These 4 out gay and lesbian coaches will be making WNBA Draft choices
With the WNBA Draft upon us, so many people will make life-changing choices. Here are some of the LGBTQ coaches, like Becky Hammon, in the conversation. The post These 4 out gay and lesbian coaches will be making WNBA Draft choices appeared first on Outsports.
The 2024 WNBA Draft is upon us, and so many rookies are looking to make a splash in their new town. Probably none more than Caitlin Clark, the phenom from Iowa who will almost certainly be selected by Indiana with the first WNBA Draft pick for 2024.
You can see the full 2024 WNBA Draft list of picks here. It’s changed in the hours ahead of the draft itself.
Some of the people making the key decisions for the WNBA Draft will be the head coaches of the teams. Several of them — at least a third of all the WNBA head coaches — are publicly out as gay, lesbian or otherwise LGBTQ.
Stephanie White, Connecticut Sun
Picks 10, 19, 22 & 34
Stephanie White succeeded the very successful Curt Miller as the Connecticut Sun head coach. White previously was the head coach at Vanderbilt, where she was never quite able to muster a winning record during her five seasons there. Previously in the WNBA she was the Indiana head coach, where she took the team to the WNBA Finals in 2015. In 2023 with the Sun, she was voted WNBA Coach of the Year while leading the Sun to the second round of the WNBA Playoffs.
Becky Hammon, Las Vegas Aces
Picks 16, 18, 24 & 36
Hammon has become the gold standard of WNBA coaches. Leading the Las Vegas Aces to the last two WNBA Championships, Hammon has established herself as the coach to beat. And with three draft picks this year, she’s looking to add to her championship roster. Hammon was previously an assistant coach of the San Antonio Spurs, under legendary head coach Gregg Popovich. Aces general manager Natalie Williams is also out. Hammon was listed at No. 20 in the 2023 Outsports Power 100 list.
Curt Miller, Los Angeles Sparks
Picks 2, 4 & 28
Curt Miller has established himself as one of the best coaches in women’s basketball. He’s assistant coach to Cheryl Reeve for Team USA, and he’s been WNBA Coach of the Year twice with the Connecticut Sun, in 2017 and 2021. He was named head coach of the Los Angeles Sparks ahead of the 2023 season, which was only the second time in eight WNBA seasons that he missed the playoffs. Miller is the only publicly out gay male head coach of any pro sports team in the world. He was listed at No. 52 on the 2023 Outsports Power 100 list.
Cheryl Reeve, Minnesota Lynx
Picks 8 & 31
Reeve is arguably the GOAT head coach in the WNBA. She’s led the Minnesota Lynx to four WNBA Championships, and she’s been named WNBA Coach of the Year three times. She also has two WNBA titles as an assistant coach with the Detroit Shock. She is currently the head coach for Team USA. Along with her wife, Lynx executive Carley Knox, she was ranked No. 19 in Outsports’ Power 100 in 2023.
The 2024 WNBA Draft takes place this Monday, April 15, and will be broadcast live on ESPN.
For more on women’s basketball, check out Swish Appeal.
The post These 4 out gay and lesbian coaches will be making WNBA Draft choices appeared first on Outsports.
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