NBA - Women of Rubies

In Interviews&profile December 30, 2019 By Esther Ijewere

LISA WILLIS BECOMES NEW YORK KNICKS’ FIRST FEMALE COACH AS ASSISTANT FOR G LEAGUE TEAM

History has been made in the state of New York! According to The Washington Informer, the Westchester Knicks have added former WNBA player Lisa Willis to their coaching staff, becoming the first female coach in the history of New York’s basketball franchise.

In addition to Willis’ hiring, the Westchester Knicks—the official NBA G League affiliate of the New York Knicks—also announced the hiring of Allen Deep as an assistant coach.

Willis, who was the fifth overall pick in the 2006 WNBA Draft, played for the Los Angeles Sparks her first two seasons before continuing her playing career with the New York Liberty (2007-08). While attending UCLA (2002-06), the Long Beach, California, native was recognized as the nation’s best defender by ESPN’s Nancy Lieberman. She graduated as the Bruins’ all-time three-point leader and second all-time in then-PAC-10 history and ranked ninth all-time in scoring.

“The Westchester Knicks continue to be a vital part of our player development program at the New York Knicks,” said Steve Mills, president of the New York Knicks in a press release. “Today, we’ve added two talented coaches who will improve our players’ skills both on and off the court.”

Willis participated in the heralded NBA’s Assistant Coaches Program (ACP), a program formed by the NBA G League’s Player Development department, providing an educational conduit for former NBA, WNBA, and NBA G League players to the ranks of coaching and front office opportunities.

In self development March 12, 2019 By Editor

MEET 9-YEAR-OLD RILEY MORRISON, WHO IS CHANGING THE NARRATIVE FOR FEMALE ATHLETES

Riley Morrison is just 9 years old and she’s changing the game for female athletes. In November, the young girl wrote a letter to three-time NBA champion Stephen Curry expressing her concern over the lack of girls’ sizes in his Under Armour kids‘ basketball sneakers.

Not only did Steph write back to Riley about how he was going to “fix the issue,” but they worked together to design a new pair of basketball shoes for International Women’s Day.

On March 7, the day before the release of the new sneakers, Riley (who coincidentally has the same name as Steph’s oldest daughter) joined the Golden State Warriors player to debut their hard work.

Riley and Steph worked together on the UA ICON Curry 6 United We Win purple shoe, which features a sockliner designed by Riley. The liner has inspiring quotes like “Girls Hoop Too,” “Play With Heart,” “Girl Power,” and more.

“I WAS IMMEDIATELY IMPRESSED WHEN I SAW RILEY’S LETTER; THAT A 9-YEAR-OLD GIRL HAD THE COURAGE TO USE HER VOICE TO CALL ATTENTION TO AN ISSUE AND KEEP US ACCOUNTABLE,”

Steph said.

“SHE WAS FOCUSED ON THE OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL GIRLS, NOT JUST HERSELF. SHE’S BEEN AN AMAZING CATALYST FOR CHANGE – NOT ONLY WITH MY PRODUCT BUT ALSO WITH THE ENTIRE UNDER ARMOUR BRAND. SHE IS INSPIRING, AND WISE BEYOND HER YEARS.”

The sneaker’s colorway that blends purple and deep orchid with white is also reflective of International Women’s Day, as purple is the internationally recognized color to symbolize women, according to the IWD website.

Credit: Fab Woman

In Interviews&profile February 22, 2019 By Esther Ijewere

MEET CYNTHIA MARSHALL, THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMAN CEO OF AN NBA TEAM

Despite a slow improvement in diversity numbers, reports show that many front-office executive seats in the NBA are still filled with an overwhelming amount of white men. But, breaking the glass ceiling in a male-dominated industry is Dallas Mavericks CEO Cynthia Marshall.

Marshall, who stepped into her position last year, is the first Black woman to serve as the CEO of an NBA team. She was tapped by Mavericks owner Mark Cuban to help the organization turn its culture around after facing several allegations of sexual harassment and abuse under its former CEO Terdema Ussery.

In a recent sit down interview with TODAY’s Craig Melvin, Marshall, a former longtime executive at AT&T, said that when she first stepped into her role she initially couldn’t believe that she was actually making history.

“It was 2018,” she told Melvin. “I shouldn’t be the first of anything in 2018.”

She admits that when she first joined the Mavericks organization, she found the team’s front-office culture to be an unfriendly environment for both women and people of color. With a determination to bring about massive change, Marshall has already increased the team’s diversity numbers to now include nearly 50 percent of women in management roles.

“Diversity is being invited to the party, but inclusion is being asked to dance,” said the University of California, Berkeley graduate. “You can be at the table, but if you aren’t being asked to talk and people aren’t including you then so what.”

When asked what being a part of Black History truly means to her, Marshall responded, “I truly believe sometimes you can’t be it if you can’t see it, and you want people to see it.”

Source: BOTWC