Well, its taken long enough; but just as sports are beginning to accept gay men as competitors, we’re also finally beginning to embrace females as potential coaches.
Via The Sacramento Bee,
The Kings are expected to hire Nancy Lieberman, the 1996 Hall of Fame inductee and assistant general manager of the Dallas Mavericks’ D-League team, as an assistant coach.
“Definitely I’m going to offer her a job,” Kings vice president Vlade Divac said Thursday. “George (Karl) and I talked about bringing her back after she helped us at Summer League (in Las Vegas). She was terrific. She brings a different dimension. I think is a nice opportunity for her.”
Lieberman said Thursday she will accept the offer. Divac said he expects to make an announcement next week.
Assuming Lieberman accepts the job – and that is the expectation – she would become the league’s second assistant coaching. Becky Hammon was hired by the San Antonio Spurs’ Gregg Popovich a year ago. Earlier this week, the NFL Arizona Cardinals hired the league’s first female assistant – Jen Welter – and the Memphis Grizzlies added Nicki Gross to their D-League staff.
That last paragraph truly details how far women have come in men’s professional sports. Not only are more women being hired as coaches now, but last year was also the first time the NBA had utilized a female ref.
There is still a long way to go before we’re on any kind of equal footing, but all of this is undoubtedly a step in the right direction.
