NEWNow you can listen to Pak Gazette articles!
Nancy Lieberman still remembers when the disease affected her friends.
In 1986, Lieberman became the first woman to play in a men’s professional basketball league when she joined Springfield Fame in the United States Basketball League (USBL). Micheal Ray Richardson, his former teammate, died after a diagnosis of prostate cancer.
“I spoke at Micheal Ray Richardson’s funeral,” he said. “He turned out to be my teammate when the WNBA didn’t exist.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PakGazette.Com
Nancy Lieberman attends the game between the Dallas Wings and the Las Vegas Aces during game two of the second round 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 kept the illness hidden from those close to him.
“He didn’t want to tell his wife, Kim,” Lieberman said. “I 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.
Those names now convey their message to men.
NFL PRO BOWL TIGHT END RAISING AWARENESS ABOUT PROSTATE CANCER, A CAUSE THAT COMES 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 teamed up with the Prostate Cancer Foundation, Ice Cube and BIG3 to spread a simple message: request a PSA test.
“You have to tell the doctor, ‘Check the box,’ because sometimes they don’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 asks men to talk to their doctor, get a simple blood test, and find out their PSA score.
Lieberman said the goal is to get men to request the test when they’ve already had their blood drawn.
“It’s the PSA box,” Lieberman said. “It’s prostate-specific antigen.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pak Gazette APP
Lieberman also called on women to push the men in their lives to action.
“If you’re a woman, let’s nudge our men and say, ‘Go to the doctor. Don’t be afraid. We’re with you,'” she said.
