Former WNBA and Duke star Lindsey Harding has joined the 76ers for next season as a scout, according to ESPN, becoming the second former WNBA player to be hired for a full-time scouting position with an NBA team.
"Lindsey has quickly become one of the game's bright young minds in basketball operations," Philadelphia coach Brett Brown said. "Having graduated from the NBA's Basketball Operations Associates Program last season, Lindsey is applying the same grit and basketball IQ she used as a player in her move to the front office. We look forward to the work Lindsey will do to help grow our program and further solidify a culture of winning.
"It's no secret how much I value the culture we've built in Philadelphia and how much a family-like atmosphere means to our program. Lindsey is a leader, and she is a welcomed addition to the 76ers family. I look forward to working with her."
Harding played nine years in the WNBA and officially retired in 2017 after being selected by the Phoenix Mercury with the No. 1 overall pick in 2007. Following her playing career, Harding attended the NBA's Basketball Operations Associates Program last year and was an assistant coach for the Raptors' summer league team in 2014.
"I think when you have this goal in mind, your gender shouldn't even matter," Harding told ESPN. "It should be about if you can do it, if you're good, you're experienced, if you know what you're doing and what you're talking about.
"I knew I wanted to work with the team. That's the one thing that you miss most from playing — being part of a team, competing, and trying to win a championship," she said. "That's always been the goal probably since I picked up the ball when I was 13."
Harding said her ultimate goal is to work with a team's front office.
"I would love to be in the front office and really understand how to put a team together," she said. "I still love being on the floor and having the opportunity to coach. But I really just wanted to get my foot in the door."
Harding, 34, played for six different teams during her WNBA career, averaging 9.8 points and four assists.
