It’s been 28 years since the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) was founded, and the league is finally getting its flowers.
Past and current players are recognized for their talent, abilities, resilience and passions off the court. Documentarian and filmmaker Dawn Porter introduces these passions in the Prime Video film, Power of the Dream.
The documentary, which premiered at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival in June, follows professional women’s basketball players Sue Bird, Nneka Ogwumike, Angel McCoughtry, Layshia Clarendon and Elizabeth Williams, who used their platforms to support Georgia Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock‘s defeat of Republican politican and former co-owner for the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream, Kelly Loeffler, in 2020.
Following the documentary’s release on Prime Video, Blavity’s Shadow and Act talked with Porter about the project’s inspiration, athletes, activism and the WNBA’s legacy.
What inspired you to tell these women’s stories?
Dawn Porter: The women, together, came to me and were talking about this film. You know, Sue Bird and Nneka, they had wanted to tell this story for a while. They had approached Amazon, who was interested, and they’d spoken to a director, who was also interested. I’ve done a lot of political films in the past, like the John Lewis movie and the movie about Bobby Kennedy and public defenders. So I was like, ‘Wait, women basketball politics? This is a dream project, literally. It just felt like such a natural fit for me.
What are some common misconceptions about the WNBA?
DP: I don’t know if it’s so much misconceptions, but rather nonconceptions. Until very recently, people were not necessarily thinking about them as people. If they were thinking about them at all, it was their performance on the court. What I hope that this film does is remind people about their individual passions, about their determination. I think we’ve seen a lot of interest in their game, and what’s following is an interest in their experiences as women.
One of the things is it’s such a natural fit for them; they’ve always had to fight. They’ve had to fight for respect; they’ve had to fight for equal pay. Sadly, they’re very far from that. They’ve had to fight to get a league. It’s taken many, many attempts to even get a WNBA. These women have been underestimated for far too long.
That’s evident in the documentary as well. When telling this story, what about these WNBA icons surprised you?
DP: I had some familiarity with these players and the history of women’s basketball, pro basketball, and how hard it was to get it started. But, given its popularity, I was still shocked to hear what their salaries were and how hard it was for them to get that collective bargaining agreement. And as much as the collective bargaining agreement helped them, how much disparity between the women’s game and the men’s game still is.
I don’t know about you, but, in my house, we all were watching the women’s games. My kids were like, ‘Oh, the Celtics won?’ But they were following the women’s game. Their popularity hasn’t yet translated, although I think that this will change.
How has the WNBA evolved since its inception?
DP: One thing that is quite evident that is evolving in a very positive direction is how much they are aware of their value and worth and how much they are mature about their collective organizing in order to obtain it. They understand that the league is at a really important turning point right now. The reason that this effort worked to elect Sen. Warnock is because they did it together. It wasn’t one very popular person or two very popular people coming out; it was a coordinated effort. I think that they have realized the power of collective power.
In another interview, Sue Bird talked about athletes having a unique platform. What do you think makes athletes’ platforms special?
DP: I think people really identify with these women. I think they identify with them and understand the work that ittakes to play at this elite level. They’re also pretty young, so they’re speaking to people who are their contemporaries. And they’re doing it in their own way. This is not your mother’s basketball — they’re doing it with style. They are funny; they are fun; they are creative. I think that there’s just an approachability all of them have. That is what really resonates with people.
What is the WNBA’s legacy?
DP: I think that their legacy is persistence. Sue Bird notes in the documentary that when she was in high school, andshe was a terrific player, but there was no WNBA. There was no professional obligation; she assumed if she could play in college, that was going to be it. So, seeing an entire league spring up just from a bunch of dedicated people, I find that really exciting. I think people understand that persistence, and women’s sports aren’t going anywhere.
What do you want viewers to talk away from Power of the Dream?
DP: I hope viewers get to know them as people and that their fan relationship strengthens even that much more. So you know a little bit about Susan; you know a little bit about Nneka and how they work together. One of the parts of the film I love is when Layshia Clarendon says to Sue Bird, ‘That’s a great idea; I can’t do that. I need help,’ and Sue Bird is like, ‘I got you.’
I also think they’re really leading in our conversation about race. They don’t shy away from that conversation, and their demonstrated ally-ship is something really to admire. They do not say the trope, ‘I don’t see color.’ They see it very clearly. They emphasize and acknowledge it. What they show us is what a lot of sports shows us, which is that people admire you for your character, your ability, your effort, your camaraderie. That’s what they see in each other. When they have beef, it’s like for real reasons, and you see that their affection for each other is honest and real. I have to give my white sisters here props for really showing up, and I think that’s a model we should all be looking to that not only is it admirable, but it’s possible.
Power of the Dream is now streaming on Prime Video.
