Lieberman Wins Coach Of The Year As The First Female Coach To Lead A Professional Men’s Team To The Finals
NEW YORK, NY – August 21, 2018 – The BIG3 announced the winners of the 2018 BIG3 Player Awards in advance of the Championship Game set to air live on FOX at 8pm Friday, August 24 from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The honorees were nominated and voted on by the players and coaches with each member of the league able to vote once with equal weight in each available category. Players on the league’s top ranked team, Power, took home the most coveted awards recognizing the team’s hard work and competitiveness spanning the entire season.
Power Captain Corey Maggette earned the league’s top honor as the Most Valuable Player. Following a season-ending injury in the opening game last year, Maggette returned to the court in impressive form and led his team to the BIG3’s best record and a spot in the Championship game. This year, Maggette finished two points shy of the regular season scoring title, second overall in assists, tied for third overall in rebounds, and landed in the top ten in both made 3-pointers and steals. As a testament to his leadership on and off the court, Corey Maggette has also been named Player Captain of the Year. The battle for league MVP was heated this season as Tri-State’s David Hawkins received the second most votes, finishing the season in the top five in points, rebounds, assists, and steals before his team fell to Power in the BIG3 Playoffs.
Making a splash during her BIG3 debut season, Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman has been named the Coach of the Year. Her team, Power, finished the regular season as the league’s number one seed and prevailed last week in arguably the best game of the season to cement its spot in the Championship. Under her leadership, Coach Lieberman was able to get her players to buy into a truly unselfish, team-first style of basketball that separated them from the pack. Fellow Hall of Famer Gary Payton finished second in voting for Coach of the Year after leading his team to an almost perfect regular season, but he takes home the honor of Best Trash Talker for the effort he displayed with passionate exchanges with coaches, players, and referees alike all season long. The 2017 Best Trash Talker award winner Stephen Jackson and newcomer Nate Robinson were tied for second place.
