Chicago Hustle

The Chicago Hustle was a team in the Women's Professional Basketball League (WBL) from 1978-1981. Their team colors were orange and blue. Its radio broadcaster was Les Grobstein.

The Hustle played in all three WBL seasons and led the WBL in attendance each year. In their first season, they tied Iowa for the Midwest Division Title, but the Cornets had home court advantage for the playoffs and won the series 2 games to 1. Rita Easterling was the WBL MVP that first year and led the League in Assists. Debbie Waddy-Rossow (cousin of Los Angeles Rams Wide Receiver Billy Waddy) was the league's Leading scorer.

In their second year, the Hustle missed the playoffs. Coach Doug Bruno left to become an assistant to Gene Sullivan for Loyola University of Chicago's men's team and is now the DePaul women's team coach.

In the third and final season, they added Inge Nissen from Old Dominion University and veteran Donna Geils (now Orender) who is now the president of the WNBA. The team's play-by-play announcer for all three seasons was Les Grobstein, who is now is the radio voice of the WNBA Chicago Sky.

The WBL disbanded in 1981 because of financial problems throughout the league, mostly due to owners who did not pay their bills and who bounced several payroll checks to players and other employees. In 1981, the Minnesota Fillies players who were promised paychecks by Commissioner Sherwin Fischer, only to have him not follow through, walked off the court in Chicago ten minutes before a scheduled game with the Hustle. The game was not played despite a full house at DePaul Alumni Hall, and everyone knew right then and there that the WBL was doomed.