Paige Bueckers Says The WNBA Needs Black Women Head Coaches

If you want to know why so many Black women fans of the WNBA consider Paige Bueckers to be our “aggressively light-skinned” little niece, you need look no further than the way she takes every opportunity to use her platform to advocate for Black women. 

The Dallas Wings star, who is white, spoke about coaching opportunities for Black women in the WNBA during a post-game interview following the Wings’ matchup against the Chicago Sky. 

There are currently no Black head coaches in the WNBA, and ESPN reports that Bueckers addressed that in response “to a question about the ‘process’ she hopes to see in terms of hiring Black women to head coaching jobs.”

“I think Black women — specifically, I grew up with a lot of prominent Black women in my life that were very important to me in how I was raised and how I grew up, being my stepmom, my AAU coach,” Bueckers said. “So I understand how amazing they are and how they should get the same equal opportunity as a white woman, as a white man to be an important piece of this league.

“It was built on a lot of Black women — this league was — so it’s definitely right for them to get the same equal opportunity as everyone else.”

From ESPN:

Seven of the 15 current head coaches in the WNBA are women. The last Black woman to hold a head coaching position in the league was Noelle Quinn, who coached the Seattle Storm for parts of five seasons before the team decided not to renew her contract last year.

Quinn, who went on to coach Bueckers in Unrivaled last year with Breeze BC, said in November that she thinks the racial disparity among WNBA head coaches is intentional.

“It’s not by accident,” Quinn said at the time. “I believe it’s intentional. … Representation is possible when leadership chooses to make it possible.”

As previously noted, this is not the first time Bueckers has loudly advocated for Black women in women’s basketball. 

In 2021, Bueckers was a star point guard and 19-year-old student playing for the UConn Huskies women’s basketball team when she was named best college athlete in women’s sports at the ESPYs. She used her acceptance speech to speak up for Black women. 

“With the light that I have now as a white woman who leads a Black-led sport and celebrated here, I want to shed a light on Black women,” Bueckers said. “They don’t get the media coverage that they deserve. They’ve given so much to the sport, the community and society as a whole and their value is undeniable.

“I think it’s time for change. Sports media holds the key to storylines. Sports media and sponsors tell us who is valuable, and you have told the world that I mattered today, and everyone who voted, thank you. But I think we should use this power together to also celebrate Black women.”

From CNN:

The 19-year-old sophomore said that last season in the WNBA, 80% of the post-season awards were won by Black players, but they got half the amount of coverage of the White athletes.

Wow. That sounds oddly like what’s happening right now in the league as the media seems to be hyper-focused on Caitlin “Flopping” Clark and her on-court shenanigans than they are on the women who are actually out on the court giving it their all night after night. 

It’s worth noting that while Clark won’t even openly condemn the racism that her fanbase is lobbing at Black players and fans, Bueckers is out here saying it with her whole chest. 

In a world full of crybaby Caitlin Clarks, be a Paige Madison Bueckers. 

SEE ALSO:

How the WNBA’s Leadership Problem Has Become Impossible To Ignore

Alyssa Thomas Gets 1-Game Suspension For Hitting Caitlin Clark’s Throat

Caitlin Clark Lost Her Footing, So Her Fans Called 911