INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White is rarely, if ever, on the court during pregame warmups. But on Saturday, she made an exception.
About two hours and 20 minutes before tipoff of a game between the Fever and Los Angeles Sparks, White stood on the hardwood and chatted with the commissioner of the Big East Conference and former WNBA President Val Ackerman. Ackerman was the league’s first president.
“It’s great,” White said of having Ackerman in the building. “Her being a foundational piece of getting [the league] going, it’s always great to see her and have her perspective and have her in the building and reminisce about the old days and talk about how far we’ve come.”
White was a player during Ackerman’s tenure guiding the WNBA and remembers seeing Ackerman’s signature on the ball when she was a rookie.
White doesn’t remember exactly how the two met. On this night, they were interacting once again because the Indiana Fever were honoring Ackerman with the Lin Dunn Inspiring Women Award during Inspiring Women Night. Dunn was the first winner of the award last year, and it has since been named in her honor.
Ackerman was the president of the WNBA during the Fever’s inaugural season back in 2000. She vividly remembers those days and is impressed with how far the franchise has come. There are many through lines from those days to now, but the most obvious are at the top. Ownership is the same — Herb Simon remains the governor of Pacers Sports & Entertainment. And Kelly Krauskopf was the team’s president and general manager, a role she held until 2017. And she’s back as the president once again.
“Val’s leadership helped build the WNBA from the ground up, creating opportunities for generations of women across our sport. I had the privilege of beginning my WNBA career alongside her during the league’s earliest days, and I saw firsthand how her leadership shaped not only the league but the people who helped build it,” Krauskopf said in a statement. “Her legacy of breaking barriers and lifting up others perfectly reflects the spirit of the Lin Dunn Inspiring Women Award.”
Rep The IX Sports at your next game!
Shop the logo collection or special “Women’s Sports are Front Page News” collection now on Shopify.
These days, Ackerman is far more involved in the college game as the commissioner of the Big East conference, though she’s retiring at the end of August. She’s worked at the international level, too, and has a hand in just about every part of the women’s basketball world.
So has Dunn, which made it a fitting honor for Ackerman. Dunn wasn’t at Saturday’s game, so the two didn’t get a chance to reconnect, but Ackerman was touched to be given an award named after Dunn. Her relationship with Dunn is one of the many ways Ackerman is connected to the franchise.
“Very emotional in a lot of ways, because I remember when the Fever came online in 2000 when they came into the WNBA,” Ackerman said of the honor. “I was so honored that this group of women that I have such close relationships with, thought to bring me out and to give me a night out here.”
The Fever’s Inspiring Women Award was named after Dunn to recognize her lasting impact on women’s basketball at both the collegiate and professional levels. That’s equally true of Ackerman, one of the multiple WNBA luminaries in Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday night.
Before the game, Ackerman spent time analyzing and reminiscing about the league. She is, like so many, thrilled with the growth of the WNBA and called its current level of visibility a dream. When the league was founded, the vision was that it could one day get to this point. And now, especially with the league’s rise in the last three years, that vision is becoming a reality.
One thing Ackerman loves is that so many of the league’s players and coaches from her time steering the ship are still involved in some capacity. Krauskopf and White, of course, represented that fact on Saturday. But there are so many more.
“It’s great. It’s sort of the way it should be,” Ackerman began. “Rebecca Lobo, [she] was one of the faces of the league early. … To see Rebecca as a lead analyst on ESPN, probably more knowledgeable about the league than anybody at this point, it’s really exciting. And so I’m glad to see players going on and taking these roles, whether it’s a coach or a television analyst, or working as an executive at a team, I know we’ve got a few of those also. It just maybe speaks to the passion that they have for the league as well, and with that, their interest in staying involved.”
Another legend still involved? Tamika Catchings, an Indiana Fever icon who now works in television for USA Network. She’s been involved in the Indianapolis All-Star committees for WNBA and NBA All-Star events and was, of course, the Fever’s general manager for three seasons.
During Ackerman’s tenure as president, Catchings was one of the league’s best players. She was a multi-time All-Star, won Defensive Player of the Year twice, and nearly won MVP in that stretch. As the WNBA grew and Indiana had a franchise, Catchings’ stardom was important.
Listen now to The IX Sports Podcast and Women’s Sports Daily
We are excited to announce the launch of TWO new podcasts for all the women’s sports fans out there looking for a daily dose of women’s sports news and analysis. Stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or anywhere you listen to podcasts, and make sure to subscribe!
So how fitting that during the night in which the Fever honored Ackerman, Catchings grabbed the microphone and interviewed the award recipient at center court for nearly seven minutes.
“I am honored to be alongside my first president,” Catchings began before requesting, and getting, a round of applause for Ackerman.
The two weaved through a conversation about the WNBA’s inception, some of the bigger moments in the league’s history, the founding of the Fever, and more topics like it was nothing.
“The journey of women’s sports over the last few decades has just really been incredible,” Ackerman said. “I remember my playing days. I played in the early years of Title IX. We didn’t get many fans to our games. There wasn’t much television. We were so far behind men’s basketball, it wasn’t funny. And now to see how much women’s sports generally have come.
“You see WNBA, women’s pro soccer, women’s volleyball is on the rise,” Ackerman said before pausing for a moment as applause and cheers were beginning. “You see women’s professional ice hockey now showing what they can do with those great players. So we’re living in a different and better day now that women’s sports have found their footing. And so for me, it just seems like the sky is the limit.”
“Becoming Caitlin Clark” is out now!
Howard Megdal’s newest book is here! “Becoming Caitlin Clark: The Unknown Origin Story of a Modern Basketball Superstar” captures both the historic nature of Clark’s rise and the critical context over the previous century that helped make it possible, including interviews with Clark, Lisa Bluder (who also wrote the foreword), C. Vivian Stringer, Jan Jensen, Molly Kazmer and many others.
Catchings’ final question to Ackerman was one about advice for anybody trying to work in sports. A fitting inquiry to end things.
“It may take you a while to get your foot in the door, but keep at it. And once you get in there, just work hard, show what you can do, be a good teammate, and I can promise you the doors will open for you,” Ackerman said.
Her final statement was fitting, given how many leaders in Gainbridge Fieldhouse had done exactly that over the years to play a part in getting the WNBA to where it is today.
Catchings then requested a round of applause from the crowd and got it. Krauskopf took the court for a photo opportunity with Ackerman and Catchings, and as the three walked off the floor, Krauskopf pulled out her phone to take a selfie. When you’ve been friends and colleagues for that long, a snapshot of every moment is a must. And thanks to that group, the WNBA is having a lot of moments.
