Lindsey Harding

Hannah Taheri

After a nearly record-breaking number of wins for the Sacramento Kings in the 2018-19 season, the team is hungrier than ever for a spot in the playoffs. 

In hopes of helping lead them there, the Kings organization added WNBA star and former assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers, Lindsey Harding, to its front office. The Duke grad recently sat down with ESPN to discuss her feelings about her new role, and share insight on what it’s like to be a female coach in a male-dominated field.

“The question is always, 'Will the guys respect you? Can [women] coach men?'” Harding told ESPN’s Ramona Shelbourne. “I think the whole thing is just being uncomfortable, or being comfortable in the unknown. The players have never been the issue. I guess it's just being afraid of the unknown."

As noted by Shelbourne, Harding will join the growing list of female coaches in the NBA, including Becky Hammon of the San Antonio Spurs and Kristi Toliver of the Washington Wizards. Her new title also makes her the third full-time female coach to join the Sacramento Kings staff, following in the footsteps of former assistant coaches Jenny Boucek and Nancy Leiberman. 

"This isn't the only job in the world that was difficult for women to break through,” Harding pointed out. “At one point, with every job, there was only one woman doing it. And then eventually other women start doing it. I mean, you don't think twice now when you see a female doctor." 

In addition to becoming the new assistant coach, she will also serve as a Player Development Coach for the Kings. According to Shelbourne, the general manager of the 76ers, Elton Brand, was quick to encourage Harding to take on these new roles in Sacramento. 

"From her strategic and insightful approach as a scout, to her commitment to excellence and attention to detail as a player development coach, Lindsey Harding was fantastic here,” Brand gushed. “I'm thrilled for her promotion and opportunity in Sacramento.”

lindsey-harding-shares-insight-on-female-representation-in-nba-coaching-roles

Lindsey Harding Shares Insight on Female Representation in NBA Coaching Roles

Official Release

The Sacramento Kings have added three members to Head Coach Luke Walton’s coaching staff for the 2019-20 season, naming Stacey Augmon and Lindsey Harding as assistant coach/player development and Rico Hines as player development coach. Augmon, Harding and Hines will join Kings Legend Bobby Jackson, currently serving as assistant coach/player development.

Augmon brings over 30 years of basketball experience at the professional and collegiate level as both a player and coach. Augmon most recently served as the head coach for Jeonju KCC Egis of the Korean Basketball League during the 2018-19 season leading the team to the KBL Semi-Finals and a 32-30 record. Before his time in the KBL, Augmon was an assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks (2016-18) and Denver Nuggets (2007-11) while also working for his alma mater, UNLV, as an assistant coach for five seasons from 2011-16. Augmon played 15 seasons in the NBA, accruing averages of 8.0 points (.469 FG%, .728 3pt%), 3.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.0 steals and 21.6 minutes per game in 1,001 contests for six teams; Atlanta (1991-96), Detroit (1995-96), Portland (1996-2001), Charlotte (2001-02), New Orleans (2002-04), Orlando (2004-06). Augmon was selected ninth overall in the 1991 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks after a standout collegiate career with the Runnin’ Rebels (1987-91) where he led the team to a National Championship (1990), had his No. 32 retied and in 2002 was inducted into the UNLV Athletics Hall of Fame. Augmon was a member of the 1988 United States Olympic Team, which captured a bronze medal at the Seoul Olympics.

Harding adds over a decade of basketball experience at the professional level as a player and coach, most recently serving as a player development coach for the Philadelphia 76ers beginning in April. Prior to her promotion, Harding worked as the NBA’s first African American female pro personnel scout for Philadelphia (2018-19) following a nine-year career in the WNBA. Harding averaged 9.8 points (.414 FG%, .252 3pt%, .755 FT%), 2.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.1 steals and 28.7 minutes per game in 270 career games (210 starts) for Minnesota (2007-08), Washington (2009-10), Atlanta (2011-12), Los Angeles (2013-14), New York (2016) and Phoenix (2016). She also played internationally in Turkey, Lithuania, Russia and participated in the 2016 Summer Olympic Games as an integral part of the Belarus women’s national basketball team. Harding was selected first overall in the 2007 WNBA Draft after playing for Duke from 2002-07 where she earned the 2007 Naismith College Player of the Year award, had her No. 10 retired and was enshrined into the Duke Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018, becoming the third women’s basketball student-athlete to be inducted.

Hines brings over a decade of professional and collegiate basketball coaching experience and is known for his basketball development prowess. Recently, Hines served as assistant coach for the Sacramento Kings NBA G League affiliate, the Stockton Kings (2016-19), as the team transitioned from Reno to Stockton and made NBA G League playoff appearances in 2017-18 and 2018-19. In the five years prior, he served as assistant coach for St. John’s University (2010-15) after serving four seasons as the player development assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors (2006-10). In addition, Hines has worked closely with numerous NBA and collegiate players during the offseason, coaching and training athletes ahead of the NBA season. The UCLA alum graduated in 2002 and was a five-year member of the basketball program, serving as team captain for his final three seasons, which included five Bruin NCAA appearances and four trips to the Sweet 16.

Previously announced members of the 2019-20 season coaching staff include Igor Kokoskov, Bob Beyer and Jesse Mermuys, as assistant coaches, Roy Rana as assistant coach and chief of staff, Bobby Jackson as assistant coach/player development, Jonah Herscu as advance scout and Will Scott as head video coordinator and player development coach.

Lindsey Harding

Lindsey Harding Shares Insight on Female Representation in NBA Coaching Roles

Kings Add Stacey Augmon, Lindsey Harding and Rico Hines to Coaching Staff