Bianchi: In some ways, women more suited to be NBA coaches than men

The question shouldn’t be whether a woman is suited to be an NBA head coach; the question should be why sexism is accepted in a league that has done so much to combat racism.

The reason we bring this up is because Becky Hammon, an assistant coach in San Antonio, just led the Spurs to the NBA Summer League title in Vegas. This development has spawned a national discussion on whether Hammon will become the first female NBA head coach in history.

Females coaching male sports took another turn earlier this week when the Arizona Cardinals hired Jen Welter as an assistant coaching intern for training camp and the preseason to work with inside linebackers. She is believed to be the first female coach of any kind in the NFL.

I believe women are, in many ways, more qualified to be NBA coaches than men.

Let’s face it, being an NBA coach isn’t so much about X’s and O’s and out-scheming the other team. It’s about gaining the respect of your players, massaging egos, establishing a culture, instilling discipline.

I don’t know the exact percentages, but I do know this: Many NBA players come from single-parent homes where the mother was the sole breadwinner, authority figure, disciplinarian and mentor. From LeBron James on down, many NBA players have been raised with little fatherly guidance and a strong female presence in their lives. They have been programmed to believe that women will look out for their best interests whereas men – not so much.

So why wouldn’t that female admiration and respect convert to coaching success? Why wouldn’t NBA players respond better to the demands and commands of a woman than a man? I’m saying they would.

Geno Auriemma, the coach of the UConn women’s basketball team, is the most successful coach in women’s college hoops history.

If a male can dominate a woman’s sport then why can’t a female at least get a chance in a man’s sport?