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Nancy Lieberman still remembers when the disease struck her friends.
In 1986, Lieberman became the first woman to play in a professional men’s basketball league when she joined the Springfield Fame of the United States Basketball League (USBL). Micheal Ray Richardson, her former teammate, died after a prostate cancer diagnosis.
“I spoke at Micheal Ray Richardson’s funeral,” she said. “He happened to be my teammate when there was no WNBA.”
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Nancy Lieberman attends the game between the Dallas Wings and the Las Vegas Aces during the second round of the 2023 WNBA Playoffs at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., on Sept. 26, 2023. (David Becker/NBAE via Getty Images)
Lieberman said Richardson kept the illness a secret from those close to him.
“He didn’t want to tell his wife, Kim,” Lieberman said. “He didn’t want to tell the family.”
Former players Spencer Haywood and Alonzo Mourning, along with ESPN’s Jay Harris, survived battles with the disease.
These names now drive her message to men.
NFL PRO BOWL TIGHT END SPREADS PROSTATE CANCER AWARENESS, A CAUSE THAT HAS HOME
Former basketball player and broadcaster Nancy Lieberman arrives at Symphony Hall in Springfield, Massachusetts, for the 2023 Basketball Hall of Fame induction on August 12, 2023. (Eric Canha/USA TODAY Sports)
The women’s basketball legend has joined the Prostate Cancer Foundation, Ice Cube and the BIG3 to send a simple message: Ask for a PSA test.
“You have to tell the doctor, ‘Check the box,’ because sometimes they won’t check the box,” Lieberman said.
The box is for the PSA test. PSA stands for prostate-specific antigen. The Prostate Cancer Foundation’s “Check the Box” campaign tells men to talk to their doctor, take a simple blood test and learn their PSA score.
Lieberman said the goal is to get men to ask for the test when they’ve already had blood drawn.
“It’s the PSA box,” Lieberman said. “It’s the prostate-specific antigen.”
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Lieberman also urged women to push the men in their lives to take action.
“If you’re a woman, we’re going to push our men and say, ‘Go to the doctor. Don’t be afraid. We’re right with you,'” she said.
