Nancy Lieberman attended Old Dominion University from 1976 to 1980. She quickly became one of the best players in women’s college basketball.
Old Dominion
As a freshman at Old Dominion, Lieberman averaged 20.9 points, ten rebounds, and 7.9 assists per game. She shot 47.3 % from the field, pretty good numbers for a freshman. In 1979 and 1980, Lieberman helped lead Old Dominion to back to back AIAW National Championships and in 1978 To WNIT Championship.
Lieberman played four years at Old Dominion and finished with career averages of 18.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per game on 47% shooting. She also earned the nickname “Lady Magic” because of her passing skills. Lieberman set a school record for career assists for 961, and it still stands today. The former Old Dominion star scored 2,420 points, grabbed 1,167 rebounds in four years. She holds several records in Old Dominion school history.
WNBA
In 1997, Lieberman was drafted by the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA draft. At the time, she was 39 and the oldest player in the league. In 25 games with the Mercury, she averaged 2.6 points per game in 11.2 minutes per game.
Coaching
In 1998, Lieberman was named General Manager and Head Coach on the WNBA’s Detroit Shock. She went 46-48 in three seasons with one playoff appearance. The former Mercury player played in 2008 signed a seven-day contract with the Detroit Shock at the age of 50, Lieberman just played in one game that season.
The Sacramento Kings hired Nancy Lieberman in 2015, and she became the second female assistant coach in NBA history, she stepped away from the team in 2017.
Nowadays Lieberman is the head coach of Power in Ice Cube’s Big 3 basketball league. She coached power to a championship in 2018. Lieberman was a great basketball player; she was inducted in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996 and Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 1997.
