The Philadelphia 76ers have hired former Duke and WNBA star Lindsey Harding as a full-time scout for next season.

Harding, the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA in 2007, is only the second former WNBA player to be hired for a full-time scouting position with an NBA team. Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Jenny Boucek is the other, having done advanced scouting work for the Seattle SuperSonics in 2006.

Harding, 34, officially retired as a player in 2017 after nine years in the WNBA. She spent last season in the NBA’s Basketball Operations Associates Program. 

“I knew I wanted to work with the team. That’s the one thing that you miss most from playing — being part of a team, competing, and trying to win a championship,” she said. “That’s always been the goal probably since I picked up the ball when I was 13.”

Ultimately, she thinks her future is in the front office.

“I would love to be in the front office and really understand how to put a team together,” she said. “I still love being on the floor and having the opportunity to coach. But I really just wanted to get my foot in the door.”

Harding joins Boucek, San Antonio assistant coach Becky Hammon and LA Clippers assistant coach Natalie Nakase as former women’s basketball players who have successfully made the transition to the NBA.