UCLA Women's Basketball: Former Bruins Star Wins Major WNBA Advocacy Honor
The WNBA announced on Sunday evening that Ann Meyers Drysdale has been named the recipient of the 2024 Kobe & Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy Award.
The Naismith Memorial and Women's Basketball Hall of Fame member is the award's third honoree and will be presented with it during the NBA All-Star Game.
"Annie has been a force inspiring young girls on and off the court -- something she, Gianna and Kobe shared and cared about deeply. I'm happy Annie is receiving this award in Kobe and Gianna's memory -- she is so deserving."
Vanessa Bryant, chair of the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation
The award is presented to someone who "advocates and influencers who use their time, talent and platform to raise awareness for the WNBA and girls' and women's basketball"
"Having been around the WNBA since its inception, I am truly humbled to accept the 2024 Kobe & Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy Award and to be viewed as an advocate for girls and women in sports. I first met Kobe when his dad was coaching the Los Angeles Sparks, and I was on the Sparks' broadcast team. I knew then how much passion Kobe had for the game of basketball and how that devotion ran in the family. It was a full-circle moment for me when Kobe led his daughters to the sport, and we all saw the support he gave to girls and women in the game.
"As someone who has also lost a husband while raising young children, I hope to honor Vanessa's strength and bring further awareness to the ways that she continues to recognize her husband and daughter's legacy."
Meyers Drysdale has been an icon for women in basketball for decades. From high school to the United States National Team to UCLA and then finally becoming the first female to sign an NBA contract when she signed with the Indiana Pacers in 1979.
It's fitting for her to win this award and be presented with it at the NBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis on Sunday night.