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Nancy Lieberman still remembers the moment the illness 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 in the United States Basketball League (USBL). Michael Ray Richardson, his former teammate, died after being diagnosed with prostate cancer.
“I spoke at Michael Ray Richardson’s funeral,” she said. “It turned out he was 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 in Game 2 of the 2023 WNBA Playoffs at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 26, 2023. (David Becker/NBAE via Getty Images)
Lieberman said Richardson hid the illness 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, as well as ESPN’s Jay Harris, survived battles with the disease.
These names now convey his message to men.
NFL PRO BOWL TIGHT END RAISES AWARENESS OF PROSTATE CANCER, A CAUSE HITTING 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 joined the Prostate Cancer Foundation, Ice Cube and the BIG3 to spread a simple message: Get 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 intended for PSA testing. PSA stands for prostate specific antigen. The Prostate Cancer Foundation’s “Check the Box” campaign advises men to talk to their doctor, take a simple blood test and find out their PSA score.
Lieberman said the goal is to encourage men to request the test after they have already had blood drawn.
“It’s the PSA box,” Lieberman said. “It’s prostate specific antigen.”
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Lieberman also called on women to push the men around them to take action.
“If you’re a woman, we’re going to nudge our men and say, ‘Go to the doctor. Don’t be afraid. We’re on your side,'” she said.
