TalB

SHOCK: Detroit Shock Sign Nancy Lieberman
ESPN Broadcaster and Women’s Basketball Legend Takes Night Off to Become the Oldest Player to Suit Up for a WNBA Game

Detroit Shock Sign Nancy Lieberman

Auburn Hills, MI - Detroit Shock Head Coach and General Manager Bill Laimbeer announced today that the team has signed basketball Hall of Famer, former Detroit Shock head coach and current ESPN broadcaster Nancy Lieberman to a seven-day contract.

“At last year’s WNBA All-Star Game, our coaching staff watched Nancy run through the skills test. She was very impressive,” said 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.”

In 1997, she was drafted by the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA’s inaugural draft, and played one season with the Western Conference champions. At the time her stint with the Mercury earned her the oldest WNBA player honors at 39 years and 54 days old. Lieberman went on to become the general manager and head coach of the Detroit Shock, a position she held from 1998-2000. During her 17-year professional career, Lieberman averaged 15.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game.

“It is an amazing opportunity to continue to play the game I love,” said Lieberman.

Lieberman began her playing career at Old Dominion University from 1976-1980, winning two national championships. She was also a two-time Wade Trophy winner and three-time Kodak All-America selection. During that time span, she was also part of two U.S. Olympic Women’s Basketball Teams (1976, Montreal & 1980, Moscow) and, at age 18, became the youngest basketball player in Olympic history to earn a medal. At the professional level, she played in four basketball leagues including the WBL and WABA. In 1986, Lieberman became the first woman ever to play in a men’s professional league when she joined USBL’s Springfield Fame.

In addition, Lieberman has spent the last 27 years as both a men and women’s basketball analyst for ESPN. She was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996 and the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999.

“Can she still compete at this level?” asked Laimbeer. “I don’t know. But I’m going to throw her in the fire.”

Copyright 2008 WNBA Enterprises, LLC. All rights reserved. No portion of WNBA.com may be duplicated, redistributed or manipulated in any form. By accessing any information beyond this page, you agree to abide by the WNBA.com Privacy Policy / Your California Privacy Rights and Terms of Use.

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WNBA.com: Asjha Jones and Tina Thompson<br> Named WNBA Players of the Week
Asjha Jones and Tina Thompson Named WNBA Players of the Week

Posted Jul 28 2008 5:45PM


Houston's Tina Thompson, left, and Connecticut's Ashja Jones have been named Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively.

NEW YORK, July 28, 2008 – Asjha Jones of the Connecticut Sun and Tina Thompson of the Houston Comets were named the WNBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, July 21 through Sunday, July 27.

Jones earns her third-career Player of the Week award and second this season after averaging 18.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game while shooting .500 from the floor (13-26) and .714 from the free-throw line (10-14). She helped Connecticut to a 2-0 record this week, with convincing victories over Los Angeles and Washington. Connecticut is in first place in the Eastern Conference at 16-10 heading into the WNBA’s break during the month of August for the Olympics.

Jones nearly posted a double-double against the Sparks on July 24, tallying nine points and eight rebounds to go along with three assists in 26 minutes of action. Against the Mystics on July 27, she recorded a game-high 27 points while shooting .625 from the floor (10-16) and .875 from the free throw line (7-8) in 28 minutes. A member of the 2007 Eastern Conference All-Star Team, Jones ranks among the top 20 WNBA leaders this season in almost every scoring and rebounding category, including points per game, rebounds per game, field goal percentage and double-doubles.

Thompson earns the fourth Player of the Week award of her career and first since 2004. She posted 17.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists this past week en route to an unblemished 3-0 record. The Comets, in the midst of a five-game winning streak, currently own a 14-12 overall record and sit in fifth place in the tightly-contested Western Conference. In a 94-92 win over the Mercury on July 22, Thompson had 19 points and seven rebounds in 38 minutes. She posted similar numbers against the Shock on July 24 with 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

Thompson is averaging 17.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game this season. In addition, she ranks among top 20 WNBA leaders this season in many categories, including points per game, rebounds per game and free throw-percentage. She ranks first overall in minutes per game (36.0) and fourth in three-point field goal percentage (.447).

Other candidates for WNBA Players of the Week were Atlanta’s Iziane Castro Marques, Chicago’s Candice Dupree, New York’s Janel McCarville, Phoenix’ Diana Taurasi, Sacramento’s Kara Lawson, San Antonio’s Becky Hammon, Seattle’s Sue Bird and Washington’s Taj McWilliams-Franklin.

Copyright © 2008 WNBA Enterprises, LLC. All rights reserved. No portion of WNBA.com may be duplicated, redistributed or manipulated in any form. By accessing any information beyond this page, you agree to abide by the WNBA.com Privacy Policy / Your California Privacy Rights and Terms of Use.

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I have respected your views, so I expect you to do the same for me.

TalB

WNBA.com: 39 Current and Former WNBA Players Comprise 2008 Olympic Basketball Rosters
39 Current and Former WNBA Players Comprise 2008 Olympic Basketball Rosters

Posted Aug 8 2008 12:21PM

NEW YORK, Aug. 8, 2008 – Today the IOC officially posted complete rosters for each of the 12 women’s basketball teams competing in the 2008 Olympic Games. The WNBA is heavily represented with 39 current and former players among those who will go for the gold beginning Saturday, Aug. 9. In all, a current or former WNBA player dots the roster of 10 of the 12 countries participating in this year’s Olympics.

Each of the 12 members of the U.S. Olympic Women’s Basketball Team currently play in the WNBA, led by three-time Olympic gold medalist Lisa Leslie (Los Angeles Sparks) and two-time Olympic gold medalist Katie Smith (Detroit Shock). Sue Bird (Seattle Storm), Tamika Catchings (Indiana Fever), Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury) and Tina Thompson (Houston Comets) also return from the gold-medal winning 2004 U.S. Olympic Team in Athens while DeLisha Milton-Jones (Los Angeles Sparks) previously won gold with the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team in Sydney.

First-time Olympians for the United States include rookie standouts Candace Parker (Los Angeles Sparks) and Sylvia Fowles (Chicago Sky) as well as Kara Lawson (Sacramento Monarchs), Seimone Augustus (Minnesota Lynx) and Cappie Pondexter (Phoenix Mercury). Collectively, the U.S. Olympic Team boasts 10 gold medals and will go for their fourth Olympic gold in a row.

The Australian Olympic Team features eight current or former WNBA players, led by reigning WNBA MVP Lauren Jackson (Seattle Storm) and Tully Bevilaqua (Indiana Fever).

Several other active WNBA players will appear in Beijing. Becky Hammon (San Antonio Silver Stars) will play for the Russian Olympic squad, while Hamchetou Maiga-Ba (Houston Comets) will represent Mali and Kelly Santos (Seattle Storm) will play for Brazil.

Current WNBA rosters featuring more than one Olympian include the Los Angeles Sparks (3- Leslie, Parker, Milton-Jones), Seattle Storm (3- Bird, Jackson, Santos), Phoenix Mercury (2- Taurasi, Pondexter), Houston Comets (2- Thompson, Maiga-Ba) and Indiana Fever (2- Catchings, Bevilaqua).

Coaches also bring WNBA pedigrees as well. Former WNBA head coaches Anne Donovan (Charlotte Sting, Fever, Storm) and Tom Maher (Washington Mystics) will coach the United States and China, respectively while current Connecticut Sun head coach Mike Thibault will serve as an assistant coach for the U.S. Olympic Team. Two former WNBA players will also serve as assistant coaches. Dawn Staley, previously a star player with the Sting and Comets, joins Donovan’s staff and Michele Timms, an original player for the Mercury, will assist Maher.

The 2008 WNBA season will resume play on Aug. 28 following the Olympics. A complete list of Olympic basketball players with WNBA experience follows.

Current and Former WNBA Players in the 2008 Olympics

About the WNBA

Comprised of 14 teams and entering its 12th season, the WNBA is the most successful women’s professional team sports league in the world. The 2008 season tipped off May 17 with ESPN2 again providing appointment viewing in the form of its “WNBA Tuesdays” telecasts. During the 2008 season, combined coverage on ABC and ESPN2 will include 21 national telecasts, while NBA TV, the league’s 24-hour television network, will offer 70 regular-season contests.

Through WNBA Cares, the WNBA is deeply committed to creating programs that improve the quality of life for all people, with a special emphasis on programs that promote a healthy lifestyle and positive body image, increase breast and women’s health awareness, support youth and family development, and focus on education. For more information on the WNBA, log on to WNBA.com.

Copyright © 2008 WNBA Enterprises, LLC. All rights reserved. No portion of WNBA.com may be duplicated, redistributed or manipulated in any form. By accessing any information beyond this page, you agree to abide by the WNBA.com Privacy Policy / Your California Privacy Rights and Terms of Use.

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TalB

Just debunking another anti-WNBA statement
I HATE THE WNBA AND I’M PROUD TO SAY IT!! « THE ARENA
Wow Wendell, this such an original title by a WNBA hater like yourself.

I am glad that there is an appreciation for Candance Parker, espcially when she is very likely to win Rookie of the Year.

I don't see what is the problem here. He had his view on the WNBA and others have theirs, so I don't see what is wrong with columnists talking for the WNBA. If he his displeased with those columns, he can either email them directly or send a letter to the editor according to the paper that it was written in. What is the big deal if the WNBA has a commercial durring an NBA game when the others don't seem to be much of a problem? The thing is that the WNBA pays to advertise just like everything else does. By his logic, maybe everything is being forced on us, especially the NFL. Another unoriginal statement is how they look so unattractive, which I have debunked numerous times before, so I will not bother to repeat myself.

If the WNBA gives no interest, then just don't watch it. Nobody is forcing him to watch the WNBA if he doesn't want to. Must people either have IO Digital Cable or Direct TV, so there are plenty of other things to watch. If he wants, he can turn to watch ESPN News if there is nothing else to watch or ESPN Classic to watch something there. I wonder if Wendell lives in the US or some communist country where they say, "Watch the WNBA or die!" Again, nobody is forcing anyone to watch its games or buy its products, which disprooves that the WNBA is forced down anyone's throat. BTW, ratings for the WNBA have gone up according to its official site, but Wendell will never admit to that.

This is common for those who adverstising to make commercials like this, so the WNBA isn't first. The same thing was done by NBA players and probably by other professional sports to get people to see their games. This is called marketing, and sarcastic commercials are part of this. Should someone say similar things if this was done by NFL players?

Actually, the WNBA has increased in its attendance figures according to Women's Basketball Online. Some teams alone such as the NY Liberty, Detroit Shock, LA Sparks, SA Silver Stars, Connecticut Sun, and Washington Mystics alone have been getting high attendance at their games. There were even articles after every season of the WNBA stating how high the WNBA has gone up in ratings from the innagural season. Let's not forget that the NBA wasn't so popular when it first formed and neither was any other professional sports leagues, but as long as they had sponsorships, they stayed.

Again, professional sports is not about modeling, it's about being able to play it. If seeing attractive women is so important then get a copy of Victoria's Secret Catalogue, Vouge, or Playboby Magazine. Female gymnists don't wear those leotards just show off their legs, they wear them b/c those suits are aerodynamic in that the wind won't slow them down. Better yet, just go back to those yearly Swimsuit Models that Sports Illustrated does of women, which I find is wrong, b/c it's suppossed to be about sports not sex, and there is nothing athletic about models. It's not the WNBA's fault that your sexy girlfriend got cut from just about every team she tried out for.

WNBA players are much tougher than most think they are. If he or anyone else, who hates the WNBA, would play against them, they would loose in a heartbeat against them. Also, I know that most of the naysayers on the WNBA are barely athletic, so they would be no match for them. The WNBA, just like any other professional sports league, is about athletic skills, not how someone looks. If you asked me, most of those players who try to model themselves in the WNBA are mainly overrated. Most people aren't going to look at someone's face, they are going to look at how they play, though there are people who always look at the head of Dennis Rodman. As a statement to Wendell Wallace, "If you are reading this post, you have lost this battle against the WNBA as I have debunked all of your statements."

__________________
I have respected your views, so I expect you to do the same for me.

TalB

Just another anti-WNBA rambling for me to debunk
Skeet Throwin': I Hate The WNBA

Another unoriginal title.

The WNBA is hardly being shoved down anyone throat to begin with. Even if it is, I can say the the same thing about anyone else. ESPN and NBA TV can talk about whatever they want to whenver they want to. You don't see me raising a tantrum when they talk about things I don't think are sports such as the World Series of Poker, Great Outdoor Games, World's Strongest Men, Billiards Tournament, Spelling Bee, NASCAR (or other autoracing events), and anything else that I find is either just an exihibition or some game. If MSG wants to have some shows about the NY Liberty or talk about it, then what's the problem here? The point is that this was a network decision to talk about it, not a threat made by the NBA/WNBA. I see plenty of NFL ads on Fox, and I am not saying that they should stop, I just don't pay attention them.

Again, it was the decision of David Stern to include the WNBA at the NBA All-Star exhibitions. At first, it was NBA 2 Ball, which featured one player from the NBA and other from the WNBA team of the same city. Today, it is the NBA Shooting stars, which still has the same idea from the original event, but now includes a retired player from that team. Another all-star event with WNBA players is the Celebrity Game, which will give them at least someone who knows how to play basketball. As usual, Double M make the same statement on how WNBA players are terrible when in fact he is not that athletic himself. He would loose very easily to them and probably cry foul just for them comming close to him.

The WNBA does have fans such as myself. Again, Double M makes a statement that is no other different from others by judging the league w/o even watching a game of it. If the WNBA isn't worth the time, then why give it the time of day? Did he have nothing to do that day when wrote this. I am not saying that I am against those who hate the WNBA, but those who have made personall attacks at both the players and the fans. Just turn to ESPN Classic to watch an NBA game from the 1940's and 1950's, and I am sure most will say how boring it was then as they would to the WNBA yet it still managed to survive despite all that criticism, b/c they had sponsors who never backed down from as the WNBA does right now.

Again, what is wrong with WNBA commercials? If you have Tivo, then you can skip through them easily. As for the video for a WNBA video game that doesn't exist, it's obvious that baskettbawlfull have never watched a WNBA game. Since I have already stated everything about WNBA commercials in the first quote, I won't bother repeating myself. Double M, consider yourself debunked on trashing the WNBA.

__________________
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