It's about time. Finally, we have female coaches in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nancy Lieberman has been hired by the Sacramento Kings as an assistant coach. Many people may not know that Nancy Lieberman and Sacramento's head coach George Karl are good friends who go way back.
Vlade Divac (Kings Vice President) said, "Definitely I'm going to offer her a job," on Thursday, according to the Sacramento Bee. And he sure did stand by it!
"Lady Magic" sure does have the accolades to be an NBA assistant coach, as she was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996, Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999, and has coached for the WNBA and NBA D-League.
Lieberman started her coaching career in 1998 when she was the head coach for the Detroit Shock. In 2009, she became the head coach for the Texas Legends in the D-League, becoming the first female to coach a professional men's basketball team.
In an interview with USA Today Sports on Friday, Lieberman spoke out saying, "Everybody else puts the labels on. I'm just trying to be a coach."
So what can we get out of this? This is larger than the NBA people; it has a monumental shift for women and another step towards establishment for a norm. We can thank San Antonio Spurs general manger R.C. Buford and head coach Gregg Popovich for starting a trend. Last year, the Spurs hired WNBA star Becky Hammon to be a part of their roster as an assistant coach. No little than a month ago Becky Hammon led the Spurs Summer League roster as a head coach and won the title in Las Vegas.
Kings hiring Nancy Lieberman is a stepping stone for women, and it'll only start to become a norm from now on. Things are changing, and positive, exciting times are ahead. New faces in the league are arriving.