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

Forbes.com article

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.”
~ Alana M. Glass, Esq., Forbes.com SportsMoney Contributor

“Ann was the one who really got Women’s basketball going.”
~ John Wooden – Coach of the 10x NCAA champion Bruins basketball team

“Annie was one of the best players ever. I didn’t say male or female; I said ever.”
~ Bill Russell – legendary Celtics great

“It was her try-out with the Pacers that gave me the courage to go out for the Harlem Globetrotters.”
~ Lynette Woodard – Olympic Gold Medal Winner, andthe first female member of the Harlem Globetrotters in 1985.

“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.”
~ Tamika Catchings – WNBA All-Star

“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.”
~ Ted Green – Los Angeles Times columnist

“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.”-
~Julius Erving

“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.”
~Jamaal Wilkes

“She’s a legend.” ~ Robin Roberts, Good Morning America “She’s a modern-day Babe Didrikson Zaharias.”
~ Jim Brown, Hall of Fame Running Back