Unbreakable | Aces All-Access Episode 8

[Music] this right here with the Connecticut sun was my last season I text her I said wait what is going on like this cannot be real I have been going with my gut in the last few years since leaving Atlanta I was really good with how I ended things with myself and my career you know we were just kind of going through list of players and I was like what about Tiffany Hayes they're like she retired I said I know I don't care call her anyways I said we're going to shoot our shot I was definitely all the way out the thing about me coming back was the first thing I said was like I'm I'm going to be good but it's going to be me mentally coming back because I was just so far gone I was like okay with where it was I got to end my story how I want to end my [Music] story you looking at my mom was my coach for my AA team small town really nothing to do that's that that's all everybody is talking about it Sports back then one of the parents on the team used to call me the Silent Assassin and I would always wonder why and I'm like okay I get it now now I understand where you got that from when you're young you need that validation I guess and that's for me that was when I started getting letters from top schools it made me want to even work even harder cuz like okay now I see that people are noticing of what I can do so that just made me go even harder Tiffany Hayes and I have a very special relationship I played at Connecticut for 5 years my junior year was Tiffany's freshman year and um I used to call Tiffany spoiled because I don't think Tiffany lost a game until she was a junior in college back then they used to say um Yukon was bad for women's basketball at one point but I I'm I'm thinking like why not make everybody step their game up like we're here we're putting in the work we're doing it day in and day out like I just said like all of us and we held ourselves accountable which was why we were so great and I I was loving it Tiffany had to come in from day one as a freshman um and and contribute and to see what she did as a freshman with a lot of pressure on her the whole nation looking at her and to not even stumble you couldn't believe a freshman was coming in doing this doing this well and I and without Tiff Hayes and Caroline doy those two freshmen that year we would not have won we had Maya Mo we had Tina Charles we had Renee mcgomery um but we also had all those pieces the year before and it was freshman like Tiffany Hayes that came in and made an impact from the day she stepped on campus welcome to the 2012 WNBA draft it was a little weird for me being there and not getting called but um everything happens for a reason I I now know that in my you know days of learning the timeing it got me in Atlanta which I had a very great career there when she got drafted to Atlanta I remember I was so excited because she was she was complete she could shoot the three uh she can get to the basket she can rebound she can push in transition so I knew we was getting somebody that can play it at all levels of the game at the time Atlanta Dream we were very very young um and our talent and our will really got us to the championship but the experience we lacked and that showed in the finals Tiffany was so driven because again Maya Moore now she may have had some other Yukon teammates on the team she was the best for the second time in three years the Minnesota links are WNBA Champion so it was it was very motiv motivating but humbling at the same time the Connecticut Sun are getting ready for another run at a championship and they made a lot of changes in the off season bringing in new coaches and new players including 10-year veteran Tiffany Hayes going there was great I like I said I had been going with my gut in the last few years since leaving Atlanta the year that I had I had a really good season so I was happy with that decision and I was happy with being done after that season with that decision as well when I heard that Tiffany retired when she was with Connecticut I I I text her I said wait what is going on like this cannot be real I felt she was so young in the game um she still could do the things that she did at a high level you know we were just kind of going through list of players and I was like what about Tiffany Hayes they're like she retired I said I know I don't care call her anyways I said we're going to shoot our shot she actually took our phone call so that was a good sign I was definitely all the way out the thing about me coming back was the first thing I said was like I'm I'm going to be good but it's going to be me mentally coming back because I was just so far gone I was like okay with where it was from day one she's just kind of been like whatever you need whatever you want you know whether I played her 5 minutes 25 minutes she has just shown this willingness to be whatever we need that night that kind of team person is is is really valuable so the fact that she has that approach and she plays with energy and competitiveness every night um it's something I really respect and also value it's good for me and good for the organization so why wouldn't I do it like I'm I'm allowed to change my mind Becky Hammond says she's the baller I want her on my team and where would they be without her tonight