Lindsey Harding anxious for Kings' G League coaching job.

SACRAMENTO -- After a sparkling career as one of the best female basketball players in the world then spending time working her way up the ranks as an assistant in the NBA, Lindsey Harding is ready for the challenge of coaching her own team.

Harding was introduced Monday as the head coach of the Sacramento Kings' G League affiliate in Stockton in what is another giant step for the 39-year-old former WNBA and international star.

'I feel so honored to have this opportunity,' Harding said. 'I came here four years ago as a player development coach, not knowing where I was going to go in the future. Each year I grew and got better and better. I had my eyes on this possible opportunity.'

Harding spent last year as an assistant with the Kings as a member of coach Mike Brown's staff. Prior to that, she was also a coaching assistant with Brown's predecessor, Luke Walton. She also spent time as a scout and player developmental coach with the Philadelphia 76ers before joining the Kings.

Brown, whose team ended the longest playoff drought in NBA history last season, was among those in attendance at Harding's press conference at Golden 1 Center. He smiled as she recalled her journey from player to coach.

'We would like to think we're an extension of the Sacramento Kings,' Harding said. 'I would like a seamless transition from players that are going to be going back and forth. (Brown) talks a lot about playing together as a team, playing physical and playing fast. That's exactly what we're going to do. Might have my own little style and flair to it but it's going to be pretty similar to that.'

Harding has a storied resume both as a player and coach.

She was the Naismith College Player of the Year at Duke in 2007 and had her No. 10 jersey retired by the university. That same year Harding was the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft by the Phoenix Mercury and made the league's all-rookie team. She spent nine seasons playing for six teams in the WNBA before retiring in 2016, then spent time playing internationally with Turkey, Lithuania and Russia.

In 2021, Harding served as head coach for the South Sudan women's senior national team where she guided her squad to its first ever appearance in the FIBA AfroBasket qualifier. She currently holds the same position for the Mexican Women's Senior National Team.

Harding is fully aware that as one of the few female coaches in men's basketball, let alone an African-American woman, her journey carries a lot of weight.

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