You can't talk about the history of basketball without mentioning Nancy Lieberman.

The Hall of Famer has coached at both the WNBA and NBA levels while also being a part of the Women's Basketball League, the Women's American Basketball League while also winning five medals in the Olympics playing for Team USA.

Through the National Basketball Retired Players Association, Lieberman recently sat down with Peter Vecsey to talk about her journey as an athlete and coach, her relationship with Muhammad Ali and her duty as a social rights activist.

You can find the full interview below.

Lieberman on Muhammad Ali's influence on her

“I fell in love with this man at 10 years old like when I was hopeless and helpless and I come in the house one day and I hear this voice on the TV. ‘I'm the greatest of all time, I beat Joe Frazier like a beach horse farmer, I'm too pretty not to be the champion of the world, I am the greatest of all time' and I was mesmerized.

“I go to the kitchen and my mom's in there. I go, ‘I'm the greatest of all time, I'm going to be a champion, I'm gonna knock you out.'  She goes, ‘Why are you talking like that?' [Lieberman said] ‘I don't know but I'm going to knock you out.' She goes, ‘I am your mother.' I said, ‘Okay I'm gonna knock [her brother] out.' She goes, ‘Him's your brother, he's going to be in trouble because I haven't been happy with him for a long time.' I stand there and I said, ‘You better get used to me. I'm going to be the greatest. I'm going to make history and I ran in my room and cried.”

Lieberman on playing in the Olympics and getting drug tested afterwards

“Winning is hard but I will say this: You try out for you as an Olympian for the United States but you play for your country. You play for people you don't know and they're cheering for you and they don't know you. It's pretty unbelievable.

“I bet you don't know this…you can ask Adrian Dantley. When you win your medal, like the men won their gold medal, somebody goes to the scorers table and they go [points] ‘this person, this person' for drug testing and Adrian Dantley was picked. Until he passed his drug test, they wouldn't give the U.S. the medal.

“They picked me and I'm looking at Billy Moore, my coach, and I'm like, ‘They should drug test Ann Myers or Lucy Harris they're the stars,' and they're [like] ‘No, No. 10.' So I go in there and I had stage fright because you go into the stall and the woman comes in with you and I'm like, ‘What are you doing in here?' She goes, ‘I have to watch you pee.' [Lieberman responds] ‘I can't pee with you in here.' So it was like an hour and a half and coaches and players are coming in [saying], ‘Nancy you have you have to pee.' I said, ‘I cannot pee with her in the room in the stall with me.' And so they gave me apple juice, they gave me water, they said to have a beer. I don't drink.

“So finally, like an hour and a half later the lady goes, ‘Let's try this.' She gives me the cup and she's behind me [and slightly turns]. She goes, ‘I need to see you. I'm right here, I'm like, ‘What do you want me to do?' It's so embarrassing, so I am responsible for America getting their silver medals late.”

Lieberman on fighting for social rights 

“People say, ‘Oh, why are you a racial or social justice activist today?' and I say, ‘Because I'm supposed to be doing this.' I feel deep in my heart that I'm supposed to help the underserved community because I'm a minority and I was the underserved community. Strangers helped me and Ali helped me, Kobe, Warren Buffett, there's been so many people in my life that kind of galvanized their time and energy for me.”