Following Jacque Vaughn’s promotion to interim head coach for the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday, a bit of unprecedented history was made. As of November 9, most of the head coaches in the NBA are African American for the first time ever. To be exact, there are 16 African American head coaches.
Since becoming the last coach to be a part of this feat, Vaughn has been receiving a lot of praise around the league for making this possible. Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers told the media on Wednesday, “It’s never been for me how many Black head coaches there are, for me it’s been about Black coaches having the same opportunity as everyone else at becoming head coach. The fact that it’s now 16 only amplifies that – Jacque Vaughn didn’t get the head job because he was Black. He got it because he was the most qualified.”
Cleveland Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff expressed how Vaughn’s hiring has shown growth within the hiring process for Black coaches.
“The most impressive thing about there being 16 Black head coaches in the NBA and the most significant thing is that there is equal opportunity for Black coaches to be head coaches, which hasn’t always been the case,” said Bickerstaff. “Owners and general managers are open-minded enough to see past the exterior and see the real qualifications that make leaders, teachers, and coaches.”
In what is such a momentous time for Black history, players have shown frustration on the matter over past months. Tracing back to June before the NBA Finals started when there were only 15 black head coaches, Celtics star Jaylen Brown told reporters the eventual rise of Black head coaches is related to the “grand scheme of things that kind of goes on in America.” Brown added,”I don’t understand what took so long, to be honest.”
