She Can Coach. But Can the NBA Handle It?

South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley holds the national championship trophy after winning the 2017 NCAA title. Photo by Charleston City Paper used under fair use for educational purposes.

When you think of the NBA’s coaching legends, names like Phil Jackson, Pat Riley and Gregg Popovich come to mind. Each helped shape basketball’s identity from the sidelines. But one title has never been given in the league’s nearly 80-year history: head coach to a woman.

Recently, South Carolina’s Dawn Staley, one of the most respected figures in basketball, said she is convinced the NBA may never be ready to hire a woman after her experience interviewing with the New York Knicks. Her words were not bitter, but honest.

Staley said she does not believe an NBA franchise will hire a woman as head coach in her lifetime. For someone of her stature to feel that way underscores how deep the barriers still run—from biased hiring practices and limited opportunities in front offices to a lingering lack of respect for women in coaching roles.

The idea of a woman leading an NBA team represents progress, but it also raises questions about whether the league and its culture are ready for that moment. 

“When I speak, the players and coaches hear that I know the game,” said Teresa Weatherspoon, former assistant coach for the New Orleans Pelicans. “It’s still basketball. It just so happens that I’m female, they’re male. I see the athlete, not the gender.”

That confidence echoes across the small but growing group of women who have earned a place on NBA benches. Currently, there are just four female assistant coaches in the league.

Brittni Donaldson, former assistant coach and now director of basketball development with the Atlanta Hawks, said her journey has been about perspective and persistence.

“Most arenas just say ‘female staff.’ Becky Hammon made sure they learned my name. That’s what she’s done for those coming up behind her,” Donaldson said. “It’s not always the number of years you put in; it’s the different types of lenses you’ve seen the game through.”

Those lenses continue to reshape how basketball sees leadership. Becky Hammon, now a three-time WNBA champion and head coach of the Las Vegas Aces, remains one of the leading examples of how women can thrive in elite basketball. 

Hammon became the first full-time female assistant coach in NBA history with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014, and her success sparked a quiet movement.

“If men can lead women, there’s no reason women can’t lead men,” Hammon told CNN Sports. “Just because it hasn’t been done doesn’t mean it can’t be done. At the end of the day, this is basketball. People follow leadership and character, not gender.”

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said there is no reason why women should not be coaching in men’s basketball. 

“I’m not sure how it was that it remained so male-dominated for so long,” Silver told reporters. “The goal going forward is to make it roughly 50-50 among new officials and coaches entering the league. There’s no reason why women shouldn’t be coaching men’s basketball.”

Still, between online harassment, media scrutiny and the misogyny that lingers among some fans, many question whether the NBA’s hesitation is neglect or a misguided form of caution. 

A post on X read, “Plz no. We don’t need a woman head coach. I’m not trying to be the laughing stock of the league when [expletive] hits the fan.”

That kind of response reveals how much resistance still exists, even as more women make their mark in the NBA.  

Since Hammon’s historic hire, several others have followed her path, including Lindsey Harding with the Sacramento Kings, Teresa Weatherspoon with the Chicago Bulls and Brittni Donaldson with the Atlanta Hawks. Natalie Nakase works with the Los Angeles Clippers, Sonia Raman with the Memphis Grizzlies and Jenny Boucek with the Dallas Mavericks.

Each of these women has earned credibility and respect in a male-dominated profession, proving that basketball intelligence and leadership are not defined by gender. 

They draw up plays, run practices and mentor players just like any other coach, yet they still carry the quiet burden of proving that they belong.

In 2020, Harding, then an assistant coach in the Sacramento Kings organization, reflected on her journey and representation in the NBA. 

She noted that she “doesn’t think about being a trailblazer,” but that moment truly hit when she realized she was being seen as one, especially after being featured on a special list made for Black History Month.

Lindsay Gottlieb, former assistant coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers and now head coach of the USC women’s basketball team, said the move to the NBA was about growth and impact. 

“I began to think about the impact I’d have doing something out of my comfort zone,” she said. “It’s not just women to men. It’s college. It’s West Coast to Midwest. Most significantly, it’s head coach to assistant coach.”

Even with the risks and restrictions that come with being a woman on an NBA sideline, there is still room for progress. History shows that breaking barriers has never been easy in this league. 

Decades ago, there were no Black head coaches or even Black players. It took pioneers like Bill Russell, who became the NBA’s first Black head coach in 1966, to open that door. He faced resistance, scrutiny and pressure far beyond the game, but his courage reshaped the league’s identity.

The same could one day be said for the first woman to lead an NBA team. Progress often begins with one person willing to take the criticism so others will not have to.

If that day comes, the question will not be whether she can coach. It will be whether the league is finally ready to let her lead.