Former WNBA Star Says Crow Was 'Buzzing' at First-Ever New York Liberties Game: 'So Loud That We Couldn't Hear' (Exclusive)

Lobo was looking around in the excitement until one of her teammates pushed her, saying, "Yep, that was you."

"Because the building was buzzing and alive and there was this incredible energy, expectation, all of that, you could feel it. It was so loud that I could not hear which one of us was being introduced during the introductions," Lobo says.

While Lobo knew she was part of history, the feeling hadn't settled in yet. However, now looking back on the first game and the others that followed, Lobo can recognize its significance.

"We knew how incredibly fortunate we were that the WNBA was starting. There had been several professional leagues that had started, but none of them had the backing of the NBA," she tells PEOPLE. "We knew we were fortunate in that regard. We knew this felt different than any other time, at least that I can remember, in terms of the promotion of the league and where the teams were going to play."

Still, she never thought about what it would mean 10, 20 and now 30 years down the line.

"We were so immersed in what this means for you and the people around you in that moment that you're not really thinking globally. At the time, there was so much excitement, and we were certainly thrilled about this, this possibility, and this new league, but had no idea," Lobo shares.

Rebecca Lobo playing in 1997
Credit: Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty

"I had no idea that 30 years later, I would have three daughters and a son who would go to WNBA games and that I would have my second oldest daughter, who is a sophomore in college, and she actually works as a game day attendant," she continues. "Of course, I had no idea that one of my children would one day work in the WNBA during her summers. None of that was part of the consciousness, I don't think, for any of us at the time."

Lobo reflects on how the path of her former team, the New York Liberty, has, in many ways, mirrored that of the league itself.

"There was tremendous success and then years where there were some questions, the years where the Liberty were playing in Westchester and were without a distinct ownership group, and then back to a place now where they're thriving at a championship level, not only winning the title a couple of years ago, but selling out Barclays Center regularly and having celebrities court side," Lobo shares.

The league followed a similar path, finding success after starting with just eight teams. Over the decades, more teams have been added, bringing the total to 15 while dealing with contraction negotiations and team relocations. Despite it all, the league is at a point of booming success and growth.

"There's certainly been growing pains along the way for the last 30 years of the league. Just like there have been growing pains for the New York Liberty over the course of the last 30 years," Lobo says.

Lobo has had a courtside seat to many of the league's challenges and wins. She was with the league until 2003, going to the finals with both the New York Liberty and the Connecticut Sun before becoming a sports analyst.

"Moving over to that side of it, but still being immersed in what was happening on the court now as a broadcaster, it's been fun because I feel like I've been on this journey for the last 30 years," Lobo shares.

One of her favorite memories as a player was during the first All-Star Game in 1999 at Madison Square Garden, when Whitney Houston sang the national anthem.

Once she retired, her highlight as a fan was the New York Liberty's championship win in 2024.

"I'm sitting there courtside in Barclays Center and across the court, there are a couple of fans sitting courtside who were coming to games back when I was a player at MSG in the early years — '97, '98, '99 — and I think, as I'm looking across and seeing these fans, what a journey they've been on and now they're getting a chance to see their team win their first WNBA championship," Lobo recalls.

Rebecca Lobo attends the 2022 ESPYs
Credit: Leon Bennett/Getty

For Lobo, the 30th anniversary feels much more significant than the 20th or 25th, thanks to the new collective bargaining agreement between the league and players that introduces a revenue-sharing model, increased salaries and more.

"To see how far the league has come, the top salary in that first year of the league was $50,000, and now you're seeing these women signing multimillion-dollar, multi-year contracts. Look at how much it's grown," Lobo shares.

The Hall of Famer shares that she's "feeling a level of gratitude for how far it's come."

Rebecca Lobo
Credit: Ethan Miller/Getty

"I've been a part of it for so long, I've always felt like the play on the court is incredible, especially during some of those finals, in 2014, '15, '16, in that era, basketball was incredible," she says. "But there weren't nearly as many people embracing it and watching it as there are now. It feels really good, the place the league is in right now in terms of its popularity and its viability as a really strong business."

As for the next 30 years, Lobo hopes that they mirror the first three decades but "in better ways, just to get to see continued growth."

"It's a really stable and flourishing ground right now. I hope that it'll continue on that trajectory of growth we've seen over the last couple of years, in particular, and that the play will continue to improve the way it has over the last 30 years," she tells PEOPLE. "It feels like it's been on such a nice trajectory. You hope that it continues its upward trend."

"My oldest daughter is now 21. She's experiencing it as a fan, but who knows? In 30 years, maybe I'll have a granddaughter who's experiencing it differently," she continues. "It's pretty incredible just to see how the dynamic of it all and how I'm experiencing it has changed, and how exciting it is for all kinds of generations of people now."

Read the original article on People