This week, as the WNBA heads into its 30th season, it’s worth pausing to appreciate just how far it’s come, and how good its taste in music has always been. Somewhere between the highlights and the box scores, a gem of 90s pop culture has been hiding in plain sight.
That gem is Divas of the Court: Songs of the WNBA Volume 1, a 1999 compilation album released on Madacy Records, a Canadian independent label that built its business by licensing existing tracks and packaging them into budget-friendly compilation albums. Madacy assembled one of the most quietly iconic lineups of women artists ever put on a single tracklist. An original copy is nearly impossible to track down, though Amazon does have it available if you’re feeling nostalgic enough to dust off a CD player.
The album dropped during one of the most pivotal seasons in league history. The WNBA’s third year in 1999 was defined by rapid expansion, the inaugural All-Star Game, and a massive influx of talent following the collapse of the rival American Basketball League.
The Houston Comets, led by the incomparable Cynthia Cooper, won their third consecutive championship, cementing one of the great dynasties in women’s basketball. The league was ascending, so obviously it needed a soundtrack to match.
Here are a few of our favorites:
“Happiness” — Vanessa Williams
“Don’t Take It Personal (Just One of Dem Days)” — Monica
“Jumpin’ Jumpin’” — Destiny’s Child
“Legend of a Cowgirl” — Imani Coppola
“Everytime” — Tatyana Ali
“Jump to It” — Aretha Franklin
“Ladies First” — Queen Latifah feat. Monie Love
“We Are Family” — Sister Sledge
Where Are They Now
When Divas of the Court dropped, Destiny’s Child had just released The Writing’s on the Wall, their commercial breakthrough. Beyoncé was 17 years old. “Jumpin’ Jumpin’” hadn’t even peaked on the charts yet. Twenty-six years later, Beyoncé holds the record for the most Grammy wins in history with 35, won Album of the Year in 2025 for Cowboy Carter, and reunited with Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams at the close of her Cowboy Carter Tour in July 2025. Not bad for the girl on track 5.
Monica contributed “Don’t Take It Personal,” a song she recorded as a teenager. She has since released nine studio albums, earned two Grammy Awards, and remains one of R&B’s most respected voices. Queen Latifah, who appears with Monie Love on the legendary “Ladies First,” was already a rap pioneer in 1999. She has since become an institution in her own right, building a notable career spanning music, film, television, and production. Aretha Franklin’s presence on this album is the most fitting thing imaginable, because who better than the Queen of Soul?
And then there’s Tatyana Ali—yes, Ashley Banks from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air—who had a whole R&B music career that most people completely forgot about. She wasn’t alone in flying under the radar. The tracklist is also home to Shawn Colvin’s folk-rock gem “Round of Blues,” the Indigo Girls’ quietly powerful “Galileo,” and Sister Sledge closing things out with the timeless “We Are Family.” This compilation has range, and with the new era of women artists we have today, I could see a version of this doing numbers today.
When Do We Get a Vol. 2?
As the WNBA enters its 30th season with record viewership, sold-out arenas, and a cultural moment unlike anything the league has seen before, it’s hard not to wonder, isn’t it time for Divas of the Court Vol. 2? The league has the platform, and with a music talent like Flau’jae Johnson suiting up this season, it looks like we already have the first feature locked in.
Tip-off for the 30th season of the WNBA is Friday, May 8th.