Nancy Lieberman Reflects on Prostate Cancer Awareness

Nancy Lieberman has vivid memories of how the disease affected her friends. Back in 1986, she made history by joining the Springfield Fame in the United States Basketball League (USBL), becoming the first woman to play in a men’s professional basketball league. Tragically, her former teammate, Michael Ray Richardson, passed away after battling prostate cancer.

“I spoke at Michael Ray Richardson’s funeral,” Lieberman recalled. “He was my teammate during a time before the WNBA existed.”

She shared that Richardson chose to keep his illness a secret from his loved ones. “He didn’t want to tell his wife, Kim,” Lieberman noted. “He didn’t want to tell his family either.” In stark contrast, former players like Spencer Haywood and Alonzo Mourning managed to overcome their own struggles with the disease, as highlighted by ESPN’s Jay Harris.

These names carry significant weight in her message to men about the importance of awareness around prostate cancer.

Now, Lieberman is actively partnering with the Prostate Cancer Foundation, Ice Cube, and the BIG3 to relay a straightforward message: get a PSA test. “You must tell your doctor, ‘Please check the box,'” she advised, mentioning that sometimes doctors might overlook this critical test.

PSA stands for prostate-specific antigen, and the Prostate Cancer Foundation is running a Check the Box campaign that encourages men to consult their doctors and undergo a simple blood test to determine their PSA levels. Lieberman aims to prompt men to request the test when they’re already having blood drawn, noting, “It’s a PSA box. It’s prostate-specific antigen.”

She also urged women to take part in this initiative by encouraging the men in their lives to be proactive about their health. “If you’re a woman, let’s gently prompt our guys and say, ‘Go to the doctor. Don’t be afraid. We’re here to support you,'” she said.