Hornets granted permission to interview Lindsey Harding for head coaching job: Source

The Charlotte Hornets have received permission to interview Lindsey Harding, coach of the G-League Stockton Kings, for the head coach position in Charlotte, a league source confirmed Monday. ESPN first reported the news.

If Harding is hired, she will become the first woman to be named a head coach of an NBA team.

Harding, 39, was the No. 1 pick of the Phoenix Mercury in the 2007 WNBA draft. Last year, she became the only woman coach in the NBA or NBA when she coached Sacramento's G League team in its inaugural game. Loss, to Santa Cruz Warriors in November 2023.

Harding, a former Duke standout whose No. 10 jersey was retired by the program, was named Naismith Player of the Year in 2007. She played nine seasons in the WNBA, and after her playing career, worked as a scout and player development coach. For the Philadelphia 76ers. She then spent four seasons as an assistant with the Sacramento Kings before being named head coach of the Stockton Kings.

Last week, Harding became the first woman to be named NBA Coach of the Year after leading the Stockton Kings to a 24-10 regular season record.

Harding has also coached the Mexican women's national team since 2022 and previously served in the same position with the South Sudan women's national team.

While women coaching in the NBA is still rare, more women are working as player development coaches or as second or third assistants. Becky Hammon has been a top assistant to San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich for years. She became the first woman to head coach of an NBA game when Popovich was fired against the Los Angeles Lakers on December 30, 2020. She was also the head coach of the Spurs during the NBA Summer League, a showcase for rookies and young players hoping to make a team in the fall.

Required reading

(Photo: Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)