Nneka Ogwumike & Matt Barnes on WNBA Growing Pains, Kobe Bryant, Sports Betting, and Scammers

#TheShop is talking hoops from every angle this week with two vets bringing the NBA and WNBA into the same conversation. Hosts Steelo Brim and Travis Bennett are joined by basketball legends Matt Barnes and Nneka Ogwumike to talk shop about the wild Daejon Love story involving an alleged $1.3 million scam, the fallout from the Clippers’ massive Kawhi Leonard penalties, and who they’re picking as their dream 2-on-2 partners. Nneka gets real about the rise of women’s sports, the growing pains that have come with it, the loss of Kobe Bryant and what he meant to the game. Matt has some words for NBA officiating and upgrading the referees is #1 on his list. They also get into the emotions athletes face when it’s finally time to walk away from the game. 0:00 - Intro 00:53 - Daejon Love and Scamming Culture 07:15 - Advice for a rookie in the WNBA 09:30 - Does Media Insert Themselves To Create New Narratives 13:39 - The Relationship Between The WNBA and NBA 19:33 - The 1v1 Basketball Scene 24:55 - Nneka and Matt's Early Upbringing in Sports 27:10 - Matt Barnes Speaks On His Love For Baseball 32:50 - Which Sports are Best to Watch In Person 35:58 - Is Sports Betting Good or Bad For Sports 39:56 - What Nneka Would Do as WNBA Commissioner 45:20 - Professional Overseas Hoops 51:00 - Are People Using the WNBA as a Platform for Attention 53:03 - The Face of The W and NBA 01:00:12 - Nneka on her Final Season 01:07:01 - Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing 01:11:20 - Good and Bad Sports Acting See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.