UConn and WNBA legend Sue Bird is getting deeper into business with Vox Media, launching a new podcast that will focus on womens basketball.

The podcast, Birds Eye View, will offer an insider take on the WNBA, with its first episode debuting May 16. New episodes will drop on Fridays, and will be available on the major podcast platforms, including Apple, Spotify and YouTube.

The show will include Birds observations and analysis, as well as conversations with players, coaches, analysts and others. Its definitely going to be rooted in the game. Its going to be rooted in the ways in which the conversation that I can have might be different from an analyst or journalist. Its going to be player to player, in a sense, Bird tells The Hollywood Reporter. And I also think theres going to be parts of the show, pretty much at the top and bottom, where I get to just have my observations. Maybe its something I see, maybe its something I want to see, maybe its something I predict, and then maybe its something where Im checking back in on that prediction.

Bird, who gained national attention playing for the University of Connecticut Huskies before spending her WNBA career with the Seattle Storm, is no stranger to the podcast space. Bird and her partner, soccer legend Megan Rapinoe, already co-host A Touch More for Vox Media, which covers womens sports a bit more broadly.

I think with A Touch More we really got and I say this in a positive way thrown into the fire. Doing a weekly pod, it means youre showing up every week, and youre preparing yourself every week, Bird says. And Ill be honest, when we first started, we had only really done live shows, and they were kind of these random one offs. So the idea of a weekly podcast had some intimidating factors to it, and now that Ive done it, its not intimidating at all. Its all about preparation and routine I think it gave me confidence to add another podcast to my plate.

And the new show comes as the WNBA continues to surge in popularity with viewers, and with new TV rights deals set to further grow the league and the game, with partners like Amazon, NBC Sports and Disney promising to invest in more coverage.

Bird notes that the WNBA, like the NBA, NFL and other leagues, needs to have a vibrant ecosystem of media surrounding it to drive awareness and engagement, referencing recent comments from NBA commissioner Adam Silver, sho recently argued that negative coverage of the league should be joined by more positive coverage of the game.

If you look at Adam Silvers most recent comments and I agree with him theres a lot of times where you just need people to talk about the game so people can have an appreciation, Bird says. And that doesnt mean there isnt space for critique, but youve got to have that balance within the ecosystem.

Bird thinks that her show will fill that gap.

I think it just requires somebody who really understands and has that insight to fill that part of the ecosystem, and thats really where I feel like I can come in, she says. Thats where my value is, the understanding, the insight, those are the conversations I want to have.

If you watch a game, if the casual fan whos new to the WNBA watches a game, they might not understand whats happening on the court, she adds. Maybe theyve watched other leagues before, maybe they watched mens basketball before. They might not understand whats really happening out there, but theyre curious, and they want to know, and now they have a place to come where they can get that.

I couldnt be more excited to build on the momentum fromA Touch More,and expand our partnership withSueto launchBirds Eye View, says Vox Medias senior VP and GM for audio and video Ray Chao. As womens basketball skyrockets in popularity,Birds Eye Viewwill meet the moment with the expert analysis, in-depth coverage, and defining conversations that fans are hungry for.