-

 



 

Home

 

 
 
 

 

RT

 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 

CNN

 

WOLF BLITZER

Travel

 

CHINA

 

Dr. Beat Richner
Thailand
Angkor Wat
Consumer Reports
Thai Police Harass

Sheldon Adelson

SPORTS
JUNIOR SEAU
ELGIN BAYLOR
BILL RUSSELL
BOB PETTIT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CNN'S FAKE NEWS

 

 

 

 

NBA NEWS - Annie Meyers Drysdale recipient of Kobe & Gigi Bryant WNBA Award


 

Naismith Memorial and Women's Basketball Hall of Famer Annie Meyers Drysdale

 

 

Red Auerbach the greatest NBA coach of ALL TIME - photo Steve Lipofsky Basketballphoto.com

 

Los Angeles Lakers Magic Johnson and Boston Celtics Larry Bird in Game two of the 1985 NBA Finals at Boston Garden Date 30 May 1985 - Steve Lipofsky www.Basketballphoto.com

 

 

 

 

Meyers Drysdale, a vice president and longtime broadcaster with both the Phoenix Mercury and the Phoenix Suns, has consistently broken barriers and fought for equality in sports during her storied basketball career - THIS DAY IN THE NBA

 

NEW YORK, N.Y. USA

Monday February 19, 2024

The WNBA announced that Naismith Memorial and Women's Basketball Hall of Famer Annie Meyers Drysdale has been named the recipient of the 2024 Kobe & Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy Award for her continued contributions to the advancement of girls' and women's basketball.

Meyers Drysdale, a vice president and longtime broadcaster with both the Phoenix Mercury and the Phoenix Suns, has consistently broken barriers and fought for equality in sports during her storied basketball career.

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation Executive Director Kat Conlon will present Meyers Drysdale with the award tonight during the 2024 NBA All-Star Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Meyers Drysdale is the third recipient of the annual honor, joining Chris Paul (2022) and Pau Gasol (2023).

The Kobe and Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy Award honors advocates and influencers who use their time, talent and platform to raise awareness for the WNBA and girls' and women's basketball, like Kobe Bryant was so committed to doing.

Kobe was a major contributor to the growth of the women's game at every level, helping train and mentor middle school, high school, college and WNBA players.

The Kobe & Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy Award highlights Kobe's legacy as a coach and mentor and Gigi's inspirational, relentless commitment to playing at the highest levels of the game.

"Annie has been a force inspiring young girls on and off the court - something she, Gianna and Kobe shared and cared about deeply. I'm happy Annie is receiving this award in Kobe and Gianna's memory - she is so deserving," said Vanessa Bryant, Chair of the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation.

"Annie Meyers Drysdale is a pioneer who has had a profound impact on our game and influenced generations of athletes," said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. "She has worked tirelessly to elevate girls and women's basketball during her decorated career as a player, executive and broadcaster. Presenting this advocacy award to such an inspiring leader is a wonderful way to honor the legacy of Kobe and Gigi Bryant, especially as we recognize the 45th year anniversary of Annie being the first woman to sign an NBA contract."

"Having been around the WNBA since its inception, I am truly humbled to accept the 2024 Kobe & Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy Award and to be viewed as an advocate for girls and women in sports," said Meyers Drysdale. "I first met Kobe when his dad was coaching the Los Angeles Sparks, and I was on the Sparks' broadcast team. I knew then how much passion Kobe had for the game of basketball and how that devotion ran in the family. It was a full-circle moment for me when Kobe led his daughters to the sport, and we all saw the support he gave to girls and women in the game. As someone who has also lost a husband while raising young children, I hope to honor Vanessa's strength and bring further awareness to the ways that she continues to recognize her husband and daughter's legacy."

Meyers Drysdale's trailblazing accomplishments include being the first high school basketball player to make a U.S. National Team, the first female athlete to receive a full athletic scholarship to UCLA (where she competed in basketball, volleyball and track & field) and the first college basketball player to be named to the All-America Team in four consecutive seasons. She also made history as the first woman to sign an NBA contract when she joined the Indiana Pacers in 1979.

As a basketball executive, Meyers Drysdale was general manager for the Mercury's first two WNBA championships (2007 and 2009) and vice president for the franchise's third and most recent championship (2014). Meyers Drysdale's pioneering achievements extend to her award-winning broadcasting career. She was the first woman to broadcast an NBA game, as a color commentator for the Pacers. Meyers Drysdale has served as an analyst for several national networks across a variety of sports, including assignments at six Summer Olympics.

In 2012, the U.S. Basketball Writers Association renamed its women's Division I college basketball National Player of the Year award in honor of Meyers Drysdale. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's annual award recognizing the top collegiate shooting guard is also named for Meyers Drysdale.


THIS DAY IN THE NBA

February 19, 1982 Atlanta’s 127-122 four-overtime win over Seattle equaled the fourth-longest game in NBA history and the second-longest since the institution of the 24-second clock.

February 19, 1995 Houston’s Hakeem Olajuwon passed the 10,000-career rebound plateau after pulling down nine boards in the Rockets’ 122-117 loss at New York.

February 19, 1996 Phoenix’s Charles Barkley pulls down his 10,000th career rebound in the first quarter of the Suns’ 98-94 OT win against visiting Vancouver, becoming the 10th NBA player with 20,000 points and 10,000 rebounds in a career.

February 19, 2001 Guy Rodgers, a four-time NBA All-Star who led the league in assists twice in a 12-year NBA career from 1958 to 1970, died of a heart attack in Los Angeles at age 65.


NATIONAL RADIO TEXT PUBLISHED IN 5 LANGUAGES

National Radio text has been published in five languages, Thai, French, Russian, Khmer (Cambodian language) and English, Any of our foreign language material and our Roman Wanderaugh columns are legally available ONLY on our National Radio.com & National Radio World.com sites

Also our sports, entertainment and feature programming has been broadcast on over 1000 radio stations in America.

The most accurate history of www.nationalradio.com & nationalradioWORLD.com is available on the BING search engine. On the Bing nationalradioWORLD.com search page - Press: see only nationalradioworld.com results


© Copyright: National Radio. Any use of these materials, whole or in part, is prohibited unless authorized in writing by National Radio. Contact: nationalradio@yahoo.com All rights reserved.

 

 

NBA

 

Los Angeles Lakers
Phil Jackson
NBA MAX French language
Kyrie Irving
LeBron's Castoffs Excel
Giannis Antetokounmpo
KEVIN DURANT
LAKERS BUSTED
KOBE BRYANT
Omri Casspi

 

SPORTS

 

THE NHL's HULLS

 

NFL

 

Tom Brady's Bunch
Christian McCAFFREY

Super Bowl Pioneers

 

MLB

 

Shoehei Ohtani

Mike Piazza

 

SOCCER

 

TRINITY RODMAN

Thomas Tuchel
LIONEL MESSI
Sepp BLATTER MATTER?

 

TENNIS

 

Aryna Sabalenka

Roger Federer

Emma Raducanu

Williams Family
Julianna Pena
Joe Frazier

RONDA ROUSEY

TIGER WOODS