As We Rise: 25 Years of the WNBA Presented By Nike





May 5, 2022



NBA TV to Premiere As We Rise: 25 Years of the WNBA Presented by Nike One-Hour Documentary, Saturday, May 14, at 7 p.m. ET


WNBA Legends, Coaches, Executives and Current Players Provide an In-Depth Look at the 25-Year History of the Longest Running Women's Professional League in the United States





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:





Following Saturday's premiere of As We Rise, the Chicago Sky’s Parker and the Minnesota Lynx’s Fowles, a pair of former Kia WNBA MVPs and two-time league champions, will meet on NBA TV at 8 p.m., 14 years after they were the No. 1 and No. 2 overall picks, respectively, in the 2008 Draft. An encore presentation of As We Rise will follow the game telecast.


NBA TV is home to more regular season live games than any other network (46 games), including 33 late season game telecasts as teams make a push for the playoffs following the 2022 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game on July 10.


Additionally, WNBA Weekly has returned for its third season on NBA TV. The 30-minute show features host Renee Montgomery and Ari Chambers, along with regular contributions from the network's talented roster of hosts, analysts and reporters. The show is available on demand via the NBA app.


HIGHLIGHTED CLIPS FROM AS WE RISE


Click on the images below for As We Rise promo clips: "Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi" and "The First Game"