Break the gender barriers! Warriors boss Lacob is seen as pioneer in hiring the first female coach in the NBA

Translator's note: The original text was published in the San Francisco Chronicle. The data in the article are as of the time of the original text (September 14 local time). The dates and times involved are local time

Perhaps Joe Lacob will have the opportunity to come up with his "light-year" bold words again.

Lacob may not like the mention of his boast in 2016, when he claimed that his Warriors were far ahead of other NBA teams, but "Light Years Joe" might be on the verge of another strike.

Lacob may have used a magical stroke to hire Steve Cole's successor.

Cole shows no sign of retirement any time soon. The upcoming season will be his 12th season as head coach of the Warriors. And even though the job is getting harder, Cole is like a "humanoid pressure bias conductor." Every time I try to contact Cole in the offseason, he either relaxes on the beach or takes a vacation with his family in a distant place.

But Cole will retire one day, and when he retires, the Warriors' new coach may not be a male.

Natali Nakase, the coach of the Golden State Valkyrie, just needs to move her things a few meters along the corridor - and light years away.

Let's stop here and make it clear: If Nakase one day becomes the head coach of the Warriors - this scenario is currently only in my fanatical imagination - from the coach's point of view, it will not be a promotion, but a level.

NBA coaches are paid more than WNBA coaches, but in my opinion, both jobs are equal in terms of status.

What prompted Rakob to invite Nakase and also prompted her to consider this move would be an opportunity to break down another stupid cultural/gender barrier. This will mark progress.

This will be the loss of Valkyrie, but they will make sacrifices for a larger team—the human team.

Let's hear Dawn Stley's explanation. The University of South Carolina coach recently interviewed the Knicks for the head coaching position but failed, but she said she would definitely take the job at that time.

"I had to do that," Stley said, "not just for myself. It was for women. To break that door."

Breaking those barriers and ceilings is always harder than I thought, and it is always important.

It is worth noting that completing such an initiative often requires the unique temperament of the Bay Area. Bill Russell, from Oakland McClymonds High School and the University of San Francisco, was the first black coach in the NBA. Frank Robinson from McClymonds High School is the first black head coach in MLB. Former Oakland Raiders player Art Hill is the first black head coach in modern NFL history and is hired by Oakland rebel Al Davis to coach the Los Angeles Raiders. The San Francisco Giants hired MLB's first full-time female coach Alyssa Naken.

Lacob would be the perfect candidate to break the NBA confinement and hire a female coach. In 1996, he participated in the founding of the short-lived ABL, the predecessor of the WNBA. As the owner of the San Jose laser, he had hired a female coach, then fired her and hired another woman again.

To hire a woman to coach the Warriors, Lacob needs to adopt the mentality of Davis hiring Hill, and that is basically: If I don't, who else will do it?

Becky Harmon is one of the final candidates for the Trail Blazers head coaching position in 2021, while Story is one of the final candidates for the Knicks. But before women are actually hired, we have no way of knowing whether NBA teams are serious or just making shows for public relations.

I believe Lacob hopes to be seen as a pioneer, but he will never hand over his cherished Warriors to a female coach just to make a stand or to be seen as a "Awakening Sect." He would only hire a woman if he thought she was fully qualified.

Nakase's performance in Valkyrie might have been enough to convince Rakob. She has served as an assistant coach for the NBA Clippers and WNBA Ace, and she took over a team of abandoned players, formulated game plans, injected game attitudes into them, and eventually achieved success. What impressed me from the beginning was that Nakase was very disdainful of the low expectations of his team from the outside world. She did an excellent job.

In addition, if Nakase is considered as the head coach of the Warriors one day, she would not make the same mistake as Story.

Stley said she shot herself in the foot. She asked the Knicks: "If you hire me as the first female (main) coach in the NBA, what impact will this have on your daily work? Because it will certainly have an impact. You will be asked questions that you don't need to answer if you hire a male coach. You will need to deal with the media, and deal with various other things you don't have to face when hiring a male coach." After

, Stley said, "It made them think, 'Maybe she's right,' and I feel like the atmosphere has changed after that."

However, if the Knicks didn't think about all of these things before interviewing Stley, they're even stupider than they seem.

However, Stley makes a reasonable point. This move may trigger a fierce reaction.

Within the sports world, hiring a female coach will not cause much controversy. The NBA's progress is not perfect, but it is far ahead of other leagues. The first female head coach in the NBA will only be hot news for two days, and then mainstream media and rational fans will forget their gender and instead attack them for their coaching skills..

The first female coach in the NBA, and the team that hired her, will face the contempt and anger of the "anti-awakening factions" and their voices are growing.

So hiring a female coach takes courage and determination. This also explains why this may happen here. Will

Lakob achieve this breakthrough? He may not have a chance. Cole may stay for a while, and by the time he leaves, another NBA team may have hired a woman.

What scares Valkyrie fans is that the coach who achieved a breakthrough may be Nakase.

I am sure if the opportunity arises, Lacob will do it, and it will be a wonderful step. It is safe to say that Lacob will be ahead of everyone.

Author: Scott Ostler

Translator: GWayNe