Lindsey Marcie Harding (born June 12, 1984) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

coach and former player. She serves as player development coach of the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

. Throughout her playing career, Harding played for the Minnesota Lynx,

Washington Mystics The Washington Mystics are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Mystics compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference ...

Atlanta Dream The Atlanta Dream are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded for the 2008 WNBA season. The team is owned by real e ...

Los Angeles Sparks The Los Angeles Sparks (LA Sparks) are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Sparks compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was foun ...

, New York Liberty and Phoenix Mercury of the

Women's National Basketball Association The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is an American professional basketball league. It is composed of twelve teams, all based in the United States. The league was founded on April 22, 1996, as the women's counterpart to the Natio ...

(WNBA) and has played overseas in

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

and

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

. She was previously a scout and a player development coach for the Philadelphia 76ers. She was born in Mobile, Alabama, but grew up in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

and also holds a Belarusian passport.

College career

Harding had a standout career at Duke University. As a freshman in 2002–2003 she was named to the All-ACC Freshman Team, averaging 6.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.8 steals and had an ACC-best 2.1 assist/turnover ratio. As a sophomore in 2003–04 she averaged 7.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 2.0 steals and had an ACC-best 2.2 assist/turnover ratio. Harding was redshirted for the 2004–05 season because of violation of team rules. She returned as a junior for 2005–2006 and was an Honorable Mention Kodak and Associated Press All-America, ACC Defensive Player of the Year. She averaged 10.7 points, 4.5 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 2.1 steals as a junior. Harding finished her college career with 1,298 points, 25 blocks, 579 assists, 296 steals and 565 rebounds in 128 games (school record). She was only the sixth player in ACC history to register 1,000 points, 500 assists, 500 rebounds and 250 steals. Despite her tremendous career numbers, contributions and a 32–2 record, she left Duke without winning an NCAA championship. Harding's senior season at Duke ended with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights' upset of the Blue Devils in the Sweet Sixteen round of the NCAA tournament, a one-point upset sealed by Harding's missing two free throws with 0.1 seconds remaining in the game. Following her senior season, Harding entered the 2007 WNBA draft. On January 20, 2008, Harding was honored by having her jersey number (10) retired, becoming only the second Duke women's basketball player after former teammate Alana Beard to be bestowed that honor. Some have questioned whether Duke should have bestowed such an honor, given the undisclosed reasons behind her redshirt year. In addition, on December 18, 2007, her jersey No. 12 was retired by

Cy-Fair High School Cy-Fair High School is a secondary school located in Cypress, which is an unincorporated place in Harris County, Texas, near Houston. The school is located along U.S. Highway 290 and is part of the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District ...

College statistics

Awards

* 2003 ACC All-Rookie team * 2006 Duke Classic MVP * 2006, 2007 ACC Defensive Player of the Year * 2007 Naismith National Player of the Year * 2007 WBCA National Defensive Player * 2007 ESPN.com National Player of the Year * 2007 Nancy Lieberman Award * 2007

Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award The Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award was an annual college basketball award in the United States intended to honor shorter-than-average players who excelled on the court despite their size. The award, named in honor of James Naismith's daughter-in-la ...

* 2007 USBWA All-American * 2007 John R. Wooden Award All-American * 2007 Associated Press First Team All-American * 2007 ACC Player of the Year * 2007 All ACC First Team * 2007 Duke Offensive Player of the Year * 2007 Duke Practice Player of the Year * 2007 Duke Heart and Hustle Award

WNBA career

Harding was drafted first overall in the 2007 WNBA Draft by the Phoenix Mercury and was traded to the Minnesota Lynx for forward

Tangela Smith Tangela Nicole Smith (born April 1, 1977) is a retired American basketball player in the WNBA. Smith played the bulk of her career for the Sacramento Monarchs and the Phoenix Mercury where she won two WNBA Championships. She's currently an assis ...

the same day. During the 2007 season, Harding was leading all rookies in scoring before a knee injury ended her season on July 10. She was named to the

WNBA All-Rookie Team The WNBA All-Rookie Team is an annual Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) honor given since the 2005 WNBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the WNBA head coaches, who are not allowed to vote for ...

by the end of the season and finished with averages of 11.7 points and 3.9 assists per game. On January 30, 2009, Harding was traded to the

for the first and second round picks in the 2009 WNBA draft. She had a stellar season with the Mystics, averaging a career-high 12.8 points and 4.6 assists per game. In her second season with the Mystics, Harding scored a career-high 33 points against the Indiana Fever. On April 11, 2011, Harding was traded to the

along with the 2012 2nd round draft pick in exchange for

Ta'Shia Phillips Ta'Shia Phillips (born January 24, 1989) is a professional basketball player who most recently played for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association. Xavier statistics Source USA Basketball Phillips was named a membe ...

, Kelly Miller, and the Dream's 2012 1st round draft pick. In her first season with the Dream, Harding was the starting point guard on the team's roster. Along with Izi Castro Marques, Érika de Souza, Sancho Lyttle and

Angel McCoughtry Angel Lajuane McCoughtry (born September 10, 1986) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and a two-time Olympic gold medalist. McCoughtry complet ...

, the Dream were a championship contender in the league. Harding experienced her first WNBA Finals appearance with the team as they had advanced all the way to the WNBA Finals for the second year in a row, but lost to her former team, the Minnesota Lynx in a 3-game sweep. On February 5, 2013, Harding signed with the

. In her first season with the Sparks, Harding was ranked 5th in assists with a career-high 5.2 assists per game. On August 4, 2013, Harding had 11 points along with a career-high 14 assists in a regular season victory against her other former team, the Washington Mystics. Despite being an effective distributor on a talented team, the Sparks were nowhere near championship contention as they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. In 2015, the Sparks waived Harding after two seasons with the team. On April 18, 2016, Harding signed with the New York Liberty. She was waived on June 15, after appearing in five games with the Liberty. On June 24, 2016, Harding signed with the Phoenix Mercury. She was brought in to back up All-Star point guard Diana Taurasi, and coach

Sandy Brondello Sandra Anne "Sandy" Brondello (born 20 August 1968) is an Australian women's basketball coach, and the current head coach of the New York Liberty of the WNBA. Brondello played in Australia, Germany and the WNBA before retiring to become a coa ...

, who worked with Harding while she was with the Sparks, felt that she fit the position. Harding appeared in 21 regular season games and then 5 playoff games while helping the Mercury advance all the way to the league semifinals. Following the team's elimination by the Minnesota Lynx, Harding announced her retirement from the WNBA after playing 9 seasons in the league.

International career

USA Basketball

Harding was twice part of the long list for the

United States women's national basketball team The USA Basketball Women's National Team, commonly known as the United States women's national basketball team, is governed by USA Basketball and competes in FIBA Americas. The team is by far the most successful in international women's basketba ...

, but missed out on both the

2010 FIBA World Championship The 2010 FIBA World Championship was the 16th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship contested by the men's national teams. The tournament ran from 28 August to 12 September 2010. It was co-organised by the Inte ...

in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

, and the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. She is the first Naismith winner since Kate Starbird to not have played for Team USA.

Belarus

In 2015, Harding was invited to play for the

Belarus women's national basketball team The Belarus women's national basketball represented Belarus in international women's basketball tournaments. The team is controlled by the Belarusian Basketball Federation. After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the FIBA suspended Belarus fr ...

, who needed more point guards. She was approved to the

EuroBasket Women 2015 The 2015 European Women Basketball Championship, commonly called EuroBasket Women 2015, was the 35th edition of the continental tournament in women's basketball, sanctioned by the FIBA Europe. The tournament was co-held in Hungary, which hosted ...

roster after getting a

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...

ian passport, and helped the team finish the tournament in fourth. This led to Harding playing for Belarus in the

2016 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women The 2016 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women was a women's basketball tournament that consisted of 12 national teams, where the top five teams earned a place in the 2016 Summer Olympics basketball tournament. It was held from 13 to ...

, that could get her an Olympic spot. With Harding as its leading scorer, Belarus won the fifth and final place for the 2016 Olympic tournament. Harding was listed for the Belarusian roster, though she missed part of the preparation while solving her WNBA commitments.

Overseas career

In the 2008-09 off-season, Harding played for Mersin BSB. S.K. in Turkey. In the 2009-10 off-season, Harding played in Lithuania for VICI Aistes Kaunas. In the 2012-13 off-season, Harding played in

for

Galatasaray Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club'') is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Most notable for its association football department, the club also consists of various other de ...

. In the 2014-15 off-season, Harding played for Edirne Belediyesi in Turkey. In the 2015-16 off-season, Harding played for Dynamo Kursk in

for the first portion and spent the rest of the off-season playing for Yakin Dogu in Turkey. Following her retirement from the WNBA, Harding signed with Beşiktaş J.K. for the 2016-17 off-season.

South Sudan

As of 2021, Harding was the head coach of the newly-formed South Sudanese Women's national Basketball team http://www.fiba.basketball/womensafrobasket/2021/news/lindsey-harding-ready-to-lead-south-sudan-charge/

WNBA career statistics

Regular season

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Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

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2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

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, 24 , , 11 , , 24.6 , , .367 , , .080 , , .694 , , 2.3 , , 3.2 , , 1.1 , , 0.1 , , 2.2 , , 6.4 , - , align="left" , 2009 , align="left" ,

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, 34 , , 34 , , 35.1 , , .435 , , .323 , , .748 , , 4.0 , , 4.5 , , 1.2 , , 0.3 , , 2.9 , , 12.8 , - , align="left" , 2010 , align="left" ,

, 34 , , 34 , , 33.2 , , .445 , , .288 , , .766 , , 3.0 , , 4.0 , , 1.3 , , 0.1 , , 2.7 , , 12.1 , - , align="left" , 2011 , align="left" ,

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, 34 , , 33 , , 30.5 , , .455 , , .303 , , .733 , , 3.2 , , 4.8 , , 1.0 , , 0.1 , , 2.3 , , 10.5 , - , align="left" ,

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, 34 , , 32 , , 30.6 , , .425 , , .241 , , .818 , , 2.8 , , 4.5 , , 1.3 , , 0.2 , , 2.0 , , 12.3 , - , align="left" ,

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

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Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

, 33 , , 33 , , 30.6 , , .441 , , .182 , , .759 , , 2.7 , , 5.2 , , 1.0 , , 0.3 , , 2.4 , , 10.9 , - , align="left" ,

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

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, 31 , , 10 , , 22.7 , , .333 , , .227 , , .786 , , 1.8 , , 3.2 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 1.4 , , 5.7 , - , align="left" ,

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

* , align="left" , New York , 5 , , 3 , , 22.9 , , .320 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 2.8 , , 3.6 , , 0.2 , , 0.0 , , 1.2 , , 3.6 , - , align="left" ,

* , align="left" ,

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

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, style="text-align:left;", Total , 26 , , 3 , , 19.2 , , .345 , , .200 , , .935 , , 2.2 , , 2.8 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 1.0 , , 3.7 , - , align="left" , Career , align="left" , 9 years, 6 teams , 270 , , 210 , , 28.7 , , .414 , , .252 , , .755 , , 2.9 , , 4.0 , , 1.1 , , 0.2 , , 2.2 , , 9.8

Postseason

, - , align="left" , 2009 , align="left" ,

, 2 , , 2 , , style="background:#D3D3D3", 40.5° , , .385 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 2.5 , , 4.0 , , 1.5 , , 0.0 , , 5.0 , , 10.5 , - , align="left" , 2010 , align="left" ,

, 2 , , 2 , , 33.5 , , .219 , , .400 , , .625 , , 2.5 , , 3.0 , , 2.0 , , 0.0 , , 3.0 , , 10.5 , - , align="left" , 2011 , align="left" ,

, 8 , , 8 , , style="background:#D3D3D3", 37.8° , , .391 , , .250 , , .743 , , 3.0 , , style="background:#D3D3D3", 5.9° , , 1.8 , , 0.2 , , 1.6 , , 14.5 , - , align="left" ,

, align="left" ,

, 3 , , 3 , , style="background:#D3D3D3", 38.0° , , .426 , , .250 , , .889 , , 4.7 , , 5.3 , , 2.6 , , 0.3 , , 3.6 , , 19.0 , - , align="left" ,

, align="left" ,

, 3 , , 3 , , 32.9 , , .333 , , .000 , , .765 , , 3.0 , , 3.3 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 2.3 , , 11.7 , - , align="left" ,

, align="left" ,

, 2 , , 0 , , 9.8 , , .500 , , .000 , , .667 , , 0.5 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 4.0 , - , align="left" ,

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, 5 , , 0 , , 9.1 , , .462 , , .000 , , .000 , , 0.4 , , 1.4 , , 0.0 , , 0.2 , , 1.0, , 2.4 , - , align="left" , Career , align="left" , 7 years, 4 teams , 25 , , 18 , , 29.1 , , .376 , , .214 , , .733 , , 2.4 , , 3.9 , , 1.3 , , 0.2 , , 2.1 , , 10.8

References

External links

*
WNBA Chat Transcript
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harding, Lindsey 1984 births Living people Belarusian women's basketball players American women's basketball players American emigrants to Belarus All-American college women's basketball players Atlanta Dream players Basketball players at the 2016 Summer Olympics Duke Blue Devils women's basketball players Galatasaray S.K. (women's basketball) players Los Angeles Sparks players Minnesota Lynx players New York Liberty players Olympic basketball players of Belarus Philadelphia 76ers scouts Phoenix Mercury draft picks Phoenix Mercury players Point guards Basketball players from Houston Sportspeople from Mobile, Alabama Washington Mystics players Women's National Basketball Association first-overall draft picks