Inaugural Ballers

From the New York Times bestselling author of Strong Inside comes the inspirational true story of the birth of women’s Olympic basketball at the 1976 Summer Games and the ragtag team that put US women’s basketball on the map.

“A winning look at the creation and legacy of a team that went from underdogs to unstoppable.”—School Library Journal, starred review

“The underdog story of America’s first women’s Olympic basketball team plays out in this thoughtful exploration of social change.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Twenty years before women’s soccer became an Olympic sport and two decades before the formation of the WNBA, the 1976 US women’s basketball team laid the foundation for the incredible rise of women’s sports in America at the youth, collegiate, Olympic, and professional levels.

Though they were unknowns from small schools such as Delta State University, the University of Tennessee at Martin, and John F. Kennedy College of Wahoo, Nebraska, at the time of the ’76 Olympics, the American team included a roster of players who would go on to become some of the most legendary figures in the history of basketball. Led by coach Billie Moore, Pat Head, Nancy Lieberman, Ann Meyers, Lusia Harris, and their underdog teammates took on the world and proved everyone wrong.

Packed with black-and-white photos and thoroughly researched details about the beginnings of US women’s basketball, Inaugural Ballers is the fascinating story of the women who paved the way for girls everywhere.