“I’d like to introduce our new head coach, Becky Hammon.”
Those are words that some say could be spoken by an NBA general manager in 2028, if not sooner.
Spurs assistant Becky Hammon is mentioned often as a likely first female head coach.getty images
Regardless of whether Hammon, currently a well-regarded assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs, or another woman breaks the league’s head coaching gender barrier or ascends to a general manager’s post, NBA diversity will mushroom over the next decade as the league builds on its recent inclusion efforts.
“There is no doubt in my mind,” Orlando Magic CEO Alex Martins said. “Diversity will expand and I can foresee a female head coach in the league.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver recently emphasized the need to put more women in supervisory positions as a way to prevent workplace harassment that came to light during the recent exposé and investigation of the Dallas Mavericks. The NBA this year will hold a number of workshops to help expand the list of women candidates for league and team leadership roles.
So during draft day 2028 press conferences, female GMs and team presidents welcoming new players into the fold will not be a surprise.
“Now you can see the pipeline and the vision that there certainly will be multiple female head coaches and GMs,” said Peter Feigin, president of the Milwaukee Bucks, which interviewed Hammon this year for their head coaching position and last year for their GM post. “It’s the way the innovators in the league think.”
