Pioneering Players Who Changed Trajectory for Women’s Hoops Paved Way for Today’s Game

Pioneering Players Who Changed Trajectory for Women’s Hoops Paved Way for Today’s Game
Nancy Lieberman of the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury poses after practice in Phoenix on June 11, 1997. Eric Drotter/AP Photo
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CLEVELAND—Long before University of Iowa star Caitlin Clark broke records, packed arenas across the country like a Taylor Swift in sneakers, and inspired young girls to be like her, women’s basketball looked very different than it does today.

Until 1997, there was no WNBA. Media coverage was minimal. The madness of March was almost exclusively the men’s domain.