In the era of new wave superstars like Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark, Hailey Van Lith, Paige Bueckers, Kamila Cardoso, Flau Jae Johnson and others, women's basketball is taking off around the world. The WNBA created an expansion team in the City of Juneau, Alaska. That's right, there are men and women who enjoy basketball in cold, bleak and boring old Alaska. That's a fact, even though the region has never hosted an NBA team, much less a WNBA team. Former WNBA standout Malvina "MB" Lavergne has been hired as head of basketball operations for the new WNBA team, the Juneau Lady Malamutes.
Upon landing in the City of Juneau, Alaska, MB didn't find the place to her liking. Are there any black folks in the weird, beautiful world of Alaska? If so, why would they choose to live there? To MB, Alaska felt colder than a polar bear's ass. Alaska seems like a different planet compared to the rest of the United States of America. People in Alaska share the same environment as wolves, grizzly bears, polar bears, pumas and coyotes. Sometimes, it can go for close to two months without direct sunlight. Polar nights are no joke in Alaska. What's a six-foot-three, masculine black lesbian professional basketball player to do in such an environment?
The WNBA decided that the Lady Malamutes would play at Sanford Arena in Juneau. A group of WNBA players, mostly ladies who got cut by different teams prior to the regular season, made up the roster. The new team owner, Alexander Caldwell, was a generous man. Each of these ladies would be paid a hundred thousand dollars a year, which is much higher than the WNBA average of sixty thousand. Hell, even WNBA legend Angel Reese is only making like seventy thousand a year, although she rakes in millions in endorsement deals. The WNBA needs to pay its sportswomen more, for real.
MB decided to rent a two-bedroom apartment in the Sandy Hill neighborhood of Juneau, about three miles from downtown Juneau, where the Sanford Arena stands. Housing is surprisingly cheap in Alaska. Two-bedroom apartments go for sixteen hundred bucks a month. Even in MB's hometown of Atlanta, that's unheard of. Sandy Hill is a nice neighborhood. There are quite a few black folks in the area. Apparently, a famous African American businessman named Sanderson Hill was a major figure in Juneau history and they named the area after him. Many of Juneau's few African American residents live there with their families. Interesting spot for sure.
