CHICAGO -- The WNBA's season-long 30th anniversary celebration continued in Chicago during All-Star Weekend, and the legends who built this league were a major part of the festivities.
Tersea Weatherspoon and Cynthia Cooper were the general managers for the two All-Star teams; Elena Delle Donne, Lauren Jackson, Deanna Nolan and Rebekkah Brunson took part in the Shooting Stars competition; Lisa Leslie and Rebecca Lobo were among dozens honored on the court before the All-Star Game; and Tamecka Dixon was a coach at Basketball Without Borders.
"All I know is that everything that I've ever done for women's basketball has always been to grow the sport and for it to be exactly where the WNBA is 30 years in," Cooper said during her press conference prior to the All-Star Game. "Hats off to the league, and I'm so proud of the ladies for who they are -- on the court and off of it."
Throughout the weekend, CBS Sports caught up with numerous current All-Stars to ask them about their early WNBA memories, which of the league's legends they wish they could have played with and where they hope to see the league expand over the next 30 years.
'Oh my, like we have a league'
Ten of this year's 22 All-Stars were born after the first-ever WNBA game on June 21, 1997, and few of those who were born before that date can remember a time when the league didn't exist. The WNBA has not always been as visible as it is now --as Jessica Shepard noted, "it wasn't really on TV when I was young" -- but for the current generations of players, it's always been there as a real, tangible goal.
"I was at my grandmother's house, and that was where I played basketball a lot because she had a basketball court that my dad and my uncle built when they were younger. I remember coming inside and I was eating some food, and I was just changing the TV just trying to find something to watch and I saw the WNBA on TV," All-Star Game MVP Jonquel Jones said.
"I was like, 'What is this?' Because at the time I thought I was gonna be like the first girl to play in the NBA. I didn't even know the WNBA existed, you know," Jones continued. "And so it was the Detroit Shock playing against, I don't know who it was, but I think it was the championship. And I just was like, 'Oh my, like we have a league, and like this is actually possible for me to do.'
The Shock, who have since moved, via Tulsa, to Dallas, were one of the league's early dynasties. They won three titles from 2003-08, and were a major influence on the league and this current generation of players.
"I went to a Detroit Shock game when I was a kid. My mom brought me to the game, I had no idea what was going on, I was really young," 3-Point Contest runner-up Bridget Carleton said. "But going to that game, realizing there was a WNBA, I can play professional basketball in the United States was really, really cool and a big part of me falling in love with the game."
"I went to a Detroit Shock game. I think I was in middle school when I watched them," Natasha Howard said. "I was like, "Wow, girls can play professional basketball too? Those girls can hoop out there. That's going to be me out there one day."
For so many current All-Stars, getting to see a game in person has stuck with them to this day.
"I think it was in middle school going to a Minnesota Lynx game, and I think I played at halftime. That was one of the coolest things in my life up to that point," Paige Bueckers said. "Like just to be on that floor where professionals play, where women in the WNBA played. So that was like a surreal eye-opening experience for me."
"I grew up in the Virgin Islands, but I would spend summers in the States. I remember my first WNBA game was a Connecticut Sun game," Aliyah Boston said. "My aunt lived in Massachusetts, so we just drove the hour. I remember watching the game; it was such a crazy experience because that was a dream of mine. After that it was like, OK, this is where you want to be -- work toward it."
"I'm from Indiana, so I remember going to a Fever game and sitting courtside to watch Candace Parker," Jackie Young said. "She was my favorite player. I had a video of her warming up on my Snapchat. I sent it to her."
"I remember my first W game was actually an Atlanta Dream game versus the Minnesota Lynx because Maya Moore was playing and we played for the same AAU organization," Allisha Gray said. "So when they came to Atlanta, I was able to see Maya Moore play."
Even if it was only on TV or in magazines, being able to see the likes of Lisa Leslie and Candace Parker made an impact for so many.
"I used to print out the photos, hang them on my wall. I think just seeing Lisa Leslie dunk, seeing Candace Parker dunk, that was something I had never seen," Kahleah Copper said.
"I remember when I was a kid, I drew a picture and I said in the picture that I wanted to play for the LA Sparks one day because it was back in Lisa Leslie, Candace Parker's prime, all that," Gabby Williams said. "It used to be very niche, like it was really hard to find a game on TV, and I remember the first time really making an effort to watch the games was you know the Phoenix Mercury dynasty watching the Minnesota and LA rivalry."
"I had a lot of players that I was a big fan of that I watched a lot when they were on TV. I loved Becky [Hammon], Sylvia Fowles, Candace [Parker]," Marina Mabrey said. "Just watching them pave the way, it's cool to see where I am today and where the WNBA is, and to see how they were pioneers and sacrificed to have everything we have today."
'I know I have to box out, but this is crazy'
Even among the legends, there are certain names that stand out: Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie, Tamika Catchings, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Candace Parker, Maya Moore. It was no surprise that those players came up most often when the current All-Stars were asked which former player they wish they could have played with.
But they weren't the only ones that received some love.
Lisa Leslie
"When I was coming, she was already retired, but I wish I was able to play with Lisa Leslie," Howard said. "You know, because I looked up to her when the league did start."
Tamika Catchings
"Being from Indiana, getting to watch her in her Fever games and how she was on the defensive end, her intensity," stood out, Young said.
"She never took a play off, she played both sides of the ball, she was a great defender, a great scorer, she played with heart and tenacity," Jones added.
Maya Moore
Moore's "work ethic and how locked in she was" impressed Gray. "She's a GOAT of the W. I got to play against her my rookie year. That's probably one of the hardest matchups, to this day, that I've had to face. I mean, imagine a rookie facing Maya Moore. She's just amazing. She's so unpredictable on the court, she's so smooth."
"I was mad DT retired one year before," Bueckers said. "I mean, there's so many legends. Maya Moore was like, growing up she was probably my favorite."
Candace Parker
"I definitely say [Candace] all the time," Boston said. "I remember my rookie year when we played against her, we were lined up on the free throw line and I was like, 'Whoa.' I was like, 'I know I have to box out, but this is crazy.'"
Rebekkah Brunson
"She's my former coach," Carleton said. "All-time winningest player in WNBA history. How she approached the game was incredible. I'm happy I never had to play against her, but it would have been really cool to play with her."
Ticha Penicheiro
"Ticha would have been awesome to play with, with her passing ability," Shepard said.
'Just somewhere in the South'
The majority of the current 15 WNBA teams are congregated in three broad regions.
- The West Coast: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Seattle and Portland
- The East Coast: New York, Connecticut, Washington, Toronto
- The Midwest: Chicago, Indiana, Minnesota
That leaves Dallas and Atlanta, largely off on their own. Another team is coming to Texas next season when Connecticut moves to Houston, and three more expansion franchises are planned for Cleveland (2028), Detroit (2029) and Philadelphia (2030). Which means that for the foreseeable future, Atlanta will remain the only WNBA team in the Southeast.
It was no surprise that many All-Stars want that to change.
"Just somewhere in the South," Howard said. "I feel like Atlanta has done a really good job supporting our team, so spreading that love, being able to have another team that people can root for."
Gray gave a shout for Columbia, South Carolina -- home of her alma mater, the University of South Carolina -- and another former Gamecock, Aliyah Boston, mentioned Charlotte, where South Carolina coach Dawn Staley played seven seasons for the now-defunct Sting.
There was also plenty of love for Florida, previously the home of the Orlando Miracle (now the Sun) and the now-defunct Miami Sol.
"I was just [in Miami] for Unrivaled," Iriafen said. "I feel like Miami would be a great spot to put a team." Bueckers agreed that it would be "cool to have a team in Florida" because of her experience there with Unrivaled.
Jones, a Bahamian native, said she would love a team in Florida because it "would be easy for my family to come and watch me play."
"A lot of my family members, a two-and-a-half, three-hour flight is too long for them," Jones continued. "Florida is where Bahamians go to vacation, so to have a team in Florida would be really good for Bahamians to be able to watch the WNBA."
CBS Sports' Lindsay Gibbs contributed to this report
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