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Nancy Lieberman realizes dream, earns coaching job with Sacramento Kings

Jeff Zillgitt
USA TODAY Sports

Nancy Lieberman was running her son T.J. through basketball drills on Thursday when her phone started blowing up with calls and texts. The news had started to spread: Sacramento Kings vice president of basketball operations Vlade Divac had offered Lieberman a position as an assistant coach on George Karl’s staff and she accepted.

Nancy Lieberman joins Becky Hammon as the second female NBA assistant coach. This photo is from 2011 when Lieberman coached the Texas Legends.

The day was filled with congratulatory calls: John Calipari, Larry Fitzgerald, Muhammad Ali, former players, friends, family.

“People have options. They can do two things. They can reach out and let me know they love me and they care about you or they don’t,” Lieberman told USA TODAY Sports. “I have a history of some 40-odd years in our profession on a lot of levels with athletes, with coaches, with media. I have a lot of friendships and when people who love you and care about you tell you how proud they are of you – we’re only human – it makes you feel good.”

In an early-morning-night text to USA TODAY Sports on Friday, Lieberman called Thursday a “crazy, wonderful day.”

Lieberman, 57, is a pioneer. She is in the Hall of Fame for her career as a player at Old Dominion, silver medalist at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, player in the Women’s Pro Basketball League and men’s pro league the United States Basketball League. She also coached in the WNBA and the NBA D-League’s Texas Legends in 2010-11, preparing for the chance one day at an NBA job.

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Lieberman, who joins San Antonio’s Becky Hammon as the second female assistant coach in the NBA, spent time as an assistant with the Kings' Summer League team in Las Vegas earlier in July. She knew a job might be available when she left Vegas but didn't know for sure until Divac called.

Lieberman talked to USA TODAY Sports at length on Friday about the events, circumstances and journey, including wise advice from former NBA commissioner David Stern, that led to a coaching job with the Kings.

You were an assistant with Sacramento Kings Summer League team in Vegas. Take me through the steps of how this came together.

I don’t know that I have the total story of how it came together. But I know that during All-Star weekend when Coach Karl was hired, he must have been at a press conference, and he said he was interested in hiring me as one of his assistants. I was at the All-Star Game in Brooklyn and my phone started blowing up with media asking me if I was going to the Kings. I said, ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ They sent me a link to the article with George saying he knows me and that have a relationship. With all that said, we never spoke at that time.

When the season ended, there was some conversation about potentially going to the Summer League with them. Then Vlade came on board and he was open-minded and excited about the possibility. I met those guys in Vegas and just did what I do. I coach to the best of my ability and they were kind enough to allow me to be a part of their (Summer League) staff. We have some great assistant coaches on this staff, guys who have been in this league for years. They know their stuff.

After that (Summer League) I knew there was a possibility that they were interested, and it all came to a decision Thursday by Vlade when they offered me the job. Everything just took a fast track during the day. I was the in gym coaching my son T.J. and everything started going.

Has your assistant’s role been defined yet?

George will let me know what his expectations are. I’m going to go to Vegas on Sunday for the NBA coaches camp, and it’s also Tim Grgurich’s camp that he’s been doing for many years. Vlade and George will be there. They told me that’s where they will have my press conference. I’m sure they’ll let me what my role will be. George will know, and whatever he wants, I’ll deliver.

You coached the Dallas Mavericks’ D-League affiliate Texas Legends in 2010-11. How important was the Texas Legends job in helping you get to this job?

I would not have this job without (Dallas Mavericks GM and Legends co-owner) Donnie Nelson. Donnie Nelson is not only a friend, but he’s a hero to me. He entrusted me with his team when nobody was thinking about putting a woman on the bench. He protected me, and he championed me in being a head coach. We made the playoffs in my first season. We haven’t made the playoffs since. Donnie was amazing. He doesn’t get enough credit for being the first person to say, ‘I’m going to do this in a big way.’ I learned a lot. I learned about flexibility. I learned NBA coaching styles, the dialogue, how to handle players. It was the D-League so I could make my mistakes in there, too, and learn from them – how to become a better communicator, a better coach. My job was to get guys to the NBA and to get my coaches to the next level. The D-League is an opportunity for all of us to grow. It’s pretty spectacular.

Nancy Lieberman is seen in this photo coaching the Texas Legends.

For almost all of last season, Cleveland Cavaliers coach David Blatt often said the game is the game. Basketball is basketball. Before the Finals, he told me the game isn’t the game. The NBA game is different and he had a big learning curve. Was it necessary for you to coach a men’s team before getting this job?

Yes it was. I would not be telling the truth. You must have experience. It’s a different game. There’s different terminology. The year before I started coaching (the Legends), I went to see (Pittsburgh Steelers coach) Mike Tomlin, who was kind enough to let me come to Pittsburgh and pick his brain about how to handle players. I told him I was going to be coaching predominantly young African-Americans guys. I asked him, ‘What do I need to know? How can I make them better?’ I’ll never forget Mike saying, ‘Nobody’s ever called and asked me how to make black players better.’ Isn’t that my job? I know I’m going to be judged on wins and losses but isn’t it my job to learn how to communicate and let them know I care about them and that we’re in this thing together.

You’ve been an instructor at Grgurich’s camp in the past. You had the Texas Legends job. You visited with Mike Tomlin. What are some of the other things you have done to prepare yourself for this job?

I can give you the list of coaches I’ve called. Alvin Gentry let me come in with the Phoenix Suns before I started to coach (the Legends). Vinny Del Negro let me come in with the Clippers. I asked every question I could. I wanted to know what his playbook looked like. How did he delegate responsibilities? (New Orleans Pelicans assistant) Bryan Gates, who won D-League championship, I ended up calling him and his wife and saying if your wife will allow you to come to my house, I will cook dinner, but I need you to go through Xs and Os with me. Bob Hill, Del Harris, (Raptors coach) Dwane Casey, (Blazers coach) Terry Stotts, (Mavericks coach) Rick Carlise, Larry Brown. Anybody who would take my call. I know it sounds crazy. I picked up the phone and I asked and I asked and I asked and not one guy said no. Not one guy said no. I would just go and go over Xs and Os and ask why do you call it this, why do you call it that. They were generous with their time. My D-League brothers – Nick Nurse, with the Raptors, is a dear friend, like a brother. Chris Finch, he’s with Kevin McHale in Houston. Darvin Ham in Atlanta, Eric Musselman at Nevada – I can do down the list. (Jazz assistant) Brad Jones. (Blazers assistant) Nate Tibbetts – all these guys who are in the NBA, they were so good to me. I couldn’t have done it without them caring enough to want to help me. They have choices too. They can say scram. Or they can open their hearts, minds and wisdom and say, ‘Here’s what we’re doing.’

That happened when I was coaching the WNBA team in Detroit. I can’t tell you how many Doug Collins called me and said, ‘We have Chinese food and we’re breaking down film.’ All these coaches would include me. I can’t do this without them. Becky cannot do this without Gregg Popovich respecting her basketball acumen.

How long has this been in the making?

I was born to teach. I was born to do this. I love coaching. I love teaching. I love making people better. I love being part of a team and giving players a reason to come to work every day and become better. I want to inspire people to get the best out of them, and I want to win. I’m wired to win. That’s in my DNA.

I know you had an interest in joining an NBA team. Was there a point once you were done with the Legends job that thought this would happen? Did you know it would happen? Were you unsure it would happen?

You never lose hope that something positive can happen. I’ve been at this a long time. I’ve tried to do the steps the right way to show my peers that I’m serious like them, that I’m in the trenches with them. In many cases, they knew my name, they had respect for who I was and I got to a place where I didn’t need to a Hall of Famer, I just needed to be a coach.

I’ll tell you the real story. About five years ago I was talking to (former NBA commissioner) David Stern and he was getting ready to go to Europe and I had a very honest conversation with him. I said, ‘David, I really want to coach.’ I was getting ready to go in September to the Hall of Fame enshrinement where I go every year, and David said to me, ‘Nancy, you need to be where the people who are going to hire you are. They need to know who you are.’

I didn’t understand what exactly what he was saying. He told me there is an NBA coaches symposium at the Clippers facility with NBA coaches and executives. Or you can go to the Basketball of Hall of Fame enshrinement. He said, ‘That is who you were. You must be around the people who are going to get you to the next level.’ He was absolutely right. It was the most sage advice I’ve gotten. I didn’t go to the Hall of Fame for the first time in years. I got invited by David to go to the symposium, and that was a seminal moment for me because I got to connect with all the NBA coaches, assistants, GMs. It changed how they perceive me. I didn’t even know there was an NBA coaching symposium.

The Arizona Cardinals recently hired Jen Welter. Becky Hammon was an assistant with Spurs last season and coached their D-League team in Vegas, and Lindsey Harding was part of the Raptors’ staff in Vegas. What does that tell you about where we are today?

I’m proud to see people are open-minded. But a lot of these guys have daughters and nieces, and it didn’t start with us. We have a woman running for president. Hillary Clinton is running for president. That might be a little more important than Xing and Oing. I’m not sure. It could be. President Obama. He knows he’s African-American. He just happens to be the President of the United States. Change is hard for people, and our job is to make it normal. I know I’m a woman coaching in a man’s world. It’s normal to me. It’s maybe not normal to other people. This is who I’ve been my whole life. Everybody else puts the labels on. I’m just trying to be a coach. Everybody else attaches the labels. When I played for Henry Bibby in the USBL, I didn’t want to be known as a woman playing in a men’s league. My job was to be a player. Just be a player in the league. Make it normal.

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