The Spurs organization has paved way for many new opportunities for women in the NBA and, hopefully, other major league sports as well. Hiring the first woman assistant coach earlier this year, Becky Hammon, it is evident that some teams are starting to notice her dominance, viewing her not only an equal to male coaches but as a force to be reckoned with. Hammon led the Summer League Spurs to a championship title, and there is speculation that here in a few years she could be a top head coach contender. However, Hammon is no longer the only woman in the league. She is now joined by Nancy Lieberman, who just joined the Kings in Sacramento, and we are ready to see what she’s got.
Lieberman didn’t get her nickname “Lady Magic” by just sliding along in the WNBA. Lieberman is considered one of the greatest and most influential players in women’s basketball. With her many hall of fame titles, Lieberman knows her basketball, and her history on the court proves it. Lieberman was on the USA basketball team roster at the age of 17, where she continued with her skills and joined the USA Olympic team in 1976. During the Olympics in Montreal, she became the youngest basketball player in Olympic history to win a medal, helping her team win the silver medal.
Her impressive skills on the court did not stop after her Olympic years. While attending Old Dominion University in Virginia, she helped guide her team to win two consecutive AIAW National Championship titles. This is where her nickname “Lady Magic” came about, a nod to Earvin “Magic” Johnson, an icon in NBA history. In the 1980s, Lieberman dropped out of college to play in the big leagues: the WNBA. Her path to the WNBA included many minor league teams, such as the Dallas Diamonds and the Washington Generals. Eventually, she played for the Phoenix Mercury, where she called it quits on her days as a player and was quickly hired as the head coach of the WNBA’s Detroit Shock. She coached them for three seasons and has worked as a basketball analyst for ESPN. Since then, she has worked closely with the Texas Legends and Oklahoma City Thunder. Now she has her dream job because she, as a woman, is absolutely qualified.
On July 31, 2015, Lieberman became the second female assistant coach in the National Basketball Association. Along with Hammon, these two women have opened the eyes of many disbelievers and broken down barriers that women cannot coach a men’s team. When Hammon was offered her position, Lieberman told ESPN, "The NBA does a really great job taking care of their people, and they're not afraid to think outside of the box. I'm really proud of them." She later said, "I'm proud of the Spurs. I'm proud of Adam Silver. It's a great day for women, but it's a great day for the NBA and how they feel about their growth going forward."
Seems like the Kings caught on to yet another secret weapon the Spurs have introduced into the league, and it's only a matter of time before there will be the first woman head coach in the NBA. Whether or not it is Hammon, we will have to wait and see. For now, though, I speak for every NBA fan when I say we are all counting down the days until October 27.
