WNBA GOAT Chat is a conversation series where a W player is teamed up with a GOAT in another industry that they are interested in outside of basketball.
Join WNBA on IG LIVE on Sunday at 1:00 pm/et for #GOATchat LIVE featuring WNBA Champion Natasha Cloud interviewing Angie Thomas, author of “THE HATE U GIVE” for an honest discussion on racial inequalities and how athletes can bring about change.
This conversation on racial inequalities in America is especially important in light of the global protests and national enlightenment sparked by the murder of George Floyd.
The Washington Mystics guard continues to use her WNBA platform to champion others. As one of the most vocal WNBA players when it comes to dealing with societal issues, Cloud has a passionate opinion on everything from reproductive rights to equal pay to LGBTQ rights to social justice, and she’s a child welfare advocate.
In 2019, Cloud was awarded the Dawn Staley Community Leadership Award for outstanding efforts in the community throughout the 2018 season.
The award, which is named in honor of WNBA legend and Hall of Famer Dawn Staley, annually recognizes a player who reflects Staley’s spirit, leadership, charitable efforts, love for the game and inspirational presence in the community.
The WNBA will make a $10,000 donation to the Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation on Cloud’s behalf.
“Natasha’s participation in a myriad of activities that have benefited adults and children in her local community is demonstrative of her commitment to being a servant leader,” said Staley, Head Coach of the University of South Carolina Women’s Basketball team and the USA Basketball Women’s National Team. “Her selfless attitude and dedication to delivering Christmas to underserved families in D.C. is the epitome of what this award represents.”
This past February, she joined a host of WNBA players on a trip to P.S. 9 in Brooklyn on “National Girl and Women In Sports Day.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/Btjj6mNjE-R/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again
Back in June of 2019, she made headlines by threatening a “media blackout “until Mayor Muriel E. Bowser and a D.C. Council member adequately responded to several episodes of gun violence at Southeast elementary school.
Cloud’s primary focus is working with children, as displayed through her active involvement with youth clinics and educating kids on the importance of fitness while promoting participation in youth sports.
In July 2018, Cloud and Monumental Sports and Entertainment (MSE) celebrated “Christmas in July” with underprivileged families at a local Walmart. Cloud assisted with shopping for school supplies, school uniforms, and other educational toys that the families could not afford.
Cloud’s also participated in a KaBoom! Playground Build at the Bright Beginnings Center in Southeast D.C., where she helped build a new playground for children from Ward 8.
Cloud continues to organize her life around pro basketball and service to the community. With the nation hungrier than ever for knowledge and eager to participate in the dismantling of social and racial injustice, her NBA Live will be informative and energetic.
“We need faces in the community. We let the community know we are here,” said Cloud. “We let them know we want them to support us as much as we want to support them. For me, it was really important to get out to Congress Heights, a predominantly minority community. It’s important for me as a strong black female athlete to show my face and give young females an aspiration and gateway to something bigger.”
