The Stockton Kings, the G-League affiliate of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings, hired former Duke player Lindsey Harding as head coach Tuesday.
With the hire, Harding is the second woman to coach men’s basketball professionally in the U.S. She replaces Bobby Jackson, who is joining newly hired coach Nick Nurse’s staff with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Harding has a wealth of experience in the NBA ranks, as she spent the last four seasons on Sacremento’s staff. Notably, she was the first Black woman to serve as a pro personal scout, a role she had with the 76ers.
The former National Player of the Year for the Blue Devils coaches in the international sphere as well. Harding is the head coach for the Mexican Women’s Senior National Team and previously served as the head coach for the South Sudan’s Women’s National Team. Harding also represented Belarus as a player in the 2016 Summer Olympics.
She had an illustrious playing career at Duke, as the team boasted a combined record of 128-12 from 2002-2007. Harding led the Blue Devils to four NCAA tournament appearances, two ACC tournament victories and two Final Four appearances. She was a standout particularly on the defensive end, receiving ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors twice and was named National Defensive Player of the Year in 2007.
The Houston native had a nine-year WNBA career after being selected with the first-overall pick in the 2007 draft. Harding had career averages of 9.8 points, 4.0 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals, as well as an All-Star selection in 2010. In January 2008, Harding’s No. 10 jersey was honored in the rafters of Cameron Indoor Stadium and she entered the Duke Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018.
In addition to Harding’s hire, Anjali Ranadive, daughter of Kings chairman Vivek Ranadive, was named general manager in Stockton, marking the first time two women will hold the top two positions for a G-League team.
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Ranjan Jindal is a Trinity sophomore and sports editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.