The post-Christmas clash between the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs gave plenty of Texas hoops fans reasons to celebrate. However, another good reason why fans should look back into this game is due to Rick Carlisle pulling a couple of strings to pull off a monumental moment in NBA history. Jenny Boucek and Becky Hammon stood opposite each other as the first female lead assistant coaches in NBA history. The momentous moment was made possible when Carlisle made Boucek, a former coach with the Sacramento Kings, the temporary lead assistant during the game.
Marc Stein of the New York Times was one of the first to report Carlisle's decision.
An ill Stephen Silas led Dallas' Rick Carlisle to move Jenny Boucek onto the bench vs. San Antonio. Said Carlisle: "I believe this is the first time in NBA history there were two female assistant coaches (Becky Hammon and Boucek) on the front of opposing benches in the same game"
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) December 27, 2019
Boucek was the first female coach in Dallas' history after being hired last month. She has built an impressive resume by climbing the ranks through the WNBA before getting a shot with the Kings in 2017.
Thanks to this development, more female coaches should be able to break into the NBA. The time of a female head coach leading an NBA team is not far from happening.
Boucek was definitely thankful for the opportunities the Kings and the Mavericks gave her and is looking forward to the future of women in the NBA.
“I think the NBA is really blazing the trail of getting women opportunities to being in the conversation,” Boucek said, per a Dallas Morning News piece in 2018. “We don't want women anywhere who don't deserve it and haven't earned it, but we want to have the opportunity to see if we can be a good fit somewhere.”
The Mavericks won over the Spurs, 102-98.
Follow Us
Subscribe