NBA TV to air a one-hour documentary on the WNBA

NBA TV will premiere “As We Rise: 25 Years of the WNBA” covering the history of the league on Saturday, May 14, at 7 p.m. ET. The hour-long documentary will feature more than 30 interviews from “pioneers that helped blaze the trail during the early days of professional women’s basketball.”

Interviewees include Ann Meyers Drysdale, Carol Blazejowski, Nancy Lieberman, Cheryl Miller, Lisa Leslie, Rebecca Lobo, and Sheryl Swoopes, as well as current stars Candace Parker, A’Ja Wilson, Sylvia Fowles, Nneka Ogwumike and Breanna Stewart.

From the NBA TV release:

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.