In 1979, Ann Meyers Drysdale of UCLA signed a contract with the Indiana Pacers worth $50,000 dollars. Although Meyers did not make the team, she became the first woman given a tryout by an NBA team and the first woman to work with the team through training camp. Meyers was a trailblazer for women’s sports in America, she was the first women to be given a four-year athletic scholarship for college, by UCLA. An all around athlete, Meyers lettered in seven high school sports including softball, badminton, field hockey, tennis, and basketball. Notably, Meyers was also the first high school student to earn a spot on the U.S. national basketball team. In her professional career, Meyers was the Women’s Professional Basketball League co-MVP in 1979-1980, and she was the first woman drafted by the WPBL. In her career, Meyers has been a professional basketball ball player, Olympic player, sports broadcaster, analyst, and executive. Meyers was most recently a color analyst for the Phoenix Suns and she serves as the current vice president for the Phoenix Mercury. Meyer’s has broken many barriers for women in the sports world. Her talent and efforts has seen Meyers’ induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, and the FIBA Hall of Fame.
Learn more about Ann Meyers Drysdale on the LOS podcast here.
