Indiana Pacers assistant coach Jenny Boucek has been breaking barriers in the NBA for years, establishing herself as a prime candidate to become the league’s first female head coach
INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Pacers assistant coach Jenny Boucek has been making waves on NBA sidelines, putting herself in a prime position to become the first female head coach in the league.
Now battling the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals, Boucek has been redefining the impossible since her playing days. After spending four years playing for Virginia, she all but gave up on a professional career with no professional women’s basketball league existing in the U.S. at the time. But months after graduating in 1996, rumors of the WNBA launch emerged, prompting the Tennessee native to drop her plans to become a doctor and get back in playing shape so she could attend a tryout before landing on the Cleveland Rockers roster.
After a year with the Rockers and a short spell in Iceland, Boucek saw an injury end her career, so she transitioned into coaching. Over the next two decades, she worked for various WNBA teams, including a stint as the Seattle Storm head coach between 2015-2017. Her knowledge, attitude, and passion for the game caught the attention of NBA teams, leading to an assistant role on Dave Joerger’s Sacramento Kings staff in 2017.
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Boucek also worked for the Dallas Mavericks before leaving together with head coach Rick Carlisle to join the Pacers in 2021. She’s now one of Carlisle’s lead assistants – while also raising her six-year-old daughter as a single mother.
The 51-year-old’s brilliant mind helped the Pacers secure home court advantage over the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2025 NBA Playoffs with Carlisle utilizing an innovative play she had drawn up in the last seconds of a March 11 clash with their would-be first-round opponents, per ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.
Down 3 with 3.9 seconds left on the clock, Indiana lined up four players behind the half-court line in a football-like formation akin to a four-receiver set, bamboozling Bucks defense with differently-patterened runs to create an open look off an inbound pass by Andrew Nembhard. Boucek conceived the idea during her coaching spell in the WNBA, drawing on her experience playing flag football while serving as a Miami Sol assistant coach.
The play ended with Tyrese Haliburton using the chaos to scurry behind three of his teammates from his far side toward the left corner before receiving the ball and launching an off-balance triple, drawing a foul along the way. The shot went in, Haliburton knocked down the freebie, and Indiana won, taking a big step toward securing the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference over Milwaukee.
“That was a pretty pivotal moment in our season,” Carlisle told ESPN before Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the Thunder. “That’s why, to me, she’s on a path to possibly be the first female head coach in the NBA.
“Not only because of her knowledge but because of her ability to build relationships, her ability to listen, and her humility. I just think with the level of responsibility that she has with us, the league is taking notice.”
Boucek also played a major role in claiming the extraordinary Game 1 win over the Thunder, as she took the responsibility of setting the Pacers defense during a timeout to defend their first lead of the night after Haliburton drilled what would be a game-winning jumper with 0.3 seconds left. “I’ve been with eight teams. I’ve been in the Finals four times,” Pacers defensive consultant Jim Boylen said.
“This woman can coach. She can teach. She can communicate. She’s tough – and she’s a mom. It’s F’ing powerful.” Boucek has also been an inspiration to other female coaches in the NBA, such as Sidney Dobner, who credited the Pacers trailblazer for paving the way while expressing gratitude for her mentorship after becoming the first female assistant in Bucks history in 2023.
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“I can’t put into words how much I respect her,” Pacers guard T.J. McConnell said. “She’s a single mom doing this. It’s not easy, and she’s breaking barriers in this sport.
“She’s such a good coach. We love having her. We’re lucky to have her.”
