Val Ackerman was the founding President of the WNBA. Now she draws on her years of experience as a professional basketball player, executive, and journalist in her role as Commissioner of the Big East.

She joined the Big East in 2013 while the conference was reeling from the departure of 7 member schools. She discusses with AJ how her team overcame that challenge and compares the similarities to their most recent obstacle, the COVID-19 pandemic.

They also discuss the impact of NIL on college athletics, advice she took from NBA Commissioner David Stern, and the future of the WNBA.

Details:

1:55 – Val’s basketball career

5:00 – Title IX

12:45 – Launching the WNBA

18:25 – Big East

24:15 – NIL

35:40 – Rapid Fire Questions