I came to Los Angeles fresh out of the undergrad rec-league basketball circuit, 22 years old, and knowing no one. Born and raised in Kentucky, where basketball is a full blown religion, I wanted to keep my baller status alive. So I checked out the LA Recreation and Parks website in search of a women’s league. But there was nothing. Only men’s league after men’s league, already full — and with a waiting list to boot.
That was 2012. Aubrey Plaza, a comedic actress who had been here longer than I, however, was having the same crisis at the exact same time. But unlike my apparently non-enterprising-scared-to-death-of-a-new-city-where-I-will-never-be-mayor self, Plaza did something about it. She started the Women’s Municipal basketball league. They now offer multiple skill levels, a fall league, a spring league, and a summer tournament. And it’s grown to mean much more than basketball to the girls who play.
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