Why Can’t Ma$e Handle a Woman Coaching In the NBA?

The NBA’s Charlotte Hornets recently announced that they would be interviewing current G-League head coach, Lindsey Harding, for its open head coach position. Of course, a woman being considered as an NBA head coach is unfathomable to some people. Her name making the team’s short list of candidates has set off the usual firestorm of sexist comments about whether women can coach men.

Among those who felt the need to question Harding’s possible hiring is rapper-turned-podcaster Ma$e. On a recent episode of his and Cam’ron’s podcast, “It Is What it Is,” the “Harlem World” rapper noted how controversial his opinions were, calling them “a whirlwind of a statement” before delivering his outdated thoughts on gender roles in modern society.

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“I’m never in favor of women leading men, it don’t matter what it is,” Ma$e said.

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“I was just brought up traditionally, just like with values that [have] been very instilled in me and I try to stick to those values. I think she could do a great job, not that she’s not capable of it; I just don’t think women are supposed to be leading men.”

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According to Ma$e’s “traditional values,” all the women currently holding leadership positions in the military, law enforcement, government and business shouldn’t be leading their male colleagues? What about women who run their own businesses? Are they not allowed to hire men? How does he feel about having a woman as Vice President of the United States? Kamala Harris definitely leads men.

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It’s particularly annoying that this question always seems to arise in sports. And it’s always when women’s sports is celebrating a huge moment. Coming off of record-breaking viewers for the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament and ahead of a highly-anticipated WNBA draft, Ma$e felt the need to let the world know how inadequate he thinks women are.

Harding is a former WNBA star who also had a dominant career at Duke University, where she was named the Naismith College Player of the Year in 2007 and finished her time with the Blue Devils with 1,298 points, 25 blocks, 579 assists, 296 steals and 565 rebounds. As the coach of the Sacramento Kings’ G-League team, the Stockton Kings, she was named the league’s 2024 Coach of the Year.

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She’s more than qualified to be considered for an NBA head coaching position. When a man with these same qualifications gets an interview to join an NBA staff, no one bats an eyelash. And yet, her ability to lead a team needs to be questioned?

By the way, women aren’t the ones you need to worry about in these situations. Instead of being concerned about whether women can lead men, Ma$e should be asking why men have so much trouble following women. Plus, the Hornets finished the 2023-24 season with an abysmal 21-61 record. This team is the definition of “It’s time to try something new.”

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If you’re not an old-fashioned stick in the mud with outdated, sexist opinions like Ma$e, you should watch the 2024 WNBA Draft, airing live Monday, April 15 at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT on ESPN.