Transcript of Indiana Fever’s Syd Colson Talks Getting To Know Caitlin Clark, ACL Injuries, Brand Identity & More!

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Hey, what's up, you all? Welcome to Good Follow Show, presented by DraftKings. I'm Roz Goldanwere, and I am coming to you from our studio in Los Angeles, and we have a very special episode for you this week. We have an exclusive interview with a two-time WNBA champion, also a two-time Commissioners Cup champion. She's won a Championship at the collegiate level in A champion with Texas A&M. She's a comedian. She's the face of the league, or one of them. She's my girl, Cyd Coulson. What's up, Cyd?

What's going on? What's up, Cros? Always good to talk to you. Thank you for having me.

I think there's so many things to talk about, including the ACL. But let's start first with just the special season you guys have had with the Indiana Fever this year. I think it can be summed up by your end of season Instagram post. Let's take a look at this post You said, and in the caption, you said, Genitionally enjoyed this team and what we did on the court and in the showers. You're so silly. I knew in the offseason that God was placing me where I needed to be to grow and learn some necessary lessons. And that's exactly what happened. And that's a beautiful post. Actually, the comments have me rolling. Let's just look at the comments, remind her, because I'm screaming because your teammates are a mess. Not Kaitlyn Clarke chiming in twice. She said, I'm thankful for you, Auntie. Auntie, Tasha Howard with four hearts. But look at Lexie Hull. Love you, Sid. Showering just won't be the same this offseason. Yo, you all are really comedy. But I mean, so just to throw it back to you, there's clearly so much love for your team. It's a huge free agency on the way.

This roster may not ever look the same again. So for you, what made this team so special and want to remember in your career?

In the offseason, it was obviously a tough decision for me. I've been with the Aces for so long, and we did some amazing things together as a team. And like I said in the post, I could just feel God. You know when you could just feel like something you need to get uncomfortable, like you're being pushed in a direction, and because it makes you uncomfortable, you don't want to do it. I think the older I've gotten, the stronger my faith has gotten, I run to the uncomfortable, honestly, because I know on the other side, there's going to be something, some lesson that I needed. That was what happened this season. Nobody was expecting me to be on this team. Honestly, we know what the views are of this organization from the outside, but I knew enough people in it to know that we could do something special and that we could potentially change some minds and some views. It was good just being with another team, being in another locker room. I think when you leave from a situation you've been in for so long, you're like, Am I going to be It was cool with a new group of teammates?

But that's just what life is. You figure it out, you get a new environment, and you adjust, and you get acclimated. We did something really special for us to have been together for just a matter of months and not fully healthy, everybody at the same time. So it was fun. It was really fun. I think the Commissioners Cup Championship gave us even more confidence that we could go on and win a Championship. I think we would have had we stayed healthy.

Yeah. People pointed to your voice as one in the locker room that everyone listened to, that you were one of the main leaders for the team. People trusted you. Taking on that role, what was it like trying to overcome some of the hurdles? And was there a hurdle this season that you guys rocked you all? Almost was so tough to really stay together from?

Yeah. From the outside, I think everybody can see the different types of adversity that hit our team. I don't know, we just found a way. We got a lot of personalities on our team, and there's a lot of joking around. So when hard times were hit, we were just making jokes, laughing, because honestly, some stuff was just, what can you do? What can you say about some stuff? You just got to get closer together. I think we did that. I think it showed in our play. The environment was positive. It was just we got plagued with injuries. But even though the injured players, we still tried to make it a point to be around for practices, to still be lending our voices, to give whatever advice and wisdom we could, even though we weren't able-bodied.

Yeah, it seemed like humor was therapy for you guys. What was it like, honestly, when you tore your ACL, wrapping your head around that one?

That was just nuts. I think once I was falling down, I was looking at my knee. I felt something, but I was also seeing it. And immediately, I reverted back to college when I tore it, and I was like, This isn't good. I was trying to stay positive, but in your mind, you know what it is when a bad injury happens, especially if you've had it before. But shoot, everybody was joking. Phoenix cursed our team. Just the place, the city of Phoenix. We lost four bodies, I think, to Phoenix. It was just something that we could laugh about. I mean, we even lost the staff members. Like, what? When does that happen? You know what I'm saying? But it was just one of those things. You just, once again, use humor to keep it pushing and still try to be there for the team as best you can.

Yeah. I mean, you are so silly because you actually went live on your ACL surgery or coming out of it. What inspired you to do that, girl?

I really wanted me and TP to do an episode of our pod coming out of it, but they were like, Yeah, the drugs will have worn off by the time you get home. So you probably can't do that. I was like, All right, well, I'll go live.

And I love seeing you and Kaitlyn Clarke's relationship. You guys are always cracking jokes on social media, on your live. And And obviously, she's a game-changing player for the league. So what has it been like getting to know her, her humor, and seeing firsthand all that's coming her way?

It was cool being on a team with her, getting to see her in another light was really cool. I think over the course of her career, I think we haven't had many instances where we've seen Caitlin, Angel, Page. Players come in with the notoriety that they had, the money that they're making, the attention, everything. It's a lot for a young person to be dealing with on top of pressure to do well as a basketball player, to lead your teams, all of that. It was good I think to be able to see a lighter side of her. I think especially, unfortunately, when she was injured, you're having to adjust your mindset. You're having to get mentally tougher because you think she had a had an injury before. So now you're having to watch your team from the outside is still... I would be talking to her a lot about make sure you're still being vocal. You don't want to lose this time with your teammates. And because you're injured or sidelined, you're not still using the opportunity to lead or to grow relationships. Don't let it be a waste of season just because you can't physically contribute.

And I think her desire to become a better leader and to come back because there were times where maybe she thought she was coming back and then it wouldn't happen or another little thing will happen that turned to a big thing. But to see her, her fun side, I think that was the most important part, to see her being jovial and light-hearted and having fun with her teammates, I don't think was a side that people saw a lot last season. And so I would just be telling her more of that.

I'm glad she had a veteran like you to be in her ear. And as I said, every player on that team kept pointing to you as a voice that people listen to. But my question is, how did Stephanie White prepare you guys to keep... New players were coming into the system and you kept having success. I don't even know where that happens.

The importance was that Steph and our assistants were able to get new players on the same page with us quickly and have them buy in quickly to, We're going to play defense hard. We're going to share the ball, and we're going to play as a team. And I think most teams that have a coach that demands that out of them, you find success at some level.

Yeah. I got one last for you about the fever here, and I think it's just you have to finish with Kelsey Mitchell. What's most important to you about the season Kelsey Mitchell had? Literally playing until her wheels fell off.

I've been so impressed with Kelsey from afar. And then when I got to play with her at athletes, like an Athletes Unlimited, when we were teammates there, I would just shoot with her before and after practices if we were on the same team that week. Once I got here doing the same thing, we'll shoot around. She'll stay after to get shots up with Karima, and I would always make sure to just tag along with her because I've always been impressed by her work ethic. And this girl, she plays on both ends. There have been so many seasons where she hasn't gotten the respect or the recognition that I think was owed to her. What she did this year was extremely impressive to me because this girl deals with double teams. She was already impressive last year, but found a way to do even more this year. And I just look at her like, What is it that you're going to do next season? How are you going to... I don't know. How do you elevate from here? But I know she found a way this year to become even more focused defensively. And I don't think that got enough credit.

People don't... They don't attack Kylsi on the defensive end. She's going to hold her own even when it's bigger matchups. And I don't know, I'm I'm constantly impressed by her, the player she is and the person she is. She's just a solid individual.

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And there's been a lot of starts and stops or reinventions of yourself, if you will. I'm just going to point it out for those watching at home. You tore your ACL, your sophomore year in college. You make it to the WNBA. You're way by the Connecticut Sun, your rookie season. Then you spend three years overseas. You're out the league for three years. And then you return to the WNBA, a little bouncing around, but you stuck a bit with the San Antonio stars for three years. Then after that stint, you were out of the WNBA again in 2021. You played Athletes Unlimited, which you said was helpful. Then after that, you joined the Aces and win championships with them in 2022, 2023. Then Now you're with the fever, which was a big decision, an uncomfortable decision to go try a new chapter there. It's a very interesting season with highs and lows, and it ends for you with a torn ACL. So my question is, how have you had so much endurance through your career?

As competitors in basketball, we just want to play. If we see people playing that we played against and we battle, we're just like, Oh, well, I mean, if they still playing, for sure, I can play. I just need the right opportunity. And it kept me in pretty much my whole career was just need the right opportunity, right opportunity. Sometimes it would work plan-time-wise, sometimes it wouldn't. But I know every place that I was in, I was supposed to be there. I think my faith helped me understand that I was in every situation that I was in for a reason, whether I played or not. There was something to gain from that team experience. There was something to gain from someone I met, something Something I lost, whatever it was. There was a lesson in a lot of the stuff, and it helped me to keep my drive very high, even when I was out of the league. There were definitely times where it was tough being out of it, but I still had that passion, even when it wasn't logical anymore. It's like, All right, you could probably call it quid around this time. And that's how I felt in 2019 when I overseas in Poland.

I was like, Yeah, I'm about ready to wrap this up. I'm tired of dealing with these crazy coaches overseas. I'm not making enough money for this. That 2019 season, I get to the Aces, and me and Chris, the social media person with the Aces, he's always done a phenomenal job, but he started capturing me doing the Lady Aces chant. So this was when I started getting more of a following on social media because people were seeing that, thought that that was fun, yada, Then I go to Chicago and I get cut after the bubble season. So '21, I'm not playing, but Athletes Unlimited starts, and that's in Vegas. Audely enough, I have a good year, a good first year in AU. The Aces staff, like Becky will be there. Nikki was there. They offered me a training camp contract. This was the first year that Becky was going to be there, and they were saying that they were looking for a a veteran and somebody for the locker room to impact culture. And I go there. We win two years. We don't win in 24. It leaves to come to the fever. And obviously, we know how this season went.

But everything was in his timing. In hindsight, I understand everything clearly.

Yeah. I mean, so much of that story is like, look how maybe one closed door pivoted you to the next blessing and opportunity. You know what I'm saying? You look back on that and you think about where it placed you now. Girl, you literally are one of the faces of the league, but you at one point literally was out of it, and there was not really a path to that. So what a testimony. You've defied the norm, like things that used to be reserved only for literally the superstars of the league. You are captivating. You are funny. The way people are consuming the WNBA is changing and evolving. So now You know, my girl, you got commercials with TJ Max, Ally, Deloitte, Keia, Direct TV. You're doing commercials with Diana Tarasi, Brianna Stewart, Paige Beckers. How have you found your lane to crack open and break through the zeitgeist? And literally, it's not something funny, you are one of the faces of the league.

I'm just a me everywhere I go. I think authenticity is going to always get where you need to be, even if it's not what you picture. And a lot of mine just happens to be forward-facing, but a lot of that can be attributed to our showrunner, our director for the Sid and TP show. Carly, they came up with the idea for TP and I to be the faces of the league. And I remember when they pitched it to us, we were like, Absolutely. We love self-deprecating humor. We're totally okay with what our paths have looked like in the WMBA, because while I love basketball, it's not my everything. I'm a multifaceted person. So if basketball hasn't gone the way that I thought it would go, that's okay. I've still been in a very blessed position and one that I'm very fortunate for. A lot of minutes are not. It's been a real treat to be in the W for this long. I can't say that I expected this. So to see that really turn into us being in the face of the league, I hope that it's inspiring to people to just bet on yourself and make yourself a brand, be authentic, stay true to it, and the people that are supposed to find you will find you.

Yeah. And I mean, so your show that you have with TP, Theresa Plaisant's Unsupervised. Let's play a little clip from that show real quick.

Somebody under this video will inevitably say, damn, they voice deep. Damn them men. And the babysitter's come after them. I've seen comments where somebody's like, What's wrong with those women's voices? So at least they're acknowledging the fact that we're women. But then somebody's like, No, them ain't women.

I mean, when you put yourself out there, you also put yourself out there to haters. So how do you handle that aspect of it?

Oh, man. I used to just trolling back because there's nothing that you can say about me that will hurt my feelings. I literally do not know you. And some of the responses are bots. For me to get my feelings heard by people, I got to respect you. I got to value your opinion. A lot of things go into it. So you being a stranger, I could care less about you talking about how many points I'll score in minutes. I don't care.

No, let's see you and ask for a picture. But you haven't shied away from it at WNBA All-Star in Indianapolis. I know a goal of yours is to be a comedian, and you did it. You put yourself out there. You did a stand-up routine. So now that it's done, because you were super mysterious about it before. So now that it's done, what was it like to do stand-up and prepare for it and execute it?

It was good. I will say I wish I had given more time and preparation to it. I had an idea, and I didn't start nearly as soon as I should have to really just have it all memorized. But it was just It was a good practice. It had been over two years since I'd done stand-up. So when this opportunity presented itself, my girlfriend was like, You got to do it so that you hold yourself accountable to get back to practicing. And now that the offseason is here, a couple of people have asked me, so I'm like, Yeah, I definitely have to go somewhere here and perform and get back into a rhythm so that I can become a... I don't I don't want to say respected, but just somebody who's doing the work. You're constantly going to open mic nights or practicing your jokes. So I want to get to that point. And so that's my goal before the end of the year, to do it at least twice.

You've also been a coach. You were an assistant coach at Rice University. Did you enjoy that role? Could we ever see Coach said?

I enjoyed it so much. I think same for when I played. I enjoy the relationship aspect of everything I do more than the actual thing, typically. So coaching was cool. It was fun. Playing basketball was cool and it was fun. But it's the people that I get to meet and interact with and the way that human interaction, you all can change one another's lives just by something you say, something you do. So it was more about that, me being able to impact young women. And so if I ever got back into it, it would be because I miss being able to do that, honestly.

As we come to an end here, you mentioned Amadi, your Amadi Brooks, your girlfriend. Is she also your official stylist? Because she's a well-known fashion stylist. Yeah. Okay. How is she helping you put your style together and be ready to meet all of these different moments that we just described for you?

She had a vision. She's like, Look, if you're at the end of your career and you want to go into acting, people need to start seeing you in a different light, visually. They need to see you as a brand and see you... We got to elevate your style. And if you look at my outfits from last year with the Aces, and this year, it was such a big jump. I think the recognition that she got, that I got, the people that were reaching out to send stuff, she did that in a matter of months, and it was super impressive. I just What she shows me, I trust the vision. I let her get very creative with the things that we do. She knows that she can try stuff out. If it's masculine, feminine, I'll wear it all. It's cool. Let's do it. I think she did a really good job of letting people see me just wear different stuff, and hopefully, they could see me doing that on screen. So I'm very fortunate that I have her by my side.

Okay. And just words. What would you describe your style as?

What would I describe my style as? I would say versatile. I would say... What? What? What would I Hey, buddy. Ron said, Hey, buddy. Hey, girl. Hey. Versus all and elevated streetwear. Elevator streetwear. We make stuff colorful. Sometimes I like a lot of colors, so we'll be outgoing. I think usually how she dresses me, it reflects my personality a lot, I think.

Okay. Yeah. I'm going to need you to also know your style. That's you need all this help. Yeah, no.

I don't know. I don't know none of them are. She said, I'm going to need you to know your style.

You're crushing it, my girl. It's really inspiring the journey that you've been on. And we only see the bright lights, but all that it took to get here. And I appreciate just everything you gave us today.

Thank you. I love you, my girl. Thank you for having me, too.

It was great to catch up with Sid Colson of the Indiana Fever. That'll do it for this episode of Good Follow. We'll catch you next time.