June 26, 2024 • 50 mins
On this week’s episode of NBA DNA, Hannah revisits the summer of 1997 and the inaugural season of the WNBA. Basketball legends Val Ackerman, Rebecca Lobo, Annie Meyers, and Lisa Lax join the show to talk about that shortened first season: featuring six initial teams, one accidental dynasty, one ulcer, and lots of happy tears.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
In the spring of nineteen ninety seven. There was no
escaping the news wops women's professional basketball in the United
States was going to be a thing. For decades, the
best that talented hoops players could hope for was a
(00:22):
chance of the US Olympic team or a roster spot
on one of the European professional teams. Pro Leagues had
popped up over the years, but disappeared as quickly as
they materialized. That all changed with a ninety six Olympic
game and the NBA's announcement that it would create a
women's league.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
I am pleased to announce that the Board of Governors
approves the concept of the NBA establishing the Women's National
Basketball Association.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
It was David Stern's newest obsession, his baby. He ensured
that it was fully funded and helped secure tea contracts
and arenas for the women to play in. Rebecca Lobo
was one of the first to sign on.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
Rebecca Lobo and Cheryl Swoops had become the first players
to sign contracts.
Speaker 4 (01:11):
I was excited about it. I was excited about a
new challenge playing professionally, but really didn't really have any
idea what was to come like when we started doing
promotional stuff. I think maybe November December of nineteen ninety six.
There weren't even team logos yet, Like you see stuff
with Me, Cheryl, Lisa, Lynette Wood in those early days
(01:31):
and we're just in the WNBA logoed mesh tank top
and mesh shorts because that's all they had. They had
a logo for the league, no team colors, no team
logos yet. I don't even remember when those were unfailed,
but it was like all so new that I was like,
all right, where's my mesh tank top when the WNBA logo,
Let's go make a commercial. That's kind of what it was.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
The most creative ideas often come from a place of
constraint of limitation.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
No logo, no team names, no problem.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
And the famous commercial was that we got next commercial
and I mean, it's you and Cheryl's SWOOVESA and Lisa Leslie,
you know, coming.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Out of the tunnel. So awesome. It was just like
one of the great commercials.
Speaker 4 (02:19):
Ever, you know. So we wear these long leather coats
for this and they said their inspiration was reservoir dogs,
which I had not seen. At the end of the shoot,
we're like, can we keep these coats. They say, yes,
I still have that coat in my basement. Don't wear it.
I haven't worn it, but I've got this like maybe
at some point we'll go and like, you know, somebody
(02:40):
will want it because it was part of that commercial
with this long leather jacket used in the original. I
don't have the bray anymore, but I do have the
long leather jacket.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
We got next, one of the great things to come
from the NBA's famed marketing department, The song Little Green
Bag by George Baker's selection was.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
The earworm that the new league needed.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
The visuals were in fact inspired by Quentin Tarantino's cult
classic reservoir dogs, Leslie Lobo swoops and matching kangle flat
caps flipped backwards, floor length leathered trench coats and WNBA
gym bags strutting down a tunnel towards a bright light.
(03:29):
It's quintessential nineties. The hair, the makeup, the attitude, the beret.
That was the other thing they had you guys, I
mean it was it was hysterical. It was like your
basketball players, but they actually had you guys like, oh,
we're going to make them look like fashion icons, you know,
like you guys had full pageant makeup on and everything.
Speaker 4 (03:51):
I think Lisa like had a bear middriff and like
this was nineteen ninety six, so like now you can't
buy close that that don't show your middrift. But in
those days, she likes they had her all, you know,
cued it.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Out and uh oh yeah, she was like super model material,
you know. I mean it was definitely like sex Appeal
meets basketball, like that was.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
That commercial is.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
So iconic, and I think you should wear that jacket.
I do think you should take it out and wear
it like on the air, Like I think we should
figure something out.
Speaker 4 (04:22):
Yeah, Like it's so old that I mean it with
the fashion cycle, it'll probably be in again at some
point in the near future.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Here's how Val Ackerman remembers it.
Speaker 5 (04:32):
I mean, I remember we were sitting in a conference
room and NBA Entertainment came in and presented this and
we were are jaws dropped. Keep in mind, we had
no footage in the first year. Heading into the first season,
we had no game footage because we hadn't launched it,
so we had to do promotional spots that were really
just player based on the players that we had signed,
and it was really for a long time just the
(04:53):
three of them were the only players we had signed
it and who we knew much about because they'd been
on the Olympic team, so we were very very familiar
with their capability and we felt very comfortable pushing them
out there as the stars. And that campaign just captured
at all because it, you know, we got next to
the basketball phrase if you're on the playground and you know,
and you win, you get next. If you lose, you're off.
(05:16):
And we here we were saying, okay, now it's Archurn.
You know, the men have had their day. Now it's
on us.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
The video ended with the date June twenty first, nineteen
ninety seven.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
Ready or Not? The countdown had begun.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
From the NBA and iHeart podcasts This is NBA DNA
with Me Hannah Storm, Episode eight, Part two from Pipe
Dreams to Hoop Dreams.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
Their coach said that would be the key to the game,
boxing out for rebounds, Paramo.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
For three and Shade Hiss and everything is going to.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
Call that inaugural season of the WNBA Intense would be
an understatement.
Speaker 6 (06:07):
It all starts with leaps of us emotionally mentally what
she does out on the floor.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
We worked NonStop on the NBC side setting up a
new league. Creating anything from scratch is logistically complicated for starters,
where do you play?
Speaker 2 (06:23):
And when people are always questioning, you.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Know, why does the WNBA play in the summer? Well,
they had to fill arenas And that was a big
way that the league got sold. Was not only did
it afford the owners an opportunity to fill their arenas
in the summer, but also it allowed the players to
still maintain playing overseas well.
Speaker 5 (06:47):
I will say that the main reason you're right on
both of those counts, The main reason that was television.
The thinking was we would not be able to get
prime TV windows if you played in the normal basketball
fall winter time frame, because those prime windows had been
consumed already by the NBA, by college basketball men and women,
(07:10):
the NHL. You had sort of NFL going well into
now January maybe, February late later on February maybe, and
every day.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
Of the week now too, right, late.
Speaker 7 (07:21):
Season baseball, late season baseball, in the fall, early season baseball.
Speaker 5 (07:25):
And you can't, you can't.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
You gotta have a window, phone, you gotta a window.
Speaker 5 (07:28):
And that was the summer. And this was, you know,
the year after Major League Soccer had launched, so NBA
hadn't yet figured out like how to program the summer
for themselves with their summer league. So we saw there
the opportunity, and in fact, our early network arrangements were
with NBCESPN and Lifetime a game of the week in
primetime television. So that was the driver because TV meant
(07:50):
credibility and exposure and revenue.
Speaker 3 (07:55):
Houston trailing by launch twenty seconds. Let's a play on
the broadcasting. It was a huge shift for me.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
For the first time in my career, I'd be calling games.
So the stars had already begun to blossom. The Olympics
just added another layer to Cheryl Swoopster rebec Lobo, Lisa Leslie,
they are they are household names at this point because
everybody watches the Olympics, even if you weren't paying attention
to women's college basketball. Then jump to the decision by
(08:25):
the NBA We're going to make a business out of this,
and NBC saying we are going to broadcast those games, and.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
Lisa you are going to produce those games.
Speaker 5 (08:36):
I know it was.
Speaker 8 (08:37):
It was unbelievable and Hannah, you're going to do to
play back play exactly?
Speaker 2 (08:43):
I was like, what right?
Speaker 8 (08:45):
So, yeah, it was a huge thrill for me. I
hadn't produced many live sporting events at that time. I
was mostly you know, the head filmmaker, and to get
that opportunity as a as a woman in sports television
was huge for me. To you know, have the support
of the NBA, to have the support of NBC Sports
to put me in that position really was a huge honor.
Speaker 4 (09:09):
And then when they told me that you were going to.
Speaker 8 (09:10):
Be my play, my play by play person and Annie
and Annie Myers was going to be the analyst, it
was just a dream come true.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
All women crew, a.
Speaker 3 (09:20):
Sellout crowd in Houston, Texas, Hannah Storm, Ann Myers, Lisa Mlaski,
and Benbrew.
Speaker 8 (09:25):
And to be able to do it with you, Hannah,
especially because you were just you know, you had just
given birth and we had to figure that piece out
of how we're going to kind of do rehearsals and stuff,
and you were weaning off breastfeeding, and oh yeah, it
was really a fun time and one of my favorite experiences,
you know. Ever at NBC I must say it was difficult.
(09:47):
It was difficult, but it was we got better each game.
I thought, Okay, I got an ulcer that summer. That
just tells you everything you.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Need to know.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
It was hard, yeah, I mean we had I was
pregnant during the Atlanta Olympics. Then I had my daughter
Hannah in January, so that was just coming off maternity leave.
And they were like, you're gonna do play by play,
which I had never done in my life, right, And
so I went up actually to Yukon and did a
(10:19):
couple of games, sat there and observed this lovely woman
named Doris Burke.
Speaker 8 (10:24):
Right, and Terry Schindler was I think producing that game.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
Yeah, so Terry Siller was reducing it.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
I just remember like I couldn't even the words like
couldn't even come out of my mouth.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
I'm like, she'd scored. There's a bucket.
Speaker 1 (10:40):
And the guy who really mentored me and was awesome
was Marv Albert Talker.
Speaker 4 (10:47):
From Free Yes.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
The phone unbelievable.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
I would you know back in the day, you know,
send Marv my tape, my little practice game, some practice games,
and then we would get on the phone and he
would give me pointers.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
But I mean, honestly, it was terrifying. Didn't be good
for making things happen. You've got to come up on
an all game launch. She was either scored points in the.
Speaker 6 (11:14):
Bank, she penetrates becaushes off.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
For her teammates. You can't say she's just a score.
Speaker 9 (11:20):
Well, I was working for ESPN, I was doing the
Women's Final four, and I was doing other than broadcasts
on the ninety five team. So when NBC came to
me to do the broadcast, I was a little hesitant
because I was committed to ESPN. But NBC came in strong,
and they came in quick, and they said, we've six
(11:40):
year deal and we were going. And NBC was still
really kind of being a network, was really kind of
the top of being able to work for, you know,
a network like that. And so I'd like to think
that I meant offenses because I did come back and
work for ESPN.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
So you had worked with, among other people, the great
Keith Jackson. So you worked with the greatest, one of
one of the very greatest of all time, and then
you have to work with me totally inexperience, had never
called play by play. Doris Burke helped me, do you
(12:17):
know a few practice games Marv Albert helped me, do
you know, gave me some pointers and stuff.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
But I had never done it before in my life.
Speaker 9 (12:26):
You had good connections.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
I mean I was terrified. I got an ulcer that summer.
Speaker 9 (12:30):
Well, remember we had to do that. We had to
do that practice gig. We had that practice game. It
was Anna game was a Milwaukee and I can't remember
who it was, but that was our first you know,
we had to get our timing together. We didn't know
each other, I mean, you know, and it was hard
and certainly not knowing the players, which I knew the
players because I've seen them a long plays since they
(12:51):
were eighteen years old. And but yeah, we I thought
we had a good connection.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
It's so exciting.
Speaker 10 (12:57):
Hi, everybody had a storm, joined by Hall of Famer
and and unfortunately the biggest star here in Los Angeles
as a woman who grew up just blocked away from
the great Western form and start at USC, Lisa Leslie.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
As we saw last week.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
Following the success of the We Got Next campaign, came
the league's two drafts. The first was an elite draft.
Every city needs a franchise player Swoops again, Cheryl Swoops,
who grew up in Texas and starred at Texas Tech
went to Houston. Lobo, Rebecca Lobo, who starred at Yukon,
(13:32):
went to New York.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
Leslie from That's a Tour was on.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
Lisa Leslie, who grew up in Compton and start at
usc was a natural fit for LA. There were two
drafts also before that first season, because you had to
figure out how to put this league together. So you
have an elite draft, the purpose sending a player who
might be a regional star to a city. So you
(13:58):
have Cheryl Swoops in Houston, Rebecca Lobo in New York,
and Lisa Leslian La, all of which make a lot
of sense. And then you have a draft for college
players and unsigned veterans.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
So that was a really interesting.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
Process, and I'm wondering what it was like for you
announcing Tina Thompson a usc AS that first number one
college pick two percent data.
Speaker 5 (14:23):
Well, we're glad she came with us because we were
in effect competing with players at that point with the
American Basketball League the ABL, they were not as resourced
as we were. They played in the Winner, they came
out with very high player salaries, which in the end
they couldn't support and so they ended up folding I
think after their second season or so, and those players
(14:44):
then came into the WNBA. But Tina, you know, Tina
elected to come with us. She was, of course a
Hall of Famer during her amazing career, with the comments.
Speaker 6 (14:54):
Tina Thompson the MVP, the stars are out tonight.
Speaker 5 (14:58):
She joined two other super stars in Cynthia Cooper and
Cheryl Swoops.
Speaker 3 (15:02):
Swoop was inching toward the first ever w NBA playoff
triple double.
Speaker 11 (15:07):
Oh you are the best in the world, Cheryl.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
Right side.
Speaker 5 (15:12):
We had eight teams. We knew more about women's basketball
than our teams did, so we took a lot of
liberties here in sort of spreading it around. So we
took the best sixteen players of the time, which we thought,
in our opinion, assigned two to each of the eight teams.
And that that was how Houston got Cheryl and Cynthia.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
That was on us.
Speaker 4 (15:31):
We blew it.
Speaker 5 (15:32):
We didn't realize how good Cynthia Cooper was.
Speaker 2 (15:36):
Cooper driving the land.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
Then they won more consecutive championship. Oh my gosh, we
created a dynasty.
Speaker 5 (15:47):
We created a dynasty, and you know, Cheryl, we put
in Texas because that was a marketing decision, sure. And
then the Elite Draft, which which you noted, was our
second tier, where we then found what we thought were
the next sixteen best players and put them in like
a pool. And then we filled out the rest of
the rosters with again the college draft and everybody else.
(16:09):
So we just we needed to stock the teams to
get it going. And then after that it became more
normal in terms of the draft every year, et cetera.
But it took a while because of how bargaining unfolded
with the players to really get it to a point
now where it looks more like what you see in
(16:29):
men's sports, with the draft, with free agency, with players
filling their contract obligations, having opportunities under certain circumstances to
switch teams. But those early you know, those early teams,
we had some amazing women, great pioneers, eventually hall of
famers women's basketball and Nasmithenix tron.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
To secure a postseason spot.
Speaker 1 (16:52):
Now scoops to the left hand on the pump bags
field off the Commets with the league's first dynasty, and
the sports world much as me of a three peet
and the comments would eventually win four championships in a row.
Speaker 2 (17:05):
Cutting in through the hold. Nobody would be.
Speaker 1 (17:09):
A new They were the conference rivals of Rebecca Lobo's
New York Liberty in the East.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
The point he gets on board back and Lowbo will
lay that right.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
In along with the Charlotte Sting and Cleveland Rockers. You
obviously you were one of the faces of the new League.
So you know, you've always had a lot of responsibility.
You had, you know, a lot of pressure on you.
Or was it more fun or did you feel like,
dang man, I better deliver. Here they are they are
(17:42):
making me one of the most prominent faces.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
And also in the New York market, it.
Speaker 4 (17:47):
Was more fun than it was anything else because of
course this was also before social media and everything, so
it's not like there was constant negativity being thrown into
your pocket by Joe Schmoe from wherever, and so like,
you know, we're getting to go to NBA All Star.
We went to NBA All Star I think it was
in San Antonio, maybe that was ninety five with the
Olympic team, but we were at a couple you know,
(18:09):
NBA All Star weekends and we were also going to
the parties at Planet Hollywood or wherever they were on
those things. All of a sudden, you find yourself in
a room and you're like, you know, ten yards from
Arnold Schwarzenegger or Bruce Willis or like other who were
at a time a list like people that you're watching
in the movies. And so that part of it was
really fun, and getting to go to NBA events and
(18:30):
parties and just being involved in things. And then when
they started announcing, you know, allocations and drafts, I'm like, oh,
I've got some teammates. Now I've got Teresa Weatherspoon and
Vicki Johnson and Sue Wix, Like, oh, this is cool.
It's starting to come together. Once training camps started, once
the season started, the city has so much to offer,
and you know, there'd be different events again, and like,
(18:51):
all of a sudden, Spoon and I are invited to
go and be at this event where there's all these
professional athletes and actors and whatever. Else.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
In the West, it was the Los Angeles Sparks, Phoenix Mercury,
Sacramento Monarchs, and Utah Stars.
Speaker 2 (19:08):
At NBC, it was our job to.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
Introduce sports fans to the faces of the new league Annie,
Lisa and I interviewed players for profiles to run at halftime,
doing whatever we could to engage fans, and.
Speaker 5 (19:23):
We all thought it was important, all of.
Speaker 8 (19:24):
Us, I think, right that we needed to let the
audience know who these incredible women are. And that's the
purpose of profile type storytelling in general, which started, you know,
at the Olympics, and then I wanted to bring that
over into the WNBA because they were you know, yes,
Rebecca Lobo and Lisa Leslie and Charles Soopster household names,
(19:45):
but not everybody else. Like and I remember the first
game because we were doing the New York Liberty at
the Sparks, I went to Europe to shoot with Teresa.
Speaker 4 (19:54):
Weatherskinol Theresa Wellstreet because you're for that first half time piece.
Speaker 8 (20:02):
She was in Lake Cmo playing you know, Italian ball,
and and she she's now coaching in the w n
b A, And it was important for us to have
even for you know, for you to be doing interviews
with some of these players prior to so in addition
to your play by play, you worked in seamlessly you know,
little anecdotal stories about each player and some of the rivals,
(20:23):
and you know some of the players who played against
each other in college, knowing all that, which seems second
nature now.
Speaker 2 (20:29):
In some cases, the stories wrote themselves.
Speaker 4 (20:32):
Which's the advanced pass for three hits?
Speaker 2 (20:36):
She's got ten.
Speaker 6 (20:37):
Of the game.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
And Cheryl Swoops is one of the one of the
main stars. She's in that we got next campaign. She
is all over everything promoting the league, and she's pregnant
and she is not going to play for a while.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
I think she came back a lot earlier than you know.
Speaker 1 (20:56):
She's pretty superhuman and actually came back to play that
first year. But that was probably a very, I'm imagining,
you know, an interesting element to deal with as you
were going into this first season.
Speaker 5 (21:08):
I remember it was circa New Year's Day, nineteen ninety six.
Renee Brown, who dear friend, who we hired, had been
an assistant coach on the ninety six team, who I
hired to be our player director, and so she was
the one out there signing getting players for us to sign.
And I remember her calling me and saying, are you
sitting down? And I said okay, and she said big news.
(21:33):
She said, Cheryl's expecting she's pregnant. And this was after
we had signed her. We were using her in at
you know, in the marketing campaigns, et cetera. And my
first question was, you know, what does she do? I said,
that's great, you know, Chris, you gotta be happy for
someone who's having a Chimee said.
Speaker 4 (21:50):
What does she do?
Speaker 5 (21:50):
And she said June twenty first, she said she wants
to just keep doing as much as she can. And
I said, okay, so well, you know, just do what
we have to do. And that's what we did, made
sure she was okay. There's actually there was some creative
things that were done to kind of as she got
more pregnant, to sort of show her a little less
(22:11):
from the bottom down and then more from the bottom up,
from the waist up. And she was great. I mean,
she kept herself in shape. She of course did not
start the season with us because she couldn't, but unbelievably
she did want to play in that first season. And
I remember her coming back in August. I remember it
was a big story.
Speaker 4 (22:31):
She came back.
Speaker 5 (22:32):
I think she was out for about six weeks hand
if I'm not mistaken, yep, she was, and she came back.
Her line that first came back wasn't all that spectacular,
but with each passing game she got better and better better.
Of course, they won the title that year, and she
had no small role in that.
Speaker 1 (22:57):
The first ever WNBA game took place as promised on
June twenty first, nineteen ninety seven, at the LA Forum, home.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
Of the Lakers. It was Rebecca Lobo's New York.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
Liberty against Lisa Leslie's La Spars Marque.
Speaker 3 (23:13):
Matchup between Leslie and Lobo as the two cornerstone franchise
of the Women's NBA square off here this afternoon in
the debut game, and now here for the player introductions,
our PA announcer Roger.
Speaker 1 (23:23):
The New York Liberty defeated the Sparks that day, sixty
seven to fifty seven.
Speaker 6 (23:30):
Lads Lobo and Lobo at the basket of sort, Rebecca
Lobo with sixteen.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
Points, the Lobos on the top sixty two.
Speaker 1 (23:39):
Now I called that game, I called the first season
for NBC, and I remember being terrified, absolutely terrified.
Speaker 2 (23:51):
As a player. What was your experience in that game?
Speaker 4 (23:55):
Excitement and nerves because like I grew up as a
Celtics band watching Celtics Lakers, Celtics Lakers, So I'm in
I'm in this, this arena that I've only seen on
television before, and some of like the iconic memories I
have as a kid as a kid watching.
Speaker 1 (24:12):
The late banners are hanging from the ceiling and all that,
right exactly, and like.
Speaker 4 (24:18):
We're on the team bus and this is back in
the day. By the way, it was great to be
involved in the WNBA in the early days because especially
that first year and second year, when you were on
the road, you were staying where the teams put their
male counterparts. So we were staying I think at the
Ritz or the Four Seasons because that's where the Knicks state.
(24:39):
So like that first year we were I mean, we
were flying commercially, but in a lot of ways we're
you know, it's what the teams knew. All let's put
him up at a really nice hotel. They don't quite
do that anymore. But I remember being on the bus
on the way to the Forum and seeing this giant
billboard and it was just a huge me and profile
Lisa Leslian profile we got next opening day and just
(25:02):
seeing that on the way like, oh my gosh, we've
done all of this promotion to this point. Now here
it is. And then I think it was in film.
That morning, we're watching tape and we're having our meeting
when Nancy Dars who was our coach, and she's going
over the assignments and she's like, you know, Rebecca, you
have Lisa Bloom and Kim Hampton, one of our veterans
(25:22):
who I love, just said, let me take Lisa and
then and then Rebecca can focus more on the offensive hand.
And I remember just being like, Okay, I like that.
That works for me.
Speaker 9 (25:33):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (25:34):
And then so but yeah, going out and you know,
doing media and all of that stuff the day prior,
and uh, when the game was finally there, it was
like and there were celebrities court side, which I had
never experienced, but they were there that day at the Forum,
and just being like, wow, it's here, but not feeling
and overwhelming anything other than it's we get to finally
(25:55):
play basketball.
Speaker 1 (25:59):
For me, it was somewhat terrifying, surreal and thrilling.
Speaker 2 (26:04):
Here's a valve.
Speaker 5 (26:06):
It was an amazing day and night. We had a
small we had a team from the league office that
of course trooped out there to see it. I was
with my dear friend Rick Welts, as I mentioned, who
was this president of NBA properties at the time. We
were sort of joined at the hip in the year
leading in, so we were out there together. I remember,
(26:27):
you know, visiting Jerry Buss before the game in the
Forum club. He was divorced at that point. He had
a young woman with him who he introduced us to
and said he was very excited that she was going
to be throwing up the ball for the opening tip.
And I remember looking at Rick like, wait a minute,
I thought that was supposed to be me, and he
and I made a panic phone call back to the
(26:48):
home office. We didn't want to offend doctor Buss, but
I really did think it was supposed to be me
and not her, and we straightened that out. It was
me in the end, because I know, but that was
kind of a you know, old Brick and I laughed
about that moment.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
Fine Leslie gets into it.
Speaker 5 (27:12):
I remember the other thing. Two things. I remember that
the anthem singer didn't arrive on time. I think it
was Jeffrey Osborne. Maybe I'm wrong, Oh my god.
Speaker 7 (27:21):
Stuck in traffic, right, stuck in traffic, yes, stuck in traffic,
and we just waited and waited, and then we ended
up they ended up unearthing some scratchy recording of the anthem,
so we used that.
Speaker 5 (27:33):
You know, you know, usually you will have this very
celebrity singer. We didn't have that. And then I remember
it not being a very good game. I think the
players were just so nervous and you may remember that too.
They were just nervous. And Penny Toller made the first
shot and.
Speaker 3 (27:50):
The first basket it do WRNBA history is scored by
Penny Teller at.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
Long Beach Steak, and everyone wanted to know was Lisa
gonna dunk? You know, and that unfortunately, that was the
storyline going in.
Speaker 5 (28:01):
And the fans. I just remember the fans coming. We
had a very good crowd. It wasn't a sell out there,
but it was probably at least thirteen thousand or so,
which was very very good crowd, and they were buying stuff.
And I remember the programs that we sold for that
first year that we got Next on on the cover.
It was just it was you were teary eyed because
(28:21):
all the hard work had paid off. It really happened.
Balls were bouncing, referees were blowing whistles, You heard sneakers
squeaking on the hardwood floor, and it was real.
Speaker 2 (28:33):
This is really awesome.
Speaker 6 (28:34):
I have talked to a lot of people that have
come in and a lot of basketball people. There's so
much excitement you almost feel like you're playing. Everybody is
so fire.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
On the broadcast side, we had back to back games,
first La then Phoenix the very next day.
Speaker 2 (28:49):
Welcome to Phoenix, Arizona. Summertime here.
Speaker 3 (28:51):
And the hottest ticket in this hot town is that
for the Phoenix Mercury as they are.
Speaker 1 (28:56):
I mean the final attendance in LA. I think they
were expecting twelve that fans, and the final attendance in
LA was over fourteen thousand, so they were fans like
in the upper decks. And then talk about Phoenix, they
had the Suns had established this incredible fan base. And
then how about New York, the New York Liberty. That
(29:16):
was a great atmosphere too, Right, what do you remember
about it because we did their home opener.
Speaker 9 (29:21):
Well, first of all, I want to go to you know, Phoenix,
and Cheryl Miller just blows everybody away. I mean with
her enthusiasm and her excitement. One of the great names
in a Hall of Famer of the game could coach
and you know her second year they were in the
finals against Houston, and you know she was there four years.
But you know, players would just they said, we'll go
(29:42):
through a wall for you know, just the different players
that we had in the league. Andrea Stintson was It
was between her and Cynthia Cooper as far as who
was going to be the MVP at the end of
the year. But Andrea Stintson was just fabulous and fun
to watch. And but like you said, going to Madison
Square Garden and seeing the New York Liberty and having
(30:05):
Teresa Weatherspoon, who played at LSU was an eighty eight Olympian,
gave you such intense energy and she was going to
beat you defensively, an incredible passer, played with Kim Hampton
and Lobull was on that team. And you know at
LOVO Lobile coming off the Yukon Player the Year, winning
the championship the Olympic team in ninety six, and Rebecca
(30:26):
was such a big name and faith in New York.
Speaker 2 (30:29):
Rebecca Lobo.
Speaker 3 (30:30):
We last saw her as an Olympian winning gold in
Atlanta along with her teammate Lisa Leslie. The two of
them went against each other in practice and now they
get a chance to square off as professional.
Speaker 5 (30:41):
So I did four games in a row and then
winded up back in New York at the end of
the week where the Liberty had their home opener, which
was in that and I was with Dave. David came
to that one, so my husband and my mother and
my mother in law and I sat with David and
Diane stern A mod and were shot and Felicia were shot.
They were to get and that's who we sat with
at the game, and they were just piling into the guard,
(31:04):
piling in, and David it was a looking around like stunned.
I mean, this guy's never speechless. He just didn't have
anything to say. He was just taking it all in.
And that was a crowning moment. And I was really
happy for him and me, but I was really happy
for him because he, you know, he he made it happen,
and for him to see with his own eyes that
it was real and the people cared about this and
(31:27):
there was something to this.
Speaker 2 (31:29):
It was a moment.
Speaker 5 (31:29):
I'll never forget.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
The paint he gets a board back and lay back.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
The New York Liberty had an incredible fan base that
first season, complete with court side celebrities just like the Knicks,
Tyra Banks, Rosie O'Donnell, Joan Jet who actually made voodoo
dollphs of the opposing team. Now, of course the Liberty
plays at Barkley's, but they began at Madison Square Garden.
(32:02):
So you play your first home game against Phoenix on
June twenty ninth, and that's at the Garden, winning that
one to a sixty five to fifty seven. There were
almost eighteen thousand people there that day. What do you
recall about that first home game.
Speaker 4 (32:19):
The memory I have, The strongest memory I have from
that first home game was we had spent I don't know,
a couple weeks prior. We had gone to some studio
and filmed our introduction that was going to play up
on the jumbo tron at the time, like there's different
ones of us stepping outside of a skyscraper and like
one of us catches the ball and passes to somebody
else who steps out of a skryscraper. At the time,
(32:40):
it was like really cool. It's like, oh, it was cool.
So they play that and then they're doing the home
team introductions and my strongest memory is it was so
loud in the garden. We couldn't hear our name called,
So I think I may have been second to last introduced,
but like somebody would be introduced and we didn't know
the order yet because it was our first home game,
(33:02):
and like one of the other players who could hear
it would like push that player, like you go. It
was so loud. Eighteen thousand were so loud that you
could not hear your name during introductions on the PA.
So that's like my strongest memory. And then also because
we had been told by Kara blaize Zowski, like every
team in the league had to spend ten because like
(33:24):
ten grand to get the drape, the big black drape,
so that when they didn't fill the upper bowl, they
could you know, make it look it would still look
good on TV. It would still look good on TV.
And not only did we not need the drape for
that game, they did not need it for the entire season.
They were always there were always fans in that upper bowl,
but just kind of being blown away of And where
(33:47):
some of us were staying was right across the street
at the south Gate Tower at thirty first and seventh,
So we got to the game by walking across the street,
like sometimes through the fans to get to the security gate.
It's wild to them, like we weren't driving up through
the tunnel or anything. We didn't even you know, that
was not an option. Were walking across the street. Hey guys,
(34:08):
I got to get to my game or else I
you know, sign more autographs the Liberty.
Speaker 1 (34:12):
That first season, you lead the team and blocked shots
and rebounds. That season, as I mentioned, the ratings were good.
And then we get to the playoffs, which at the
time consisted of teams one through four, and Team one
would play Team four and Team two would play Team three,
and then the winners of those games would go on
(34:34):
to play for the championship. You end up playing the
Houston comments Moment's.
Speaker 2 (34:41):
Late at thirty to twenty eight.
Speaker 1 (34:45):
Arcade and the Cheryl swoops again one of the one
of the major stars is on the other side. But
really what the comments were about was a player who
had been overseas for years, Cynthia Cooper.
Speaker 2 (34:57):
Our team points off the beautiful shot.
Speaker 1 (35:00):
She kind of became a revelation that season. You guys
had a nice rivalry and it had the comments number
that season before the championship game.
Speaker 4 (35:09):
Right, yeah, And I can remember hosting Houston at the Garden,
and I think that's another game that we sold out
eighteen thousand or whatever it was, and we were we
finished second in the Eastern Conference because Houston was in
the Eastern Conference and the early years of the league,
and so first round of the playoffs, as you mentioned,
single elimination, we go and play at Phoenix. I think, yeah,
(35:31):
it was at Phoenix, win that game and then we
ended up playing at Houston. But yeah, I do remember
like just playing Houston in those early years and early on,
you know, Cheryl wasn't with them yet because she had
just given birth to her son. She eventually rejoins the team,
not completely at top form, because how can you be
after just carrying and delivering a baby. But still it
was a short season player.
Speaker 2 (35:53):
Yeah, so it's not season.
Speaker 1 (35:54):
She doesn't have time to like work her way in
for a couple of months in play right, Yes.
Speaker 4 (35:58):
But she was still very prettut she played. But they've
got this player who I'm like, who's Cynthia Cooper? And
how come nobody in the league can guard her off
a pick and roll?
Speaker 3 (36:09):
Cooper Cooper driving dishing it up?
Speaker 2 (36:17):
What's a lab One night.
Speaker 1 (36:19):
That first season was short, just twenty eight games over
two months. In the end, it was the Comments versus
the Liberty for the first ever w NBA title. Do
you remember, because I do, specifically the championship. It was
just a championship game, you know, the way they had
set it up. One game and they defeat the New
(36:41):
York Liberty. And I remember sitting in the summit in Houston.
My mom was there, so I was able to bring
my baby. But I remember sitting with you and the
confetti falling from the ceiling of the summit onto the
players and the fans.
Speaker 2 (36:59):
That feared there was incredible.
Speaker 1 (37:02):
And I panic for a moment, like, wow, I better
say something profound, And I think I said something like
the Houston Comments have won the first of the NBA Championship.
Speaker 2 (37:18):
Thanks Lisa on the Houston Comments.
Speaker 3 (37:20):
We'll go down in history as the first ever w
NBA champions.
Speaker 1 (37:24):
But you do you remember the feeling of just like,
we worked so hard that season. We had production meetings
that lasted four hours. We were grinding week after week
dealing with all this pressure. Do you sort of remember
the feeling of as that confetti was falling and it
kind of as that season wound to a close.
Speaker 2 (37:46):
What you were feeling, Well, it's.
Speaker 9 (37:49):
So much builds up to it. And like you talked
about ninety five, ninety six, now you're ninety seven, and
you know, people took a lot of athletes will say,
you know, what we do on the court, what you
get to see, you don't see behind the scenes. What
got us there, the hard work, like you said, even
with us, the work that we did behind the scenes.
(38:10):
But for me, it was euphoria, honestly, meaning the game
as long as I have and seeing where it came
from and all the different people that have tried to
make another league happen and so forth. And you know,
you've got to go through failures before you have successes,
and certainly I think the w NBA has gone through
a lot of that too. And but that, yeah, to
see the confetti and to see that people cared and
(38:33):
that people put money into the league and into their
teams and that they supported it was so important. And
to know that you felt validated as women athletes.
Speaker 11 (38:45):
Today we're all part of history.
Speaker 1 (38:59):
He knew that.
Speaker 2 (39:09):
I mean, did you.
Speaker 1 (39:12):
Envision at the time, because you made it to the
championship Games, you think, oh, we'll get it next year.
Speaker 2 (39:16):
We'll get it next year. We'll get it next year.
Speaker 1 (39:18):
What was it like, kind of running up against that
juggernaut every year?
Speaker 4 (39:21):
It was just I'm not sure exactly what it was.
I do, however, remember maybe their third championship, maybe their
third or fourth championship, and we're getting ready to play
them one of those years. So we didn't make it
to it in ninety eight, so maybe ninety nine or
two thousand, whenever. Whenever, those one of those years, we
end up playing Houston in the playoffs. And I had
(39:45):
a friend who was on the on the comics that year,
and we had literally that morning at shoot arounds, or
maybe it was the day before because it's a day
game or something like that. We had gone over like
for two hours in our shoot around. How we're going
to guard this, how we're going to guard that, How
we're going to try to guard see in the pick
and roll. And my friend told me that Houston shoot
(40:07):
around was like twenty minutes, and they were like, it
didn't matter. They still beat us that game and that
series because they had the best players in the world
and they had the best team.
Speaker 1 (40:19):
It's so believable, isn't it. Crazy that the Liberty have
never won a title. I know, I know, you know,
I mean, this could be the year. But yeah, it's
kind of wild to think, like, here we are two
and a half decades later and they still haven't won
a title.
Speaker 4 (40:37):
Well, and it's just incredible to see the Liberty's journey
because they've been such an important franchise to the success
of the WNBA since the beginning, you know, a super
team last year playing in the finals, you know, selling
out Barkley Center, and then this year, you know, we
really have a potential to go for a deep run,
if not potentially win a championship as well. But it's
in some ways it kind of mirrors like the WNB.
(41:00):
It started off with a bang, and then like there's
some ebbs and flows, and it feels like now it's
really on the rise again.
Speaker 1 (41:06):
How proud are you of your part in that legacy
of the WABA which is continuing and ongoing obviously.
Speaker 4 (41:13):
Yeah, it was. It was my overwhelming feeling the bubble
season of twenty twenty, where the women's players use their
voice every single turn that they could to stand up
for what was right. My overwhelming feeling was I am
so proud to have been a part of this league
from the beginning and to have these women in a
(41:34):
place now where if they see something is wrong, they're
going to speak out on it. That they're always going
to be on the right side of social justice issues
and they're always going to be willing to speak out
on those issues, oftentimes before any other any other athletes do.
And you know, it's crazy to think, gosh, maybe late nineties,
(41:55):
early two thousands, two Wix, my teammate with a liberty
comes out and the first openly gay maybe professional athletes
at the time, certainly in a team sport, and how
different that is now and how players can be their
true selves, people in society in general can be And
the part that she played in getting everyone there. You know,
(42:18):
they're they're people who you know, did a lot on
the court, but there are a lot of important things
happening off the court as well, and certainly to see
how the women are now is something I take an
incredible amount of pride in the even the smallest piece
I played in the in the foundation of it all.
Speaker 3 (42:40):
It's been a great opportunity for us all to be
here at the very beginning of this season of something
special and something that will impact sports for years to come.
Once again, the final score from Houston to come at
sixty five.
Speaker 2 (42:54):
Pretty sure. We cried quite a bit that summer.
Speaker 8 (42:57):
Yeah, we did.
Speaker 1 (42:58):
Of just a relief and pressure or you know, you
talk about the pressure on the players, but there was.
There was a huge amount of pressure on us. This
was David Stern's baby, this was national TV, this was
the first.
Speaker 2 (43:12):
Year of the league. We hadn't done it before.
Speaker 1 (43:15):
There was an enormous amount of pressure to get it right.
And I think looking back on it, what I'm really
proud of is that we covered it like the.
Speaker 2 (43:28):
NBA was covered.
Speaker 1 (43:29):
We we treated it like a major sporting event. We
treated it like it deserved to be treated. And listen,
I can't even we poured our heart and soul into that.
I mean, if nothing else, just the effort, Yeah, we tried.
The passion was there in spades, right.
Speaker 8 (43:50):
Yeah, And there were some you know, great moments, and yes,
you know, I know I made some mistakes along the
way that season. You know, you just learning, come on, yeah,
who is live basketball? And yeah, you know, but you know, overall,
I think it made an impact. We you know, getting
(44:10):
to know those players better in some of the coaches
like Nancy darsh at New York, and you know, just
it was a special time, a really special time. And
I hope that, you know, as the league continues to grow,
and I think the players do they look back at
those early days because it was hard, and you know,
most of these players, I think ten players from that
(44:31):
Olympic team wound up playing and or coaching in the WNBA.
Speaker 2 (44:38):
And would have a storied career.
Speaker 1 (44:40):
As general manager of the Phoenix Mercury, she built her
own champions winning titles in two thousand and seven, oh
nine and twenty fourteen.
Speaker 2 (44:50):
Where do you see the league going now?
Speaker 1 (44:53):
On the heels of this incredibly successful NCAA Tournament of
the Stars, really rising tide lifts all boats.
Speaker 2 (45:04):
There are casual sports.
Speaker 1 (45:06):
Fans now who can name multiple rookies coming into the league.
With Caitlin Clark leading the way and teams literally changing
the venues of their games for when she comes into town.
Charter Flights have now been approved an expansion team in Toronto.
Speaker 2 (45:24):
Where do you see this league going?
Speaker 6 (45:27):
Well, you know, you go.
Speaker 9 (45:28):
Back to day one with bel Ackerman and and all
the other presidents we've had and Donna Orangeer and now
we've got Kathy Ngelberg who's done a terrific job as
far as getting sponsors and so forth, and people locking in.
The sponsorships have been huge. But you know, people used
to ask me, oh, where's the WNBA going? It's a
floding league. And you know, we were adding teams Detroit
(45:49):
and Washington and Miami Orlando and some teams who weren't
doing while and so forth, and you know, Utah got
you know, went under and went to San Antonio and
San Antonio Las Vegas, and it just people would ask,
where do you see the league? I said, ask me
in twenty years. Well, now we're twenty eight years in
and I'm thinking, hey, another twenty eight we're going to
(46:11):
be around to show question. I think the fact that
you know, more and more companies understanding that women's sports
has taken what over fifty plus years with tied to
nine to get us there, but they see the benefits
of what women's sports can bring to the table and
housemaking money. And certainly social media is a big part
(46:35):
of things today, and so is betting because a lot
of these betting companies are major sponsors. And so those
two things to me, have really changed sports a lot,
and I think they see that women's sports is kind
of a new and up and coming even though it's
been coming for a long time. I you know, the
(46:55):
expansions coming. As you said, I mean, there are so
many cities that want women's basketball, and we have the
excitement of the college players. The NIL has changed things,
The transport port rule has changed things, and so those
are things at all these college and high school coaches
are concerned about are they going to leave and how
(47:15):
much money they're making it on that level, and then
coming to the pros, salaries are going to go up
and up. I would like to see, you know, obviously
where there's a salary cap. I know that the charter
flights have just come in to play because of Britney
Grinder really last year when she came back from Russia.
She was the start of it. Because now you can
say Caitlin Clark coming in and you know, the really
(47:38):
security that these players need, and so that's been something
that's been plus for the players, I think as far
as having the charter flights, but also you know, I
personally would love to see this league longer than four
four and a half months. I'd love to see it
at six or seven months. I also would like to
see it at some point and I don't know however
they're ever going to work it out. But every two
(48:00):
years they change when the season starts because of the
World Cup and also the Olympics, and they take three
four weeks off. So that's tough because now you've got
to gear back up and sell it again. So when
you're out of the market after four months, it's it's
hard to market the product. And I think because of
what happened to Britney Griner last year in Russia, not
(48:23):
as many players they're going over to certain countries, but
there are still players going over season playing whether it's
in Italy or Spain or Irelander. You know, there's so
many different other places to play, and so that's still there.
But you don't want these kids playing twelve months out
of the year, and that's what's happening. So I would
love to see the WNBA be the league that our
(48:45):
players play in.
Speaker 1 (48:47):
Whether the increased interest in women's basketball continues to manifest
itself in larger salaries and longer seasons remains to be seen,
but there is no doubt significant progress has been made
on the backs of all of those who came before.
Next Time on NBA DNA, The Spectacular Return of the
(49:12):
Los Angeles Lakers NBA DNA with Hannah Storm is a
production of iHeart Podcasts, The NBA, and Brainstorm and Productions.
The show is written and executive produced by me Hannah Storm,
(49:34):
along with Julia Weaver and Alex French. Our lead producer
and showrunner is Julia Weaver. Our senior producers are Peter Kouder,
Alex French, and Brandon Reese. Editing and sound design by
Kirk Garn and Julia Weaver. The show's executive producers are
Carmen Belmont, Jason English, Sean ty Tone, Steve Weintraup, and
(49:57):
Jason weikelt
Speaker 4 (50:00):
He s
In the spring of nineteen ninety seven. There was no
escaping the news wops women's professional basketball in the United
States was going to be a thing. For decades, the
best that talented hoops players could hope for was a
(00:22):
chance of the US Olympic team or a roster spot
on one of the European professional teams. Pro Leagues had
popped up over the years, but disappeared as quickly as
they materialized. That all changed with a ninety six Olympic
game and the NBA's announcement that it would create a
women's league.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
I am pleased to announce that the Board of Governors
approves the concept of the NBA establishing the Women's National
Basketball Association.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
It was David Stern's newest obsession, his baby. He ensured
that it was fully funded and helped secure tea contracts
and arenas for the women to play in. Rebecca Lobo
was one of the first to sign on.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
Rebecca Lobo and Cheryl Swoops had become the first players
to sign contracts.
Speaker 4 (01:11):
I was excited about it. I was excited about a
new challenge playing professionally, but really didn't really have any
idea what was to come like when we started doing
promotional stuff. I think maybe November December of nineteen ninety six.
There weren't even team logos yet, Like you see stuff
with Me, Cheryl, Lisa, Lynette Wood in those early days
(01:31):
and we're just in the WNBA logoed mesh tank top
and mesh shorts because that's all they had. They had
a logo for the league, no team colors, no team
logos yet. I don't even remember when those were unfailed,
but it was like all so new that I was like,
all right, where's my mesh tank top when the WNBA logo,
Let's go make a commercial. That's kind of what it was.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
The most creative ideas often come from a place of
constraint of limitation.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
No logo, no team names, no problem.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
And the famous commercial was that we got next commercial
and I mean, it's you and Cheryl's SWOOVESA and Lisa Leslie,
you know, coming.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Out of the tunnel. So awesome. It was just like
one of the great commercials.
Speaker 4 (02:19):
Ever, you know. So we wear these long leather coats
for this and they said their inspiration was reservoir dogs,
which I had not seen. At the end of the shoot,
we're like, can we keep these coats. They say, yes,
I still have that coat in my basement. Don't wear it.
I haven't worn it, but I've got this like maybe
at some point we'll go and like, you know, somebody
(02:40):
will want it because it was part of that commercial
with this long leather jacket used in the original. I
don't have the bray anymore, but I do have the
long leather jacket.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
We got next, one of the great things to come
from the NBA's famed marketing department, The song Little Green
Bag by George Baker's selection was.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
The earworm that the new league needed.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
The visuals were in fact inspired by Quentin Tarantino's cult
classic reservoir dogs, Leslie Lobo swoops and matching kangle flat
caps flipped backwards, floor length leathered trench coats and WNBA
gym bags strutting down a tunnel towards a bright light.
(03:29):
It's quintessential nineties. The hair, the makeup, the attitude, the beret.
That was the other thing they had you guys, I
mean it was it was hysterical. It was like your
basketball players, but they actually had you guys like, oh,
we're going to make them look like fashion icons, you know,
like you guys had full pageant makeup on and everything.
Speaker 4 (03:51):
I think Lisa like had a bear middriff and like
this was nineteen ninety six, so like now you can't
buy close that that don't show your middrift. But in
those days, she likes they had her all, you know,
cued it.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Out and uh oh yeah, she was like super model material,
you know. I mean it was definitely like sex Appeal
meets basketball, like that was.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
That commercial is.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
So iconic, and I think you should wear that jacket.
I do think you should take it out and wear
it like on the air, Like I think we should
figure something out.
Speaker 4 (04:22):
Yeah, Like it's so old that I mean it with
the fashion cycle, it'll probably be in again at some
point in the near future.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Here's how Val Ackerman remembers it.
Speaker 5 (04:32):
I mean, I remember we were sitting in a conference
room and NBA Entertainment came in and presented this and
we were are jaws dropped. Keep in mind, we had
no footage in the first year. Heading into the first season,
we had no game footage because we hadn't launched it,
so we had to do promotional spots that were really
just player based on the players that we had signed,
and it was really for a long time just the
(04:53):
three of them were the only players we had signed
it and who we knew much about because they'd been
on the Olympic team, so we were very very familiar
with their capability and we felt very comfortable pushing them
out there as the stars. And that campaign just captured
at all because it, you know, we got next to
the basketball phrase if you're on the playground and you know,
and you win, you get next. If you lose, you're off.
(05:16):
And we here we were saying, okay, now it's Archurn.
You know, the men have had their day. Now it's
on us.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
The video ended with the date June twenty first, nineteen
ninety seven.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
Ready or Not? The countdown had begun.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
From the NBA and iHeart podcasts This is NBA DNA
with Me Hannah Storm, Episode eight, Part two from Pipe
Dreams to Hoop Dreams.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
Their coach said that would be the key to the game,
boxing out for rebounds, Paramo.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
For three and Shade Hiss and everything is going to.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
Call that inaugural season of the WNBA Intense would be
an understatement.
Speaker 6 (06:07):
It all starts with leaps of us emotionally mentally what
she does out on the floor.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
We worked NonStop on the NBC side setting up a
new league. Creating anything from scratch is logistically complicated for starters,
where do you play?
Speaker 2 (06:23):
And when people are always questioning, you.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Know, why does the WNBA play in the summer? Well,
they had to fill arenas And that was a big
way that the league got sold. Was not only did
it afford the owners an opportunity to fill their arenas
in the summer, but also it allowed the players to
still maintain playing overseas well.
Speaker 5 (06:47):
I will say that the main reason you're right on
both of those counts, The main reason that was television.
The thinking was we would not be able to get
prime TV windows if you played in the normal basketball
fall winter time frame, because those prime windows had been
consumed already by the NBA, by college basketball men and women,
(07:10):
the NHL. You had sort of NFL going well into
now January maybe, February late later on February maybe, and
every day.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
Of the week now too, right, late.
Speaker 7 (07:21):
Season baseball, late season baseball, in the fall, early season baseball.
Speaker 5 (07:25):
And you can't, you can't.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
You gotta have a window, phone, you gotta a window.
Speaker 5 (07:28):
And that was the summer. And this was, you know,
the year after Major League Soccer had launched, so NBA
hadn't yet figured out like how to program the summer
for themselves with their summer league. So we saw there
the opportunity, and in fact, our early network arrangements were
with NBCESPN and Lifetime a game of the week in
primetime television. So that was the driver because TV meant
(07:50):
credibility and exposure and revenue.
Speaker 3 (07:55):
Houston trailing by launch twenty seconds. Let's a play on
the broadcasting. It was a huge shift for me.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
For the first time in my career, I'd be calling games.
So the stars had already begun to blossom. The Olympics
just added another layer to Cheryl Swoopster rebec Lobo, Lisa Leslie,
they are they are household names at this point because
everybody watches the Olympics, even if you weren't paying attention
to women's college basketball. Then jump to the decision by
(08:25):
the NBA We're going to make a business out of this,
and NBC saying we are going to broadcast those games, and.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
Lisa you are going to produce those games.
Speaker 5 (08:36):
I know it was.
Speaker 8 (08:37):
It was unbelievable and Hannah, you're going to do to
play back play exactly?
Speaker 2 (08:43):
I was like, what right?
Speaker 8 (08:45):
So, yeah, it was a huge thrill for me. I
hadn't produced many live sporting events at that time. I
was mostly you know, the head filmmaker, and to get
that opportunity as a as a woman in sports television
was huge for me. To you know, have the support
of the NBA, to have the support of NBC Sports
to put me in that position really was a huge honor.
Speaker 4 (09:09):
And then when they told me that you were going to.
Speaker 8 (09:10):
Be my play, my play by play person and Annie
and Annie Myers was going to be the analyst, it
was just a dream come true.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
All women crew, a.
Speaker 3 (09:20):
Sellout crowd in Houston, Texas, Hannah Storm, Ann Myers, Lisa Mlaski,
and Benbrew.
Speaker 8 (09:25):
And to be able to do it with you, Hannah,
especially because you were just you know, you had just
given birth and we had to figure that piece out
of how we're going to kind of do rehearsals and stuff,
and you were weaning off breastfeeding, and oh yeah, it
was really a fun time and one of my favorite experiences,
you know. Ever at NBC I must say it was difficult.
(09:47):
It was difficult, but it was we got better each game.
I thought, Okay, I got an ulcer that summer. That
just tells you everything you.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Need to know.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
It was hard, yeah, I mean we had I was
pregnant during the Atlanta Olympics. Then I had my daughter
Hannah in January, so that was just coming off maternity leave.
And they were like, you're gonna do play by play,
which I had never done in my life, right, And
so I went up actually to Yukon and did a
(10:19):
couple of games, sat there and observed this lovely woman
named Doris Burke.
Speaker 8 (10:24):
Right, and Terry Schindler was I think producing that game.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
Yeah, so Terry Siller was reducing it.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
I just remember like I couldn't even the words like
couldn't even come out of my mouth.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
I'm like, she'd scored. There's a bucket.
Speaker 1 (10:40):
And the guy who really mentored me and was awesome
was Marv Albert Talker.
Speaker 4 (10:47):
From Free Yes.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
The phone unbelievable.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
I would you know back in the day, you know,
send Marv my tape, my little practice game, some practice games,
and then we would get on the phone and he
would give me pointers.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
But I mean, honestly, it was terrifying. Didn't be good
for making things happen. You've got to come up on
an all game launch. She was either scored points in the.
Speaker 6 (11:14):
Bank, she penetrates becaushes off.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
For her teammates. You can't say she's just a score.
Speaker 9 (11:20):
Well, I was working for ESPN, I was doing the
Women's Final four, and I was doing other than broadcasts
on the ninety five team. So when NBC came to
me to do the broadcast, I was a little hesitant
because I was committed to ESPN. But NBC came in strong,
and they came in quick, and they said, we've six
(11:40):
year deal and we were going. And NBC was still
really kind of being a network, was really kind of
the top of being able to work for, you know,
a network like that. And so I'd like to think
that I meant offenses because I did come back and
work for ESPN.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
So you had worked with, among other people, the great
Keith Jackson. So you worked with the greatest, one of
one of the very greatest of all time, and then
you have to work with me totally inexperience, had never
called play by play. Doris Burke helped me, do you
(12:17):
know a few practice games Marv Albert helped me, do
you know, gave me some pointers and stuff.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
But I had never done it before in my life.
Speaker 9 (12:26):
You had good connections.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
I mean I was terrified. I got an ulcer that summer.
Speaker 9 (12:30):
Well, remember we had to do that. We had to
do that practice gig. We had that practice game. It
was Anna game was a Milwaukee and I can't remember
who it was, but that was our first you know,
we had to get our timing together. We didn't know
each other, I mean, you know, and it was hard
and certainly not knowing the players, which I knew the
players because I've seen them a long plays since they
(12:51):
were eighteen years old. And but yeah, we I thought
we had a good connection.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
It's so exciting.
Speaker 10 (12:57):
Hi, everybody had a storm, joined by Hall of Famer
and and unfortunately the biggest star here in Los Angeles
as a woman who grew up just blocked away from
the great Western form and start at USC, Lisa Leslie.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
As we saw last week.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
Following the success of the We Got Next campaign, came
the league's two drafts. The first was an elite draft.
Every city needs a franchise player Swoops again, Cheryl Swoops,
who grew up in Texas and starred at Texas Tech
went to Houston. Lobo, Rebecca Lobo, who starred at Yukon,
(13:32):
went to New York.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
Leslie from That's a Tour was on.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
Lisa Leslie, who grew up in Compton and start at
usc was a natural fit for LA. There were two
drafts also before that first season, because you had to
figure out how to put this league together. So you
have an elite draft, the purpose sending a player who
might be a regional star to a city. So you
(13:58):
have Cheryl Swoops in Houston, Rebecca Lobo in New York,
and Lisa Leslian La, all of which make a lot
of sense. And then you have a draft for college
players and unsigned veterans.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
So that was a really interesting.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
Process, and I'm wondering what it was like for you
announcing Tina Thompson a usc AS that first number one
college pick two percent data.
Speaker 5 (14:23):
Well, we're glad she came with us because we were
in effect competing with players at that point with the
American Basketball League the ABL, they were not as resourced
as we were. They played in the Winner, they came
out with very high player salaries, which in the end
they couldn't support and so they ended up folding I
think after their second season or so, and those players
(14:44):
then came into the WNBA. But Tina, you know, Tina
elected to come with us. She was, of course a
Hall of Famer during her amazing career, with the comments.
Speaker 6 (14:54):
Tina Thompson the MVP, the stars are out tonight.
Speaker 5 (14:58):
She joined two other super stars in Cynthia Cooper and
Cheryl Swoops.
Speaker 3 (15:02):
Swoop was inching toward the first ever w NBA playoff
triple double.
Speaker 11 (15:07):
Oh you are the best in the world, Cheryl.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
Right side.
Speaker 5 (15:12):
We had eight teams. We knew more about women's basketball
than our teams did, so we took a lot of
liberties here in sort of spreading it around. So we
took the best sixteen players of the time, which we thought,
in our opinion, assigned two to each of the eight teams.
And that that was how Houston got Cheryl and Cynthia.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
That was on us.
Speaker 4 (15:31):
We blew it.
Speaker 5 (15:32):
We didn't realize how good Cynthia Cooper was.
Speaker 2 (15:36):
Cooper driving the land.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
Then they won more consecutive championship. Oh my gosh, we
created a dynasty.
Speaker 5 (15:47):
We created a dynasty, and you know, Cheryl, we put
in Texas because that was a marketing decision, sure. And
then the Elite Draft, which which you noted, was our
second tier, where we then found what we thought were
the next sixteen best players and put them in like
a pool. And then we filled out the rest of
the rosters with again the college draft and everybody else.
(16:09):
So we just we needed to stock the teams to
get it going. And then after that it became more
normal in terms of the draft every year, et cetera.
But it took a while because of how bargaining unfolded
with the players to really get it to a point
now where it looks more like what you see in
(16:29):
men's sports, with the draft, with free agency, with players
filling their contract obligations, having opportunities under certain circumstances to
switch teams. But those early you know, those early teams,
we had some amazing women, great pioneers, eventually hall of
famers women's basketball and Nasmithenix tron.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
To secure a postseason spot.
Speaker 1 (16:52):
Now scoops to the left hand on the pump bags
field off the Commets with the league's first dynasty, and
the sports world much as me of a three peet
and the comments would eventually win four championships in a row.
Speaker 2 (17:05):
Cutting in through the hold. Nobody would be.
Speaker 1 (17:09):
A new They were the conference rivals of Rebecca Lobo's
New York Liberty in the East.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
The point he gets on board back and Lowbo will
lay that right.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
In along with the Charlotte Sting and Cleveland Rockers. You
obviously you were one of the faces of the new League.
So you know, you've always had a lot of responsibility.
You had, you know, a lot of pressure on you.
Or was it more fun or did you feel like,
dang man, I better deliver. Here they are they are
(17:42):
making me one of the most prominent faces.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
And also in the New York market, it.
Speaker 4 (17:47):
Was more fun than it was anything else because of
course this was also before social media and everything, so
it's not like there was constant negativity being thrown into
your pocket by Joe Schmoe from wherever, and so like,
you know, we're getting to go to NBA All Star.
We went to NBA All Star I think it was
in San Antonio, maybe that was ninety five with the
Olympic team, but we were at a couple you know,
(18:09):
NBA All Star weekends and we were also going to
the parties at Planet Hollywood or wherever they were on
those things. All of a sudden, you find yourself in
a room and you're like, you know, ten yards from
Arnold Schwarzenegger or Bruce Willis or like other who were
at a time a list like people that you're watching
in the movies. And so that part of it was
really fun, and getting to go to NBA events and
(18:30):
parties and just being involved in things. And then when
they started announcing, you know, allocations and drafts, I'm like, oh,
I've got some teammates. Now I've got Teresa Weatherspoon and
Vicki Johnson and Sue Wix, Like, oh, this is cool.
It's starting to come together. Once training camps started, once
the season started, the city has so much to offer,
and you know, there'd be different events again, and like,
(18:51):
all of a sudden, Spoon and I are invited to
go and be at this event where there's all these
professional athletes and actors and whatever. Else.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
In the West, it was the Los Angeles Sparks, Phoenix Mercury,
Sacramento Monarchs, and Utah Stars.
Speaker 2 (19:08):
At NBC, it was our job to.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
Introduce sports fans to the faces of the new league Annie,
Lisa and I interviewed players for profiles to run at halftime,
doing whatever we could to engage fans, and.
Speaker 5 (19:23):
We all thought it was important, all of.
Speaker 8 (19:24):
Us, I think, right that we needed to let the
audience know who these incredible women are. And that's the
purpose of profile type storytelling in general, which started, you know,
at the Olympics, and then I wanted to bring that
over into the WNBA because they were you know, yes,
Rebecca Lobo and Lisa Leslie and Charles Soopster household names,
(19:45):
but not everybody else. Like and I remember the first
game because we were doing the New York Liberty at
the Sparks, I went to Europe to shoot with Teresa.
Speaker 4 (19:54):
Weatherskinol Theresa Wellstreet because you're for that first half time piece.
Speaker 8 (20:02):
She was in Lake Cmo playing you know, Italian ball,
and and she she's now coaching in the w n
b A, And it was important for us to have
even for you know, for you to be doing interviews
with some of these players prior to so in addition
to your play by play, you worked in seamlessly you know,
little anecdotal stories about each player and some of the rivals,
(20:23):
and you know some of the players who played against
each other in college, knowing all that, which seems second
nature now.
Speaker 2 (20:29):
In some cases, the stories wrote themselves.
Speaker 4 (20:32):
Which's the advanced pass for three hits?
Speaker 2 (20:36):
She's got ten.
Speaker 6 (20:37):
Of the game.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
And Cheryl Swoops is one of the one of the
main stars. She's in that we got next campaign. She
is all over everything promoting the league, and she's pregnant
and she is not going to play for a while.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
I think she came back a lot earlier than you know.
Speaker 1 (20:56):
She's pretty superhuman and actually came back to play that
first year. But that was probably a very, I'm imagining,
you know, an interesting element to deal with as you
were going into this first season.
Speaker 5 (21:08):
I remember it was circa New Year's Day, nineteen ninety six.
Renee Brown, who dear friend, who we hired, had been
an assistant coach on the ninety six team, who I
hired to be our player director, and so she was
the one out there signing getting players for us to sign.
And I remember her calling me and saying, are you
sitting down? And I said okay, and she said big news.
(21:33):
She said, Cheryl's expecting she's pregnant. And this was after
we had signed her. We were using her in at
you know, in the marketing campaigns, et cetera. And my
first question was, you know, what does she do? I said,
that's great, you know, Chris, you gotta be happy for
someone who's having a Chimee said.
Speaker 4 (21:50):
What does she do?
Speaker 5 (21:50):
And she said June twenty first, she said she wants
to just keep doing as much as she can. And
I said, okay, so well, you know, just do what
we have to do. And that's what we did, made
sure she was okay. There's actually there was some creative
things that were done to kind of as she got
more pregnant, to sort of show her a little less
(22:11):
from the bottom down and then more from the bottom up,
from the waist up. And she was great. I mean,
she kept herself in shape. She of course did not
start the season with us because she couldn't, but unbelievably
she did want to play in that first season. And
I remember her coming back in August. I remember it
was a big story.
Speaker 4 (22:31):
She came back.
Speaker 5 (22:32):
I think she was out for about six weeks hand
if I'm not mistaken, yep, she was, and she came back.
Her line that first came back wasn't all that spectacular,
but with each passing game she got better and better better.
Of course, they won the title that year, and she
had no small role in that.
Speaker 1 (22:57):
The first ever WNBA game took place as promised on
June twenty first, nineteen ninety seven, at the LA Forum, home.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
Of the Lakers. It was Rebecca Lobo's New York.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
Liberty against Lisa Leslie's La Spars Marque.
Speaker 3 (23:13):
Matchup between Leslie and Lobo as the two cornerstone franchise
of the Women's NBA square off here this afternoon in
the debut game, and now here for the player introductions,
our PA announcer Roger.
Speaker 1 (23:23):
The New York Liberty defeated the Sparks that day, sixty
seven to fifty seven.
Speaker 6 (23:30):
Lads Lobo and Lobo at the basket of sort, Rebecca
Lobo with sixteen.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
Points, the Lobos on the top sixty two.
Speaker 1 (23:39):
Now I called that game, I called the first season
for NBC, and I remember being terrified, absolutely terrified.
Speaker 2 (23:51):
As a player. What was your experience in that game?
Speaker 4 (23:55):
Excitement and nerves because like I grew up as a
Celtics band watching Celtics Lakers, Celtics Lakers, So I'm in
I'm in this, this arena that I've only seen on
television before, and some of like the iconic memories I
have as a kid as a kid watching.
Speaker 1 (24:12):
The late banners are hanging from the ceiling and all that,
right exactly, and like.
Speaker 4 (24:18):
We're on the team bus and this is back in
the day. By the way, it was great to be
involved in the WNBA in the early days because especially
that first year and second year, when you were on
the road, you were staying where the teams put their
male counterparts. So we were staying I think at the
Ritz or the Four Seasons because that's where the Knicks state.
(24:39):
So like that first year we were I mean, we
were flying commercially, but in a lot of ways we're
you know, it's what the teams knew. All let's put
him up at a really nice hotel. They don't quite
do that anymore. But I remember being on the bus
on the way to the Forum and seeing this giant
billboard and it was just a huge me and profile
Lisa Leslian profile we got next opening day and just
(25:02):
seeing that on the way like, oh my gosh, we've
done all of this promotion to this point. Now here
it is. And then I think it was in film.
That morning, we're watching tape and we're having our meeting
when Nancy Dars who was our coach, and she's going
over the assignments and she's like, you know, Rebecca, you
have Lisa Bloom and Kim Hampton, one of our veterans
(25:22):
who I love, just said, let me take Lisa and
then and then Rebecca can focus more on the offensive hand.
And I remember just being like, Okay, I like that.
That works for me.
Speaker 9 (25:33):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (25:34):
And then so but yeah, going out and you know,
doing media and all of that stuff the day prior,
and uh, when the game was finally there, it was
like and there were celebrities court side, which I had
never experienced, but they were there that day at the Forum,
and just being like, wow, it's here, but not feeling
and overwhelming anything other than it's we get to finally
(25:55):
play basketball.
Speaker 1 (25:59):
For me, it was somewhat terrifying, surreal and thrilling.
Speaker 2 (26:04):
Here's a valve.
Speaker 5 (26:06):
It was an amazing day and night. We had a
small we had a team from the league office that
of course trooped out there to see it. I was
with my dear friend Rick Welts, as I mentioned, who
was this president of NBA properties at the time. We
were sort of joined at the hip in the year
leading in, so we were out there together. I remember,
(26:27):
you know, visiting Jerry Buss before the game in the
Forum club. He was divorced at that point. He had
a young woman with him who he introduced us to
and said he was very excited that she was going
to be throwing up the ball for the opening tip.
And I remember looking at Rick like, wait a minute,
I thought that was supposed to be me, and he
and I made a panic phone call back to the
(26:48):
home office. We didn't want to offend doctor Buss, but
I really did think it was supposed to be me
and not her, and we straightened that out. It was
me in the end, because I know, but that was
kind of a you know, old Brick and I laughed
about that moment.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
Fine Leslie gets into it.
Speaker 5 (27:12):
I remember the other thing. Two things. I remember that
the anthem singer didn't arrive on time. I think it
was Jeffrey Osborne. Maybe I'm wrong, Oh my god.
Speaker 7 (27:21):
Stuck in traffic, right, stuck in traffic, yes, stuck in traffic,
and we just waited and waited, and then we ended
up they ended up unearthing some scratchy recording of the anthem,
so we used that.
Speaker 5 (27:33):
You know, you know, usually you will have this very
celebrity singer. We didn't have that. And then I remember
it not being a very good game. I think the
players were just so nervous and you may remember that too.
They were just nervous. And Penny Toller made the first
shot and.
Speaker 3 (27:50):
The first basket it do WRNBA history is scored by
Penny Teller at.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
Long Beach Steak, and everyone wanted to know was Lisa
gonna dunk? You know, and that unfortunately, that was the
storyline going in.
Speaker 5 (28:01):
And the fans. I just remember the fans coming. We
had a very good crowd. It wasn't a sell out there,
but it was probably at least thirteen thousand or so,
which was very very good crowd, and they were buying stuff.
And I remember the programs that we sold for that
first year that we got Next on on the cover.
It was just it was you were teary eyed because
(28:21):
all the hard work had paid off. It really happened.
Balls were bouncing, referees were blowing whistles, You heard sneakers
squeaking on the hardwood floor, and it was real.
Speaker 2 (28:33):
This is really awesome.
Speaker 6 (28:34):
I have talked to a lot of people that have
come in and a lot of basketball people. There's so
much excitement you almost feel like you're playing. Everybody is
so fire.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
On the broadcast side, we had back to back games,
first La then Phoenix the very next day.
Speaker 2 (28:49):
Welcome to Phoenix, Arizona. Summertime here.
Speaker 3 (28:51):
And the hottest ticket in this hot town is that
for the Phoenix Mercury as they are.
Speaker 1 (28:56):
I mean the final attendance in LA. I think they
were expecting twelve that fans, and the final attendance in
LA was over fourteen thousand, so they were fans like
in the upper decks. And then talk about Phoenix, they
had the Suns had established this incredible fan base. And
then how about New York, the New York Liberty. That
(29:16):
was a great atmosphere too, Right, what do you remember
about it because we did their home opener.
Speaker 9 (29:21):
Well, first of all, I want to go to you know, Phoenix,
and Cheryl Miller just blows everybody away. I mean with
her enthusiasm and her excitement. One of the great names
in a Hall of Famer of the game could coach
and you know her second year they were in the
finals against Houston, and you know she was there four years.
But you know, players would just they said, we'll go
(29:42):
through a wall for you know, just the different players
that we had in the league. Andrea Stintson was It
was between her and Cynthia Cooper as far as who
was going to be the MVP at the end of
the year. But Andrea Stintson was just fabulous and fun
to watch. And but like you said, going to Madison
Square Garden and seeing the New York Liberty and having
(30:05):
Teresa Weatherspoon, who played at LSU was an eighty eight Olympian,
gave you such intense energy and she was going to
beat you defensively, an incredible passer, played with Kim Hampton
and Lobull was on that team. And you know at
LOVO Lobile coming off the Yukon Player the Year, winning
the championship the Olympic team in ninety six, and Rebecca
(30:26):
was such a big name and faith in New York.
Speaker 2 (30:29):
Rebecca Lobo.
Speaker 3 (30:30):
We last saw her as an Olympian winning gold in
Atlanta along with her teammate Lisa Leslie. The two of
them went against each other in practice and now they
get a chance to square off as professional.
Speaker 5 (30:41):
So I did four games in a row and then
winded up back in New York at the end of
the week where the Liberty had their home opener, which
was in that and I was with Dave. David came
to that one, so my husband and my mother and
my mother in law and I sat with David and
Diane stern A mod and were shot and Felicia were shot.
They were to get and that's who we sat with
at the game, and they were just piling into the guard,
(31:04):
piling in, and David it was a looking around like stunned.
I mean, this guy's never speechless. He just didn't have
anything to say. He was just taking it all in.
And that was a crowning moment. And I was really
happy for him and me, but I was really happy
for him because he, you know, he he made it happen,
and for him to see with his own eyes that
it was real and the people cared about this and
(31:27):
there was something to this.
Speaker 2 (31:29):
It was a moment.
Speaker 5 (31:29):
I'll never forget.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
The paint he gets a board back and lay back.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
The New York Liberty had an incredible fan base that
first season, complete with court side celebrities just like the Knicks,
Tyra Banks, Rosie O'Donnell, Joan Jet who actually made voodoo
dollphs of the opposing team. Now, of course the Liberty
plays at Barkley's, but they began at Madison Square Garden.
(32:02):
So you play your first home game against Phoenix on
June twenty ninth, and that's at the Garden, winning that
one to a sixty five to fifty seven. There were
almost eighteen thousand people there that day. What do you
recall about that first home game.
Speaker 4 (32:19):
The memory I have, The strongest memory I have from
that first home game was we had spent I don't know,
a couple weeks prior. We had gone to some studio
and filmed our introduction that was going to play up
on the jumbo tron at the time, like there's different
ones of us stepping outside of a skyscraper and like
one of us catches the ball and passes to somebody
else who steps out of a skryscraper. At the time,
(32:40):
it was like really cool. It's like, oh, it was cool.
So they play that and then they're doing the home
team introductions and my strongest memory is it was so
loud in the garden. We couldn't hear our name called,
So I think I may have been second to last introduced,
but like somebody would be introduced and we didn't know
the order yet because it was our first home game,
(33:02):
and like one of the other players who could hear
it would like push that player, like you go. It
was so loud. Eighteen thousand were so loud that you
could not hear your name during introductions on the PA.
So that's like my strongest memory. And then also because
we had been told by Kara blaize Zowski, like every
team in the league had to spend ten because like
(33:24):
ten grand to get the drape, the big black drape,
so that when they didn't fill the upper bowl, they
could you know, make it look it would still look
good on TV. It would still look good on TV.
And not only did we not need the drape for
that game, they did not need it for the entire season.
They were always there were always fans in that upper bowl,
but just kind of being blown away of And where
(33:47):
some of us were staying was right across the street
at the south Gate Tower at thirty first and seventh,
So we got to the game by walking across the street,
like sometimes through the fans to get to the security gate.
It's wild to them, like we weren't driving up through
the tunnel or anything. We didn't even you know, that
was not an option. Were walking across the street. Hey guys,
(34:08):
I got to get to my game or else I
you know, sign more autographs the Liberty.
Speaker 1 (34:12):
That first season, you lead the team and blocked shots
and rebounds. That season, as I mentioned, the ratings were good.
And then we get to the playoffs, which at the
time consisted of teams one through four, and Team one
would play Team four and Team two would play Team three,
and then the winners of those games would go on
(34:34):
to play for the championship. You end up playing the
Houston comments Moment's.
Speaker 2 (34:41):
Late at thirty to twenty eight.
Speaker 1 (34:45):
Arcade and the Cheryl swoops again one of the one
of the major stars is on the other side. But
really what the comments were about was a player who
had been overseas for years, Cynthia Cooper.
Speaker 2 (34:57):
Our team points off the beautiful shot.
Speaker 1 (35:00):
She kind of became a revelation that season. You guys
had a nice rivalry and it had the comments number
that season before the championship game.
Speaker 4 (35:09):
Right, yeah, And I can remember hosting Houston at the Garden,
and I think that's another game that we sold out
eighteen thousand or whatever it was, and we were we
finished second in the Eastern Conference because Houston was in
the Eastern Conference and the early years of the league,
and so first round of the playoffs, as you mentioned,
single elimination, we go and play at Phoenix. I think, yeah,
(35:31):
it was at Phoenix, win that game and then we
ended up playing at Houston. But yeah, I do remember
like just playing Houston in those early years and early on,
you know, Cheryl wasn't with them yet because she had
just given birth to her son. She eventually rejoins the team,
not completely at top form, because how can you be
after just carrying and delivering a baby. But still it
was a short season player.
Speaker 2 (35:53):
Yeah, so it's not season.
Speaker 1 (35:54):
She doesn't have time to like work her way in
for a couple of months in play right, Yes.
Speaker 4 (35:58):
But she was still very prettut she played. But they've
got this player who I'm like, who's Cynthia Cooper? And
how come nobody in the league can guard her off
a pick and roll?
Speaker 3 (36:09):
Cooper Cooper driving dishing it up?
Speaker 2 (36:17):
What's a lab One night.
Speaker 1 (36:19):
That first season was short, just twenty eight games over
two months. In the end, it was the Comments versus
the Liberty for the first ever w NBA title. Do
you remember, because I do, specifically the championship. It was
just a championship game, you know, the way they had
set it up. One game and they defeat the New
(36:41):
York Liberty. And I remember sitting in the summit in Houston.
My mom was there, so I was able to bring
my baby. But I remember sitting with you and the
confetti falling from the ceiling of the summit onto the
players and the fans.
Speaker 2 (36:59):
That feared there was incredible.
Speaker 1 (37:02):
And I panic for a moment, like, wow, I better
say something profound, And I think I said something like
the Houston Comments have won the first of the NBA Championship.
Speaker 2 (37:18):
Thanks Lisa on the Houston Comments.
Speaker 3 (37:20):
We'll go down in history as the first ever w
NBA champions.
Speaker 1 (37:24):
But you do you remember the feeling of just like,
we worked so hard that season. We had production meetings
that lasted four hours. We were grinding week after week
dealing with all this pressure. Do you sort of remember
the feeling of as that confetti was falling and it
kind of as that season wound to a close.
Speaker 2 (37:46):
What you were feeling, Well, it's.
Speaker 9 (37:49):
So much builds up to it. And like you talked
about ninety five, ninety six, now you're ninety seven, and
you know, people took a lot of athletes will say,
you know, what we do on the court, what you
get to see, you don't see behind the scenes. What
got us there, the hard work, like you said, even
with us, the work that we did behind the scenes.
(38:10):
But for me, it was euphoria, honestly, meaning the game
as long as I have and seeing where it came
from and all the different people that have tried to
make another league happen and so forth. And you know,
you've got to go through failures before you have successes,
and certainly I think the w NBA has gone through
a lot of that too. And but that, yeah, to
see the confetti and to see that people cared and
(38:33):
that people put money into the league and into their
teams and that they supported it was so important. And
to know that you felt validated as women athletes.
Speaker 11 (38:45):
Today we're all part of history.
Speaker 1 (38:59):
He knew that.
Speaker 2 (39:09):
I mean, did you.
Speaker 1 (39:12):
Envision at the time, because you made it to the
championship Games, you think, oh, we'll get it next year.
Speaker 2 (39:16):
We'll get it next year. We'll get it next year.
Speaker 1 (39:18):
What was it like, kind of running up against that
juggernaut every year?
Speaker 4 (39:21):
It was just I'm not sure exactly what it was.
I do, however, remember maybe their third championship, maybe their
third or fourth championship, and we're getting ready to play
them one of those years. So we didn't make it
to it in ninety eight, so maybe ninety nine or
two thousand, whenever. Whenever, those one of those years, we
end up playing Houston in the playoffs. And I had
(39:45):
a friend who was on the on the comics that year,
and we had literally that morning at shoot arounds, or
maybe it was the day before because it's a day
game or something like that. We had gone over like
for two hours in our shoot around. How we're going
to guard this, how we're going to guard that, How
we're going to try to guard see in the pick
and roll. And my friend told me that Houston shoot
(40:07):
around was like twenty minutes, and they were like, it
didn't matter. They still beat us that game and that
series because they had the best players in the world
and they had the best team.
Speaker 1 (40:19):
It's so believable, isn't it. Crazy that the Liberty have
never won a title. I know, I know, you know,
I mean, this could be the year. But yeah, it's
kind of wild to think, like, here we are two
and a half decades later and they still haven't won
a title.
Speaker 4 (40:37):
Well, and it's just incredible to see the Liberty's journey
because they've been such an important franchise to the success
of the WNBA since the beginning, you know, a super
team last year playing in the finals, you know, selling
out Barkley Center, and then this year, you know, we
really have a potential to go for a deep run,
if not potentially win a championship as well. But it's
in some ways it kind of mirrors like the WNB.
(41:00):
It started off with a bang, and then like there's
some ebbs and flows, and it feels like now it's
really on the rise again.
Speaker 1 (41:06):
How proud are you of your part in that legacy
of the WABA which is continuing and ongoing obviously.
Speaker 4 (41:13):
Yeah, it was. It was my overwhelming feeling the bubble
season of twenty twenty, where the women's players use their
voice every single turn that they could to stand up
for what was right. My overwhelming feeling was I am
so proud to have been a part of this league
from the beginning and to have these women in a
(41:34):
place now where if they see something is wrong, they're
going to speak out on it. That they're always going
to be on the right side of social justice issues
and they're always going to be willing to speak out
on those issues, oftentimes before any other any other athletes do.
And you know, it's crazy to think, gosh, maybe late nineties,
(41:55):
early two thousands, two Wix, my teammate with a liberty
comes out and the first openly gay maybe professional athletes
at the time, certainly in a team sport, and how
different that is now and how players can be their
true selves, people in society in general can be And
the part that she played in getting everyone there. You know,
(42:18):
they're they're people who you know, did a lot on
the court, but there are a lot of important things
happening off the court as well, and certainly to see
how the women are now is something I take an
incredible amount of pride in the even the smallest piece
I played in the in the foundation of it all.
Speaker 3 (42:40):
It's been a great opportunity for us all to be
here at the very beginning of this season of something
special and something that will impact sports for years to come.
Once again, the final score from Houston to come at
sixty five.
Speaker 2 (42:54):
Pretty sure. We cried quite a bit that summer.
Speaker 8 (42:57):
Yeah, we did.
Speaker 1 (42:58):
Of just a relief and pressure or you know, you
talk about the pressure on the players, but there was.
There was a huge amount of pressure on us. This
was David Stern's baby, this was national TV, this was
the first.
Speaker 2 (43:12):
Year of the league. We hadn't done it before.
Speaker 1 (43:15):
There was an enormous amount of pressure to get it right.
And I think looking back on it, what I'm really
proud of is that we covered it like the.
Speaker 2 (43:28):
NBA was covered.
Speaker 1 (43:29):
We we treated it like a major sporting event. We
treated it like it deserved to be treated. And listen,
I can't even we poured our heart and soul into that.
I mean, if nothing else, just the effort, Yeah, we tried.
The passion was there in spades, right.
Speaker 8 (43:50):
Yeah, And there were some you know, great moments, and yes,
you know, I know I made some mistakes along the
way that season. You know, you just learning, come on, yeah,
who is live basketball? And yeah, you know, but you know, overall,
I think it made an impact. We you know, getting
(44:10):
to know those players better in some of the coaches
like Nancy darsh at New York, and you know, just
it was a special time, a really special time. And
I hope that, you know, as the league continues to grow,
and I think the players do they look back at
those early days because it was hard, and you know,
most of these players, I think ten players from that
(44:31):
Olympic team wound up playing and or coaching in the WNBA.
Speaker 2 (44:38):
And would have a storied career.
Speaker 1 (44:40):
As general manager of the Phoenix Mercury, she built her
own champions winning titles in two thousand and seven, oh
nine and twenty fourteen.
Speaker 2 (44:50):
Where do you see the league going now?
Speaker 1 (44:53):
On the heels of this incredibly successful NCAA Tournament of
the Stars, really rising tide lifts all boats.
Speaker 2 (45:04):
There are casual sports.
Speaker 1 (45:06):
Fans now who can name multiple rookies coming into the league.
With Caitlin Clark leading the way and teams literally changing
the venues of their games for when she comes into town.
Charter Flights have now been approved an expansion team in Toronto.
Speaker 2 (45:24):
Where do you see this league going?
Speaker 6 (45:27):
Well, you know, you go.
Speaker 9 (45:28):
Back to day one with bel Ackerman and and all
the other presidents we've had and Donna Orangeer and now
we've got Kathy Ngelberg who's done a terrific job as
far as getting sponsors and so forth, and people locking in.
The sponsorships have been huge. But you know, people used
to ask me, oh, where's the WNBA going? It's a
floding league. And you know, we were adding teams Detroit
(45:49):
and Washington and Miami Orlando and some teams who weren't
doing while and so forth, and you know, Utah got
you know, went under and went to San Antonio and
San Antonio Las Vegas, and it just people would ask,
where do you see the league? I said, ask me
in twenty years. Well, now we're twenty eight years in
and I'm thinking, hey, another twenty eight we're going to
(46:11):
be around to show question. I think the fact that
you know, more and more companies understanding that women's sports
has taken what over fifty plus years with tied to
nine to get us there, but they see the benefits
of what women's sports can bring to the table and
housemaking money. And certainly social media is a big part
(46:35):
of things today, and so is betting because a lot
of these betting companies are major sponsors. And so those
two things to me, have really changed sports a lot,
and I think they see that women's sports is kind
of a new and up and coming even though it's
been coming for a long time. I you know, the
(46:55):
expansions coming. As you said, I mean, there are so
many cities that want women's basketball, and we have the
excitement of the college players. The NIL has changed things,
The transport port rule has changed things, and so those
are things at all these college and high school coaches
are concerned about are they going to leave and how
(47:15):
much money they're making it on that level, and then
coming to the pros, salaries are going to go up
and up. I would like to see, you know, obviously
where there's a salary cap. I know that the charter
flights have just come in to play because of Britney
Grinder really last year when she came back from Russia.
She was the start of it. Because now you can
say Caitlin Clark coming in and you know, the really
(47:38):
security that these players need, and so that's been something
that's been plus for the players, I think as far
as having the charter flights, but also you know, I
personally would love to see this league longer than four
four and a half months. I'd love to see it
at six or seven months. I also would like to
see it at some point and I don't know however
they're ever going to work it out. But every two
(48:00):
years they change when the season starts because of the
World Cup and also the Olympics, and they take three
four weeks off. So that's tough because now you've got
to gear back up and sell it again. So when
you're out of the market after four months, it's it's
hard to market the product. And I think because of
what happened to Britney Griner last year in Russia, not
(48:23):
as many players they're going over to certain countries, but
there are still players going over season playing whether it's
in Italy or Spain or Irelander. You know, there's so
many different other places to play, and so that's still there.
But you don't want these kids playing twelve months out
of the year, and that's what's happening. So I would
love to see the WNBA be the league that our
(48:45):
players play in.
Speaker 1 (48:47):
Whether the increased interest in women's basketball continues to manifest
itself in larger salaries and longer seasons remains to be seen,
but there is no doubt significant progress has been made
on the backs of all of those who came before.
Next Time on NBA DNA, The Spectacular Return of the
(49:12):
Los Angeles Lakers NBA DNA with Hannah Storm is a
production of iHeart Podcasts, The NBA, and Brainstorm and Productions.
The show is written and executive produced by me Hannah Storm,
(49:34):
along with Julia Weaver and Alex French. Our lead producer
and showrunner is Julia Weaver. Our senior producers are Peter Kouder,
Alex French, and Brandon Reese. Editing and sound design by
Kirk Garn and Julia Weaver. The show's executive producers are
Carmen Belmont, Jason English, Sean ty Tone, Steve Weintraup, and
(49:57):
Jason weikelt
Speaker 4 (50:00):
He s
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