Shooting hoops and shattering records: The rise of women's basketball

KCBS Radio In Depth

For those in the know, it’s been a long road from where it began to where women’s professional basketball is today. The WNBA got its start in 1997, but it wasn’t the first women’s league. The women’s professional basketball league formed in 1978 with franchises across the country, even a team in San Francisco—the Pioneers. And at the same time the W was getting its start, the American Basketball League was working to get more women on the court, too. While the WBL and ABL didn’t last, their formation spoke of a craving to see women’s basketball teams compete and to see more women hoop. And now, the WNBA, almost 30 years later, is not only surviving—it’s thriving, reaching a golden hour of popularity, global attention, and the kind of popularity it's been seeking all along. KCBS reporters Mary Hughes and Holly Quan take a deep dive into the rise of women’s basketball on this edition of In Depth.