She Got Next, Episode 42: Pepper talks to Jennifer Azzi

Pepper dives right in, asking Jennifer Azzi about the hiring of Becky Hammon and here is what Azzi had to say:

“Hiring Becky is incredible for the WNBA is not just for the Las Vegas Aces. It raises the profile of the league. She’s a great coach, and she is the ideal coach to coach here and coach the Aces. So hopefully, as time moves on, it will be less gender-focused as it relates to coaching. But it’s just great to see that the best coaches want to coach in the WNBA.”

The ladies speak about Nikki Fargas, the president of the Las Vegas Ace; this is what Jennifer said about Nikki:

“She’s awesome. She’s an amazing leader and brilliant. And yet, she’s got a great moral compass. She leads with her heart, her spirit, and it’s a pleasure to be here working with her.”

Azzi expanded on the Aces staff; this is what she said: “there’s no other franchise that has a partnership with an NFL team and with a rich history like the Raiders, so it’s different. It’s fun, it’s exciting.”

Azzi didn’t shy away from winning a national championship with Stanford and playing for coach Tara VanDerveer:

“When I was at Stanford, I was part of Tara’s first recruiting class. And I think the year before we got there, the team had single-digit wins. And then, three years later, we won a national championship because we had the right people joining, and we were on a mission to win a national championship. So we knew the work that it would take, and we lived in the gym.”

“And having, I think, the most intelligent, brilliant coach in the game coaching us, it was the perfect storm, the perfect fit to win a national championship.”

Enjoy Pepper’s latest podcast episode with Jennifer Azzi.