The 1992 Summer Olympics featured one of the most famous basketball teams of all time, the Dream Team that captured the gold medal for the United States in men’s basketball.
The 1992 gold for women’s basketball, though, went to the Unified Team, which defeated the American women in the semifinal round. Now, a 30 for 30 documentary will showcase the 1996 women’s Team USA that recaptured gold, all while generating the interest that helped launch the WNBA in 1997.
As Deadline’s Peter White reported, the film will be directed by Kristen Lappas (who has produced prior 30 for 30 installments, most recently Al Davis vs. the NFL), and will include footage filmed by the NBA during that run.
Via Deadline:
The film will tell the story of the grueling 15-month road trip that led up to those ’96 Games. It’s the story of the 12 women who were tasked with auditioning the idea of women’s professional basketball in the United States. They absolutely held the very future of the sport in their hands.
After having suffered defeat at the ’92 games and the ’94 World Championship, USA Basketball undertook a revolutionary approach to training its Olympic team by structuring a long-term National Team program comprised of 52 games to turn them into a cohesive unit for 10-months ahead of Atlanta.
…
The film will include exclusive behind-the-scenes footage that the NBA shot of the team’s 15 month tour. Rebecca Lobo, Ruthie Bolton, Nikki McCray, Jennifer Azzi, Katy Steding, Teresa Edwards, Carla McGhee, Sheryl Swoopes, and coach Tara VanDerveer will all feature.
The report notes that the film is coming in 2022, though there’s currently no release date. Considering the direct relationship between the 1996 Dream Team and the launch of the WNBA, timing the release to mark the 25th anniversary of the league’s launch would certainly make a lot of sense.
[Deadline]
