Locked On Women’s Basketball: Natasha Cloud, Shakira Austin join the show, talk Unrivaled, WNBA

First, Cloud spoke about the recent trade that is bringing her from the Phoenix Mercury to the Connecticut Sun for the 2025 season, and how she’s approaching the move personally and professionally.

“I’m still keeping things very enclosed,” Cloud said. ” … I think people just expect players to be treated as a business and go about it, because this is what we do. And while we understand that this is a business, there are still human beings behind that jersey. So for me right now, I’m just trying to focus here, at Unrivaled, at being the best version of myself and really just using the game of basketball as an oasis away from the craziness that is [the] business. But I will say, regardless, it is nice to be valued by an organization in Connecticut as much as they have valued me within this trade … at 33 I just need certain things for my career … I’m going into my 10th year in the W, and … I got to protect the way that I provide for my family. I got to protect the way that I go about making sure that I have longevity to my career. So I’m just handling it the best that I can right now, just trying to be respectful … making sure that at the end of the day, I continue to put myself and my family first, because this is what it’s all about, is providing for my family long term.”

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Then, Cloud touched on how important this coming period is for the league, with collective bargaining agreement (CBA) negotiations, and the opportunity to make significant changes to the status quo, just around the corner.

“There is a complete understanding from all of us that are a part of the W that this is the biggest off-season that we will have for the trajectory of this league moving forward, right?” Cloud explained. “I can remember when I was younger, and there were CBA negotiations, and all the OGs of the league were negotiating it for us, when we didn’t necessarily even understand what was going on, I’d be like, ‘What are we agreeing to? What are we not agreeing to?’ It’s 100 and some pages, like, you really have to read it in depth to truly understand what goes into it. But when you’re talking about moving forward, this is the chance for us, as this generation that is in the W, to truly make them pay us, make them be better for us, moving forward, in all aspects of which we need to have resources and opportunities to be elite. That is our ultimate goal, is to be the most elite versions of ourselves, that we can be on the floor every single night, so that this business and the W thrives.”

“… I feel like for far too long in these businesses … y’all are forgetting the people that make you go, whether that is union workers, whether that is WNBA players, whether that is other leagues across the spectrum, I think a lot of times people forget who make them go,” Cloud continued. “And in this league of the WNBA, your players make you go, and so your players should be treated as such, right? The elite level of product that they are giving you every single night, they should be receiving the same level of treatment in order to be the best versions of themselves every single night. So yes, that means charter flights, that means getting meals, that means being paid, that means getting stuff from our trading cards and our jersey. That means putting your money where your mouth is and rewarding the players that make your business thrive. And I think that’s simple. … What we are making this league compared to what we are being paid is not there. And so that’s what this new CBA is going to ensure, along with a whole other list of things that are meant to ensure our safety and taking care of our families, not only during our play, but long after as well.”

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Then, Megdal spoke with Washington Mystics center Shakira Austin, who is also currently playing for Unrivaled. She spoke about earning a greater leadership role with the Mystics, and what that means to her:

“I mean, in my eyes, I was a vet … I couldn’t wait for my rookie season to be over and not carrying bags for people,” Austin said. “I felt that sense of urgency since my second year, but now that we’re officially here, and I had just put this out on social media, you know, all of my vets from my rookie season, they’re gone. And I picked up on a lot of experiences, good and bad, from them, and what true leadership should look like. And I will say that coming to Unrivaled, really, I think, sealed the deal for what I have to come into with my next move and my next level, for being in D.C. I’m excited. I know what I could bring for a team, and I know that I’m a pretty good leader with rounding up the girls, you know? I’m young myself. I’m 24, so I’m someone they can relate to, chop it up like any friend would. But I also have that veteran mentality of, ‘We’re here to win. We’re here to be professionals,’ you know, do your job and show up, be there for your team. So I’m excited to see what that looks like. It’s a lot of pressure. But, I mean, my shoulders are built for it, and I’ve been waiting for this moment. So, you know, I’m excited.

Tune in to hear more from Shakira Austin and Natasha Cloud about their time in Unrivaled and their pro basketball careers so far. Make sure to subscribe to the Locked On Women’s Basketball podcast to keep learning about the WNBA, women’s college basketball, basketball history and much more!