The Lakers have officially announced JJ Redick’s coaching staff. Among the diversity of names on the new list, let’s just take a quick look at the men and ‘woman’ who will be responsible for rewriting Purple & Gold’s forgettable 2023-24 narrative. Nate McMillan, Scott Brooks, Bob Beyer, Greg St. Jean, Lindsey Harding, and Beau Levesque join JJ as assistant coaches while Michael Wexler was named the head video coordinator.

For this story, we’ll focus on none other than the first woman to be named the G League Coach of the Year – Lindsey Harding. By now, everyone is aware that the ex-Stockton Kings head coach has an impressive resume. From her playing years to her coaching days, Harding has been a trailblazer. And it includes a few firsts too.

Who is Lindsey Harding?

Lindsey Marcie Harding currently serves as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers. Before that, and before her coaching tenure with both the Sacramento Kings and the Stockton Kings, she carved out a career as a successful player. Over 10 years, she alternated between the WNBA and several basketball clubs based in Turkey. At one point, during the 2015-16 WNBA off-season, Harding even played for Dynamo Kursk in Russia. Woah!

Harding was born on June 12, 1984, in Mobile, Alabama, to supportive parents, Michael Harding and Lillian Andrews. Her nationality is described as American/Belarusian, since Harding received Belarusian citizenship back in 2015 so that she could represent the Belarus women’s national basketball team that year.

Growing up, she shared a close bond with her younger brother, Michael, and her sister, Morgan. Harding went to Cy-Fair High School. She reportedly didn’t start playing basketball until she was around 12 years old, but she picked things up quickly. During her senior year, Harding went on to average 25 points, nine rebounds, and four assists per game. She did this while also starring for the track and field team. Talk about multi-talented!

At college, Lindsey embraced a diverse range of interests. She majored in sociology, but her curiosity didn’t stop there. She also earned a certificate in markets and management, adding depth with minors in theater and women’s studies.

After a successful college career at Duke, Harding was drafted 1st overall in the 2007 WNBA draft by the Phoenix Mercury. However, no sooner had that happened when she was traded to the Minnesota Lynx for forward Tangela Smith. Harding became one of only three players from Cy-Fair High School to be selected as the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft, with the other two being 2016 WNBA champion Nneka Ogwumike and her younger sister Chiney Ogwumike. Harding was also the first Duke player to be picked No. 1!

Lindsey Harding currently boasts over 19,500 followers on Instagram. Her social media posts feature major moments from both her coaching career and her personal life. Her work in the sport of basketball has made her a renowned figure. As ‘Superstar Insider’ reporter Sallie Kuhlman highlighted, she is someone whose name “echoes with excellence in basketball”. What else can you expect when she has gone from being the 1st pick in the WNBA Draft to the first woman to win the NBA G League Coach of the Year award, the first female coach in the history of the Stockton Kings, and the first female assistant coach in Los Angeles Lakers history!

College Career at Duke

Lindsey Harding was at Duke for over five years, between 2002 and 2007. However, due to getting redshirted for violating team rules, she couldn’t play for the entirety of the 2004–05 season.

Throughout 140 games, Harding averaged 9.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.1 assists. On the shooting front, she averaged 3.4-7.4 (45.5%) field goals, 0.4-1.2 (34.2%) 3-pointers, and 2.1-2.9 (73.9%) free throws. Right from the start, Harding proved her worth by averaging 6.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in her freshman season.

At Duke, Lindsey Harding made a name for herself as one of the best in women’s college basketball. She became Duke’s second-ever National Player of the Year, earning the prestigious Naismith honor. Known for her tenacious defense, she also took home the first-ever WBCA National Defensive Player of the Year award. Lindsey’s speed and skill on the court set her apart, quickly establishing her as a top point guard and one of the nation’s most feared defenders. Often, she guarded the opponent’s biggest scoring threat, a role she embraced fiercely. The setback back in 2004-05 only forced her to came back stronger, and work harder to leave an unforgettable legacy at Duke.

By the time she ended her college basketball career, Harding had become the 6th player in ACC history to register more than 1,000 points, 500 assists, 500 rebounds, and 250 steals. Her shooting stats tell a story of growth. In her first two years, Harding struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just 8 of 42 three-pointers (19.1%). But by her junior year, she shot an impressive 41.1%, hitting 23 of 56 attempts. As a senior, she maintained her accuracy, shooting 38.1% by sinking 24 of 63 threes. Over her last two years, she nailed 47 of 119 treys, with a strong 39.5% average.

Across 140 games, Harding showed remarkable consistency and control, ending with a 1.96 assist-to-turnover ratio. She also achieved a memorable double-double as a sophomore, recording 10 rebounds and 11 assists in one game.

Lindsey Harding’s WNBA Career

As mentioned earlier, Lindsey Harding was drafted as the 1st overall pick in the 2007 WNBA Draft. She wouldn’t stick with the Minnesota Lynx for the entirety of her WNBA career. In fact, between 2007 and 2016, Lindsey Harding went on to 9 seasons with 6 different teams!

After being named to the WNBA All-Rookie Team, Harding was traded to the Washington Mystics back in January 2009 for the first and second-round picks in the 2009 WNBA draft. It was with the Mystics when Harding scored a career-high 33 points against the Indiana Fever.

Harding was traded to the Atlanta Dream on April 2011. She was made the starting point guard right from the first season with the Dream. on the team’s roster. Under her leadership, the team made it to the WNBA Finals, only to lose to, wait for it, the Minnesota Lynx. Harding might have won a championship title if she had stuck around.

Lindsey Harding continued making waves even when she joined the Los Angeles Sparks. In her first season with the team, she ranked 5th in assists thanks to averaging 5.2 assists, which ended up being her career-high. Harding made it to the playoffs again through the Sparks, but the team got eliminated in the playoffs’ first round itself.

Harding signed with the New York Liberty in 2016, one year after she was waived by the Sparks. After five games with the Liberty franchise, she got waived again. That same year, she was taken by the Phoenix Mercury. She appeared in 21 regular season games, and averaged 3.9 points through 1.4-3.9 (37.0%) field goals, 0.1-0.2 (40.0%) 3-pointers, and 1.0-1.1 (87.0%) free throws.

After the Liberty squad was eliminated by the Minnesota Lynx, Harding announced her retirement from the WNBA. Throughout 270 games, she averaged 9.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 4.0 assists.

Transition to Coaching and Post-Retirement Life

Lindsey Harding played her last game with the Beşiktaş J.K., which she was a part of during the 2016-17 season. After that, she transitioned to coaching.

Lindsey Harding’s coaching career has been one of steady growth and historic achievements. She started in 2018 as a player development coach and scout with the Philadelphia 76ers, diving into the NBA coaching world with an eye for talent and development.

By 2019, she joined the Sacramento Kings, where she spent four seasons as an assistant and player development coach. Her role grew, and by 2022, she was promoted to a full-time assistant coach, a testament to her impact on the team.

Then came a career-defining move. On June 20, 2023, Harding was named head coach of the Stockton Kings in the NBA G League. She led the team to an impressive 24–10 record, securing the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. Her leadership was unmatched, and her efforts earned her the NBA G League Coach of the Year award. This recognition marked two significant milestones—she was the first head coach in Stockton Kings’ history to win it and the first woman ever to receive the honor.

Lakers coaching staff 2024-25

Her journey didn’t stop with the Kings. In July 2024, Harding took another big step as she joined the Los Angeles Lakers as an assistant coach, adding her expertise and historic achievements to one of the league’s most iconic teams. JJ Redick, the person appointed to be Lakers HC, had never held a head coaching position before. Therefore, to make up for his lack of experience, he brought in a strong set of assistant coaches who he believed could guide him. Alongside Harding, the other people hired included Nate McMillan, Scott Brooks, Bob Beyer, Greg St. Jean, and Beau Levesque.

In the course of one year, Lindsey Harding left a memorable impression. As a result, she was named the head coach for the Lakers’ summer league team participating at the July 2025 Las Vegas Summer League. Meanwhile, the team participating in the California Classic will be coached by Beau Levesque.

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.