WNBA ALL-STAR GAME

July 9, 2022

Kahleah Copper

Emma Meesseman

Team Stewart- Media Conference

Q. You guys are coming into this as the top team in the WNBA. I know you all are focused on the All-Star Game, but have you started to think about ramping up for the second half of the season? How much time do you really get to think about that in a short time period like this?

KAHLEAH COPPER: So I think that as important as it is to think ahead and continue to want to be in first place and think about the rest of the season, I think it's important for us to take this weekend to enjoy what we've accomplished. Too many times do we go through things that we've accomplished that are big things, and we're like stressed or worried about the next thing. But I think it's important for us to relish in this moment because not too many times where -- I'm a back-to-back All-Star, Emma is an All-Star again. Not too many times will you be an All-Star in your career.

So I think it's important for us to enjoy this moment, and we're professionals, so when we get back to the grind, we're going to get to it and worry about being No. 1.

Q. You're going against two of your teammates, which is kind of an unusual situation. What is that going to be like for you, and have you learned anything about Sloot and Candace in practice that you can use to your advantage tomorrow?

EMMA MEESSEMAN: Everything we say here, other teams might use against us, so we're not going to give you the scouting. We're going to use it for ourselves.

It's going to be funny, though, and we also know they're very competitive, so they're not just going to give us something because they're teammates. So we're going to do the same, I think.

KAHLEAH COPPER: I think Emma nailed it, but I definitely want to beat them. I've been talking trash to Candace all week, so definitely looking forward to winning.

Q. Kahleah, since winning the championship last year, what do you notice just in terms of atmosphere at your games, atmosphere around town? Do you feel like there's more buzz? Can you give me some examples of what's different? Is Chicago becoming a real WNBA city now?

KAHLEAH COPPER: I think Chicago was already showing us so much love, but winning a championship does put a Cherry on top. I think that just being around the city and everybody knowing that we won a championship and showing us just a lot more love is amazing. I'm just excited to be able to host the All-Star and be able to have the city come out and be behind us.

Q. Can you just talk a little bit about your journey getting to this year's All-Star Game, some of your teammates, coaches that helped you get to this point?

KAHLEAH COPPER: You mean just like this year? You know, coming back from Spain, I was late for the season. But as soon as I got back, my teammates were already super excited for me to be here, and it made that transition easy.

Coming from overseas, it's different. But it was easy coming back and transitioning into my role here, and I'm just excited to compete and try to win another championship.

Q. Emma, can you take us through what it means to you to be wearing Brittney Griner's name on the back of your shooting shirt? I know you played with her in Russia for many years.

EMMA MEESSEMAN: It means a lot because every day we think about her. We show it to other people, but I don't think we need a name on the shirt for us to be thinking about her because we're really worried. We are following the trial. We love her as a person. Like we know her I think a little bit better than most.

It's just we can only hope every single day, think about her family, think about her loved ones and herself, hoping she's okay, hoping -- she's a very strong person, but these circumstances, you just hope it doesn't break her. I was very happy to hear from her in the letter and to read that she's hanging in there.

I can only hope it's going to be over very fast, that we can see her, we can see she's okay. Yeah, it means a lot for us to think about her here basically every single day. It's not just now in All-Star, it's every single day.

Q. Emma, you were in Washington when Kahleah was drafted there and you played with Kahleah and if my memory is right in her rookie season and now you're reunited with her here in Chicago. What have you seen of Kahleah's growth and progress as a player to now when she's one of the big time players in the league?

EMMA MEESSEMAN: It's been very good to see. I think Kah as a rookie, she was very quiet. I was quiet, too, so it was a little bit hard to make that connection that we have now.

But she was already super good then and super athletic, but now she's even stronger, and she's a leader. I think that was for me the biggest change I saw. She's a leader of the team because back then she didn't speak a lot in the team, she was just playing her game, but now she's actually like pulling the team, she's talking in the huddles, she's actually a leader.

Q. Kahleah, what has it meant to have Emma and how she has affected this team coming off a championship and the growth you've seen so far in the regular season?

KAHLEAH COPPER: I want to just rewind to free agency. We won free agency. When I heard that we were getting Emma, I'm like, are y'all really letting us have her? Is this okay? We're like a super team.

But no, I was just excited because I knew that she was a perfect fit for what we had. I think she can score on every level on the floor, and she can also facilitate. We have facilitating post players and we have scoring post players, so I think that getting Emma was just an amazing addition to our team and to our culture. You know it's not just on the court. I think she's a great person, also.

When I heard that we were getting Emma, I'm like, okay, come on, y'all, we've got to win.

Q. Emma, last time I spoke with Julie (Allemand), she told me that you all were planning on going to Miami for the All-Star Game but now you're here. Is there anything that you all are doing in terms of exploring Chicago, and have you tried to show her around since she's been trying to acclimate herself to the city?

EMMA MEESSEMAN: We've tried, we've just never really been here. We've had these long road trips, and this was going to be the free time, but she's still in the city and I know she's going around a little bit.

I think this is going to be her second day today in the city.

It's been great. I'm already a couple spots -- I'm still trying to discover myself, but yeah, it's going to be two Belgians strolling around in the city.

KAHLEAH COPPER: Have you been to The Bean?

EMMA MEESSEMAN: I have, more than you.

Q. What kind of trash talk has been going on between the Sky, you guys are separated, between Candace and Courtney, and then the second part to that, between Sloot and Zee (Stevens), who's taking the skills contest?

KAHLEAH COPPER: You can talk about the skills contest. I'll talk about the trash talk.

So yeah, we've been talking trash all week, and it's funny because those two are like the top, top competitive people on the team, so it's even more fun to compete against them and even more fun to talk more trash.

I already know we're going to win, so I can't wait until the end where I can talk as much trash for the rest of the season. But yeah.

EMMA MEESSEMAN: I don't trash talk because it's going to come back in my face.

Skills contest, I think Sloot has a little bigger chance of winning it, but Zee is going to make it more funny.