# Nancy Lieberman
**Nancy Lieberman** (born 1958 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American basketball player and coach, nicknamed "Lady Magic," who won two national championships at [Old Dominion University](https://www.edgepedia.org/old-dominion-university), earned a 1976 Olympic silver medal as the youngest basketball player to win an [Olympic medal](https://www.edgepedia.org/olympic-medal), and became the first woman to play in a men's professional basketball league[1](https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/nancy-lieberman) • [2](https://vasportshof.com/inductee/nancy-lieberman/) • [3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/sports/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/lieberman-nancy). She was enshrined in the [Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame](https://www.edgepedia.org/naismith-memorial-basketball-hall-of-fame) in 1996 and later built a coaching career spanning the WNBA, the NBA Development League, the NBA, and the BIG3[1](https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/nancy-lieberman) • [4](https://tshof.org/inductee/nancy-lieberman/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1958, Brooklyn, NY; 5'10" (150 lbs) point guard[1](https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/nancy-lieberman) • [5](https://www.wnba.com/player/100032/nancy-lieberman/bio) |
| College | Old Dominion, 1976–80; back-to-back AIAW national championships (1979, 1980), 72-2 career record, three-time Kodak All-American[1](https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/nancy-lieberman) • [4](https://tshof.org/inductee/nancy-lieberman/) |
| Olympic career | Silver medal, 1976 Montreal Olympics, at age 18, the youngest basketball player to win an Olympic medal; named to the 1980 team that did not compete because of the boycott[2](https://vasportshof.com/inductee/nancy-lieberman/) • [4](https://tshof.org/inductee/nancy-lieberman/) |
| Professional firsts | First woman to play in a men's professional league (USBL's Springfield Fame, 1986); first female head coach of a men's professional team (Texas Legends, 2009)[3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/sports/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/lieberman-nancy) • [4](https://tshof.org/inductee/nancy-lieberman/) |
| WNBA | Phoenix Mercury 1997 at age 39, then the oldest woman to play in the league; returned with the Detroit Shock in 2008 at age 50[6](https://www.nba.com/kings/blog/get-know-nancy-lieberman) • [4](https://tshof.org/inductee/nancy-lieberman/) |
| Hall of Fame | Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, 1996; Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, 1999[1](https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/nancy-lieberman) • [2](https://vasportshof.com/inductee/nancy-lieberman/) |
## Early life and playing style
Lieberman learned the game on the playground courts of Harlem, where the Brooklyn-bred guard developed a physical, aggressive style unlike that of other women playing at the time[1](https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/nancy-lieberman). At 5'10", she was taller than many guards of her era, and her game combined drives to the basket, passing, and rebounding[1](https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/nancy-lieberman). Her passing and playmaking earned the nickname "Lady Magic"[6](https://www.nba.com/kings/blog/get-know-nancy-lieberman).
## International career
As a 17-year-old high school junior, Lieberman played for Team USA at the 1975 [Pan American Games](https://www.edgepedia.org/pan-american-games), winning a gold medal, and also competed at the 1975 World Championships[4](https://tshof.org/inductee/nancy-lieberman/) • [7](https://encyclopedia-loadbalancer-1-1782916326.us-west-2.elb.amazonaws.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/lieberman-cline-nancy-1958). She made the first-ever Women's Olympic Basketball Team at the 1976 Montreal Games, where the United States took silver; she had just turned 18, making her the youngest basketball player in Olympic history to win a medal[2](https://vasportshof.com/inductee/nancy-lieberman/) • [3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/sports/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/lieberman-nancy). She was named to the 1980 Olympic squad, but the American boycott of the Moscow Games ended those hopes[4](https://tshof.org/inductee/nancy-lieberman/) • [8](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/5342).
## Old Dominion
Lieberman enrolled at Old Dominion University in Virginia in 1976 and put together one of the most decorated collegiate careers in women's basketball[2](https://vasportshof.com/inductee/nancy-lieberman/). She led the Lady Monarchs to back-to-back AIAW national championships in 1979 and 1980, with an overall record of 72-2, and won the WNIT title in 1978[1](https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/nancy-lieberman) • [4](https://tshof.org/inductee/nancy-lieberman/). She was a three-time Kodak All-American (1978–1980), a two-time winner of the Wade Trophy as the nation's best women's college player, a basketball first, and a two-time winner of the Broderick Cup as the nation's top female athlete[1](https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/nancy-lieberman) • [4](https://tshof.org/inductee/nancy-lieberman/). Her college totals were 2,430 points, 1,167 rebounds, 983 assists, and more than 700 steals in 134 games[7](https://encyclopedia-loadbalancer-1-1782916326.us-west-2.elb.amazonaws.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/lieberman-cline-nancy-1958).
## Professional playing career
**Early leagues.** Lieberman was the first pick of the 1980 Women's Basketball League draft by the Dallas Diamonds[4](https://tshof.org/inductee/nancy-lieberman/). She earned WBL MVP honors with the Diamonds in 1981 and led the team to the 1984 championship of the Women's American Basketball Association[1](https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/nancy-lieberman). After the boycott ended her Olympic plans, she signed the largest contract in the history of the women's basketball league[8](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/5342).
**Men's professional leagues.** In 1986 Lieberman became the first woman to play in a men's professional league, joining the Springfield Fame of the United States Basketball League, where she was coached by Henry Bibby; she played two USBL seasons, the second (1987) with the Long Island Knights[3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/sports/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/lieberman-nancy) • [6](https://www.nba.com/kings/blog/get-know-nancy-lieberman) • [7](https://encyclopedia-loadbalancer-1-1782916326.us-west-2.elb.amazonaws.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/lieberman-cline-nancy-1958). In 1987–88 she became the first woman to tour with the [Washington Generals](https://www.edgepedia.org/washington-generals), the longtime opponent of the [Harlem Globetrotters](https://www.edgepedia.org/harlem-globetrotters)[6](https://www.nba.com/kings/blog/get-know-nancy-lieberman).
**WNBA.** Lieberman came out of retirement to play in the WNBA's inaugural 1997 season with the [Phoenix Mercury](https://www.edgepedia.org/phoenix-mercury), selected in the second round of the draft. In 25 contests she averaged 8.3 points, 5.2 assists, and 1.9 steals per 36 minutes, making the then-39-year-old the oldest woman to play in the league[6](https://www.nba.com/kings/blog/get-know-nancy-lieberman) • [7](https://encyclopedia-loadbalancer-1-1782916326.us-west-2.elb.amazonaws.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/lieberman-cline-nancy-1958). Her official WNBA career line over two seasons is 2.5 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game[5](https://www.wnba.com/player/100032/nancy-lieberman/bio). In 2008 she played one game for the Detroit Shock at age 50, breaking her own record as the league's oldest player; in nine minutes she scored no points but recorded two assists[4](https://tshof.org/inductee/nancy-lieberman/) • [9](https://hofbbplayers.com/nancy-lieberman/).
## Coaching career
Lieberman's coaching career began with the WNBA's Detroit Shock in 1998; in her first year she led the Shock to a 17-13 record and a playoff berth[4](https://tshof.org/inductee/nancy-lieberman/) • [3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/sports/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/lieberman-nancy). In 2009 she became the first female head coach of a men's professional basketball team, leading the [Texas Legends](https://www.edgepedia.org/texas-legends), the [Dallas Mavericks](https://www.edgepedia.org/dallas-mavericks)' NBA Development League affiliate, a hiring she has described as beginning with conversations with Mavericks general manager Donnie Nelson[4](https://tshof.org/inductee/nancy-lieberman/) • [10](https://time.com/3089699/becky-hammon-nancy-lieberman-advice-coaching/). She stepped down after the 2011 season to be present for her son TJ's senior year of high school and became the Legends' assistant general manager[10](https://time.com/3089699/becky-hammon-nancy-lieberman-advice-coaching/).
In 2015 she joined the [Sacramento Kings](https://www.edgepedia.org/sacramento-kings) as an assistant coach, becoming the second full-time female assistant coach in the NBA after [Becky Hammon](https://www.edgepedia.org/becky-hammon) of the [San Antonio Spurs](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-antonio-spurs)[6](https://www.nba.com/kings/blog/get-know-nancy-lieberman). In the BIG3, a three-on-three league founded by Ice Cube, she was hired as coach of the Power on March 21, 2017, making her the first female head coach of a men's professional team in any sport; her Power team won the 2018 championship and she was named Coach of the Year[11](https://big3.com/news/lieberman-we-believe-in-ourselves-but-weve-got-work-to-do/) • [4](https://tshof.org/inductee/nancy-lieberman/).
## Broadcasting and legacy
Lieberman worked as a basketball analyst for NBC in 1988 and 1992 and has broadcast for ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, and Fox Sports Network[7](https://encyclopedia-loadbalancer-1-1782916326.us-west-2.elb.amazonaws.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/lieberman-cline-nancy-1958). Her Nancy Lieberman Charities works with more than 3.5 million children a year[4](https://tshof.org/inductee/nancy-lieberman/).
Her career bridged the era before the WNBA, when American women who wanted to play professionally went overseas, and the modern league; in a 2024 interview with the Associated Press she described herself among the players who "changed the game," and she has mentored younger stars such as [Caitlin Clark](https://www.edgepedia.org/caitlin-clark)[12](https://apnews.com/article/1ef8916fdef204fc5243cfd5dce15591). She was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996, the [Women's Basketball Hall of Fame](https://www.edgepedia.org/womens-basketball-hall-of-fame) in 1999, and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 2019[1](https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/nancy-lieberman) • [2](https://vasportshof.com/inductee/nancy-lieberman/) • [4](https://tshof.org/inductee/nancy-lieberman/).
## References
1. [Nancy Lieberman, Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame](https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/nancy-lieberman)
2. [Nancy Lieberman, Virginia Sports Hall of Fame](https://vasportshof.com/inductee/nancy-lieberman/)
3. [Lieberman, Nancy, Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/sports/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/lieberman-nancy)
4. [Lieberman, Nancy, Texas Sports Hall of Fame](https://tshof.org/inductee/nancy-lieberman/)
5. [Nancy Lieberman player bio, WNBA.com](https://www.wnba.com/player/100032/nancy-lieberman/bio)
6. [Get to Know: Nancy Lieberman, Sacramento Kings (NBA.com)](https://www.nba.com/kings/blog/get-know-nancy-lieberman)
7. [Lieberman-Cline, Nancy (1958—), Encyclopedia.com](https://encyclopedia-loadbalancer-1-1782916326.us-west-2.elb.amazonaws.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/lieberman-cline-nancy-1958)
8. [Nancy Lieberman, Olympedia](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/5342)
9. [Nancy Lieberman, Hall of Fame Basketball Players](https://hofbbplayers.com/nancy-lieberman/)
10. [What It's Like for a Woman to Coach Men's Professional Basketball, TIME (by Nancy Lieberman)](https://time.com/3089699/becky-hammon-nancy-lieberman-advice-coaching/)
11. [Lieberman: We Believe In Ourselves, But We've Got Work To Do, BIG3.com](https://big3.com/news/lieberman-we-believe-in-ourselves-but-weve-got-work-to-do/)
12. [Caitlin Clark's path to stardom paved by pioneering players, Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/1ef8916fdef204fc5243cfd5dce15591)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Basketball and court team sports › Basketball players and coaches (biographies) › WNBA players*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license