Lieberman, 57, will be the NBA’s second female assistant coach, joining the San Antonio Spurs’ Becky Hammon. “I think this is a nice opportunity for her”. The Kings may have taken a beating in the press for their decisions this offseason, but Vlade Divac and Vivek Ranadive made a winning decision with Lieberman’s hire.
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There were rumors back in February when Karl was hired that Lieberman could be an addition, and she spent this past month helping out the Kings during Las Vegas Summer League in an unofficial capacity.
Nancy Lieberman’s plaque in the Basketball Hall of Fame will need an update befitting something more than a footnote.
Overall I’m happy with the coaching hires-some of them will pacify Karl and show unity among the Kings’ brass while some lesser-experienced coaches will also get a shot to prove themselves in Sacramento.
The Kings announced the signing of Chad Iske as associate head coach on Friday, and John Welch, Anthony Carter and Lieberman as assistant coaches. Hammon went on to coach the Spurs Summer League team this summer as well.
Lieberman, who played college basketball at Old Dominion from 1976-1980, was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996. She coached the D-League’s Texas Legends from 2009 to ’11 before moving into the front office of the Dallas Mavericks affiliate for a year as an assistant general manager.
Reports out of Sacramento have her being named an assistant with the NBA’s Kings. She played for the Phoenix Mercury at age 39 during the WNBA’s inaugural season in 1997.
I’m glad to see women getting coaching positions both in the National Basketball Association and NFL, and hope the trend continues.
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Despite these recent breakthrough appointments, men have even started to dominate coaching staffs in the WNBA while maintaining a stranglehold on jobs in the men’s game.
