Sideline Stories

Sideline Stories: Before the W, there was the WBL"

50 min · 13. aug. 2025
episode Sideline Stories: Before the W, there was the WBL" cover

Description

In this special live episode, the Can't Retire Crew sits down with three legends of the game—Charlene McWhorter Jackson, Liz McQuitter, and Adrian Newell—to honor the women who helped lay the foundation for professional women’s basketball in the U.S. Long before the WNBA, there was the WBL (Women’s Professional Basketball League), the first pro league for women, active from 1978 to 1981. These trailblazers share powerful stories of sacrifice, resilience, and sisterhood—reflecting on what it meant to play in a league that was underfunded, overlooked, and under-documented, yet historic in every sense. From riding buses to chasing missed paychecks to paving the way for Title IX athletes and today's W stars, this conversation is a reminder that women’s basketball didn’t start in 1996—it started with them. Tune in as we give them their flowers, correct the record, and celebrate the legacy that lives on today. Learn more: majormotives.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

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episode Sideline Stories: Before the W, there was the WBL" artwork

Sideline Stories: Before the W, there was the WBL"

In this special live episode, the Can't Retire Crew sits down with three legends of the game—Charlene McWhorter Jackson, Liz McQuitter, and Adrian Newell—to honor the women who helped lay the foundation for professional women’s basketball in the U.S. Long before the WNBA, there was the WBL (Women’s Professional Basketball League), the first pro league for women, active from 1978 to 1981. These trailblazers share powerful stories of sacrifice, resilience, and sisterhood—reflecting on what it meant to play in a league that was underfunded, overlooked, and under-documented, yet historic in every sense. From riding buses to chasing missed paychecks to paving the way for Title IX athletes and today's W stars, this conversation is a reminder that women’s basketball didn’t start in 1996—it started with them. Tune in as we give them their flowers, correct the record, and celebrate the legacy that lives on today. Learn more: majormotives.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

13. aug. 202550 min