New Orleans Pride

The Pride where founded by 32-year old stockbroker Steve Brown, John W. Simpson and his wife Claudette Simpson.{{cite news |title=New Orleans Pride |url=https://funwhileitlasted.net/2012/07/29/1979-1981-new-orleans-pride/ |access-date=30 October 2023 |work=FunWhileItLasted.net |date=29 December 2012}}

The Pride's 1979–80 season debut was on 15 November, 1979, where the New York Stars defeated the Pride, 120-112, before a record crowd of 8,452 in the Louisiana Superdome.{{cite news |title=It was a Jazzy family reunion for VBK |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-memphis-press-scimitar-it-was-a-jazz/134326115/ |access-date=30 October 2023 |work=The Memphis Press-Scimitar |agency=Associated Press |page=16 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{open access}} After starting the season in the Western Division, the team was moved to the Eastern Division following the folding of Washington Metros and the Philadelphia Fox. The Pride finished the season with a 21–13 record, good for second place in the Eastern Division. It lost to the Minnesota Fillies in the first round of the playoffs, 1–2. Augusta Forest led the team in scoring and rebounding with averages of 18.8 points and 9.2 rebounds. Bertha Hardy, who was named to the WBL All-Pro team, came next, averaging 17.0 points, 8.2 rebounds and league leading 2.7 per game.{{cite web |title=1979-80 New Orleans Pride Statistics |url=https://www.statscrew.com/womensbasketball/stats/t-WNP/y-1979 |website=statscrew.com |publisher=Stats Crew |access-date=30 October 2023}} The team finished in the upper half of the league in attendance, averaging around 2,000 spectators per game.

Prior to the season, general manager Steve Brown was replaced with Claudette Simpson.{{cite news |author1=Ron Higgins |title=More organized Pride looks to draft |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-more-organized-pride-looks-to/134272208/ |access-date=29 October 2023 |work=The Times |date=14 June 1980 |page=5C |via=Newspapers.com}}{{open access}} In March 1981, during the 1980–81 season, with the team having a 17-14 record, Van Breda Kolff was suspended for the rest of the season by the team which cited the coaches unpaid fines to the league and the recent poor performance where the team had lost five games in a row. In his stead, assistant coach Ray Scott served as an interim head coach.{{cite news |title=Suspended van Breda Kolff is again winning coach without job security |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sun-suspended-van-breda-kolff-is-aga/134272666/ |access-date=29 October 2023 |work=The Sun |agency=Associated Press |date=18 March 1981 |page=B2}} The Pride finished the season in third place in the Coastal Division, with a 18–19 record, and missed out of the playoffs. Cindy Brogdon of the Pride was named to the WBL All-Pro team after the season.

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, W–L% = Winning percentage

WBL All-Pro team

• Cindy Brogdon - 1981{{cite news |author1=Ron Higgins |title=Brogdon better before a crowd |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-brogdon-better-before-a-crowd/134268381/ |access-date=29 October 2023 |work=The Times |date=28 December 1980 |page=3D |via=Newspapers.com}}{{open access}}
• Bertha Hardy - 1980{{cite news |author1=Gary Yunt |title=Hardy, Forest full of 'Pride' |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/clarion-ledger-hardy-forest-full-of-pr/134329308/ |access-date=30 October 2023 |work=Clarion-Ledger |date=21 December 1980 |page=D7 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{open access}}

WBL All-Star

• Sybil Blalock - 1981
• Cindy Brogdon - 1981
• Augusta Forest - 1980
• Sandra Smallwood - 1980

• Butch Van Breda Kolff 1979–1981
• Ray Scott (interim) 1981

{{reflist}}

• [https://funwhileitlasted.net/2012/07/29/1979-1981-new-orleans-pride/ New Orleans Pride] on FunWhileItLasted.net

{{Women's Professional Basketball League}}

Category:Basketball teams in New Orleans

Category:Women's Professional Basketball League teams

Category:Basketball teams established in 1979