By John "Woods" Armwood III
We’re Not Just Here to Dribble
Women’s basketball is no longer waiting for permission. It’s building loudly, intentionally, and with purpose.
For Isis Young, one of the most recognizable voices in the modern women’s game, that shift represents something deeper than visibility. It’s about ownership. About women deciding they won’t just participate in systems, but create them.
“It’s players deciding they’re not just going to shut up and dribble,” Young said. “They’re starting leagues. They’re building equity. They’re getting brands and partnerships and making people invest in women’s basketball.”
Leagues like Unrivaled and Athletes Unlimited have become proof of concept, new formats, new structures, new power dynamics. Change the style of play. Centralize the location. Offer something different. And people still show up.
“Unrivaled has shown us you can change the style of the game and people will still watch,” Young said. “Athletes Unlimited does the same thing.”
The message is clear: women’s basketball doesn’t need to be protected, it needs to be trusted.
The WNBA’s Crossroads Moment
The WNBA, Young believes, is at a peak. But growth doesn’t come without tension.
“With contract negotiations, unfortunately, this could stunt its growth,” she said. “But even with that, women are still finding success. They’re almost flourishing even better.”
The issue isn’t effort. It’s equity.
“In any other job in the world, if you’re contributing to the success of a company, you would be compensated for that,” Young said. “For some reason, we struggle to understand that in the W.”
That struggle is exactly why players are fighting now, not later.
“If you don’t fight now, what’s going to happen later?” she said. “They’re fighting so women, and those who came before us, get what they’re supposed to get.”
To Young, that fight isn’t controversial. It’s necessary.
Arriving on the National Stage
Young’s voice carries weight because she’s lived the evolution firsthand—from player to broadcaster, from participant to storyteller.
Her “I’ve arrived” moment came in November.
“I was the first sideline reporter for the first-ever women’s college basketball game on NBC,” she said. “And my name was on it with two other Black women.”
She worked alongside her mentor LaChina Robinson and her sister Zora Stephenson, three Black women on national television, making history without announcing it.
“That moment almost makes me emotional,” Young said. “It let me know those opportunities are real. And I had great Black women around me pushing me forward.”
Representation, she insists, isn’t just symbolic. It’s practical.
“Young girls need to see there’s life after playing,” she said. “There are doors available once you decide which one you want.”
Leaving Something Behind
As women’s basketball grows, and as NIL money reshapes opportunity, Young is clear about what she wants to see next.
“Giving back,” she said. “Specifically with NIL money.”
She doesn’t question athletes getting paid. She questions whether they remember who helped them get there.
“Local trainers. The YMCA. The AAU coach who showed up. Paid for hotels. Did the carpool,” she said.
For Young, impact is the real currency.
“Giving back to young girls in sports lets them know opportunities and resources exist,” she said. “That’s what I care about.”
Women’s basketball is rewriting its narrative in real time. And voices like Isis Young aren’t just telling the story, they’re helping build what comes next.