Retired NBA player, Marcus Liberty, now lives with his family on the Suncoast

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - Marcus Liberty tells ABC7 Sports Anchor James Hill he worked extremely hard on perfecting his basketball skills against some of the best players in the Midwest in his youthful days.

“Growing up in Chicago was tough, so basketball was our way out. Most inner-city kids, basketball was their way out so for me, learning the game of basketball and being around a lot of guys who came before me and understanding what it takes I pushed myself to be that player,” Liberty said.

Marcus Liberty became a household name during the McDonalds All-American basketball game in 1987. He recalls Dick Vital using an American History reference to describe the recruiting interest Marcus Liberty received from most of the major college basketball programs and coaches in America.

“He said it in the McDonald’s All-American Game, and Lou Hensen and the fans at Illinois are screaming, Lou Hensen is saying ‘give me liberty or give me death, and that just stuck with me so I even named some of the things that I do. I have a t-shirt ‘give me liberty give me death.’ So, Dick Vitale was the one that coined that and gave me that on national TV.”

Liberty says he really enjoys helping local youth learn the game of basketball and how they can apply it to life.

“We’re all about giving back to the community of Sarasota of course and I have also started an after-school program,” Liberty said.

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