The pioneers of women’s basketball have created a legacy to look back on. Each of their careers on the basketball court has been an inspiration for the new generation of players’ contribution to the growth of women’s basketball today.
Rebecca Lobo
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Rebecca Lobo has been awarded with several ‘Player of the Year’ honors. She is the first female player to get signed in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) by the New York Liberty in 1997 and went on to become an All-Star (1999) and All-WNBA performer. She also played for Team USA for the 1996 Summer Olympics, who went on to win a gold medal.
In 1995 she was named ‘Female Athlete of the Year’ by the Associated Press, received an ESPY for Outstanding Female Athlete, was named ‘Academic All-America of the Year’ in women’s basketball, and was named ‘Co-Academic All-America of the Year’ in the University Division.
Sheryl Swoopes
Signed to the WNBA in 1996, Swoopes was a three-time MVP (2000, 2002, 2005) and won four consecutive championships as part of the Houston Comets from the 1997-2000 season.
She is among the 15 greatest players in league history. As part of Team USA, she claimed three Olympic gold medals and one gold in the FIBA World Championships.
Cheryl Miller
One of the greatest players of her era, Miller is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, and the FIBA Hall of Fame. In 1986, she was named the best college basketball player by Sports Illustrated. Her career stats include 3,018 total career points and four All-America titles. She has been named Naismith Player of the Year three times and has won one Wade Trophy.
Her international career was played as part of the U.S. team, leading them to three gold medals, including the Pan American Games (1983), the Los Angeles Olympics (1984), and the Goodwill Games (1986).
Nancy Lieberman
Nancy Lieberman, the 5’10” point guard, was among the tallest players in that role, leading to the establishment of a prominent career. During her four years at Old Dominion University, she scored 2,430 points, 1,167 rebounds, and 961 assists in total. She also led them to two AIAW national championships in 1979 and 1980 and was named the Wade Trophy winner twice.
Lieberman has been part of the Women’s Professional Basketball League, Women’s American Basketball Association, United States Basketball League, Women’s National Basketball Association, and the Washington Generals.
She is the first female to play with the Springfield Fame, a men’s professional league of the United States, in 1986. She is also the youngest Olympian to win a medal at the age of 18, claiming a silver medal for the U.S. during the 1976 Olympics.
Lisa Leslie
WNBA star and four-time Olympic gold medalist Lisa Leslie is another basketball legend of all time. She played for twelve seasons as part of the Los Angeles Sparks, leading to two championship titles in 2001 and 2002. She created history as the first WNBA player to dunk during the 2002 season.
She is a seven-time All-Star, three-time All-Star Game MVP, three-time WNBA MVP, eight-time WNBA All-Star, and two-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year.
A four-time Olympic gold medalist, Leslie was part of the U.S. team for international matches. She won two World Championship titles in 1998 and 2002 and three gold medals in the Olympics (2000, 2004, and 2008). She was named to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame in 2019 and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame back in 2015.
Take a look at Top Commentators in Women’s Basketball.
