WNBA hitting its stride during a banner season
As the WNBA All-Stars prepared to take the floor in Minneapolis on Saturday, Billie Jean King’s voice filled Target Center.
“Dear little girl. Yes, you. I see you …”
King’s inspirational introduction went on to address young women everywhere and gave chills to everyone listening.
The speech to kick off the game was part of a weekend of festivities for the WNBA.
It was a great moment among a season full of great ones.
The league has been around more than 20 years, but something feels different about it this season. The WNBA is better than it has ever been. From record-setting performances to emerging stars to veterans being strong role models, the league is in the spotlight this summer.
Rookie A’ja Wilson — the No. 1 pick in the draft by the Las Vegas Aces — averages 20 points and scored 18 in her first All-Star Game.
Dallas’ Liz Cambage was out of the league for four years to play overseas. Just before the All-Star break, she scored 53 points in a game to set a league
record.
Veteran Sue Bird of Seattle played her 500th game, becoming the first WNBA player to reach that milestone.
WNBA president Lisa Borders said these, and others, are indicators the league is healthy.
“Anybody see Liz Cambage score 53 points in one game?” Borders said. “That’s pretty incredible. Sue Bird, of course, is our assist leader. She’s also the first one to get to 500 games played. Diana Taurasi, of course, is our goal leader. She’s scored points like nobody’s business. But then you have Elena Delle Donne, who was the first person to get to 3,000 or the fastest person to get to 3,000 points.”
Borders also said things were good on the business side of the WNBA.
“Across ESPN2 and NBA TV, viewership is up 35 percent, which is just awesome,” Borders said.
She also said sales for the WNBA store are up 50 percent.
It’s easy to point to the stats, the ratings and the sales to show the league is better this year. But it’s more than that.
The women in the league also are speaking up on social issues, fighting for better wages and setting examples across the board on how to have it all.
“I want you to know what you can achieve will not be defined by the color of your skin, by age, who you love or by being a girl,” King said in her intro. “And should anyone try to tell you otherwise, look to us, look to them, for the courage, heart and perseverance to fight on, to challenge small-minded thinking, to shatter any ceilings that stand in your way.”
Houston native Kelsey Bone is kneeling and speaking out for social change.
Kelsey Plum is explaining the wage gap in basketball better than anyone.
“I’m tired of people thinking that us players are asking for the same type of money as NBA players. We are asking for the same percentage of revenue shared within our CBA,” Plum tweeted this month. “NBA players receive around 50 (percent) of shared revenue within their league, whereas we receive around 20 (percent).”
Bird bared all on the cover of the ESPN Magazine body issue with her partner and soccer player Megan Rapinoe — the two were proudly the first same-sex couple to make the cover of the magazine.
Speaking on social issues, talking about money or being open about their personal lives aren’t things WNBA players used to do. Now, they are being unapologetically themselves, and it’s great for the overall brand.
“You are now in a time that knows no limit, when your impact can resonate far beyond the arena,” King said in her All-Star intro. “You can be a leader on and off the court — a storyteller, humanitarian, a mother. You can achieve all these things, show off your skill, silence the haters and inspire the next generation.”
Minnesota point guard Lindsay Whalen is also the coach of the University of Minnesota women’s basketball team.
Houston native Chiney Ogwumike is an NBA analyst on ESPN and a standout player for the Connecticut Sun.
Taurasi and her partner recently had their first child.
These women are so much more than basketball players, and it’s in the spotlight this season.
The WNBA has featured quality basketball for years, but this summer the league seems to have elevated.
NBA players have tweeted about how much they admire their female counterparts. EA Sports just added female players to NBA Live, and the league seems to be getting more fans by the day.
It’s the best year for the WNBA, which bodes well for the future of the league.
King put it best to end her intro on Saturday afternoon.
“All you have to do is play like a girl.”