- 7/1/2025
Variety Innovation in TV Brunch presented by Google TV
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PeopleTranscript
00:00I'm a big sports buff. I'm a big women's sports buff. And I am proud. I miss no opportunity
00:09to say, especially now, but 1997, my former husband and I, we made those drives. I'm a
00:18ride or die LA Sparks fan. And I'm very proud. And 1997 was the inaugural season of the WNBA.
00:25And I am really proud that that was a fun time. That was the fabulous forum days.
00:31And that was, it seems like an eternity ago, but to see the league and just to see what
00:36players that came along, such as your generation of players that came along and just, you know,
00:41kept it, kicked it into overdrive and to see where it's going. I want to get your thoughts
00:45a little bit about that, but I want to, you're a busy person. You've got a lot going on. There's
00:50a bunch of stuff to get to. I really want to start though, the theme of this conference,
00:55certainly the theme of this, this event, this brunch is reinvention, how the, how the
01:01entertainment, the media world, the landscape is changing so much, so many aspects of our
01:05cultural changing. You've just written a book that, you know, enormously successful, very
01:11well received. And I'm going to, the title is, and this is, this is so funny for can. The
01:17book is the can do mindset, how to cultivate resilience, follow your heart and fight for
01:23your passions. And I'd love to just, you know, the, the, the thinking that went into putting
01:28that, to kind of putting your thoughts and the, you know, just the way you have been
01:32able to do the way you were able to, from the time you were a kid to, you know, have the
01:36discipline to be in sports, to go all the way to becoming a champion, an Olympian. Tell
01:41us about sort of how you thought about, you know, how, what you wanted to say in the
01:46process of putting that all down on paper in the book. Well, first, hello, everyone.
01:52The, my name's Candice and growing up I was can, so not like C-A-N-N-E-S, but C-A-N.
02:01And basically I grew up in the shadows of my two older brothers. I was eight and 11 years
02:06younger than them. And I was the little sister that wanted to do and be everything that they
02:12were and are. My oldest brother played 10 years in the NBA with teams like Cleveland with LeBron
02:18and played with Chris Posh or Chris Posh in Toronto. And then now he's a general manager for
02:24the Orlando Magic. And my middle brother, he, he's just a doctor. So he's the black, he's the black
02:31sheep. He's the black sheep. Merely a physician, right? Yeah. He's just a doctor. Went to Johns Hopkins
02:35undergrad at Wash U. So he's just, he's just the doctor in the family. So I had huge shoes to fill
02:41and my mom could see that I struggled with that a great deal. And so she started this mantra and
02:48every time I would doubt myself, whether it would be a test or big free throws in a game or whatever
02:52it was, she would whisper like can do. And so that became kind of my mantra in my head. And as I got
02:59older, whatever the task was, I would kind of say that. And then the book kind of, I've always wanted
03:06to be an author. I'm an avid reader and amazing. Thank you. And so it kind of started becoming an
03:13acronym for what I hope to represent and you know, what I hope to be. And that's community.
03:19It's where I come from. Authenticity, negativity, navigating it because it's a part of life.
03:25The dash, which is the journey. It's not about the start or the finish. It's about the process,
03:29relinquishing results and you know, opportunity seizing and creating it. And so I'm a product of
03:37parents that didn't limit me being a little girl. There were no different expectations for me than
03:44my brothers. It was, if you want to do it, you're going to work hard. You're going to commit to the
03:48process. You're going to learn something about yourself and you're going to develop the mindset
03:52to be able to be successful wherever you walk in or whatever room you walk in. And so I'm just
03:57grateful for where I come from because I think my parents set the tone. 97, um, the inaugural WNBA
04:04season. But for me, it was 96, the Atlanta Olympics changed my life. Yep. Just watching set the,
04:10it's at the bar, the seeds of what the WNBA David Stern, former NBA commissioner told me himself
04:16that he got, he saw those women killing it and said, why is this only once or twice a year on TV?
04:23It's a great story, but it was title nine babies. Yes. And so it was time to
04:27grow. And so we're seeing, you know, what, 20, 24 years later, title nine babies had the opportunity.
04:33They were center stage, took hold of it. 96 sparks leagues in soccer and basketball. And then now
04:40we're seeing 20 years, 25 years later, the impact of what that has been. And opportunity is a real
04:47thing. And it's just amazing to see that society is giving women's chance, women's sports, a chance
04:52to grow. And then now the visibility is catching up. So it's an exciting time for sure.
04:57It, it, I think that's very well said. And, um, uh, I want to talk about, you've been part of that
05:03growth and innovation in the new league, the startup league called Unrivaled, a three on three league of
05:09female players. I want to talk a little bit about that and your, your TV announcing work, but, but about
05:14the book, that introspective, the introspective process, obviously you can't, it sounds like an
05:21incredibly nurturing environment. Sounds like a fair amount of competition too. And that is never a bad
05:26thing. And, um, uh, you're, I mean, your parents must just be so bursting with pride with all, with all,
05:32with all of their children. What did you learn about yourself? What was hard about putting all that
05:38down on paper? Did you, you know, this process must've forced a certain amount of introspection
05:44and looking at, you know, how, how you got to where you are. I retired. I pressed send on an
05:50Instagram post in April, um, of 2024. And, you know, they, they say athletes die twice. I completely
05:59believe it. Um, you, when you end your career, I mean, that was my first love. Basketball was something
06:04that like prom, are you kidding me? I want to go to a basketball tournament. My mom had to
06:08convince me to go to prom. And then the next morning I left on a 6 AM flight. Like I was
06:12obsessed with the game of basketball. And so putting the game down, um, it was therapeutic
06:18to be able to have something to, to write and to reflect. Um, and I think through basketball,
06:24I mean, I'm sitting here because of the game of basketball. I played overseas for 10 years.
06:29I played six years in Russia, two years in China, one year in Turkey, and I've met so many people
06:36as a result of the game. And so I think being able to sit down and kind of reflect
06:40on all that the game has given me, all that the game has taught me, and then the mindset
06:46that was developed trying to be the best at basketball. And I think during that process,
06:52I realized like, yes, the ball has stopped bouncing, but my perspective, I can change the game from
06:57a different perspective. And so that's been my goal now. Um, and every single thing I do,
07:02it has always been to make things better and leave the game better. And so now in this next
07:08phase of life, like whether it's business, whether it's ownership, whether it's, um,
07:14commentating and being a voice for the sport, um, I want to continue to be an advocate and,
07:19you know, front and center and driving the game forward.
07:22In, in researching some stats, you have a lot of firsts in February of 2023. You were the first
07:29woman to do any kind of color commentary on an NBA all-star telecast. It's hard to believe that
07:36it took to 2023, but, but thank God, thank goodness you got there. It's so crazy. Cause,
07:43um, my wife and kids get sick of hearing me. Like, I'm tired of the glass ceiling. Like,
07:48can we just break, can we just break it already? You know, and it's 2025. And so
07:52to be sitting there at Turner and I work with guys like Shaq and Charles Barkley and Isaiah Thomas
07:59and some big personalities, some big personalities. And I think going in, it was, you know, okay,
08:05she's trying to be one of the guys. I was adamant about trying to be one of the players.
08:08And I think that that's where sports are in general right now. Like we have females that are on the cover
08:15of video games and little boys. Yeah. And little boys and little girls are looking up to women in
08:22leadership positions. And I think that's what sport does sport. You know, my nephew, my brother played
08:2710 years in the league and my nephew wore my Jersey to school for Jersey day. And I was like, yeah,
08:32like, of course, of course, dad, you know, he had a cute career, but he knows the deal, you know,
08:38type of thing. And so I think it's really crucial that we continue to have women in these positions.
08:44And, you know, and I think society will benefit from it.
08:50Unrivaled, which had its inaugural season from, if I've got it right, January to March,
08:55a slate of about, was about 20, 22 games or so. You're on TNT. How, and that, I mean, I think
09:01that just the idea that a startup female three-on-three basketball league, it's all, you know,
09:08it's all radically innovative. The fact that there is a home on a major platform like a TNT,
09:13that says a lot about where we are. How, how was that for you? You know, you really, I mean,
09:19three-on-threes existed, but not in a televised, in a competitive league type of form is certainly
09:24as elaborately as you've seen with Unrivaled. How has that whole process been? And forgive me,
09:29I should know this, but are you an investor in Unrivaled?
09:32So I am announcing for TNT for Unrivaled, and it was the inaugural season in Miami.
09:37Then that answers my question. You would not be invested if you're on the, if you're on air for
09:41TNT. No, no, no, but I was on air for TNT, and I thought it was really cool because in television,
09:47you know, a lot of times you'll have one or two women on set, the whole entire set, camera,
09:54camera, camera woman, like director, producer. It was really cool to see not only in the investment,
10:01but the intention behind bringing the best product that we could to TNT. And so it, I was from the
10:09era of, you know, you, you play basketball from April to October in LA, and then October, usually
10:1714 days after your season, you get on a plane and you go to Russia or you go to Turkey or you go to
10:22China. To make you, to make income for the rest of the year. And then you come back in around April
10:27or May, and then you play the WNBA season and it's rinse and repeat. And I did that for 10 years.
10:32And so to now see a league where these women can stay here and make great money. The sponsorship was
10:38unbelievable. The, I mean, the people showing up for the games, um, the response has been great.
10:44And so to now have that as an opportunity, I think it's, it shows the growth in women's sports.
10:50A hundred percent. Um, and I, I heard you saying that you, that although that could be challenging
10:57and difficult on your schedule, that you gained a lot from that, from meeting people and in other
11:02countries, understanding how the game of basketball resonates in other countries. Is there any
11:06experience or something that stands out to you from, from your time playing in overseas leagues?
11:12Well, I think the sky's the limit for sports in general, uh, being overseas and, and seeing,
11:19I played in China for two years and, um, um, I had a signature shoe my second year in the league.
11:24And this young lady had every colorway of my signature shoe. And I signed almost every game.
11:31She would bring a different colorway. I'm guessing that's a pretty big investment.
11:34And it was, it was really cool to see because I feel like, um, you know, basketball is worldwide,
11:41um, sports is worldwide. And so to see the type of support from here to there, um, and especially in the WNBA,
11:48when you'd see fans that would travel from miles and miles and miles, um, abroad, it just speaks to
11:55like the reach of, of sport. And of course, on unrivaled, you have Megan Rapinoe, you have some
12:01very prominent, uh, female athlete investors, women investors that are bringing that how for just from
12:07what you observed being involved in, you know, sort of being in that orbit, how, how, how did the,
12:12the development of that, how did the launch of that league go? Of course, any startup is going to be
12:16challenging, but what, just from your observations, what did you, what did you, what impressed you
12:21about what they were able to pull off? I mean, putting it on the air right there, that's a feat,
12:24but I'm curious what you observed. You know, how like something meets a perfect moment and you have
12:30been prepared for so long. I think that this league met a moment where growth was at an exponential high.
12:36And when that happens to be able to bring a new brand of basketball to television, and it's like,
12:46people are intrigued to watch it and to see it. It's three on three, it's full court, it's shorter
12:50court, it's, um, target score. So fourth quarter, it's just plus 11, whatever your score is. So
12:56there's competitive, I mean, you're competitive in the third quarter because you got to get to that
13:01plus 11 in the fourth. And so I think just the concept of it, um, sparked the interest. And,
13:06you know, again, I think the sky's the limit for women's sports in general. And then I think what it
13:11also did is it, it challenged the WNBA to step up because of the player experience, because of,
13:18you know, I mean, they had a mother, they had a room that nannies came and watched the kids. I'm like,
13:24I wish I had my daughter my first year in the league at 23 years old. I wish I would have had somebody
13:29that could meet me at the arena and she's not hanging all over me at the locker, you know,
13:32type of thing. So I think just the intention behind what they were able to accomplish, um,
13:38makeup rooms and, you know, uh, relax and lounge chair, like just things like that, I think have
13:44challenged the WNBA to up their player experience. And now a lot more teams are, you know, they're,
13:49they're breaking ground on a practice facility that's, um, dedicated to just women.
13:53And I understand that this past season of WNBA, um, or the previous season of
13:59WNBA was the first time that, that most teams took charter flights. It weren't flying commercial,
14:04which sounds, I mean, you know, it, it, it's hard to believe in this day and age that it,
14:09that it took that long. So it really, I have to say this. So everybody's like, Hey, are you,
14:14are you good with where the game is? And you know, you guys were on 6am commercial flights and
14:19you know, all that stuff. The only thing I'm salty about is the, the chartered flights. That's the
14:24only thing where I'm like, you know what I mean? I'm going to be the old vet. That's mad. Yeah.
14:28Cause that's incredible. I mean, recovery, you're able to figure out your schedule. You're able to
14:33have practice when you want to, and not based off of when flights are. So you think about just in
14:38terms of competitive advantage and recovery and rest, which is what all athletes want and need
14:44sleep. You have such, exactly. You have such a platform now and you, you certainly no stranger to
14:51using your voice just recently. You talked about, you know, you, you shared an opinion about the WNBA
14:55and what it needs in terms of really allowing player development that you were talking about.
15:01The, the rosters need to grow from, I believe is it, it's 11 now and you're, you would suggest to
15:06them, forgive me 15. Yeah, exactly. Okay. I got the numbers right. Um, and that, you know, I think
15:11that's an, I think that's interesting. Obviously you're using your voice in a, in a strong way,
15:15but also just the fact that you said that made, made such a ripple effect that also shows that
15:22people are paying more attention to women's sports and actually having a conversation about how to
15:26make it better versus like, Oh, we're so happy. It's on at midnight, you know? Well, the thing is,
15:33is, um, the surge in sport, the, the game for the NCAA finals was just put on ABC two years ago.
15:42Um, like the NBA who I, I work for does everything in their power to not go head to head against the
15:49NFL. Um, and so I think as much as we're fighting for endorsements and sponsorship and all of those
15:56things, we're also fighting for visibility in time slots that people will watch and turn on
16:04naturally. And the numbers have not lied. And that's where this surge in women's sports is to me.
16:10It's NIL. That's what it is because then you've established a baseline number, right? What someone
16:16has is worth whatever. And then you carry that into the WNBA. Whereas before there was no base
16:23number. Right. And so then you're going into the WNBA and you're going to kind of take what they give
16:27you. And now I see women that are on social media that have more followers and are able to capitalize
16:34on that and kind of, you know, they did a comparison of watched in the NCAA men's, you know,
16:40like almost like daily show, go around and ask who won the men's championship. And not many people
16:44could, could tell you that, but they're watching the women. And so it's, it's something that the
16:48WNBA has had to step their game up because why, where's the drop off when they get to the WNBA?
16:54Let me just ask you, you referenced NIL name, image, and likeness, which has been for American
16:59college athletes has been a huge game changer. It's been literally legal decisions at the highest
17:04level. That's the second thing I'm mad about. I didn't have NIL in college. There's two things.
17:09Let me ask you though, do you, obviously there's benefits because, because college athletes can
17:14have, you know, have a bit more business activity than was previously restricted, which is obviously
17:19great and game changing. But is there in the, in the bigger picture now with college students being
17:26so, you know, so many athletes are now followed by the time they're teenagers. Is that a level of
17:33pressure that, of course, you know, athletes thrive on pressure, but is that a level of pressure and
17:39sort of fishbowl activity that, that could be challenging for a teenage athlete? Somebody who's
17:44not even, you know, going through high school and all of a sudden has followers at the level of,
17:48that we've seen some of, you know, some athletes have. Can you, can you think about sort of how
17:52you came up as a star athlete in high school and what that might've been like to be, you know,
17:57on Instagram and in the way that we are on social media platforms now?
18:01Okay. And I was in college when Facebook had the EDU policy. So you had to have an EDU to be on
18:07Facebook. People, I see people nodding. We're like similar ages. And then they let parents on
18:11and I was like, I'm out. I'm not, I'm not going to stay on, I'm not staying on Facebook.
18:14Officially not cool.
18:15Yeah. I was like, you dropped the EDU. I'm out. Um, so I didn't have social media like that in college.
18:21Um, but there's still pressure. There's still eyeballs. And so now you're just basically
18:27paying kids for what they're worth. Obviously there's going to be more pressure with the more
18:33zeros that are added to your check. But I think that this is an opportunity for kids to capitalize on
18:39their talent, their work ethic, um, and, you know, and utilize that. Let's be honest. There are a very
18:48handful few that are able to make it to the next level. Even the childhood stars, right? Um,
18:58it takes a lot to be able to make it and be successful at the next level. And so I think
19:02now, especially in college, you're looking at kids that are able to capitalize on their college career
19:07because there is no pro after that. And so I'm all for continuing to more. So for me, my mission is,
19:15I mean, financial literacy. I think that that's the biggest thing, uh, obviously along with mental
19:20health and making sure that they're able to balance being a whole human as well as an athlete.
19:26But I think it's financial literacy because giving these kids this amount at 14, 15, 16 years old,
19:33I think that we have to do a better job of equipping them with the right skills to understand what
19:37they're actually inheriting and getting. And, um, and so I think that, you know, the NCAA has to
19:42definitely look at that. Yeah. There's a lot more to come here, but it is, it is, it is interesting to
19:48see your, your point about the relatively few that can legitimately go pro. It is very interesting.
19:53So much to talk about here. I want to ask you though, I want to wrap up with, um, you're a discerning,
19:59you're a woman of the world. You're trout, you're a discerning person. Love to know about sort of your
20:04media habits. Do you watch a lot of TV? How do you watch TV? Do you watch on your phone? Do you
20:09watch on your, your big screen? What, what are some of your, like your consumption habits?
20:15So I'm a big, um, yeah, street, like I like watching television later. Sports is on at my house 24 seven.
20:22So I'm the one that watches the game, the pregame show, the game, Fox sports. It's on at my pregame show,
20:28the game, then the post game reactions. Then I watch it over and over and on a loop. And then
20:32the next morning I'm like, okay, let's get the reactions. And my family's like enough. Like,
20:36can we turn this off? So we got to know what Steven A. Smith thinks. I got to know, I got to know what
20:41I'm going to say on air the next day. But, um, I, I say it's my job when really I'm, I'm a fanatic.
20:46I love sports, but, um, we have two little kids. So I have a three-year-old and a one. So 16 year old,
20:52three-year-old, one-year-old. So a lot of my consumption of television that, you know,
20:57like TV shows happen at like nine 30, 10 o'clock. So I just made it through season three of white
21:03Lotus. Um, it wasn't, it was incredible. If you guys have not watched it, it took a long time just
21:09because, you know, the little kids, but, um, got through it. So I'm, yeah, I, I consume kind of
21:15like when the kids are in bed, nine, 10 o'clock streaming, all that. Do you have a, I'm curious,
21:21do you watch an old fashioned TV set? Do you watch an iPad, your phone mixture of both?
21:25Probably television. Yeah. On TV.
21:29Shout out for old fashioned television, old fashioned television. Is that what it's called
21:33now? That's what I was just, that's what I call it, but that's just me. Candace, we could talk for
21:38another hour. There's so much going on. I just, I cannot wait to see where you go next and watch
21:43more unrivaled. And, and I'm very eager to read your book. I appreciate it. Thank you so much.
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