Ann Meyers Signs with the Pacers: Breaking Barriers in Pro Basketball

On September 5th, 1980, basketball player Ann Myers did something no woman had ever done before when she signed a contract with the Indiana Pacers of the NBA for a chance to try out for their team, becoming the first woman to ever sign an NBA contract. The question is, was this just a stunt, or did she actually have a chance to make the team? We're going to find out all about it today on Daily Sports History. Welcome to Daily Sports History. I'm Ethan Reese, your guide to a rapid deep dive into sports history every day. And today's trivia question is, what professional basketball league did Ann Myers actually play for? Now, Ann Myers was born in 1955 and was one of 11 children who almost all loved sports, especially basketball. But it turned out that Ann was something special. And growing up with that many kids, they would often compete against each other. And that helped her gain success as she was an all-around athlete. In high school, she lettered in softball, badminton, field hockey, tennis, and basketball. And over her career, she earned 13 most valuable players for her high school teams. But basketball was her love and where she really stood out. She led her high school team to an 80-5 record during her time there. and would become the first high school student to ever play for a U.S. national team, where she won silver in the 1976 Olympics. And her siblings were great at basketball, too. Her sister Patty won a national championship with Cal State Fullerton, and her brother Dave was the number two overall pick in 1977 by the Los Angeles Lakers. And just like her brother, she followed him to UCLA in 1974. where she would become a four-time All-American and lead them to the 1978 National Championship and be named the most outstanding college basketball player of the year. And on February 18, 1978, she recorded the very first quadruple-double in NCAA history, man or woman, where she faced off against Stephen F. Austin and had 20 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists, and 10 steals. And since then, only four other Division I players have been able to achieve this feat. And she did so all while only being 5'9, which is relatively taller for women but shorter for men. And that comes into play later on in her career. After she graduated college, a new league popped up called the Women's Pro Basketball League in 1978. And she was the very first pick in their draft. Now this league was a small barnstorming league. and would go on to lose about $ 14 million in its three seasons of being active. But it was a great start for women, but it may have just been too early and not had the backing it needed to have success like the WNBA has today. So as it was folding in 1980, she gets a call to try out for the Indiana Pacers, where she is giving a $ 50, 000 no-cut contract to try out for the Pacers. Now, many thought, was this just a stunt? Because the Pacers at the time were not a very good team. They had just come from the ABA to the NBA and had lost some of their great ABA players and were struggling to make a name for themselves in the NBA. But the Pacers coach at the time, Slick Leonard, said he actually tried to talk her out of trying out for this team. He grew up at a time where women... didn't play with Min. They stayed in the house, did the cooking, did the cleaning. That's what he grew up in. And Minnie thought the same thing. It was just 1980. But she was set to prove him wrong. And she actually did. Now Slick said he treated her as any other player. If she did good, then she could stay for the tryout. But if she did bad, he would cut her. And after the first day of tryouts, she actually did very good and was better than multiple players. And she made it to the next day where multiple players got cut. And the second day, she was able to make it again, despite multiple players being cut. But after the three-day tryout, she was also cut, where Slick Leonard, the coach of the Pacers, said he cut her just like any other player. It was nothing to do with her. She just wasn't quite there yet, although she was better than half the other players at the tryout. And though this was discouraging for her to not make it, especially since there was no other avenue for women at the time. The WBL was struggling and was going to fold within a year. And being part of these leagues meant that she could not compete in the Olympics again because now she had gotten professional contracts. But she didn't stop being involved. She would go on to do commentary for the Pacers and women's sports over the years. Then when the WNBA formed, She became an analyst for the WNBA and go on to become an executive for the WNBA, where she's helped grow the sport in other ways than just playing. Now, she wasn't the first player to ever, the first woman to ever dabble in possibly playing for the NBA. As in 1969, Denise Long was drafted by the San Francisco Warriors, but the NBA voided the Warriors selection, so Denise Long never played for the NBA. And in 1977... Louisa Harris was drafted by the New Orleans Jazz, and Harris declined a tryout for the Utah Jazz. But it's interesting to see that since then, not many women have gotten the opportunity in the NBA. Although there have been great players, especially before the WNBA happened, the reason is mainly height. Women are just naturally shorter than men, and when we think of the NBA, we all think of really tall men, and women are just naturally shorter, as Ann Myers was only And that made it hard for her as she could only play point guard in the NBA due to her height and that limited her options. Although women today have gotten a little bit taller, it still doesn't negate the fact that it is different. But maybe one day a woman will make that leap. But maybe they won't have to as women's sports are growing even more, especially in the WNBA with the addition of Kaitlyn Clark and Angel Reese, which has moved women's basketball to the forefront today. of sports. And maybe it can make their own league as valuable as the NBA. Thank you for listening to today's Daily Sports History. If you like this, please follow us on our socials. We're on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Threads. We even throw Macedon and Pinterest in there sometimes. Follow us where you like to socialize and come back tomorrow for more Daily Sports History. And did you catch the answer to today's trivia question? What league did Ann Myers play for? And it was the WBL, the Women's Professional Basketball League, where she was the number one overall pick.