Natasha Cloud on women’s sports, Philly, and what Dawn Staley means to her: ‘That’s one of my GOATs’

On Sunday night, Broomall native Natasha Cloud made headlines in a major WNBA trade between the New York Liberty and the Connecticut Sun. The Sun traded the veteran guard to the Liberty in exchange for the No. 7 overall pick in this year’s WNBA draft along with a 2026 first-round pick — making this the second time in less than two months that she has been traded.

But before news of the trade was revealed, the nine-year veteran and former St. Joseph’s University standout joined Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder, and Fred Taylor on an episode of The Pivot Podcast. The 2019 WNBA champion discussed her admiration for Dawn Staley and her love for Philly and women’s sports.

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Cloud, 33, was drafted in the second round by the Washington Mystics with the 15th overall pick in the 2015 WNBA draft. The 5-foot-10 guard began her college career at the University of Maryland, starting six games as a freshman, before transferring to St. Joe’s after her first year.

The Delco native said she wanted to be closer to her family after finding out that her grandfather and sister were both sick. After making the decision, Cloud began to embrace her underdog roots.

“Being told when I left by coaches that ‘Your WNBA dreams will never become a reality, you’re making the wrong decision,’ all that stuff, that’s truly what fueled me through my entire tenure,” Cloud said. “I’ve been an underdog all my life and I love that story because it’s truly fueled me in every aspect of not only my career but who I am as an individual to a testament of my Philly roots. We just get it out of the mud and that’s what it is.”

When fans think of women’s basketball in Philadelphia, there’s often one name that comes to mind: Staley. The Philadelphia native has become a force in college basketball as the coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks.

After coaching Temple and playing eight seasons in the WNBA, Staley has led the Gamecocks to eight SEC regular-season championships, eight SEC tournament titles, six Final Fours and three national championships.

“That’s one of my GOATs,” Cloud said. “I used to go to Temple games when she was coaching and still playing in the W. I’ve just always been such a fan of Dawn and just her swag. I don’t know any other players that were really allowed to walk around with their swag the way that Dawn has. Then going to South Carolina and just seeing a strong Black woman just take the college basketball world by storm, you have to talk about her.

» READ MORE: Delco native Natasha Cloud joins New York Liberty following trade with Connecticut Sun

“In a space that is so predominantly white, they are talking about your name. You are etching your name into history books and you’re doing it while — which I feel like is very rare — caring for your players.”

In 2019, Cloud was presented the Dawn Staley Community Leadership Award for being an inspiration to her community.

“To win that award that is named after her for what she has done for the community, what she means to so many people that look like us, that’s special to me,” Cloud said. “I can win championships in my career, I can do whatever accolades, but to actually give back to my community and for that to be felt and to be seen, that’s the ultimate win to me.”

Last year, WNBA players opted out of their collective bargaining agreement with the league, meaning the deal will expire this Oct. 31 instead of in 2027.

Chicago Sky star Angel Reese has already opened up about the issue on her podcast Unapologetically Angel, mentioning the option of “sitting out” for the season if the players don’t get what they want. Now Cloud is taking the time to speak on the issue.

“Into this new CBA, yeah, you’re going to give us our money and you’re going to give us our money now because we understand basic economics,” Cloud said. “We’re not asking for what our male counterparts are making, but we’re absolutely asking for what our league is now driving revenue-wise. You need to run us our money. You have to take care of the product on the court because that is what makes your product overall better.

“In this new CBA, we’re fighting for more money, we’re fighting for more rights, we’re fighting for the next generation of women’s rights so that they don’t have to go through these same battles that we’re going through today.”