The9450

What does it take to build a championship culture, develop generations of elite athletes, and become one of the most influential voices in women's basketball?

Zach Draves sits down with legendary Notre Dame women's basketball coach Muffet McGraw for a conversation about leadership, legacy, and the continued growth of women's basketball.

A two-time national champion and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer, McGraw's impact extends far beyond the basketball court. From building Notre Dame into a national powerhouse to advocating for women in leadership, her career represents excellence, perseverance, and an unwavering commitment to advancing women's sports.

• Building the Notre Dame Dynasty: Establishing a championship standard and creating a culture of sustained excellence.
• Championship Moments: Reflecting on the 2001 and 2018 national championships and the players who helped define those historic runs.
• Leadership and Empowerment: Developing confident women, mentoring future leaders, and advocating for greater representation in coaching.
• The Evolution of Women's Basketball: Examining the growth of the college game, increased media attention, and opportunities for the next generation.
• Life Beyond Coaching: McGraw's transition into broadcasting, mentorship, and her continued influence on the sport.
• Legacy and the Future: What lasting progress looks like for women's basketball and what challenges remain.

McGraw retired in 2020 with 936 career victories, nine Final Four appearances, and two NCAA national championships. She was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017 and later became an ACC Network analyst.

On this episode of She’s Always Had Game, host Zachary Draves sits down with New York Liberty legend Kym Hampton for a conversation celebrating the history, growth, and legacy of women’s basketball.

Hampton was there at the beginning. An original member of the Liberty during the WNBA’s inaugural 1997 season, she helped establish the identity of one of the league’s cornerstone franchises and was part of the New York team that reached the first WNBA Finals. Before New York, Hampton starred at Arizona State, becoming one of the most accomplished players in program history.

Zach and Kym revisit those early days of the WNBA, what it meant to represent basketball in New York City, the personalities and competition that shaped the league, and how dramatically the women’s game has evolved from 1997 to today.

They also explore Kym’s journey beyond the court and what it means to see a new generation of players and fans embracing a league she helped build from the ground up.

Before the packed arenas, record audiences and unprecedented attention—there were pioneers like Kym Hampton.

🏀 She’s Always Had Game is about honoring those stories and making sure the history of women’s basketball is never forgotten.

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The conversation delves into the historic significance of the 1976 U.S. women's basketball team and the impact of Title IX on women's sports. It explores the team's influence on future generations and the evolution of women's basketball, highlighting the progress and recognition of the sport over the years. The conversation covers the impact of Title IX on women's sports, the historical context of the 1976 US Women's Olympic basketball team, the challenges and strategies against the Soviet Union, international competition and cultural exchange, and the transition to coaching and administration. The legacy of the 1976 US Women's Olympic basketball team is also highlighted.

Takeaways

• Title IX revolutionized women's sports
• The 1976 U.S. women's basketball team made history and paved the way for future generations Title IX and its impact on women's sports
• The legacy of the 1976 US Women's Olympic basketball team

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Nneka Ogwumike announced her retirement, exactly ten years to the day after her 2016 MVP season and Sparks championship. Daniel breaks down the full Hall of Fame résumé, franchise scoring and field-goal records, a top-five spot on the WNBA’s all-time scoring list, before getting into the CBA she delivered as WNBPA president. Plus: a speculative but well-grounded segment on whether Ogwumike could be next in line for WNBA commissioner, with Cathy Engelbert’s contract expiring this same season and Ogwumike declining to rule it out in an interview. And an honest look at what this farewell season actually looks like for a rebuilding Sparks team.

Indiana just went 9-2 behind all three of its stars peaking at once, Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, and Aliyah Boston, and Daniel makes the case for why Mitchell deserves to be in the MVP conversation alongside A’ja Wilson and Olivia Miles, not left out of it. Then the show heads west for a look at the Golden State Valkyries, an expansion-era team that’s built the league’s best defense in just year two, and the honest question about whether that formula holds up against the WNBA’s true elite.

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Undrafted. Overseas. Undeniable. This week on Real Basketball Talk, Daniel breaks down how Sydney Taylor went from a non-guaranteed Chicago Sky training camp deal to being on pace for the highest scoring average by an undrafted rookie in WNBA history.

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One of the greatest coaches in basketball history joins She's Always Had Game.

This week, Zachary Draves sits down with legendary Hall of Fame coach Van Chancellor for a conversation that spans one of the most influential careers in women's basketball.

Before championships became expected in Houston, Van Chancellor built a dynasty. As head coach of the Houston Comets, he guided the franchise to four consecutive WNBA championships (1997–2000), becoming the first coach to establish a true professional basketball dynasty in the league's history. Along the way, he coached icons like Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes, and Tina Thompson while helping lay the foundation for what the WNBA would become.

The conversation also explores Chancellor's remarkable collegiate success, his leadership philosophy, the evolution of the women's game, coaching some of basketball's greatest players, and the lessons that continue to resonate decades later.

Whether you're a longtime WNBA fan or discovering the league's rich history for the first time, this is a conversation you won't want to miss.

🏀 Watch now and celebrate one of the architects of women's professional basketball.

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This week on Keepin' It 9450, Kevin "Kdot" Lewis and Lolivia Pope dive into some of the biggest storylines around the WNBA.

🏀 Tonight's Topics:

• 🇺🇸 What's going on with the New York Liberty? We break down their recent struggles, slow starts, and whether they're still championship favorites.
• ☀️ The Phoenix Mercury have gone from Finals contenders to searching for answers. Is this a temporary slump or something much bigger?
• ⭐ Paige Bueckers for MVP? We examine her incredible five-game stretch, season-long production, advanced analytics, and why it's time to take her MVP candidacy seriously.
• 🎯 NEW SEGMENT: The Midrange Mafia
  • Lolivia gives flowers to Seimone Augustus, one of the smoothest scorers the game has ever seen.
  • Kdot highlights Detroit legend Deanna "Tweety" Nolan, whose pull-up game helped define an era of championship basketball.
  • Plus, we debate which current players deserve to join the Midrange Mafia.

Join us live as we break down the league with analysis, debate, history, and plenty of basketball talk from two people who love the women's game.

💬 Drop your thoughts in the comments:

• Are the Liberty still title favorites?
• Can Phoenix turn its season around?
• Is Paige Bueckers already an MVP candidate?
• Who belongs in the Midrange Mafia?

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Caitlin Clark can play. That’s not the debate today. This episode is about everything built around her. the “savior” framing that erases three decades of Black women who built this league, a bestselling author whose book advances her own storyline, a teammate whose “protection” doubles as a persecution narrative, and out of market pundits treating flagrant fouls like culture war flashpoints. Plus, a fresh, word for word breakdown of what got said, and what didn’t, when a player named racist harassment out loud this week, and why the person with the most power to change the conversation keeps choosing not to, until someone else forces her hand.

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No hot takes, just the tape. Daniel Artest pulls the file on Marina Mabrey’s historic stretch: a 37 point comeback win in Connecticut, then a 53 point night against the Sparks that ties the WNBA’s all time single game scoring record. This episode breaks down the actual mechanics, her release, her off-ball movement, the punch-dribble-into-stepback chain she’s using to punish defenders, and how Toronto’s four-out system turned her from a secondary scorer into the most unguardable shooter in single coverage in the league right now.

Enjoying the show? Leave us a rating & review on Apple Podcasts, follow along on Spotify and YouTube, and subscribe to The9450 Weekly Drop newsletter for game recaps straight to your inbox.