At the USA Basketball Foundation, we are fueled by a vision of strong communities, empowered leaders and inspired youth. We believe basketball has the power to change lives. Our lifetime commitment is to serve USA Basketball players, families, coaches and fans and make a lasting positive impact in their lives.

A lot has happened since we formed the foundation and shared our mission with the world in 2019.

First, we have to talk about the amazing WNBA season we just witnessed, followed by a wildly successful Women’s National Team expanded program, a historic WNBA collective bargaining agreement, and most recently, a WNBA draft which garnered unprecedented levels of media attention and viewership.

We were inspired. At the start of the new year, we launched a campaign, #WinWithHer, to invest in and empower female athletes both on the court and in their communities. Members of the Women’s National Team were competing to raise $1 million to directly fund programming that benefits women and girls.

But just as quickly as #WinWithHer gained momentum, it was halted by the COVID-19 outbreak, as were the Olympic Games. We immediately ceased all public fundraising to allow our supporters to focus on what matters most – their health and personal safety.

Rest assured that a pause in our fundraising has not changed our focus or resolve to uplift female athletes. The Foundation remains committed to developing the next generation of female leaders on the court, atop podiums, across organizations, and in your community.

Our focus is currently in two key areas:

1. Unlocking the Secret to the Lifelong Success of Female Athletes

We launched a comprehensive study led by Stanford researcher and Inc. Magazine contributor Rebecca Hinds to better understand the profound and lifelong impact of sports on the success of female athletes, specifically those who have competed with USA Basketball.

With a better understanding of basketball’s positive contributions, effective coaching and development techniques can be broadened while new programming can be implemented to further invest in players as future leaders. Ultimately, look for this study to expand the conversation beyond the X’s & O’s. The foundation’s goal is to generate more awareness and support for women’s basketball by re-defining our former, current, and future athletes as elite, multi-faceted leaders with a high-probability for lifelong success.

2. Exploring a Women’s Basketball Executive Development Program

Prior to COVID-19, USA Basketball held five Women in the Game conferences, sparking meaningful introductions and professional opportunities for hundreds of attendees from coast to coast. We want to build on the positive outcomes of the conferences, which is why the Foundation is currently engaged in conversations with aspiring professionals, thought leaders, and industry allies to formalize a Women’s Basketball Executive Development Program.

In coming months, look for more details about innovative programming built in partnership with like-minded individuals, companies, and organizations that are interested in the deliberate development of future female basketball executives.

Together, we are building both champions and future leaders. Your support matters. We invite you to follow along as we uplift, inspire and develop female leaders on the court and in your community.

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