Harding said having more women in basketball operations positions will normalize women in the NBANBAE/GETTY IMAGES
There should be a "record eight women in on-court coaching roles this upcoming NBA season, with 18 more holding basketball operations positions in front offices," and though the NBA "feels less like an old boys’ club, there appears to remain a long way to go," according to Candace Buckner of the WASHINGTON POST. Just getting into the "hiring conversation remains an obstacle for many women, and even once they break through, many feel uncomfortable receiving attention for being a sideline 'first.'" 76ers Player Development coach Lindsey Harding said, "Just having more women around in basketball operations positions will start to, I think, make things a little more normal. And there won’t be articles written, like, ‘Lindsey Harding, first woman this.'" Buckner notes there are also six women who hold "controlling or significant ownership stakes in teams." Mavericks assistant coach Jenny Boucek said, "I don’t want to be known for my gender or the fact that I’m a mother. I want to earn my way as a coach and not be given any special treatment or different treatment." Harding: "We’re definitely moving in the right direction. I think a lot of people are very much open to this ... (but) the hardest thing in this job is relationships are everything" (WASHINGTON POST, 7/16). For more on inclusive hiring practices industry-wide, see this week's Sports Business Journal.
