In this episode of the Draymond Green Show, Draymond Green, an on‑air analyst (Speaker B), and occasional guest Colin Cowherd discuss the rapid rise in popularity of the WNBA. They argue that the surge mirrors the NBA’s 1980s Bird‑vs‑Magic era, with Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese serving as the modern equivalents of those generational stars. The conversation highlights the importance of timing, star power, and cultural narratives in driving fan interest. They pay tribute to past WNBA legends—A’ja Wilson, Candace Parker, Lisa Leslie, Sue Bird, and others—asserting that current growth should also honor the groundwork laid by these veterans. The hosts compare the league’s 27‑year history to the NBA’s 77‑year legacy, emphasizing the structural head‑start the men’s game enjoys. They analyze the Los Angeles Sparks’ roster overhaul, focusing on young prospects Rekia Jackson and Draymond Green (the player, not the host) as key pieces for a rebuilding team. A substantial portion of the dialogue critiques the media discourse surrounding Caitlin Clark, noting that while her arrival boosts viewership, it can eclipse the contributions of long‑standing players and generate unfair narratives. The hosts call for male allies to use their platforms to support the women’s game and to let veteran players receive due credit. The episode also contains a sponsor read for Hyperice’s NormaTec Elite recovery system. Overall, the show blends enthusiastic, conversational commentary with critical reflection on gender dynamics, league development, and the future of women’s basketball.
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Welcome to the brand new Draymond Green Show YouTube channel. Hit subscribe so you don't miss out on any of our content. I know you're a WNBA basketball fan, obviously, with the past being a coach in the WNBA and knowing some of the great talent that's in the WNBA. What do you make of this massive rise in the popularity of, of the WNBA, and I think we're starting to know more and more of the players, which I think is huge. But what do you make of this current rise in the popularity of the game?
I mean, I think it's amazing, man. I don't even wanna say long overdue. Like, everything is about timing. You know, it's about different variables aligning in certain ways. And similar to the men's game, it takes, Specific players, not just great players, but specific players at specific times that create a level of interest and intrigue and greatness in their performance that brings people to the game in a way that, not because they're, Draymond Green was amazing.
Mm-hmm.
George Gervin was outstanding. Oscar Robertson was that dude. George Mikan was crazy. Pavlicek, Bill Walton. We just lost Bill Walton. We just lost Jerry West. Like those guys were as good as it gets. But the timing of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird coming into the league after playing in the NCAA title game, some of the underlying social things around a white player and a Black player.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah. Like you're seeing a little bit of that with Angel Reese and Draymond Green. And so it brings forth this conversation around like, there was a lot of discomfort in the '80s and there was a lot of assumption that white people were fans of the Celtics and Black people and minorities were fans of the Lakers. And there was this divide that was created as though it was Black against white when it really was Lakers fans against Celtics fans. And that's okay. Yes. And so I think the popularity of the game, it deserves it. We all need to continue to invest in it. I think as men, we have to continue to do more with our platforms, with our time, whatever we can do to not just talk about it, but like try to positively influence it and impact it. So that our daughters and our nieces and all the little girls that are watching this generation of player can grow up with this the same way we watched our greats before us and start to see themselves in those situations. So we, we have to prop this league up and make sure it continues to grow. Of course, Caitlin Clark deserves a ton of the credit because of who she is. But even when you turn the game on to watch her, you better watch what A'ja Wilson's doing.
'Cause she's killing. A'ja, by the way, on the way to being the GOAT for me. Oh my gosh.
Totally serious. You better watch what she's doing. You know, if you've watched in the past, I mean, Candace Parker just retired, but GOAT, right?
Yes.
You know, Lisa Leslie, like the history of, This game is littered with great women basketball players. And so the rise will also bring a rise to the respect that they deserve, that they didn't get just because they came a little earlier. You know what I mean? Yeah. But we gotta show them love too. So I love it, man. I enjoyed my time in the W. I would do it again. It's a great league. And I'm so happy that there's gonna be a team in the Bay Area now that the fans can support up there. And you know, that team will have my support too, for sure.
No, man, most definitely. I think the W and just watching the growth of it has been incredible because I think, you know, for us, we've always appreciated their talent.
Yeah.
You know, like we've always appreciated what those women bring. To the sport, to the game of basketball. And I think for them to start getting their due and like, it's not where it's gonna go. You know, like I think it'll continue to grow and grow and grow. And the reality is I think there's so much discourse around the topic because I do think the women do themselves a disservice at times of comparing it to us.
Mm-hmm.
And the reason I think they do themselves a disservice is total, actually, has nothing to do with the game of basketball, but everything to do with the W is now, I think, in year 27.
Yes.
And the NBA is in year now, maybe 77.
Yes. Right?
The difference in between 50 years for a company is drastic.
For sure.
It's like, like, Night and day. It's like General Motors and Tesla.
Yeah.
Like, the difference in between the companies are drastic. Now, Tesla may be worth more now, I don't know, I don't know the numbers or whatever. But point being, like, it's a drastic difference. And I think, you know, when you start to play the comparison game, you're comparing, like, strictly from a time standpoint,—
Correct.
A baby to like a grandfather. Like just strictly from a time standpoint, literally like 50 years is a long time. Yeah. And that is the head start that the NBA has on the W.
Yeah.
And nonetheless, like I said, to see these ladies getting some of the credit that they deserve, the notoriety is coming and it's happening. And I think it's great. Two young stars, I think, definitely now with the Sparks. What's your thoughts on Rekia Jackson and Draymond Green, the new young stars of the Sparks?
Yeah, I mean, when you think about the turnover of the roster and, you know, going from Hall of Famers and all-time greats in Candace Parker, Nneka Okonbokwe, you know, Chelsea Gray obviously becoming a Hall of Famer. So I can't wait for her to get back on the court. For Vegas. And so you think about the way the Sparks have now gone through that process. You know, we tried to stay away from the rebuild as long as we could. Mm-hmm. But now that's, you have to go through it at some point once that window closes.
Yes.
And so I think Draymond Green and Rekia Jackson are not just great players, but they have the size, the length, the versatility that similar to what's happened in the men's game, you need that on the women's side too now. Mm-hmm. Like you have to be able to defend multiple positions. You have to be able to play facing the basket. You have to be able to shoot the 3. If you can operate in pick and roll, and both of those players can do those things. And from what I can tell, they're high character young women. So those are great pieces that the Sparks have added. You know, the hard part is, as you know, when you've been winning championships and there's that legacy there, there's that feeling that it has to quickly get back to what it was.
Yes.
And instead of understanding like what you guys have, what great teams have, has been built over time and you can't rush that always. And so hopefully, you know, the ladies will get some time and get a few years together. But those two players specifically, you surround them with the right pieces, some good veteran pieces at the right time, I think there's a bright future in LA for the Sparks.
Before we get into it, this episode is brought to you in part by Hyperice. As you know, as a 12-year veteran myself, Adoree, A lot of guys miss out on the recovery that it takes to play in the NBA. It's important that my body can bounce back as I get older. As I've told you all before, I am a super big fan of Hyperice, especially the NormaTec boots, because I just feel like Superman when I come out of them. And as you all know, or may not know, I'm letting you know, the NormaTec Elites are new. They're the best. They've ditched all those extra hoses and the control units from the old model, so you You can get on the go if you need the NormaTec Elites. They are great. Uh, this one is fully self-contained with a small set of buttons to select your compression level. Super easy to travel with and to get set up after a hard workout, after a game, or if it's for you who's not an athlete, after a hard day of work or walking around or chasing the kids around. Because by the way, as I get older, Chasing these kids around, it's tough. And my son calls me old on the daily. So these are for you as well. On top of that, the NormaTec Elite packs 4 hours of battery life, which is enough juice to get full leg compression cycles in before games, after games, on the plane, after work, before work, at work. How about that? At work. You saw me podcasting in the NormaTec Elites. Yeah. And I was at work. That is my day job right now, as we have lost and the finals are going on and we're not playing. So don't get me started on the tech inside this thing. The Hyperice has been pioneering recovery science for years, and the brand new NormaTec Elite takes it to another dimension with 7 different compression levels to choose from. As I said before, it's not just for pro athletes, it is for you. Whoever is not a pro athlete, which most of you aren't pro athletes, and it is for you. So shop all your warmup and recovery needs at hyperice.com. Use code Draymond. For those of you who hate the name Draymond because you hate me, but you watch this podcast because you hate me, I got a gift for you. Use the code Draymond on hyperice.com for 15% off your order today. Exclusions may apply. 1000%. And before we get outta here, last question. You know, we have to talk about, like you mentioned, the player, one of the players who's brought all this notoriety, 'cause I think Angel has definitely done her share in bringing that notoriety as well. But less about the notoriety and more about the, just the discourse around Caitlin Clark. You got like a lot of people kind of talking for her and you know, she's not, not that she's hiding, but, these narratives just get pushed. What do you make around the discourse for Kaitlin Clark?
Yeah, no, I think, you know, sometimes people say all publicity is good publicity, right? I don't completely agree with that. I do think there are times where the discourse doesn't need to be completely what it is, you know? And so I think some of that has happened with Kaitlin Clark where we've, We've kind of gotten away at times from appreciating who she is and what she is.
Yes.
Without us, like, it's almost like people are trying to find reasons to kind of dislike or almost like attach it to her when in reality she's literally never said any of the stuff that other people have to say. While also I think those, narratives in that discourse, which is why you see such strong reactions from current players in the W, is that it almost kind of starts to like create this thing as though they aren't able to have a feeling or an opinion or an emotion around what's going on. Like they're supposed to just kind of shut up and be thankful for Caitlin's arrival to the league. Like she's saving your life. And while from a business perspective, yeah, we probably will be able to point to 2024 and her arrival as a launching pad, new media rights deal, a lot of the positive things that are gonna come to the W from this moment. But to, you know, if I'm A'ja Wilson, if I'm Nneka Ogwumike, if I'm Diana Taurasi, if I'm the one of the all-time greats, you can't tell me that just this one young lady alone should get all of the credit for, like, I should be thankful to her that, that, you know, I don't have to take a commercial flight anymore. As though all the work I've done in this league over the last 6, 7, 12, 15 years doesn't count. Like, that's what it sounds like when we try to make it seem like they're hating or jealous per se. And competitive, maybe.
Yeah.
That, I mean, look bro, I was and still am, I couldn't hold a fricking candle to Michael Jordan. And, but even when I was young and played in the league, I refused to wear Air Jordans.
Ah, that's why.
Like just generationally where like growing up, just from a competitive standpoint, it was different. The same way a lot of older guys complain about how respectful and how you guys show each other love and give each other flowers. Like, just because we didn't do that doesn't mean it's wrong.
That part.
Because we should have probably been doing more of that as men to show love and respect. But still, I wanna kick yo when we get out there on the court.
Every single time.
And so I think the discourse has gotten off track at times.
Yeah.
My hope is that at some point it'll quiet down around some of the negative things that have nothing to do with basketball. And we'll really start to like, like with Wemby, for example, like all of that was about basketball.
Everything.
He's a generational talent. We knew it. We saw it. He struggled at times. We were okay with it 'cause he's a rookie. He's not on a great team. He's coached by a great coach, but that's, it's not their time to be great right now. But we allowed him to go through his ups and downs. We followed his journey and we have to respect her journey the same way regardless of her color. Allow her to go through her struggles. Don't try to make it out to be a bunch of other stuff, but don't also try to make it seem like the ladies that's been in the W and been building this thing and brick by brick by brick for the last 27 years. 24. Just like they don't count all of a sudden because she's here, even if she's great. So I know that was a long answer, bro, but I just, I get passionate about it, you know, 'cause we gotta protect our women, bro. Like we just can't allow people to just kind of make it seem like it's whatever and it's just jealousy and envy when in reality you don't think they want what's best for the league, which—
Yeah.
She is. She is great for the league and the ladies understand that too. But like, don't make it seem like I'm nobody, you know, in the way—
Like I owe her something.
Yeah. Other than competitive respect. I mean, that was literally the Jordan rules, right? Since I brought up Michael Jordan, the Detroit Pistons literally did the same thing to Michael Jordan.
Yes.
Which elevated his level of play to what we now know as the GOAT.
The GOAT.
He had not won championships before that.
Yep.
He started taking notes, bigger, stronger, understand what they're trying to do, the type of system I need to play in, the way I need to be able to move without the ball, all of that. So anyway, man, I could, I could go forever talking hoops on the men's and women's side. I'm all about it. I love it, bro.
I love it. No, I love that answer too, because I think, like you said, Caitlin's been great, but I've heard no one say Caitlin got the opportunity to be this because all the sweat of these women that came before her. You know? So like, it goes, It goes both ways. Yeah. It's like Caitlin has 1,000% brought an uptick in popularity to the league, which is great. The league is not where it's at today to where Caitlin can bring that uptick if these women, back to Sheryl Swoopes and Cynthia Coopers and Lisa Leslies, like Rebecca Lobos.
Yeah.
Like, I mean, you go down the list, like, On to DT, Sue, Candace Parker, all that. Sue Bird, all that. Maya, Sylvia Fowles.
Simone Augustus.
Simone Augustus, right? Like without their work, then it also doesn't get to this point either. So I'm happy for what she's brought to the league. I'm happy to see them competing the way they competing. Like keep competing like that because at the end of the day, that's what people paying to see. They not paying to see, a, a, a soft game, a weak game. They're paying to see competitive basketball. So keep competing that way. I absolutely love it.
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