WNBA at 30, Lisa Leslie Gets Her Flowers, and Valkyries Fans Get Flagged

The WNBA is turning 30. So why does the league exist in the first place?

In this episode of Her Game. Her Voice., Kaari launches a new series, The WNBA at 30: How We Got Here, exploring the key moments, people, and decisions that helped build today’s WNBA. The story begins in 1996, when the NBA announced the creation of the league and introduced what became known as the WNBA’s “Original Three”: Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes, and Rebecca Lobo.  

Also in this episode:

🏀 Listener Question: Why do basketball announcers always say “two minutes remaining”? Kaari explains the surprising history and rulebook significance behind one of the sport’s most familiar announcements.  

🏆 Buzzer Beater Award: Lisa Leslie is getting a statue outside Crypto.com Arena, cementing her place among Los Angeles sports legends and honoring one of the most influential players in WNBA history.  

😬 Airball Award: The WNBA’s 30th anniversary celebration gets called out for missing a major opportunity to introduce new fans to the pioneers who built the league.  

🚨 Flagrant Foul Award: A candid conversation about Golden State Valkyries fans, Caitlin Clark, and the difference between creating a passionate home-court advantage and creating a hostile environment.  

“Big stories, little episodes—amplifying the voices shaping the game on and off the court." - Her Game Her Voice Podcast by Kaari Peterson

Transcript

Kaari 0:03

Howdy hoop heads and welcome to another episode of Her Game Her Voice, the podcast with big stories about women's basketball in little 15 minutes or less episodes.

Kaari 0:15

I'm your host, Kaari Peterson.

Kaari 0:17

Today on the pod, I'm kicking off a fun new series, answering a listener question about that two minutes announcement we hear every quarter in a basketball game. And of course, I'll wrap it up with the awards.

Kaari 0:31

Now let's tip

WNBA at 30: How We Got Here - Part One

Kaari 0:33

it off.

Kaari 0:38

Today, in honor of the WNBA's 30th anniversary, I'm starting a new series called The WNBA at 30: How We Got Here.

Kaari 0:48

Over the next several episodes, we'll explore some of the pivotal chapters in WNBA history. Now, this isn't going to be a straight-up history lesson. It's more a collection of stories about the people, decisions, and moments that shape the league we know today. The WNBA's story is one of remarkable progress, unfinished business, and a whole lot of people proving assumptions wrong.

Kaari 1:17

And it all starts with the question: why does the WNBA exist?

Kaari 1:23

Most people assume the answer is simple.

Kaari 1:25

Well, it isn't.

Kaari 1:27

In April of 1996, the NBA Board of Governors approved and announced the creation of the WNBA. The announcement featured three players who would become known as the league's original three: Lisa Leslie, Cheryl Swoops, and Rebecca Lobo. The league would begin play the following year, 1997.

Kaari 1:52

So why did the NBA create the WNBA?

Kaari 1:56

Well, it wasn't because someone suddenly discovered women could play basketball.

Kaari 2:00

That had definitely already been proven.

Kaari 2:03

But by 1996, women's basketball had reached a tipping point.

Kaari 2:08

There were elite players, passionate fans, television interest was growing, and the NBA had the resources, relationships, and confidence to launch a professional women's league.

Kaari 2:22

So the NBA saw an opportunity. And honestly, that's okay, because it meant women's basketball had reached a point where major sports executives believed it was worth investing in.

Kaari 2:34

So even after this big announcement from the NBA, there was still one enormous question hanging over the league. Would anybody care?

Kaari 2:45

Then came the summer of 1996 and Atlanta. Coached by the one and only Tara Vanderveer, the U.S. women's national team stormed through the Olympic Games, winning gold and capturing the attention of basketball fans across the country.

Kaari 3:03

The 1996 Olympic team didn't create women's basketball, but it certainly showcased it. Suddenly, millions of people were watching players like Lisa Leslie, Jennifer Azy, and Don Staley on the biggest stage in sports.

Kaari 3:20

As you might imagine, I was in basketball heaven during the 96 Olympics. And I was all in with my support. In fact, much to Shmoopie's dismay, I still have USA women's national team trading cards, a t-shirt, and matching basketball shorts.

Kaari 3:43

As I have said several times to Shmoopie, this stuff isn't clutter. These things are proof of my decades-long devotion to women's basketball. They do not belong in the clutter category.

Kaari 4:00

But back to our story. Atlanta helped answer the question that mattered. Would people watch professional women's basketball?

Kaari 4:10

The answer was yes.

Kaari 4:13

So onward and upward, right?

Kaari 4:16

Not so fast. There was one problem.

Kaari 4:19

The WNBA wasn't the only league trying to capitalize on this moment. In fact, another professional women's basketball league was preparing to launch at almost exactly the same time.

Kaari 4:32

And as we'll discover in our next episode, the future of women's professional basketball would depend on which league survived.

Kaari 4:42

More on that in part two of our series.

Listener Question

Kaari 4:47

And now it's time for our listener question.

Kaari 4:50

Today's listener question is about a kind of odd thing that happens at every basketball game. And once you notice it, you can't unnotice it.

Kaari 5:00

Mark from Alameda asked, Why does the announcer always say two minutes when there are exactly two minutes remaining in a quarter? What's the significance of two minutes?

Kaari 5:12

Great question, Mark.

Kaari 5:14

The answer is a little more complicated than you might guess.

Kaari 5:19

The PA announcer says two minutes remaining in every quarter, but the actual WMBA rulebook only treats the final two minutes differently in the fourth quarter and overtime. In the first three quarters, the special clock-related rules don't kick in until the final minute. So the announcement is partly tradition and partly a heads up that crunch time is approaching.

Kaari 5:47

And in my family, the two-minute mark of the second quarter is also when Shmoopie and I have to make an important strategic decision. Do we sprint to the bathroom as soon as the quarter ends or stay in our seats and watch the halftime show?

Kaari 6:04

Now let's talk about something called "true stop time." True stop time means the clock only runs when basketball is actually being played.

Kaari 6:16

In the first three quarters, true stop time begins during the final minute. And in the fourth quarter, it begins with the final two minutes. Once that happens, the clock stops on whistles, vowels, timeouts, reviews, substitutions, basically every little interruption.

Kaari 6:39

And that's why the final moments of a close game can feel like they take forever.

Kaari 6:46

In fact, another thing seems to happen at the two-minute mark, especially in the fourth quarter. Time itself slows down.

Kaari 6:55

Now, to be clear, I'm not sure this phenomenon has been scientifically proven. But if you've ever watched the last 30 seconds of a close basketball game, you've experienced it. 30 seconds on the game clock somehow takes 20 minutes in real life.

Kaari 7:14

The final two minutes of a basketball game can unfold over a period of hours, sometimes days. Oh, right, that's alright.

Kaari 7:23

So here's the takeaway. In the first three quarters, the two minutes remaining announcement is mostly a tradition and a warning that the final minute is coming. But in the fourth quarter, that announcement marks the beginning of special late game rules when the clock stops more frequently and every possession becomes more valuable.

Kaari 7:46

Thanks for the question, Mark.

Kaari 7:49

Do you have one for me? Send it to host@her gamehervoice.com. And now it's time for the award section of our podcast. First,

Buzzer Beater Award

Kaari 8:05

the Buzzerbeater Award. This week's Buzzerbeater Award goes to the one and only Lisa Leslie, one of the WNBA's original three.

Kaari 8:16

The Los Angeles Sparks recently announced that Leslie will be honored with a statue outside Crypto Arena. The statue is scheduled to be unveiled on September 20th in Star Plaza. This honor is long overdue. Leslie isn't just a Sparks legend, she is one of the most important players in WMBA history. She spent her entire career in Los Angeles, led the Sparks to back-to-back championships in 2001 and 2002, won three MVP awards, earned eight All-Star selections, collected two finals MVPs, and became the first player in WNBA history to dunk during a game. She'll become just the second WNBA player with a statue outside a WNBA arena, following Sue Bird in Seattle.

Kaari 9:12

And Leslie will take her place alongside Los Angeles sports icons like Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, and Kareem Abdul Jabbar. Not bad for someone who was reportedly told that women's basketball couldn't draw a crowd. Now Leslie is literally becoming a permanent part of the Los Angeles sports landscape.

Kaari 9:36

Congratulations, Lisa, on your statue and on your buzzer beater award.

Airball Award

Kaari 9:46

And now the Airball Award.

Kaari 9:49

This week's Airball Award goes to the WNBA's 30th anniversary celebration.

Kaari 9:56

The WNBA actually did a lot to mark its 30th season. There are anniversary logos, special merchandise collections, throwback uniforms, campaign films, and even a top 30 plays series.

Kaari 10:13

The league clearly put thought into celebrating the milestone. But that's exactly why this feels like an airball instead of a flagrant foul. The effort was there. The missed opportunity was the storytelling.

Kaari 10:30

The WNBA is experiencing the biggest surge of popularity in its history. Millions of fans have discovered the league in the last two years. And for many of those fans, names like Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoops, Cynthia Cooper, Yolanda Griffith, and on and on and on aren't household names yet.

Kaari 10:54

That's what makes this anniversary so unique. This wasn't just a birthday. It was a chance to tell the story of how we got here. Today's sold-out arenas didn't appear out of nowhere. Same with charter flights and record TV ratings. They exist because generations of players kept showing up when the spotlight was smaller. The paychecks were also smaller and the opportunities were fewer.

Kaari 11:23

The WNBA's 30th season deserves the sports equivalent of a documentary event, something so big and unavoidable that every WNBA fan would walk away knowing the names and stories of the women who built this league.

Kaari 11:38

The WNBA celebrated its 30th birthday, but it missed an opportunity to tell one of the best stories in sports, its own.

Kaari 11:47

And that's why the WNBA's 30th anniversary celebration gets this week's Airball Award.

Flagrant Foul Award

Kaari 11:56

And finally, the Flagrant Foul Award.

Kaari 11:59

This week's flagrant foul award goes to the Golden State Valkyries fans who insisted on booing Caitlin Clark every time she touched the ball during the Fever Valkyries game at Ballhalla.

Kaari 12:12

Look, I love the Valkyries. I've spent plenty of time singing the praises of Valhalla. But if we're handing out flagrant fouls, we have to be willing to call one on ourselves.

Kaari 12:24

I know some fans want Ballhalla to be a tough place for visiting teams. Some even think we need to help the Valkyries win by rattling the opposition.

Kaari 12:36

But there's a difference between being a passionate fan base and being a hostile one. A passionate fan base cheers its team, creates energy, makes the arena, in this case Ballhalla, an exciting place to play. A hostile fan base spends its energy tearing down the other team.

Kaari 12:57

Personally, I'd rather Ballhalla be known for the first one. Caitlin Clark already has enormous pressure on her whenever she steps onto a court.

Kaari 13:08

And honestly, this isn't really about Caitlin Clark.

Kaari 13:11

I'd feel the same way if it were any opposing player getting booed every time they touch the ball.

Kaari 13:17

The Valkyries might need us to cheer when the game is on the line. They do not need us to help by booing the other team.

Kaari 13:25

Booing has its place. A questionable call by a referee? Go for it.

Kaari 13:31

But the nonstop booing of opposing players feels negative and unnecessary.

Kaari 13:38

And it's not the kind of atmosphere I want Ballhalla to be known for.

Kaari 13:43

Valkyrie's fans, we can be loud, we can be proud, we can wave towels behind the basket during free throws and make it difficult for visiting teams.

Kaari 13:52

But we don't need to become the most hostile fan base in the WNBA. We have a chance to become the most passionate one.

Kaari 14:02

And that's why this week's flagrant foul award goes to the Valkyries fans who boo opposing players, especially Caitlin Clark.

Conclusion

Kaari 14:14

I'm Kaari Peterson, and you've been listening to Her Game Her Voice.

Kaari 14:18

Want more? Hit follow or subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Kaari 14:25

Thanks for listening and happy hoopin'!