NBA coaching vacancies are filling fast. The Boston Celtics hired Ime Udoka from the Brooklyn Nets. The Indiana Pacers snatched up former Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle, and the Mavericks turned to former MVP Jason Kidd as his replacement. The Portland Trail Blazers have an agreement in place with Chauncey Billups.
Only three jobs now remain — the Washington Wizards, Orlando Magic and New Orleans Pelicans.
As the pool narrows, so too does the chance of a glass-ceiling shattering moment for professional sports: A woman coaching a major men’s team.
The possibility is a real one in the NBA, where several women, headlined by Spurs assistant Becky Hammon, are increasingly considered head coaching material.
But the chances one gets hired this cycle appears to be diminishing. ESPN insider Brian Windhorst, for instance, reported Wes Unseld Jr. and Sam Cassell are “leading candidates” for the Wizards job, while the Magic reportedly prefer to hire someone with previous head-coaching experience.
There, of course, could be a surprise. Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard promised a diverse and inclusive search, and the team previously employed Kristi Toliver as an assistant. The Magic, too, have interviewed Hammon, so maybe she’ll make it to the final stages. And the Pelicans’ Teresa Weatherspoon was initially mentioned among New Orleans’ candidates to replace Stan Van Gundy.
But for now, Hammon, Weatherspoon and others (Kara Lawson, Dawn Staley) are waiting their turn. And for some, that’s discouraging.
Billups’ pending hire, in particular, has prompted a backlash in Portland — where Hammon was reportedly a finalist for the job. Critics slammed the Trail Blazers for hiring Billups despite a history that includes a sexual assault accusation in 1997. When Billups was a rookie with the Boston Celtics, he was accused of raping a woman — and though no criminal charges were filed, the former point guard did settle the case out of court.
ESPN reported that the Trail Blazers’ own investigation into the incident made them feel comfortable enough to go ahead with the hire, but that hasn’t stopped the criticism. Oregon Live ran an op-ed titled, “Hire of Chauncey Billups is all wrong for Trail Blazers.” SB Nation fan site Blazers’ Edge had five women weigh in on the hire — all of whom were particularly critical.
“They dangled a woman’s name in front of us to make us think she had a chance, and then turned around and hired a man with rape allegations against him,” Blazers fan A.B. wrote for the website.
Portland star Damian Lillard even got caught in the controversy, given that Lillard said on the record that he preferred Kidd and Billups for the job. Kidd, too, has his own complicated past: He was arrested in 2001 for hitting his ex-wife and pleaded guilty to spousal abuse.
“I was asked what coaches I like of the names I ‘heard’ and I named them,” Lillard tweeted. “Sorry I wasn’t aware of their history. I didn’t read the news when I was 7/8yrs old. I don’t support Those things … but if this the route y’all wana come at me… say less.”
With only 30 NBA head coaches and only so many openings per year, there are always going to be those who are passed over. Hammon, though, has been paying her dues. She’s been with the Spurs since 2014. Last year, the 44-year-old and former star point guard became the first woman to take over as a head coach mid-game when Spurs coach Gregg Popovich got ejected.
Players have advocated for her to get a promotion, as well — with former center Pau Gasol writing in 2018 she was more than qualified. “Arguing on Coach Hammon’s behalf would feel patronizing,” he wrote for The Players Tribune. “To me, it would be strange if NBA teams were not interested in her as a head coach.”
When it comes to Hammon, the general consensus seems to be it’s a matter of “when” not “if” she’ll get an opportunity to lead a team.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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