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Ann Meyers Drysdale has been one of the greatest stars in the history of basketball. But her rise wasn't without controversy. Her 1979 NBA bid to play with the Indiana Pacers brought a barrage of criticism. But Ann simply wanted to play among the best. She had always competed with the guys, and she never let anyone keep her down. A female first in many categories, Meyers Drysdale was the first woman ever signed to a four-year athletic scholarship to UCLA, where she remains the only four-time Bruin basketball All American, male or female. Ann competed in five ABC Sports' Superstars, winning three in a row for the women. She became the only woman to be asked to compete in the Men's Superstars. After her athletic career Ann did color commentary on all the national stations. She broadcast the 1984 Olympic games with ABC, and covered the 2000, 2004, and 2008 Olympics for NBC, and will be covering the 2012 Olympics for NBC. Ann has worked for ESPN for over 25 years, broadcasting men's and women's basketball and Championship games, and has also worked the Men's NCAA Tournament games on CBS. She continues to do work with FOX Sports and others. She also married Don Drysdale, legendary pitcher & announcer for the Los Angeles Dodgers, making them the first ever married couple enshrined in their respective sports' Halls of Fame. Today Ann continues to break through barriers. She is the only female Vice President in the NBA (she is VP of the Phoenix Suns and the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury), which has won two WNBA Championships since she took over four years ago. The New York Times featured her prominently in a piece in August called "Pioneers Continue to Shepherd Women's Basketball." Time Magazine recently named her one of the ten greatest female athletes of all time. Click here to visit Ann's website |
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Reviews and Accolades "A stunning portrayal of one of today's legendary women's basketball
treasures. Ann Meyers Drysdale provides a candid look at the courage,
faith, and determination that it takes to be a champion on the court and
in life." "Ann was the one who really got Women's basketball going." "Annie was one of the best players ever. I didn't say male or female;
I said ever." "It was her try-out with the Pacers that gave me the courage to go out
for the Harlem Globetrotters." "The contributions of Ann Meyers Drysdale.. (were) huge to the success
of the WNBA. Without players like (her) we wouldn't have seen greatness
in the women's game and we wouldn't have had role models to look up to." "Annie had a level of athleticism that fans and media didn't associate
with women. Everything she did on the court definitely did not remind
you of women who had played basketball before." "Ann always stayed one step ahead of the competition in terms of preparation.
It made her strong on the courts and it's what makes her so strong as
an executive today."- "She was the only woman to sign a no-cut contract with the NBA.
She was mad good and she had so much heart that it didn't matter what
size she was." "She's a legend." ~ Robin Roberts, Good Morning America "She's a modern-day
Babe Didrikson Zaharias." |
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About the Author
Ann Meyers Drysdale remains very active in basketball and golf, and can be seen participating in Celebrity Golf tournaments for charity and doing commentary for the major networks. Ms. Meyers Drysdale splits her time between her home in Southern California
and Arizona, where she is President and General Manager of WNBA team the
Phoenix Mercury and Vice President of NBA team, the Phoenix Suns.
About the Author Joni Ravenna has been the editor of the OC Woman Section of Parenting Magazine for the last six years. She also writes for Taste for Life Magazine and her work has been published in the LA Times, Esquire and Coast Magazine, among others. Ravenna is also a television writer/producer and a published, award-winning playwright. She wrote the 2007 PBS Pledge Specials “The Donovan Concert –Live at the Kodak,” and 2009’s “Latin Music Legends with Trini Lopez.” Other writer credits include “The Aging of America with Lee Meriwether,” “Judy Garland- Duets,” “My Hong Kong with Nancy Kwan,” “Earth Trek” and “Ticket to Adventure” for PBS, Outdoor Life, The Travel Channel and Fox Sports respectively. Her series “Great Sports Vacations” earned an ACE nomination in ’93 and was at one time the highest rated show on The Travel Channel. Over the years Ravenna has interviewed for print and/or television such film stars, authors and sports legends as Sean Connery, Deepak Chopra, Brad Pitt, Johnny Bench, Sidney Sheldon, Jenny McCarthy, Sissy Spacek, Marianne Williamson, Jim Brown, Willie McCovey, Willie Gault and Elgin Baylor. |
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