Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman, who has been a force in basketball since she was 17, is still making waves. Nancy will be coach of the Dallas Mavericks’ affiliate in the NBA Development League thus making her the first female coach for a men’s team. Donnie Nelson, the Mavericks’ president of basketball operations, made the hiring decision.
“She’s got the skins, the experience — she knows what she’s doing — so I certainly hope that we’re well beyond those issues,” Nelson said. “Besides, if you can’t respect authority, no matter what form or color it comes in, I don’t want you on my team.”
Nancy has made history before. She was the first woman to play pro basketball with men and when the WNBA came around she not only played, but coached, was a general manager and set a record as the oldest player in WNBA history when she dressed out for a game at age 50.
“In 1986, my goal was not to be a girl playing in a men’s league, it was to be a player in a men’s league,” she added. “In 2010, I don’t want to be a woman who is coaching men, I want to be a coach who is coaching.”
Christopher Meatto