It seems almost but certain that the Portland Fire will bring in Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach Alex Samara to helm the team's inaugural season in 2026, news that was first reported by Front Office Sports. And while many are greeting Samara's rumored hiring with interest and curiosity, the news also highlights an unfortunate truth: there are only so many opportunities for women to coach in the WNBA in the first place, and now another has seemingly disappeared.
The NBA to WNBA coaching pipeline makes sense, and the Aces' Becky Hammon — who spent seven seasons as an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs before taking over in Las Vegas in late 2021 — has plenty of NBA experience. But Hammon also spent 16 seasons in the WNBA as a player, something that has allowed her to relate to her athletes in a way that a coach who hasn't played in the WNBA might not be able to.
Of course, there are outliers: the Valkyries' Natalie Nakase didn't play in the WNBA and coached Golden State to an extraordinary first season. But Nakase did play women's basketball, and very likely deeply understands the parts of what makes the game different from the men's game that have nothing to do with biological sex or gender identity.
Today’s notebook highlights how the processes to fill all five head coaching vacancies in the WNBA are all heavily featuring NBA assistant coaches: https://t.co/1nAmVyIb7Q https://t.co/JHDscAewHg
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) October 8, 2025
Samara's hiring isn't a complete surprise. His name has been floating Fire-related circles for weeks (if not months), and in early October The Stein Lein's Jake Fischer also noted the team had been paying extra close attention to the Cavs' player development specialist of late.
Samara also has a history in Portland, something that may serve the team well. He's previously worked as the assistant coach and director player development for the Blazer's G League affiliate, the Rip City Remix, as well as with other members of the team's staff: he and the Fire's general manager Vanja Černivec worked together on the British Basketball League’s London Lions' staff.
Samara's hiring doesn't mean the Fire are completely steering clear of elevating women within the team's front office ranks: Ashley Battle, a 3-time national champion at UConn and six-year veteran of the WNBA, was recently named the vice president of basketball operations, strategy, and innovation.
But in a time when there are no Black women in head coaching roles in the WNBA, the news does prompt questions about the future of the WNBA and what leadership within teams will look like — and perhaps most importantly, how the players who make up the heart of the league will be reflected across the board.