Game Changers: Lindsey Harding Named Second Female Head Coach in Summer League History

One year after making history as the Los Angeles Lakers' first-ever female assistant coach, Lindsey Harding has raised the bar for female coaching representation. Harding was this week announced as the Lakers’ first-ever female Summer League head coach.

According to Heavy Sports, Harding is the second-ever woman to coach an NBA Summer League team; Becky Hammon was the first in 2015. 

Prior to her role with the Lakers, Harding was the head coach for the Stockton Kings G-League team. Harding played at Duke from 2002-06. In her time as a Blue Devil, Harding was named to the All-ACC Freshman Team, ACC Defensive Player of the Year, Naismith and ESPN.com National Player of the Year and Nancy Lieberman Award winner as top point guard in the nation. She racked up 579 assists, 1,298 points and played over 4,000 minutes of game time. After college, Harding was the first pick overall in the WNBA draft by the Phoenix Mercury, but was later traded to the Minnesota Lynx.

Related: Lindsey Harding Hired as Los Angeles Lakers’ First-Ever Female Assistant Coach

Harding’s landmark appointment as the Lakers’ head coach for the Summer League continues to cement regular-season head coach JJ Redick’s commitment to inclusion and talent recognition. Redick has prioritized player development since joining the franchise, and the Summer League is known for its role in developing not only the league’s younger athletes, but also those who have high potential to make big impacts on next season’s roster.

According to Marca News, Harding’s role as full-time head coach this summer, “marks another step forward for gender equity in professional basketball.”

Said Redick, “I think, a big part of player development, and it’s for someone who has lived in this league a long time, a big part of this is, is the mental development.”