Jay a down day, you know what I love our brother from another.
I love debuts. I love talking to folks that we haven't talked
to before creatives intellectuals.
And as look at, look at this, listen to this description
of re Chambers writer journalist, women's sports and
cultural
culture connoisseur.
I mean, like that is a,
hey, Ari, you can't really get a better intro than that.
I really want somebody to Twitter bio. Papi. I just, I just lied
to the picture of the child shows, like
a very dramatic fishy. I'll Shuffle
look a series that was
picture.
No. No, that's a great picture. So that us know. Right away.
You're not here to mess around
now, you're the best Rach
and we're not as I said,
well first of all, welcome to the show. And as I said to you
before we came on,
I need I need the hoodie that you have on right now. So
before the show is out, you can't. Tell me and tell others
how to get that hoodie
because somewhere, where they actually.
Yeah, this is actually a hoodie. That is a special
collaboration with plenty of society in the WNBA and play
a society is black owned and distributed, and we love
Esther. And so we try to support everything that she
does, and it has all the teams on it, and it's just a nice
little
contrast to the orange hoodie.
All right. Well, great. Well, we will check that out. We'll
be rolling with that. I want to ask you first off off the Jump.
I knew you grew up.
No, you grow up in the
you grew up in the Carolinas
and we saw South Carolina
when the
championship Dawn Staley, doing that thing. A champion as
a player, a champion as a coach, an Olympian know what did that
mean to you,
as someone who's from that area.
And what do you think it means for women's basketball to see
South Carolina and Dawn Staley accomplished so much.
I just love the culture that she's built within
the Carolinas North and South Carolina alive. She played for
the Charlotte sting and I grew up watching her and the WNBA
and you know, just following her career throughout her
her coaching journey. And for her to go down to South
Carolina and establish. The Gamecocks is
undeniably the best team in South Carolina and being
a highest paid coach. Like the I think she got twenty two point,
four million dollars as her contract extension, just being
able to cultivate that greatness and do it with
a black.
It means so much, A lot of times people try to write off
black history. They try to write off black women in
the sport the space, but
she's the only coach men or women.
That's a black coach to win,
two national titles.
And she's an Olympic gold medalists as a coach and
a player. She just exudes excellence and I told her like
growing up, I was able to see you in these spaces. And so
I was able to feel seen and now you make these women be
the next, you know, groundwork for other
black players to feel seeing you.
Can just exude greatness despite
how many times people try to erase you and that's what was
so special about this Championship. You saw a team.
That was really, really slept on even though we do talk about
them a lot. It's really, really stuffed on.
Even though they are undeniably excellent.
So we just showed the picture of
Don Staley, ringing, the Liberty Bell at the Sixers game
before the game there. And one of the things I love about her
is that, you know, she played Charlotte, she went to school
in Virginia. She coaches in South Carolina, but she stays
rep in Philly. She is a Philly, girl. They love her. She loves
her hometown.
How does Philly works so well in South Carolina? Because
she's never lost that Filly identity, but she seems to have
been embraced in South Carolina. Why does that work?
So well,
yeah. Just like Rowley. I rep it to the ends of me, Don will
rep Philly to the, you know, the ends of time. She always
talks about, you know, being a kid, a competitor on that court
and not care who she played against. And so, she takes that
that
grittiness, that that, that fight mentality down to South
Carolina with her. And she's made a team full of people who
want to learn, want to be successful who want to fight
for what's theirs. They already own it. Like they already had
it and it was just
there to get this year.
I'm gonna ask you I'm, you know, already already.
Shout it out. A hoodie that you have one, but let's talk about
the league. You know, last year.
I couldn't have been more entertained
from the WNBA finals and it was a little bit of a surprise,
great story. But a see, Candace Parker go back home and win
the championship
with Chicago. I didn't see that one coming. How about this
year? Is there? Is there a team or is there a storyline that
you're paying attention,
paying attention to and we should too and
you want to
Was low. Mpho, a little insight on what we should be looking at
for the WNBA upcoming season. I want to stop you right there
because Chicago is gelling at just the right time last year
and what a great story book and they couldn't have written
history. Better than
this the homecoming for Candace Parker. I love it. Adesso.
I'm that's the hill. I'm a die on.
But as far as this year for season 26, I want to see
Connecticut. Be able to finish it out. They have all
the pieces that they need. They have that 2019 team that almost
almost won. But while I shouldn't have the edge last
last time, last
Space up Washington's also a contender. But for Connecticut,
they were just missing a little bit of depth and they added
the one, a Bonner. So the team now, this is, I think our third
season with the Connecticut sun
and we have the return of Alyssa Thomas who
was facing. Some somebody issues with her, her labor and
other issues. And then you have anesthesia, Heidemann. He's
getting better each year. A Jasmine, Thomas who still
there. A junk collector Jones.
Who's in BP, reigning MVP. You have brionna Jones. Who's
renting most improved. You have Kurt Miller who was coach of
the year last year. Has successfully LED them to
the best record in the league year after year. And still,
I really want to see them close it out. Courtney Williams is
returned to, that's a spark that they were missing the past
few years. So Courtney and dwana, and JJ, and Briana, and
the tshane Jasmine and the
full roster can come together and then close it out for them.
But you can't, you can't Overlook the Washington Mystics
who are coming back their core of 2019, where they won. The
championship is back together. And if they stay healthy, Are
deadly and Chicago. Can they go back to back? But Phoenix two
back-to-back.
So that's what a little bit WBA is such Harry.
We don't realize how much power you there. Uh,
yes, teams that can contain a championship this year.
Yeah. The the depth and I'd say that, you know, women's college
basketball to, you know, for so long. It was just, you know,
maybe just Yukon and Tennessee and and now it we see different
Champions every year.
What do you think has led
to the depth and women's basketball? Because I think for
a long time, the top of it was Very strong. You just didn't
have a lot of competition. Now. It just seems like throughout
the tournament throughout the WNBA. There's so much depth and
competition. How do we get to this point?
So for college, I think that people are players are
realizing that they can make a name for themselves within
that. You see it with game going back to South Carolina,
age of us, decided to stay home and really help build her
program. So I can give
there's a need for that emerge for that. You saw that with all
these Canaan for NC State HT. She was from Greensboro.
She went to Raleigh
to play for a team and
and have a mobile successful class coming in there and
the past, like two decades, LED them to the lead eight this
year. You see, Kaitlyn Clark Iowa native, who played at
Iowa? So they're
they're choosing to stay home and give back or they're
choosing to have a name for themselves in these programs,
as opposed to, you know, creating these super teams. So
this parody and that is parody and knowing that, hey,
you can is in the only place we can go,
but don't get it twisted, you kind of still, excellent, but
their battle tested now because people are, you know, spreading
themselves.
Three different programs and trying to really make their
Mark and create a legacy and I love that. I love that for
the game. It's so important to the game and within the WNBA.
The reason why there's such Purity is because they're only
144 spots. We always talk about expansion. I know that they
were mentioning how 88 people declared for the WBA draft.
That's always how it's been. But why we need expansion,
is those fourth and fifth year players
where, you know, they're excellent, but they're not
finding a space on the roster because of cap space. And you
know, that's a story.
So for a different day,
but there's so much talent and wa is packed full of talent
that
it there's not going to be a major
difference between the one seed in the 60 of raw. And you see
that there's so many people who can contend for a title.
I would say like a strong 6, it's going to be
Washington, Connecticut, Chicago Phoenix,
the Aces and I'm mixing one that I'm thinking, I'm
super
Seattle, yeah, so it's super as last year to I'm looking
forward to see how she goes out with a bang, her and Sylvia.
Fowles. Sylvia, fowles.
The game will completely miss her. She's super successful
often overlooked. But my goodness,
that's seven teams. We just listed. They can easily win
a championship.
Well, you know what Ari, I know you believe that, you know,
it's important to tell the stories of women in sports. And
where a lot of women are often overlooked. A lot of sports are
often overlooked. But I think it's also important to tell
the story of the Storyteller
and we see your details up there.
You're the founder of highlighter.
We see behind you
if we get a wide shot. Let's get a shot
behind. Are you see 30?
You see that Forbes
30 under 30 and Joey.
Because let me tell you,
they don't do 660,
you know,
you might get another 40 under 40,
you can probably get horny under 40, but then they stopped
after that,
but I just, but I think it's important in all seriousness is
important, and it's impressive what you've done
in the media space, impressive. You know, who you are as
a Storyteller. So Inspire somebody out there, inspire
a lot of folks in just
Give us a couple of nuggets of
how
you've gotten to where you are right now, to some of
the highlights on your journey. I have the privilege of being
the only child. So I am used to getting my way and I want to
tell people to
be relentless in their pursuit of whatever their dreams are.
Don't ever wait for your, yes. A lot of people say, the volume
who I talked to today. I want to work for this big Network
and I'm like, but why
what space do you want to occupy when you join that big
Network? Why what is the actual origin of? Why you do what you
do? And once you figure that out, you'll be able to
contribute something that doesn't exist yet.
And you can bring your own unique perspective because it's
all about alignment. It doesn't necessarily need to be. You eat
it to aim for this because of the name, just focus on your,
why don't wait for your yes and be relentless in your pursuit
of what you want to do
and do it your way. Because K, nobody tell you anything. I get
up there on TV, but not a bamboo earrings, and typically
have a red lip and I'm like, hey, what's up, y'all? It's
your girl are here and it's digestible because I presented
as bleep.
So the authentically yourself as well.
Are there there's more Pathways in now, you know, I like
Michael and I came up Boston Globe, Chicago Sun, Times,
Washington Post, very traditional ways to get into
this business. How have you been able to take advantage of
the more open opportunities and non-traditional ways
to make a name for yourself in the media space?
Yes. So when I tell people don't wait for their, yes,
that's not to be taken in vain. I simply saw white space and
decided occupied. I was a cheerleader. Never play
basketball. I was always surrounded and involved in it.
And so I studied it like hardcore.
But my yes, came from me doing it on my own using my cell,
phone recording
interviews with people. I knew within the league and posting
them on Twitter and Bleacher Report found me and then
the merger Turner Sports just allowed me to take a linear
path as well. So you lies
in Social and digital
and so that's that was the path
for me. And that's what I would say to anybody. It's like,
don't, don't wait on it.
Don't ever wait on what you want to do, and that's how
you're going to be able to, to get there and then Like, figure
out ways to do it without
needing a bigger person.
Just just
look to your left and your right utilize. The people next
to you,
especially if you're in University level, you can find
a film student and you can be, you know, you're on camera or
if you like to produce finding Talent like that. There's so
many ways to network like a survey said just Network
horizontally and so you can figure out your path.
Wow,
I got on my left and my right. But yeah, I got a pretty good
Squire.
Hey,
I don't want you to give away too much. Don't give it away
for free. Not too much. But
what's next? What's next for you?
You said you're going to do it the way you want to do it.
You're not going to wait for permission to be relentless.
So give us a hint of what's next for you. Because I know
something, this is, I know something is next for you. And
I know it's good.
So
I am very much not engines e, I'm a millennial and I love
a long form content. I love journalism, but I want
the stretch myself to see things through the Gin Zealand's
a little bit more.
So improving my social media skills. I know that sounds
crazy because a lot of people know me from social media as
opposed to linear, but where my heart and my path is is linear,
but I want to really, really push the boundaries, push
the envelope of
what I can do on social. So if that's experimenting with Tick
Tock and figuring out how to make that work. Ask my next
thing but what it one thing I want to keep consistent in
storytelling Within These athletes. The whole point.
The reason why I am where I am is because the growth of
women's sports in that trajectory that's upward. So
I am not
a name for me. If these women aren't being served in the way
that they need to be served. So continues storytelling.
I did a series with athletes unlimited all on the table and
really candidly Raleigh told their stories and it was just
so great. It was, it was
rough storytelling from there.
Voices. And I want to keep amplifying these player voices,
and as long as I'm doing that, I'm walking my path. And so
that's what's next for me.
Making myself a little bit more youthful engine Z and then
continued storytelling in a long-form way. So, it's appealing to
everybody.
I love it. Thanks for stopping by. I love it. Appreciate our.
What do you say? What does AJ
he doing? I'll just saying. It's just funny. Like, she's
actually trying to be Jazzy. Lot of people don't like to
associate with the generation below them. Like you can't
believe
I am, I'm in my thirties, but I want to be able to reach across
Generations. That's all point to band them together and have
a mutual appreciation for the women's
game.
All right, so you had your debut that means
next time just stopped on three. Don't have to call first
pop up in your
sister from another. Is that
this? Come on?
Okay, that's great stuff.
Appreciate you. Thanks for stopping by.
Thank you.