The San Antonio Spurs and Sacramento Kings have female assistant coaches in Becky Hammon and Nancy Lieberman respectively.
Their presence and growth in the league can lead the way according to Silver, who says it is on him to make sure it happens “sooner rather than later.”
The commissioner’s strongest comments came after he was asked about people who doubt a female can lead a team of men. Specifically, he was asked about WFAN’s Mike Francesa, who recently went on a rant saying it would be an “impossible” task for a woman.
“First of all, let me say that I disagree that there will not be a woman head coach in the NBA,” Silver told ESPN. “It is hard to say exactly when [it will happen].
“There are three women currently in the pipeline, and I think like we have seen in all other aspects of life, while there are certain cases for example, the athletes that participate in the NBA, there are obvious physical difference between men and women and those differences are why we have a men’s league and a women’s league.
“But on the other hand when it comes to coaching, when there is absolutely no physical requirement, when it is not a function of how high you can jump or how strong you are, there is no physical litmus test to being a head coach in the league, there is absolutely no reason why a woman will not ascend to be a head coach in this league. We are very focused in on it.”
Silver made similar comments in 2015, saying: “I have no doubt…that we’re going to have a female coach in the NBA one day.”
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