Posts by Kiri Oler

Kiri Oler has been a contributor to The Next as a news and feature writer since December 2022.

Worn basketball that reads "Wilson" on the top and "WBL" on the bottom.

Ball movement: Using the game’s history to pay it forward

July 26, 2024

Legends of the Ball celebrates the rich history of women’s professional basketball

Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner stands alongside Mercury's furry purple mascot named Scorch

Ellie is putting the rest of the WNBA’s mascots on notice

July 22, 2024

‘Obviously, it’s Ellie’

Raegan Pebley directs her team from the sideline

Raegan Pebley and the multigenerational legacy of the WBL

April 15, 2024

Sparks general manager embodies the transformative impact of a pioneering league

WBL legend Pearl Moore is pictured in a black and white photo shooting a jump shot over a defender.

Pearl Moore made basketball a labor of love

November 25, 2023

For Moore, basketball was about two things: winning and a sense of community

A black and white photograph of the WBL team Chicago Hustle shows the players piled on the floor smiling and laughing.

The story of the first Women’s Professional Basketball League draft

September 2, 2023

Ann Meyers, Rita Easterling, Lusia Harris and other women’s basketball legends were selected in a groundbreaking draft in 1978

Angel Reese and Emily Ward present Jill and Joe Biden with LSU basketball jerseys during their visit to the White House.

LSU celebrates title with White House visit

May 26, 2023

‘This team is about incredible athletes, redefining what’s possible’

Merissah Russell, Hailey Van Lith, Nyla Harris, and Chrislyn Carr huddle up on the court.

Louisville fails to keep pace with Iowa in Elite Eight

March 27, 2023

Iowa’s stars shone brighter in their matchup on Sunday night, but Louisville’s season remains a source of light

Louisville guard Hailey Van Lith shoots a left-handed layup as Mississippi defenders fail to contest.

Lost and found: Louisville finds identity, Mississippi struggles with it in Sweet 16

March 25, 2023

Mississippi’s dominant defense faltered against a Louisville team clicking at the right time

Gail Marquis was destined to move women’s basketball forward

March 24, 2023

‘I understand my role was to keep pushing the game forward’

Women's Professional Basketball League (WBL) Linnell Jones-McKenney accepts a trophy.

How Linnell Jones-McKenney made her hoop dreams come true

February 21, 2023

Jones-McKenney’s story reads like a myth, but she is a legend