NBA TV will premiere its latest documentary – As We Rise: 25 Years of the WNBA presented by Nike – covering the evolution of the league, progress on and off the court, and the top moments which helped shape the WNBA on Saturday, May 14, at 7 p.m. ET.
The hour-long special – produced in association with Bleacher Report and HighlightHER – features more than 30 interviews, from pioneers that helped blaze the trail during the early days of professional women's basketball, such as Ann Meyers, Carol Blazejowski, Nancy Lieberman and Cheryl Miller, to the WNBA's first headliners, including Lisa Leslie, Rebecca Lobo and Sheryl Swoopes, and modern day stars Candace Parker, A'Ja Wilson, Sylvia Fowles, Nneka Ogwumike and Breanna Stewart.
The piece opens with a look back at how David Stern, Val Ackerman and Russ Granik, among others, helped build the foundation of the WNBA before capitalizing on the momentum of the 1996 Women's National Team to launch the league in June 1997. The story later advances through the years to today's game and how Cathy Engelbert and others continue to advance the WNBA and help empower the league and its players to lead the way in social advocacy.
Interview subjects for the documentary include: