Breaking Records & Barriers with Flau’jae Johnson, Gabby Bryan & Haley Eckerman

0:00 But I didn't even know it was Asia. And you know, when you're blocking somebody, if you're a real hooper, you're going to say, give me that shit. You feel me? And then I seen it was Asia Wilson. I was like, oh, I'm so sorry, ma'am.

0:09 And I was like, oh my God.

0:10 Sorry, ma'am is crazy.

0:20 This is what I'm going to do.

0:21 What are you going to do?

0:22 I've made a decision.

0:22 Okay.

0:23 We're not going to keep trying to trick the people. We're not going to keep having the people thinking... Something that it isn't. This is our second take, people. We stopped down. We had an audio issue.

0:33 Fine.

0:33 We're back up.

0:34 We are.

0:35 I feel like one, I didn't really like the first way we came in. I feel like we didn't do enough pleasantries. We didn't say enough hellos.

0:43 Oh, you miss me? Is that what you're getting at?

0:45 Maybe a little.

0:46 You miss me. Maybe a tad. I need to make my way down to Atlanta. Actually, come up to Atlanta in a few days. They're up here. They're in New York. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

0:55 The dream is up there, right?

0:56 You naturally should be in New York as well, but you like to neglect me.

0:59 I'm actually going to be in New York tomorrow.

1:02 Well, Sam, were you going to tell somebody or did I have to find out live with the people? I just thought about it. That is kind of shady of me.

1:07 It is.

1:07 No, I'm going to be in New York tomorrow, and then I'm going to be in New York until Thursday. Tomorrow, I'm going to do this thing with Chef Kwame at Tatiana.

1:16 Oh, I love Tatiana.

1:17 Yeah, yeah, yeah. He's doing like this little thing and I got to do some like comedy thing. That's my boy. That's my brother. So he was like, can you come do this thing for me? And I was like, I'll absolutely come do it. And then they're going to have like a little afters with food and everything at Tatiana.

1:29 So that's my tomorrow night.

1:30 Because of course, every week you remind me how wealthy you are.

1:33 I'm not wealthy. You know what I'm wealthy in? Love and friendship.

1:36 Love and friendship. However, not connectivity or communication. And we're working on that. But you are wearing these neutrals because this is how we transitioned last time. We are wearing these neutrals. And you know who else had neutrals this weekend? It was Lisa Leslie because my girl said, I'm going to pick every detail of my statue unveiling to fit me.

1:56 So she had a nice little array of browns and creams as one does when you're Lisa Leslie. She had Vivica Fox as her host. And it was my favorite. You know how... We be like, take our time. They took their time.

2:13 I like it, though.

2:14 I love it.

2:14 I wasn't mad at it.

2:15 Milk it all.

2:16 I wasn't mad at it. I wasn't mad at Lisa's whole energy. She's an OG. She's a legend. You don't often get to see women, of course, in sports, standing in that OG, legend space in that way. She brought all the aunties out, by the way. It was an auntie party. Shirley Ralph was in the building. It was like, no, it's auntie time. And we going to take our time.

2:37 And I love that about the legends. They don't ever let you make them speed up.

2:41 Ever.

2:42 But her career wasn't sped up. She had such a tenure in the WNBA. And I remember when I was younger, I looked at her. I love her ribbon. And she mentioned it in her acceptance speech. And it's on the statue wearing ribbons. And I was always super girly. And Lisa really, she, not that, you know. cisgender women who are feminine presenting need more representation. But I think that just her being just the ribbon in the hair, always just looking snatched 24-7.

3:13 I don't think that's important. I don't think you should back away from that. I do think in sports, I think we talked about this a little bit before, I think sometimes in sports, you know, it's like that presentation that, especially in basketball, especially black women in basketball, like you have to be masculine or you have to have this kind of hard edge and It's like, no, no thing is one way. You know what I mean? And that's just the reality. And so her giving that representation, I think is also important because I know when I was growing up, sometimes people would shy away from the sport. Like, oh, I'm not gay. You know what I mean? Like girls would say stuff like that, or I'm not trying to

3:48 be a boy. So it's like seeing a cisgender woman presenting that way and being super athletic could be just as important for the girl who does want to play the sport and doesn't necessarily know that that's her place because she's grown up in an environment where they're living in those type of stigmas.

4:03 So shout out to that. Thank you for letting me hold on to Lisa in that way. And just between her with her ribbons and Tina Thompson with that lipstick, I was like, oh, I'm going to play my sports with a ribbon, which I did, and lipstick, which I did. So just the legend of the game. But Lisa became the 16th person and the first L.A. Spark to be honored outside of Crypto.com Arena, which will always be staples to me. But it was cute. I mean, we've seen some bad statues. This was not one of them.

4:32 I was going to say, let's keep it real. No one's out here trying to get Dwayne waited. Everybody's on guard now. Everybody is on guard and diligent.

4:41 There was one that was worse.

4:42 There was one that was significantly worse, and I can't think of it right now, but it was a men's statue, but it was really bad. Was it Dwayne's?

4:50 Dwayne's was bad.

4:51 Dwayne's was bad. Lisa, if you know anything about Lisa, she has her hand in everything. She's very detail oriented. So I know she saw so many iterations of this stuff that she knew that she could be happy with. And I like the fact that it's her signature dunk. And when I had a sit down with all the legends for WNBA, we did top 30 and it's on the WNBA app now. But this was one of the top 10 plays. Lisa's dunk, it really transformed how people saw the sport. And so I'm loving the fact that they have her dunk as the statue. Like that's fire.

5:22 The first W played a dunk.

5:24 Not as fire.

5:24 Not as fire.

5:25 And it's just a good, it's a very good looking statue. I was looking at it as you were talking. It's just, it's a very good statue.

5:32 Yeah. No, Lisa wouldn't have it anywhere. She don't play. Solid. Lisa gathers the girls. You know what's funny about Lisa? You know when they say don't meet your idols because they'll disappoint you? Lisa has never disappointed me. She is just very much who she is all the time. She's the type that she loves to be on point all the time. And- She forces you to do TikToks with her.

5:52 And so shout out to Lisa, my big sister, that we can do content together. I love a content moment with Lisa Leslie. She's not afraid to dance. She's not afraid to show out. Because Lisa is. Only one Lisa.

6:04 Speaking of not being afraid to dance, not being afraid to show out, and gathering the girls, Krishan Rock had her first professional fight this Saturday. So this is like her first professional fight, her first fight with a professional ranking attached to it. And Krishan did her thing. Second round TKO. It was a great fight, in my opinion, for her to show that she's serious about the sport and that she's skilled in the sport. I particularly was listening to the ringside announcer, and he was throwing a lot of shade. I don't know who this guy was, but he was like, apparently, if you have a bunch of followers on Instagram, you can box. He was saying a lot of slick shit. I'm going to keep it real.

6:51 And then by the end, he was like, I'm very impressed. She showed that she can fight. She's a fighter. Very poised. Continued to apply pressure. The entire fight, really had control of the fight from the beginning of the fight to the end. The young lady, Kashia Williams, really just seemed like she was way out of her league. At one point, she started hitting her with the windmills, which we know that's not a boxing form. And even in that, Kashia just stayed in the pocket and just wore out. I was really proud of her. Because, you know, people are judging, of course. And people are expecting her not to step up to the plate and not to step up in the plate in the way she has. And she gave the people something to make you want to see more.

7:39 and that's what you're supposed to do in your professional debut. And a second round TKO by way of the young lady quitting and just saying she didn't want no more is a great way to kick it off. So I'm super proud of her. And then she sang us out with her song, Yahweh, like only Krishan can. And what more can you ask for?

8:00 I'm so glad you put me on her radar or put her on my radar for this whole thing. Because when we were talking to Claressa about it, Claressa said she saw the potential And then remember when I asked you, hey, is this respectable to have this sneak hit in here for when they did the face-off? And so it's great that she can back it. And one word that stuck out to me about that was the control of it all.

8:23 And to see Krishan take control over her life like that and apply it to a sport, that's the entire point of You know, applying sport to real life, it can really help you channel all that energy that you've had into positive things. So I'm really, really proud of Kershawn for being able to apply that in the proper way.

8:42 And we're rooting for her because, yes, ma'am.

8:45 100%.

8:46 She was rocking that girl with some hard straight rights. It was great. It really, really was good. I can't wait to see her fight again. So you already know Kershawn was what I was locked into this weekend. But I saw you out there. In the U.K., doing U.K.

8:59 Tings.

8:59 I did U.K.

9:00 Tings.

9:01 Tings with your man domes. Yeah. I saw you out there, so please, please, please. You know I love an opportunity to learn. Break down everything Athlos.

9:14 Okay.

9:14 I thought you'd never ask, Sam. Okay, Athlos is in year three. It's a track meet, a women's track meet. And in the U.K., they call it athletics, right? It's seven track events in one field event, which is long jumps. And it's really athlete-led. Alexis Ohanian, who is a serial entrepreneur, one of my dear friends, and Serena's husband, had this idea of really paying women what they're worth, right? So he got together with Gabby Thomas, Sha'Carri Richardson, and Tara Davis Woodall, and came up with the concept of this flashy track meet that brought the vibes, brought the culture.

9:48 I mean, I'm talking about their couches, track side, everybody's celebrating, drinks flowing, food going, sold out stadiums. And The compensation's great, $ 65, 000 for each winner. There is a signature Tiffany crown that the winners win.

10:04 That's nice.

10:05 One thing about this year, they had a QR code attached to it that you can tap the crown and see your winning moment. So it's a mix of Women in STEM, okay? The tech girlies are out. They have just the flashiness. We had t-shirt cannons on the track. And what I loved about it is there's a different vibe every year, right? The first year, it was the inaugural year where nobody knew what to expect, but it was still super fun. Last year in New York at Icon Stadium, brought the vibes, right? It felt like a club.

10:35 First year, we had Meg Thee Stallion. Second year, Sierra. But it was like a club style. It was super lit, right? And then London, we brought the New York flavor, the United States flavor there. And just seeing how we can integrate all the cultures, because it is an international meet, right? There's representation of the best of the best in star quality everywhere. But the flavor, it gave very much New York.

10:58 And I think London was really accepting of it. I got to see Sha'Carri run a 10.8, which is, I mean, she smoked the competition, right? Got the Tiffany crown. You have Gabby Thomas, 22.13 in her 200. But you know what I really, really loved? Okay, Keeley Hutchinson, the Nike suit that she displayed. It's like Nike custom, and it had a hood, and she was looking like a superhero.

11:22 I know you love superheroes, Sam. I know you love them.

11:26 Do you think you'll... I do love them.

11:29 All right. Okay, maybe I was thinking ninjas.

11:30 I love them.

11:31 You love a ninja. I love them.

11:32 This sounds pretty cool. Sounds like that's pretty dope. Dropping new fits, breaking records.

11:36 Yeah, I mean, she got a meat record. She ran the 800 in 156.4. So like, and she's from, she's Team GB, right? Like she's from Great Britain. So it was just, it was a great like party. Everything was going. There were other meat records, other great moments. But I think that ultimately when you think of athletes, you should think of athlete-led and women being compensated. in a big party.

11:59 And what I was sad about is that I didn't get to see any Spice Girl while I was in the UK. That was real, real, kind of hit me in my heart, you know, but maybe next time.

12:09 And last but not least, Ari, we have some action in one of your favorite sports.

12:13 Oh my gosh.

12:13 Wheelchair basketball.

12:15 They ended a 16-year world championship drought by defeating Canada. And, okay, I know that we talked about their dominance last week, but the fact that They were able to bring it home just as an extra oomph. Courtney Ryan hit a crucial free throw with 20 seconds left. We love a last minute situation. And they put US up 77 to 76 over Canada. And it just, it seems like not only this was a full team effort, but a full tournament effort because they were so dominant. My thing is when it comes to basketball and performing on a high level in basketball, intimidation factor can really come in. But the U.S. is working from a deficit because they had that drought with being able to bring it home. So there's, yes,

13:01 the intimidation factor that USA brings, but also you're fighting for something that you haven't been able to complete in a while. But I think that a major factor was, which this is not to take away from USA's win, but the two-time defending world and Paralympic champion, the Netherlands, they were eliminated by Canada. And so just these sneak moments that can come in and happen at the blink of an eye really matter when it comes to international tournament play.

13:28 Stay ready.

13:28 Yeah, I would say that's tournament play and anything can happen. But I think it's really interesting that Team USA was kind of dominating, but that final game was so close.

13:41 It was.

13:41 It was. And this is how I actually thought that USA and France were going to do at FIBA, five on five. But USA pulled away. So just shout out to USA basketball and USA wheelchair basketball because y'all held it down on such an international stage. And we're going to keep repping. We're going to keep repping wheelchair basketball because one of the hardest.

14:05 Sports ever, period. I know I wouldn't be able to do it. You know what I mean? Like, I know I wouldn't be able to do it. I watch it. I'm like, yeah, no.

14:14 Yeah. And they're like ruthless. They just, I mean, crashing's allowed. It's crazy.

14:18 It's gotta be hard to make that shot. I think people don't think about how difficult it must be to make that shot.

14:23 You know, I was at, I was hosting one of the Women's Sports Foundation galas and we had a, like a wheelchair basketball shootout situation there. And just, it's such, it's so difficult because they're so fast. They are so speedy, so fast. And they can just, just the maneuvering of the chair and having that skill set is something that can't be overstated. So shout out to them holding it down.

14:47 And just taking away one of the mechanics of the classic shot. Like you use your legs in shooting. So to take that away and... completely rely on the upper body, that's got to be difficult.

15:00 Sam, from one court to another, I'm going to bring it back to the WNBA because we're wrapping up season. I'm really excited about this next guest. I've known her for a long time. She's been a visionary for a long time. She's the daughter of Camouflage and Kia Brooks, and it's just seeing her grow from NCAA champion to a stellar rookie in the WNBA. Love seeing her find her footing in Seattle and breaking records there as a rookie.

15:27 Flage Johnson, step up to the show. We love you so much.

15:30 Hey, bookie.

15:34 My favorite person in life is on the call. You know how I feel about you. I don't play about this one, Sam. That's all you need to know.

15:41 Nice. That's what's up.

15:46 But she just completed her rookie season. She's completing her rookie season right now. Literally... When you enter the league, you might have had a thought of how it would be. How did your thought process change from the first day you entered to right now?

16:02 Bro, I was like, man, I'm going to be good. Like in the league, I was going to be really good. Like it's so much space. Like it's so much opportunity. Like it's so much, you know what I'm saying? It was like, of course I knew like, dang, I would have to learn and I have to grow and I have to go through growing pains. But I was like, dang, I can be really good. And now I'm like, wow, like I can be really, really good. Like if I continue to work and I'm like, wow, the work really worked.

16:25 Like you feel me? Sometimes you think like you just be working.

16:28 Yeah.

16:29 Like sometimes you think you just be working and it's not, it's not paying off. And then sometimes it just clicked. That's why you just got to stay consistent and disciplined. And I just, I'm just thankful. Cause when I was in college, I was nervous. I was like, how's my game going to translate? Like I knew I was good, but I didn't know. but God really put me in the right situation and it's happening for me.

16:49 Yes, and congratulations on that. Congratulations on an awesome season. But just speaking of being put into the right place, I've been watching you since LSU days and we watched your growth there from kind of being with Angel, having her mentorship and then her leaving and you kind of stepping into more of a leadership role in the team.

17:09 How do you feel that has transitioned into your WNBA play as far as having those experiences and like, do you see that stuff reflected on the court with you?

17:18 Yeah, I feel like it's different forms of leadership.

17:22 Like, you know what I'm saying?

17:22 Like, but I do feel like I have a leadership quality that just people just follow me sometimes, which is just like hard for me to even wrap my head around because it's like, I'm trying to lead y'all.

17:33 Like, you know what I'm saying?

17:34 I'm trying to figure it out myself. But you know what I'm saying? But I think when you're like a natural born leader, like you kind of just, you have to take on that responsibility. It's a blessing, but I think, yeah, I'm built for it. I'm built for everything. I think anything that comes my way, I'm able to just shake it and move. You know what I'm saying? Because I'm able to adapt, which is one of my greatest traits as a leader is just adaptability. But I think just learning, you know, because I'm a very emotional person. So just learning how to lead emotionally as well.

18:01 I mean, you have adaptability. You have charm. You have finesse. Like there are so many things that make you like literally I would run through a wall for you at any given time. But one thing that really tickled me recently was you apologizing to Asia. I know you've been asked about this all the time, but what the heck?

18:20 Bruh, okay. All right, let me take you through this shit, right? I was watching it last night when I was on the plane, and I was like, oh, it's your fault.

18:27 Don't you, don't, not to my child, bro.

18:30 Bruh, I was like, it's your fault. First of all, yeah, I was for all rookie too, by the way. But I was like, oh, it's your fault. And she's like, no, who set the screen? My man set the screen and I didn't call it. So she didn't know that Asia was coming. So I had to do it.

18:44 But I didn't even know it was Asia. Like, and you know, like when you blocking somebody, if you a real hooper, you gonna say, give me that shit. You feel me? And then I seen it was Asia Wilson. I was like, oh, I'm so sorry, ma'am.

18:53 And I was like, oh my God.

18:54 Sorry, ma'am is crazy. I was like. Like, the point of the story is to call the screen, but, like, you were there. You were there. Let's be honest. Like, you covered. That's right.

19:08 But I was like, damn, like, I realized who I blocked, and I had said it, and she was on the ground, and I was like, oh, no, she gonna try to send my shit.

19:14 What if I ever try to send my shit?

19:16 For real. For real.

19:20 That's hilarious. There is so much camaraderie within the WNBA. We see it all the time. In your rookie season, who have you gone to for advice? Who are your go-tos?

19:34 Of course, my teammates, like Natisha, Ezzy, Awa, of course, Dom, but also just around the league, I would say Jonquell Jones and Natasha Clow, they've been two people that really been like, if you ever need anything, I got you. I was like, wow. I really appreciate that because I'm a competitor. I love to compete. I think people are sometimes taking it the wrong way, but I'm really cool as hell off the court, whatever, whatever. But, you know, those are two vets that kind of just was like, nah, that's not on my team. That kind of took me out of my way. Especially like NECA too. Like NECA always, always have, you know what I'm saying, lovely things to say. And, you know, just whoever, who else? Sabrina. Sabrina. She's always great.

20:17 Kayla Clark. Everybody like, they really try to pour into me, you know what I'm saying? They tell me like, you're going to be great. Like, you know what I'm saying? And I just try to cling on to that, you know what I'm saying? As much as possible because they the greatest. Like that's who I want to emulate. That's who I want to be. So it felt good to really get that from them. You know what I'm saying?

20:32 Mm-hmm. Well, I'm never worried about you reaching the highest point of anything. And you have showed us that, like, you can walk and chew gum, right? You can rap and you can hoop. How has your rap career been able to be sustained despite being a pro? Like, what's the booth versus court balance right now for you?

20:50 Well, it's amazing. I travel with my studio equipment everywhere I go. You know what I'm saying? Like, I travel with it. Like, I'm always making music. I'm always creating because, I don't know, basketball is just so great for me to have that outlet. of music and you know I'm saying to just be able to let go it's kind of like my therapy a little bit so I just I'm always doing something and I can't sit still I don't know I might be a little ADHD or something like that I cannot sit still exactly apparently I'm not but you know I can't sit still so I've always got to do something like I'm always journaling I'm always writing I'm always planning and so it's been then people the WNBA season is condensed but it's so much free

21:25 time like in the pros like Once you're done with practice, girl, you're going to do what the hell you.

21:28 Want to do.

21:29 She's grown now.

21:29 How can I maximize this time? For real. How can I maximize this time to, you know what I'm saying, do my other thing that I love? So it's been great. And I got a project dropping soon.

21:39 Good to know. And we talked to Clarissa Shields, the boxer, a couple of days ago. Oh, really? I love her. No, she loves you, too. She said that she wants to collaborate. We were like, if you were on a project with anybody who you wanted to be on, and she said flop. I just want to let you know that. I don't know if you knew that. That's real. That's real.

21:59 You know, I'll hop on something with her for sure, for sure. I actually want her to be in, like, one of my music videos because I have, like, this theme of, like, a boxer, you know. I want to be a boxer in the video, but, like, she would be a way better boxer. You know what I mean? Hey, bro, you seen that video of her doing it with the goddamn.

22:16 I want to see it happen. I got to see it happen. Honestly, y'all two together, I can only imagine.

22:22 We got to make that happen.

22:23 We got to make it happen.

22:24 We're going to make that happen. We're going to make that happen.

22:25 Let's show.

22:26 Speaking of you being a busybody, you are going to be playing in Unrivaled this season. You know what I mean? How did you feel about that transition, FlaJ? We're a transition crew. Did you like my little transition from.

22:38 You're doing amazing hosting, Sam. As much as you know. You're doing amazing.

22:42 Yeah, yeah, yeah. That was good. That was good.

22:44 Father said, good wordplay. Good wordplay.

22:46 You love that.

22:48 Yeah, you're going to be.

22:49 I do a lot of interviews.

22:50 You're playing in Unrivaled this season. What are you going to be looking forward to playing in this league?

22:55 Really just working with everybody. Like, I'm trying to train with everybody. Like, I'm trying to be in the lab after I brought... You know how much better I could get if I'm training with all these great players and I'm, like, taking stuff out of their bag and I'm Bro, like, I'm very excited about that. I'm about to actually write in my journal, like, who I want to train with and what I want to take out of the game. Like, you know what I'm saying? I think, you know, for me, it's just about being a sponge, especially doing something like that, but also just taking advantage of the opportunity to put in front of me as far as, like, the marketing, you know what I'm saying, and the league and the

23:25 business of Unrivaled. Like, I think that's very important. You know, this league has been, you know, it's been, like... coming at like three years old, I think, you know what I'm saying? Maybe four. I don't know. Since I've been in high school, but it's been like, since I've been in college, but it's been like so beautiful to see, you know, the money that they paying, first of all, you know what I'm saying? Paying women so they don't even have to go overseas and can stay home. But also just the exposure and the camaraderie and the basketball kind of all year round. I think it's kind of cool, you know, but to also get that break. But I'm excited, you know what I'm saying? Like I'm going to watch

23:59 it on Rivals, so. want to get in my 1v1 bag so i'm gonna show what's up so we'll.

24:03 Look out for for 1v1 uh but flaw when you you kept saying like or you keep saying that you want to get better and you want to get better you want to get better but what is what what do you want to add what specifically like let's get very like in the thick of basketball terms and like just keep it basketball because i don't think you get better as a person because you're my fave but as far as like basketball wise what can you add to your bag.

24:24 Yeah i think um I wanted my three-point percentage to be more consistent. I don't want anybody to be able to be like, yeah, we could just go under the screen on her. No, I'm going to light you up. I think I want to slow down when I'm going through the hole. You know what I'm saying? Be able to make better reads off two feet. I think getting more of my mid post work. So when I have smaller guards on me, putting on my.

24:46 Back, fading.

24:47 Long with the middie.

24:48 You know what I'm saying? So things like that.

24:49 Yes.

24:50 I love to make my shit. But I also just want to be in better shape. Like, if I'm going to be one of the best two-way guard of the league, like, I got to be in amazing shape. So, like, that's what I'm going to be focused on, like, going into an arrival and, like, ramping up into the season, like, being in the best possible shape. I can be strong, physical, fast. Like, so I think those are, like, the lanes that I've been working on. Like, that's going to be, like, year two for sure.

25:14 Speaking of just being a sponge too, I saw that video where you were talking about Jackie Young's hostage dribble and how you incorporated it.

25:22 Yeah.

25:22 Because it kept getting you. And I just thought that was super dope. I just thought that was hella funny. It's super dope. And just like, that's a real hooper to me. You were like, nah, I was getting hit with that shit. I had to figure out how to finesse that. You know what I mean?

25:37 Yeah.

25:37 And I think that's just adjustments and just being like humble enough to be like, you know what I'm saying? Like, you know, like, You know, I got to get better. You know what I'm saying? And then just being free enough and childlike enough to try it. You know, some people will be in their head like, no, I don't really want to.

25:52 I don't want to.

25:52 And I'm like, bro, I'm about to try it. I don't care. Like, you know what I'm saying? Like, you know, I think, shoot, if you don't have that confidence to be like, I'm going to shoot it. Like, you'll never know. You're going to make it or miss it. So I just think, shoot, you got to try.

26:05 I love that you mentioned that childlike curiosity because that is something that you encompass. You literally have childlike desire to learn and just grow. How do you maintain that? How do you maintain that spirit that you have? That's hard.

26:19 I ain't going to lie. But I think the easiest way to do it is just to set aside social media, set aside the distractions, and really just focus on what really matters. At the end of everything, who are you? Without basketball, we took the basketball out of my hands. We took the music out of my hands. Who are you as a person, I think? I'm a kid and I just like to have fun and play and joke and prank. So, you know, I don't know. I kind of try to think about that, stay in my own world a little bit.

26:49 Love being a minute. Sam, Sam perked up when you said to be a kid and joke and have fun.

26:54 Oh, that's how, that's, you know, that's how I live life. That's how, that is my standard of living.

26:59 That's how you gotta be. Absolutely.

27:01 Can't take it too serious. Like, it's not like we making out of here live. So it's like, yeah, have fun.

27:05 You know what I mean? Like for real, I think once you really start to understand this is going to be weirdly deep, but mortality and stuff, you know what I mean? You go, you go like, Hey bro, you know, I think, I think mortality.

27:20 And just like, I was, this Ms. Cruz is just my grandma's like friend. She's like a hundred years old. She started a hundred in October. And I was just with her and I was just like, wow. Like, I need to do more with my time. I need to live. I need more memories. I need more experiences. I want to have stuff to talk about, and I want to have wisdom. It was like a boom for me. What am I doing on social media or scrolling and doing all this when I could be making experiences? I'm not going to be young and turn forever. I want to be, but I'm not. I don't know. It just gave me a whole other perception of life. Slow down, but also just live.

27:55 Yeah, that's crazy how y'all are, like, playing into the levity. Because, you know, Sam, both of y'all know this. I struggle with just, like, letting go and just living. So I am getting inspired here.

28:05 I did, too. Like, real control freak.

28:08 Real control freak.

28:11 But, like, one of my, from LSU, one of my mentors, she was like, if you holding on to something like this, like, you can't receive, you feel me, like, what God got for you or whatever. So, like, you got to just let go and just let it go. That's probably the best thing she ever told me for sure.

28:27 We better have a sister soul circle going on right now.

28:31 I told you.

28:33 Every time you talk to Flo, you feel like you need to just like, that would be great. I just feel like, damn, not the youth educating us.

28:40 Damn, child.

28:43 I guess we got a game in here. It feels like we got so deep. What if we.

28:49 Needed this, Sam? What if we needed this?

28:51 We went to mortality. We went everywhere.

28:54 It started with a journal, then it was like Childlike Curiosity, now it's like mortality. I was like, I need therapy. For real though, me too. Are you going to introduce the game? Sam, go ahead.

29:07 All right, I can introduce the game. We got a game for you to play. We like to end it on a little fun note. So basically this game, we're going to say if things are flaw or nah. So we're going to list some things. And you'll say if it's flaw, meaning it's something you've done before. If it's nah, meaning it's something you haven't done or something you absolutely would not do. Say less.

29:29 All right.

29:30 So I'll kick it off. Listening to the same song 15 times in a row.

29:34 Flaw. Absolutely.

29:35 Faking an illness to get out of going to an event.

29:39 Okay.

29:41 I done did that a couple of times.

29:44 Child, my hair ain't done. I ain't going. Honestly, image is everything. I'm not showing up, girl. If I'm not looking the part, I'm not showing up. Calling somebody like a pet name if you don't remember their name.

29:58 A pet name is crazy.

29:59 No.

30:03 No.

30:04 This is a good one. I'm actually really interested in this answer. Writing a lyric about someone who had no idea the song was about them.

30:12 Flaw.

30:12 Ooh, I'm bad with it, too. I be dissing and all, like, yeah. So, yeah, flaw.

30:18 Wait, what was, okay, can I be messy? What was one bar that you're like, this person will never know it's about them? But just spit it, just spit it real quick. They'll never know.

30:27 It's probably one of my heartbreak songs. Like, one of my, one of my flaw in B tape. I wrote about, like, all my exes on that. I'm not going to say all, like, I got a lot, but I wrote about my exes on that tape.

30:38 Okay, speaking of ex, using a burner account to stalk an ex.

30:42 Let's floss.

30:45 I'm just a girl.

30:47 Well, it don't even work no more because Instagram be like, they have viewed your post.

30:51 Or TikTok be like, they have viewed your TikTok.

30:52 Why would you do that? Why would you do that? It is the same number connected, girl. We can't do it no more.

30:57 That's so messy. That's so messy.

31:00 Consulting AI for a second opinion before sending a text.

31:04 That is my first opinion. Oh, my God.

31:07 Real quick.

31:08 I'll be like, hey, chat, am I tripping?

31:15 Before you got on, Sam was like, I need more friends to like celebrate me. But I'm like, maybe for all you need, you know, to talk to your homies. Like, is this sound good? You like to keep it within though. My girl is very introspective. Okay. For her chat against the world.

31:29 But, Man, my chat gets down. Somebody trying to go through my chat while I'm swallowing my phone. I swear to God, me and my chat gets down.

31:38 So whoever's in Seattle right now, go snatch up Flo's phone. We got to see what's in her chat, girl. Oh, my God. That thing locked up.

31:45 Locked up. Passcode on the chat.

31:48 Not too full of secrets, girl. Sending a long voice note in the middle of a text conversation because you don't want to be bothered anymore.

31:54 Yes.

31:55 Flaw. For sure.

31:56 For sure.

31:56 That's me to a T.

31:57 Because if you, I will not text back. Yeah, for sure.

32:01 And this last one, we got putting headphones in so people won't talk to you.

32:08 Clock it. And there ain't going to be nothing playing. And then they come up to me, I'll be like. I'll be like, oh. Like, girl, you see my headphones? What was that? What did you say? That's going to be 100%.

32:18 I do that all the time.

32:19 What did you say? Oh, my bad.

32:21 Well, this show is called Everyone.

32:22 They're going to be like, Flage is.

32:24 Just nuts. Just nuts. Now you done told on yourself a little too much. Now we know your secrets. Now I'm about to be in your phone. I'm in your business.

32:32 Now I'm in your business.

32:33 Literally.

32:34 Now I'm in your business.

32:34 Literally.

32:35 This show is called Everyone Watches Women's Sports.

32:37 You know you're my sister.

32:38 Period.

32:38 And you stuck with me. The show is called Everyone Watches Women's Sports. So we have to know what, outside of yourself, obviously, what women's sport storyline or person have you been watching lately?

32:49 I've been watching Layla Edwards. She's like the first black woman to play hockey in the Olympics, I think. Don't get me wrong. I don't know.

32:58 She definitely represented for USA Hockey. We love that she's golden this year.

33:02 Yeah.

33:03 So shout out to our girl, Layla.

33:05 That's dope.

33:07 I love you. Thank you for letting us in.

33:09 I love you too.

33:10 And I cannot wait to see you again. And Sam, this is my little boo.

33:17 Nice to meet you, Sam.

33:17 Nice to meet you.

33:18 I don't know you yet, but if she rock with you, I'll rock with you.

33:21 I appreciate you. Thank you so much for hanging out.

33:23 For sure.

33:24 Yeah, that was hella dope, talking to Flo like that. It got a little deep, too.

33:28 I didn't expect it to end, Sam.

33:30 No, it was super, super fun. I've always loved watching her, and her energy's just been hella dope to watch.

33:37 We got to get in the booth for her one day.

33:38 For the first time.

33:38 With her and Clarissa, we got to get in the booth.

33:41 We got to see that Flo go. We'll provide the ad libs, okay? You know what I mean? But we have more guests. Today is like a party, hearty, fun kind of day. So we got some more people joining us right now. Joining us is one of the stars of the World Surf League, Hawaii's very own, world number one, Gabriella Bryant. You can settle this debate. Me and Ari have it. What was you talking about? The colors of candy. Like, flavor-wise. Like, you know, you got your red. We, you know... Red candy or blue in a Starbucks. What is the best one out of always? Red, for sure.

34:20 Absolutely. Oh, a thousand percent. That's why I only eat red candy. And Sam seems to be like, you can't just choose the red. Yes, I can choose the red. The red is great.

34:28 You can't just choose the red. Everybody wants the red.

34:31 I don't see a problem. It can still be my preference.

34:34 You buy the pack with just red and pinks. That's the way it is.

34:37 Y'all can have the pinks. I'm staying with the reds. Anyway. Gabby, hey, girl.

34:43 Thank you so much for being here.

34:44 She's off the water. She's on land. Gabby, you don't know this, but I have been actively trying to get Sam in the water on a board. So we have these weekly lessons with Sam learning new sports. And I want you to tell her why she should be in the water on a board right now.

35:03 Should be in the water on a board because it's honestly, it's the best thing ever. Being in the ocean is the best. Surfing is very hard, but once you get it and you click and you ride the wave, I can tell you, you're going to want to do it over and over and over again. So if you just start, then you'll be good to go.

35:22 I totally like, there's a part of me that's always wanted to surf. I was telling Ari that like, I grew up 90s, like a lot of surfer movies, like the Surf Ninjas and like a lot of California beach movies when I was a kid. So I was like, I need to be one of those like surfer dudes.

35:38 Yeah, it's a whole vibe.

35:39 It's a whole vibe.

35:39 I feel like if I could get it, I'd be on the water all the time. But I have no core and I have. Zero balance.

35:49 Oh, well, well.

35:50 Well, that might be a problem, but we can work on it.

35:53 That might be the two things you actually need to make this successful. But something else you need is power. And Gabby, the announcers, when I was watching your heat, your last one, the announcers were talking about how you're consistently the most powerful. But when I think of women surfing, I think of power, but I also think of poetry in the water. So how do you harness your power and just the fluidity, especially with Hawaiian-style surfing, too?

36:18 Yeah, I think, um, yeah, obviously I love power surfing and like I said, the announcers, that's kind of what I'm known for, but I think the way I like to do it is I just like to like, like the way is my canvas. And then I just like to do huge arts and big surfing just to just make a statement and just like, it's kind of like a way I express myself. I just love the way it feels. Honestly, there's no better feeling than just doing big power cars rather than like, if you can slide and stuff, but just like doing it powerfully and like, All the way, rail to rail is the best. So that's what I try to do.

36:50 The first time, like, I don't know what it's called, but like when you in the thing.

36:54 Yeah, the barrel. The barrel.

36:56 Yeah. And it's just like over you and you just like. Now, the first time you did that, what was that like? Because I really just want to know. I'm asking like, I just really want to know questions.

37:10 Okay, so everyone said you're not supposed to like look up going over you. And of course, that's the first thing I did. It's like you look up and in surfing, where you look is where you go. So just imagine things coming over you. You look up, you go up and over. So that's what happened the first few times.

37:26 But yeah, being in the barrel is awesome. That's probably like one of the most rewarding feelings. Like power surfing is great, but being in the barrel and coming out of it is like, that's indescribable.

37:38 It's like, I don't even know.

37:41 Yeah. I don't even know how to describe it, but if you could somehow experience it, whether it's in the ocean or a wave pool.

37:47 It's got to be the closest like a human comes to being Aquaman or being just like, I run the water. You know what I mean? I'm in charge, bro.

37:55 You come out and you do feel like that.

37:57 You're like, wow.

37:58 But then the next one, you try again and it'll smash you. It'll tell you who's the boss real quick if you get too confident.

38:05 And you know, we were just talking to a basketball player about just control and holding on to control. But like, I love surfing because it's the one thing that I can't control. Like I, you can't, you can't overpower the water. You're just not going to do that. But for some way or some way you're able to make it work for you. And, and I think that's so dope Gabby.

38:24 So like when you're out there and you know that you can't control the conditions of the water and you know, you have to, you know, pull a score out or something like that. How do you take control with also understanding that you have no control?

38:35 Yeah.

38:36 Um, I mean, I mean, we all love being in control. I love being in control, but like you said, being in the ocean you have you there's little things while competing that you can control but a lot of it you can't like for instance the last contest at lowers like my semi-final there was 20 minutes of no waves and I was in the lead so I was like okay this is great this is great I just don't want a wave to come but I don't have control of that I'm just sitting there being like well I did everything I can now it's up to mother nature if she's going to send a wave to my competitor and She didn't, but that's just like, and then in the next seat, I needed a wave and I'm sitting there and there's no waves coming. So those things you

39:12 can't control. There's like little things that you can pick up on like while watching like patterns or whatever in the ocean. But ultimately, yeah, you have zero control.

39:21 So someone who's like new to watching, you know, competitive surfing. Me, Sam.

39:30 Yes.

39:32 What should they be looking for when we watch you compete next in Portugal as far as, like, technique?

39:38 Ooh, that's a good question. Well, Portugal in specific is a beach break.

39:42 So that's, like.

39:44 everything in surfing gets jumbled up into one. You can get barrels, airs, big turns, and it's just moving all over the place. So I think for someone who just is learning and just starting to watch is look for like the big moments. It doesn't necessarily need to be a long wave or loss of turns, but if there's like a wow moment, that's usually what captures the judge's attentions and the viewer's attention. So that's kind of what, we try to do as competitors is just give the judges the wow moments because that's what gets them really excited and gets us the big scores.

40:17 And you've been able to accumulate a lot of those and you're the world lead and world number one and you overtook Carissa's spot and you all are good friends. So what's it like competing against your besties in order to get those top spots?

40:33 It's so funny. It's, it's kind of a weird one. Um, this is yeah, she's one of my best friends. And like, obviously, she she just came back from a two year break and having her daughter. So when she told me she's coming back, there was like, no doubt in my mind that she'd do great. But if you would have told me that we'd be one and two going back and forth trading off the top spot, I wouldn't have believed you.

40:54 And it's like, it's so funny, because after the final at lowers, she came down and watched and she was cheering me on, which is like, it's, it's incredible. Like she's number two in the world. She's going for a world title too. We're such good friends. And she came down and she, after I lost, I got second in the final. She came in and she's like, well, you got the yellow Jersey. I'm like, well, I don't want the yellow Jersey. There's so much.

41:14 She's like, no, you have it.

41:16 You have it for now. There's just so much that comes with it, but we keep it super light. I mean, like, um, we surf together all the time. We just do like all the girly things. Like everyone's always like, well, are you guys like, like, um, is there any weird tension? It's like, no, we just like, talk about some stupid dating show or like some, we just like talk about the girly things and that's like the best part. We'll go shopping and stuff like that. So I think we're such good friends and we do a really good job of just keeping our friendship like, like how it normally is.

41:49 And then if we get a heat together, it is what it is. But for the most part, since we're number one and two, we don't match up until the final. So that's, that's pretty good.

41:57 I love the community that you have. But you decided that, to not have a full-time coach. So what went into that decision and how are you able to achieve these goals and continue to grow without that?

42:11 It is, yeah, it was a big decision. I stopped having a full-time coach at the end of last year and it has been tricky just the, just cause I'm like, I'm in charge of my own career fully now. Like I don't have someone being like, okay, we're going to do this, this, and this, like, right. Like we're going to surf in the morning. We're going to dream right now we're going to do this whatever I'm like okay I need to do that I need to make sure I'm doing enough but not overdoing it so it's more on me which is which is pretty cool because I get to have more control of my career but the other side of that is it's been so cool getting to know different people around the world and like I don't think one person has the right answer for someone's

42:55 like coaching career, of course, like there's amazing coach and athlete relationships and I wouldn't have changed my path of working with a full-time coach. But now just getting little bits of information from different people, I think that's like the best thing I could have done for myself because everyone has little pieces of advice and I can take what I want and I can take what I, or not take what I don't want. So, um, I'm kind of just, yeah, figuring it out this year. It's obviously been pretty good for me. Um, You're doing something right.

43:25 You're doing something right. So I've met a lot of people. And then when you go to these places, you're like going to people's hometowns. So you get like the best experiences of wherever you're at. And I think that's been the coolest part is just seeing how excited whoever I'm working with is to just help me a little bit in their hometown.

43:44 This is hella random, but I just be random like that. What's your favorite surf movie?

43:53 Okay, so this is so bad. This is so bad.

43:57 Before this year, this year I started working with a filmer. And before this year, he's like, what's your favorite surf movie? And I was like, I don't really watch surf movies. I just doom scroll on Instagram and TikTok.

44:09 He's like, we've got to change that.

44:11 So I've actually watched a few this year. And I don't know if you've heard of one, but there's one called Let's Be Frank. And it's actually so good.

44:20 Let's be frank.

44:21 I'm going to write that one down.

44:22 We have to watch that because I.

44:24 Haven't seen that one. Have you ever seen Surf Ninjas?

44:27 No.

44:29 Get into it.

44:30 Okay.

44:31 They surf, but they also.

44:34 They ninja as well. Ninjas.

44:36 Okay.

44:37 I'm going to have to look at it.

44:38 I mean, yeah.

44:40 I mean, I've watched like Surfed Up and stuff. I don't know if I'd call that a surf movie, but yeah.

44:45 I'm going to check this other one out that you just said.

44:47 Let's be frank.

44:47 It's pretty good. I just wrote down my phone.

44:50 Well, thank you, Gabby. It's been so good. Wait, wait, before you go, before you go, make Sam promise you that she'll get on the water with me. Okay.

44:59 Sam.

44:59 Can I hear it?

45:00 Gabby, I promise. Listen, I'm going to tell you a truth before I do this. I'll promise you.

45:06 Yeah.

45:06 But it won't mean much to me to break it because I've never really met you in person.

45:14 Well, you could come to Hawaii and meet me in person and go surfing.

45:18 I promise you that I will come to Hawaii and I'll meet you in person and go surfing.

45:24 There we go.

45:25 Sounds good.

45:25 Signed, sealed, and delivered. Thank you so much, Gabby.

45:28 Signed, sealed, and delivered.

45:28 Thank you.

45:29 Thank you for having me, guys.

45:30 Sam, it's going to be so great because now you've made a pledge to not only our entire audience, but to Gabby. And you can't lie to Gabby. You just met her. We don't lie to new friends. We don't lie to people.

45:40 That's my ex. I'm good at going back on my word.

45:43 Oh.

45:43 Jesus.

45:46 But anyway, we have to keep it moving because like you said earlier, we have a lot of guests. We don't speak live. You're not getting me in trouble, girly. Anyway, we have our volleyball superstar, you know, just been so super, just dominant in the volleyball space between collegiate play at Texas to USA to Team Dream. We have Haley Eckerman.

46:16 First of all, get into the best sport ever. We have Haley.

46:20 Volleyball on.

46:22 I've been waiting for volleyball to be present.

46:26 I was going to say you have to lead this one. I just got my lessons last week.

46:31 Sam is very new to volleyball, but she's learning. You know the rules now. We know all the things. But what you need to know is Haley and company really made a statement forming this team. Haley, first of all, shout out to you for holding down the representation. It is interesting because navigating club and being the first or the only has its own challenges as you're trying to grow and learn the sport. When did you realize, I mean, obviously you talk about it in the doc, but when did you realize that you had to be loud about the fact that this is unacceptable, the exclusion?

47:08 Yeah, I think the more... I think about it now.

47:11 I had already knew that going into college volleyball alone. So I went on a visit, had it narrowed down to the school. And they're like, all right, so you be the first black girl here to ever play volleyball here. And we're going to use that to bring more black girls here. And I'm like, I'm not your guinea pig.

47:27 That's crazy.

47:28 But also.

47:29 I don't know.

47:29 I think growing up in high school, I mean, I was raised by a white mom. I didn't know who I was then. And so I think that once I got to Texas, I learned who I was because I had more than one teammate. I wasn't the only person trying to navigate it. So creating this, it was like, no, I need to highlight this even more. And I think we're still dealing with it. I don't know if you've heard.

47:50 Central Connecticut had a player this past weekend playing at Fairfield. and they were yelling George Floyd and they were making monkey sounds. Like it's still going on. And the only reason I knew about it is because the player is a twin sister of my player on, I can't, it's 2026 and we're still dealing with this.

48:07 I played volleyball as well. And I, like one of the coaching things that they told me was to take it out on the ball, right? Like the aggression that you have, take it out on the ball. But when you, when you grow up, within whether that's school, club, university, or other elite play, it comes with a delicate balance.

48:27 Because if I'm playing collegiately and I'm hearing George Floyd, I don't know if I'm reaching through the net. That is what it is. But you have to exercise restraint. So what is the delicate balance for a black girl out there who is being yelled at? This story is still stuck in my head about what you just said.

48:45 How would you advise to navigate the aggression on the ball versus the frustration you feel when you're racially targeted?

48:51 Yeah, I think that's the hard piece too is like, because you still are a person and you have to like.

48:57 Be able to have to manage those emotions.

49:00 And I think this kid, Brianna Gimley, she did a good job of like, no, I'm not going to allow this to happen. And they, there was a whole controversy that then they like stopped the game and those people weren't even removed from the game. So I think most of the time, a lot of those like, okay, it's removed from the game. These kids still stayed in the game.

49:18 Then they were saying like hushing people when she would serve because they were told they can't speak. And then she had to go play two more games like the next day and no one still had said anything. It's not like she left the next day and like Fairfield had to call her. Like nobody even went.

49:30 Up to her.

49:30 And so I think for her and just all anybody, whether it's in sports and just, and that's what this documentary too, it's like yes, it's a sports movie, but there are so many moments that we are the one of something.

49:44 Like we're the one in sports broadcasting.

49:46 We're the one in so many different spaces that it's like you have to find the balance to set those boundaries too, of like, how far are you willing to go? And there's been moments where I'm like, if this keeps up, I'm not going to play. And having to have that to where it's like, I'm still going to protect my peace in this, but I'm also protecting my peace by making a statement against it and letting you know that that's not okay. And that's what she did. And she's like, it was very professional written and how she came about it.

50:14 But it was like, no, I need to show that this is still a thing. And get people to understand that just because we think slavery isn't a thing anymore, that, oh, this doesn't happen. It's like, no, this still happens. And continuing to just bring it to light so that we can make it to where we're not having to be the victims in a sense of like, oh, we're just making this stuff up.

50:33 In that, and keeping in with what you're saying, what do you think is the next step in growing the sport to create more opportunities for young Black girls to be a part of it?

50:46 It's hard because volleyball costs so much.

50:48 So on the basketball side, you usually have sponsorships. On the track side, you have sponsorships.

50:54 So I have a 16-year-old that he plays basketball and pretty much his AAU team, they will pay for the hotel, pay for the travel, pay for the shoes, pay for this, pay for this. You're maybe dropping $ 300 at the most for a basketball team. Volleyball, if you're on a top team like in the Texas area, you're probably dropping.

51:12 Eight to $ 10, 000. And that's not including travel. That's not including your hotel. So when we're in this space that we're not able to, um, be in those spaces and it's not like, okay, basketball, I can go train myself. I can be outside of the park. Volleyball, you need a person to serve it to a person to set it to you. If you're a hitter, like you need so many more pieces into it. And so I think we have to continue to, um, our, our focus with team dream is, is get in there and find the kids who maybe don't have the funds for it, but they have the athletic training ability. And I think as coaches, we have to be willing to find those kinds of diamonds in the rough. Um, And like, I was just watching a kid recruiting and I'm like, she's not playing

51:54 in a great area, but I kind of, part of me wants her to stay in that area so that nobody sees her because if she gets the right training, she's going to be so good. But like, I want to be the person to do that versus her then getting it now and then going off and I don't get a chance at her. But I think that's going to be the barrier for the longest time is just the cost of club because you get a lot of kids that are athletic, but then they're not in areas.

52:17 So then they're kind of put into a position or a box that they shouldn't be in also. So a lot of times it's like, oh, you're black, you're tall, you're athletic, you're going to be a middle. And not everybody is meant to be a middle. Some people are meant to be the setters and meant to be the liberos in those pieces, but because they're kind of put in this box based off of color and athleticism, that takes away from some of it too.

52:37 Absolutely.

52:37 It's kind of like, oh, a black person can't be a quarterback type of situation.

52:43 You know what's funny? When I talk to gymnasts, a lot of times the language, like as a journalist, we always say like, oh, she's powerful, right? It's like that's the only adjective we can use to describe what their gymnastics looks like. And a lot of times with the hitters, for black hitters, it's the same way. She's powerful. What's your relationship with the word power?

53:06 See, and I it's funny because I was known as like a powerful hitter, but I had a heavy arm. So like the way the ball came off was heavy.

53:13 Yeah.

53:14 I think more times I hear like she's athletic. It's like, OK, well, then where's her IQ? And a lot of girls aren't taught the right IQ because they're put in this box of like you're going to be a middle.

53:26 So then they don't know how to play anything else.

53:28 Mm hmm.

53:29 And so then they're not growing as far as the IQ of the volleyball piece because it's like, just go here and just jump and hit.

53:36 And it's like, no. You just stay there. Yeah.

53:39 And you're not given the actual tools to be able to be the elite, especially.

53:44 When you're not at a top club getting those trainings.

53:46 Well, touching on coaching, in the doc, you had a relationship with your coach at Texas, Salim Rockwell. And they just showed how close that relationship was. But now that you are a coach yourself, what lessons have you taken from her into your coaching?

54:03 So I got pregnant in high school and she was like the mom for me. So I called her right away like, hey, here's what it is. And I still call her to this day. And so really trying to take the athletic piece out of it as a coach and really learning about them as women. And as girls changing to adults has been the biggest piece for me.

54:22 And I think that that's why Salima made such an impact on us is it wasn't just about us as the volleyball player, it was us as the person. And I think sometimes we get into these positions and you can kind of see it with all sports. Like it is, you are this person, the football player, so-and-so the basketball player, like we don't pay attention enough to the, who you are as a person. And so that's been really on all levels of coaching when I was at the high school level. And now my focus is like making sure when they walk away that they know who they are when this sport is over.

54:55 Well, let's lighten it up. I love watching Texas volleyball. Listen, every year I'm like, oh, look at them go. What was the most lit part about playing in Texas?

55:05 I think just the pride that we carried.

55:07 We knew going in, and now it's kind of gotten better, but we did not care who was on the other side of the net. And the way we played was just like that. Like, we didn't care how much you got upset that we celebrated. We didn't care how much if we... Like, there's that moment where it's like, oh, she hit you in the face.

55:24 Are you okay?

55:24 Like, there was none of that. Kat was talking to me on the side. Like, obviously, you can't get physical like you can in basketball. But Kat would be looking at me like, she thought she was going to block you, but, like, say it out loud.

55:35 Mind you, Kat is so loud, Sam. Kat is the loud one. So, just letting you know they heard her.

55:40 She's jumping up and down. Like, we were just talking about it. She just got inducted into the Texas Hall of Fame this past weekend.

55:45 And someone was talking about.

55:46 Just the high fives that she was getting because she was so amped up.

55:49 Mm-hmm.

55:50 Like, we were, like, bracing yourself, like, hold on, this high five is about to hurt.

55:53 Like, but that was just us. Like, we did not care.

55:57 So, like, the year we won the championship, they gave the player of the year to the Oregon girl the night before. And Longhorn Network did this documentary, and you could see Cass' face, like, okay, bet. Like, because it was, like, me... Our other outside, Bailey, and then the Oregon girl. And so when they gave it to her, like, everybody was like, okay, bet. Like, that's what you want to do? And so Kat was the type that's like, oh, did the princess get hurt? Like, she hit the ball off her pinky. And like, that's how we were. Like, we just played that. And if we weren't like that, people were like, what's wrong with Texas?

56:27 So we continued that.

56:29 And then.

56:30 Team Dream, we just allowed that to just be us.

56:33 Everybody's in timeouts all tight, and we're just like, we're dancing, we're having fun, we don't care.

56:39 Swag surfing all up and down these people's courts. Yes.

56:41 We just wanted to have fun.

56:42 We were like, we're going to let you know we're here, but we're going to be as blackety black as it's about to be, and we're going to run around the court and do all this, and that's just how it's going to be.

56:51 I thought it was really cool when I kind of picked that up when I was watching the documentary, and I was really interested in kind of, One, it was like, wow, some of you guys played together, but some of you guys had played against each other in college and stuff. And to have to have known about each other, I can't imagine if there's not a lot of black volleyball players that you guys don't kind of all know who each other are and have seen each other several times.

57:13 So to now assemble on one team and get to look and see just you at every turn and kind of have that camaraderie in that moment, I was like... how did that feel like feel? You know what I mean? Not just like, okay, we get it honestly, but how did that really feel to have that moment in your career? And then I thought about the black girls who was on other teams, and I was like, damn, they probably salty.

57:39 Because I know if I was on another team, I'd be like, dang, I didn't get that call.

57:43 I'm salty.

57:45 And when y'all dancing and stuff, and I got to be huddled up all tight, I'm looking over like, dang, it look fun over there.

57:50 It look fun over there.

57:51 Yep.

57:52 Yeah, so one of the ladies that we ended up interviewing, Danielle Scott, she was on Team Freedom, I think.

58:01 She was on one of the teams that we played. And she asked us after, like, why didn't I get the invite?

58:05 And I was like.

58:07 To be honest, it just started as friends.

58:08 I knew you because you were on the national team, but one, I didn't know you were still playing. Two, I didn't know you like that. I didn't have your phone number in my phone. But yeah, it just got to that where.

58:18 I'm like, sorry.

58:19 You my OG. This is like a new brain.

58:23 Yeah, I'm just trying to have my friends on here.

58:25 That's all.

58:25 Well, Haley, here's to more building and growing and making the volleyball space inclusive. I'm really inspired by you all. I'm one of the owners of San Francisco Signal, so I really am going to be continuing the agenda and making sure that it's an inclusive space, and I just wanted to let you know that what you all did and the demonstration that you all had was super important.

58:50 I wish I had that growing up. We're the same age, so I wish I had that growing up, and maybe it would have been, maybe I would have chosen that sport, taken it far instead of the other sport that I chose, but I am so happy to have talked to you and it's been real. Thank you.

59:04 Yeah, this was awesome.

59:05 Thank you.

59:06 Yeah.

59:06 Thank you for having me.

59:08 Everyone catch We Belong Here, the story. of team dream featuring Haley premiering Saturday September 26 on OWN.

59:20 Thank you to all our guests for being here that was what's up that was that was dope that was a dope little run we had today I learned something We're here to educate. Spilled my soul a little bit.

59:32 You did spill your soul.

59:33 You know what I mean?

59:34 And you pledged waterworks.

59:36 Did all the things.

59:37 Love that.

59:37 You know what I'm saying? We're going to keep what we're watching next a little short because we know what everybody's watching. And that's the WNBA. We know that's what you'll be tuned into this Sunday because the season has officially ended and we're getting the party started.

59:52 Playoffs, baby!

59:53 You know what that is. And then you know what else you can always do is tap in with us Every Thursday, we'll see you back here, same time, same place, in your face.

1:00:02 In your face.