Michigan Built the Court, the ABL Folded, & Jersey Numbers Changed

If the ABL had better players, higher salaries, and die-hard basketball fans, why are we celebrating the WNBA’s 30th anniversary instead of the ABL’s?

In Part 2 of The WNBA at 30: How We Got Here, Kaari explores one of the biggest “what ifs” in women’s basketball history: the battle between the WNBA and the American Basketball League. From NBA backing and business strategy to an unexpected connection with Golden State Warriors and Valkyries owner Joe Lacob, this episode examines why one league survived while the other folded—and what that lesson still means today.

Also in this episode:

🌲 A surprising Michigan connection to the Golden State Valkyries’ court at Chase Center.

🏀 Listener Question: Why are we suddenly seeing jersey numbers like 77 and 88? Kaari explains the old basketball rule that shaped jersey numbers for generations—and why it’s finally disappearing.

🏆 Buzzer Beater Award: Minnesota Lynx rookie Olivia Miles ties Caitlin Clark’s rookie record for three-pointers in a game, while Napheesa Collier reminds us what great leadership looks like.

😬 Airball Award: Thirty years into the WNBA’s history, why are there no Black women serving as head coaches currently? Kaari looks at the league’s coaching pipeline and why it’s a conversation worth having.

🚨 Flagrant Foul Award: Dallas Wings head coach Jose Fernandez gets called out for creating an unnecessary adversarial relationship with the reporters covering his team.

“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 0:04

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 0:18

Today on the pod, I'm sharing part two of our WNBA at 30 How Did We Get Here series, answering a listener question about numbers on jerseys, and of course I'll wrap it all up with the awards.

Kaari 0:32

Now let's tip it off.

Pure Michigan in the Bay Area

Kaari 0:38

Before we get back to our How Did We Get Here series, I want to share something I recently learned that made me smile.

Kaari 0:46

You know that beautiful Golden State Valkyrie's court at Chase Center?

Kaari 0:51

It was made in my home state of Michigan.

Kaari 0:55

The court was built by Connor Sports, a company in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, that's been making sports floors for more than 150 years. They've built courts for Final Fours, Olympic competitions, and now the Golden State Valkyries.

Kaari 1:13

The playing surface is made from northern hard maple, trees that grow in Michigan and across the Great Lakes region. And that hardwood is incredibly dense and durable, which is exactly why it's the gold standard for professional basketball courts.

Kaari 1:31

I love imagining the journey. Trees from the Great Lakes crafted into a custom court in Michigan, and now they're part of every Valkyrie's home game here in the Bay Area.

Kaari 1:44

I love uncovering little stories like this because they remind us that basketball isn't just about what happens on the court. It's also about the people, the places, and yes, even the trees that help make the game possible.

WNBA at 30: How Did We Get Here - Part 2

Kaari 2:03

And now part two of How Did We Get Here?

Kaari 2:08

Last episode, I ended with a teaser about another professional women's basketball league that launched at almost exactly the same time as the WNBA.

Kaari 2:18

That league was called the ABL, the American Basketball League.

Kaari 2:24

And here's something that might surprise newer fans.

Kaari 2:27

In 1997, if you were looking for the best women's basketball league in America, there was a pretty good argument that the WNBA was actually the second best option.

Kaari 2:40

Now, full disclosure, I was not neutral in this debate. I had season tickets to the San Jose Lasers, an ABL team located in the Bay Area. And as a basketball purist, I thought the ABL was the better product.

Kaari 2:58

For several years, I pretty much ignored the WNBA. Wait, what?

Kaari 3:03

The ABL wasn't some fly-by-night operation. It featured many of the biggest stars from the gold medal-winning 1996 U.S. Olympic team, including players like Jennifer Azey and Don Staley. And in many cases, it paid higher salaries to players than the WNBA.

Kaari 3:21

In the ABL, they played a traditional winter schedule, and among hardcore basketball fans, it had a lot of credibility. The WNBA had the NBA's marketing machine, and the ABL had the basketball purists like me.

Kaari 3:40

One of the ABL's investors was Joe Lacob. Yes, that Joe Lacob. The same Joe Lacob who now owns the Golden State Valkyries. So in a strange way, there's actually a direct line from the ABL to today's WNBA.

Kaari 3:58

So if the ABL had star players and basketball credibility, why are we celebrating the WNBA's 30th anniversary instead of the ABL's?

Kaari 4:10

Here is the uncomfortable truth.

Kaari 4:13

Sometimes the better basketball product doesn't win.

Kaari 4:18

The WNBA had something that ABL could not match. Infrastructure.

Kaari 4:24

The WNBA had NBA funding, NBA arenas, NBA television relationships, NBA marketing, and NBA sponsors.

Kaari 4:36

The ABL had to build all of that from scratch.

Kaari 4:40

And that's ultimately why the league folded after just three years.

Kaari 4:45

Not because nobody cared about women's basketball, not because the basketball wasn't good enough, but because building a professional sports league is incredibly hard.

Kaari 4:59

And that is a life lesson that still matters today.

Kaari 5:05

As the WNBA Players Association pushed for higher salaries and a larger share of league revenue, it's worth remembering that none of those conversations happen unless the league survives long enough to build a sustainable business.

Kaari 5:21

The ABL tried to compete immediately, and the WNBA played the long game.

Kaari 5:28

In one final twist, the ABL's failure may have actually helped the WNBA.

Kaari 5:34

When the league folded, many of its best players moved to the WNBA, bringing talent, credibility, and fans with them.

Kaari 5:44

But the battle between the ABL and the WNBA wasn't the only story unfolding in those early years. Another transformation was happening too. One involving the visibility of LGBTQ players and fans.

Kaari 6:01

We'll come back to that later in this series.

Kaari 6:05

And in the next episode, we'll tackle another question. The WNBA survived the ABL. But surviving wasn't the same thing as succeeding. So how did the WNBA survive the difficult years that followed and make it all the way to its 30th season?

Kaari 6:24

That's next time on Her Game Her Voice.

Listener Question

Kaari 6:30

And now it's time for our listener question.

Kaari 6:33

This one comes from Annette in Long Island.

Kaari 6:36

She asked, What's with the new Jersey numbers? In my day, nobody wore numbers like 77.

Kaari 6:43

Great observation, Annette.

Kaari 6:45

If you played high school or college basketball back in the 70s, 80s, or even later, you probably remember that jersey numbers were restricted. Players could only wear numbers made up of the digits 0 through 5. Things like 12, 23, 45.

Kaari 7:04

Why?

Kaari 7:06

Believe it or not, it was because referees used hand signals to tell the scorekeeper who committed a foul. Limiting the digits made the signals easier.

Kaari 7:17

But here's the interesting part. The WNBA never had that restriction.

Kaari 7:23

Since the league launched in 1997, players have been allowed to wear any number from 00 to 99.

Kaari 7:31

The reason you didn't see many 77s or 88s wasn't because they were illegal. It was because players spent their entire basketball lives wearing those lower numbers and simply stuck with them when they turned pro.

Kaari 7:46

Now that's changing.

Kaari 7:49

College basketball has finally dropped the old restrictions, and younger players are embracing unique numbers as part of their personal brand.

Kaari 7:58

Add in the influence of international basketball, where high numbers are much more common, and suddenly numbers like 77 on a jersey don't seem so unusual anymore.

Kaari 8:10

So if you're seeing more unconventional jersey numbers in the WNBA, you're actually watching the last remnants of an old basketball rule fade away.

Kaari 8:21

Thanks for the question, Annette.

Kaari 8:23

Do you have one for me? Send it to host at hergamehervoice.com.

Buzzer Beater Award

Kaari 8:32

And now the moment you've all been waiting for, the awards section of this podcast.

Kaari 8:40

First up, the Buzzer Beater Award.

Kaari 8:42

This week's Buzzer Beater goes to Minnesota Lynx rookie Olivia Miles.

Kaari 8:47

Miles just keeps making history.

Kaari 8:50

In Minnesota's recent win over Dallas, she tied Caitlin Clark's rookie record for most three-pointers made in a single game.

Kaari 8:58

And here's what I love even more.

Kaari 9:00

When the Lynx veteran Napheesa Collier was asked about Miles tying the record, she simply smiled and said, "and we have Olivia Miles."

Kaari 9:11

That's exactly what you want to hear from a veteran star. Celebrating the next generation instead of competing with it.

Kaari 9:19

Olivia Miles is proving she belongs in the WNBA, and the Lynx may have found their next franchise cornerstone.

Kaari 9:27

And that's a buzzer beater.

Airball Award

Kaari 9:34

And now the Airball Award.

Kaari 9:37

My Airball Award this week goes to the WNBA's coaching pipeline.

Kaari 9:42

The league is celebrating its 30th season, and by almost every measure, it's thriving. Attendance is up, expansion is happening, new fans are discovering the game every day.

Kaari 9:56

But here's a statistic that stopped me in my tracks. There are currently zero black women serving as head coaches in the WNBA, despite black women making up the majority of the league's players.

Kaari 10:12

Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve recently called attention to the issue, arguing that the league needs to take a hard look at how coaching opportunities are created and filled.

Kaari 10:24

Now, this isn't about any one hire. It's not about saying someone didn't deserve a job. It's about asking whether the pathway from player to assistant coach to head coach is working the way it should.

Kaari 10:40

30 years into the WNBA's history, that's a conversation worth having.

Kaari 10:46

And 30 years is old enough to celebrate how far you've come, and old enough to be honest about where you still need to improve.

Kaari 10:55

Like a coaching pipeline that still seems to be missing many talented black women.

Kaari 11:00

And that's why this week's Airball Award goes to the WNBA coaching pipeline.

Flagrant Foul

Kaari 11:07

And finally, the Flagrant Foul Award.

Kaari 11:10

This week's flagrant foul goes to Dallas Wings coach Jose Fernandez for being a snarky jackass to reporters after games.

Kaari 11:19

Look, everybody is there to do a job. Stop acting like a jackass.

Kaari 11:25

Jose, you are a rookie WNBA coach. I don't care if you're tired of answering questions about when Azzi Fudd is going to start a game or whatever. You got the number one draft pick of the season, Jose, so lighten up. Seems like you could show a little more grace.

Kaari 11:46

If you want to be treated like a professional, then please act like one.

Kaari 11:51

This is life in the big leagues, Jose. Wake up. You're creating an adversarial relationship with the reporters who follow the Dallas Wings. And that's just plain stupid.

Kaari 12:03

So for being a snarky jackass to reporters, Dallas Wings coach Jose Fernandez gets this week's Flagrant Foul Award.

Conclusion

Kaari 12:16

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

Kaari 12:21

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

Kaari 12:28

And while you're on the show page, please drop a rating or review and share an episode with a friend.

Kaari 12:34

Thanks for listening and happy hoopin'!