By Julie Glass
The Sixers have finally broken their chromosome line and hired former Duke and WNBA star Lindsey Harding as a full-time scout.
Harding, the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA in 2007, is only the second former WNBA player to be hired for a full-time scouting position with an NBA team. Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Jenny Boucek is the other, having done advanced scouting work for the Seattle SuperSonics in 2006.
“I think when you have this goal in mind, your gender shouldn’t even matter,” Harding told ESPN. “It should be about if you can do it, if you’re good, you’re experienced, if you know what you’re doing and what you’re talking about.”
Harding, 34, officially retired as a player in 2017 after nine years in the WNBA. She spent last season in the NBA’s Basketball Operations Associates Program. After completing the program, she interviewed with several NBA teams, looking for a role that would allow her to learn and grow as both a future front-office executive and maintain a connection to coaching.
“I knew I wanted to work with the team. That’s the one thing that you miss most from playing — being part of a team, competing, and trying to win a championship,” she said. “That’s always been the goal probably since I picked up the ball when I was 13.”
Ultimately, she thinks her future is in the front office.
“I would love to be in the front office and really understand how to put a team together,” she said. “I still love being on the floor and having the opportunity to coach. But I really just wanted to get my foot in the door.”
