stepping.
00:20:43
Speaker 6: Into it and they're owning it and they're figuring out what to do with it.
00:20:48
Speaker 4: And that's what I've enjoyed watching more than anything.
00:20:51
Speaker 6: Yeah, so it's changed, the court has changed off the court, but it's just the phenomenal thing to watch.
00:20:59
Speaker 4: Yeah, No, it's been.
00:21:01
Speaker 2: It's even just even over the last five years, the way that the game has changed, how it's played, the all of that. I can only imagine what that feeling would be like to be able to be in your shoes, to have played across multi generations of what this WNBA looks like. And you're always going to get your folks who are going to say the game was so much better win, and then you've got your new fans now who are like, no, the game is so much better now. And I'm just I'm that person that's in the middle. That's like, I've been watching this league since its inception, so I've got a chance to really see the evolution and appreciate the stars of each generation for what they were and what they were doing at that time, not necessarily needing to compare the greats of this era to the greats of that era.
00:21:47
Speaker 4: Like they they had their own they have their own.
00:21:50
Speaker 2: Box across this across this timeline and to me that that is what makes this this league so incredible.
00:21:56
Speaker 6: To be honest, see Well said I, you know, just to sort of like add to that, I think that's that's the beauty of it.
00:22:03
Speaker 2: Right.
00:22:04
Speaker 6: I could have easily complained and wish I had this or I had that, But I'm also thinking about the generation that came before me and the sacrifices they made for me to be in that moment to do what I do. And so I'm sure Cheryl get asked it all the time. I get asked it all the time. Am I bitter? Do I have kind of an indifference to like what's happening? And my answer is always like no, right, Because when I think about what I was capable of doing because of the game of basketball, right, it was played in multiple countries, played in twenty seven countries because of it, right, And I know that people in their lifetime don't get an opportunity to do that. And so to me, that was privilege, right, And that privilege happened because of the work that I put into the game. But it also happened because of the work that Cheryl and Lisa and Cheryl Miller and all of these people and women did before me that allowed me to experience that, and so this moment is no different.
00:22:56
Speaker 4: This moment is no different.
00:22:57
Speaker 1: Maybe I mean well said, it's you know, it's one of those things where almost every single day I get asked that question.
00:23:04
Speaker 7: The part that frustrates me is.
00:23:09
Speaker 1: Like, we're not allowed to have an opinion though, right because people will ask to certain questions and as soon as you start talking about, you know, players today or players from back in the day, you're immediately jealous, or you're bitter, or you're a racist, or you're a hater, all the things. And to your point, I don't personally, I never thought that we would see the moment we're seeing right now, and not just in the WNBA, but in women's sports across the board soccer.
00:23:43
Speaker 7: Right we now have a women's professional volleyball.
00:23:45
Speaker 1: League here, so we are exactly where we always hoped we would be. And yes, we have more fight to do, it a long ways to go, but I absolutely I'm like in awe and shock of where our game is right now compared to where we started. And I absolutely love seeing all of these women, every single one of them, get the recognition they deserve and more than that, getting that bag and getting that back.
00:24:18
Speaker 6: Get the bag off the court, off the court like it's it's it's bananas right now with what we're seeing. So it really is and I think, you know, and not to jump ahead of it, but that's the fun in all of this too, right. People see see the value and what's what's out there, right, They see the value in the product, and they also see an ROI like a return on investment if they do this right. And so now the eyeballs are just they're on it and people are interested in making that investment. And when I say that what I'm doing now with Project B is like one of the most rewarding things outside of being a mother and and sort of building and leading my nonprofit foundation. Being able to sort of just be in sort of the ecosystem, to be in the games, to do the work, you know, just from a research standpoint and sit behind my computer and assigned value right based on the talent that exists today has been one of the funnest things that I that I.
00:25:23
Speaker 4: Could have done.
00:25:24
Speaker 6: It was always to me about how do I take everything that I've required over my twenty year career, not just on the court, but just from you know, the transition to the venture capital space and business and things of that nature, and leverish that and open up that network for other people to have access to it. Right, I think we get so caught up and only there can only be one. There can be multiple paths to success, and Project be A is one of those paths that I couldn't be more excited to be a part of.
00:25:54
Speaker 4: Let's talk about it. So let's talk about it.
00:25:57
Speaker 2: Yeah, about that, because you mentioned you know that you've played in twenty seven countries and that's part of what went into providing the experience that you're looking to provide with Project B. So I know that you know right now we've got the w NBA, we've got unrivaled, we've got athletes unlimited. We literally went from people, you know, having the ABA, to now having three different leagues that people can find comfort in watching women's basketball and now adding Project B. What was I don't want to say what went into it, but there must have been something that you saw was still missing with the leagues that were existing. And so what was it that you felt was missing that you believed Project B could provide and what went into wanting to create this league?
00:26:51
Speaker 6: Yeah, no. I mean, that's there are so many sort of answers to that question. I can just take you back to the very beginning.
00:26:58
Speaker 4: You know.
00:26:59
Speaker 6: One of the things that I've always had the passion of and the desire to become as an owner, right, And that was a part of my learning journey right when I stopped playing. Obviously I was in a venture capital space and sort of presuing pursuing other things, but ownership was always at the top of that list. And I did the work right to pull together a legitimate group to potentially to acquire the expansion rights to a w NBA team. I engaged with other individuals sort of around that, but at the end of the day, that wasn't my path, and that is perfectly fine. But Grady Burnett came into the picture at the right time. And Grady Burnett is a co founder of Project b along with Jeff Prentice. Jeff Prentice is a co founder of Skype, so he has sort of that understanding and that playbook to how to disrupt industries, right. And then you have Grady Burnett, who was the CEO of Global sales at Meta for like a thirteen year period, and so when they first started just thinking through kind of the next sort of space for disrupt right. They did the work initially and they settled on just North American sports, right and understanding and seeing that there's an antiquated system, right that exists, and it's a very limiting system we wanted to solve for players receiving the value they create.
00:28:18
Speaker 4: Right.
00:28:19
Speaker 6: Won't go into detail, but you look at these valuations of these of these teams now, whether it's you know it's a the NBA team, whether it's an NBA team, and they are worth billions of dollars. Right at the end of the day, the players don't get a chance to play a part and start of that value that they're creating over the course of those years, right. And so we saw an opportunity to step in and present it a little differently. And it's about giving players sort of that ownership, putting them in a position to grow with us and with an opportunity of just creating generational wealth that we know can exist if we do this the right way.
00:28:55
Speaker 1: Wow. Well my response right now it was just wow, just because of the vision you know that you had and and a B. I. I think you and I when we met in Vegas, we kind of talked about, you know, what you were doing and you putting together a group to try to.
00:29:18
Speaker 7: Get a w NBA.
00:29:19
Speaker 1: Team, And that's a whole other conversation because I was upset that that didn't happen. But anyway, right, because that wasn't for you at the time. I've done some reading as much as I possibly could on Project B. But for for those who don't know, can you kind of explain what Project B is, how it works, and and even give us some of the players who've already committed to play.
00:29:54
Speaker 6: Yeah, so you know when we when we position Project B kind of in the market, we're a global basketball league aiming to build the best most of the week competition on a global scale. Our goal is to play in three Asian cities, three Asian cities, UH, three European cities, and one Latin America city, with the goal of celebrating creating a celebration in eat city that we stop into. Right, there's there's a two week event at a time. In between those tournaments, there is an opportunity for players to have a life, to disconnect a little bit, and you know, prepare get ready as professionals to come back and and be ready to play at that next stop. And so the way that we think about this, and this is public knowledge. We we intend to launch with both men's and women right, six men's teams, six women's teams, eleven players per roster, and so you know, it's it's it's gonna be, you know, pretty competitive in terms of how we think about that that roster construction, and and and the culture that we're building. So obviously there's only so much that I that I can share, but where we're in a really really cool position to just really shift sort of the landscape of sports as it is.
00:31:09
Speaker 2: How has what's currently going on with the WNBA and the CBA negotiation, how has that played a role without you know, I'm sure there's only so much you can say in regards to that, But how has that played a role into maybe player interest in joining Project B or just you know, some of the baseline items that you guys are forming or that you're doing. You know, maybe there's a we see this is happening, we're going to avoid a B and C. Or we see that this isn't working, We're going to make sure that we do a B and C. Like how has that maybe played a role in how you guys are still forming Project being.
00:31:48
Speaker 6: I mean, the way that we think about everything is that it's a player first league, right, whether it's you know, building this to where we're creating agency for the player and autonomy for the recreating generational wealth, whether we're creating longevity when it comes to their career. Everything that we've built into our schedule and our model has built with the players kind of first in mind. When you think about what's happening kind of on the CVA side, that is something that it's it's it's not kind of in our purview. Obviously you pay attention because it's happening within the ecosystem. But at the end of the day, we're positioning this league to where players can play both the w n B A and and in Project B. And that's how we've we've always thought about.
00:32:26
Speaker 4: It makes some sense.
00:32:30
Speaker 1: So will there will there be I'm assumed will there be coaches or the players coaching. I'm just I'm sure there's a lot Like the stuff that's out there right that's public knowledge. I've read it, and and Tia and I have actually talked about Project B before, and I was like, I like this. I just I have a lot of questions.
00:32:52
Speaker 6: Yeah, ask the way and so yeah, no, no, no, no, we can definitely hear you and Cheryl. What we're building is fove on five. This is no gimmicks, right, We're not gonna have a four point shot. Yeah, we're not trying to do anything like We're keeping basketball.
00:33:05
Speaker 4: As peers as as it is.
00:33:08
Speaker 6: And so it's like I said, it's six teams men and women, it's eleven men and roster, and each team is going to exist as it is. You have your coaches, you have your staff, you have your players right right, and so it's it's no different than than what five looks like.
00:33:25
Speaker 2: No, I love that, and I love the international aspect because one thing that women have done over the course of time is they have been playing internationally far, I'm going to say, on a far more notable scale than their male counterparts. And many of that has been because they kind of had to right to, you know, for financial stability. But having an opportunity to kind of actually put that as part of the forefront and part of the platform, I feel like that is one of the most intriguing, intriguing things about this league. So is the goal or the intent to have it more American players that are necessarily traveling and getting that exposure internationally, or is it also a welcome for international players to join this league too?
00:34:10
Speaker 6: One hundred percent, And I've sat at many many times. We're building out a global basketball league, which means we're implementing global talent.
00:34:17
Speaker 2: Right.
00:34:18
Speaker 6: Yes, amazing players exist in America and in the w NBA. But I one hundred percent believe that not all talent, not all the best talent is this in the leaks as from today, right? And so that's how I'm thinking about this composition. I would love to get to a point where to where it's fifty to fifty in terms of talent. Right, you have you have you know, the players that exist within sort of the WNBA and American then you have these international players who I believe are just phenomenal from a talent standpoint. The other thing that I would love, love love to debunk is that, yes, we're building out a global basketball league, but we're not asking these players to be out of a America are the United States for six months at a time. We're saying that you're going to have the autonomy and the flexibility to travel and do what you want. It's twelve to fourteen days in market in between those cities, You're free to do and go wherever you want to go. And that's the autonomy we want to build out. The other thing that you touched on TEA that I think is a very interesting port point. Project B is being built to expand the global platforms of the players that exists today.
00:35:30
Speaker 4: Right.
00:35:31
Speaker 6: Yes, I can go through the list and I'm not going to name the players, but you have these players that are just from a brand profile standpoint, they are at the top of the list. How do we take what's happening in the United States and amplify that on a world, global world, a global platform. Right when we think about our three Asia cities, we think about our three European cities, in our one Latin American city, there's opportunity right there these players to leverage what we're building to only build out their brand platform even more.
00:36:05
Speaker 4: Can I follow up, Cheryl before you go?
00:36:09
Speaker 2: Will is the idea to have this an invitation only for the players who would be participating? Or is there a tryout? And where can I sign up?
00:36:18
Speaker 4: Plant? Can I come out of retirement?
00:36:23
Speaker 2: Listen, nobody's basketball court hunting them days is gon.
00:36:29
Speaker 6: We we have a we have a robust recruiting and evaluation framework that is in place that adds credibility to how we think about the players.
00:36:40
Speaker 4: That we engage.
00:36:42
Speaker 6: There's there's nothing that I've enjoyed more like during my basketball careers just figuring out how to make teams work.
00:36:49
Speaker 1: Right.
00:36:49
Speaker 6: I'm not the loudest in the room. I was never the loudest in the locker room. It was just how I showed up. But I've always sat back and just washed and observed and just tried to figure out how I can get the best out of each teammate to make it work for the good of the group. And so I'm not doing anything differently today. I'm not going to go after all the best talent, right because at some point you need your role players to sort of build the culture that you want to exist.
00:37:18
Speaker 4: There full stop.
00:37:21
Speaker 7: So will there be some type of like an All Star game?
00:37:25
Speaker 4: Cheryl, You're asking too many questions now. I'm like, I'm getting.
00:37:30
Speaker 1: More excited about well in talking to you and learning more about it, I just.
00:37:37
Speaker 7: I don't know.
00:37:38
Speaker 4: So I'm not not to cut you off there won't.
00:37:41
Speaker 6: There won't be an All Star game because the way that we've thought about this, and it's been with intent, is to ensure that every single game that is played matters.
00:37:49
Speaker 2: Right.
00:37:49
Speaker 6: The way that we're thinking about the build out of our of our rosters is that we intend to have kind of that that w n B A and NBA Championship feeling at every single game. And so there are a few things that we have baked into this model that can can speak to that.
00:38:07
Speaker 4: But it's, uh, it's it's just, guys, it's been a phenomenal ride.
00:38:13
Speaker 6: I love that to just really think through it and to have a blank canvas, right, and to innovate and to build and to think about the possibilities that could exist.
00:38:25
Speaker 4: So it's it's been fun.
00:38:28
Speaker 7: One more question, and in saying that, A B.
00:38:33
Speaker 1: How how does Project be reflect what you wish you had earlier in your career.
00:38:41
Speaker 6: Oh, that's a great question, because I'm not sure that I ever wish for anything because in that moment I had everything. Because you don't know what you don't know, right, and so that that's that's a hard question sort of to answer. But in terms of how we think about the ethos in which we're building out Project B And I've said it already, right, it's it's player focus, it's player first. How do we how do we get them to approach this with that ownership mindset? I think that has been kind of the most interesting thing and probably one of the biggest challenges, getting these players to flip from being an employee to an owner, right and understanding the power that exists within that. And so I I think if if anything, that's that's at the forefront. You guys, are these these athletes are partners with us at this table. Yes, we've built out the foundation, but moving forward, things that we build will have that influence from from the players that are that are with us today. So you think about that, You think about the money, right, you think about the compensation and and the generational wealth that we're sort of creating for every single player that steps into the project. The ecosystem, it's unmatched. It is a match and that's beauty and that because it's not that these women, it's not a charity case.
00:40:04
Speaker 4: It's not that these women deserve it. No, these women.
00:40:09
Speaker 6: What they're being paid to reflects that and the talent that's that is.
00:40:13
Speaker 2: This on the court exactly. They've earned it, like they've invested into it. They've earned it, and this is the ROI for sure, Alana. I know we have to let you go. We appreciate all the time that you've spent with us today and look forward to continuing to see and learn more about Project B.
00:40:30
Speaker 4: But before I get you.
00:40:31
Speaker 2: Out of here, this's just one question that I want to ask, because I feel like it's important for those who may be listening, who may have.
00:40:40
Speaker 4: Ideas or things of their own.
00:40:43
Speaker 2: What is there one thing that maybe you learned from basketball that you don't think you could have learned anywhere else, Jeeze.
00:40:54
Speaker 4: The power of staying steady in the process.
00:41:00
Speaker 6: That's that's it, Because everything that we go through is a process, right, whether it's becoming a mom and in that process and that journey figuring out how to parent.
00:41:12
Speaker 4: Yeah, you just stay steady in it, right.
00:41:14
Speaker 6: It's it's injuries and when everyone is doubting you and basically saying that you're wash right, how do you stay focused on the task at hand and not get distracted by sort of the noise and what we're building right now? And Project B is no different, right, I'm I'm not I'm not on social media. I'm maybe I'm lame, but that's just not what I do, right, because if I were, it would is all be a distraction from sort of the ultimate goal of building out a platform that is that is beneficial to the athletes today. Yea. So it's it's just staying steady in the process, that's it. I'm a pretty disciplined person.
00:41:57
Speaker 4: I love that. I love that.
00:41:59
Speaker 2: And we didn't get a chance to talk about baby boy.
00:42:01
Speaker 4: But listen, I know you keeping you on your toes.
00:42:04
Speaker 6: Oh my gosh, I don't think of And how old is I don't think I've ever been called he's six, okay, right, and.
00:42:11
Speaker 4: I mean he's he's a brilliant kid.
00:42:12
Speaker 6: And I know all parents say this about their kids, but I don't think I've ever been checked so much in my life that I have by like a six year old, like they hold you accountable that change, single step change.
00:42:26
Speaker 4: It blows my mind.
00:42:27
Speaker 6: Yeah. But the other day he asked me like I used, I don't know, I can't remember what I said. And then he asked me what it meant, and I was like, yeah, I can't really explain it. He was like, well, why would you use it if you can't explain it. I was like, and is like you have a point. That's like, you have a point.
00:42:50
Speaker 4: Rue, kids, I swear. But it's been fun. It's been fun.
00:42:58
Speaker 2: It is just waiting to they start to wait till they start clocking what you're doing.
00:43:03
Speaker 4: That's going to get real. Wait, Like I'm an adult, I will be bad. It's like I'll tell you what to do.
00:43:11
Speaker 7: You will tell me what to do, right.
00:43:14
Speaker 4: I love it. So thank you so much for joining us.
00:43:17
Speaker 6: Yeah, it's been really great to share a lot more for you.
00:43:23
Speaker 3: I'm proud of you.
00:43:24
Speaker 1: And if no one has told you this, I'm going to tell you.
00:43:28
Speaker 7: Just thank you.
00:43:29
Speaker 1: Thank you for having the vision, thank you for just understanding. Thank you for caring because this is this is this is big time.
00:43:40
Speaker 4: Thank you, Cheryl, thank you. That's that's important, right, It's I All tides can lift, yeah, all boats.
00:43:48
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:43:49
Speaker 6: And that's how that's my approach, and I don't think it will ever change.
00:43:54
Speaker 4: So I love that. I love that. Good to see you againte, Good to see you for sure.
00:44:01
Speaker 2: I know we'll come across each other's paths. Several times before the end of this year, as we started getting closer into you know, the everything that's going on in the in the basketball stratosphere. But it's always great to see.
00:44:27
Speaker 4: Cheryl.
00:44:27
Speaker 2: That was a great conversation with A B. I mean, she has really did a great job of just kind of getting us more even though we were really trying to pull some extra little nuggets about Project By.
00:44:41
Speaker 4: We were trying to see a.
00:44:43
Speaker 1: Ship hardy, stop trying to relate nothing. But but I I enjoyed our conversation, you know what. I enjoyed the conversation. But you know what, this interview kind of made me realize that I feel like it's all of our responsibility in media, as you know, current players, former players, all of that. We need to do a better job of making sure current players are aware of the players who came before them. Right Because Alena Beard A B was a problem in this league, one of the better defenders that's ever laced them up. In my book, just based off of the ones I played against in my career, A B is easily top three.
00:45:46
Speaker 3: And I can tell you in my top three I will have in any.
00:45:50
Speaker 1: Order, depending on the dam I will have Tweety Nolan, Elena Beard, and Tamika Catchings I'm going to have there somewhere, right, And so I just I love being able to, you know, pay homage to her, and hopefully people who don't know her, didn't remember her, will But I'm just so proud of her vision and everything that she's done throughout her post career, but really super excited about what she's doing with Project B.
00:46:22
Speaker 4: Yeah, saying very much same.
00:46:24
Speaker 2: So we will look forward to seeing more information about the league as it is shared with us in the coming months. And you know, thanks Elena again for making some time for us, but at this point we want to go ahead and level this thing one out.
00:46:40
Speaker 4: So Cheryl, what do you got for us today?
00:46:43
Speaker 3: Real short and sweet.
00:46:44
Speaker 1: And I'm saying this because this literally just happened to me, probably a couple of weeks ago, and I found this and I thought it was perfect my mantra for today and maybe for the year. Everything I lose creates space for everything I need.
00:47:06
Speaker 4: Mmmm.
00:47:09
Speaker 3: That could be people things. And I say people because I literally just lost a friend, or at least I thought we were friends a couple of weeks ago, over just you know, nonsense over me saying I don't agree with what Ice is doing, and she didn't have a problem with it, So I'm just saying everything.
00:47:31
Speaker 1: It's creating space for everything I need because I know it's some great things coming this.
00:47:37
Speaker 2: Way, and there are some great things coming to you, some great things coming to me, and some great things coming to our listeners. Exactly right there, We have great things coming our way, including more of our show that we want to make sure everyone gets a chance to listen to. So please stay tuned in, y'all. We really appreciate the way that you guys support us, so thank you guys for.
00:48:06
Speaker 4: Continuing to do that.
00:48:08
Speaker 2: Stay liked in, download the show, subscribe to the show, Visit us at lttpod on Instagram, making sure that you send us the message on the Levels to This podcast at gmail dot com. We want to continue to bring you what you want to hear, so we want to read the reviews that you leave on Apple Podcast.
00:48:28
Speaker 4: We love all of it.
00:48:29
Speaker 2: So until next time, friends, keep your mentals ground level and we will be back next week.
00:48:35
Speaker 4: Peace.
00:48:39
Speaker 1: Listen to Levels to This on America's number one podcast network, iHeart. Open your free iHeart app and search Levels to This with Cheryl Swoops and Tarika Foster Brasby and start listening,
Speaker 1: Levels to This is an iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
00:00:16
Speaker 2: What's going on, Everybody, It's Your Girl? To Rica Foster Brasby.
00:00:20
Speaker 3: What's up, y'all? Is your girl?
00:00:21
Speaker 4: Cheryl swoops And this is a levels to this.
00:00:25
Speaker 2: This is the show where we talk about all the shit that women go through. And we have a very fun guest line up for us today. Who's going to join us a little bit later to talk some basketball and some hoops. But before we get there, Sure, did you watch the Super Bowl?
00:00:45
Speaker 3: Did? I?
00:00:46
Speaker 4: Wait?
00:00:46
Speaker 3: Wait, wait, no, I watch bad buddy?
00:00:49
Speaker 4: Oh you watched the benou Well?
00:00:51
Speaker 3: Yeah, because the game itself was not it?
00:00:55
Speaker 2: You didn't enjoy the game. I thought the game was amazing. Really yeah, I was expecting more, I guess, I don't know, but like it was amazing because won.
00:01:12
Speaker 4: And it was amazing because Patriot I was.
00:01:15
Speaker 1: I was happy that the Seahawks won, not a anyway, not a Patriots fan.
00:01:21
Speaker 3: Per se, But like, you don't even you don't even score to the fourth quarter.
00:01:26
Speaker 4: Girl, No, the game itself was trash.
00:01:29
Speaker 2: But the fact that the Patriots lost my my football season has been made.
00:01:34
Speaker 3: Good job.
00:01:38
Speaker 1: But I can say this bad Bunny was a bad boy. Oh my god, wasn't it that did not understand a work, didn't understand the work.
00:01:50
Speaker 3: But girl, I was in that thing, you hear me.
00:01:54
Speaker 4: I was in that thing, like, oh my god, I.
00:01:57
Speaker 3: Think everything about the perform the message.
00:02:01
Speaker 1: They of course somebody people are posting. We had to explain to them last year what Kendrick LeVar will say.
00:02:13
Speaker 4: And he was speaking English.
00:02:15
Speaker 1: Yeah, so we got we got to explain to them what bad Buddy was saying. Yeah.
00:02:21
Speaker 3: Man, he hit, he touched on everything, you hear me. He had everything.
00:02:28
Speaker 2: There was the symbolism, the cultural impact. I said a few times yesterday to a few people that he was to latinos in Latin America yesterday what Kendrick was for us in twenty twenty five, like it just put the culture on babe. We put seasoning up in the Super Bowl the last couple of years. Okay, yeah, last last year we put the Lorries and this year they had the Adobo.
00:02:54
Speaker 4: Okay, but honey, it was going down.
00:02:58
Speaker 2: Okay, that was well. Seasons the Cameo, Ricky Martin and Lady Got Lady Got Out. Loved it. I loved it. The saucer version was so good. There was symbolism and the light poles was that anybody's familiar Puto Rico knows about the energy crisis and the way that they are tripping on the power outages.
00:03:22
Speaker 4: So I loved that.
00:03:23
Speaker 2: I love seeing the like I sitough the whole that was the bomb.
00:03:27
Speaker 4: So nig you got CARDI be back there. Yeah, Jessica.
00:03:31
Speaker 1: After page handed when he handed limb Lim the little five year old boy from Minneapolis, And.
00:03:39
Speaker 2: Is that is that a really him? Because I've seen some people saying that that is really him. I saw some other people saying that what I've seen says it. Well listen, if it was, I love it even more. And even if it wasn't, I'm like, it was just an amazing moment. It was so amazing. And the flex, the flex of the evening, the flex of the evening. Is that that couple that got married got married for real, for real.
00:04:11
Speaker 3: I'm like, okay, that bunny, Like my gosh. The production of the halftime show was so good. Off the charts. It was off the charts.
00:04:24
Speaker 4: You know what sucked me up, Cheryl?
00:04:25
Speaker 3: But what because I was about to say something too, what.
00:04:28
Speaker 2: That the bushes, the sugarcane bushes was real people.
00:04:32
Speaker 4: I did not know that.
00:04:35
Speaker 2: Huh it was people like there were I thought the sugarcane bush.
00:04:42
Speaker 4: Yeah, I thought it was. It was pete.
00:04:45
Speaker 2: Somebody got a video of them coming on and then a video of them leaving the field when the show was over.
00:04:54
Speaker 4: It was people.
00:04:57
Speaker 1: Okay, yeah, I love the production without knowing that, and I really love that. So I got a question for you. And this can't this cannot just be a black thing. But I got a question for her because I do this all the time.
00:05:10
Speaker 5: Okay, Now my Spanish, I understand Spanish better than I speak it, right, but I can speak a little bit, a little bit, just a little bit.
00:05:22
Speaker 6: M hm.
00:05:23
Speaker 4: I don't know a single bad Bunny song. I don't know. But why but listen, but why was I.
00:05:32
Speaker 1: Up dancing girl and he singing in Spanish and I'm up here talking about something. I trying to pretend like I know the words and I ain't know.
00:05:47
Speaker 4: My husband baby here to my baby? You know this song?
00:05:50
Speaker 1: I said, Nope, But I'm showing about to pretend like I do girl my Spanish I was, I am screamed, Okay, So to be fair, I do have I loved it.
00:06:05
Speaker 4: I do have some bad I have.
00:06:07
Speaker 2: I have bad Bunney downloaded to my my Apple Music.
00:06:10
Speaker 4: So although I am not well.
00:06:13
Speaker 2: Like I am not fluent in Spanish, I knew enough and I knew the songs. I knew the album, so I knew the song. So I might have like my one little line and my one little part. There might have been like three songs I know at all. But for the most part, and here's the thing too, we have we have the natural gift of rhythm.
00:06:29
Speaker 4: So we hear a song, we hear a song. We even got nice there. That's what we do.
00:06:35
Speaker 2: So that money told it up. So yes, I was very excited about that.
00:06:40
Speaker 4: I love to have time.
00:06:41
Speaker 2: Show that I saw last night, it had one and one hundred and twenty seven million viewers compared to the five million that whatever the.
00:06:55
Speaker 4: Other the other show. But you know, it is what it is, you know worldwide.
00:07:02
Speaker 2: I will close by saying I thought it was so good that at the end of the show he said God bless America and then can sit and then went to list all of the Latin American countries across North and South America, because America, that America is more than just the United States. America consists of two continents. And so I knowed every bit of that, every dy of.
00:07:33
Speaker 4: That he did. He did that it.
00:07:36
Speaker 2: Was, it was a global performance and it actually ties perfectly into what we're going to be discussing today because our guess is helping to create a global basketball league. And so today we are going to have the one and only Elena Beard joining us to talk about projecting some other some other just dope things about women in basketball. And I can't wait to get into that conversation.
00:08:06
Speaker 4: So without further ado, let's just take it to the next level.
00:08:24
Speaker 2: Well, we are incredibly excited about the guests that we are having on today's show. I don't even know where to begin when it comes to describing and introducing the incredible player, businesswoman, mother, just everything. I'm all wrapped up into one Duke's finest for sure, multi time w NBA All Star, I mean twenty two thousand and five, two thousand and six, two thousand and seven, two thousand and nine, twenty sixteen.
00:08:55
Speaker 6: That's.
00:09:00
Speaker 1: What I mean.
00:09:00
Speaker 4: My goodness.
00:09:01
Speaker 2: Please, welcome to the show. Elena Beard.
00:09:05
Speaker 4: Good to see you.
00:09:07
Speaker 6: No, it's good to see you again. Cheryl, always good to see you. You're my idol. Upset it to you many times, but it's good to be on the show.
00:09:14
Speaker 7: Right back at you. Listen.
00:09:16
Speaker 1: You know, Okay, what what show was it with Earth the Kit where she says you.
00:09:23
Speaker 7: Shouldn't have to toot your own horn? Y'all don't know.
00:09:28
Speaker 2: Dat?
00:09:30
Speaker 4: Yes, I think that'sbody.
00:09:33
Speaker 1: Somebody y'all listeners will know and I'll figure it out. But I brought it up because Earth the Kit says too. I don't know if it was Eddie Murphy somebody. She says you shouldn't have toot your own horn, doesn't isn't it Earth the Kit? Anyway, I'm saying that because a B you ain't got to toot your own horn on this show, because we're gonna toot it.
00:09:51
Speaker 4: For you, period.
00:09:53
Speaker 1: Because the young guns out there they need to know history, and you are a huge part heart of our basketball history. So we are so super excited to have you on the show today.
00:10:07
Speaker 6: No, I'm excited about it as well. Thank you for having me.
00:10:11
Speaker 2: All right now, listen, this is between me and you. I've been trying to give somebody to get me some dirt on Cheryl for over a year now.
00:10:18
Speaker 4: I can never find.
00:10:19
Speaker 2: Anybody who I've been trying to get some dirt on Cheryl for over a year and nobody has none anything is so I am given the floor to you. You played against her, there has to be something. Was there a moment was there she? I know she'd been talking crap.
00:10:37
Speaker 4: On the court. It's got to be something shit like you know what, I can't.
00:10:43
Speaker 6: I can't say that I have any owner right and quite in all honesty, like, yes, I played against Errol when I first came into the league, but I met Cheryl for the first time maybe four o five months years ago. I think we're in Vegas, Cheryl, Yes, and yeah, like meeting you for the first time, having not between you, just to sit down and just really talk to you. And I think that was the moment where I was like, man, Cheryl, you were my idol. I remember when the lead first started, right, it was nineteen ninety six. I'm sitting in front of the TV, and I remember telling my parents that I felt like I was in jail for another eight years because I wanted to be where you guys were at that time, the Houston Comets and that that triple threat that you guys had, and it was I would VHS video, write the games, watch.
00:11:28
Speaker 4: Over and over and over again. And I know I'm dating myself, you're dating guys. But then I would go, h yes, ma'am.
00:11:35
Speaker 6: On the dirt court in Louisiana and just practice practice the moves right that I that I saw from Cheryl, that I saw from Coop.
00:11:43
Speaker 4: So I'm sorry, I don't have any dirt on it. Don't be sorry.
00:11:47
Speaker 7: He is a hater, she really is.
00:11:48
Speaker 2: She's a little I've been trying for over a year and no one and in my head I just keep saying, like, there's no way Cheryl was this perfect.
00:11:56
Speaker 4: There's no way nice to everyone.
00:11:58
Speaker 2: There's no way we're gonna their ab.
00:12:04
Speaker 1: But here's what I'll say before we get into you know, this interview, because I'm super excited about it because.
00:12:10
Speaker 7: A B is doing all the damn things right now.
00:12:14
Speaker 1: You know, it makes me feel good to hear that from anybody, from any player, but especially somebody.
00:12:20
Speaker 4: Who like AB.
00:12:22
Speaker 1: I watched to play at Duke obviously in the career she had there and always appreciated.
00:12:28
Speaker 7: Just how hard she competed.
00:12:30
Speaker 1: It didn't matter who they were playing, it didn't matter who she was guarding.
00:12:34
Speaker 7: She was a competitor.
00:12:36
Speaker 1: And people actually ask me this, like about the w when you talk about toughest players to guard, toughest players to go against. AB to me, like people talk about Timika, Catching's right rightfully, so being a hell of a defender, a hell of a two way player.
00:12:51
Speaker 7: But I'm saying this to AB on this show.
00:12:55
Speaker 1: I think people really truly underestimated who she was like as a player, and not just like, yeah, we talk about who she was as a defender, but Ab to me also was a really really really good two way player. But on the defensive end was a problem a prob hear me, there were times when we played and I was like, man, it's so okay. I'll tell you this ain't dirt, but I'll tell you like sheed me.
00:13:28
Speaker 4: But I was like, Aby, I have to do something.
00:13:30
Speaker 1: But I was like, ab, go guard cool, go guard to neth, go guard somebody else. Why why why you always running over here to me? Because there are just certain players though seriously, there are certain players that you already know they're going to defend you and you know what they're gonna do, but they find a way to get under your skin.
00:13:49
Speaker 4: And AB was that she was that player.
00:13:51
Speaker 1: But I absolutely loved and enjoyed competing against her because I knew she was gonna make me better.
00:14:00
Speaker 6: I appreciate that. I appreciate it. That's what I you know, and quite honest, in all honesty, I had. That's what I had to hang my hat on.
00:14:07
Speaker 2: Right.
00:14:08
Speaker 4: I was injured. People know the story, right.
00:14:10
Speaker 6: I was injured in twenty ten and had a ten percent chance for returning to an elite level. And before I went out, I was capable of matching the best right offensively, defensively, what have you. And then I knew that when I stepped back onto the court again, I was going to be different. And the sooner I accepted that the quicker I could move on and I knew that I can hang my hat on defense.
00:14:30
Speaker 2: Right.
00:14:30
Speaker 4: I had a really, really, really.
00:14:32
Speaker 6: Good high school coach who taught me the fundamentals of the game, and there were moments we would walk into the gym. I mean, he pulled from sort of the systems of Pat and Leon Barmore right in terms of how he approached the game with that type of discipline, and he instilled that in us just really early. And so I knew that when I was coming back from injury. Defense it doesn't take a skill, right, it just takes us work and it's all outdoors. And I knew in commitment, like, but people don't want to do that, and so I knew I had to figure out a way to make myself just invaluable with any locker room, and defense became that thing.
00:15:10
Speaker 2: So yeah, when you talk about like defending some of the best players in the in the league, I'm curious to know if it was tougher to do that or to navigate life after basketball, because a lot of players seem to have to figure out what is their purpose right once the once the game is over, and you know, sometimes that's a transition that folks find very challenging.
00:15:35
Speaker 4: So you know, what was it for you?
00:15:37
Speaker 2: Maybe was it was it playing the defense or was it figuring out the purpose after basketball?
00:15:41
Speaker 4: My god, that's a loaded question.
00:15:44
Speaker 6: I mean I started out playing against obviously Ryl and then you had Deanna Noeln and right like those were the Detroit days that I just I got my welcome to the League moment every single time I played against him. I mean that that was just tough in itself. But then like you fast forward to like the you know, twenty fifteen, twenty sixteen, and you have a great Maya more who I respect, you know more than anyone who's ever stepped on to the floor because of how she approached the game, just from a professional standpoint, and you knew that you couldn't take a playoff, you couldn't take a second off because they were going to dominate in that moment. And the same thing applies to Dana Tarassi. Right, two different players in terms of how you think about them, but they were just two of the most prolific scorers that ever played the game. And so yes, that was hard, but it was also a game within a game, and I absolutely love figuring it out right. And so just that transition to life after the game, I don't want to say it was easy, because everything is an adjustment, but I think it was that fear of not of that fear of potentially not knowing what I wanted to do that drove me to figure out what I wanted to do after the game. And it was always business focus, and so I keep talking about that injury because it was such a defining moment in my life and it forced me to become hyper focused in that moment thinking about what I wanted to do.
00:17:12
Speaker 4: And so it was always venture capital.
00:17:14
Speaker 6: It was always sort of building out my own portfolio or franchises. It was always just figuring out and tapping into the people within my network to just ask like, will you teach me? And everyone that said yes, I said yes right back to them. And so the transition it was tough because I was stepping into spaces that I knew very little about, and I was vulnerable in those moments. I remember walking into one of my first meetings at Silicon Valley Bank Capital as a senior associate and sitting around this table this conference room, about thirty people in the conference room, and we're discussing raising a one point three billion dollar fund, right, And I'm sitting there and I'm thinking about the opportunity that I have in this moment to not be the only one sitting at this table, right. But I'm also thinking about and looking around that room to just try to figure out who's my teammate in this moment, right, And so it was just learning how to navigate the corporate space, but also learning how to exist within a team that sometimes didn't really know how to be a team with that's which you're so used to sort of being a part. And so all of that to say that, yes, it was a challenge and I wouldn't have expected it to be anything else. But I absolutely love every single moment of not knowing and then figuring out sort of that next step.
00:18:29
Speaker 4: Wow, I love.
00:18:30
Speaker 1: It too, because t I will speak from experience as well. Hell yeah, and it's scary, right, like that transition of your identity. Has been a basketball player for so many years and now all of a sudden it's like, Okay, I'm done, I'm retired.
00:18:50
Speaker 7: What does that look like?
00:18:51
Speaker 1: And you know, for me it was a scary moment as well, just that transition into like a B sid the unknown or the unfamiliar.
00:19:00
Speaker 4: Like what does that look like?
00:19:02
Speaker 5: Right?
00:19:03
Speaker 1: So, Ab, I want to ask you before we get into some some Project B stuff, because I'm super curious about that everyone else, what how would you say the game like the w the game has changed today from from what it was when we played.
00:19:26
Speaker 6: I mean again, another voted question because I had the privilege share of playing against multiple playing across multiple generations, right, and seeing what was being in that present moment, and then having kind of the opportunity to play with the Kelsey Poms and a Sabrina and Nascuzle like during that time and seeing that transition on the court. Talent just continued to increase, right, and and develop. But it was because we started to get more access to the resources that were available, you know, to our counterparts and these women just to tap into that. But just from a fluidity standpoint, a speed standpoint, a pay standpoint, an autonomy standpoint, right, all of that is shifting because we're becoming more comfortable and not only in who we are as individuals, but also our ability to just play the game of basketball at the highest level. And so it's been really really cool to just sit back and watch, yes, what's happening on the court, but also seeing kind of these women just really step into their power off the court and understand that they are basketball, right, that they have a profile, they have a brand, and they're understanding how to leverage it and they're not asking for permission.
00:20:41
Speaker 4: They're actually just stepping.
00:20:43
Speaker 6: Into it and they're owning it and they're figuring out what to do with it.
00:20:48
Speaker 4: And that's what I've enjoyed watching more than anything.
00:20:51
Speaker 6: Yeah, so it's changed, the court has changed off the court, but it's just the phenomenal thing to watch.
00:20:59
Speaker 4: Yeah, No, it's been.
00:21:01
Speaker 2: It's even just even over the last five years, the way that the game has changed, how it's played, the all of that. I can only imagine what that feeling would be like to be able to be in your shoes, to have played across multi generations of what this WNBA looks like. And you're always going to get your folks who are going to say the game was so much better win, and then you've got your new fans now who are like, no, the game is so much better now. And I'm just I'm that person that's in the middle. That's like, I've been watching this league since its inception, so I've got a chance to really see the evolution and appreciate the stars of each generation for what they were and what they were doing at that time, not necessarily needing to compare the greats of this era to the greats of that era.
00:21:47
Speaker 4: Like they they had their own they have their own.
00:21:50
Speaker 2: Box across this across this timeline and to me that that is what makes this this league so incredible.
00:21:56
Speaker 6: To be honest, see Well said I, you know, just to sort of like add to that, I think that's that's the beauty of it.
00:22:03
Speaker 2: Right.
00:22:04
Speaker 6: I could have easily complained and wish I had this or I had that, But I'm also thinking about the generation that came before me and the sacrifices they made for me to be in that moment to do what I do. And so I'm sure Cheryl get asked it all the time. I get asked it all the time. Am I bitter? Do I have kind of an indifference to like what's happening? And my answer is always like no, right, Because when I think about what I was capable of doing because of the game of basketball, right, it was played in multiple countries, played in twenty seven countries because of it, right, And I know that people in their lifetime don't get an opportunity to do that. And so to me, that was privilege, right, And that privilege happened because of the work that I put into the game. But it also happened because of the work that Cheryl and Lisa and Cheryl Miller and all of these people and women did before me that allowed me to experience that, and so this moment is no different.
00:22:56
Speaker 4: This moment is no different.
00:22:57
Speaker 1: Maybe I mean well said, it's you know, it's one of those things where almost every single day I get asked that question.
00:23:04
Speaker 7: The part that frustrates me is.
00:23:09
Speaker 1: Like, we're not allowed to have an opinion though, right because people will ask to certain questions and as soon as you start talking about, you know, players today or players from back in the day, you're immediately jealous, or you're bitter, or you're a racist, or you're a hater, all the things. And to your point, I don't personally, I never thought that we would see the moment we're seeing right now, and not just in the WNBA, but in women's sports across the board soccer.
00:23:43
Speaker 7: Right we now have a women's professional volleyball.
00:23:45
Speaker 1: League here, so we are exactly where we always hoped we would be. And yes, we have more fight to do, it a long ways to go, but I absolutely I'm like in awe and shock of where our game is right now compared to where we started. And I absolutely love seeing all of these women, every single one of them, get the recognition they deserve and more than that, getting that bag and getting that back.
00:24:18
Speaker 6: Get the bag off the court, off the court like it's it's it's bananas right now with what we're seeing. So it really is and I think, you know, and not to jump ahead of it, but that's the fun in all of this too, right. People see see the value and what's what's out there, right, They see the value in the product, and they also see an ROI like a return on investment if they do this right. And so now the eyeballs are just they're on it and people are interested in making that investment. And when I say that what I'm doing now with Project B is like one of the most rewarding things outside of being a mother and and sort of building and leading my nonprofit foundation. Being able to sort of just be in sort of the ecosystem, to be in the games, to do the work, you know, just from a research standpoint and sit behind my computer and assigned value right based on the talent that exists today has been one of the funnest things that I that I.
00:25:23
Speaker 4: Could have done.
00:25:24
Speaker 6: It was always to me about how do I take everything that I've required over my twenty year career, not just on the court, but just from you know, the transition to the venture capital space and business and things of that nature, and leverish that and open up that network for other people to have access to it. Right, I think we get so caught up and only there can only be one. There can be multiple paths to success, and Project be A is one of those paths that I couldn't be more excited to be a part of.
00:25:54
Speaker 4: Let's talk about it. So let's talk about it.
00:25:57
Speaker 2: Yeah, about that, because you mentioned you know that you've played in twenty seven countries and that's part of what went into providing the experience that you're looking to provide with Project B. So I know that you know right now we've got the w NBA, we've got unrivaled, we've got athletes unlimited. We literally went from people, you know, having the ABA, to now having three different leagues that people can find comfort in watching women's basketball and now adding Project B. What was I don't want to say what went into it, but there must have been something that you saw was still missing with the leagues that were existing. And so what was it that you felt was missing that you believed Project B could provide and what went into wanting to create this league?
00:26:51
Speaker 6: Yeah, no. I mean, that's there are so many sort of answers to that question. I can just take you back to the very beginning.
00:26:58
Speaker 4: You know.
00:26:59
Speaker 6: One of the things that I've always had the passion of and the desire to become as an owner, right, And that was a part of my learning journey right when I stopped playing. Obviously I was in a venture capital space and sort of presuing pursuing other things, but ownership was always at the top of that list. And I did the work right to pull together a legitimate group to potentially to acquire the expansion rights to a w NBA team. I engaged with other individuals sort of around that, but at the end of the day, that wasn't my path, and that is perfectly fine. But Grady Burnett came into the picture at the right time. And Grady Burnett is a co founder of Project b along with Jeff Prentice. Jeff Prentice is a co founder of Skype, so he has sort of that understanding and that playbook to how to disrupt industries, right. And then you have Grady Burnett, who was the CEO of Global sales at Meta for like a thirteen year period, and so when they first started just thinking through kind of the next sort of space for disrupt right. They did the work initially and they settled on just North American sports, right and understanding and seeing that there's an antiquated system, right that exists, and it's a very limiting system we wanted to solve for players receiving the value they create.
00:28:18
Speaker 4: Right.
00:28:19
Speaker 6: Won't go into detail, but you look at these valuations of these of these teams now, whether it's you know it's a the NBA team, whether it's an NBA team, and they are worth billions of dollars. Right at the end of the day, the players don't get a chance to play a part and start of that value that they're creating over the course of those years, right. And so we saw an opportunity to step in and present it a little differently. And it's about giving players sort of that ownership, putting them in a position to grow with us and with an opportunity of just creating generational wealth that we know can exist if we do this the right way.
00:28:55
Speaker 1: Wow. Well my response right now it was just wow, just because of the vision you know that you had and and a B. I. I think you and I when we met in Vegas, we kind of talked about, you know, what you were doing and you putting together a group to try to.
00:29:18
Speaker 7: Get a w NBA.
00:29:19
Speaker 1: Team, And that's a whole other conversation because I was upset that that didn't happen. But anyway, right, because that wasn't for you at the time. I've done some reading as much as I possibly could on Project B. But for for those who don't know, can you kind of explain what Project B is, how it works, and and even give us some of the players who've already committed to play.
00:29:54
Speaker 6: Yeah, so you know when we when we position Project B kind of in the market, we're a global basketball league aiming to build the best most of the week competition on a global scale. Our goal is to play in three Asian cities, three Asian cities, UH, three European cities, and one Latin America city, with the goal of celebrating creating a celebration in eat city that we stop into. Right, there's there's a two week event at a time. In between those tournaments, there is an opportunity for players to have a life, to disconnect a little bit, and you know, prepare get ready as professionals to come back and and be ready to play at that next stop. And so the way that we think about this, and this is public knowledge. We we intend to launch with both men's and women right, six men's teams, six women's teams, eleven players per roster, and so you know, it's it's it's gonna be, you know, pretty competitive in terms of how we think about that that roster construction, and and and the culture that we're building. So obviously there's only so much that I that I can share, but where we're in a really really cool position to just really shift sort of the landscape of sports as it is.
00:31:09
Speaker 2: How has what's currently going on with the WNBA and the CBA negotiation, how has that played a role without you know, I'm sure there's only so much you can say in regards to that, But how has that played a role into maybe player interest in joining Project B or just you know, some of the baseline items that you guys are forming or that you're doing. You know, maybe there's a we see this is happening, we're going to avoid a B and C. Or we see that this isn't working, We're going to make sure that we do a B and C. Like how has that maybe played a role in how you guys are still forming Project being.
00:31:48
Speaker 6: I mean, the way that we think about everything is that it's a player first league, right, whether it's you know, building this to where we're creating agency for the player and autonomy for the recreating generational wealth, whether we're creating longevity when it comes to their career. Everything that we've built into our schedule and our model has built with the players kind of first in mind. When you think about what's happening kind of on the CVA side, that is something that it's it's it's not kind of in our purview. Obviously you pay attention because it's happening within the ecosystem. But at the end of the day, we're positioning this league to where players can play both the w n B A and and in Project B. And that's how we've we've always thought about.
00:32:26
Speaker 4: It makes some sense.
00:32:30
Speaker 1: So will there will there be I'm assumed will there be coaches or the players coaching. I'm just I'm sure there's a lot Like the stuff that's out there right that's public knowledge. I've read it, and and Tia and I have actually talked about Project B before, and I was like, I like this. I just I have a lot of questions.
00:32:52
Speaker 6: Yeah, ask the way and so yeah, no, no, no, no, we can definitely hear you and Cheryl. What we're building is fove on five. This is no gimmicks, right, We're not gonna have a four point shot. Yeah, we're not trying to do anything like We're keeping basketball.
00:33:05
Speaker 4: As peers as as it is.
00:33:08
Speaker 6: And so it's like I said, it's six teams men and women, it's eleven men and roster, and each team is going to exist as it is. You have your coaches, you have your staff, you have your players right right, and so it's it's no different than than what five looks like.
00:33:25
Speaker 2: No, I love that, and I love the international aspect because one thing that women have done over the course of time is they have been playing internationally far, I'm going to say, on a far more notable scale than their male counterparts. And many of that has been because they kind of had to right to, you know, for financial stability. But having an opportunity to kind of actually put that as part of the forefront and part of the platform, I feel like that is one of the most intriguing, intriguing things about this league. So is the goal or the intent to have it more American players that are necessarily traveling and getting that exposure internationally, or is it also a welcome for international players to join this league too?
00:34:10
Speaker 6: One hundred percent, And I've sat at many many times. We're building out a global basketball league, which means we're implementing global talent.
00:34:17
Speaker 2: Right.
00:34:18
Speaker 6: Yes, amazing players exist in America and in the w NBA. But I one hundred percent believe that not all talent, not all the best talent is this in the leaks as from today, right? And so that's how I'm thinking about this composition. I would love to get to a point where to where it's fifty to fifty in terms of talent. Right, you have you have you know, the players that exist within sort of the WNBA and American then you have these international players who I believe are just phenomenal from a talent standpoint. The other thing that I would love, love love to debunk is that, yes, we're building out a global basketball league, but we're not asking these players to be out of a America are the United States for six months at a time. We're saying that you're going to have the autonomy and the flexibility to travel and do what you want. It's twelve to fourteen days in market in between those cities, You're free to do and go wherever you want to go. And that's the autonomy we want to build out. The other thing that you touched on TEA that I think is a very interesting port point. Project B is being built to expand the global platforms of the players that exists today.
00:35:30
Speaker 4: Right.
00:35:31
Speaker 6: Yes, I can go through the list and I'm not going to name the players, but you have these players that are just from a brand profile standpoint, they are at the top of the list. How do we take what's happening in the United States and amplify that on a world, global world, a global platform. Right when we think about our three Asia cities, we think about our three European cities, in our one Latin American city, there's opportunity right there these players to leverage what we're building to only build out their brand platform even more.
00:36:05
Speaker 4: Can I follow up, Cheryl before you go?
00:36:09
Speaker 2: Will is the idea to have this an invitation only for the players who would be participating? Or is there a tryout? And where can I sign up?
00:36:18
Speaker 4: Plant? Can I come out of retirement?
00:36:23
Speaker 2: Listen, nobody's basketball court hunting them days is gon.
00:36:29
Speaker 6: We we have a we have a robust recruiting and evaluation framework that is in place that adds credibility to how we think about the players.
00:36:40
Speaker 4: That we engage.
00:36:42
Speaker 6: There's there's nothing that I've enjoyed more like during my basketball careers just figuring out how to make teams work.
00:36:49
Speaker 1: Right.
00:36:49
Speaker 6: I'm not the loudest in the room. I was never the loudest in the locker room. It was just how I showed up. But I've always sat back and just washed and observed and just tried to figure out how I can get the best out of each teammate to make it work for the good of the group. And so I'm not doing anything differently today. I'm not going to go after all the best talent, right because at some point you need your role players to sort of build the culture that you want to exist.
00:37:18
Speaker 4: There full stop.
00:37:21
Speaker 7: So will there be some type of like an All Star game?
00:37:25
Speaker 4: Cheryl, You're asking too many questions now. I'm like, I'm getting.
00:37:30
Speaker 1: More excited about well in talking to you and learning more about it, I just.
00:37:37
Speaker 7: I don't know.
00:37:38
Speaker 4: So I'm not not to cut you off there won't.
00:37:41
Speaker 6: There won't be an All Star game because the way that we've thought about this, and it's been with intent, is to ensure that every single game that is played matters.
00:37:49
Speaker 2: Right.
00:37:49
Speaker 6: The way that we're thinking about the build out of our of our rosters is that we intend to have kind of that that w n B A and NBA Championship feeling at every single game. And so there are a few things that we have baked into this model that can can speak to that.
00:38:07
Speaker 4: But it's, uh, it's it's just, guys, it's been a phenomenal ride.
00:38:13
Speaker 6: I love that to just really think through it and to have a blank canvas, right, and to innovate and to build and to think about the possibilities that could exist.
00:38:25
Speaker 4: So it's it's been fun.
00:38:28
Speaker 7: One more question, and in saying that, A B.
00:38:33
Speaker 1: How how does Project be reflect what you wish you had earlier in your career.
00:38:41
Speaker 6: Oh, that's a great question, because I'm not sure that I ever wish for anything because in that moment I had everything. Because you don't know what you don't know, right, and so that that's that's a hard question sort of to answer. But in terms of how we think about the ethos in which we're building out Project B And I've said it already, right, it's it's player focus, it's player first. How do we how do we get them to approach this with that ownership mindset? I think that has been kind of the most interesting thing and probably one of the biggest challenges, getting these players to flip from being an employee to an owner, right and understanding the power that exists within that. And so I I think if if anything, that's that's at the forefront. You guys, are these these athletes are partners with us at this table. Yes, we've built out the foundation, but moving forward, things that we build will have that influence from from the players that are that are with us today. So you think about that, You think about the money, right, you think about the compensation and and the generational wealth that we're sort of creating for every single player that steps into the project. The ecosystem, it's unmatched. It is a match and that's beauty and that because it's not that these women, it's not a charity case.
00:40:04
Speaker 4: It's not that these women deserve it. No, these women.
00:40:09
Speaker 6: What they're being paid to reflects that and the talent that's that is.
00:40:13
Speaker 2: This on the court exactly. They've earned it, like they've invested into it. They've earned it, and this is the ROI for sure, Alana. I know we have to let you go. We appreciate all the time that you've spent with us today and look forward to continuing to see and learn more about Project B.
00:40:30
Speaker 4: But before I get you.
00:40:31
Speaker 2: Out of here, this's just one question that I want to ask, because I feel like it's important for those who may be listening, who may have.
00:40:40
Speaker 4: Ideas or things of their own.
00:40:43
Speaker 2: What is there one thing that maybe you learned from basketball that you don't think you could have learned anywhere else, Jeeze.
00:40:54
Speaker 4: The power of staying steady in the process.
00:41:00
Speaker 6: That's that's it, Because everything that we go through is a process, right, whether it's becoming a mom and in that process and that journey figuring out how to parent.
00:41:12
Speaker 4: Yeah, you just stay steady in it, right.
00:41:14
Speaker 6: It's it's injuries and when everyone is doubting you and basically saying that you're wash right, how do you stay focused on the task at hand and not get distracted by sort of the noise and what we're building right now? And Project B is no different, right, I'm I'm not I'm not on social media. I'm maybe I'm lame, but that's just not what I do, right, because if I were, it would is all be a distraction from sort of the ultimate goal of building out a platform that is that is beneficial to the athletes today. Yea. So it's it's just staying steady in the process, that's it. I'm a pretty disciplined person.
00:41:57
Speaker 4: I love that. I love that.
00:41:59
Speaker 2: And we didn't get a chance to talk about baby boy.
00:42:01
Speaker 4: But listen, I know you keeping you on your toes.
00:42:04
Speaker 6: Oh my gosh, I don't think of And how old is I don't think I've ever been called he's six, okay, right, and.
00:42:11
Speaker 4: I mean he's he's a brilliant kid.
00:42:12
Speaker 6: And I know all parents say this about their kids, but I don't think I've ever been checked so much in my life that I have by like a six year old, like they hold you accountable that change, single step change.
00:42:26
Speaker 4: It blows my mind.
00:42:27
Speaker 6: Yeah. But the other day he asked me like I used, I don't know, I can't remember what I said. And then he asked me what it meant, and I was like, yeah, I can't really explain it. He was like, well, why would you use it if you can't explain it. I was like, and is like you have a point. That's like, you have a point.
00:42:50
Speaker 4: Rue, kids, I swear. But it's been fun. It's been fun.
00:42:58
Speaker 2: It is just waiting to they start to wait till they start clocking what you're doing.
00:43:03
Speaker 4: That's going to get real. Wait, Like I'm an adult, I will be bad. It's like I'll tell you what to do.
00:43:11
Speaker 7: You will tell me what to do, right.
00:43:14
Speaker 4: I love it. So thank you so much for joining us.
00:43:17
Speaker 6: Yeah, it's been really great to share a lot more for you.
00:43:23
Speaker 3: I'm proud of you.
00:43:24
Speaker 1: And if no one has told you this, I'm going to tell you.
00:43:28
Speaker 7: Just thank you.
00:43:29
Speaker 1: Thank you for having the vision, thank you for just understanding. Thank you for caring because this is this is this is big time.
00:43:40
Speaker 4: Thank you, Cheryl, thank you. That's that's important, right, It's I All tides can lift, yeah, all boats.
00:43:48
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:43:49
Speaker 6: And that's how that's my approach, and I don't think it will ever change.
00:43:54
Speaker 4: So I love that. I love that. Good to see you againte, Good to see you for sure.
00:44:01
Speaker 2: I know we'll come across each other's paths. Several times before the end of this year, as we started getting closer into you know, the everything that's going on in the in the basketball stratosphere. But it's always great to see.
00:44:27
Speaker 4: Cheryl.
00:44:27
Speaker 2: That was a great conversation with A B. I mean, she has really did a great job of just kind of getting us more even though we were really trying to pull some extra little nuggets about Project By.
00:44:41
Speaker 4: We were trying to see a.
00:44:43
Speaker 1: Ship hardy, stop trying to relate nothing. But but I I enjoyed our conversation, you know what. I enjoyed the conversation. But you know what, this interview kind of made me realize that I feel like it's all of our responsibility in media, as you know, current players, former players, all of that. We need to do a better job of making sure current players are aware of the players who came before them. Right Because Alena Beard A B was a problem in this league, one of the better defenders that's ever laced them up. In my book, just based off of the ones I played against in my career, A B is easily top three.
00:45:46
Speaker 3: And I can tell you in my top three I will have in any.
00:45:50
Speaker 1: Order, depending on the dam I will have Tweety Nolan, Elena Beard, and Tamika Catchings I'm going to have there somewhere, right, And so I just I love being able to, you know, pay homage to her, and hopefully people who don't know her, didn't remember her, will But I'm just so proud of her vision and everything that she's done throughout her post career, but really super excited about what she's doing with Project B.
00:46:22
Speaker 4: Yeah, saying very much same.
00:46:24
Speaker 2: So we will look forward to seeing more information about the league as it is shared with us in the coming months. And you know, thanks Elena again for making some time for us, but at this point we want to go ahead and level this thing one out.
00:46:40
Speaker 4: So Cheryl, what do you got for us today?
00:46:43
Speaker 3: Real short and sweet.
00:46:44
Speaker 1: And I'm saying this because this literally just happened to me, probably a couple of weeks ago, and I found this and I thought it was perfect my mantra for today and maybe for the year. Everything I lose creates space for everything I need.
00:47:06
Speaker 4: Mmmm.
00:47:09
Speaker 3: That could be people things. And I say people because I literally just lost a friend, or at least I thought we were friends a couple of weeks ago, over just you know, nonsense over me saying I don't agree with what Ice is doing, and she didn't have a problem with it, So I'm just saying everything.
00:47:31
Speaker 1: It's creating space for everything I need because I know it's some great things coming this.
00:47:37
Speaker 2: Way, and there are some great things coming to you, some great things coming to me, and some great things coming to our listeners. Exactly right there, We have great things coming our way, including more of our show that we want to make sure everyone gets a chance to listen to. So please stay tuned in, y'all. We really appreciate the way that you guys support us, so thank you guys for.
00:48:06
Speaker 4: Continuing to do that.
00:48:08
Speaker 2: Stay liked in, download the show, subscribe to the show, Visit us at lttpod on Instagram, making sure that you send us the message on the Levels to This podcast at gmail dot com. We want to continue to bring you what you want to hear, so we want to read the reviews that you leave on Apple Podcast.
00:48:28
Speaker 4: We love all of it.
00:48:29
Speaker 2: So until next time, friends, keep your mentals ground level and we will be back next week.
00:48:35
Speaker 4: Peace.
00:48:39
Speaker 1: Listen to Levels to This on America's number one podcast network, iHeart. Open your free iHeart app and search Levels to This with Cheryl Swoops and Tarika Foster Brasby and start listening,
