The NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers have made history by adding University of California, Berkeley head coach Lindsay Gottlieb to their coaching staff. Gottlieb will become the first woman hired from the NCAA into the NBA, becoming an assistant coach for John Beilein in the 2020 season. Gottleib spent eight years as the Golden Bear’s women’s head coach. Sources tell ESPN that Gottleib will sign a four-year contract with the Cavaliers.
The Cavaliers released statements in a news release. Gottlieb thanked the CAL system for her lifetime opportunities as well as her family:
“I am very thankful, proud and excited to be joining the Cavaliers as an Assistant Coach. After meeting with Koby Altman, Coach Beilein and Coach Bickerstaff, I knew this was an organization I wanted to be a part of and a team I wanted to dedicate myself to,” said Gottlieb. “While this move provided a unique and special chance to move directly from Cal Berkeley and women’s college basketball to the NBA, it was really about being part of building and growing something special and adding value to a team and organization that is focused on doing things in a way that I believe strongly in.”
Cavalier head coach Beilein says that Gottlieb’s coaching experience and record at UC Berkeley speaks for itself and he looked forward to her expertise in player development. The historic hiring comes five years after Becky Hammond became the first woman hired onto a NBA coaching staff by the San Antonio Spurs, after years as a WNBA player. But Gottlieb becomes the first woman to be hired based solely on her basketball coaching experience and record. This is a big step for the NBA, an organized sport that continues to push forward in its evolution with the times.