Lindsey Harding
Lindsey Harding | |
|---|---|
| Born | Lindsey Marcie Harding June 12, 1984 Mobile, Alabama, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Basketball coach, former professional player |
| Years active | 2007–2016 (player), 2018–present (coach) |
| Known for | Assistant coach for Los Angeles Lakers; former WNBA player |
Lindsey Marcie Harding (born June 12, 1984) is an American professional basketball coach and former player, currently serving as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Throughout her playing tenure, Harding competed in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) representing teams such as the Minnesota Lynx, Washington Mystics, Atlanta Dream, Los Angeles Sparks, New York Liberty, and Phoenix Mercury. Her professional career also extended overseas, including stints in both Turkey and Russia. Before joining the Lakers' coaching staff, she fulfilled roles as a scout and player development coach with the Philadelphia 76ers. Born in Mobile, Alabama and raised in Houston, Texas, Harding possesses dual citizenship in the United States and Belarus.
College career
Harding distinguished herself during her time at Duke University. As a freshman in the 2002–03 season, she earned a spot on the All-ACC Freshman Team while averaging 6.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.8 steals per game, leading the ACC with a 2.1 assist-to-turnover ratio. The following year, 2003–04, she improved her averages to 7.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 2.0 steals, once again topping the ACC with a 2.2 assist/turnover ratio.
Harding was sidelined for the 2004–05 season due to team disciplinary rules but returned for the 2005–06 campaign, earning Honorable Mention Kodak and AP All-America honors along with being named ACC Defensive Player of the Year. That season saw her average 10.7 points, 4.5 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.1 steals per game.
By the conclusion of her collegiate career, Harding amassed totals of 1,298 points, 579 assists, 565 rebounds, and 296 steals across a school-record 128 contests. She ranked among only six players in ACC history to surpass thresholds of at least 1,000 points, 500 assists, 500 rebounds, and 250 steals.
Despite her individual success and Duke's impressive 32–2 record during her senior year, Harding did not secure an NCAA championship title; Duke was unexpectedly defeated by Rutgers in the Sweet Sixteen round after Harding missed two crucial free throws in the closing seconds.
After completing her senior season, Harding declared for the 2007 WNBA draft.
On January 20, 2008, Duke honored her by retiring her jersey number (10), making her only the second female basketball player from Duke to receive this distinction after Alana Beard. Some controversy surrounded this decision due to undisclosed circumstances related to her redshirt year. Additionally, on December 18, 2007, her high school jersey No. 12 was retired by Cy-Fair High School.
College statistics
| Year | Team | GP | Points | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002–03 | Duke | 37 | 231 | 43.8 | 7.7 | 76.5 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 1.8 | 0.2 | 6.2 |
| 2003–04 | Duke | 34 | 230 | 45.9 | 24.1 | 65.5 | 4.5 | 4.9 | 2.0 | 0.1 | 6.8 |
| 2004–05 | Duke | Redshirt | |||||||||
| 2005–06 | Duke | 35 | 374 | 48.1 | 41.1 | 78.1 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 2.1 | 0.1 | 10.7 |
| 2006–07 | Duke | 34 | 463 | 44.4 | 38.1 | 74.8 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 13.6 |
| Career | Duke | 140 | 1298 | 45.5 | 34.2 | 73.9 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 1.9 | 0.2 | 9.3 |
College awards
- 2003 ACC All-Rookie Team
- MVP of the Duke Classic (2006)
- ACC Defensive Player of the Year (2006, 2007)
- Naismith College Player of the Year (2007)
- National Defensive Player awarded by Women's Basketball Coaches Association (2007)
- ESPN.com National Player of the Year (2007)
- Recipient of Nancy Lieberman Award (2007)
- Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award winner (2007)
- USBWA All-American selection (2007)
- John R. Wooden Award All-American honoree (2007)
- First Team All-American by Associated Press (2007)
- ACC Player of the Year (2007)
- First Team All-ACC selection (2007)
- Duke Offensive Player of the Year (2007)
- Duke Practice Player of the Year (2007)
- Duke Heart and Hustle Award recipient (2007)
WNBA
Selected as the first overall pick in the 2007 WNBA draft by the Phoenix Mercury, Harding was promptly traded to the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for forward Tangela Smith.
During her rookie year in 2007, Harding topped all newcomers in scoring until a knee injury on July 10 prematurely ended her season. She earned a spot on the WNBA All-Rookie Team, concluding with averages of 11.7 points and 3.9 assists per contest.
On January 30, 2009, Harding was traded to the Washington Mystics in return for first and second round selections in that year's draft. She achieved career-best averages that season with 12.8 points and 4.6 assists per game. The following year, she notched a personal scoring record of 33 points against the Indiana Fever.
Harding was traded again on April 11, 2011, this time to the Atlanta Dream along with a second-round pick for 2012, in exchange for Ta'Shia Phillips, Kelly Miller, and a first-round pick for 2012. As the Dream’s starting point guard, she played a key role in leading the team to the WNBA Finals, where they were ultimately swept by her former team, the Minnesota Lynx.
On February 5, 2013, Harding signed with the Los Angeles Sparks. She ranked fifth league-wide in assists, achieving a personal best of 5.2 per game, including a career-high 14 assists during a victory over the Mystics. Despite her impressive playmaking, the Sparks were eliminated in the opening playoff round. After two seasons, Harding was waived in 2015.
Harding joined the New York Liberty on April 18, 2016, but was released on June 15 after appearing in five games.
Returning to the Phoenix Mercury on June 24, 2016, Harding served as backup to All-Star point guard Diana Taurasi. Under head coach Sandy Brondello, who had coached her previously at the Sparks, Harding participated in 21 regular-season games and five playoff contests, aiding the Mercury’s advance to the semifinals. Following their defeat by the Minnesota Lynx, Harding retired from professional play after nine WNBA seasons.
Overseas
Throughout WNBA off-seasons, Harding broadened her international career by competing abroad. In the 2008-09 season, she played with Mersin BSB. S.K. in Turkey before moving to Lithuania’s VICI Aistes Kaunas for 2009-10. She returned to Turkey for the 2012-13 season with Galatasaray and again played there during 2014-15 with Edirne Belediyesi. The 2015-16 off-season saw her split time between Russia’s Dynamo Kursk and Turkey’s Yakin Dogu. After concluding her WNBA career, Harding signed with Beşiktaş J.K. for the 2016-17 off-season, continuing her involvement in prominent international leagues.
USA Basketball
Although Harding was named twice to preliminary rosters for the United States women's national basketball team, she did not secure a final roster spot for either the 2010 FIBA World Championship or the 2012 Summer Olympics. Notably, she is among few Naismith Award recipients since Kate Starbird who have not competed for Team USA.
Belarus
In 2015, Harding acquired Belarusian citizenship and joined the Belarus women's national basketball team to fill their need at point guard. She played an instrumental role as Belarus placed fourth at EuroBasket Women 2015 and led them through the 2016 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament, successfully earning Belarus a berth at the 2016 Olympic Games. Although included on the Olympic roster, Harding missed part of team preparations due to commitments with the WNBA.
NBA and G League
During the 2018–19 season, Harding worked with the Philadelphia 76ers as a player development coach and scout.
Between 2019 and 2023, she held the role of assistant coach and player development coach for the Sacramento Kings, advancing to a full-time assistant coach position in the 2022–23 season.
On June 20, 2023, Harding was named head coach of the Stockton Kings in the NBA G League. She guided the team to a 24–10 record in the 2023–24 campaign, earning the top seed in the Western Conference. Harding received the NBA G League Coach of the Year distinction, marking her as both the first head coach in Stockton Kings history and the first female recipient of this accolade.
In July 2024, Harding joined the coaching staff of the Los Angeles Lakers as an assistant coach.
National team
Harding was appointed as the inaugural head coach of the South Sudan women's national basketball team in 2021. By June 2023, she was also serving as head coach for the Mexico women's national basketball team.
Regular season
|- | align="left" | 2007 | align="left" | Minnesota | 20 || 20 || 30.1 || .354 || .229 || .679 || 4.4 || 3.9 || 1.0 || 0.3 || 2.3 || 11.7 |- | align="left" | 2008 | align="left" | Minnesota | 24 || 11 || 24.6 || .367 || .080 || .694 || 2.3 || 3.2 || 1.1 || 0.1 || 2.2 || 6.4 |- | align="left" | 2009 | align="left" | Washington | 34 || 34 || 35.1 || .435 || .323 || .748 || 4.0 || 4.5 || 1.2 || 0.3 || 2.9 || 12.8 |- | align="left" | 2010 | align="left" | Washington | 34 || 34 || 33.2 || .445 || .288 || .766 || 3.0 || 4.0 || 1.3 || 0.1 || 2.7 || 12.1 |- | align="left" | 2011 | align="left" | Atlanta | 34 || 33 || 30.5 || .455|| .303 || .733 || 3.2 || 4.8 || 1.0 || 0.1 || 2.3 ||10.5 |- | align="left" |2012 | align="left" | Atlanta | 34||32||30.6|| .425|| .241|| .818||2.8||4.5||1.3||0.2||2.0||12.3 |- | align="left" |2013 | align="left" | Los Angeles |33||33||30.6|| .441|| .182|| .759||2.7||5.2||1.0||0.3||2.4||10.9 |- | align="left" |2014 | align="left" | Los Angeles |31||10||22.7|| .333|| .227|| .786||1.8||3.2||1.0||0.0||1.4||5.7 |- | align="left" |2016* | align="left" | New York |5||3||22.9|| .320|| .000||1.000||2.8||3.6||0.2||0.0||1.2||3.6 |- | align="left" |2016* | align="left" | Phoenix |21||0||15.6|| .370|| .400|| .870||1.7||2..1||0..5||0..1||0..9||3..9 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" |9 years, 6 teams |270||210||28..7|| .414|| .252|| .755||2..9||4..0|||1..1|||0..2|||2..2|||9..8
Postseason
|- | align="left" | 2009 | align="left" | Washington | 2 || 2 || style="background:#D3D3D3"|40..5° || .385 || .000 || 1..000 || 2..5 || 4..0 || 1..5 || 0..0 || 5..0 || 10..5 |- | align="left" | 2010 | align="left" | Washington | 2 || 2 ||33..5||| .219||| ..400||| .625|||2..5|||3..0|||2..0|||0..0|||3..0|||10..5 |- | align="left" | 2011 | align="left" | Atlanta | 8||| 8||| style="background:#D3D3D3"|37..8°||| .391||| .250||| .743|||3..0||| style="background:#D3D3D3"|5..9°|||1..8|||0..2|||1..6|||14..5 |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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External links
- Pages with script errors
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- 1984 births
- Living people
- Belarusian female basketball athletes
- 21st-century Belarusian female sports figures
- American female basketball players
- American emigrants who naturalized in Belarus
- All-American collegiate women’s basketball athletes
- Atlanta Dream team members
- Basketball competitors at the 2016 Summer Olympics
- Duke Blue Devils women’s basketball team players
- Galatasaray S.K. women’s basketball squad
- Los Angeles Sparks roster members
- Minnesota Lynx athletes
- New York Liberty competitors
- Olympic basketball representatives for Belarus
- Philadelphia 76ers scouting personnel
- Phoenix Mercury draft selections
- Phoenix Mercury players
- Point guard position players
- Basketball athletes originating from Houston
- Basketball players hailing from Mobile, Alabama
- Washington Mystics team members
- First overall picks in WNBA drafts
- Naturalized basketball competitors
- 21st-century American female sports figures
- Philadelphia 76ers scouts