G League Coach of the Year Lindsey Harding is leaving Kings organization to join Lakers

G League Coach of the Year Lindsey Harding is leaving the Sacramento Kings organization to take a job with the Los Angeles Lakers.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Tuesday that Harding has agreed to join JJ Redick’s coaching staff as an assistant. Harding and Redick have known each other since her days as an All-American player at Duke and player development coach with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Harding, 40, is a rising star in the coaching ranks. She served as a player development coach with the 76ers and Kings before leading the G League Stockton Kings to the Western Conference finals in her lone season as head coach.

The Charlotte Hornets interviewed Harding for their head coaching job before hiring Charles Lee in May.

In April, Harding became the first woman to win the G League Coach of the Year award after leading her team to the best record in the league. Harding was named head coach of the Stockton Kings in June 2023 after Bobby Jackson left the organization to become an assistant coach with the 76ers.

Harding led Stockton to a 24-10 record in the Western Conference during the regular season. The Kings secured the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye in the playoffs.

Harding spent the previous four seasons as an assistant coach/player development coach in Sacramento. She previously worked as a player development coach and pro personnel scout with the 76ers.

Harding also has international coaching experience. She was named head coach of the South Sudan women’s national team in 2021 and currently leads the Mexican women’s national team.

Harding was the Naismith College Player of the Year at Duke in 2007. She was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 WNBA draft and spent nine years in the league. She also played internationally in Turkey, Lithuania, Russia and the 2016 Summer Olympics for Belarus.