Locked On Women’s Basketball: Bria Hartley, Alissa Pili tell us why the future is Unlimited

Megdal kicked off the discussion with a question to Hartley, a nine-season WNBA veteran who has been playing overseas since her professional career began, about how the women’s basketball landscape has changed in that time. Hartley has also navigated motherhood alongside her career, and spoke to how support for mothers has grown over time:

“It’s amazing to see the growth that women’s basketball has gone through,” Hartley said. “2014 was one [WNBA collective bargaining agreement (CBA)], and then [in] 2020 … [the] second CBA, and hopefully into its third CBA. You see a lot of changes, just a lot of things for mothers. There’s a lot of new things for mothers in the current CBA, and then we hope for more in the next CBA. So you see the growth of the league, and it’s just when you come in, you’re young, you don’t really know, but as you get older, there’s a lot of things that you fight for and things you see that need to be improved. And as a unit in the WNBA, I think we take it day by day, and we kind of talk with different athletes and different needs. And you know, there are a lot of new mothers in the league. I think when I was younger, it probably didn’t happen as often, or it was kind of frowned upon in a way. Now I think there’s a lot more support, and still needs more support. We still need to continue to grow. We still need to continue to push that envelope, and it’s just it’s great to see, and we just want to continue to do that.”

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Then, Megdal and Pili discussed how the recent draft classes, which have been some of the most widely publicized in the WNBA’s history, factor in:

“Everybody gives credit to our draft class, getting all the attention and things like that,” Pili said. “But it started way before us, and we’re just super grateful to be in the position to help elevate women’s basketball. It’s something that players have been striving for for a long time now, and so I always want to make sure we’re still giving them credit for building up the league and just women’s basketball as a whole. Because without our vets and everybody holding it down, it wouldn’t be where it’s at today.”

They also talked about how Pili’s class are more likely to stay stateside during the offseason, in large part because of opportunities like Athletes Unlimited:

“I mean, it’s a blessing because staying in the States is something that I wanted to do,” Pili said. “I have a lot of family and just people who I want to be around, especially coming straight from college to the league, just having that some time with them was important for me, I think, just to decompress from everything … I just think it’s amazing what AU is doing. And then other leagues starting up, just to give players that option, because I’ve heard some things about overseas, and it’s not always the best situation. So I’m glad I had this option.”

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Hartley also explained how opportunities like Athletes Unlimited allow her the ability to stay in the United States during the offseason, while continuing to pursue professional basketball in the best way for her:

“If anyone knows my history, I had the back to back [ACL tears] in 2020 and then 2022, that comes with playing for seven years straight overseas and in the W and not really having that time off,” Hartley said. “So now, I mean, I played overseas last year, but now even this year, having the option of just kind of working out, getting my body right, not really having that wear and tear on your body, and then trying to go into a W season, I feel way better. You’re not trying to push through aches and pains. You’re just working on getting your body right. So it’s nice to have a true off season, to really just work on the things you want to work on, rather than just, oh, I got to perform. I got to play. I just got to push through stuff and be available for my team. So it’s nice to, in a way like put yourself first, so that you can be the best for your team down the line.”

Tune in to hear more from Pili and Hartley about their experiences in Athletes Unlimited, the WNBA, overseas leagues and more. Make sure to subscribe to the Locked On Women’s Basketball podcast to keep learning about the WNBA, women’s college basketball, basketball history and much more!