Transcript of Good Follow - What Is Going On Between Angel Reese And Chicago? Could Caitlin Clark Be Unrivaled? & More

You're listening to DraftKings Network. Hey, what's up, everyone? Welcome to Good Follow, presented by Drag Queens. I'm Roz Gold on Bode, and that is my Angel MacCartier is back with us again. What's going on, Angel? How are you doing?

What's going on, guys? Don't forget to subscribe, like, comment, follow.

Angel said, we're getting straight to the business. She said, Don't forget to subscribe, like, follow, comment, all the things. But I just feel like I can't even keep up with you. You've been all over New York City, all the escapades.

I'm loving it here, man. This is your city where you grew up? I'm from Queens. You're from Queens? It's amazing here, man. It's New York Fashion Week. Can we get a closeup on the nails? What? Bada bing, bada boom. Look at all that bling. Rose, you've been bling bling, man. I can't keep up with that.

I am so... Thank you for... Okay, because I'm in my nail girly era and I created these nails. I even came into the nail shop with my own gemstones.

No way. That's amazing. When I walked in, they was clearly annoyed.

It was like, this girl again. No, but I'm really... Thank you. These are my fashion nails. I love it. Thank you. They're also celebration nails because I have so many things going on, including Happy birthday to you. I can't even open this box. Happy birthday, dear angel, Macawjol.

Look at this, guys. Look what she did.

Happy birthday to you.

Happy birthday to you. We are turning up tonight, Ross.

Happy birthday to you.

We doing this. Let's be game first. Happy birthday. Asia McCartee's birthday is Wednesday. Are we telling our age, Ross?

It's up to you, baby girl. We're 39. Don't hang along since your 30s, child. We're hanging. Hanging. Thank you so much. Yeah. From the whole Good Follow family. Thank you, guys. I love you, guys. All right. So for your birthday present, guess what I have for you? What? A whole lot of mess. Love that. All right, guys. Let me take you through today's show, The Chicago Sky and Angel Rees debacle. And Unrivaled, they are on a rocket. Ten-ext their value in their latest fundraise. And Kaitlyn Clarke is out for the season for the rest of the WNBA season. So could Kaitlyn Clarke be unrivaled? All right. And Angel, this is where you would say, Don't forget. This is my cue. This is the cue.

Don't forget to subscribe, comment. Tuesdays and Thursdays are episodes. Thank you guys for having me here, Ross.

And happy birthday again, Angel. Thank you so much. She was overzealous. We opened the show, I was I'm like, 'Welcome to Good Follow. ' She was like, Welcome to Good Paul. Angel was like, Subscribe, subscribe. ' Please comment and gage. You had one job. All right. Now, we got through that. All right, let's get to the topics. It's been chaos in Chicago. Chou, it is a mess. An article came out in the Chicago Tribune. I'm going to try and break it all down for you. For those who might already know or need to catch up. Here it is. An article came out in the Chicago Tribune, quoting Angel Reese and her frustrations with the sky organization. I'm not settling for the same shit we did last year. We have to get good players. We have to get great players. That's non-negotiable for me. And she went on to name names. Here it is. She names players specifically like Courtney Van der Sloot. We can't rely on Courtney to come back at the age she's at. I know she'll be a great asset for us, but we can't rely on that. All right, Chou. So it didn't end there.

Teammates started to come out responding. Here we go. Sloot definitely felt some way to that as she was called out by name. She said, Contrary to what people say or think, my age is actually not a factor. I'm coming back. During an interview on a TV broadcast, actually, she said that. Also, Sloot His wife, Ali Quigley, took to Instagram stories. So Ali clocked that, and she posted a list of Sloot's accolades with the words friendly reminder. Then, Rachel Banham had this to say about the article. I think I just don't really care. I'm so over all of this. If I was younger, it would have affected me more, but I'm grown and I just don't care. This is messy. It's messy. It's apathy starting to set in. Then Ariel Atkins, who, mind you, she defended Reese earlier in the season. She told The Sun Times, Ownership handled it as they see fit. They have full support from our team. And this is in response to Angel's punishment. So full support for the punishment ownership gave Angel. Mind you, this is coming from Ariel Atkins, the one who, when it was peak hate on Angel Reese's season at the top of the season where she started out poorly, self-admittedly, was a bad start for her.

Literally, national pundits coming in to throw tomatoes. And Ariel Atkins on the podium publicly stepped up and had her back. And now you're seeing her here saying, Ownership has the support of our team. All right, that's everything, Angela. You're caught up. Oh, my gosh.

What is your reaction? Okay. I'm the other angel from Baltimore, just like Angel Rees. We went to the same high school. So I've known Angel since eighth grade. Ross, what's this saying? It's not how we say, it's how we deliver it. How we deliver it. Angel, this is coming from Big Sis. Have you ever had a losing season, Ross?

Of course.

Me, Diana, Sue, Simone, Tamika. I can go down the line. My Amour, we've all had losing seasons before. That is what happens. You have to be patient. I in Atlanta, there was a young team called Las Vegas Aces. I'm dapping the fives. There's this young kid called Asia Wilson. She's crying because they did not make the playoffs. We have a good team making the playoffs. I said to her, I said, Be patient. It's coming. Is the rest history? So we all have to go through those steps sometimes. But here's the main thing. You're not the only one having a bad season. Your teammates are having a bad season, too. But here's the difference. Is your teammates, they don't have million dollar deals, endorsement deals. They don't have Shaq advocating for them. So even though they're having a losing season, one of your teammates might not even see $50,000, $100,000 in their bank account. So you have to take the good with the bad and know that even though you're having a losing season, it's how you say it, but you're so blessed. You have everything in front of you. So as a leader, what you do, you go to the front office at the end, you go see your GMs.

Hey, what can we do? Who can we bring in? What vets can we bring in? Courtney's coming back. That's how you do for the future. What do you think on that, Ross?

Do you think it was too early in her career to be delivering this message, too? Does she have the clout for that?

Sure. She can deliver. I'm all about saying what you feel, right? We don't hold stuff in, but it's just how we say it. You never want your teammates to feel like... Because they're already looking at you like you have everything. Like you said, they don't have million dollar endorsement deals, but they're having to lose in season two. You know what I would do, Angel? I would get one of my endorsements and say, Give me an extra 100,000 so I can give all my teammates 10 just to show them my care. I would do stuff like that. That puts you in a limelight of like, wow, let's set this girl up. The owners will look at you like the GMs, and then they'll make sure they set you up for success. But when it's like, I got to take care of me, don't make it sound like it's just all about you, especially when you're such in a blessed position that other girls will never see. Because they're losing, too.

Yeah, no. I think there's a sensitivity that angel could move with. I'm willing to give some grace here, too, because, again, this is a 23-year-old. In unprecedented shoes, unprecedented attention, money-making, popularity. We haven't even seen anything quite like this. This is an unprecedented time for women's sports. I feel like there's no blueprint in this. I think for the most part, she has a track record of being really positive on her teammates, uplifting, sharing the shine with teammates publicly. She has no track record, as far as I'm looking, in a public setting downplaying teammates. This was a misstep, and this is something she can learn from. In fact, actually, I think Angel right away recognized that this was wrong or it was not the right way, and therefore she apologized publicly. It was a public misstep. Therefore, her apology was public. I actually took a few notes. The missteps, for me, timing. I think this is an easier message to digest in the offseason, not in season. Boom. Misstep number two, calling teammates out by name. Yeah. And especially Courtney Vandersloot. I want to come to you after this because you calling out Courtney Vandersloot, this is literally A legend of the game.

I'm sure she didn't mean it, but you could have delivered this message without ever saying her name. And this is literally someone who is a two-time champion, in fact, has brought a championship to the very organization that you all are She has literally delivered them, this Chicago Sky, a championship. You are a second-year player. There's a nuance about how you need to speak about someone that great, even if they're at that towards more of the latter part of their career. I felt that she was missing the respect factor there.

Can I say this, Ross? To the young players, we don't mention age to us legends, okay? We know we're getting older. We don't need a reminder from you all. Let me tell you this. I used to tease Swing Cash and then Emu Burla, You all still stretching over there? Come on. And then, now that I had Kelsey Plum and them teasing me. I'm like, Wow, look at this reverse thing. Because you're going to get old one day and you're going to see how it feels when you're trying to come back. We're trying to get our bodies together. But like you said, she's a legend. You respect your legends as they are, and that's what you got to do.

Yeah. But here's the other side of this, though. Angel wasn't wrong in a lot of ways. No. I took notes. Angel's not wrong in that she's handled her individual business. She's a two-time All-Star. How many How many years has she been in the lead? Two. So every year. Rewriting record books, she leads this team in points, rebounds, assists. So this is somebody who's done her part on the court. Has it led to winning? No. Not yet. Not yet. She's not wrong. The franchise has not supported her with stability. Every single season, different coaches, different rosters. She's not wrong. The team constructed a roster this season that collectively and individually has underachieved.

Underachieved.

She's not wrong. It is valid to have concern about any 37-year-old coming back from ACL injury, full stop, period. No matter who it is. I say 37 because next season, Sluit will be 37. She's not wrong that the sky have made many blunders, especially around having a new practice facility. At first, they didn't even commit to it. They've got them practicing in a rec center. They finally did commit to making a dedicated practice facility, but it's been heavily delayed, delayed, delayed, delayed, to the It's a point where it will not be ready for this offseason, which is critical because you want to recruit players during this free agency at 26, where everybody's a free agent, and you can't use it as a recruiting tool. You're thinking about Angel's window, and she's probably thinking, The time is now, you all. Let's go.

Right. So organization, you all got to step it up for these girls. I mean, they deserve it. You can't have Angel Reece and these type of women in a rec center. The value, right?

I heard you could work out at your lunch break and see the Chicago Sky practice.

Oh, no, we ain't doing that. We passed those days. That's crazy. Those are our times.

What do you think about the teammates responses?

Bling bling. Every time I come around your city, bling bling. Your season, your shot. The NFL is rolling, and every TD brings you closer to a payout with DraftKings Sportsbook, an official sports betting partner of the NFL. From first TD scorer to anytime props or the rush of live in-game betting, every snap is a to win. New customers, this one is for you. Download the DraftKings Sportsbook app and use code GoodFollow. That's code G-O-O-D-F-O-L-L-O-W to get $200 in bonus bets instantly when you place your first $5 bet, plus over $200 off NFL Sunday ticket from YouTube and YouTube TV. In partnership with DrapKings, the Crown is yours.

Gambling problem? Call 1-800 Gambler. In New York, call 877-8openY or text openY-467-369. In Connecticut, help is available for problem gambling. Call 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg. Org. Please play responsibly. On behalf of Boot Hill Casino and Resort in Kansas, fees may apply in Illinois. 21 and over. Age and eligibility varies by jurisdiction. Void in Ontario. Bonus bets expire seven days after issuance. See sportsbook. Draftkings. Com/promos. Nfl Sunday ticket offer for new subscribers only in Ottawa news until canceled. Digital games and commercial use excluded. Restrictions apply. Additional NFL Sunday ticket terms at youtube. Com/go/nflsundaytickets-terms. Limited time offer.

Oh, my gosh. She makes responses. It just shows disarray, right? And it just shows disorganization. And we don't want to see that. We're believers. You know our time. What happens behind closed doors stays behind closed doors. That was a lot of issues when I played in Atlanta, but you wouldn't really know it because we didn't air our dirty laundry. So you guys got to know, stay professional and keep your stuff behind closed doors. Yes, say what you feel.

So you don't think her teammates were wrong or right because they clearly seemed like their feathers were ruffled and barked back.

I think they felt like once she was able to say how she said it, we're not saying you're wrong, angel. It was just the way you said it. They just went on and said whatever they had to say without caring. You all got to get that together. Where's the ownership at?

It also shows you there's a weakness in the locker room because the right vets, too, would have nipped this in the bud, would have had said...

You all, it's a shameful plug. Once again, to these owners, you all put the money out, but you all got to learn basketball. You don't win championships with all young, you don't win championships with all old. You mix a combination of vets and young. And had you have a good vet, none of it... Hello? Yeah.

Angel is still available.

The locker room would be organized and set, not because we're butt holes, but because we just know how to... It's an aura of respect around, Say what you feel, but we respect each other while we say what we feel.

Absolutely. So that could have been handled in the locker room. However, it was not for the Chicago Sky. So here's what actually ended up happening. After the article was published, Angel Reese apologized in a postgame press conference publicly. She said, I didn't intentionally mean to put my teammates down. I want to apologize to my teammates for the article and how it was misconstrued. But after the apology, the Chicago Sky put out a statement denouncing Angel's comments and gave her a half-game suspension. So now they've taken it to the world, out of the locker room, into the world, suspending her, not just even for a normal game, for a really interesting half-game. And now the question is, what do you make of the punishment? Why a half game? Does it de-escalate or escalate the situation?

Ross, what is that, a half game? I've never seen that before. If I'm a 22-year-old and I'm suspended for a half game, I'm coming out halftime like... Because it's like, Okay, I was going to spend this. Here I come. Let me wait in halftime. I'm texting on the phone in the locker. What are we doing? If you punish, just do the game, make your point, and let's keep it moving. Half game, then I'm coming out with an attitude? Because if I'm a 22-year-old, I'm going to come out with an attitude.

Well, What is the point of the half game? Is it to make sure she doesn't miss a game on her record or something? Was there a strategic reason so she could get paid for the game?

That's a good question. But what is that? Have you ever seen that? Half game suspension?

But it felt petty. It It felt small. For me, overall, I just feel like the punishment didn't fit the crime. I feel like this should have been handled in-house and move forward, team meeting and move forward, which were all steps that did happen. They did have a team meeting. Also, Angel Rees did publicly apologize. It was a public misstep and a public apology. I think the fact that this is not something that has repeated itself, this is a first-time situation, and she's 23, I feel like I wouldn't have made it a public suspension. I would have just maybe made a statement that we see it, we don't like it. We've handled it. We had a team meeting. Angel is being regarded within the team. She's doing certain things, and we appreciate the apology and move forward. Instead, it escalated it. It felt performative. It felt like... And there's a lot of conversation at like, are there different bodies of power positioning themselves within this conversation.

That's what it looks like, right, Rose?

Absolutely. So let's continue. When her half-game suspension was up, Angel was then ruled out for the second half of another game, this time due to back injury. So child, the tea is hot. It's messy. I don't know what's happening in Chicago. So post-game, Tyler Marsh's comments on Angel's back felt like they weren't telling the whole story, and this isn't the first time that this happened. She reported it to us down pre-game And so in conjunction with the medical staff, Angela Medical staff, we wanted to be as cautious as possible. So that was the decision. First of all, he said it sounded like he threw her under the bus a little like, She reported this to us before the game. He don't believe in the injury.

I'm going to need Coach, you to come up. Hey, we talked about it. She has a back injury. Where's the confidence? She talked about Chicago. Can I cuss on here? Yeah. Chicago, get your together. It's a mess.

Has it been a mess since you were playing?

When Candice was there, the last time I played when Candice was there, it seemed like a beautiful organization. They were just figuring out practice facilities, but they won a championship.

They wanted a championship, but there have been a number of players who have axed their way out of there. Sylvia Fowles, Elaina Del Don, Marina Mabry, Kalia Copper. It is interesting. But just to continue to finish this up. Earlier this season, though, she was out for an extended period of time with the back injury. She missed seven straight games with the back injury. Actually, on August 21, the Sky played at the Liberty. It was just her second game returning back from the back injury. She had been so happy about coming back. Talking about, I love the game. Actually, that game was interesting because she and Camilla Cardoso combined for 43 points, 25 rebounds, and the Sky shocked the Liberty at Barclays Center and win. Oh, wow. I mean, it was triumphant for them. So pregame of that game, I'm there, I'm the color commentator for the Liberty. We're in the media Scrum, and she speaks to us before the game, and she shared this answer that I thought was interesting, and I got it on tape. The question was, what did you learn or what are you taking from your second year in the WNBA?

Let's listen.

I put myself first. Prioritize myself as a business. And I learned to put myself first that second year in the league. I probably didn't do that last year and just tried to go out there and play through every damn thing. I can't always do that. I have to prioritize myself. And when everybody else wants me out there, I can't do that. Oh, Lord. We got to work on how we sound, right? Hey, guys, I'm working just to be a better teammate. I want to get healthy for my teammates. I want to play an Olympic team this year, so I'm really working hard and just prioritizing a lot of things. Boom. Does that sound a little different? But it's still the same, but it sounds a little better. It's just, Angel, we got to work on just how we deliver. And call me because call Roz. Our vets are here to help. You know what I'm saying? I know you got the PR people, and they just do the brand thing. They try to get the money and all that. But when it comes to imaging and how you basketball talk and how to be a leader, call us because we'll tell you how to phrase this stuff and the aura that needs to be behind it.

Yeah. I mean, what I make of this is that there's just a lot of tension mounting in the Chicago sky. On both sides, there are lessons that could be learned. For the Chicago Sky, they need to be really careful that they don't alienate a fan base that there's a huge fan base that really locks in and taps in for Angel Rees. You want to make sure you stay aligned. They want to make sure they hold themselves accountable as a fan base and move out of this reputation of being a franchise that is playing from behind and can nurture the growth of young players and also bring in new talent and attract new talent. On Angel's end, this is a learning opportunity She had many missteps, as we've noted, and delivery, maybe some help from PR, where there's a bit more accountability versus finger-pointing. There you go. And understanding of delivery of message, whether the message is true or not. I think you said something that was valuable. Like, look, when you step, exist in a certain pedestal, which angel does, there's certain responsibilities that you absolutely have agency to decide I'm going to take on or not.

I think Angel is capable of taking it on. Absolutely. I think she can. I think there are many great athletes who have transcended even their sport and have I've decided I will take on the responsibility that comes with that. I'll be a role model. I'll be a spokesperson for the team. I'll take the hit. I'll be graceful. There are some that have shied away and said, I'm not the face of this. Or I'm not no role model. I think Angel is capable of stepping up.

She's capable. That's such a great point, Ross. She's capable and she has it. We're just going to clean up. You're young. Like you said, it's just a little messed up. But I want the fans to know it was just a small mistake. Don't hold this against her for the next 20 years because you all don't know how to let stuff go. Let it go. Let her learn from this and learn how to be a good leader, like you said.

With that, we move on. We'll be back. Coming up, we make our DraftKings Picks of the Week. We'll be right back. Welcome back to Good Hello. Today's episode is presented by DraftKings. It's now time for the DraftKings' Pick of the Week, presented by DraftKings. This week, I got my eye on the Aces-Sparks matchup. The Sparks need this win to remain in playoff contention. However, However, we've seen the Aces climb to the two seed and win 14 in a row, which is why I picked them to come out on top. My players to watch are Asia Wilson, who set the record this season with 13 30-point games and counting, and is the force driving the Aces win streak. And on the other side, it's Dierika Hambi, who does all of the dirty work, especially in the paint, and has been averaging 18 points, eight rebounds, and three assists a game. All right, this segment is presented by DraftKings. Draftkings. The Crown is yours. Yee. All right, let's get to it. Some unrivaled talk. They got the Crown right now. They got the money Crown. They got all that stuff coming in. Let's talk money moves in women's basketball world real quick.

Before its first season, Unrivaled was valued at $35 million. Well, guess what? Just before the second season, after a second round of funding, the league has multiplied its valuation 10 fold and now sits at a valuation of $340 million. Oh my God.

10x that.

Unrivaled has the highest average salary in professional women's sports and provides equity to its players. God, those first round of players. That equity is ten fold now with the raise across the board for unrivaled staff. So how can they build on all of this in season two?

I mean, first of all, can we start stretching? Rael, are we coming back? Sheesh.

I worked unrivaled last season as a broadcaster, I should have taken my payment in equity. That's not too late. Not that it was offered.

That's not too late. You're one of the faces of it. But this just goes to show you the growth. The brands are there. They're adding more seats to the stadium. Everybody wants to see an arrival in the offseason. Nobody has to really go overseas anymore. It's just a win-win, man.

Paige Becker will take the court. She's got a contract with them, so that'll be exciting. They plan to travel a game, so that's cool, and that'll be a bigger arena. They're adding seats to their current mainstay in Miami, which is huge because that place, they could have fit twice that capacity in there. It was 800 last season. Could they snag an Asia or a Caitlin? It feels with Caitlin Clarke now who has officially called it quids on the season. Not quits, she's out for the season. It's been officially ruled that way. Tough season for her, and that she was just injured through it. Unrivaled seems like the perfect place for her.

She's going to have to come back and get in shape, so it could be a really good move.

Which would be a perfect place for the investors and the ratings and the viewers and all the things. As we saw, all these WNBA teams going up in valuation, 300 million, 250 million, 500 million. All that meant for Unrivaled was that the league was raising with it. You see how a rising tide lifts all boats. But guess what? We'll be here to cover it and discuss it with all of you as our show is coming to an end right now. But we dropped Tuesdays and Thursday, so definitely come kick it with good follow. She's Angel. I'm Roz, and we'll see you next week.