Natasha Cloud and Brittney Sykes try to keep the Mystics going
Ashlee McGee was minding her own business, walking down a ramp inside Target Center in Minneapolis when she heard the footsteps. There was no time to react as the sound of rubber sneaker soles quickened against the treated concrete and she was engulfed from behind and pinned against a wall. A cry for help rang out, but it wasn’t from McGee.
Natasha Cloud stepped around the corner and heard the pleas from Brittney Sykes — directed at her — and broke out into a sprint, letting out a shout herself. Seconds later, McGee was trapped in a sandwich between Cloud and Sykes as the pair bombarded her with a flurry of shrieks and an entanglement of arms before the morning’s shoot-around. This is McGee’s life as the newest member of the Washington Mystics’ coaching staff — corralling, or being corralled by, the team’s rambunctious duo.
“They’re just like two energies and two Energizer bunnies,” McGee said of the veteran guards. “They were drawn to each other.”
The pairing of Cloud and Sykes has been must-see TV since Washington signed Sykes as a free agent during the offseason. Cloud’s bold personality is well known to anyone within the Mystics’ stratosphere — she has often taken a lead and vocal role in matters ranging from social justice to WNBA officiating — and Sykes brought her own dynamism to Washington that was immediately apparent.
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In the past several weeks, though, they have become critical pieces. The Mystics (12-13) are down three starters — Elena Delle Donne (ankle), Ariel Atkins (ankle) and Shakira Austin (hip) — and key reserve Kristi Toliver (plantar fasciitis) because of injuries. Their offense now runs through Cloud and Sykes, who are also charged with keeping up their duties as two of the best perimeter defenders in the league.
Since early July, Cloud has double-digit shot attempts in seven of eight games, and she is averaging career highs in points (12.5) and field goal attempts (10.5). Sykes, who is averaging career highs in points (14.5) and steals (2.2), has double-digit shot attempts in 10 of the past 11 games.
“They’re taking on more of the load,” said Atlanta Dream Coach Tanisha Wright, a recent opponent, “in terms of the ball being in their hands a lot more and letting those two create opportunities first for themselves and then for everybody else.”
A unique relationship
Before Sykes joined the team, it was uncertain how the partnership would go. Would Cloud and Sykes mesh, or would the big personalities of two players playing the same position conflict?
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“I’m not going to lie. When I first thought about Washington and thinking about components and who I would be playing with and personalities,” Sykes said, “I was like, ‘Ooh, is this going to be a good thing that they got like two fiery-ass motherf-----s running the one?’ ”
Cloud wasn’t particularly worried about that part. She was all in on the idea of adding Sykes when Coach Eric Thibault and General Manager Mike Thibault approached her about it, and she went into recruiting mode.
As the pair reminisced about it recently, laughter echoed throughout the room. Sykes, nicknamed “Slim,” pulled out her phone to show how Cloud slid into her direct messages on social media, and she knew what it would be about. They previously had a welcoming relationship as they crossed paths and had mutual friends, but they didn’t have any kind of close bond.
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The message from Cloud last September read: “Bring yo ass to DC, k, thanks. Bye.”
Sykes laughed and said that was the first message she had gotten from Cloud in over a year. She said she ignored Cloud for a while as she competed overseas, but they eventually talked and Sykes signed a three-year deal.
“I did my damn job!” Cloud said. “I feel like our missing piece was Slim.”
Not only have they been vital during this recent stretch, when the Mystics have lost six of eight but remain in the playoff picture as they await the return of their injured stars, but their energy also sets the tone in practices and games.
Cloud and Sykes talk regularly about being leaders, part of a veteran squad that has several respected voices, and both acknowledge the need to keep the passion in a place that helps instead of harms. They can be blunt and harsh with raised voices, especially with each other. They can also be loud, laughing and silly moments later — dancing on the court or the sideline.
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“I mean, sometimes I don’t even know what they’re talking about to each other,” Eric Thibault said. “Just frantically talking to each other.”
Sykes admitted to getting in her feelings when Cloud yelled at her in front of the Phoenix Mercury’s bench during a recent game. There have been times when Cloud was frustrated during a practice and had some choice words that Sykes simply understood and took even though she wasn’t thrilled about it. But the two are so simpatico that they understand the underlying message is coming from a good place. The two crack up at the memory of Sykes responding to Cloud’s yelling by telling her teammate she is not her dad.
“Who are you yelling at?!” Sykes said with a smile. “Oh, my God, we’ve got to keep it cute. Keep it in-house. I don’t want people to know I’m about to kill this [girl].
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“Even BG [Mercury star Brittney Griner], she said, ‘Yo, why Tash yell at you like that?’ I said, ‘Girl, that’s not a usual thing.’”
Cloud added, “But I’m going to come to her at some point to be like, ‘I love you.’ ”
Bringing the energy
Toliver has seen both players grow over the years; she played with Cloud in Washington from 2017 to 2019 and Sykes in Los Angeles in 2021 and 2022. She knew the pair would naturally gravitate toward one another, but she also knows there has to be a balance. Toliver describes it as fire and water.
“They have to stay true to who they are,” Toliver said. “Just what leadership looks like and sounds like and feels like. … You have to stay true to who you are in that fire. But if we have too much fire, we’re going to burst into flames. So there has to be balance. … I say fire and water.
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“And that’s just within every player individually. But certainly with two of our primary guards both being extremely fiery, they have to and will have to continue to learn how to balance that with the water as a team and individually.”
Coach Thibault has asked them to be aware of their impact and how their vibe affects their teammates. He needs them to be consistent because if they’re sullen, that can rub off on the rest of the group. The energy needs to be constructive because sometimes too many voices can be disruptive. Their effort and desire to compete can set an example for everyone.
“Outside looking in, people would think, ‘Man, they are emotional,’ ” Sykes said. “We are very aware that we have emotions. Would I call us emotional? No. Because it turns into passion. It’s not like, ‘Oh, I’m crying.’ I want to win, [and] I’m [going to] beat you up to do it.”
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Cloud added: “We’re not perfect. We are not perfect. We’re going to be the first people to say that. And there is a lot on our shoulders that I don’t think people acknowledge.”
All of that responsibility has forced them to become even closer. The four key injuries happened in a span of a little more than two weeks in late June and early July, and the pair have had to lean on each other. They constantly talk outside practice. Sykes designed a detailed pregame handshake early on that Cloud still hasn’t quite mastered. Cloud, however, was the mastermind behind their new TikTok creations, complete with guidelines for themselves.
Their jovial natures have even spawned some unwritten team rules, such as having them in different video-review groups with coaches and limiting their media sessions together. The good times tend to send things spiraling off-topic, even if it is entertaining. The two, both known to practice in cutoff shirts and hoodies, want credit for the WNBA half-hoodies recently being sold. They labeled theirs — and themselves — the “papi-crops.” They may or may not be joking about wanting credit.
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People have taken notice because, for anyone watching, they are nearly impossible to ignore. There has been criticism on social media, but there also has been love. One fan sent a direct message to Sykes calling the duo their favorite players, thanking them and adding, “Y’all made me love basketball again.”
“You’ve just got two dope-ass people that aren’t afraid to say what they want to say,” Cloud said, “aren’t afraid to be who they are. I think people relate to that.”
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