Nancy Lieberman Blog
December 20, 2007
‘Tis the season!
November was a good month. We were in the new house for a little over a month. My OCD kicked in and we were surprisingly organized and “the Griswold’s” are in and comfy.
I went to Los Angeles to play in a celebrity basketball game thrown by Nike, who is amazing at organizing these kinds of events and giving back to children. Ilene Hauser of Nike invited me and she is always so great to work with. The night began with an appearance by the U.S. A. Women’s National Team, which includes Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird, Lisa Leslie, Kara Braxton, and Seimone Augustus; Hall of Famer and my buddy, Cheryl Miller, was the MC of the game.
That evening I participated in the Celebrity game. Members of my team included U.S. Women’s soccer star, Brandi Chastain (of the shirt throwing Chastain’s), Donna Orender (WNBA President and pretty good player herself), a couple soap stars, and our coaches, Sue Bird and Seimone Augustus. We played against Ruthie Bolton, and that’s all their team needed. I think she must have had 17 (3s), but only 16 of them were on me (I’m a defensive stud). I was happy to hold Ruthie to about 37 points (so that right there tells you I’m ready for a WNBA comeback). I think we lost by about 9, but we had a lot of fun. Brandi proved to be a tremendous basketball player. She worked very hard and had a terrific personality.
This event was hosted by Nike and the Los Angeles Sparks. Lisa was there with her husband, Michael Lockwood and their new baby, Lauren Jolie (I am still upset that she didn’t name her Nancy Ilizabeth), but i’ll let Lisa slide because she’s now a fellow Dallas resident.
After the game, I took the red eye back to Dallas (they call it a red eye for good reason). I had a Playbook for Life speaking event, for “The Hartford,” at the University of Texas (Austin) the next day which is such a beautiful campus. It was great for me to see the athletic director (Chris Plonsky), and talk to the student athletes about financial management and a vision towards their future. I was also able to visit with the Women’s Basketball Team which was a great opportunity because I’ve known so many of the players for a few years now.
Midmonth, I was a Keynote speaker for M.S. (Multiple Sclerosis). It was a luncheon held downtown Dallas, for about 200 people. My objective threefold: 1.) make it a day of celebration, 2.) make people laugh and smile, and 3.) remind them that we were not there for the food; we were there to help find a cure for M.S. It was the first M.S. event held in Dallas (of the 54 chapters in the U.S.), and we wanted it to be the best (everything is bigger and better in Texas!!!), by raising a lot of money and awareness. I had a great time and I was happy to share my time and experiences with everyone in that room.
Two days later I went to the most amazing cooking class at Stephan Pyles’ Restaurant in downtown Dallas. He is a chef, extraordinaire. He had a classy Thanksgiving menu, so I made sure I stayed and tasted everything including the wine. It was fabulous. Stephan was so good and patient with everyone. I had a great time.
That night (wow, I’m getting tired), I went to Kyle Weinreb’s Bar Mitzvah bash. This was the most amazing Bar Mitzvah I have ever attended. His father, David, turned the convention center into an arena, where there was a dance floor/basketball court, stands were brought in, and there was even an elevated, DJ/MC. It was a beautiful affair for about 700 of the Weinreb’s “closest friends” and relatives. The “who’s who” of Dallas attended including, “Ugly Betty” star, Vanessa Williams, Lisa Leslie and her husband, Michael, and my friend and fellow Hall of Famer, Lynette Woodard. It was a fabulous production, and it was a very special night for me, not to mention Kyle.
The next day I had my eyebrows waxed, which is pretty important!!!
Thanksgiving has a lot of meaning for me and was special this year because my mom got to come and see my new house and visit TJ and me. The day before we had our 5th annual Piggy Skins Classic held at Plano West High School. It is a football game that my dear friend, Meg, started 5 years ago with her children, me, and my son, TJ. It has grown into an invitation only affair where we pick teams, have fun, eat, and exchange a cocktail or 2. Everyone plays and we matched up, with son, TJ’s team vs. mine. In the end, in an overtime battle, my team and I came out on top, 6 TDs to 5. After the game, we came back to my house, had some fun, and watched football. It has become a great way for my friends and me to spend time some time together over the holiday. With the help of my two assistants, Theresa and Leslie, we cooked some of the wonderful dishes (oysters Rockefeller and a pumpkin soup with apple chutney) I learned at Stephan Pyles’ class. The 21st was a great day, mostly because my team won in overtime. Yep, this chick has still got it! Tony Romo has nothing on me. Okay, I have Jessica Simpson CDs and he dates her. (He Wins!)
Is there anything worse for a Yankee fan than to be in Boston at Fenway Park in the freezing cold weather? Well I’ll make an exception for “The Hartford” and the “Basketball Hall of Fame.” The 30th I flew to Boston for “The Hartford’s Hall of Fame Classic”. There was a meet and greet for 208 of “The Hartford’s” top clients at Fenway. It was a wonderful evening with a bunch of Hall of Famers. I was given a Jim Rice baseball and I guess it must have slipped out of my hands back onto the field (oops)! I was just following Wrigley Field protocol! We signed autographs, and there was a Q ad A. The coaches of the basketball teams (Mark Few (Gonzaga), Tim Welsh (Providence), Al Skinner (Boston College), and Hall of Famer Jim Calhoun (UConn)) answered questions and visited with each other. The next day, I went to a luncheon hosted by “The Hartford” with former Dukie, Jay Bilas, as the moderator. Later, we had a panel discussion with Allan Houston, Denny Crum, Bill Raftery, and I. We had a great time, and had a blast answering questions about our careers, basketball, the game itself. Congratulations, to “The Hartford” and the Hall of Fame for a great 1st event. Hopefully, there will be many more!
On December 7th, my son TJ and I went to the 10th anniversary of my basketball camp in Detroit. We began the trip by running some errands and then we went to a radio show (Parker and the Man- love these guys- Mark Wilson and Rob Parker) to talk about camp, what is going on with Michigan football, and just all sports in general. We went from there to the Palace at Auburn Hills. I want to thank Tom Wilson (the man who gave me my job in coaching and the president of Palace Sports and Entertainment). He gave us a suite where we watched the Pistons play the Bulls. During the game, which was broadcast by ESPN that night, I had the chance to go down to say “hi” to Mike Green and Jeff Van Gundy. I said to Jeff “Who’s driving the bus” and he laughed. After the game, I did NBA TV, and we really had a nice time. What made this trip special, was surprising my friend Damon’s little boy, Hudson, with tickets to the Pistons (his favorite team) and the opportunity to meet his favorite player, Rip Hamilton. Rip was so kind and he took the time to talk to Hudson and give him an autograph. It made his Christmas, and it is moments like these that really make what I do, such a blessing.
November 12, 2007
A Truly Momentous Occasion
I never thought that when I ran my annual Phoenix camp that it would be such a special week for me. When I go to Phoenix I always try to call, text or e-mail Lonnie Ali. Lonnie over the years has been so kind in corresponding with me through e-mail. Even though we have never met, she has always had a very kind spirit and warmth about her. Even when they were living in a hotel in Phoenix, I always had an invitation to catch up with them whenever they were around and I was in town.
With that said, I flew to Phoenix on the 18
th of September. As I was walking around the mall that evening in Scottsdale, I got an e-mail from Lonnie saying, “Hey stranger how are you?” I responded back quickly. The next e-mail said “Where are you? How are you doing?” I responded and told her that I was in Scottsdale. She said that she and Muhammad were in Atlanta and he was getting his annual physical but they would be back on Friday. She then asked if I would like to go visit them at their house on Sunday. Of course, I was very ecstatic about the invitation to go to their home and hopefully spend quality time visiting with her and Muhammad.
I had not seen him since I was about 21 and in my senior year of college. At that time, he was at the height of his career. When I got to their home, the guard said that they were expecting me. I went through the gates towards his home. When I got there I called and I talked to Howard (Bingham) who is Muhammad’s lifetime friend and photographer. He is an amazing, talented man in his own right. So he told me to come on in. Howard met me at the door and gave me a big hug. It was great to see him as I have not seen him in a long time, even though we have stayed in touch over the years. I walked in and Lonnie was there to greet me as well. Everything I thought about her was what she displayed. She was very warm, loving, and kind. She just wanted to make her home a very safe place for her and Muhammad. I went inside and looked at her and thought “I wonder why you are so nice and kind to me?” She then said to me, “I want to please the people that mean something to my husband.” This, of course, meant everything to me.
I walked in, and there he was sitting in the living room with the pool in the background. My first thought was that this was absolutely amazing. This was my hero! That’s my guy! Lonnie is going to have to share her man with me for a day, ha-ha! I walked in to the living room and Lonnie told me to go give him a hug and say hi. So I walked over to him and Lonnie said, “Mr. A, Nancy’s here.” So I walked over and gave him a hug and a kiss. He was sitting in his chair and his hand was shaking. At first I really didn’t know where to sit, but Lonnie told me to sit by him on the arm rest. I just sat there and talked to everyone. We talked about old times and all the things that they have done. We talked about mutual friends that we have through sports. I asked a lot of questions about how he was feeling and his condition. Lonnie told me that he is very mentally sharp but the Parkinson’s has hampered him and his ability to communicate.
We watched CNN and just talked about world events. It was very normal; like we were sitting around with family. She had Mark Tarbell, the chef, come cook and cater our lunch. All I can say is that it was very much a blessing of a day for me to be able to sit with all of them. I showed them all pictures of T.J. and tried to communicate the best I could with him. I really tried to savor and enjoy my time with him. He would sit there and read and flip pages of a magazine. It amazed me. At some point he would have to get some meds. We kept sitting and talking with one another. Lonnie is really a breath of fresh air. I told her she needs to do a documentary because she is Muhammad’s voice. She is his soul, and he communicates through her. She is such a beautiful person, a strong personality, yet soft, kind and giving. She makes you feel like you have been part of her family for years. We talked about her son and him playing ball. We talked about kids, careers, and what I was doing. Then we sat down with The Lord of the Dance guru, Michael Flatley, who came with his wife and baby.
I was there for an hour and a half with this gifted man who is in awe of Muhammad, just as I am. He talked about how he grew up in Chicago and how Muhammad was also his hero. He also talked about how he was going back to Chicago where he was a dancer. He said that Muhammad helped give him the courage to be a dancer and fulfill his dreams and goals. And of course now he is world famous. Hopefully he will get the gig for the super bowl halftime.
It was neat to see the reverence we all have for Muhammad. For me my instincts took over. It felt as though he was just like a family member to me and I wanted to make sure he was comfortable. I was holding his hand and wiping his face. We then sat down to eat. I got to feed him. Just being there for whatever he needed at the time was incredible. It was definitely an awe inspiring day.
I asked about the scar on his neck. Lonnie told me that he was walking and has the tendency to fall out of the bed due to his equilibrium. They took him for a cat-scan and the disease was making him walk scissor-like. He had surgery and they had that worked out. Like I said, to be there in that setting where there are not a lot of other people vying for his time and attention was awesome. The attentiveness that Lonnie and Howard show you is remarkable which made me feel extremely honored. I mean I don’t know how many times I will have that opportunity in life again. But to spend the day with someone that means so much to me and the influence that he has on my heart, my soul, my career was great. He probably doesn’t know all that he has done for so many people all over the world.
Everyone has their Muhammad Ali moment. It could be in an airport, it could be that he shook your hand; it could be that he hugged you, or that he winked at you. I mean everyone has that moment. It is like the Andy Warhol theme. It is that 15 minutes of fame that you have with icon who is not only a sports leader, but he is a world leader. He is one of the most recognized men on the planet. He can go everywhere and anywhere in the world and people just want to talk, look, stare, touch and be around his presence. I think the biggest revelation I had on that Sunday the 23
rd of September was that God gave Muhammad an angel in Lonnie. This amazing woman is incredibly dynamic and has the patience and kindness of a saint. She has so much love for “Mr. A,” as she calls him. She pampers him, she is good with him, and she loves with him. She gets it. I mean she is not going to let him sit and hide and give pity to him. He is not embarrassed about his condition. She knows that every moment with people is a moment to change their life. They expose his time and energy and time to people constantly. I think that is the most amazing thing. She is aware of his impact and inspiration and has such a willingness to share it with everybody. So this was my Muhammad and Lonnie Ali magic moment that I will never forget. I want all the people out there to know that when I went to leave, I got up and gave him a hug and a kiss. I just said “Muhammad, I love you. Thank you for helping me be who I am and define who I am.” And that was it. If I never see him or Lonnie again it will be a fulfillment beyond any of my dreams.
October Blog, 2007
Finally Some Downtime
So I came home from camp and decided it was finally time to take a break. I had been running around this beautiful country like a crazy woman. Television gigs, speaking engagements, appearances, and camps had ran my life for the past couple months. I think since the first of the year I have probably had close to 2,000 children come through my camps, free clinics, and private lessons, from Dallas to Detroit to Phoenix. I felt like I need a little bit of a break. But T.J. Cline and his mommy were moving into a brand spanking new house soon and were hoping to move in the last week of September. We finally moved in on the 29
th.
I had never built a home before, but it was quite the adventure. We started from scratch. It was very educational, time consuming, and tedious, but all those were a must. I do want to thank the people from Shaddock & McNaught, my builders Jeff Wilson and Mark Lally, and everything that they did to make my move and this next phase of my life an incredible one. They built a beautiful home for me and helped put in my personal taste. I really wanted to build my own place. I am an art deco fan and they helped add that personal touch to my home. I did it! The design and the theater are all thanks to Starpower. That’s what I did most of October.
The basis of my break was that I wanted to spend more time with my son. So I have caught a lot of T.J.’s middle school football games and we even went to the State Fair one weekend. I flew to Boston on the 2nd for their Playbook for Life program. Being a Yankees fan, going to Boston was difficult, but I took one for Team Hartford. I spoke at Boston College with Bill P. We gave a presentation to the young students there on financial literacy. I came home and all of October for the most part I have dedicated to getting the new home in order. All the little details are quite consuming, but for the most part it is over.
On the 10
th I gave a speech to the Dallas Morning News for my friend Diane Hartley, Publisher of Neightbors/Quick for the Dallas Morning News. She continues to amaze me with her leadership and what she does with that company. I spoke for about 30 minutes to their senior management and staff. They are trying to change along with all the new technology developments. I gave them a little bigger picture on teamwork and how to be better with a team. Then on the 19
th-21
st, I was on my way back to Phoenix. I flew there, played some golf, spent time with my friends, went to dinner, and just hung out in the Phoenix area.
On the 23
rd I left for San Francisco to be a part of The Hartford’s Playbook for Life program again. Bill Poutre spoke at Cal Berkley to an outstanding group of young people. I got a chance to stop by Cal Berkley’s practice and visit with head coach, Joanne Boyle and her excellent staff. They were getting geared up for another season of hoops. The next day I spoke at Stanford, and visited with my old friend Tara Van Derveer. Lastly, to end the West Coast swing for The Hartford’s Playbook For Life program we stopped by the University of San Francisco and I had dinner after with yet another former Lady Vol who is in coaching, Tanya Haave.
All in all, October was great and it went by really quickly. I’m glad I got to spend more time with T.J. and get most of the house stuff done while I was in town. Now the Holiday season is approaching. I can’t wait for Thanksgiving!
Nancy Lieberman Blog
July and part of August, 2007
July was pretty much a whirl win for me with all my travel, but I do have to say that our camps were pretty amazing. We had overall great numbers. Being out on the court with the kids, talking to them, teaching them, giving piggy back rides and playing games with them was a major highlight for me. Giving the kids a bigger picture of what they can be with their lives inspires me every time I step on the court with them.
I filled you in a bit about the All Star Game last month, but I wanted to tell you more about my time in Washington D.C. Even though I am pretty busy working while I am there, I still find time to have a little bit of fun and catch up with my friends from around the league.
I had the chance to visit with many of the current players during my stay. It is always fun to sit and talk with them about how they are doing, how their time in Europe was, injuries, how their team is doing, their families etc. It is fun being with people that you get along with and who I like to be around. I co- hosted all the NBA TV coverage and interviewed all the players and coaches. I really thought that the way it was covered was amazing. I love what the league does and the way everyone pulls together. After that afternoon, there was a dinner featuring everyone form the league. I got to see all the supporters, the boosters and everyone from the league office was there. It was nice to get to see and talk with people in one room. I mean the history of the game was there. The players that were playing now and the players that used to play were there. It was a nice combination of talent. Our game has come a long way in so many ways.
Then of course, Sunday was the All Star game. I got to the arena at around 11:00 a.m. so I could get into shorts and a T- shirt to demo the “dribble, dish and swish” contest. I got hazed because I wasn’t going hard, then I went harder and ended up being in 3rd place with a time of 38 seconds. The good news was that I beat the young girls. The fun part was that we actually filmed it, and we aired it on TV. I then ran upstairs and got changed, did my makeup, and did coverage court side. I did a pre game show with NBA TV and then did coverage with Linda Cohn, my ESPN co-anchor. After the game I finished up some post game work and headed back to my hotel. All in all, the All Star game was very fun, and I look forward to being back next year and beating my time of 38 seconds!
The last week of my basketball camp started on July 17th. Like I said before, it was a great summer of basketball camp. We sent so many kids through camp. It was a lot of fun to teach and inspire the children. The 22nd was my son TJ’s birthday; we went to Six Flags over Texas with his friends and a few of my friends. We were going to go to Rangers game, but it rained that afternoon. T.J. had a lot of fun, and I enjoyed the day with him. Too bad the Rangers game got rained out!
On Tuesday the 24th I went to ESPN to do studio wraps with Linda Cohn. We laughed a lot as usual! I flew home on the morning of the 25th. I got picked up by one of my fabulous interns, and as soon as I got home, I got dressed and did a photo shoot for the Brilliance Awards, People that Soar. I am getting honored on September 14th in Dallas for that.
On the 26th I flew to Indy for my friend Lyn St. James and was the M.C. at the Women in the Women’s Circle luncheon hosted by the Lyn St. James Foundation. This was my second year hosting this event. Lyn is a legend, role model and most importantly a great person. She cares deeply about enhancing women in sports and she gives so much of her time effort and money. She gives so much of her time to the drivers and promoting women being involved in motor sports. I was very pleased to be a part of that.
I am really not good at building houses I am finding out. I am a bit A.D.D when it comes to picking out things for the house. I had to pick out lighting for my new home, and it took 3 hours. You should have seen what I had to do. I had to select every single room’s lights for my new house. I walked into the store and saw 45,000 lighting fixtures and switches, it was overwhelming. So I could use some help if you like that stuff (call a sista’)
I did an interview for Slam Magazine. It is an article on what it is like to be a “school yard” basketball legend in the streets of New York. I enjoyed doing the interview and sharing my story of growing up and playing ball and pickup. Going to Harlem as a kid was something I always did, so sharing that in the interview was fun for me.
On the 31st, I flew to ESPN and went into a session with Bud Morgan with ESPN. He has been in the TV business for so many years. He worked with talent like myself, and broke down film with us and gave us help with some of our habits and tendencies. He broke it down so well and I definitely walked away very much fortunate to have had the time to sit with him.
I flew home on the 1st, had meetings in Dallas, (I am a business person you know) I took T.J. on that Saturday to the lake and went out on my boat. We went out for a good part of the day. I tried to water ski and went on the tube for a little bit. It was fun to be out in the sun. Anytime I can get a break in my schedule it is a lot of fun. That night I took my two interns out to dinner because they are finishing up their internship.
On the 7th I flew to Chicago, had some meetings, and then that night I went to the Chicago Sky vs. the Indiana Fever game. Unfortunately, the Sky lost, but it was fun being at a WNBA game as a fan, and not working per-say.
That just about sums up my July and part of my August. Stay tuned next month. It will be jammed packed with WNBA playoff coverage. Enjoy the remainder of you summer.
Nancy Lieberman Blog
June 2007
June started off in good fashion. I went up to ESPN to do WNBA coverage for their Tuesday night double header. I took my son T.J. with me. It was actually a lot of fun because that was the first time I had taken him with me. Everyone at ESPN was so wonderful to him, making him feel welcome. He received a tour of the studios and believe it or not, was actually surprised of what goes on at ESPN.
June turned into a month of speeches for me. On the 1st, I did a speech for the Dallas Morning News for their “Get Fit Program.” I was there for an hour and talked about what it takes to get fit, things that I do to stay fit and basically answered any questions that they had for me. I helped to inspire these people. We did a lot of team building and goal setting.
Along with doing a few speeches this month, I was also preparing for a summer of camps. I did a lot of PR for them. I went on “The Ticket” radio show, and as usual, it was a lot of fun for me to be in studio talking not only about my camps, but what is going on in the world of sports. I really enjoyed my time and the opportunity being on the show.
On top of doing speeches and PR for my camp, I also was jam packed with doing individual lessons with children 2 or 3 days a week. I really enjoy teaching and sharing all of my experiences with the kids. This summer marks my 24th year of camps. My first session started on the 19th. Joe Curl, the head coach at the University of Houston was so amazing to come up to Dallas with his smoker, which fed all 150 kids. The smoker is amazing; it hitches to the back of his truck. He fed the kids hotdogs, hamburgers, and ribs and just gave us his basketball wisdom. He is such a remarkable man, and I do admire how he handles people so well. I was blown away for what he did for us and the children.
On the 24th, I got on a plane to go to Florida and give a speech for Holiday Homes. I played golf with a lot of the staff, and just had an overall good time being out in the sun and sharing my time with them. I gave my presentation to their executive management group. I flew home that evening, and then on Friday, I headed out to Nike for their Skills Academy for the top 22 juniors in the country. We had so much fun just to be around legendary coaches like Billie Moore, Jody Conrad. I mean Billie Moore was my Olympic coach in 1976. She won 2 National Championships, 1 with UCLA the other with Cal State Fullerton. Jody Conrad, the 2nd most wins in the history of the Hall of Fame. Joe Ciampi from Auburn took 2 teams to the final 4, Jim Davis who was a great coach at Clemson for many years and Jennifer Gillom and Ruthie Bolton, two of the funniest people I know. Beth Mowins was also there, we work together at ESPN. And of course, this would have not have happened if it wasn’t for Mary Thompson.
I was fortunate enough on the 1st, which was my birthday, to work with the kids. We did 2 sessions that day. Coach Ciampi imported his wisdom in the afternoon session. We had a wonderful time in Beaverton that night. We went to dinner and had a wonderful time at a beautiful restaurant. It was filled with birthday cheer and great food. I had a lot of excellent company but only wished I was home with my family.
Monday we had 2 sessions with the kids. They went to the Seattle New York game in the evening Monday morning I got on the phone to deliver my weekly power ranking for the league. They went back on the court Tuesday, I did my usual Wednesday with wnba.com and did their bag of mail called ask Nancy. I answered questions. all that, I do want to say that one of the pleasures was spending time with the young talent These kids have so much energy and enthusiasm and gave a lot to the campers, and I could not even explain to tell you how much they were a help. The highlight was when camp was over and the campers finished their last game, they played the staff, and then once again, I came out of retirement, and at the end of regulation we were tied with the campers, and in over time the oldies but goodies went on to win once again . I defied age and a wonderful time playing the entire game a short version of the game that is.
July 4th was pretty exciting as I took the red eye home. I got to Dallas at 5:15 in the morning and went right to Deion Sanders house. He was having a 4th of July at his home. He was gracious to open his home to people for his charity called Sanders Clause. Santa Clause comes once a year, but Sanders Clause comes once a week and delivers things to the needy. That is why I love my brother Deion so much, he is always giving back.
Thursday started the 2nd week of camp at UTD in Dallas. That was a lot of fun. The kids had a great time, and our staff did a great job.
I headed up to ESPN again on the 10th to be in studio for the WNBA games for the Tuesday double header. On Friday the 13th, I headed out to Washington for the WNBA All Star game. I was at all the practices and did interviews with all the players. I also did a lot of things for NBA TV as well as ESPN.
I was excited to see that my friend Anna DeForge made the All Star team. Amazing! She got all the votes from the people in Poland. (HA) She was voted a starter. I am very excited for her because she was planning on going home to see her family in Wisconsin, but put on the breaks, now you will be in Washington DC with your mom and dad
Once again I come back from the All Star Game and headed right from Washington to ESPN to do the Tuesday night double header I got picked up by one of my fabulous assistants from DFW airport and went straight to the last week of camp in Dallas for the summer We pretty much have put more than 600-700 children through camp and clinics April-July which is pretty impressive.
Keep smiling and believing — stay tuned next month !
Nancy Lieberman Blog
May 30th, 2007
Hello everyone! I am thrilled to invite you to my new monthly diary. This will allow you to read up on what is going on in my day to day life. Stay posted each month for new updates of the fun and exciting things that I have been up do. I have some catching up right now, so I am going to start in the month of April.
April was a very interesting month for me. It started at the Women’s Final Four in Cleveland. I arrived there on April 31st. NBA TV had me do a story on Shay Doron at the draft camp. Shay was ultimately drafted by the New York Liberty. Wow, there was a lot of talent getting to show off their game. Some players were well known and some unknown for the most part. I was interviewing coaches and GM’s trying to target insight into who they must draft to fill team needs. After that, it was on to The Quicken Loans Arena for open practices, media conferences and interviews. At the arena, I had the chance to play a game of horse with Shay after one of the sessions that she participating in at the draft camp. Ok, I admit, I barley lost.
The first semi final featured Candice Parker and my buddy Ivory Latta. It was really kind of fun to watch the Women’s Final Four and C. Vivian Stringer and all that she has done with her team. Also, my former collegiate coach, Marianne Stanley was also on the bench for Rutgers, so it was fun to see them in action. So all in all, Cleveland was a good time! Visiting with old friends and meeting new ones. It’s always a better time when you are hanging out with ESPN’s Mark Jones “The Ebony Prince.”
April 4th, WNBA draft day. There is a lot of preparation that goes into the draft. We were live at the draft with Doris Burke, Linda Cohn and Rebecca Lobo, for 3 rounds of the WNBA draft. Surprisingly, Dukes Lindsey Harding became the number 1 pick of the draft. Everyone was a little surprised that Harding got drafted by Phoenix and then traded to Minnesota. The biggest draft surprise was the Liberty trading All Star Becky Hammon to San Antonio for Ohio States Jessica Davenport. But such is life in the WNBA and pro sports. With the draft completed, that started a whirlwind week for me, or added to it because I went home, changed my clothes, and headed to Maryland.
Monday the 9th, I was the MC at the University of Maryland Women’s Basketball banquet. Brenda Frese graciously asked me if I would be a part of that. I was very excited to be there. I had a chance to visit with them, have fun with their boosters, alumni, and the team in general. I spent time with Shay Doron, her family, and their team. The day I arrived, Shay picked me up at my hotel and I immediately became part of the Maryland basketball team. I went to the weight room with them, lifted weights, and did all their stuff. They made me feel welcome which was really cool and allowed me to fit right in. I was probably more sore from lifting the next day and would never let them know that of course!
The next day, I got on an airplane and flew to UCLA where I was a speaker for the The Hartford Playbook for Life Program. There, I talked about financial literacy. We had a great formant of UCLA athletes and for the 4 male athletes that were there …. Boy, what a great decision by them because there was about 90% women in the room. The odds were in their favor. We had the swimmers, and volleyball players, and basketball players, it was really kind of cool to be on campus and I mean my goodness, it is UCLA, it’s in the heart of Westwood. And I loved it!
From there, I went over and stayed at the Beverly Hilton for the Billies which is just an unbelievable red carpet affair put on by the Women’s Sport Foundation for the great Billie Jean King. We have the ESPY’s at ESPN, and they have the Billies. For the 2nd straight year, it was hosted by Billie Jean King and Sir Elton John. What a night that was! It was black tie and red carpet event. There I am with all the flashing bulbs and I’m on the red carpet with my brother Deion Sanders( I’m his evil twin) and we were just walking arm in arm. It was fun and big time. Sharon Stone and Geena Davis and Cheryl Miller and Ann Meyers and some of the greatest female athletes were there really to honor people that contribute to women’s sports and media. It was a pretty spectacular night for all. Rodney Pete was there, I mean, it was electric. Lisa Leslie and her husband were at the event as well. I mean, it was just so much fun. People were taking pictures with Billie, and to see the athletes, it was just great fun. That is the coolest thing about being an athlete among athletes, is that we all want to be around each other. We want to take pictures with each other and we want to swap cell phone numbers with each other. And I think at the heart of it, we are all still kids. I hope I never lose it, I know that! One of the highlights for me was going on the stage with Ann Meyers and Cheryl Miller and seeing the history of women’s basketball. We did a skit with some young girls. Kind of asking “do you know who we are”? It was fun, because we don’t get to do that often and we should do it more. And I really love those guys and really enjoy being around them.
I flew home the next day, and yes, the 13th, I flew on Friday the 13th. I flew to Boston to be a speaker for Harvard Law School. I talked about women and business and women in sports, and opportunities I think my opening line was “oh my gosh who knew Harvard had a law school? You just hired Tommy Amaker and the women’s team just went to the NCAA Tournment. I had a little fun with that. They were talking about Chief Justice, Clarence Thomas, Ginsberg and the hallowed halls of congress. And I said “you don’t know what a court is until you have been on a court with Pat Summitt.” Now that is tough. And so I was having a lot of fun with that.
I went home to Dallas on the 18th of April; I got on an airplane and flew to Detroit to meet Martina Navratilova, the great Martina Navratilova who was going to be my keynote speaker the next day at the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year Award. It was really neat, Martina and I put on an hour and half free basketball clinic for the children of Detroit. We did this is Grosse Point, Michigan. It was amazing! We had about 125 children, we did question and answer, we talked to them about our experiences as female athletes we talked about teamwork. Martina was absolutely spectacular and for her to come out on the basketball court. It was fun for me, we had a great time.
The next day, Martina rocked the house at the Detroit Athletic Club. She was amazing with her speech. Lindsay Harding won the award, and could not be there because she was in Italy playing with the USA basketball team. But we had an incredible time and she had a great message. I flew back to Dallas that night. Are you getting the feeling that I have alot of frequent flyer miles?
On the 21st, I did free clinics in Dallas. I have been doing this for 20 years in the Dallas area. I did a free clinic from 1:00p.m.-3:00p.m. and then the next day, I did another free clinic in from 1:00 p.m.-3:00p.m.
Then I got on the airplane (theme here) to fly to Phoenix to play in The Knights of Columbus Golf Tournament. This golf outing benefits children’s charities. I played in the tournament for Bernings Fine Jewelry on behalf of Partricia Berning and her son Zach Berning. I wanted to be a part of that and help them. I have a home in the Valley of the Sun and visit there as often as possible. (Golf is great in Phoenix, which is a great excuse for me.)
Friday the 27th I flew to Connecticut to speak for the Hartford at their Jumpstart Program with Connecticut educators. I talked about financial literacy, being role models to children, teaching them how to evaluate their money that they have, and how to teach how kids can make good decisions when dealing with their own money.
Then on the 28th, I had 2 more free clinics in the Dallas area. 10:00a.m.-12:00p.m. and 1:00 p.m.-3:00p.m. In all we had about 500 kids get basketball instruction in 2 weekends. After that, I went home and put my feet up and went to sleep. And that was my action packed April!!!
Let’s see what May was like. May 3rd I did an appearance in South lake Texas for the opening of the new Star Power electronic store with Hall Of Famer Michael Irvin from 6:00p.m.-9:00p.m. Michael and I couldn’t decide how much of the stuff we wanted to buy even though we were making the appearance. We shook hands at this beautiful high class affair that David Pidgeon put on. Michael and I were honored to be there and enjoyed our time together. We have been basketball buddies and friends for many years.
Then on 7th I flew to ESPN for the WNBA preseason seminars which are really actually pretty neat. You get up there with your team at ESPN and the WNBA we talk about what the seasons going to look like, how we are going to promote it, the outlook , who’s going to be good, the stars, the draft, we cover everything. It is amazing how concise my executive producer is Pat Lowery. It is fabulous, she runs the meeting and nothing is left. She is a great person and I am very fortunate to be a part of her team. If executive producers had a Hall of Fame, Pat would be in it..
I flew home that night, and then next day, I was giving a speech for Bank of America for their montor/mentee program for my good friend Gillian Breidenbach. I spoke for about an hour for the noon session to executive women on how they can be great role models, mentors what they can do to learn and how they can be more effective in the workplace. I very much enjoy those types of events.
Indianapolis was my next stop on the 12th and 13th to do some pre WNBA work. I went to Indy to visit the Indiana Fever and I was also on the phone speaking to a lot of coaches in the league in preparation for the WNBA, NBA preview show. The 15th, I flew to New Jersey and was on NBA TV with Andre Aldridge, did the WNBA preview show and then that night I was in studio covering the NBA playoffs with Patrick Ewing and the “Junk Yard Dog” Jerome Williams who used to play with the Pistons when I was coaching in Detroit. Patrick is an old friend, and I mean we are old. So we go back a long time, that was fun for me, covering the NBA playoffs and talking about the hit Steve Nash took from Robert Horry.
I could feel the golf courses calling me when I went to Phoenix on the 17th. I was the key note speaker for Express, the women’s ad men’s clothing company executive meeting. They were amazing, the best of the best, 250 women and men from the company I had such a great time with them and being part of their success. I talked about wining and teamwork and empowering each other. I finished off the day by playing some golf.
On the 19th I was chairperson for the Phoenix Women Sports Association. Their dinner honored Billie Jean King. It was wonderful time for me to be apart of that affair. To have Billie Jean King not only at the table and her mom Betty, but my friends, Carole Machiz who donated $10,000, and Dr. Patti Flint was very gracias and gave $15,000 to support the program for PWSA. I had many other friends that night and it was definitely an inspiring night. Being out there and helping one another share Billie Jean King’s dream.
I flew back home to Dallas on the 22nd of May, I went to ESPN, in Bristol Connecticut. There, I did the WNBA preview show. We kicked off ESPN2 coverage of the WNBA and Linda Cohn (Ms. Mets fan Cohn) did the pre show for 30 minutes, it was great to see Linda again, always smiling, always fun always laughing. And then we covered the games that evening.
Place you seats and tray tables in the upright position for landing- I heard that again as I flew home on the 24th. This was a fun day for me because I had to do a feature story for NFL network on Tony Romo. I met Tony at the Cowboys practice facility after practice on the 24th.We met me in the film room. It was really kind of cool because I had film in there from when he played Carolina. It was his first NFL start. It was the first game after he came in the Giants game the week before. And so we watched film together of that game and his first snap, and I just asked questions about clarity, what he was thinking , what he thought, what he was thinking at the time, was he nervous. You know, all those good things, and how he sees the game now. Almost 9 months later. After being a starter, being to the pro bowl, all the success he had with the Cowboys. And then Tony and I went to the golf course and I got a mini lesson from Tony Romo who is a great golfer. He tried to qualify for the Byron Nelson, and the US Open, and only missed by a couple of strokes. He is an unbelievable athlete. Even a better basketball player, he was runner up in Wisconsin for Mr. Basketball in High school. (Did you know that one?)
And yes, I hit him with the question, rumor has been circulating about your personal life and you have been linked to everyone but me and Pamela Anderson, so I did ask him the question about Carrie Underwood, you’ll have to come back to my website to see what he told me.
Then the 29th I flew to Connecticut to do ESPN coverage for the WNBA double headers. Linda Cohn and I were in studio, and we had a wonderful time. I took my son TJ with me up to ESPN, imagine this, but he had never been there before and he had a great time. He accompanied me with Cat Carter, my former intern and they got a chance to see ESPN up close and personal and I think they had a great time. We were very fortunate to have ESPN allow them to tour the building.
So, it’s been a fun ride thus far, I’m taking a break- catch you next month. My landing gear is down for a minute.
Click here to read the
John J. Buro artcle on Nancy Lieberman.
Click here to read the Plano Star Courier Article on Reading with Celebrites.
Click here to read the Dallas Morning News Article
Michael Granberry.
Read the
Barrier Basher artcile by
David Cooper in POST Magazine.
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