Kings Hire Jenny Boucek, NBA's Third Full-Time Female Coach Ever
The Kings hired Jenny Boucek to join head coach Dave Joerger's staff as a full-time assistant player development coach, making Boucek the third-ever woman to hold a full-time coaching gig with an NBA team.
Sacramento announced the hiring on Friday. The other female coach currently with an NBA team is Becky Hammon, who has been an assistant to Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich since 2014. Nancy Lieberman spent time as an assistant with the Kings but is no longer with the franchise.
Boucek played collegiately at Virginia and played briefly in the WNBA before starting her coaching career in 1999. She was the head coach of the WNBA's Sacramento Monarchs from 2007-09 and the Seattle Storm from 2015-17, posting a 76-99 career record as a head coach.
"Over the years, I've crossed paths with Dave several times," Boucek, 43, told ESPNW. "I feel like we have a lot in common because we got into coaching in the pros at young ages. We stayed in touch and supported each other. I spent some time observing with their staff here a couple of times, and it evolved into this."
Boucek joins a young Kings team that went 32-50 last season. Sacramento currently has six players under 22 on its roster, including 2017 first-round picks De'Aron Fox, Justin Jackson and Harry Giles.
"This is such an exciting opportunity," Boucek told ESPNW. "I don't feel it's really different between the NBA and WNBA in how you teach things. There are some logistical differences in the NBA, being a bigger organization with a bigger staff. But in terms of the game, coaching is the same. The guys have been super receptive."
