Black/Minority Head Coaches in the NBA

By NICK OSPINA

There are fewer black coaches in the NBA, a sport where the players of color dominate.

In a league where more than 75 percent of the players are black why are there such few black/minority head coaches in the game today.  The NBA currently holds 8 black head coaches. Some observers question: Is equal opportunity being given to all coaching candidates? Do having prior credentials in having coached in the NBA even matter anymore?

A topic that has been debated by sports media for recent years is why the sudden decline in minority head coaches? 2012 opening night the NBA was at an all time high with 14 black head coaches, but the number has since declined.

Divided up into 2 conferences, the NBA features the Eastern and the Western Conference. Each conference contains 15 teams making the NBA a total of 30 teams. Out of those 30 teams only 9 of their head coaches are non-white. They are Jason Kidd, Tyronn Lue, Nate McMillan, Erik Splelstra, Dwane Casey, Doc Rivers, David Fizdale, Alvin Gentry, and Earl Watson.

Usually to become a NBA head coach you’d have to pay your due diligence by working as an assistant coach with the hope of getting noticed by an opposing team or your head coach is fired and the organization promotes you as an intern head coach for a shot at full time head coach.

Today, there is a growing sense in sports media that team owners are hiring coaches with no prior head coaching experience because they come cheap.

“They speak a language the owners understand” said Stephen A. Smith, sports journalist/First Take host/sports radio host for ESPN.

Prior Headcoaches

Mark Jackson was the former head coach of the Golden State Warriors for three seasons. Jackson, hired in 2011, led the Warriors to two straight playoff appearances in his three seasons after the teams only made the playoffs once in their prior 17 seasons. Jackson was later fired in 2014, not even have finished fulfilling his four-year contract because Jackson and Warriors management clashed behind closed doors leading to his firing.

That offseason Steve Kerr was hired by the Warriors and they ran the tables the following season winning the NBA championship. Prior to being hired, Kerr was an announcer for the NBA on TNT, and before that was the general manager and team president for the Phoenix Suns.

Monty Williams, former NBA player and NBA head coach for the New Orleans Hornets later changed to the New Orleans Pelicans for five seasons from 2010-2015. Williams was hired in 2010 with a three-year contract, but later signed a four-year extension in 2012.

Williams was fired after the 2014-2015 season having just led the Pelicans to their first ever playoff  series against the Warriors since star player Chris Paul last season during the 2010-2011 season.

Maurice Cheeks former NBA player and NBA head coach for multiple teams Portland Trail Blazers, Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons, has not been as successful as a head coach as he would’ve hoped. It still doesn’t excuse the disrespect he received as a head coach of the Detroit Pistons. Hired in 2013, the Pistons didn’t even let Cheeks coach one full season for the Pistons as he was fired midway through his first season after signing a two-year deal.

Perspective 

Haseon Kim, 23, of Tenafly, believes the NBA could have a race problem in the league but not to an avale that the whole

league needs to go under scrutiny.

“Race could play a factor in why there are so little black coaches in the NBA compared to the amount of black NBA players. Close to 75 percent of the players are black yet there are only 8 black head coaches in the league,” Kim said. “Similarly, a closer look at the number of black coaches who are ex NBA players compared to their white ex players colleagues depicts the same low ratio. There are 14 of 30 head coaches who were previous players 5 of them were black.”

Jason Kidd, Doc Rivers, Nate McMillan, Earl Watson, and Tyronn Lue are the former black players to become head coaches.

Kim continues to say “Race could certainly play a role in the explanation of the low ratio of ex players black head coaches in the NBA, but personally believe the role of a player on the basketball court plays a bigger role. All of the 5 black head coaches who were former players were point guards. Being a point guard you are often seen as the head coach on the court playing which translates better to a job as an actual head coach. Four out of the 5 ex black players who are head coaches now weren’t stars in the league (Jason Kidd) perhaps they had more of a financial need to become a head coach.”

(Audio:Listen to Haseon Kim Address Race Concerning The NBA)