Nancy Leiberman

Basketball Analyst

Nancy Lieberman, one of the most recognized individuals in the history of women’s basketball, is a men’s and women’s college basketball analyst for ESPN.  Lieberman also she serves as a studio analyst for the network’s WNBA coverage.  In July 2008, Lieberman signed a seven-day contract to play for the Detroit Shock, becoming the oldest player in the league.

Prior to joining ESPN, Lieberman served as a television analyst for women’s basketball during the 1988 and 1992 Summer Olympic Games. She has also done women’s basketball telecasts for ABC Sports, CBS Sports and Fox Sports.

Lieberman’s career on the court was one of the most distinguished ever. In the 1976 Summer Olympics, her first of two Olympic appearances (1980), she became the youngest basketball player in Olympic history to win a medal (silver), at age 18. She played her collegiate ball at Old Dominion University from 1976-1980, of the then Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW), where she led the Lady Monarchs to two AIAW championships (1979 and 1980) and one NWIT championship (1978).

Lieberman’s storied career at ODU included 2,430 points, 1,167 rebounds, 983 assists and over 700 steals in just 134 games. She is the only two-time winner of the Wade Trophy as well as a one-time Broderick Award recipient, given to the top female athlete in America, and a member of the Kodak All-American Anniversary team made up of the top 10 players in the history of women’s basketball.

At the professional level, Lieberman played in four basketball leagues. She first played for the Dallas Diamonds of the WBL and eventually the WABA, where she led the team to the 1984 WABA Championship. She led them in scoring and won the league’s MVP award. In 1986, Lieberman became the first woman ever to play in a men’s professional league when she joined the USBL’s Springfield Fame.

In January 1997, Lieberman was drafted by the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA’s inaugural draft, and played one season with the Western Conference champions, before becoming the general manager and head coach of the Detroit Shock, a position she held from 1998-2000. During her professional career, Lieberman averaged 15.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game. In June 1999, she was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame as a member of its inaugural class. Lieberman also has an award named after her, the Conseco Nancy Lieberman Award, given to the best female point guard in Division I.

A native of Queens, N.Y., Lieberman stays active in the community by coaching in basketball camps and working on charities such as The Jimmy V Foundation and Special Olympics.

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