View source for Nancy Lieberman

{{Short description|American basketball player (born 1958)}}
{{Use American English|date=December 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name = Nancy Lieberman
| image = Nancy Lieberman by Gage Skidmore 2.jpg
| image_size = 
| caption = Lieberman in 2018
| league = 
| team = 
| position = 
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1958|07|01}}
| birth_place = [[Brooklyn, New York]], U.S.
| height_ft = 5
| height_in = 10
| weight_lbs = 175
| high_school = [[Far Rockaway High School|Far Rockaway]]<br />(New York City, New York)
| college = [[Old Dominion Lady Monarchs basketball|Old Dominion]] (1976–1980)
| draft_year = 1997
| draft_round = 2 (Elite)
| draft_pick = 15
| draft_team = [[Phoenix Mercury]]
| draft_league = WNBA
| career_start = 1980
| career_end = 1987, 1997, 2008
| career_position = [[Point guard]]
| career_number = 
| coach_start = 1998
| coach_end = 2000, 2009–2011, 2015–present
| years1 = 1980–1981, 1984
| team1 = [[Dallas Diamonds (basketball)|Dallas Diamonds]]
| years2 = 1986
| team2 = [[Springfield Fame]]
| years3 = 1987
| team3 = [[Long Island Surf|Long Island Knights]]
| years4 = [[1997 WNBA season|1997]]
| team4 = [[Phoenix Mercury]]
| years5 = [[2008 WNBA season|2008]]
| team5 = [[Detroit Shock]]
| cyears1 = [[1998 WNBA season|1998]]–[[2000 WNBA season|2000]]
| cteam1 = [[Detroit Shock]]
| cyears2 = 2009–2011
| cteam2 = [[Texas Legends]]
| cyears3 = {{nbay|2015|start}}–{{nbay|2017|end}}
| cteam3 = [[Sacramento Kings]] (assistant)
| highlights = 
'''As player:'''
* [[Women's American Basketball Association (1984)|WABA]] champion (1984)
* WABA Most Valuable Player (1984)
* [[Women's Pro Basketball League|WBL]] Rookie of the Year (1981)
* 3× [[Women's Basketball Coaches Association|Kodak]] All-American (1978–1980)
* 2× [[Honda Sports Award (basketball)|Honda Sports Award]] for basketball (1979, 1980)
* [[Honda-Broderick Cup]] for all sports (1979)
* 2× [[Wade Trophy]] (1979, 1980)
| HOF_player = nancy-lieberman
| womensHOF = nancy-lieberman
| medal_templates = 
{{MedalSport | Women's [[Basketball]] }}
{{MedalCountry | the {{USA}} }}
{{MedalCompetition | [[Olympic Games]] }}
{{MedalSilver | [[1976 Summer Olympics|1976 Montreal]] | [[Basketball at the 1976 Summer Olympics|Team competition]] }}
{{MedalCompetition | [[FIBA World Championship for Women|World Championship]] }}
{{MedalGold | [[1979 FIBA World Championship for Women|1979 Seoul]] | National team }}
{{MedalCompetition | [[Pan American Games]] }}
{{MedalGold | [[USA Women's Pan American Team|1975 Mexico]] | Team competition }}
{{MedalSilver | [[USA Women's Pan American Team|1979 Puerto Rico]] | Team competition }}
{{MedalCompetition | [[R. William Jones Cup|Jones Cup]] }}
{{MedalGold | [[USA Women's R. William Jones Cup Team|1979 Taipei]] | Team competition }}
}}

'''Nancy Ilizabeth Lieberman''' (born July 1, 1958), nicknamed "'''Lady Magic'''", is an American former professional [[basketball]] player and coach in the [[Women's National Basketball Association]] (WNBA), who is a broadcaster for the [[Oklahoma City Thunder]] of the [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA) as well as the head coach of [[Power (basketball)|Power]], a team in the [[BIG3]] which she led to its 2018 Championship.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wnba.com/media/shock/mg09_history.pdf |title=Media Guide |page=12 |access-date=July 12, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604233305/http://www.wnba.com/media/shock/mg09_history.pdf |archive-date=June 4, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/Content/Athletes/L/Lieberman-Nancy.aspx |title=Nancy Lieberman/ Basketball |access-date=July 12, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100129020807/http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/Content/Athletes/L/Lieberman-Nancy.aspx |archive-date=January 29, 2010 }}</ref> Lieberman is regarded as one of the greatest figures in American women's basketball.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Lieberman.html |title=Nancy Lieberman |access-date=July 12, 2009}}</ref><ref name="Woolum p 177">Woolum, p. 177</ref>

In 2000, she was inducted into the Nassau County Sports Hall of Fame. Lieberman is a member of the [[Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame]],<ref name="HOF">{{cite web|title=Hall of Famers Nancy I Lieberman|url=http://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/tag/nancy-i-lieberman|publisher=Basketball Hall of Fame|access-date=September 26, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090831072502/http://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/tag/nancy-i-lieberman|archive-date=August 31, 2009}}</ref> the [[Women's Basketball Hall of Fame]],<ref name="Nancy Lieberman">{{cite web |url=http://www.wbhof.com/lieberman.html |title=Nancy Lieberman |access-date=July 6, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091023123021/http://www.wbhof.com/lieberman.html |archive-date=October 23, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> the St. Louis Jewish Sports Hall of Fame,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.stljewishlight.com/news/local/article_ed142b8e-0d2e-11e4-b0d5-0019bb2963f4.html |date=July 17, 2014 |work=St. Louis Jewish Light |title=JCC's Jewish Sports Hall of Fame welcomes nine new members: Local News<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=April 27, 2018 }}{{Dead link|date=July 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> the [[Virginia Sports Hall of Fame]],<ref name="VSHOF">{{cite web |title=Class of 1992 Nancy Lieberman |url=http://vshfm.com/inductees/inductee_details.php?inducteeID=133 |publisher=Virginia Sports Hall of Fame & Museum |access-date=September 26, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160420173834/http://www.vshfm.com/inductees/inductee_details.php?inducteeID=133 |archive-date=April 20, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and the [[International Sports Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Honoring Athlete Legends in All Sports - Hall of Fame |url=https://sportshof.events/hall-of-fame |access-date=December 8, 2025 |website=The International Sports Hall of Fame |language=en}}</ref>

==Early life==
Lieberman was born in [[Brooklyn]], New York, to Jerome and Renee Lieberman. She is Jewish (and described herself as "just a poor, skinny, redheaded Jewish girl from Queens").<ref name="Mayer2004">{{cite book |author=Paul Yogi Mayer |title=Jews and the Olympic Games: sport : a springboard for minorities |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HXuBAAAAMAAJ |access-date=September 26, 2012 |date=March 1, 2004 |page=171 |publisher=Vallentine Mitchell |isbn=978-0-85303-451-3}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theplayerstribune.com/articles/nancy-lieberman-kings-women-in-coaching|first=Nancy|last=Lieberman|title=One of the Guys|work=The Players' Tribune|date=October 29, 2015|access-date=April 27, 2018}}</ref> Her family lived in Brooklyn when she was born, but soon moved to [[Far Rockaway, Queens]], where she grew up with her older brother Clifford.<ref>Woolum, p. 175</ref> She lost great-grandparents in [[the Holocaust]], and her paternal grandparents, who survived, had concentration camp numbers on their wrists.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=http://jewishcoaches.com/index.php/2010/11/11/interview-with-nancy-lieberman/ |title=Interview with Nancy Lieberman<!-- Bot generated title --> |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180428021919/http://jewishcoaches.com/index.php/2010/11/11/interview-with-nancy-lieberman/ |first=Nancy |last=Lieberman |interviewer=Adam Rosenfield |date=November 11, 2010 |work=Jewish Coaches Association |archive-date=April 28, 2018 |url-status=dead |access-date=April 27, 2018}}</ref>

Her mother brought up the children after a separation and divorce. While growing up, she was interested in a variety of sports, playing baseball, softball and football with boys, before settling on basketball as her primary sport. She played basketball primarily on pickup teams with boys, not playing on a girls' team until she was a high school sophomore.<ref name="porter">Porter p. 281–282</ref>

Lieberman's mother Renee was not supportive of her daughter's interest in basketball. Once, when Lieberman was practicing [[dribbling]] techniques indoors because it was cold outside, her mother demanded she stop dribbling because of all the noise. When she did not stop, her mother punctured the basketball with a screwdriver. Lieberman found another ball and continued, but her mother punctured that one as well. This continued until five balls were ruined. Lieberman then decided she had better go outside before she ran out of basketballs.<ref>Grundy, p. 171</ref>

==Playing career==
===High school career===
While attending [[Far Rockaway High School]] in [[Queens, New York|Queens]], she established herself as one of the top women's basketball players in the country by earning one of the 12 coveted slots on the USA's National Team. In 1975, while still in her teens, Lieberman was named to the USA Team designated to play in the World Championships and [[Pan American Games]], where the team won a [[gold medal]].<ref name="1983 Pan Am">{{cite web |title=Ninth Pan American Games -- 1983 |date=June 10, 2010 |url=http://www.usab.com/history/pan-am-womens/ninth-pan-american-games-1983-1.aspx |publisher=USA Basketball |access-date=October 15, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907034844/http://www.usab.com/history/pan-am-womens/ninth-pan-american-games-1983-1.aspx |archive-date=September 7, 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

During the school year, she played for her high school team, but in the summer, played with an [[Amateur Athletic Union]] team in Harlem, the New York Chuckles.<ref>Woolum, p. 176</ref>

She told former [[Knickerbocker Base Ball Club of New York|Knick]] [[Walt Frazier]] that he was her hero and that it was because of him that she wore No. 10, saying: "You might not even know this, but you thought you were affecting young guys but you were affecting young, white Jewish women, not just boys."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newsday.com/sports/basketball/nancy-lieberman-returns-to-her-city-roots-with-message-of-inspiration-1.9939182 |title=Nancy Lieberman returns to her city roots with message of inspiration |work=Newsday<!-- Bot generated title --> |date=February 14, 2015 |access-date=April 27, 2018}}</ref>

===College career===
Lieberman originally was a verbal commitment to [[Canisius University]] before being heavily recruited by [[Old Dominion University]] in [[Norfolk, Virginia]], where she attended from 1976 to 1980 and played on the women's basketball team there.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.odusports.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/oldd/sports/w-baskbl/auto_pdf/wbb-mg08-09-section2 |title=Media Guide |page=9 |access-date=July 6, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121115163637/http://www.odusports.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/oldd/sports/w-baskbl/auto_pdf/wbb-mg08-09-section2 |archive-date=November 15, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> During that time, she and her team won two consecutive [[AIAW]] National Championships (1979, 1980)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.odu.edu/ao/alumni_magazine/FALL08/LiebermanHallFame.html |title=Lieberman Inducted Into HR Hall |access-date=July 6, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120223055210/http://www.odu.edu/ao/alumni_magazine/FALL08/LiebermanHallFame.html |archive-date=February 23, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and one WNIT ([[Women's National Invitation Tournament]]) Championship in 1978. She was the first two-time winner of the prestigious [[Wade Trophy]],<ref name="Wade Trophy">{{cite web |title=The Wade Trophy |url=http://www.wbca.org/pages/AWARDS_wade-trophy |publisher=Women's Basketball Coaches Association |access-date=June 30, 2014 |archive-date=July 15, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715035651/http://www.wbca.org/pages/AWARDS_wade-trophy |url-status=dead }}</ref> a national player of the year award in college women's basketball, and was selected as the [[Broderick Award]] winner for basketball as the top women's player in America.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.awardsandhonors.com/award/hondabroderick_cup.html |title=Honda-Broderick Cup |access-date=July 6, 2009}}</ref> Lieberman also won three consecutive Kodak [[All-America]] awards (1978, '79, '80).<ref name="WBCA AAT">{{cite web|title=Past WBCA NCAA DI Coaches' All-America Teams|url=http://www.wbca.org/pages/AWARDS_caat_d1_past|publisher=Women's Basketball Coaches Association|access-date=July 3, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715080104/http://www.wbca.org/pages/AWARDS_caat_d1_past|archive-date=July 15, 2014}}</ref> Lieberman was one of six young adults to win the [[Young American Award]] from the [[Boy Scouts of America]] in 1980.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nationalventuringyouthcabinet.org/files/YoungAmericanAwardRecipients.pdf |title=Recipients of the Young American Award |access-date=July 6, 2009}}</ref>

Lieberman earned the nickname "Lady Magic," a nod to [[Magic Johnson|Earvin "Magic" Johnson]] of NBA fame.<ref>Grundy, p. 175</ref> Lieberman set a school record for career assists (961) that still stands today. She led the team in assists each of the four years she was on the team—in her sophomore year she averaged 8.9 per game.<ref name="odusports">{{cite web |url=http://www.odusports.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/050608aaa.html |title=Lieberman To Be Inducted Into Hampton Roads Sports Hall Of Fame |access-date=July 26, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726233257/http://www.odusports.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/050608aaa.html |archive-date=July 26, 2011 }}</ref> Lieberman amassed 2,430 points along with 1,167 rebounds in her collegiate career, producing an average of 18.1 points per game.<ref name="odusports" /> Lieberman achieved a triple double (40 points, 15 rebounds, 11 assists) against [[Norfolk State University|Norfolk State]] in her sophomore year.<ref name="odusports" /> Lieberman stole the ball 562 times and assisted a basket 961 times in her college career, believed to be modern records.<ref name="porter" /> She is the holder of several single-game and single-season records, including best free-throw shooting percentage in her freshman and sophomore years.<ref name="odusports" />

Lieberman earned her degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Old Dominion University on May 6, 1980.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ncaa.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/050608aab.html |title=Old Dominion: Lieberman To Be Inducted Into Hampton Roads Sports Hall Of Fame |publisher=ESPN |access-date=July 29, 2009 }}{{Dead link|date=July 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> She was inducted into the ODU Sports Hall of Fame in 1985.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.odusports.com/trads/oldd-hof.html |title=Old Dominion University Hall of Fame Members |publisher=Old Dominion University |access-date=July 29, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110521155417/http://www.odusports.com/trads/oldd-hof.html |archive-date=May 21, 2011 }}</ref>

===Professional career===
[[File:Moriah Jefferson receiving Nancy Lieberman Award cropped.jpg|right|thumb|Lieberman presenting a trophy to [[Moriah Jefferson]]]]
In 1980 she was selected with the first pick in the [[Women's Pro Basketball League]] (WBL) draft by the [[Dallas Diamonds (basketball)|Dallas Diamonds]].<ref name="Skaine 128">{{harvnb|Skaine|2001|p=128}}</ref><ref name="dont-tell-her"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wblmemories.com/Dallas%20Diamonds.htm |title=Dallas Diamonds (1979–81) |access-date=July 12, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517184649/http://www.wblmemories.com/Dallas%20Diamonds.htm |archive-date=May 17, 2008 |url-status=usurped }}</ref> She helped Dallas to the 1981 WBL finals, where they lost to the Nebraska Wranglers in five games.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-herald-nebraska-captures-wbl-c/149991648/ |title=Nebraska captures WBL championship |newspaper=[[Miami Herald]] |place=Omaha, Nebraska |agency=UPI |page=50 |date=1981-04-22 |access-date=2024-06-24 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> She was named the "rookie of the year", after averaging 26.3 points per game.<ref name="hockoksports">{{cite web |url=http://www.hickoksports.com/biograph/liebermannancy.shtml |title=Lieberman, Nancy |access-date=July 12, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101129221609/http://hickoksports.com/biograph/liebermannancy.shtml |archive-date=29 November 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Lieberman's WBL career is featured in the book ''Mad Seasons: The Story of the First Women's Professional Basketball League, 1978–1981''.

In 1981, she played for the [[Los Angeles Lakers]] [[Summer Pro League]] team.<ref>{{cite news |title=Star woman eager competes on Laker summer league team |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=DS19810720.2.110&srpos=2&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN-Summer+Pro+League-------1 |access-date=14 February 2019 |work=Desert Sun |agency=Associated Press |date=20 July 1981 |location=Palm Springs, California |page=C4}}</ref>

In 1984, she once again suited up for the Dallas Diamonds, signing a three-year, $250,000 contract with the team to play in the [[Women's American Basketball Association (1984)|Women's American Basketball Association]] (WABA).<ref name="hockoksports"/> Averaging 27 points per game and voted the league's Most Valuable Player, she helped Dallas win the 1984 WABA championship, but the league folded after the season.<ref>{{cite news |author1=Stan Hovatter Jr. |title=Lieberman working to help Diamonds, league improve |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/638649317/ |access-date=1 September 2021 |work=[[Fort Worth Star-Telegram]] |date=16 December 1984 |page=16B}}</ref> The final game played was between the Diamonds and the WABA [[All-Stars]], where Lieberman scored 19 points and was named the game's MVP in the Diamonds' 101–94 victory.<ref>{{cite news |author1=Marjorie Lewis |title=Diamonds defeated WABA all-stars |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/638991388/ |access-date=1 September 2021 |work=[[Fort Worth Star Telegram]] |date=17 December 1984 |page=6D}}</ref>

In 1986, Lieberman signed with the [[Springfield Fame]] of the men's professional [[United States Basketball League]] (USBL)<ref>{{cite news |url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1986/06/23/mixing-it-up-with-the-guys/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012061622/http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1064959/index.htm |url-status=live |archive-date=October 12, 2008 |title=Mixing It Up With The Guys |access-date=July 12, 2009 |work=CNN |date=June 23, 1986}}</ref> where she went on to average 1.7 points in 11 minutes per game.<ref name="dont-tell-her">{{cite news |author1=Carol Sliwa |title=Don´t tell her 'girls don't play' |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/533177393/? |access-date=1 September 2021 |work=[[The Berkshire Eagle]] |date=24 September 1986 |page=D2}}</ref> She remained in the league the following season, playing for the [[Long Island Knights]].{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} Later, she toured with the [[Washington Generals]], who served as the regular opponent of the [[Harlem Globetrotters]], where she met her future husband, teammate Tim Cline.<ref name="hockoksports"/>

She was elected to the [[Basketball Hall of Fame]]<ref name="HOF" /> as a player in 1996 and to the [[Women's Basketball Hall of Fame]]<ref name="Nancy Lieberman" /> in 1999.

In the newly formed [[Women's National Basketball Association|WNBA]]'s inaugural year in 1997, Lieberman played for the [[Phoenix Mercury]].<ref name="Skaine 129">{{harvnb|Skaine|2001|p=129}}</ref> At the age of 39, she was the WNBA's oldest player.<ref name="Woolum p 177" /> On July 24, 2008, at 50 years old, Lieberman signed a seven-day contract with the eventual WNBA Champion [[Detroit Shock]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wnba.com/transactions/WNBA_2008.html |title=2008 WNBA Transactions |access-date=July 12, 2009}}</ref> breaking her own previous record as the oldest player in league history and returning to the franchise she coached a decade prior.

That same day, the Shock played a game against the [[Houston Comets]] where Lieberman saw playing time. Lieberman recorded two assists in nine minutes of playing time, but Detroit lost the game 79–61.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/wnba/players/l/liebena01w/gamelog/2008/|title=Nancy Lieberman 2008 Game Log|website=[[Basketball Reference]]|publisher=Sports Reference|accessdate=22 May 2023}}</ref> This ended up being her final WNBA game, as she was waived the next day on July 25, 2008.<ref name="BRef Career"/> The Shock went on to win the [[2008 WNBA Finals|WNBA Finals]] that season.

===National team career===
At age 17, Lieberman was named to the USA Basketball team roster. She played for the team in the 1975 [[USA Women's Pan American Team]], three years younger than the next youngest teammates. The games were held in Mexico City, Mexico in October. The Pan Am team had failed to win the gold in 1967 and 1971. In 1975, the team was more successful, compiling a 7–0 record, and winning the gold medal for the first time since 1963.<ref name="1975 Pan Am">{{cite web |title=Seventh Pan American Games -- 1975 |date=June 10, 2010 |url=http://www.usab.com/history/pan-am-womens/seventh-pan-american-games-1975-1.aspx |publisher=USA Basketball |access-date=October 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907033936/http://www.usab.com/history/pan-am-womens/seventh-pan-american-games-1975-1.aspx |archive-date=September 7, 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Lieberman continued with the USA team to the 1976 Olympics in [[1976 Summer Olympics|Montreal]] in the first women's Olympic basketball team competition.<ref name="usabasketball.com">{{cite web |url=http://archive.usab.com/womens/national/woly_1976.html |title=Games of the XXIst Olympiad – 1976 |access-date=July 6, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808043751/http://archive.usab.com/womens/national/woly_1976.html |archive-date=August 8, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Shortly after turning 18, Lieberman became the youngest basketball player in Olympic history to win a medal, when the United States captured the silver medal.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/nancy-lieberman-at.htm |title=Nancy Lieberman |website=HowStuffWorks |access-date=July 9, 2008 |archive-date=December 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201082158/http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/nancy-lieberman-at.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Lieberman was named to the team representing the US at the 1979 [[William Jones Cup]] competition in [[Taipei]]. The USA team won all six games on the way to the gold medal. Lieberman earned a spot on the Jones Cup All-Tournament Team.<ref name="1979 Jones Cup">{{cite web |title=1979 Women's R. William Jones Cup |url=http://www.usab.com/history/additional-usa-basketball-history/r-williams-jones-cup-team/1979-womens-r-william-jones-cup.aspx |publisher=USA Basketball |access-date=October 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928175546/http://www.usab.com/history/additional-usa-basketball-history/r-williams-jones-cup-team/1979-womens-r-william-jones-cup.aspx|archive-date=September 28, 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Lieberman played with the team at the [[1979 Pan American Games]] in [[San Juan, Puerto Rico]]. Although the team easily won most of their games, they lost to Cuba, 91–86, and received the silver medal.<ref name="1979 Pan Am">{{cite web |title=Eighth Pan American Games -- 1979 |date=June 10, 2010 |url=http://www.usab.com/history/pan-am-womens/eighth-pan-american-games-1979-1.aspx |publisher=USA Basketball |access-date=October 15, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907033557/http://www.usab.com/history/pan-am-womens/eighth-pan-american-games-1979-1.aspx |archive-date=September 7, 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1980, Lieberman earned a slot on the 1980 Olympic team, but withdrew from the squad in support of U.S. President [[Jimmy Carter]]'s [[1980 Summer Olympics boycott|boycott]] of the [[1980 Summer Olympics]] in Moscow.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wblmemories.com/WBL%20History%203rd.htm |title=History of the WBL Third Season |access-date=July 12, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090601161343/http://www.wblmemories.com/WBL%20History%203rd.htm |archive-date=June 1, 2009 |url-status=usurped }}</ref> She failed to make the final roster for the [[1990 Goodwill Games]] and the [[1992 Summer Olympics|1992 Olympics]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-bellingham-herald-finalists-named-fo/149992548/ |title=Finalists named for U.S. women's basketball team |newspaper=[[The Bellingham Herald]] |place=Colorado Springs, Colorado |agency=AP |page=19 |date=1990-06-04 |access-date=2024-06-24 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/south-florida-sun-sentinel-savage-gracef/149992372/ |title=Savage gracefully accepts being cut from Olympic team |newspaper=[[Sun-Sentinel]] |page=26 |date=1992-06-01 |access-date=2024-06-24 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

==Coaching career==
===WNBA===
In 1998, Lieberman was hired as [[general manager]] and [[head coach]] of the Detroit Shock. She coached for three seasons, leading the team to a winning record (17–13) in their [[1998 Detroit Shock season|inaugural season]]. After being fired after the [[2000 Detroit Shock season|2000 season]], Lieberman worked as a women's basketball [[Sports journalism|analyst]] for [[ESPN]].

===NBA G League===
In November 2009, Lieberman became the coach of the [[Texas Legends]] in the NBA Development League (now [[NBA G League]]), an affiliate of the [[Dallas Mavericks]], thus becoming the first woman to coach a professional men's basketball team. The team began play in November 2010.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.espn.com/dallas/nba/news/story?id=4627134 |title=Nancy Lieberman breaks another gender barrier as D-League coach for Dallas franchise<!-- Bot generated title --> |publisher=ESPN |agency=Associated Press |date=November 5, 2009 |access-date=November 5, 2009}}</ref> She later moved to a [[front office]] position with the Legends before joining [[Fox Sports Oklahoma]] as an analyst for the [[Oklahoma City Thunder]] studio show, ''[[Thunder Live]]''.

===NBA===
In July 2015, she was hired by the [[Sacramento Kings]] as an assistant coach, becoming the second female assistant coach in NBA history.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nba.com/kings/news/kings-announce-coaching-staff |title=Kings Announce Coaching Staff |work=NBA.com |date=July 31, 2015 |access-date=July 31, 2015}}</ref> She took two leaves of absence to care for her ailing mother before leaving the Kings in 2017.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/21/sports/basketball/nancy-lieberman-big3-league.html |title=Nancy Lieberman's Return to Coaching Will Come in the Big3 |work=The New York Times |date=March 21, 2018}}</ref> After the Kings, she became a broadcaster with the [[New Orleans Pelicans]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/nancy-lieberman-hired-power-head-coach-big3/story?id=53905841 |title=Nancy Lieberman hired as Power head coach in BIG3 |work=ABC News |date=March 21, 2018 |access-date=November 21, 2018}}</ref>

===BIG3===
On March 21, 2018, it was announced that Lieberman was hired as a head coach of [[Power (basketball)|Power]] in the [[BIG3]] league, replacing [[Clyde Drexler]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/22852761/nancy-lieberman-hired-replace-clyde-drexler-power-head-coach-big3|title=Nancy Lieberman hired as Power head coach in BIG3|date=March 21, 2018}}</ref> In her first season as head coach, she led her team to the [[2018 Big3 season|2018]] Championship, defeating [[3's Company]] to become the first ever female coach in the [[BIG3]] to win a championship.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/2018-big3-basketball-championship-power-wins-title-after-altercation-corey-maggette-named-mvp/|title=2018 BIG3 basketball championship: Power wins title after altercation; Corey Maggette named MVP|website=CBSSports.com|date=August 24, 2018 }}</ref>

==Career statistics==

===College===

Source<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.odusports.com/fls/31100//2016-17/WBB/ODU_Media_Guide.pdf?ATCLID=208424507&SPSID=775010&SPID=127329&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=31100|title=ODU Media Guide|website=www.odusports.com|access-date=September 4, 2017|archive-date=August 31, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170831042048/http://www.odusports.com/fls/31100//2016-17/WBB/ODU_Media_Guide.pdf?ATCLID=208424507&SPSID=775010&SPID=127329&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=31100|url-status=dead}}</ref>
{{WNBA player statistics legend}}
{| class="wikitable"
|Year
|Team
|GP
|Points
|FG%
|FT%
|RPG
|APG
|BPG
|PPG
|-
|1976-77
|Old Dominion University
|27
|563
|47.3%
|70.9%
|'''10.1'''
|7.9
|0.0
|'''20.9'''
|-
|1977-78
|Old Dominion University
|34
|'''681'''
|43.2%
|73.0%
|9.6
|5.9
|0.0
|20.0
|-
|1978-79
|Old Dominion University
|36
|625
|47.8%
|'''79.0%'''
|7.7
|7.1
|0.4
|17.4
|-
|1979-80
|Old Dominion University
|'''37'''
|561
|'''53.3%'''
|77.9%
|8.0
|'''8.0'''
|'''0.6'''
|15.2
|-
|Career
|
|134
|2430
|47.2%
|75.7%
|8.7
|7.2
|0.3
|18.1
|}

===WNBA===

====Regular season====

Source<ref name="BRef Career">{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/wnba/players/l/liebena01w.html|title=Nancy Lieberman WNBA Stats|website=[[Basketball Reference]]|accessdate=15 May 2021}}</ref>

{{WNBA player statistics start}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1997 WNBA season|1997]]
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1997 Phoenix Mercury season|Phoenix]]
| '''25''' || 0 || '''11.2''' || '''.325''' || '''.231''' || '''.800''' || '''1.3''' || 1.6 || '''0.6''' || '''0.1''' || '''1.6''' || '''2.6'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| [[2008 WNBA season|2008]]
| style="text-align:left;"| [[2008 Detroit Shock season|Detroit]]
| 1 || 0 || 9.0 || .000 || &ndash; || &ndash; || 0.0 || '''2.0''' || 0.0 || 0.0 || 2.0 || 0.0
|-
| align="left" | Career
| 2 years, 2 teams
| 26 || 0 || 11.1 || .321 || .231 || .800 || 1.2 || 1.6 || 0.5 || 0.1 || 1.6 || 2.5
|}

====Playoffs====
{{WNBA player statistics start}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1997 WNBA Playoffs|1997]]
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1997 Phoenix Mercury season|Phoenix]]
| 1 || 0 || 1.0 || &ndash; || &ndash; || &ndash; || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 1.0 || 0.0 || 0.0
|}

==Head coaching record==
{{NBA coach statistics legend}}

===WNBA===
{{NBA coach statistics start}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1998 Detroit Shock season|Detroit]]
| style="text-align:left;"|{{wnbay|1998}}
| 30||17||13||{{Winning percentage|17|13}}|| style="text-align:center;"|4th in [[Eastern Conference (WNBA)|Eastern]]||—||—||—||—
| style="text-align:center;"|Missed playoffs
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1999 Detroit Shock season|Detroit]]
| style="text-align:left;"|{{wnbay|1999}}
| 32||15||17||{{Winning percentage|15|17}}|| style="text-align:center;"|2nd in Eastern||1||0||1||{{Winning percentage|0|1}}
| style="text-align:center;"|Lost in [[1999 WNBA playoffs|first round]]
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2000 Detroit Shock season|Detroit]]
| style="text-align:left;"|{{wnbay|2000}}
| 32||14||18||{{Winning percentage|14|18}}|| style="text-align:center;"|4th in Eastern||—||—||—||—
| style="text-align:center;"|Missed playoffs
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/wnba/coaches/liebena01w.html|title=Nancy Lieberman WNBA Head Coaching Record|website=[[Basketball Reference]]|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|accessdate=12 September 2025}}</ref>
| 94||46||48||{{Winning percentage|46|48}}||&nbsp;||1||0||1||{{Winning percentage|0|1}}||&nbsp;
{{s-end}}

==Awards and honors==
* 1979-Winner of the [[Honda Sports Award (basketball)|Honda Sports Award]] for basketball<ref name="Past Winners – basketball">{{cite journal |title=Past Honda Sports Award Winners For Basketball |url=http://www.collegiatewomensportsawards.com/archives/basketball |journal=THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards Program |access-date=May 8, 2014}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.hoophallawards.com/lieberman.php|title=Hoophall Awards|website=www.hoophallawards.com|access-date=2020-03-30}}</ref>
* 1979-The [[Honda-Broderick Cup]] winner for all sports.<ref name="Honda Cup past winners">{{cite journal |title=Past Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year Winners (Honda Cup) |url=http://www.collegiatewomensportsawards.com/archives/aoty_awards |journal=THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards Program |access-date=May 8, 2014}}</ref><ref name=":0" />
* 1980-Winner of the Honda Sports Award for basketball<ref name="Past Winners – basketball" /><ref name=":0" />
* 1999-Inducted into the [[Women's Basketball Hall of Fame]]<ref name=":0" />
* 2000-[[Nancy Lieberman Award]] created<ref>{{cite news |last=Green |first=Coby |date=March 1, 2021 |url=https://sny.tv/articles/uconn-freshman-paige-bueckers-named-nancy-lieberman-award-finalist |title=UConn freshman Paige Bueckers named Nancy Lieberman Award finalist |work=SNY |access-date=December 26, 2022}}</ref>
* 2022-Statue of her unveiled at [[Old Dominion University]]; the first statue of a former ODU athlete at the university<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/34959305/old-dominion-unveils-statue-women-basketball-luminary-nancy-lieberman|title=Old Dominion unveils statue of HOFer Lieberman|date=November 6, 2022|website=ESPN.com}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Lieberman lived with tennis star [[Martina Navratilova]] for several years beginning in 1981 and she also served as her physical trainer, contributing to Navratilova's return to the number one ranking in 1982.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://justwomenssports.com/reads/nancy-lieberman-womens-sports-sue-bird-megan-rapinoe-podcast/#:~:text=At%20approximately%20the%2026%3A20,LGBTQ%2B%20acceptance%20in%20women%27s%20sports | title=Nancy Lieberman says Sue Bird, Megan Rapinoe are 'living the dream'|publisher=Just Women's Sports|author= Emma Hruby|date= January 14, 2022}}</ref>

In 1988, Lieberman married one of her teammates with the Generals, Tim Cline,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/lieberman-cline-nancy |title=Nancy Lieberman-Cline|publisher= Jewish Women's Archive|access-date=July 12, 2009}}</ref> taking the surname Lieberman-Cline until the couple's divorce on March 15, 2001.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://womenshoops.blogspot.com/2003/08/uncomfortable-history-lesson-last-week.html |title=An uncomfortable history lesson |publisher= Woman's Hoops.Blogspot.com|date= August 2003|access-date=July 12, 2009}}</ref>

[[File:TJ Cline.jpg|thumb|220px|[[T. J. Cline]], her son.]]
Their son [[T. J. Cline]] played [[college basketball]] for the [[Richmond Spiders men's basketball|Richmond Spiders]], and in November 2017 signed to play for Israeli team [[Hapoel Holon]], which plays in the [[Israeli Basketball Premier League|Ligat HaAl]], the top division of Israeli basketball.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.richmondspiders.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=26800&ATCLID=208738861 |title=T.J. Cline |publisher=University of Richmond<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=March 13, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Sports/Jerusalem-back-on-track-with-home-win-514389 |title=Jerusalem back on track with home win |work=The Jerusalem Post<!-- Bot generated title --> |date=November 16, 2017 |access-date=April 27, 2018}}</ref>

In regard to religious matters, despite her Jewish upbringing, Lieberman became a Christian late in her life and was described as having embraced born-again Christianity<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/1998/0326/032698.feat.books.5.html |title=Faith Leads to True Victory, Not Score at End of Game |website=The Christian Science Monitor |access-date=December 18, 2020 |date=March 26, 1998 |quote=For the most part, "Faith in Sports" focuses on male believers, but Hubbard also connects with some women, including basketball player Nancy Lieberman Cline, a Jew turned born-again Christian...}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Hubbard |first=Steve |date=1998 |title= Faith in sports : athletes and their religion on and off the field |location=New York |publisher=Doubleday |pages=130–133 |isbn=0385471920}}</ref> in a 2015 ''Jerusalem Post'' article.<ref>{{cite news |title=Nancy Lieberman ready to roam the sideline for the Sacramento Kings |url=https://www.pressreader.com/israel/jerusalem-post/20150804/281900181923508 |work=The Jerusalem Post |agency=TNS |date=August 4, 2015 |quote=Lieberman – who was raised Jewish, but has become a born-again Christian...}}</ref> Nonetheless, she said in an interview in 2010, "I am 100% Jewish. My father's parents were deeply religious, we had [[Kashrut#Separation of meat and milk|two sets of silverware]] when we went and ate over there. My mother's side observed the major holidays. It was more relaxed. I went to [[Hebrew school]] as well."<ref name=autogenerated1 /> In 2011, she visited Israel with her mother, saying "It has changed my outlook of Israel. I know as a Jewish woman how important it is for me to be connected to this culture and to this community."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.jpost.com/Sports/Sports-pioneer-Nancy-Lieberman-comes-to-Holy-Land |title=Sports pioneer Nancy Lieberman comes to Holy Land |work=The Jerusalem Post<!-- Bot generated title --> |date=May 18, 2011 |access-date=April 27, 2018}}</ref>

Lieberman was a contestant on the season 4 Gold Medal Challenge of Champions special of ''[[American Gladiators (1989 TV series)|American Gladiators]]''. She was eliminated after the third event with the lowest score of the three female competitors.

On August 13, 2008, she was part of the inaugural class to be inducted into the [[Hampton Roads]] Sports Hall of Fame, honoring athletes, coaches and administrators who made contributions to sports in Southeastern Virginia.

== See also ==
* [[List of female NBA coaches]]
* [[Nancy Lieberman Award]]
* [[List of Jews in sports#Basketball|List of select Jewish basketball players]]
* [[Women's Blue Chip Basketball League#WBCBL Professional Basketball Trailblazer Award|WBCBL Professional Basketball Trailblazer Award]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

;Books
* {{cite book |last=Grundy |first=Pamela |year=2005 |title=Shattering the glass |publisher=New Press |isbn=978-1-56584-822-1}}
* {{cite book |last=Lieberman |first=Nancy |title=Basketball for Women 2E |year=2012 |publisher=Human Kinetics |location=Champaign, IL |isbn=978-0-7360-9294-4 |page=272}}
* {{cite book |title=Basketball: A Biographical Dictionary |editor=David L. Porter |publisher=Greenwood Press |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-313-30952-6}}
* {{cite book |last=Skaine |first=Rosemarie |others=Foreword by Betty F. Jaynes |title=Women College Basketball Coaches |publisher=McFarland |location=Jefferson, N.C |year=2001 |isbn=9780786409204}}
* {{cite book |last=Woolum |first=Janet |title=Outstanding women athletes : who they are and how they influenced sports in America |url=https://archive.org/details/outstandingwomen0000wool |url-access=registration |publisher=Oryx Press |date=June 5, 1998 |edition=2 Sub |isbn=978-1-57356-120-4}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20180804150715/http://nancylieberman.com/ Official website]
* [http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/lieberman-cline-nancy Biography on Jewish Women Encyclopedia]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20030424234548/http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/archive?columnist=lieberman_nancy&root=ncw Lieberman articles on ESPN.com]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20091023123021/http://www.wbhof.com/lieberman.html Profile on Women's basketball Hall of Fame]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090831072502/http://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/tag/nancy-i-lieberman Profile on Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame]

{{Navboxes|title= Awards and achievements|list1=
{{United States Women's Basketball 1979 FIBA Champions}}
{{United States Women Basketball Squad 1976 Summer Olympics}}
{{1996 Basketball HOF}}
{{Basketball Hall of Fame guards}}
{{1997 WNBA draft}}
{{Wade Trophy}}
{{Women's Basketball Hall of Fame}}
{{Detroit Shock}}
{{Honda Sports Award}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lieberman, Nancy}}
[[Category:1958 births]]
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[[Category:20th-century American Jews]]
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[[Category:People from Far Rockaway, Queens]]
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[[Category:Phoenix Mercury players]]
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