Young's passion and support for women’s sports didn’t begin when he entered the NBA in 2018. It started as the big brother of two little sisters and watching them play sports growing up (mainly volleyball, but basketball too).
“I’m a big fan of all the women athletes,” Young said. “Especially the WNBA, soccer, and every other sport.”
Lloyd Pierce’s vantage point is a little different being a father to a young daughter. Pierce shared that two-year-old Maya gets excited about anything activity-wise, so it’s a new found role for him. He said they recently had balloons delivered to their house and she calls them “gosh.” So just the excitement of playing “gosh” with balloons is what he looks forward to.
“I don’t care what sport she plays. She enjoys activity and it’s something that I’m learning from the other side of being around women, the game, sports and their involvement,” Pierce said.
One woman in sports that Pierce has gotten to know and admire within the Hawks organization is two-time WNBA champion Renee Montgomery. She joined the FOX Sports Southeast team as a studio analyst for Hawks LIVE! after forgoing the 2020 WNBA season to focus on fighting systemic racism and social injustice. Pierce believes Montgomery’s decision allowed her to use sports as a platform and a steppingstone to really find her purpose.
“I think for all of us sport brings you opportunity that you don’t know where it will lead you,” Pierce said. “The involvement with sport helps grow the character of people, myself included, and to see that happen for Renee this past summer and past year has been really remarkable to see.”
Montgomery is one of the many talented women the Hawks employ. Across the organization, women are impacting the business of basketball.
Women in Hawks leadership roles:
- Melissa Proctor, Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer
- Chelsea Lane, Vice President of Athletic Performance & Sports Medicine
- Tori Miller, General Manager, College Park Skyhawks
- Camye Mackey, Executive Vice President and Chief People, Diversity and Inclusion Officer
- Janet Smith, Vice President, Brand Communications
- Kiy Jackson, Vice President of People & Culture
- Shirley Zhang, Vice President, Creative
- Andrea Carter, Vice President, Corporate Responsibility & Inclusion
- Amy Phuong, Vice President, Government Relations
- Janice Koon, Vice President, G League Operations
- Amy Serino, Senior Vice President, Brand Merchandising
- Caren Cook, Deputy General Counsel, Legal and Business Affairs
- Jennifer Young, Vice President, Partnership Strategy and Development
- Michelle Leftwich, Vice President, Salary Cap Administration
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For more information on how to support women in sports for National Girl’s and Women in Sports Day, visit here.