A outstanding NBA assistant coach just lately seemed down at his cellphone as a textual content rolled in from his agent. It delivered an surprising query.
Would you have an interest within the WNBA?
The WNBA had by no means actually crossed his thoughts. The coach, who was granted anonymity to guard future employment potentialities, was centered on turning into an NBA head coach, or maybe leaping to the lads’s faculty ranks in the precise state of affairs.
Even within the girls’s faculty teaching ranks, most have traditionally seemed to climb up the NCAA stage — the place the pay and prominence is increased — and win nationwide titles moderately than contemplate the W.
Instances change, even when the timing — the NBA and faculty seasons have both simply begun or are about to — isn’t nice for obtainable candidates.
The WNBA, not like different basketball leagues, finishes its season within the fall, and this 12 months seven of the league’s 12 current franchises dismissed their coach. It’s left a frenzy for replacements, a vendor’s market.
As such, salaries, the NBA assistant stated, are anticipated to hit $1 million and the Los Angeles Sparks are rumored to be prepared to pay $2 million.
And that doesn’t even depend the chance to teach the Indiana Fever and star participant Caitlin Clark, who’re among the many groups available in the market for a head coach.
What was as soon as a training afterthought is, properly, immediately one thing completely different.
“I’m dug in on my staff,” the NBA assistant informed Yahoo Sports activities, “however with how a lot they’re paying the coaches, it’s fascinating.”
Or as one other NBA assistant and potential head coach famous to Yahoo Sports activities, “It’s the primary time I’ve heard this many individuals speaking concerning the WNBA.”
There most likely isn’t a easy cause why 58.3 p.c of the league’s head teaching jobs opened on the identical time.
Perhaps it’s how Clark introduced a surge of recognition to the league inflicting house owners to develop extra aggressive or impatient. Perhaps it’s how New York Liberty house owners Joseph and Clara Wu Tsai poured important sources into the membership and have been rewarded with a title earlier this month.
Perhaps it’s how the Las Vegas Aces, who gained the earlier two championships, are coached by Becky Hammon, who was employed off the employees of the San Antonio Spurs with a reported $1 million wage.
Perhaps it’s simply seven particular person conditions coming to a conclusion directly.
No matter it’s, successful appears to matter an incredible deal.
Take into account Christie Sides, the Fever’s departed coach. The staff began the season 1-8, however as Clark was meshed right into a staff that additionally included 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Yr Aliyah Boston, the Fever completed 20-20 and reached the playoffs for the primary time since 2017.
Fairly good. It nonetheless wasn’t sufficient.
The Fever job is especially interesting — not simply because Clark and the opposite younger expertise make them potential title contenders quickly, however the shiny highlight the franchise can deliver.
This is without doubt one of the most outstanding and adopted franchises within the sport at any stage. The Fever play in entrance of packed arenas each residence and away, obtain intensive nationwide media protection and routinely draw tens of millions of viewers for regular-season video games. The common tv viewers for an NBA sport on ESPN/TNT/ABC in 2023-24 was 1.56 million. Final season, Indiana drew higher than that 13 occasions and performed in 22 video games which hit 1,000,000 or extra viewers, together with on lesser identified channels reminiscent of ION. There are NBA groups that may solely dream of doing that.
Being Caitlin Clark’s coach needs to be good for a profession.
Former Connecticut Solar coach Stephanie White is rumored to be the main substitute, however this could be the uncommon WNBA job which may trigger even a high-level faculty coach to pause and assume.
That’s the place the WNBA’s timing isn’t nice. Prime faculty coaches must bail on their staff on the eve of the season. And whereas getting a Daybreak Staley (South Carolina) or Geno Auriemma (Connecticut) to depart their well-paid fiefdoms may be unattainable at any time of the 12 months, actually a next-level faculty coach may be inquisitive about spring.
Operationally, the WNBA nonetheless isn’t a cash maker, however its house owners are so rich it doesn’t essentially matter. The Tsais, for instance, are price an estimated $9 billion. They seemed fairly glad accepting the championship trophy this 12 months.
Regardless of the motivation, greater than half the league is immediately trying to improve its bench — together with the preferred staff that includes the preferred participant. Salaries are being bandied about sufficient that even coaches who beforehand would not have thought of it, have to think about it.
“Total,” one NBA assistant stated, “it’s spectacular proper now.”
