Nancy Lieberman
Nancy is a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer, BIG3 Head Coach, 2018 Champion and Coach of the year. Two-time Olympian, silver-medalist (1976).
Her coaching career has included the NBA, WNBA,
NBA G League and the BIG3 and at each step along the way she has broken barriers, elevated the profile of women in the game, and helped develop the current and next generation of basketball players. Under her leadership, the Team Power won the BIG3 championship in 2018, making her the first female coach to win a title in a men’s pro league.
She helped the United States win medals at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal (silver medal), the 1979 World Championships in Seoul (gold medal), 1975 and 1979 Pan American Games in Mexico (gold medal) and Puerto Rico (silver medal), and the gold medal in the 1979 Jones Cup in Taipei.
After winning consecutive AIAW National Championships and one WNIT Championship at Old Dominion University, Nancy was a three-time All American and two-time national player of the year in collegiate basketball for the Monarchs. She was the first pick in first ever women’s pro league, the Women’s Basketball League (WBL), for the Dallas Diamonds in 1980. In 1985, the Diamonds won the championship in the WABA and Nancy was Player of the Year. She played for the Los Angeles Lakers in the Summer Pro League in 1981 for Pat Riley in preparation for her upcoming season with the Diamonds. In 1986 and 1987, Nancy joined the USBL, becoming the first woman to play in a men’s professional league, 1986 with the Springfield Fame and 1987 with the Long Island Knights. The Lieberman Award, presented by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, recognizes the top point guard in women’s NCAA Division I college basketball for their floor leadership, playmaking and winning mentality.