CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, in partnership with the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), announced the watch-list candidates for the 2027 Nancy Lieberman Award. Virginia point guard Kymora Johnson was named as one of 20 players on the watch list.
Now in its 28th year, the Nancy Lieberman Award recognizes the top point guard in women’s NCAA Division I college basketball. To be considered for this prestigious award, candidates must exhibit the floor leadership, playmaking and ball-handling skills of Class of 1996 Hall-of-Famer Nancy Lieberman.
Johnson makes her second consecutive appearance on the Lieberman Preseason Watchlist. A Preseason All-ACC selection, Johnson comes off a junior season in which she averaged 19.5 points, 5.9 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game in 2025-26 and was one of just three players in NCAA Division I to average at least 19 points and 5.5 assists on the year. In the NCAA tournament, Johnson averaged 22 points, 5.7 assists and 6.2 rebounds to guide Virginia to its first Sweet Sixteen appearance in 26 years as UVA became the first team in history to reach the Sweet Sixteen after playing in the First Four.
She set program records for three pointers in a single game (10), single season (103) and career with 231. Her 41 points against Winthrop also marked the second-highest single-game total in program history and her career total of 1,725 points ranks ninth in program history. Johnson was named a first team All-ACC selection and a WBCA All-America honorable mention in 2026.
Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting in each of the three rounds starting on Friday (Oct. 30). In February, the watch list of 20 players for the 2027 Bob Cousy and Nancy Lieberman Awards will be narrowed to 10, then to five in March. In late March, the five finalists will be presented to Cousy, Lieberman and the Hall of Fame’s selection committees, where winners will be selected. The selection committees for the Bob Cousy and Nancy Lieberman Awards are composed of top men’s and women’s basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers.
2027 Nancy Lieberman Award Candidates
|
KK Arnold |
UConn |
|
Jasmine Bascoe |
Villanova |
|
Kennedy Blair |
Michigan State |
|
Zoe Brooks |
NC State |
|
Jaloni Cambridge |
Ohio State |
|
Aliyah Chavez |
Oklahoma |
|
Jazzy Davidson |
USC |
|
Katie Fiso |
Oregon |
|
Hannah Hidalgo |
Notre Dame |
|
Mila Holloway |
Michigan |
|
Virginia |
|
|
Zamareya Jones |
Louisville |
|
Liv McGill |
Oklahoma State |
|
S’Mya Nichols |
Kansas |
|
Bryanna Preston |
Texas |
|
Britt Prince |
Nebraska |
|
Gal Raviv |
Miami |
|
Jada Williams |
LSU |
|
Jadyn Wooten |
TCU |
|
Chit-Chat Wright |
Iowa |