Hall-Of-Famer Ann Meyers Drysdale talks about making history as a broadcaster, being the first woman to sign with an NBA team (the Indiana Pacers), and following your dreams.
Ann Meyers Drysdale is one of the greatest stars in the history of basketball. She is also no stranger to groundbreaking moments for women.
Drysdale became the first player to be a part of the U.S. national team while she was still in high school. From there she became the first woman to be signed to a four-year athletic scholarship for college at UCLA. While at UCLA, she became the first Division I player, male or female, to record a quadruple-double.
After college, Drysdale was not finished making history. In 1979, she became the first woman to sign a contract with an NBA team, the Indiana Pacers. After her tryout, Drysdale became a color analyst for the Pacers in a time that saw very few women in sports broadcasting.
Even with all of those accomplishments under her belt, almost 40 years later, Drysdale continues to rewrite the history books. Last week, the Phoenix Suns took on the Charlotte Hornets in a game that left people talking about the broadcasting more than the outcome. Drysdale teamed up with Stephanie Ready marking the first time in NBA history a game featured two female analysts.
When asked what it takes to succeed in a male-dominated field, Drysdale said, “I think for any young girl or young boy its just about following your dreams, always. You are going to have setbacks. You got to get back up. People are going to tell you that you can’t do it, you’re not good enough, you can’t do this. And you can’t let people tell you that and dictate what you want to do. And if you never try you’ll never know.”
Drysdale has been a color analyst for the Phoenix Suns since 2012. She is also serving as the Vice President for the Phoenix Mercury.
“The biggest thing for a lot of young girls and a lot of young women that want to get into broadcasting or writing or a male dominated sport…if they have a passion for something, do it. Try it. It may not work out the way they wanted it to, but it’s going to lead to a lot of open doors.”