50-year-old Hall of Famer plays in WNBA game
Published 7:24 pm Thursday, July 24, 2008
HOUSTON — Hall-of-Famer Nancy Lieberman played for the WNBA’S Detroit Shock on Thursday against the Houston Comets.
The Shock signed the 50-year-old Lieberman to a seven-day contract on Thursday and she expected to make a one-time appearance in Houston.
Lieberman entered the game with 1:01 left in the first quarter and Detroit leading 19-13. She had a black sleeve protecting her left knee.
Lieberman lost the ball to Shannon Johnson the first time she touched it, 40 seconds after entering. She checked out with 8:34 left in the second quarter with all zeros on her stats line.
Lieberman surpassed by 11 years her own league record — in 1997, she became the oldest player in WNBA history at 39 while playing for the Phoenix Mercury. She stopped playing after that and served as the Shock’s coach and general manager from 1998-2000.
Lieberman took the roster spot that opened when forward Cheryl Ford sustained a season-ending knee injury during a bench-clearing melee in Tuesday night’s game against the Los Angeles Sparks.
