July 24, 2008
DETROIT, MI- Old Dominion University Lady Monarch great and basketball Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman ('80) has signed a seven-day contract with the WNBA Detroit Shock. Lieberman turned50 on July 1 which makes her the oldest player to ever suit up for a WNBA game.
"It is an amazing opportunity to continue to play the game I love," Lieberman said.Lieberman set the mark as the oldest player in WNBA history with the Phoenix Mercury, at 39 years, 54 days in 1997, the league's inaugural season.
"At last year's WNBA All-Star Game, our coaching staff watched Nancy run through the skills test. She was very impressive," said team coach and GM Bill Laimbeer. "We talked after that if the opportunity ever arose to sign her to a seven-day contract we might give her a call. There is no question she is in great shape. I approached her two weeks ago, but the timing was not right.""Can she still compete at this level? I don't know," Laimbeer said. "But I'm going to throw her in the fire."
Lieberman's impact to the sport of women's basketball is immeasurable. "Lady Magic." As sheWas known in the media during her days at ODU, helped her Lady Monarch teams collect an astounding 72-2 record during their back-to-back championship season. She was a member of the 1976 US Olympic team which won the gold medal in 1976.
The three-time All-American remains ODU's leader in career assists with 961 while-standingSecond in all-time steals with 512. Lieberman is the only tow-time winner of the Wade Trophy(1979 and 1980) and is also a recipient of the Broderick Cup(1980).
Lieberman was inducted to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996 and the Women'sBasketball Hall of Fame in 1999. She is also a member of the ODU Sports Hall of Fame andThe Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. She served as the head coach/general manager of the DetroitShock and is currently an announcer for ESPN.