Twenty-five years ago, the WNBA debuted with eight teams and a mission to uplift, encourage, and showcase women in professional basketball.
Over the years, despite challenges and setbacks, the league remained steadfast, eventually growing to 12 teams, all while making young girls — like WNBA star Sydney Colson — believe they can achieve their dream of playing pro ball.
“I grew up in Houston and watching the dynasty that was the [Houston] Comets and seeing those women dominate like that fueled and inspired me to want to keep working to play in the WNBA one day,” Colson, who plays for the Chicago Sky, tells Shondaland.
“Playing with and against some of the best basketball players in the world is obviously going to make you a better athlete, but there’s also much to be said about playing in a league of grown women who are intelligent, outspoken, courageous, and down to ruffle some feathers,” says Colson. “Not that we all have it figured out, but it’s empowering to be around fearless women who have a grasp on who they are and what they want in this life.”
Fearless women are indeed what the WNBA is made of. Since its founding, players have been outspoken not just about women in sports, but also social issues like LGBTQ+ rights and racial justice. Now, heading into its 25th season, the league is stronger than ever and ready to celebrate its past successes while preparing for the future.
Year 25
This season, the WNBA is rolling out a new campaign theme, "Count It," a new commemorative logo, which will be displayed on the courts, new team uniforms and game ball, and a 25th-anniversary advisory council made up of legends of the league. Additionally, all 12 WNBA teams will host specially-themed events and fan promotions to celebrate all the ways its players have shattered expectations and have stood at the forefront of advancement, inclusion, and social change for 25 years.
The league’s new distinctive 25th season logo — which features a bold orange silhouette of a player, the roman numerals for 20, and five tally marks with a line through it, along with the "Count It" theme — signifies what makes the league unique, says WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
“When you do something in the face of adversity, you say, ‘Count it,’” she explains.
“What people need to know about the WNBA is that people didn't think they could make the shots they make on the court or even complete all the accomplishments in the league, from the game perspective and the culture at large,” Engelbert continues. “So we want people to look back at the League's history and continue to count on the future. The tally marks on the logo suggest another tally is coming because the league isn’t done counting.”
“The roman numerals are also a bit of a nod to Title IX (the landmark civil rights law passed in 1972, that outlawed discrimination on the basis of sex and bolstered the rise of women sports) and instead of using the number 25 we decided to use the roman numerals because it’s disruptive,” she adds.
WNBA players are always defying the odds year after year, Engelbert says. But as the league looks to celebrate the first two decades of the league, they are also setting the stage for the next 25 years.
“We are celebrating a quarter of a century of the impact the WNBA has made on sports and society, and on generations of young and diverse athletes,” Engelbert says.
The impact of the WNBA on other sports leagues and in society can’t be overstated, says Natasha Cloud of the Washington Mystics.
“The W is so important. My girl [Ari Chambers] always says that and it’s so important because we are a league, especially for women’s sports, we’re kind of the blueprint for what a lot of leagues aspire to be,” Cloud says.
“We’re just the league filled with powerful, intelligent, and strong women who continue to pave and lead the way in so many different facets, so we’re not only role models for young boys and girls, but we’re also role models for our other women counterparts and our men counterparts in the NBA,” Cloud continues. “We are a league that doesn’t get the respect that it deserves, but is constantly showing up and making sure we do our due-diligence to make sure we are pushing the needle forward, especially with social reform and women’s equity.”
Los Angeles Sparks star Nneka Ogwumike, who is also president of the WNBA Players Association, adds: “We love this league. We have players whose backs we stand on and we want to move forward in a way that changes things for those who come after us.”
The Celebration Begins
The WNBA plans to celebrate a quarter-century of achievements all season long. While the WNBA increased its viewership by nearly 70 percent last season, the league is rolling out several initiatives to not only increase its reach but also keep moving the game forward.
WNBA 25th season advisory council
The new advisory council for the 25th season is comprised of women’s basketball pioneers and WNBA legends, including four-time WNBA champion and four-time WNBA finals MVP Cynthia Cooper; WNBA champion and founder of Electra Beverages Fran Harris; two-time WNBA champion and three-time MVP Lauren Jackson; two-time WNBA champion and three-time MVP Lisa Leslie; WNBA All-Star and current ESPN reporter and analyst Rebecca Lobo; four-time WNBA champion and three-time MVP Sheryl Swoopes; four-time WNBA champion and current University of Minnesota Women’s Head Coach Lindsay Whalen; and Teresa Weatherspoon, five-time WNBA All-Star and New Orleans Pelicans Assistant Coach.
The council will meet periodically to help generate innovative ideas on how to grow the game and its fanbase.
“I called each and every one of them and told them the vision of getting them back engaged with the League and I can’t tell you how thrilled everyone of them was,” says Engelbert. “To have the original architects of the League to talk to and work with us is amazing. We need as many people advocating for the league and helping us to market as possible.”
The W25
The League will select and honor its greatest players with the W25. Players will be selected based on their overall contribution to the league and community, and fans will also have the chance to vote on their favorite players.
WNBA Social Justice
Established last summer, the WNBA’s Social Justice Council will continue to lead work in the community to combat racial and gender inequality, promote advocacy for LBGTQ+ rights, and champion reform in systems where injustice persists.
WNBA Commissioner’s Cup:
This season also marks the debut of the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup, described as a “competition within a competition” featuring player prize pools. Engelbert says the idea was born out of the WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement, with the players and league creating this additional revenue model as a way to drive more interest in the WNBA.
“We’re really excited about this in-season competition. The first 10 games will be against conference opponents and they will accumulate points for wins,” Engelbert explains. “Then the winner of the Eastern vs Western conference will play for a prize pool, so players will have an additional chance to get compensation through playing.
“We’re doing something different that will bring more interest and more eyes on the game,” she adds.
As the WNBA prepares to celebrate its 25th anniversary, its identity is that of a league rooted in defying expectations and excelling in the face of adversity. It’s a league that means a lot to its fans and its players and it has every intention of being around for another 25 years.
“This league has meant everything to me. It has challenged me. It has pushed me. It has loved me. It's embraced me,” says Cloud.
“Its really allowed me to find myself as not only a player but as a Black woman and as a Black bisexual woman so I don’t know where I’d be today if it wasn’t for the W,” she continues. “I understand the responsibilities that come with being in our league and because of those responsibilities, I am a better person in my everyday life because of it, because of the W.”
Dorothy J. Gentry is a national freelance writer and educator based in Dallas. She writes about sports, culture, news and entertainment. Her work has appeared in numerous publications including The New York Times, The Undefeated, Slam, Texas Metro News and The Athletic. Follow her on Twitter @DorothyJGentry.
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