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Lisa Borders to leave WNBA, head up Time’s Up

By Howard Megdal

FAIRFAX, VA - SEPTEMBER 12: Breanna Stewart #30 of the Seattle Storm is presented the 2018 Most Valuble Player award from the WNBA President Lisa Borders after winning the 2018 WNBA Finals against the Washington Mystics during Game Three of the 2018 WNBA Finals on September 12, 2018 at Eaglebank Arena at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)
FAIRFAX, VA - SEPTEMBER 12: Breanna Stewart #30 of the Seattle Storm is presented the 2018 Most Valuble Player award from the WNBA President Lisa Borders after winning the 2018 WNBA Finals against the Washington Mystics during Game Three of the 2018 WNBA Finals on September 12, 2018 at Eaglebank Arena at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Lisa Borders is heading to Time’s Up, the organization formed in support of the #MeToo movement, as the group’s first CEO and president.

In that same press release, Borders is described as the “former president of the WNBA”.

In a just-released interview with Vanity Fair, Borders speaks further on her new job, while the interviewer refers to her having “quietly tied up loose ends at her old job”, referring to the WNBA presidency.

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That news comes as quite a shock to many, with Borders serving in this capacity, publicly, as recently as last week, when she took part in the WNBA’s Inspiring Women luncheon.

The league confirmed this in a press release. NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum will oversee the league on an interim basis while a search for Borders’ replacement will begin immediately, according to the league.

This concludes what has been a prosperous few seasons for the league under her watch in many ways. Borders took over for Laurel Richie in February 2016, and moved the league firmly into the realm of progressive advocate. Her work to incorporate feminism as an explicit part of the league’s front-facing brand took many forms, but is most recognizable in the ad campaign which ran throughout the 2018 season, Take a Seat, Take a Stand, which included the ability to purchase WNBA tickets, a portion of which went toward various progressive groups, such as Planned Parenthood.

The league also took on a number of new initiatives to reach fans, including a Twitter partnership to show WNBA games on the platform, a move quickly emulated by a number of other leagues. The WNBA’s overall viewership across television and other media, along with apparel, all increased sharply in 2018.

Attendance, however, was down in 2018, and only partially because the New York Liberty moved into an arena with roughly 10 percent of previous capacity. Several other WNBA executives have left over the past few months as well.

Borders was the fourth WNBA president, along with, in reverse chronological order, Richie, Donna Orender and Val Ackerman.

UPDATED 11:40 AM EST: Reaction has begun rolling in on the Borders departure.

WNBPA president Terri Jackson has not responded to an email seeking comment.

We’ll continue adding as more come in.

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