NORFOLK — BIG3 basketball announced that hall-of-famer and former Old Dominion University star, Nancy Lieberman, will coach a men’s team this season.
The league recently announced Lieberman would replace Clyde Drexler as head coach of the Power. Drexler recently accepted a job as commissioner of BIG3, a three-on-three league of former NBA players, leaving the coaching vacancy.
He called Lieberman, “one of the sharpest basketball minds,” adding, “her experience and basketball acumen will stand out in the BIG3.”
Nicknamed “Lady Magic,” Lieberman was a three-time All-American and two-time women’s college basketball Player of the Year at Old Dominion where she competed from 1976-1980.
She also won the Broderick Award as the top women’s basketball player in America, and three straight Kodak All-America honors during her collegiate career, making her one of the most decorated female athletes in the United States.
Her achievements earned Lieberman induction to both the ODU Sports Hall of Fame and the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.
After leaving the university, Lieberman went on to a productive career as a player, coach and television analyst on ESPN.
Lieberman was a head coach for the Dallas Mavericks’ minor league affiliate, and in the NBA, she was an assistant for the Sacramento Kings.
She is also a successful author, having penned an autobiography, “Lady Magic,” and an instructional book, “Basketball for Women.”
Co-founded by entertainer Ice Cube, the BIG3 is a three-on-three league comprised of former NBA players. It returns this summer for its second season.
Last season, the Power finished fourth out of eight teams.
Before arriving at ODU, Lieberman played in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, earning a silver medal.
This story was originally published by ODU News.
