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When will a woman be the head coach of an NBA team? Two of the most respected minds in basketball, Dawn Staley and Becky Hammon, have sharply different answers. Staley, the celebrated head coach for the South Carolina Gamecocks, recently expressed her belief that it would not happen in her lifetime. This conversation follows the New York Knicks’ interview with Staley for their head coaching vacancy, before ultimately hiring Mike Brown to replace Tom Thibodeau.
On the other hand, Hammon, who has led the Las Vegas Aces to WNBA championships, offers a more optimistic but clear-eyed perspective on the subject. She believes the roadblocks are specific but conquerable, though the timeline for when that might happen remains uncertain.
Why Does Becky Hammon Believe a Woman Can Lead an NBA Team?
At an SEC Media Day interview before the 2025-26 college basketball season, Dawn Staley shared a rather bleak outlook on the topic. She said that she entered the conversation with the Knicks with “an open mind” but left convinced that such a groundbreaking change would not happen in her lifetime. “I hope I am wrong,” she added.
Becky Hammon, however, has a more hopeful approach to the debate. After leading the Aces to another WNBA title in October 2025, she told CNN Sports that she believes she will live to see it happen.
“There is really not a good reason why it hasn’t happened already,” Hammon explained. “I think there are qualified women that could coach in the NBA, it’s just the matter of getting that opportunity.”
More recently, during an appearance on “Post Moves with Candace Parker and Aliyah Boston,” Hammon elaborated on her position. She stated with conviction that women are capable of coaching in the NBA and that the common objections raised against the idea carry little weight.
“At the end of the day, Candace, it does not matter if there are candidates out there that could do the job,” Hammon said. “There are. That’s not the issue. It is–if you are looking for a reason not to, you can find it.”
When Candace Parker brought up the locker room situation as a common argument, Hammon quickly dismissed it. “By the way, I don’t go into the Aces’ locker room,” she clarified. “It has nothing to do with gender. The locker room, whether it is an NBA locker room or a college locker room, male or female, it is a very private place, a sanctuary, if you will.”
MORE: Dawn Staley Outranks Becky Hammon in Forbes’ New List Also Featuring A’ja Wilson
This led Hammon to the central question: “Can women lead men?” Her answer was definitive. “Leadership knows no gender,” the Aces coach stated. “Just like character and bravery and courage and resilience… To me, women are doing so much more important things than leading basketball teams. They’re leading surgical rooms. They’re leading platoons in our armed forces.”
Ultimately, Hammon believes the change could occur within the next five years, or it could take another 35 years. She remains steadfast that the players themselves would not have an issue with a female coach. The decision, she concluded, rests entirely with the business decision-makers who run the teams.
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