Earlier today, women’s basketball pioneer Annie Meyers Drysdale was named the recipient of the 2024 Kobe & Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy Award. She became the first woman to win the prestigious award “for her continued contributions to the advancement of girls’ and women’s basketball.” Previous winners of the award were Chris Paul in 2022 and Pau Gasol in 2023.

In a recent press release, Meyers Drysdale expressed her gratitude. She said, “Having been around the WNBA since its inception, I am truly humbled to accept the 2024 Kobe & Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy Award and to be viewed as an advocate for girls and women in sports.” 

The 68-year-old icon, who currently holds the position of vice president for the Phoenix Mercury and serves as a commentator for both the Phoenix Mercury and Suns, will receive the prestigious award during the All-Star Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Despite her significant impact on basketball, many contemporary basketball fans may not be fully aware of Annie Meyers Drysdale’s impressive achievements. So, who exactly is Annie Meyers Drysdale?

Meyers Drysdale: A trailblazing icon

Annie Meyers Drysdale is a pioneer in more ways than one. Drysdale made history, as she became the first woman to sign a contract with an NBA team in 1979. After a three-day tryout, the Indiana Pacers offered her a $50,000 no-cut contract. Although Meyers was later cut from the roster, her exploits carved out a new path for female athletes.

However, Drysdale was creating history much before her NBA trials. She became the first high-school athlete to make the U.S. national team. Moreover, she made history as the first female athlete to be awarded a full four-year scholarship to UCLA and the first college basketball player to be named to the All-American Team in four consecutive seasons.

Nowadays, Meyers Drysdale can be either providing commentary during Phoenix Mercury and Suns games or making franchise-defining decisions for the Phoenix Mercury. As an executive, Annie led the Mercury to three WNBA championships in 2007, 2009 and 2014. Furthermore, she also became the first to broadcast an NBA game.

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Meyers Drysdale’s impact on women’s basketball cannot be understated. As before the WNBA and its stars, it was Annie who brought laurels to women’s basketball. Her career, not just as a player but as an executive and sportscaster, has been the textbook definition of a pioneer. Few will ever come close to the legacy and influence that Meyers Drysdale has had on basketball.

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