Kings' Lindsey Harding Joins Hornets Head Coach Search

The Hornets might have found a G League gem in the search for their next head coach.

Stockton Kings Head Coach Lindsey Harding addresses the media during the Stockton Kings annual Media Day. / Dan Rogers/Special to The Stockton

The Sacramento Kings have been hanging around the middle-tier of the Western Conference all season, while their G League affiliate Stockton Kings posted a league-high 24 wins and took a trip to the Conference Finals. Most NBA fans tend not to care about what happens in the G League, but the historic season for Stockton has intrigued Kings fandom.

After Charlotte Hornets' Steve Clifford announced he would be stepping down from his head coaching role after the season ends, Charlotte has been on the hunt for the next coach to take the reigns of the struggling franchise. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports the Hornets have gained permission to interview Stockton head coach Lindsey Harding for the vacancy.

ESPN Sources: Charlotte has been granted permission to interview Sacramento’s G League coach Lindsey Harding for head coaching opening. Harding - a former No. 1 overall WNBA draft pick — was G League’s coach of the year for Stockton and advanced to Western Conference Finals. pic.twitter.com/PlAYLhW70m

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 8, 2024

Last week, Harding became the first woman to ever win the G League Coach of the Year award and is now looking to become the NBA's first-ever woman head coach. Harding is joined in the pool of candidates by Sacramento's associate head coach Jordi Fernandez, as the two standout Kings have their eyes set on the bigger picture.

Not only would this be a tremendous opportunity for Harding, but it would advance the game of basketball exponentially. There have been a multitude of women assistant coaches in the league, and even an acting head coach in Becky Hammon when San Antonio Spurs Gregg Popovich was ejected in a game in 2020, but a woman getting hired as a head coach would do wonders for the advancement of the game.

The Kings will likely lose at least one of Fernandez or Harding this off-season, but either would be for good reason. Sacramento fans should hope their rising coaches can get an opportunity as head coach elsewhere.

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