Lisa Borders Resigns as WNBA President, Mark Tatum Named Interim Replacement

The Women's National Basketball Association announced Tuesday that Lisa Borders is stepping down from her role as the league's president after three seasons to take the same title with equal-opportunity organization Time's Up.

Borders said in a statement:

"It has been an honor and my absolute privilege leading the WNBA and being part of what it stands for. I want to thank [NBA commissioner Adam Silver] for giving me the opportunity and support to help grow this league. I am most proud of the W players for their amazing talents on the court and their dedication to making an impact in their communities. I look forward to continuing my support for the W in my new role with Time's Up. I will always be the W's biggest advocate and fan."

In a statement, Silver thanked Borders for her contributions: "We are extremely grateful for Lisa's leadership and tireless commitment to the WNBA. This is a natural transition for Lisa, knowing what a champion she is for issues involving women's empowerment and social justice and fortunately for us, she leaves the league with strong tail winds propelling it forward."

NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum will serve as the WNBA's interim president.

Borders became the fourth president in league history in 2016. Before joining the WNBA, she had served as the chair of the Coca-Cola Foundation as well as the president of the city council and vice mayor of Atlanta, positions she used to help bring the WNBA to the city in 2008.

Borders told Adele Jackson-Gibson of Excelle Sports in March 2017:

"It was a good decision for the city. It was a good sports town. We had other professional teams: The Hawks play [men's] basketball, the Falcons play football...I was drawn to [the Dream] because not only did I understand basketball, it was about empowering and enabling women to play a professional sport post-college. It was sort of a no-brainer."

According to Doug Roberson of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the WNBA was coming off the lowest attendance in league history when Borders took over. Per Tuesday's press release, the 2017 season featured the highest attendance in six years, and the 2018 campaign was the "most watched season in four years."

Borders is the first president of Time's Up. Per its official website, Time's Up "is an organization that insists on safe, fair and dignified work for women of all kinds."