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NBA All Star Weekend, the Winter Olympics, superstars like Damian Lillard—they all entertain us, give us something to talk about, and above all, inspire us.
On this episode of the WHAT Podcast, Kendyl recounts her adventures in Los Angeles during NBA All Star Weekend. Then she and Tara discuss the NBA Western Conference playoff race down the stretch and whether Damian Lillard should be in the MVP conversation (of course he should!)
This week’s guests are Rekaya Gibson and Angela Spears, co-hosts of Black Girls Talk Sports Podcast. They talked about how the podcast got started and why they chose to make it centered on black women, then we cover a variety of topics like the Winter Olympics, the NBA All Star Game, female basketball coaches in college and the NBA, and athletes using their platforms to address social justice issues.
Timestamps
1:00 Report from LA: Kendyl talks about her All Star Break adventures. Seeing Charles Barkley on Jimmy Kimmel Live, live taping of Inside the NBA roadshow, trying to catch Damian Lillard and DeMar DeRozen at the Spalding event, Bleacher Report event with a “celebrity” game.
6:50 Thoughts on who the All Star Weekend is really for.
9:45 The All Star Game--did the new system work? Was it a better game than it has been in recent years? Steph Curry looked like he didn’t care about winning. Damian Lillard should have been in at the end.
14:40 The Dunk Contest. What are the rules? How do they keep score? Is it really a good idea to have celebrity judges?
18:30 Celebrity Game. Note to the organizers: WNBA Players are basketball players, not “celebrities”. Much respect to him but we’ve seen enough Paul Pierce this year, thanks.
20:10 Sprint to the NBA Playoffs. Tough competition in the Northwest Division. Damian Lillard deserves to be in the MVP conversation. MVP should be the player who makes the most difference to their team.
28:50 Black Girls Talk Sports Podcast co-hosts Rekaya Gibson and Angela Spears. Growing up in the Midwest and Louisville where sports was a big deal and coming from sports-loving families.
34:10 What does sports mean to you? Sports has taken on a new meaning since doing the podcast. It’s shared entertainment that we can all talk about, and can bring us together.
41:10 Some of the favorite topics they have covered on Black Girls Talk Sports include the Nigerian women’s bobsled team, Black Girls Surf, when will women coach in the NBA, and should college athletes get paid?
48:00 Most interesting topics in the NBA this season: Player movement (trades), LeBron James and the Cavaliers, are they still contenders?
53:00 Winter Olympic sports will kill you but they sure are fun to watch.
56:20 NBA All Star game is not fun to watch because they players don’t play with passion.
57:00 How the NBA All Star game and the Olympics are different right now.
59:05 Athletes using their platforms to address social justice issues.
1:01:05 Women who inspire: Nancy Leiberman, assistant coach for Sacramento, who is breaking barriers and who never let lack of encouragement hold her back. Cheryl Miller has been an inspiring role model and an incredible player.
Get Social
Find our fantastic guests on Blackgirlstalksports.com, @RekayaGibson and @Coach_Spears
Follow Blazer’s Edge on Twitter @blazersedge, WHAT Pod @HoopsAndTalks, Tara @tcbbiggs, and Kendyl @kendylbennett16.
Questions? Email us: hoopsandtalks@gmail.com!
Women’s Hops And Talks (W.H.A.T.)
Join the Women’s Hops And Talks Facebook group to talk about Trail Blazers with others who identify as women who love basketball.
Join other #BlazersWHAT fans to watch a game together once a month. Next WHAT Meetup is March 25 at McMenamins on Broadway in Portland, Oregon. We will watch the Trail Blazers take on the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Music used in the episode: “Happy Alley” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License