By Annie Walker
March 14, 2024
Dallas, Texas – Pro Volleyball Federation – the premier women’s volleyball league in North America – has announced that its franchise in Dallas has added Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman to its roster of team owners. The legendary basketball player, a longtime champion of women’s sports in the United States, will also serve as a team ambassador.
“Nancy Lieberman is one of the all-time greats in women’s sports and to add her to our roster of team owners is just another way to show that this League is here to stay,” touted Pro Volleyball Federation CEO Jen Spicher. “She played professionally for many years and understands the opportunity these phenomenal athletes now have with our League.”
As part of her role, Lieberman will assist the Dallas Pro Volleyball Team with business development and brand expansion in North Texas. She will also aide and collaborate with various community efforts in the DFW Metroplex.
“We are thrilled that Nancy has agreed to join our organization as team ambassador and owner” said founding co-owner, Armand Sadoughi. “As one of the most prominent voices in women’s sports, Nancy has been an advocate throughout the country for female athletes. She will undoubtedly be a significant asset by increasing the attention for the world class athletes in the Pro Volleyball Federation and specifically our Dallas franchise.”
She was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996, individually, and again in 2023, as part of Team USA. She is also in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame (Class of 1999). Lieberman is a two-time Olympian (Silver Medalist, 1976), three-time All-American and two-time collegiate national champion and Wade Trophy winner, played basketball professionally for over 20 years. The Old Dominion University legend was the first draft pick by the Dallas Diamonds of the Women’s Professional Basketball League in 1980. In 1984, Lieberman led her team to the league championship and was also named MVP. In addition, she played professionally in the WNBA for the Phoenix Mercury and Detroit Shock.
Following her playing career, Lieberman has served as a coach in the NBA, WNBA, G-League and BIG3 – breaking barriers and elevating the profile of women in sports. In July 2015, she became the second woman in history to join the coaching staff of an NBA team with the Sacramento Kings. In 2018, Lieberman led the BIG3’s Power to a championship and became the first female coach in the BIG3 league to be named Coach of the Year.
A world-renowned motivational and keynote speaker, Lieberman has been featured by Nike, Bank of America, FedEx, and JP Morgan, among others, to shed light on topics including business, sports, image and self-esteem, teamwork, winning, and racial and social justice.
“I have always been an advocate for women in sports and for Dallas to now have its own women’s pro volleyball team, it is just one more amazing win for this city and for the game of volleyball. Some of the greatest female athletes in the world have been volleyball players. Now with our pro volleyball team in Dallas, generations of young girls will get a chance to see and visualize what they could be. It’s an honor and a privilege to be a part of ownership,” said two-time Basketball Hall of Famer, Nancy Lieberman
An active member in the community, Lieberman hosts basketball clinics across the Dallas metroplex. Her charity, Nancy Lieberman Charities, serves over five million children per year and has built over 100 ‘Dream Courts’ across the country. In addition to Dream Courts and basketball camps, Nancy Lieberman Charities serves youth around the United States through Educational College Scholarships, Social Justice Lecture Series, and mentorship programs.
COURTESY PRO VOLLEYBALL FEDERATION AND DALLAS PRO VOLLEYBALL FRANCHISE
