Lieberman-Cline, Nancy (1958—)

American basketball player who holds the distinction of being the only athlete to have received the Wade Trophy twice. Name variations: Nancy Lieberman; Lady Magic. Born on July 1, 1958, in Brooklyn, New York; daughter and second child of Renee Lieberman and Jerome Lieberman; attended Old Dominion University, 1976–80; married Tim Cline (a basketball player and erstwhile teammate on the Washington Generals), on May 18, 1988; children: Timothy Joseph Cline.

Was a member of the Junior National team (1977); was a member of the Jones Cup team (1979); was a member of the Pan Am Games teams (1975 [gold medal], 1979 [silver medal]); was a member of the World championship teams (1975, 1979 [gold medal]); became the youngest basketball player in Olympic history to win a medal as a silver medalist on the Women's Olympic Basketball team in Montreal (1976); named once more to the Olympic squad (1980); named All-America (1978–1980); won the Broderick Cup (1979 and 1980); finished collegiate career with 2,430 points, 1,167 rebounds, 983 assists, and more than 700 steals in 134 games; led Old Dominion to two AIAW championships (1979 and 1980); began professional career as a member of the WBL's Dallas Diamonds (1980) and led the team in scoring during their successful championship series (1981); was leading scorer for the Diamonds (1984); played for the Dallas Diamonds of the WABA during its brief season (1984); became the first woman to ever play in a men's professional league (1986) by joining the USBL's Springfield Fame; played in the USBL for two years (1986 and 1987), second season as a member of the Long Island Knights; was a member of the Washington Generals (1987–88); inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (1996); was a basketball analyst for NBC (1988 and 1992); served as a broadcaster for ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, Fox Sports Network and NBC; signed on to play in the WNBA (1997) and was selected by the Phoenix Mercury in the second round draft; became coach of the Detroit Shock (1998).

When Nancy Lieberman-Cline started playing basketball as a freshman at Old Dominion, about 350 people showed up to watch the women's team. By her senior year, the audience averaged 10,000. Lieberman-Cline's basketball abilities had not been encouraged, especially by her mother who believed that sports were not for girls. Lieberman-Cline agreed it was an odd choice: "I guess a little Jewish girl who dressed in cutoffs and had a comb stuffed in her back pocket with a wad of gum in her cheek was not your typical basketball player." She spent most of her childhood shooting baskets anyway; neighborhood boys were always ready for a pickup game. Since the New York Public School Athletic League did not allow girls to play, Lieberman-Cline strolled over to the YMCA. She was so obsessed with the game, she said, she must have spent "a million hours" on the court. In high school, she played on the Far Rockaway basketball team. When school was out, she went to Harlem to play with the New York Chuckles, an AAU team. Lieberman-Cline made the U.S. Pan American team and, at age 17, in 1975, was the youngest player to make the U.S. National team, slated to play in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal. There, the team won a silver medal.

After many scholarship offers came her way, she chose Old Dominion in Norfolk, Virginia, where she would lead her team, the Lady Monarchs, to national titles in 1979 and 1980. A three-time All-America during her college career, Lieberman-Cline was also on the U.S. National team in 1979 which won the Women's World Basketball championship in Seoul, South Korea. But the boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics by President Jimmy Carter over the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, destroyed any hope that she could compete once again for gold.

In 1980, Lieberman-Cline signed a three-year $100,000 contract with the Dallas Diamonds in the Women's Professional Basketball League (WBL). Though she played for one season, the three-year contract did not pan out, as the league went bankrupt the following year. When the WABA was formed in 1984, Lieberman-Cline was Dallas' first draft pick and was signed for a $250,000 a year contact. The following year, however, this league also folded. In 1986, she joined a men's professional basketball league in Springfield, Massachusetts. In 1987, she played with another men's team, the Long Island Knights. In 1987–88, Lieberman-Cline played with the all-male Washington Generals against the all-male Harlem Globetrotters (except for Lynette Woodard ) on a yearlong European tour.

Because professional opportunities for women were then almost nonexistent in basketball, Lieberman-Cline was forced to use other

skills in order to survive economically. For a time, she was a sports commentator and columnist. From 1981 to 1983, using many of the fitness techniques she had acquired over the years, Lieberman-Cline trained, advised, and lived with Martina Navratilova . With the help of Nancy, coach Renee Richards , Dr. Robert Haas, and Pam Derderian (all known as Team Navratilova), Martina fought a premature career sag and went on to win the 1982 French Open and Wimbledon, and once again attained #1 rank.

Many honors came Lieberman-Cline's way. She won the Wade Trophy (named for legendary basketball coach Margaret Wade of Delta State University) twice, as well as the Broderick Cup, and her #10 college jersey hangs in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. "As a result of Nancy Lieberman and her incredible abilities," wrote Danielle Carver , "the strategy and style of the women's game became comparable to the men's game." In 1996, Lieberman-Cline was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame. In 1997, age 39, she was drafted by the Phoenix Mercury to play in the newly formed Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). In 1998, she was named coach of the WNBA's Detroit Shock franchise.

sources:

Guttman, Allen. Women's Sports. NY: Columbia University, 1991.

Jones, Betty Milsaps. Nancy Lieberman: Basketball's Magic Lady. NY: Harvey House, 1980.

Lieberman, Nancy. Basketball My Way. NY: Scribner, 1982.

Lieberman-Cline, Nancy, with Debby Jennings. Lady Magic: The Autobiography of Nancy Lieberman-Cline. Foreword by Martina Navratilova. NY: Sagamore Publishing, 1991.

Silverman, Buddy Robert S. The Jewish Athletes Hall of Fame. NY: Shapolsky Publishers, 1989.

Woolum, Janet. Outstanding Women Athletes: Who They Are and How They Influenced Sports in America. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press, 1992.

suggested reading:

Lieberman-Cline, Nancy, and Robin Roberts. Basketball for Women: Becoming a Complete Player, 1996.