Adam Silver told ESPN he believes there will be a female head coach in his league, and he wants it to happen "sooner rather than later."
"There definitely will," Silver said when asked about a woman becoming an NBA head coach. "And I think it is on me to sort of ensure that it happens sooner rather than later."
Silver's interview was promoting the NBA and Leanin.org's launch of a gender equality public awareness campaign.
Silver disputed recent comments made by WFAN radio host Mike Francesa, who sparked controversy when he stated that a woman has no shot at being a head coach of a pro men's team.
"First of all, let me say that I disagree that there will not be a woman head coach in the NBA," Silver said. "It is hard to say exactly when [it will happen]. There are three women currently in the pipeline, and I think like we have seen in all other aspects of life, while there are certain cases for example, the athletes that participate in the NBA, there are obvious physical differences between men and women and those differences are why we have a men's league and a women's league.
"But on the other hand when it comes to coaching, when there is absolutely no physical requirement, when it is not a function of how high you can jump or how strong you are, there is no physical litmus test to being a head coach in the league, there is absolutely no reason why a woman will not ascend to be a head coach in this league. We are very focused in on it."
San Antonio's Becky Hammon and Sacramento's Nancy Lieberman are currently assistant coaches in the NBA. Natalie Nakase also serves as the Clippers' assistant video coordinator with aspirations of becoming an NBA head coach.
