Laurie Byrd is a basketball coach and former basketball player from

Flint, Michigan Flint is the largest city and seat of Genesee County, Michigan, United States. Located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the region known as Mid Michigan. At the 2020 census, Flint had a population of ...

. She is sister to the professional boxer Chris Byrd.

College

A graduate of Hamady High School in

, Byrd joined the Eastern Michigan Hurons women's basketball team, which had just begun play the year before. During her collegiate career from 1978 through 1982, she led the team in both scoring and assists. Her 1,899 points was the EMU basketball scoring record (men and women) until surpassed in December, 2011, by Tavelyn James. In January, 2011, she became the fourth basketball player and the first women's basketball player to have her jersey retired by Eastern Michigan, joining

George Gervin George Gervin ( ; born April 27, 1952), nicknamed "the Iceman", is an American former professional basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Virginia Squires, ...

Grant Long Grant Andrew Long (born March 12, 1966) is an American former professional basketball player. He played over 1,000 games for the National Basketball Association over a 15-year career. Long had two relatives who were playing in the NBA during h ...

, and Kennedy McIntosh.

Professional

From 1984 through 1999, Byrd played professional basketball in Spain, Italy, Switzerland, and Sweden. She also played for the Detroit Dazzlers of the Liberty Basketball Association (leading scoring in the league's first game), the

Atlanta Glory The Atlanta Glory was a women's professional basketball team in Atlanta, Georgia. It was a member of the American Basketball League. The Glory played its home games in Forbes Arena. The team folded before the start of the abortive third ABL s ...

(1996–1997) and the San Jose Lasers (1997–1998) of the American Basketball League (ABL) as well as the Kentucky Marauders and the Chicago Spirits of the

Women's Basketball Association The Women's Basketball Association (WBA or WWBA) was the first women's professional basketball summer league, operating from 1992 to 1995. The league was called the WWBA and WBA for the first All-Star tour in 1992, before settling on WBA. The pion ...

. In 1998, at age 38, Byrd was the oldest player in the ABL. In 1999 and 2000 she was on the training camp roster for the

Detroit Shock The Detroit Shock were a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. They were the 2003, 2006, and 2008 WNBA champions. Debuting in 1998, the Shock were one of the league's first expansion franchises. Th ...

of the

Women's National Basketball Association The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is an American professional basketball league. It is composed of twelve teams, all based in the United States. The league was founded on April 22, 1996, as the women's counterpart to the Nati ...

Coaching career

From 1999 through 2002 she was an assistant coach for the University of Detroit Titans. From 2003 to 2005 she was an assistant coach for the

, who won a WNBA Championship in 2003. In 2007, she was the director of player personnel for the

Houston Comets The Houston Comets were a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Houston. Formed in 1997, the team was one of the original eight WNBA teams and won the first four championships of the league's existence. They are one of two ...

and in 2008 she became an assistant coach for the Comets. In 2009 and 2010 she was an assistant coach with the

New York Liberty The New York Liberty are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Liberty compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as part of the league's Eastern Conference. The team was ...

, and in 2011 she was an assistant coach for the

Washington Mystics The Washington Mystics are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Mystics compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference. The team was founded pri ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Byrd, Laurie American expatriate basketball people in Italy American expatriate basketball people in Spain American expatriate basketball people in Sweden American expatriate basketball people in Switzerland Atlanta Glory players Detroit Shock coaches Eastern Michigan Eagles women's basketball players Houston Comets coaches New York Liberty coaches San Jose Lasers players Washington Mystics coaches Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American women's basketball coaches