One of the seven women head coaches expected to lead WNBA teams this upcoming season is former San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon.
While some media members have discussed how disappointing it is that the NBA's glass ceiling won't be broken by a female coach, a group that's breaking down other barriers in the league, like the league has struggled to have women consistently in roles of leadership, has been a part She hopes the trend continues.
The W's percentage of women head coaches has increased over the last two years.
The New York Liberty have a new head coach in Sandy Brondello, who was introduced on Friday, and the San Antonio Silver Stars have a new head coach in Nancy Hammon.
If the Mercury's head coach opening goes to any of the candidates we've heard about, including current Sparks Assistant Latricia Trammell, former Sky and Fever head coach Pokey Chatman, previous Mercury assistants, and current Pelicans assistant Teresa Weatherspoon.
The numbers have not been seen by the WNBA since 1998.
The league will have at least three black female head coaches. Five former players will serve as head coaches, the highest number ever.
If the Mercury hire a Black woman to lead the organization, that will make her the most Black women to serve as the head coach since 2011.
It's important for little girls to see that, but it's also important for little boys to see that. Their mom is a leader. They look at it that way. That's all.
How far have we come?
Two years ago, there was no female leadership at the head coach. The majority of the head coaches in the league are women.
There were no Black female head coaches in the league at the time, and only one former player in the head coach seat. The majority of the head coaches were white.
The issue was referred to as a crisis by Minnesota's head coach and general manager.
Lindsay Gibbs of Power Plays looked at the patterns in the coaching of the W's before the finals kicked off. She found that head coaching opportunities for women in the W had decreased dramatically over time and that men held at least half of the league's head coaching positions.
The NBA and the G League hired former WNBA players as assistants. The Grizzlies have a new hire. The Boston Celtics and Westchester Knicks were coached by Kara and Lisa.
Why was there a diaspora of potential coaching talent? There is a lack of resources for front offices. She noted that the NBA has a resource who is supposed to be a "prospect coach" and give names to front offices when there is an opening.
The NBA sponsors an assistant coaches program that trains former NBA, G League and WNBA players to become qualified coaches.
The men's behavior needs to be duplicated to help raise awareness and spark action.
Cheryl Reeve is the coach of the Minnesota Lynx. The WNBA needs more women in its position, according to Reeve.
In an interview with B/R back in January 2020, Reeve said, "I think just the awareness, just all of us wanting to do better." Sometimes you fall into a comfort zone with eight out of 12 being men and they're hiring assistant coaches, they might go towards who they know. I have to hire someone I know and trust. I know that often means someone who looks like them.
If you allow teams to make their own decisions, they're going to make decisions that they're making, which is if you have white men in positions of power.
She called on the Commissioner to work with the Players' Association again to address the issue and try to expand the coaching line up.
The league could create a task force to help front offices navigate how to proceed with coaching hirings and assist with creating a talent database so that teams who are hiring knew who was interested.
"It's in our control," said Reeve.
She explained that a new policy change in the league allowed for teams to carry three assistants rather than two, and one member of the four-person coaching staff had to be a former player. The talent pool from assistant to head coach could be expanded by that provision.
The NBA's assistant coaches program alumni was hired by the Mercury in May 2020. The Dallas Wings hired Johnson as their head coach months after the Las Vegas Aces hired Tanisha Wright to be their assistant.
Slowly but surely, the line was getting bigger. At the end of the 2020 season, eight of the 12 head coaches were men.
It was an ironic and embarrassing reality for a league that dedicated that entire year to the #SayHerName campaign.
The crisis that has continued to plague the league for years was the topic of a point-blank question that was posed to Engelbert during her state of the league address.
A lot of our former players are in the coaching and GM ranks. "We have to make sure that this is top of mind even before positions come open, because that's how you place somebody in that position."
What's next?
Since October 2020, three open coaching vacancies have gone to women, and two appointments have gone to women. Three of the newer head coaches are Black: Johnson, Wright and Noelle Quinn.
The rise of women in head coaching positions and how that development shapes the league in years to come was addressed by the new Liberty head coach when she was introduced on Friday.
She said on Friday that she found that encouraging. I think it's the way it is. I think it will help grow our league.
Jonathan Kolb said that it's important for current players to be coached by former players. They know how to advise players on how to assess their post-playing career from a relevant perspective because they have been in the shoes of their players.
The players can start asking questions earlier if Sandy is in a position to inspire them. What does it take? Is this the avenue I want to go down?
On Monday, Hammon spoke about what a clear majority of women in the league mean and why it matters.
She told reporters that representation matters. It's important that we start to see leaders as leaders, and I think once we can start peeling back the layers of society and what is viewed as: This is a leader.
The W has positioned itself as a sports league that is moving in the direction of allowing not just its players but also its coaches to continue to break barriers and redefine what it means to lead.
The trend of former players and women entering the coaching ranks will continue, according to Reeve. She noted on her show that she would not be surprised if more women switch from the NBA to the W in search of leadership positions.
She said that they would welcome them back with open arms.
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