Jeanie Buss
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Jeanie Buss is the current governor of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Amid the Los Angeles Lakers‘ hot start to the season, team governor Jeanie Buss has endorsed assistant coach Lindsey Harding to the rest of the league. Buss is confident that Harding has all the tools to make NBA history sooner rather than later.
In an interview with ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, Harding shared that her goal is to eventually become an NBA head coach. A woman has never held the position, but Buss believes the current Lakers assistant is capable of taking charge of a team in the future.
“She’s a professional, she knows the game, she is a great communicator, she brings a level of energy, positivity. She is just great. I’m just thrilled that she is part of our staff. But I understand if people are going to try to pick her off because she’s just that good,” Buss said.
Harding had a nine-year WNBA career before going into coaching. Her first coaching job was as player development coach and scout for the Philadelphia 76ers in 2018. She was then hired by the Sacramento Kings to be a player development coach before getting promoted to a full-time assistant for the 2022-23 season under coach Mike Brown.
The Duke product was then named head coach of the Stockton Kings in the NBA G League. She won the NBA G League Coach of the Year in 2024 after leading Stockton to a 24-10 record and the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, as per NBA.com.
The Lakers then came calling the following season and hired her as an assistant for fellow Duke alum JJ Redick. She’s in her second year with the purple and gold.
Harding Calls Jeanie Buss a ‘Bad B*tch’
In the same interview with Dave McMenamin, Lindsey Harding opened up about knowing Jeanie Buss during her playing days in the WNBA. Harding played two seasons for the Los Angeles Sparks and got to know Buss.
She admired how the Lakers governor navigated all the things she had to go through as an executive for one of the most historic franchises in sports.
“I’m going to say this, they’re probably going to get mad at me, she’s a bad b*tch. She dealt with all the criticism … and she not only did what she wanted to do, she succeeded. She won. That’s amazing,” Harding said.
In addition to Harding, there are two active female assistant coaches in the NBA: Jenny Boucek of the Indiana Pacers and Brittni Donaldson of the Atlanta Hawks.
Buss to Remain Governor Under Mark Walter’s Ownership
After nearly 50 years under the Buss family, the Los Angeles Lakers are now primarily owned by Mark Walter following his $10 billion purchase, as reported by Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. Jeanie Buss will remain as governor for at least the next five years to ease in the transition of ownership. The Buss family still has a 15% stake with the Lakers.
In addition to the Lakers, Walter is also the principal owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the MLB, a part owner of Chelsea in the English Premier League and RC Strasbourg in Ligue 1.