Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman is an accomplished basketball player, coach, mother, two-time Olympian, broadcaster and writer. She is one of the most recognized individuals in the history of women's basketball. Lieberman's inspirational journey is a story of determination, strength and incredible motivation to become the greatest.
A native of Queens, New York, and playing hoops on the rough-and-tumble Harlem courts, Nancy Lieberman developed a tough style of basketball that led her on a career that was one of the most distinguished ever. In 1974, while attending Far Rockaway High School, she established herself as one of the top women's basketball players in the country by earning one of only 12 slots on the USA's Nation team. The following year, Lieberman was named to the USA Team designated to play in the World Championships and Pan American Games where she brought home a gold medal in 1975 and a silver medal in 1979.
In 1976 at the Summer Olympics in Montreal, she became the youngest basketball player in Olympic history to win a silver medal at the age of 18. From 1976 to 1980, Lieberman attended Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia where she and her team won two consecutive Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women National Championships (AIAW) (1979,1980) and compiled a 72-2 record. Lieberman also lead the Lady Monarchs to a National Women's Invitation Tournament (WNIT) Championship in 1978.
Nancy Lieberman was the first two-time winner of the prestigious Wade Trophy, a national "Player of the Year" award in college women's basketball and was selected as the Broderick Award winner for basketball as the top women's player in America. Lieberman also won three consecutive Kodak All-America awards (1978,'79,'80). Lieberman's storied career at ODU included 2,430 points, 1,167 rebounds, 983 assists and over 700 steals in just 134 games.
At the professional level, Lieberman played for several basketball teams and leagues, including the Dallas Diamonds of the Women's Pro Basketball League (WBL), eventually the WABA, where she led the team to the 1984 WABA Championship. She led in scoring and won the league's MVP award. In 1986, Lieberman became the first woman ever to play in a men's league called the United States Basketball League Springfield Fame (USBL) and also with the Washington Generals.
She was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 1996 and to the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999.
In January 1997, at the age of 38, Lieberman was drafted in the inaugural season by the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) for the Phoenix Mercury. During her professional career, Lieberman averaged 15.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game. In 1998, she was hired as General Manager and Head Coach of the WNBA's Detroit Shock, a team she coached for three seasons.
In 2000, she returned to Old Dominion University to complete her undergraduate degree in interdisciplinary studies. At the time, she had been serving as president of the Women's Sports Foundation. In 2004, she became the Head Coach for the Dallas Fury of the National Women's Basketball League (NWBL) and guided the team to a championship that season.
On July 24, 2008 Lieberman signed a seven day contract with the Detroit Shock, thus shattering her previous record as the oldest player in league history, at 50 years old. In her first game back from retirement, Nancy had 2 assists along with 2 turnovers as the Houston Comets defeated the Shock 79-61.
The Nancy Lieberman Award is given each year to the best female point guard in Division I basketball. Previous winners include Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Temeka Johnson and Ivory Latta.
Most recently, Lieberman was named head coach of the Dallas Mavericks' D-League team, becoming the first female ever to coach a professional men's squad. NBA commissioner David Stern, a strong supporter of the development league and women's basketball, called the hiring "great news for all."
Lieberman has provided commentary for ABC, ESPN, NBC and is a contributing writer to the Dallas Morning News, the New York Times and USA Today. During the summer, she coaches women's basketball camps in Dallas, Detroit and Phoenix. She has authored several books and videotapes, most of which were "how-to" advice to young female basketball players. Her first book, published in 1991, is an autobiography entitled Lady Magic: The Nancy Lieberman Story. She later co-authored her second book Basketball for Women.
In addition, she is heavily involved with charities such as the Special Olympics, the Jimmy V Foundation (named after the late Jim Valvano) and is the local chairperson of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation's "Race for the Cure" in Plano, Texas. She also hosts annual basketball camps for girls and boys in Dallas, Detroit and Phoenix.
