After much speculation, Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman said she will be joining the Sacramento Kings staff for the upcoming season.
“I’m going to offer her a job”, Kings vice president Vlade Divac told the Sacramento Bee on Thursday.
Becky Hammon was previously hired by the San Antonio Spurs last August becoming the first female assistant coach in the league.
Lieberman is no stranger to coaching men, as she served as the Texas Legends head coach from 2009 to 2011. She was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996 and recently has spent time in the NBA D-League, where she started out as a coach of Dallas’ affiliate (making her the first woman to coach in the D-League) and then moved up to become the assistant general manager of that team.
The addition comes during a busy off-season for the Kings. Veterans DeMarcus Cousins, Darren Collison, Kosta Koufos and Ben McLemore also interacted with her during that time as they worked out with the Summer League team. She was terrific. She brings a different dimension.
Earlier today Lieberman said she plans to accept the offer.
Nicknamed “Lady Magic,”Lieberman had a storied global career during the 1970s and 1980s and is considered one of the best female basketball players in history”.
She was an Olympian, was among the first players in the WNBA and was a coach in the league. She’s also and assistant coach.
Lieberman, a 57-year-old Brooklyn native, is no stranger to coaching.
From going up against the Harlem Globetrotters in exhibitions to playing in now defunct women’s professional leagues, Lieberman’s on-court experience spans four decades.