Former WNBA star Candice Dupree joined the NBA coaching ranks Friday.

The San Antonio Spurs brought on the seven-time All-Star as an assistant on Gregg Popovich’s staff, a position that provided a pipeline to success for Becky Hammon. Hammon worked as an assistant for the Spurs for eight seasons, then left earlier this year to lead the Las Vegas Aces to a WNBA title in her first season as a head coach.

When Hammon joined the Spurs in 2014, she became the first WNBA player to coach in the NBA. The number of WNBA players to follow her path remains slim but has grown over the last few years.

In total, 16 women have coached in the NBA. Dupree becomes the 10th current or former WNBA player to coach in the NBA, and she joins four other current or former WNBA players as active coaches in the men’s league.

WNBA players to coach in the NBA

Becky Hammon
San Antonio Spurs, 2014-22

After retiring in 2014 from the WNBA’s San Antonio Stars, Hammon joined the Spurs and became the first woman to work as a full-time assistant coach in any of North America’s four major men’s professional leagues.

She also became the first woman to serve as an acting head coach in NBA history when Popovich was ejected from a game in December 2020.

She left the Spurs to join the Aces, and she led the team to a 26-10 record and a WNBA championship in her debut season.

Nancy Lieberman
Sacramento Kings, 2015-17

Lieberman coached the WNBA’s Detroit Shock from 1998-2000. Later, she coached the Texas Legends of the NBA Developmental League from 2009-11, becoming the first woman to coach a men’s professional basketball team.

In 2015, she was hired by the Kings as an assistant coach, and she spent two seasons with Sacramento.

Jenny Boucek
Sacramento Kings, 2017-18
Dallas Mavericks, 2018-21
Indiana Pacers, 2021-present

Boucek spent 18 seasons as an assistant and head coach in the WNBA before making the switch to the NBA.

She joined the Kings as a player development coach in 2017, then became an assistant coach for the Dallas Mavericks in 2018. In 2021, she jumped to the Indiana Pacers with head coach Rick Carlisle, who had hired her to his Mavericks staff.

Kristi Toliver
Washington Wizards, 2018-20
Dallas Mavericks, 2021-present

An active player in the WNBA with the Los Angeles Sparks, Toliver also works as an assistant coach in the NBA. She started with the Wizards in 2018, during her time as a player for the Mystics, then switched to the Mavericks in 2021.

Niele Ivey
Memphis Grizzlies, 2019-20

Before she became the head coach of the Notre Dame women’s basketball team, she spent the 2019-20 NBA season as an assistant with the Grizzlies.

Kara Lawson
Boston Celtics, 2019-20

Like Ivey, Lawson coached for one season with the Celtics before joining the college ranks as the coach of the Duke women’s team.

Lindsey Harding
Philadelphia 76ers, 2019
Sacramento Kings, 2019-present

Harding started her coaching career as a player development coach for the 76ers, then flipped to fill the same role for the Sacramento Kings.

Teresa Weatherspoon
New Orleans Pelicans, 2020-present

The five-time WNBA All-Star served as the head coach of her alma mater Louisiana Tech’s women’s basketball program for six seasons. She was named a part-time player development coach in 2019, then became a full-time assistant coach in 2020.

Edniesha Curry
Portland Trail Blazers (2021-22)

Curry worked as an assistant coach for the women’s and then the men’s basketball teams at University of Maine before joining the Trail Blazers in 2021.

Candice Dupree
San Antonio Spurs (2022-present)

A 2014 WNBA champion with the Phoenix Mercury, participated in the NBA Assistant Coaches Program (ACP), created to expand the player-to-coach pipeline, and joined the Spurs in September.

This year's All-Star action extends beyond the court, as more than 40 players — including All-Stars, executive committee members, and WNBPA representatives — met with the WNBA in Indianapolis on Thursday for the second CBA negotiations of 2025.

"I'm encouraged. I'm just so inspired by the amount of players that showed up, the engagement that was there," WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike said after Thursday's session, which drew the largest turnout in union history.

"It was something that was very informative for me. First time being able to see and hear the wording from both sides," Chicago Sky star Angel Reese added. "I was really eager to know and understand what was going on."

With revenues booming, both players and the league are struggling to settle issues surrounding payouts, revenue sharing, and the salary caps ahead of the current CBA's October 31st expiration date.

"This business is booming — media rights, ratings, revenue, team valuations, expansion fees, attendance, and ticket sales — are all up in historic fashion," the WNBPA wrote in a statement following Thursday's meeting. "But short-changing the working women who make this business possible stalls growth. The only thing more unsustainable than the current system is pretending it can go on forever."

While CBA negotiations continue, the union indicated that players are open to a work stoppage should they fail to reach a new deal by the end of this WNBA season.

Team Clark has youth on their side this weekend, with Mystics rookie Sonia Citron gearing up to hit Saturday's 2025 WNBA All-Star court alongside Washington teammate and fellow 2025 draft pick Kiki Iriafen.

"I was not expecting this at all," Citron told WNBA legend Lisa Leslie on Between the Lines last week, referencing her surprise All-Star call-up. "I'm still in shock. I don't really think it's hit me yet."

"We're young, we've got a bunch of shooters, a little bit of everything" she said of Team Clark's lineup.

Saturday's game isn't Citron's only assignment this weekend, with the All-Star debutant also set to compete in Friday's 3-Point Contest.

The Mystics are on the rise this year, exceeding season expectations behind first-year firepower to send three players in Citron, Iriafen, and Washington's scoring leader Brittney Sykes to the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game.

Citron is currently averaging five rebounds and 14 points per game — trailing only Sykes's 17 points per game on Washington's stat sheet. Her rookie campaign has her shooting 45% from the field and 36.5% from beyond the arc.

Fellow first-year Iriafen is also impressing, leading the Mystics with 8.5 rebounds per game as well as sinking nearly 12 points per game while shooting 46% from the field.

"[The rookies] have really played a key piece in our success this season with us being so young, but also them being so adaptable," second-year forward Aaliyah Edwards told Leslie in an earlier episode. "And they're runners for Rookie of the Year, so why not only have one when you can have two? I'm just loving it."

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How to attend a live taping of "Between the Lines"

Just Women's Sports is taking over Indianapolis with multi-faceted activations for the 2025 WNBA All-Star weekend — including a live recording of Between the Lines with Lisa Leslie.

Featuring interviews with Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx), Rhyne Howard (Atlanta Dream), Kelsey Mitchell (Indiana Fever), and Lexie Hull (Indiana Fever), the exclusive podcast taping will occur at 110 S Pennsylvania Street at 3 PM ET on Saturday.

Even with Indiana Fever sharpshooter Caitlin Clark sidelined, Friday's 3-Point Contest and Skills Challenge will heat up the Indianapolis competition before Saturday's 2025 WNBA All-Star Game tips off.

Single-round record holder Sabrina Ionescu (New York Liberty) and reigning champion Allisha Gray (Atlanta Dream) headline the 3-Point Contest, with Kelsey Plum (LA Sparks), Sonia Citron (Washington Mystics), and Clark-replacement Lexie Hull (Indiana Fever) rounding out the bill beyond the arc.

Gray will also be on hand to defend her 2024 Skills Challenge title, with Natasha Cloud (New York Liberty), Skylar Diggins (Seattle Storm), Erica Wheeler (Seattle Storm), and Courtney Williams (Minnesota Lynx) looking to upend the Dream guard.

Players are shooting for more than just bragging rights in the Friday competitions, with Aflac boosting prize money for the second year in a row.

The insurance giant will award $60,000 to the 3-point Contest winner and $55,000 to the Skills Challenge champ, topping off the league's $2,575-per-player All-Star bonus check.

With big money on the line, both Gray and Ionescu are battling to become just the second WNBA player to win multiple 3-Point Contests, following in the footsteps of retired Sky guard and four-time event champion Allie Quigley.

How to watch the All-Star 3-Point Contest and Skills Challenge

The 2025 WNBA All-Star Skills Challenge and 3-Point Contest will take the Indianapolis court at 8 PM ET on Friday, with both competitions airing live on ESPN.

Team Collier is looking locked and loaded for Saturday's 2025 WNBA All-Star Game, with captain Napheesa Collier heading up a roster stocked with talent from the league-leading Minnesota lineup.

The Lynx star will start the game alongside 2023 MVP Breanna Stewart (New York Liberty), Allisha Gray (Atlanta Dream), Nneka Ogwumike (Seattle Storm), and rookie phenom Paige Bueckers (Dallas Wings).

Team Collier's bench showcases a balanced group of Courtney Williams (Minnesota Lynx), Skylar Diggins (Seattle Storm), Angel Reese (Chicago Sky), Alyssa Thomas (Phoenix Mercury), and Kelsey Plum (LA Sparks).

Kayla McBride (Minnesota Lynx) will also join the squad, replacing the injured Rhyne Howard (Atlanta Dream), boosting the team's Minnesota contingent to three players.

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Adding to the Lynx representatives is Minnesota manager Cheryl Reeve, who will serve as the squad's head coach following a first-of-its-kind draft-day swap between the Collier and fellow All-Star captain Caitlin Clark.

"I'm just glad people are understanding Phee's greatness," Reeve said about Collier before the 2025 WNBA All-Star weekend. "There's nothing else you can say at this point."

With a steady front and backcourt presence, Team Collier has experience on their side as they take on a youth-heavy Team Clark on Saturday.

How to watch Team Collier at the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game

Team Collier and Team Clark will square off in the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis at 8:30 PM ET on Saturday.

Live coverage of the game will air on ABC.