The commercial spot served to showcase the impressive range of accomplishments and stories that WNBA players have achieved over the course of 25 years. Narrated by basketball legend Lisa Leslie and opening on the inaugural 1997 WNBA game, the video transports viewers back to the founding days of the league upon opening sequence.
From MVP Sheryl Swoopes' game-changing pregnancy during the Title IX era to the league's powerful calls for social justice and same-sex marriage equality, the video captures the WNBA's evolution and progress. It also highlights intense on-court moments, such as dunks and Sue Bird's historic 4th championship at 40 years old, while contextualizing the league's history through various media, social feeds, and headlines throughout the years in an editorial and graphic manner.
Upon launch, the video spot featured pick-up across news outlets like People, NBC, Yahoo, ESPN, Bleacher Report, and more.
The WNBA's 25th-anniversary tagline, Count It, was inspired by the league's ability to demonstrate what is possible. The phrase stems from a basketball term used when a player hits a shot in the face of adversity; they tell the world to "count it." As a league, we commemorated our milestone by tallying up the collective accomplishments of our players and the league, showcasing the limitless potential of women's sports. Count It served as a powerful reminder to celebrate our successes, and that we're not done making it count.
A distinct and ownable symbol for our 25th anniversary was created that leaned into the concept of tallying and keeping count — a thread back to the tagline of Count It, that also pays homage to Title IX with the roman numerals.
Fire orange on the last mark (of the logo) suggests another tally is coming next, because we're not done.
In honor of the WNBA's basketball icons across 25 years selected as part of the W25 anniversary team, we made it count with original gear to highlight their GOAT status and "Count It" accomplishments. In partnership with jacket designer Stitch Gawd, the custom letterman jackets are adorned with unique and individualized patches and embroidered details specific to each recipient on the list.
