Bryan Flannery Wins PBWA’s Val Ackerman Award

Jan. 29, 2025 – Bryan Flannery, the manager of public relations for the New York Liberty, has been named the 2024 winner of the PBWA’s Val Ackerman Award, which honors a WNBA media-relations official who best exemplifies the standards of professionalism and excellence.

Flannery’s tireless efforts in the largest media market in the country never flagged, even as the Liberty won its first-ever WNBA title. He is always quick to respond to questions from media members, proactive in finding ways to provide access and collaborate, and friendly and professional at all times with our members.

“I am truly honored to receive the Val Ackerman Award from the Professional Basketball Writers Association,” Flannery said. “To earn this award amid a momentous season for both the New York Liberty and WNBA is an incredible recognition. As the largest media market in the world, I believe New York has the opportunity to lead from the front and continue to explore innovative ways to elevate coverage for this sport, league and team.”

Flannery continued: “I have the privilege of working alongside an amazing group of athletes, coaches, front-office staff, and media personnel – and I would like to especially thank Clara Wu Tsai, Keia Clarke, Jonathan Kolb, Marissa Shorenstein and Sheerin Salimi for their unrelenting support to make this honor a reality.”

Other nominees for the award included Alexandra Maund of the Connecticut Sun, Ryan Stevens of the Indiana Fever and Caroline Williams of the Las Vegas Aces. The nominations and final vote were conducted by members of the PBWA’s WNBA chapter, created in 2021 and chaired by Howard Megdal.

“I am delighted that we can come together and honor the incredible professionals who help us tell the stories of the WNBA,” Megdal said. “Truly, the long hours, two-way communication and quick turnarounds that are a standard part of team PR work is something we always appreciate as we endeavor to bring the remarkable narratives of this league to light.”

Keia Clarke, the Liberty’s chief executive officer, and Jonathan Kolb, the team’s general Manager, said in a statement: “On behalf of the entire New York Liberty organization, we would like to extend the biggest congratulations to Bryan Flannery on receiving the Val Ackerman Award.This well-deserved recognition is a testament to Bryan’s dedication to his craft, this team and the league. His partnership with the media continues to help elevate the sport, and we look forward to his continued impact in the seasons ahead.”

The PBWA last year announced the creation of three awards to honor WNBA figures who go above and beyond to work with the media. We are proud to present these awards, each named after trailblazers who helped light the way:

• The Val Ackerman Award goes to the best team (or in special circumstances, league) public-relations professional, and is named after the first president of the WNBA and current head of the Big East Conference, Val Ackerman, who possesses a keen understanding of the importance of media and has worked hard to empower us to do our best work.
• The Tamika Catchings Award goes to the player who best fosters a spirit of cooperation with the media, and is named after the former Indiana Fever star, who never said no to a chance to promote the league.
• The Anne Donovan Award goes to the coach (or in special circumstances, executive) who is most available and helpful to the media, and is named after the late Anne Donovan, an icon of the sport as a player, head coach and executive.

The winner of the Catchings Award will be announced Thursday, followed by the Donovan Award on Friday.

The awards are modeled after similar honors that the PBWA bestows annually on the NBA side, to the player (Magic Johnson Award), coach (Rudy Tomjanovich Award) and PR staff (Brian McIntyre Award) who consistently go above and beyond to work with the media and the public.

“We are grateful to all who help us shine a light on the incredible stories happening every day in women’s basketball,” Megdal said. “Documenting this period of time is not only vital to the growth of the game today, but will provide a historical record about the current trailblazing figures that will form the foundation for telling that history for generations to come.”

Founded in 1973, the Professional Basketball Writers Association is a nonprofit membership organization for journalists who regularly cover the NBA and the WNBA for newspapers, magazines, wire services and online outlets. At present, the PBWA has approximately 230 members, representing more than 80 outlets.