On the National Basketball Association’s (NBA’s) opening night this past Tuesday, the defending champions, the San Antonio Spurs, made a historical win with the help of their new assistant coach, Becky Hammon. When Hammon was hired to the Spurs in early August, she became the first paid female assistant coach in the NBA, or any major American professional sport.
Just weeks prior to Hammon’s hiring, Michele Roberts became the first woman elected as the executive director of the NBA Players Union. This occasion also marked the first time a woman has ever been chosen to head any men’s professional sports union. These milestones for women and gender equality in the workplace are paving the way for women seeking management positions in professional sports and have reaffirmed the NBA’s position as the most progressive major American professional sport regarding gender equality.