What began as a lighthearted stunt at a Dallas Wings home opener quickly turned into a defining image of the WNBA’s new era. George W. Bush, once the most polarizing man in America, now grinned beside players half his age, cracking jokes about bipartisanship and bricking threes while cameras flashed. The league wasn’t just courting nostalgia; it was making a calculated bet that controversy plus charm equals attention, and attention equals growth.
Reactions poured in from every corner—Michelle Obama’s playful approval, Brittney Griner’s sharp wit, analysts admitting that, like it or not, this would move the needle. Beneath the jokes about “Freedom Balls” and Twitter trolls was a serious gamble: that a former commander-in-chief could help command respect, coverage, and investment for women’s basketball. As Bush walked off the court, unfinished one-liners and all, it felt less like a gimmick and more like a turning point.