Women’s basketball, from the collegiate level to the WNBA, has reached new heights in 2024. But for many players watching as the sport surges in popularity, their love for the game isn’t new and is a passion that hasn’t disappeared even as they aged.
The ATL Lady Hawks, created in 2022, is a senior women’s basketball team for women over fifty. Entrepreneur Stefanie Batiste owns the team and leads three teams, ages 50-54, 55-59, and 60-64 years, to gold in various competitions nationwide. That winning spirit is a trait that the Savannah native said she’s had all her life.
As the oldest child and only girl in a lineup of brothers, Batiste grew up as a competitive and athletic child. She lent that competitiveness to a basketball career at Beach High School under head coach Ronald Booker, whose legendary career championed the Lady Bulldogs for 34 years. Batiste also ran track, which led her to running the USATF Masters Outdoor Championship in her 40s. Unfortunately, she got injured during a competition, but that didn’t stop her from searching for the next thing to fuel her competitiveness.
Batiste returned to her roots and chose to play senior basketball to stay in shape. After the team she played with lost during the Senior Basketball Olympics, Batiste knew she wanted to do more than play; she wanted to form her own team of women in Atlanta to bring home the gold.
“I decided I did not want to sit down. I started seeing all these athletes over 50, and they just looked fabulous. They looked great, and they looked healthy,” Batiste said. “I decided I wanted to get back active, so I searched all over the country trying to find a team.”
That team is now 28 strong, consisting of women who played basketball in college, the WNBA and overseas. Day in and day out, the ATL Lady Hawks come into practice, work out, and hit the court to train, run plays and scrimmage. For the women on the team, age isn’t a hindering factor that has stopped them from playing the game they love and staying active. The spotlight on women’s basketball has also helped Batiste encourage other women over 50 to find activities that would help them get moving.
“It helps us to live a longer life. There are a lot of people out there who have never been athletes. They’re not active, but they see us now. They see us and our T-shirts. Everybody stops us, and they want to inquire about it. One of the main things we emphasize is wellness and staying in shape.
“Grab a friend, call a friend, just start out walking, even if you’ve never been an athlete. Start out doing the simple things, and it’ll lead you to other things. Go to these senior buildings … meet people who are over 50 and are active, and it’ll motivate you.
Batiste said the ATL Lady Hawks is more than just a team; it’s a sisterhood. She described seeing women from all walks of life come together to build community and give their total commitment to the team as “beyond amazing.”
The team is preparing to compete at the 2024 Georgia Golden Basketball Olympics on September 17-21 at Warner Robins and The National Senior Basketball Games in Des Moines, Iowa, in July 2025.
“We’re aiming for the gold, and we want to bring it back to the state of Georgia, and we want everybody to be proud of us.”