The Charlotte Hornets have been approved to interview Lindsey Harding, the coach of the G League’s Stockton Kings, for Charlotte’s head coaching job, a league source confirmed Monday. It was ESPN who first announced the news.
If Harding is hired, she will become the first woman to be named head coach of an NBA team.
Harding, 39, was the Phoenix Mercury’s No. 1 pick in the 2007 WNBA draft. Last year, she became the only female head coach in the NBA or G League when she coached Sacramento’s G League team to its first game, a loss, against the Santa Warriors Cruz in November 2023.
Harding, a former Duke star whose No. 10 jersey was retired by the program, was named the Naismith Player of the Year in 2007. She played nine seasons in the WNBA and, following her playing career, worked as a scout and player development coach. for the Philadelphia 76ers. She then spent four seasons as an assistant with the Sacramento Kings before being named head coach of the Stockton Kings.
Last week, Harding became the first woman to be named NBA G League Coach of the Year after leading the Stockton Kings to a 24-10 regular season record.
Harding has also been coach of the Mexico women’s national team since 2022 and previously held the same role for the South Sudan women’s team.
Although female coaches in the NBA are still rare, more and more women are working as player development coaches or second or third assistants. Becky Hammon was a top assistant to San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich for years. She became the first woman to serve as a head coach in an NBA game when Popovich was ejected against the Los Angeles Lakers on December 30, 2020. She also served as the head coach of the Spurs during the NBA Summer League, a showcase for recruits and young players hoping to make a team in the fall.
Required reading
(Photo: Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
News Source : theathletic.com
Gn sports
