Inspired by the American Becky Hammon, the first coach of the NBA (National Basketball Association), the Serbian-Australian Jelena Todorovic hopes to leave her “mark” as the first woman to command a men’s team in Brazilian basketball and one of the pioneers in South America.
“Attack! Attack!”, orders Todorovic to his players during a Fortaleza training session. His debut will be on October 18th, when the NBB (New Basquete Brasil) season begins.
The Ceará team began reconstruction after a difficult 2024/25 season, in which they occupied last place alongside Botafogo. Franca was the champion in the last four editions of the competition.
“It’s a great honor and a responsibility (…). I’m aware of the weight I carry, opening doors for other women, and that motivates me every day”, says the 31-year-old trainer.
“I don’t just want to be the first woman. I want to be someone who leaves a mark, I want my results to speak for themselves”, she adds.
Todorovic played for Red Star, in Serbia, but before turning 20 he began to forge his career as a coach.
He continued in Australia and later joined the technical committees of teams such as Serbia, Spain and Greece, where he worked with players at the level of forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, two-time NBA MVP.
“If I inspire one girl, my work is done”
Although they are gaining ground in basketball, it is still rare to see women managing men’s teams.
An assistant to the legendary Gregg Popovich at the San Antonio Spurs (2014-2021), Becky Hammon was the first woman to work full-time on the coaching staff of an NBA team and, on December 30, 2020, she became the first and only woman to be a head coach.
Popovich was ejected from a game between the Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers in San Antonio, and she took over.
“Becky Hammon was one of my first and biggest inspirations. When I was little, I didn’t have many people to look up to, someone who looked like me, so having her there as a pioneer was super inspiring and gave me extra motivation to pursue my dreams”, says Todorovic.
Jenny Boucek, Teresa Weatherspoon and Candice Dupree, among other women, were assistants in the NBA, but none achieved Hammon’s feat.
Todorovic herself had a brief stint as an assistant in the American Basketball League, with the Orlando Magic, during the lockout in 2011.
Now in Brazil, she can be an inspiration.
“It’s easier when you have someone you know who looks like you and then you can say, ‘It’s possible,'” he points out. “If I inspire one girl to follow in my footsteps, my job is done.”
In Argentina, a South American basketball powerhouse alongside Brazil, Laura Cors was the first woman to lead a men’s team, Bahía Blanca, in 2020, although she shared the role with coaches Martín Luis and Augusto Meneses.
A religion
“The first thing I want to bring is my passion for basketball. I come from a basketball culture, I’ve been playing basketball for as long as I can remember (…) In Serbia, it’s a religion,” says Todorovic.
Brazil’s great religion is football, but the country has already been world basketball champion twice (1959 and 1963) and is the biggest winner of the South American Championship, with 18 titles.
“I’m here representing myself, my family, my country, and I want them to feel proud. I want to create something that lasts a long time, a great basketball culture here in Fortaleza”, he highlights. “I love being here.”
