MICHEL MARTIN, BYLINE: The WNBA All-Star Game was this weekend. At a time when the women's professional basketball league is attracting more eyes than ever, fans got to see many of their favorites on the court together in Chicago. But if you missed it, you can see three of its top players in a much more intimate way. A new docuseries from ESPN follows A'ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces, Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx and DeWanna Bonner of the Phoenix Mercury not just through the grind of a WNBA season, but also through the stress of negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement and all the strain it puts on their personal lives.
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A'JA WILSON: It's going to look like it's easy, but it is not.
NAPHEESA COLLIER: This year, I've come in with a mission...
UNIDENTIFIED COMMENTATOR #1: Collier comes up with a steal.
COLLIER: ...And anger is a great motivator.
DEWANNA BONNER: You would think, playing 17 years in the league, you would be set for life, but I'm not. In my mind, I'm just like, what am I going to do next?
MARTIN: I spoke with Trishtan Williams, the executive producer of this series, "Life In The W."
How crazy is it you wound up with three teams in the playoffs...
TRISHTAN WILLIAMS: (Laughter).
MARTIN: ...And two of the three teams battling for the championship? I mean, excuse me. Do you just have, like, the best luck or what?
WILLIAMS: I have the best luck (laughter). I literally have the best luck. You couldn't write this any better, for it to naturally unfold that way and the way it weaves. And I think as the viewers watch it, you get to see how the stories weave so nicely because of that outcome.
MARTIN: Well, the fact that the Aces were so far down - they were on a terrible losing streak.
WILLIAMS: There were up to 500.
MARTIN: They were - 500. The fact that they had this blowout loss to Minnesota early in the series. I mean, it was crazy - like, a 53-point loss. So people are like, what is happening? A'ja Wilson, what is happening?
WILLIAMS: What is happening with A'ja (laughter) and the Aces?
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WILSON: I've never been that embarrassed in my life. It was a gut punch.
WILLIAMS: You know, with A'ja being 500 and to actually see her climb out of that mud and rally her team...
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WILSON: So I sent a text message, and it was just like, if you weren't embarrassed from yesterday, then don't come into this gym. You're not needed or wanted here. We need the mindset to shift because that was embarrassing. I need them to understand that I was not rocking with that at all.
WILLIAMS: ...That, I think, was so impressive. And the viewers are going to love the - just seeing the real grind and the work it takes to be able to do something of that magnitude and make it to the finish line.
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UNIDENTIFIED COMMENTATOR #2: That's three of a kind for the Las Vegas Aces. WNBA champions for the third time in four years.
MARTIN: You know, it's fascinating because they're not just players with three different profiles. They're also three different players with different personal lives as well. I mean, the fact that A'ja is - her - you know, her partner is Bam Adebayo, who's a star in his own right. That presents its own interesting challenges for having somebody who's equally famous. And then you've got Napheesa, who's a young mom with a young daughter. And then you've got DeWanna, who has two kids and is also in a same-sex relationship with her teammate, which has its own interesting dilemmas because here you are...
WILLIAMS: (Laughter).
MARTIN: ...You're going to work and you're coming home with the same - I mean, wow.
WILLIAMS: (Laughter).
MARTIN: But it strikes me that these women were remarkably vulnerable. And, I mean, just as an example, DeWanna Bonner has to spend most of the season away from her kids.
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BONNER: I didn't see the first step.
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BONNER: I didn't see preschool.
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BONNER: I didn't see any of that. I missed birthdays. I missed first day of school. Now the kids are in the third grade. Literally, my kid just wore a curly ponytail to school for the first time 'cause she was wearing pigtails, and I'm just, like - I'm sad. I've been sad all day. I'm like, I can't believe I missed that.
MARTIN: She was very open about the mommy guilt that she was...
WILLIAMS: Yes.
MARTIN: ...Experiencing. And then Napheesa Collier talking with her husband about wanting to have more kids but worried...
WILLIAMS: Yes.
MARTIN: ...About the effect on her body and being able to recover.
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COLLIER: Before my pregnancy, I really hardly ever got injured. I'm five years older at this point.
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COLLIER: I had so many injuries this year. Expanding your family isn't a flippant thing. It's a life-changing situation. Once we started talking through it and just being like, yeah, there was a really good chance that I would have to give up my career to, like, have another baby. And I'm not ready to stop playing basketball.
MARTIN: Very, very vulnerable. And I just wondered what that was like for you, as a filmmaker and as a mom yourself.
WILLIAMS: Absolutely. I think when you're watching - as a viewer, when you're watching this, you can really relate to these women because they are not just basketball players, but they are dealing with real things that the average, everyday woman have to deal with, whether you're - you know, you have a 9-to-5 and you're working and you're still trying to show up at your best and get home to cook dinner and do homework and all the things. And she's having to do these same things on the road. And so how do I navigate managing my schedule to bear kids and play the game and get my body back into shape?
And I think when the viewers see this, it is like, wow. Because you realize it's so hard, and all the things that they have to think about and take in consideration. And you still have to show up. No matter what scrutiny, no matter what the media say, you still have to be your best self. And it's already hard just being a woman and it's already hard being a mom.
MARTIN: Well, yeah, exactly. That's something that the male players don't have to think about. I mean, one of the really - I don't know. There were so many moving scenes, but one of the scenes was with A'ja. Again, her partner is Bam Adebayo, who's a star for the Miami Heat, and they don't have kids. At least...
WILLIAMS: Right...
MARTIN: ...Not yet. She would love to be a mom, but she also wonders about her career.
WILLIAMS: The men don't have to think about it.
MARTIN: Yeah, exactly. I have heard them say they worry about maybe effect of fame on their kids or something, but I don't hear them worry about whether having children will affect their ability to perform as athletes. It's just not on their list.
WILLIAMS: And that's a beautiful thing, you know. Your wives are home, your girlfriend is home, you have a support system for you. But these ladies have to think about all those things. And so I think that's what makes this project extra, extra, extra, extra special. This project is one of its kind. It's one of the first to have a show with women in this sport. That's what makes me so proud.
MARTIN: Trishtan Williams is the executive producer of "Life In The W," which is now available on the ESPN app. Trish, thanks so much for talking with us.
WILLIAMS: Michel, thank you so much. I really appreciate you guys.
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