Sidney Dobner’s historic selection as the first female assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks earned her congratulations from Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Greek Freak himself, acknowledging her remarkable achievement. Dobner has been promoted from head video coordinator to assistant coach under the new Bucks head coach Adrian Griffin. She marks a franchise milestone by being the first female in this position. A lot of credit goes to several pioneers of female involvement in basketball, including Becky Hammon, who heralded the way for women in the NBA mainstream. Currently, the basketball association has started adopting a new culture of women’s empowerment, given the rise of women’s sports all around the globe. The initiative began quite early within the NBA, with the introduction of the WNBA in 1996.
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Giannis is a player who is more of a family man and focus-oriented on his career. His brothers, Thanasis and Kostas, have been part of championship-winning teams in the league. It is no surprise for the fans to note Giannis’ influence in choosing Adrian Griffin, who was promoted from the position of an assistant coach to the Bucks’ head coach. The Greek Freak, along with the Bucks’ owner and General Manager, played a key role in choosing the next coach among ninety potential candidates. Hence, his excitement to have Dobner as the first female assistant coach of the franchise is much justified and valid.
Sidney Dobner marks franchise history as the first female assistant coach for the Bucks
Sidney Dobner joined the Bucks in 2018. Since then, she has climbed to the top, marking one of the historic landmarks of the franchise. She first started working with Milwaukee’s G-League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd as an intern for basketball operations. Over the years, she joined the Bucks NBA team during their 2020-21 season championship run. She had always anticipated this moment and prepared herself well for this role.
A report from Sports Illustrated notes how Dobner always prepared answers for any lingering questions. She never seems to be remiss in answering questions yet to be asked. As per the report, she said:
“One of the things that I’ve been told since Day 1 is you may not be asked the question, but you should always have an answer. And so, in those situations, I felt like I was prepared with an answer.”
With such experienced and talented personnel, Adrian Griffin might not face any such problem with his coaching staff. Griffin’s team includes former Bucks head coach Terry Stotts, former assistant Joe Prunty, and former Toronto Raptors assistants Patrick Mutombo and Nate Mitchell.
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Women’s sports have seen significant popularity in the current era, with several NBA teams making notable women hirings. Governments have passed legislation to reduce the disparity of wages between men and women athletes. Furthermore, other NBA teams have made significant women hirings over the past few years. Boston Celtics coaching staff has Kara Lawson, one of the record 11 women serving as assistant coaches in the league. Besides this, former WNBA star Swin Cash and Seattle Storm star Sue Bird also work in major roles in the NBA front offices.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had a major role in influencing the coaching decisions for the franchise. He took note of Griffin’s prowess as a former player and experience in several factors. As a leader, he used his influence positively, which would translate to the team’s later successes.
Involvement of women has seen a major rise in several sports
The current generation is heralding a revolution in the world of sports. There has been record participation of women in sports, especially in mainstream sports such as basketball and soccer. Most notably, the USA Women’s Soccer team won the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2019, further boosting women’s participation in sports.
The Milwaukee Bucks’ signing of a female assistant coach shows they believe in women’s empowerment. With influential figures such as Giannis Antetokounmpo supporting the cause, this encourages more women to actively participate and engage in sports, especially basketball.
