u/WBBDaily

“Every space that I'm entering, how can I leave it better than I found it?” she says. “Entering this beer space, how can I leave it better than I found it? How can I add more visibility to it? You know, when it comes to women's sports, how can I push it even more forward?”

And when Charles thinks about what she hopes remains five or 10 years from now, she returns to the same idea: significance. “It wasn't about the duration of Tina's life, but it was about the donation of it,” she emphasizes. “Not what I did on the court, but just what I was able to do and who I became off the court.”

The WNBA’s next commissioner will need to take a different approach, but they will also be dealing with a different context. The WNBA has the interest and investment of the NBA now. Fifteen NBA-affiliated owners have stakes in WNBA teams. Three more NBA ownership groups are starting up expansion teams in Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia, and even more want in.

The job will require political savvy and bridge building. It will require someone who has enough institutional wisdom to understand the league without being bogged down by the culture of defensiveness and cynicism that has overtaken it. It will require someone who can simultaneously nurture the popularity of Clark and the expansion teams in Golden State, Portland, and Toronto, which are catering to dedicated, deep-pocketed, and diverse fan bases.

8 minute listen, good stuff here from NPR.

Holdsclaw ended her acceptance speech Saturday by addressing the entirety of her life, rather than just what she did on the court. “I want to speak to anyone who may be fighting a battle that others cannot see,” she said. She looked around and let out a breath. “Anyone carrying a weight that never shows up in the box score: I see you. Your struggle does not disqualify you. Your story is not over. And your greatness is still within you. Every chapter matters. Every scar matters. Every comeback matters.”