Building a WNBA team’s profile
Despite controversy, Isiah Thomas engineering Liberty’s turnaround
Twenty minutes after the New York Liberty finish practice, Isiah Thomas hits the court to work with rookie point guard Brittany Boyd.
Holding a broom up high to help Boyd work on shooting over defenders, Thomas passes along words of encouragement to the team’s first-round draft pick. Not too many team presidents in the WNBA or even the NBA come with the same on-court credentials as the Hall of Fame point guard.
Boyd is too young to really remember seeing Thomas play with the Pistons. But she’s well aware of his credentials and had seen him in the movie Hoop Dreams. She soaks his instruction up like a sponge.
“Always good to get a workout in,” Thomas said after they finish.
Thomas is hoping those words can apply to him, too, as he works to build the Liberty’s profile in the WNBA. He knows a lot of eyes are on him. Controversy swirled around New York when he was hired in May as the team’s president and potential owner. That didn’t sway owner James Dolan from bringing him back to work with the Liberty, who need a solid foundation after missing the playoffs for the past two years. They haven’t reached the WNBA Finals since 2002.
Two months into the season and he already has left a mark, on and off the court.
“Now we’re relevant,” Liberty coach Bill Laimbeer said. “We were borderline being irrelevant the last couple years. There was a chance New York goes away.”
The biggest difference that Laimbeer has noticed with Thomas in the fold is that Dolan shows up to games and is involved.
“I didn’t see him for two years, he never came to a game. He pays attention and is involved now,” Laimbeer said. “He comes to games, but also it is internally in staff, ticket sales. They are very aware that he is paying attention to the Liberty. Everyone else knows we have to pay attention to the Liberty also, that’s a huge positive.”
Thomas has been active behind the scenes. He talks with the Liberty’s marketing partners and helped the team hire a public relations firm to plan a celebration of New York’s 20th anniversary next year. He’s worked to get 29 of the team’s 34 games on television. He also has secured the Liberty additional player and team resources. New York hired former star Teresa Weatherspoon as a director of player development — the first in the league. New York has also hired a sports psychologist, as well as a career transition consultant to help the players prepare for life after basketball.