• Loading stock data...
Thursday, March 28, 2024
2024 Best Venues nominations are open now through April 8! Submit Now

Adam Silver Wants NBA To Hire Its First Female Head Coach

  • The Commissioner would be ‘hugely disappointed’ if it didn’t happen within five years.
  • Silver made comments Thursday on podcast with Bonnie Bernstein.
Adam-Silver-NBA
Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver would be “hugely disappointed” if the NBA doesn’t hire its first female head coach within the next five years.

The Commissioner made the comments to Bonnie Bernstein on the NCAA’s podcast channel Thursday. 

“I would be hugely disappointed if certainly in five years we haven’t seen our first female head coach in the NBA,” said Silver.

On the podcast, the veteran sports TV journalist interviewed Silver and WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert as part of her nine-part series, “Title IX College Sports Conversations with Bonnie Bernstein,” analyzing the 50th anniversary of Title IX.

The NBA’s first female head coach is overdue, according to Silver. Many younger NBA players have mothers who played college basketball or even in the WNBA.

“This generation coming in grew up differently, and has a different sensibility about roles men and women can play in the workforce. I’ve said this before, as much as professional sports has led and the WNBA and NBA have led in certain areas, we’re a bit behind in this area,” Silver said. “We should have more women head coaches. We should have a female head coach right now. We should have more women referees, and it’s something we’re working very hard on right now.”

In recent years, seven female coaches have been hired as NBA assistants.  The league has also hired more female referees.

Silver cited former San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon as a woman who could eventually lead an NBA team. Hammon interviewed for the head coaching job with the Portland Trail Blazers before leading the Las Vegas Aces to their first WNBA title.

Dawn Staley, head coach at the University of South Carolina, has also been cited as a candidate for an NBA head coaching job. Julianne Sitch of the University of Chicago recently made history as the first female coach to lead an NCAA men’s soccer team to a national championship.

Bernstein noted Silver helped write the original business plan for the WNBA.

“For as long as I’ve known him, dating back 20-plus years to his time at NBA Entertainment, Adam’s been a proponent of having women in key leadership positions. While he’s obviously not dictating coaching hires, or officiating hires, his voice carries an extraordinary amount of weight,” she told Front Office Sports.

“It not only moves the needle in basketball circles, it influences all of sports. So, for him to be as vocal as he was about the NBA being behind the eight ball when it comes to women in coaching and officiating, that’s an incredibly powerful statement.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Planned Timberwolves, Lynx Sale Turns Bitter As Taylor Pulls Teams Off Market

The current majority owner claims that Rodriguez and Lore failed to meet the latest deadline.

Alex Rodriguez–Led Bid for Majority Control of Timberwolves Falls Through

Minnesota owner Glen Taylor said the team was no longer for sale.

More NBA Games Abroad? That’s A Challenge During the Regular Season

The NBA will again play games in Paris and Mexico City next season.

The NFLPA Report Card Is Doing Exactly What It Was Intended For

Robert Kraft hasn’t gone to school in nearly 60 years, but on Tuesday the Patriots’ owner found himself talking about his report card. 
podcast thumbnail mobile
Front Office Sports Today

MLB Opens Season With MLBPA, Ohtani, and Ownership Dramas

0:00
0:00

Featured Today

March 22, 2024, Brooklyn, NY, USA; Northwestern Wildcats guard Brooks Barnhizer (13) and Northwestern Wildcats guard Boo Buie (0) react in overtime against the Florida Atlantic Owls in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at the Barclays Center.
March 27, 2024

‘An Expensive Game’: March Madness and NIL Collectives Are Intertwined

At schools nationwide, collectives are fueling NCAA tournament runs and vice versa.
Iowa’s Caitlin Clark (22) waits to be announced in the starting lineup against West Virginia in a NCAA Tournament round of 32 game Monday, March 25, 2024 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.
March 26, 2024

The Women’s Trading Card Market Is Overlooked. Can Caitlin Clark Change That?

Traditionally, women’s sports cards have been a marginal part of collectibles.
The Sports Illustrated cover signed by Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, February 27, 2019, at Don & Charlie's, 7501 E. Camelback Road, Scottsdale. Don Charlie S
March 24, 2024

Everything You Need to Know About the Ongoing ‘Sports Illustrated’ Saga

Understanding the strange state of affairs for the nearly 70-year-old publication.

Careers

Powered By

Careers in Sports

Looking for a new job? Check out these featured listings and search for openings all over the world.
Live Nation
Multiple - USA Careers
Adidas
Multiple - USA Careers
Spotify
Multiple - USA Careers

MLB Looks to Return Focus to the Field After Turbulent Offseason

The league aims to turn the page after grappling with several difficult problems this winter.
March 26, 2024

The NFL, Not One to Borrow, Appropriates the Old XFL Kickoff

The revamp is an outlier for the league and took two votes to pass.
March 26, 2024

No Vote, for Now: Why Private Equity’s NFL Wait Continues

Rising franchise values and tight debt rules have created a limited pool of buyers.
Sponsored

How Daily Fantasy Sports Solved NBA Fantasy

The remarkable growth of the #1 Discord sports server in the world.
March 26, 2024

Midweek Special: NFL Planning Two Games on Christmas Wednesday

The NFL will play a doubleheader Wednesday, Dec. 25.
March 26, 2024

The MLS Replacement Ref Nightmare Is Over

The monthlong referee lockout could end this weekend.
March 26, 2024

NBA Investigating Raptors Center Jontay Porter Over Suspicious Prop Bets

The league is looking into ‘multiple instances of betting irregularities’ in recent months, ESPN reported.
March 25, 2024

NFL’s Global Reach Expands: Four Teams, Five New Markets

The Giants, Lions, Colts, and Browns are expanding into new markets.