The Los Angeles Lakers officially revealed Duke legend JJ Redick’s initial coaching staff on Monday, and former Blue Devils women’s basketball star Lindsey Harding officially became the first woman ever announced as an assistant coach for the franchise.
The news does not come as a surprise to Duke basketball fans as ESPN first reported that Harding would join Redick’s staff last month.
Harding, last year’s G League Coach of the Year with the Stockton Kings, played for the Blue Devils from 2002-07. She became the first player in school history taken with the first overall pick in the WNBA draft back in 2007 after being named the Naismith College Player of the Year as a senior.
After a decade-long playing career, she joined the Sacramento Kings staff as an assistant in 2022. She quickly became the Stockton head coach, the team’s G League affiliate, before teaming with fellow Duke alum JJ Redick in Los Angeles.