JJ Redick adds former Duke women’s basketball star to Los Angeles Lakers coaching staff

Lindsey Harding, the No. 1 pick in the 2007 WNBA draft and the first woman named G-League Coach of the Year, will work as an assistant coach for JJ Redick.

The Los Angeles Lakers continue to assemble an all-star coaching staff of former Duke basketball stars.

After hiring JJ Redick, the all-time leading scorer in men’s basketball history, as the team’s head coach, the Lakers reportedly brought in Lindsey Harding as an assistant coach. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the hire.

Harding spent four seasons (and a redshirt year) with the Blue Devils from 2002-07, and she won National Player of the Year honors from multiple outlets as a senior. She finished the year with 13.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.5 steals per game, and she won the ACC Defensive Player of the Year award twice.

The Phoenix Mercury picked her No. 1 overall in the 2007 WNBA draft, making her the first Blue Devil ever picked first in the women’s league.

After a nine-year WNBA career, Harding spent last season as the coach of the Stockton Kings in the NBA G-League. After a 24-10 record, the best in the league, she became the first woman named G-League Coach of the Year.

Harding and Redick both interviewed for the Charlotte Hornets head coaching job during this offseason cycle.