Women like Boucek have already shattered barriers in the NBA. Many dream of not simply coaching in the NBA, but perhaps one day ascending to the ultimate front seat: head coach. But no woman has yet broken through that ceiling. The number of women in assistant-coaching roles soared just a few years ago, during the middle of Hammon’s tenure in San Antonio, when a record nine women served as assistant coaches during the 2019-20 season. “I was in uncharted territory,” says Niele Ivey, who was an assistant with the Memphis Grizzlies that season and is now head coach of Notre Dame’s women’s basketball team. “I felt really empowered, and confidence was at an all-time high.” But the number of women who are NBA assistant coaches has quietly decreased over the past few seasons. In 2020-21, there were eight women coaches; in 2021-22, seven; in 2022-23, six. This season, there are just five: Boucek, Mery Andrade (Raptors), Brittni Donaldson (Hawks), Sidney Dobner (Bucks), and Sonia Raman (Grizzlies).