THIRTY YEARS AFTER '96 LIT THE TORCH, THE WNBA'S FOUNDING GENERATION TAKES ITS PLACE IN SPRINGFIELD.

I love Hall of Fame weekend.

It's a time for the game's greatest players and minds to come together and celebrate their basketball journeys. This year, three inductions — and one long-overdue tribute — told the story of 30 years of women's basketball in full.

The 1996 United States Women's National Team laid the groundwork for the WNBA. The US Women's Team won gold in Atlanta and set off a decades-long run of dominance that shows no signs of slowing down. The entire team was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame, a recognition long in the making for a group that changed the sport forever.

"This team was the foundation of what the WNBA became," Rebecca Lobo said. "It was that year together, of hard times and laughter, that made our team be able to be what it was."

The '96 team has spawned Hall of Famers and basketball icons multiple times over. As the WNBA continues to set records and become a mainstream attraction, the players that lit the torch in 1996 will live on forever.

Among those who lit that torch was Nikki McCray-Penson. During the ceremony, the Naismith Hall of Fame paid tribute to her memory, as she passed away in 2023. Her legacy endures in every arena the WNBA fills today.

Three years after the '96 team gave the WNBA its foundation, the league got one of its first breakthrough stars.

Chamique Holdsclaw entered the WNBA as a three-time national champion at the University of Tennessee. In her enshrinement speech, the Washington Mystics icon thanked the borough of Queens, the late Pat Summitt, and plenty more luminaries.

Hodsclaw, who has been open about her mental health challenges, closed her speech by encouraging anybody struggling to navigate personal battles.

Holdsclaw's fellow Tennessee alumna took her place at the Hall as well.

Candace Parker won everywhere she's been, set numerous records across 15 years in the WNBA, and had her jersey retired twice! CP3 was the first-ever and only player to win WNBA Rookie of the Year and MVP.

She enters the Hall in the same year Olivia Miles is making waves in her pro debut. We’re months away from knowing if the Minnesota Lynx rookie can join an elite club, and Parker is one of the voices that will tell that story.

She currently stars as an analyst for WNBA and NBA coverage on Amazon Prime and TBS. She will be one of the voices brining coverage of the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup next month.

Yet nothing captures her career better than this:

Parker walked into the WNBA playing alongside a legend and walked out a champion alongside the game’s greatest player.

Elena Delle Donne was a forward who could do just about everything, Delle Donne won WNBA MVP twice, finished in the top five three other times, and delivered a championship for Washington in 2019 — playing through severe back pain that would have sidelined most.

Through all of it, her sister Lizzie has been her greatest source of strength."Lizzie changed the way I define greatness," Delle Donne said.

The WNBA is celebrating 30 season this year. The class of 2026 — the '96 team that started it all, Holdsclaw who was its first superstar, Parker who bridged eras, Delle Donne who redefined what greatness looks like — is the story of those 30 years told in full. The next 30 starts now.

The road taken to this moment has been full of hardships and heartbreak. However, the love of the game is what carried them through and makes them essential to the story of basketball.

As the new Hall of Famers bask in their honor, they can be sources of inspiration for the next generation following in their footsteps.

Here’s what you need to know today:

‼️FIBA World Cup Field Guide - Volume I
The WBB Roundup World Cup Field Guide — For Subscribers!

🇫🇷 Who will France select for the World Cup?
The games are drawing closer, and France is no closer on making a decision.

💰 Money moves
Diana Taurasi has her jersey retired by the Phoenix Mercury.

🗓 Upcoming games
What’s on deck to begin the week.

📰 What we’re reading
Some great writing that’s come across our desks.

We built something for Berlin.

Berlin 2026: The WBB Roundup World Cup Field Guide is a living, updatable tracker covering every team, every game, and every storyline heading into the FIBA Women's World Cup — September 4–13 in Germany.

Here's what's inside:

⏬ Subscribe & Access the FIBA Guide ⏬

DIANA TAURASI'S NUMBER IS IN THE RAFTERS. NOW SHE WANTS A STAKE IN THE FRANCHISE.

During Hall of Fame weekend, a future Hall of Famer took her place among legends.

Diana Taurasi’s number three was risen into the Phoenix rafters as the Mercury retired her number and inducted her into their Ring of Honor. The WNBA’s all time leading scorer was joined by various basketball luminaries throughout the evening and paid tribute to her family, loved ones, and support systems that made her into the person she is today. Through it all, she stayed in one city and as that city fell in love with her, she fell in love with them as well.

"I want to speak directly to the city of Phoenix, Taurasi said. “I got to this city in 2004 and I instantly knew this was the place for me," Taurasi said. "This place has made me who I am. You guys let me grow, you let me fall, you let me get back up and you gave me the space to become who I am today.

Through the championships, through all the good times, through all the bad times, the loyalty you have given me is something that I will take with me forever in my whole life. I am forever grateful. I can never repay you. All the love, the memories that you've given me. I feel like a true Phoenician. The Phoenix Mercury are great because of you. Don't ever forget that. I will forever be grateful. I love you guys. Thank you so much."

Prior to her induction ceremony, Taurasi spoke about wanting to become part of an ownership group in the WNBA. She would like to be part of the ownership group with her Phoenix Mercury and if she were to join, she would like to be involved with the team on a daily basis and have a say in the direction of the franchise.

If Taurasi were to enter ownership ranks, she would be the third WNBA player to do so, joining Renee Montgomery and Sue Bird as players-turned-owners. As we continue to think about what makes good sports ownership, would having more players in executive positions help? We shall see.

Even when outside forces kept the WNBA down, players like Taurasi and this year’s Hall of Famers fought through it and made themselves undeniable. That determination is what makes them memorable and undeniable.

As Taurasi moves on to a new part of her life, everything she did on the court will reverberate for generations and serve as sources of inspiration for the players who are looking to make their own legendary marks on the game.

Here’s the schedule for the next few days

At Black Rosie Media, we love to give flowers to other writers and creators in the women’s basketball community.

Here’s what we’re reading:

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