​After the firing of Seattle Storm head coach Noelle Quinn in 2025, no Black woman remained in the WNBA’s head coaching ranks despite five head coach vacancies heading into the 2026 WNBA season.The league has experienced record growth and expansion, but representation in leadership has moved in the opposite direction. In 2022, seven of the league’s 12 head coaches were Black, including three women. By 2023, that number dropped to only three Black women head coaches. This season, there are two Black head coaches currently in the WNBA, but neither is a woman.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement”(Black women) should get the same equal opportunity as a white woman, as a white man to be an important piece of this league,” Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers said on Sunday after a win over the Chicago Sky. “(The league) was built on a lot of black women… So it’s definitely right for them to get the same equal opportunity as everybody else.””I grew up with a lot of prominent Black women in my life that were very important to me… my stepmom, my AAU coach,” Bueckers added. “So I understand how amazing they are.”More: Candace Parker, Women’s Leadership Council address coaching gaps in women’s sportsThe opportunities have been there. Thirteen of the 15 WNBA franchises have hired head coaches since 2023. Over last offseason’s hiring cycle, three of the five openings were filled by men, two of whom had never coached women’s basketball before.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementQuinn was the last Black woman to hold a head coaching job in the league, leading the Seattle Storm for five seasons before parting ways with the team in 2025 following their second consecutive first-round playoff exit. Quinn then served as the head coach of Unrivaled’s Breeze BC last season, where she coached Bueckers to a semifinal appearance. (Five of the eight Unrivaled head coaches last season were Black women.)”I think it’s powerful that there are… five Black women head coaches in the Unrivaled league. It’s not by accident,” Quinn said in November during an Unrivaled media availability. “I believe it’s intentional and they’ve proven Unrivaled is leading the way and showing that Black women are capable and giving us the opportunity is important. Representation is possible when leadership chooses to make it possible. So it’s a blessed to be a part of a league who’s standing on intentionality behind diversity and hiring women of color.”More: WNBA power rankings: What’s the biggest surprise of the season so far?1 / 32Dallas Wings guard Azzi Fudd (35) blocks a shot by Chicago Sky guard Sydney Taylor (12) during the second half at the American Airlines Center on July 12, 2026.(Jerome Miron, Imagn Images)Candace Parker told USA TODAY Sports last month that there needs to be clearer pathways and protocols in place for women of color to enter, remain in and advance in WNBA leadership positions. Parker serves as the co-chair on the Sport Beach’s Women’s Leadership Council to