NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Norfolk has a fresh new outdoor basketball court for the Ocean View area, courtesy of Old Dominion legend Nancy Lieberman’s charity.
The “Dream Court” through Nancy Lieberman Charities will have an opening ceremony Friday at 4 p.m. at the East Ocean View Recreation Center at 9520 20th Bay Street.
Lieberman says partner PepsiCo in addition is sponsoring a $25,000 women’s athletic scholarship for ODU, where “Lady Magic” won two AIAW national championships and a WNIT title. She was inducted in the ODU Sports Hall in 1985 and is also a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer.
On Saturday, Nov. 5, ODU will also unveil a statue of Lieberman outside the Mitchum Performance Center at Chartway Arena at 9 a.m. ODU says Lieberman’s statue will be the only one on campus that isn’t Big Blue or a regular lion.
Norfolk will also officially rename the portion of 43rd Street from Hampton Boulevard to Monarch Way as “Nancy Lieberman Pass.”
Norfolk Mayor Kenny Cooper, an ODU grad, worked with city officials to get the signs created.
“In life you want to team up with people who have the same core values to help others. Pepsi Stronger Together does this every day and they have chosen to team up with me to make a difference in the lives of current Lady Monarch basketball players with a $25,000 women’s athletic scholarship and for youth in the East Ocean View community to have a safe and beautiful court to play on for generations to come. I want to thank Derek Lewis and the Pepsi Stronger Together family,” Lieberman said in a release.
The high school regulation size court (84 feet by 50 feet, compared to a 94 foot by 50 foot for college/NBA) also features a high-performance PowerGame surface from Sport Court, which partners nationally with Lieberman’s charity.
“The Dream Court partnership encompasses the greatness of Norfolk’s past, present and future through the combination of a local sporting legend in Nancy Lieberman; the valued support of our business community, including PepsiCo and Sport Court; and most importantly, a brighter future for so many Norfolk children who will get to play and exercise on this wonderful court in the Ocean View area,” Cooper said.”My thanks to all who played a part in making this dream a reality.”
The program has installed more than 100 basketball courts throughout the U.S. since it began in 2010, and Ocean View’s is the second in Norfolk. The other opened in Berkley Park back in June.