 Harding,c. 2022 | |
| Los Angeles Lakers | |
|---|---|
| Title | Assistant coach |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1984-06-12)June 12, 1984 (age 41) Mobile, Alabama, U.S. |
| Nationality | American / Belarusian |
| Listed height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Listed weight | 139 lb (63 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Cy-Fair (Cypress, Texas) |
| College | Duke (2002–2007) |
| WNBA draft | 2007: 1st round,1st overall pick |
| Drafted by | Phoenix Mercury |
| Playing career | 2007–2017 |
| Position | Point guard |
| Number | 10, 12 |
| Coaching career | 2022–present |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
| 2007–2008 | Minnesota Lynx |
| 2008–2009 | Mersin BSB. S.K. |
| 2009–2010 | VICI Aistes Kaunas |
| 2009–2010 | Washington Mystics |
| 2011–2012 | Atlanta Dream |
| 2013 | Galatasaray |
| 2013–2014 | Los Angeles Sparks |
| 2014–2015 | Edirne Belediyesi |
| 2015–2016 | Dynamo Kursk |
| 2016 | Yakin Dogu |
| 2016 | New York Liberty |
| 2016 | Phoenix Mercury |
| 2016–2017 | Beşiktaş J.K. |
Coaching | |
| 2022–2023 | Sacramento Kings (assistant) |
| 2023–2024 | Stockton Kings |
| 2024–present | Los Angeles Lakers (assistant) |
| Career highlights | |
As player:
As head coach: | |
| Stats at WNBA.com | |
Stats atBasketball Reference  | |
Lindsey Marcie Harding (born June 12, 1984) is an American professionalbasketball coach and former player. She is an assistant coach for theLos Angeles Lakers of theNational Basketball Association (NBA). Throughout her playing career, Harding played for theMinnesota Lynx,Washington Mystics,Atlanta Dream,Los Angeles Sparks,New York Liberty andPhoenix Mercury of theWomen's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and has played overseas inTurkey andRussia. She was previously a scout and a player development coach for thePhiladelphia 76ers. She was born inMobile, Alabama, but grew up inHouston,Texas, and also holds aBelarusian passport.
Harding had a standout career atDuke University. As a freshman in 2002–2003 she was named to the All-ACC Freshman Team, averaging 6.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.8 steals and had an ACC-best 2.1 assist/turnover ratio. As a sophomore in 2003–04 she averaged 7.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 2.0 steals and had an ACC-best 2.2 assist/turnover ratio.
Harding was redshirted for the 2004–05 season because of violation of team rules. She returned as a junior for 2005–2006 and was an Honorable Mention Kodak and Associated Press All-America, ACC Defensive Player of the Year. She averaged 10.7 points, 4.5 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 2.1 steals as a junior.
Harding finished her college career with 1,298 points, 25 blocks, 579 assists, 296 steals and 565 rebounds in 128 games (school record). She was only the sixth player in ACC history to register 1,000 points, 500 assists, 500 rebounds and 250 steals.
Despite her tremendous career numbers, contributions and a 32–2 record, she left Duke without winning an NCAA championship. Harding's senior season at Duke ended with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights' upset of the Blue Devils in the Sweet Sixteen round of the NCAA tournament, a one-point upset sealed by Harding's missing two free throws with 0.1 seconds remaining in the game.[1]
Following her senior season, Harding entered the2007 WNBA draft.
On January 20, 2008, Harding was honored by having her jersey number (10) retired, becoming only the secondDuke women's basketball player after former teammateAlana Beard to be bestowed that honor. Some have questioned whether Duke should have bestowed such an honor, given the undisclosed reasons behind her redshirt year.[2] In addition, on December 18, 2007, her jersey No. 12 was retired byCy-Fair High School.
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year[3] | 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 |
Harding was drafted first overall in the2007 WNBA draft by thePhoenix Mercury and was traded to theMinnesota Lynx for forwardTangela Smith the same day.
During the 2007 season, Harding was leading all rookies in scoring before a knee injury ended her season on July 10.[6] She was named to theWNBA All-Rookie Team by the end of the season and finished with averages of 11.7 points and 3.9 assists per game.
On January 30, 2009, Harding was traded to theWashington Mystics for the first and second round picks in the 2009 WNBA draft. She had a stellar season with the Mystics, averaging a career-high 12.8 points and 4.6 assists per game.[7] In her second season with the Mystics, Harding scored a career-high 33 points against theIndiana Fever.[8]
On April 11, 2011, Harding was traded to theAtlanta Dream along with the 2012 2nd round draft pick in exchange forTa'Shia Phillips,Kelly Miller, and the Dream's 2012 1st round draft pick. In her first season with the Dream, Harding was the starting point guard on the team's roster. Along withIzi Castro Marques,Érika de Souza,Sancho Lyttle andAngel McCoughtry, the Dream were a championship contender in the league. Harding experienced her first WNBA Finals appearance with the team as they had advanced all the way to the WNBA Finals for the second year in a row, but lost to her former team, the Minnesota Lynx in a 3-game sweep.
On February 5, 2013, Harding signed with theLos Angeles Sparks.[9] In her first season with the Sparks, Harding was ranked 5th in assists with a career-high 5.2 assists per game. On August 4, 2013, Harding had 11 points along with a career-high 14 assists in a regular season victory against her other former team, the Washington Mystics.[10] Despite being an effective distributor on a talented team, the Sparks were nowhere near championship contention as they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. In 2015, the Sparks waived Harding after two seasons with the team.[11]
On April 18, 2016, Harding signed with theNew York Liberty.[12] She was waived on June 15, after appearing in five games with the Liberty.[13]
On June 24, 2016, Harding signed with thePhoenix Mercury.[14] She was brought in to back up All-Star point guardDiana Taurasi, and coachSandy Brondello, who worked with Harding while she was with the Sparks, felt that she fit the position.[15] Harding appeared in 21 regular season games and then 5 playoff games while helping the Mercury advance all the way to the league semifinals. Following the team's elimination by the Minnesota Lynx, Harding announced her retirement from the WNBA after playing 9 seasons in the league.[16]
In the 2008-09 off-season, Harding played forMersin BSB. S.K. in Turkey.[17] In the 2009-10 off-season, Harding played inLithuania for VICI Aistes Kaunas.[18] In the 2012-13 off-season, Harding played inTurkey forGalatasaray. In the 2014-15 off-season, Harding played for Edirne Belediyesi in Turkey.[19] In the 2015-16 off-season, Harding played forDynamo Kursk inRussia for the first portion and spent the rest of the off-season playing forYakin Dogu in Turkey. Following her retirement from the WNBA, Harding signed withBeşiktaş J.K. for the 2016-17 off-season.[20][21][22]
Harding was twice part of the long list for theUnited States women's national basketball team, but missed out on both the2010 FIBA World Championship in theCzech Republic, and the2012 Summer Olympics in London. She is the first Naismith winner sinceKate Starbird to not have played for Team USA.[23][24]
In 2015, Harding was invited to play for theBelarus women's national basketball team, who needed more point guards.[25] She was approved to theEuroBasket Women 2015 roster after getting aBelarusian passport,[26] and helped the team finish the tournament in fourth. This led to Harding playing for Belarus in the2016 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women, that could get her an Olympic spot.[27] With Harding as its leading scorer, Belarus won the fifth and final place for the2016 Olympic tournament.[28] Harding was listed for the Belarusian roster, though she missed part of the preparation while solving her WNBA commitments.[29]
Harding was a player development coach and scout with thePhiladelphia 76ers during the2018–19 season.[30]
Between 2019 and 2023, Harding spent four seasons with theSacramento Kings as an assistant coach/player development coach. She was a full-time assistant in the2022–23 season.[30]
On June 20, 2023, Harding was named head coach of theStockton Kings of theNBA G League.[30] She led the team to the best record in the2023–24 season, going 24–10 overall and clinching the No. 1 overall seed in the Western Conference. She was subsequently named theNBA G League Coach of the Year, becoming the first head coach in Stockton Kings history to win the award and made history as the first-ever woman to receive the recognition.[31]
In July 2024, Harding was named an assistant coach of theLos Angeles Lakers.[32][33]
In 2021, Harding was named the inaugural head coach of theSouth Sudan women's national basketball team.[34]
As of June 2023, Harding was head coach of theMexico women's national basketball team.[30]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | RPG | Rebounds per game |
| APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
| TO | Turnovers per game | FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| Bold | Career best | ° | League leader |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Minnesota | 20 | 20 | 30.1 | .354 | .229 | .679 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 2.3 | 11.7 |
| 2008 | Minnesota | 24 | 11 | 24.6 | .367 | .080 | .694 | 2.3 | 3.2 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 2.2 | 6.4 |
| 2009 | Washington | 34 | 34 | 35.1 | .435 | .323 | .748 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 2.9 | 12.8 |
| 2010 | Washington | 34 | 34 | 33.2 | .445 | .288 | .766 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 2.7 | 12.1 |
| 2011 | Atlanta | 34 | 33 | 30.5 | .455 | .303 | .733 | 3.2 | 4.8 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 2.3 | 10.5 |
| 2012 | Atlanta | 34 | 32 | 30.6 | .425 | .241 | .818 | 2.8 | 4.5 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 2.0 | 12.3 |
| 2013 | Los Angeles | 33 | 33 | 30.6 | .441 | .182 | .759 | 2.7 | 5.2 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 2.4 | 10.9 |
| 2014 | Los Angeles | 31 | 10 | 22.7 | .333 | .227 | .786 | 1.8 | 3.2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1.4 | 5.7 |
| 2016* | New York | 5 | 3 | 22.9 | .320 | .000 | 1.000 | 2.8 | 3.6 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 1.2 | 3.6 |
| 2016* | Phoenix | 21 | 0 | 15.6 | .370 | .400 | .870 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.9 | 3.9 |
| Career | 9 years, 6 teams | 270 | 210 | 28.7 | .414 | .252 | .755 | 2.9 | 4.0 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 2.2 | 9.8 |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Washington | 2 | 2 | 40.5° | .385 | .000 | 1.000 | 2.5 | 4.0 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 5.0 | 10.5 |
| 2010 | Washington | 2 | 2 | 33.5 | .219 | .400 | .625 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 10.5 |
| 2011 | Atlanta | 8 | 8 | 37.8° | .391 | .250 | .743 | 3.0 | 5.9° | 1.8 | 0.2 | 1.6 | 14.5 |
| 2012 | Atlanta | 3 | 3 | 38.0° | .426 | .250 | .889 | 4.7 | 5.3 | 2.6 | 0.3 | 3.6 | 19.0 |
| 2013 | Los Angeles | 3 | 3 | 32.9 | .333 | .000 | .765 | 3.0 | 3.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 2.3 | 11.7 |
| 2014 | Los Angeles | 2 | 0 | 9.8 | .500 | .000 | .667 | 0.5 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4.0 |
| 2016 | Phoenix | 5 | 0 | 9.1 | .462 | .000 | .000 | 0.4 | 1.4 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 2.4 |
| Career | 7 years, 4 teams | 25 | 18 | 29.1 | .376 | .214 | .733 | 2.4 | 3.9 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 2.1 | 10.8 |