CLEVELAND — Editor's note: the video in the player above is from a previous story.
Lindsay Gottlieb's time with the Cleveland Cavaliers is coming to an end. As first reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the second-year assistant coach is leaving the team to become the head coach of the women's basketball team at the University of Southern California.
Hired as a part of then-Cavs head coach John Beilein's staff in 2019, Gottlieb arrived in Cleveland following an eight-year stint as the head coach of the women's basketball team at the University of California-Berkeley. In doing so, Gottlieb became the first woman to become an NBA assistant coach from the collegiate ranks.
Ahead of her first season with the Cavs, Gottlieb discussed her trailblazing role with 3News' Jay Crawford.
"I never wrote down a goal that said, 'I want to get to the NBA,' but in terms of my passion and love for basketball, I was always seeking out more knowledge," Gottlieb said.
"Once I was a power five head coach in women’s basketball, the next place I would seek that knowledge was with people in the NBA."
Over the course of her two seasons in Cleveland, the Cavs found little success, amassing a 19-46 record during the 2019-20 season, which was shortened due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. With four games remaining this season, Cleveland lays claim to a 21-47 record -- the second-worst mark in the Eastern Conference.
In returning to the Pac-12 conference, the 43-year-old Gottlieb will replace former Trojans head coach Mark Trakh, who retired following the 2020-21 season. Per Wojnarowski, she will remain with the Cavs through their final four regular season games of the 2020-21 season.