Dream On

During the 18 months leading up to the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, USA Basketball and the NBA financed and created the greatest women’s basketball team ever assembled. They would embark on a 60-game, four-continent roadshow, playing exhibition matches against the best college programs, international squads, and even several men’s teams. Their official mission: re-capture gold after settling for bronze in the 1992 Games. Their unofficial mission: sell women’s basketball. The stakes were huge. If they won and impressed fans, the NBA was prepared to parlay their success into a pro women’s league. If, like their predecessors, they failed, the NBA would scrap the plans. This is the story of the 12 women who were tasked with auditioning the idea of women’s professional basketball in the United States. They absolutely held the very future of the sport in their hands.