Sidney Dobner's Path to Coaching
Learn about the current Stockton Kings assistant and the former first female Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach.
Sidney Dobner is currently an assistant coach for the Stockton Kings, the G-League affiliate of the Sacramento Kings. She was the first female assistant coach in Bucks history.
In this article you’ll learn about Coach Dobner’s coaching journey with the Milwaukee Bucks organization and her current position with the Stockton Kings.
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Before Coaching
Sidney Dobner played the guard position and was named 1st Team All-League and All-County Selection at Newbury Park High School. She later played Division 1 basketball for San Francisco State, where she started 17 of 30 games.
Afterwards, she transferred to Moorpark College and was named 1st Team All-Conference and All-County, and 2nd Team All-State. She was also the Moorpark College Female Athlete of the Year in 2011.
Dobner later played for the University of Regina and played 1 year of basketball in the Netherlands. She also assisted the Cal Lutheran women’s basketball team and coached two boys teams in the Conejo Valley Basketball Club.
Wisconsin Herd (2018-2020)
Dobner started her coaching career with the Wisconsin Herd, the Milwaukee Bucks’ G-League affiliate as a “coaching associate”.
The 2019-2020 Herd were 1st place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 33-10, clinching a playoff spot. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Herd were 1 out of 11 teams that opted out of continuing their season. The rest of the season was ultimately cancelled by the G-League.
Notably on those G-League rosters were Donte DiVincenzo and Christian Wood.
Milwaukee Bucks (2021-2024)
Dobner worked for the Milwaukee Bucks video room as a basketball operations intern for the 2019-2020 season. Climbing the ranks to eventually becoming their head video coordinator under Mike Budenholzer. In 2021, the Milwaukee Bucks won their second championship in franchise history.
Dobner was promoted as an assistant coach under Adrian Griffin’s coaching staff in 2023. She was part of the summer league team’s coaching staff.
“Me and Giannis have a special relationship, some love, some hate. Our handshake is usually you know pulling away and not even actually doing a handshake so that's the cool part about these guys I've been very thankful to have a roster that you know they're just good human beings from top to bottom.” - Coach Dobner when asked about her relationship with Giannis.
She remained with the team for the remainder of the season under Doc Rivers after Griffin’s dismissal in January 2024. The Bucks finished 3rd place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 49-33, qualifying for the playoffs. The Bucks were eliminated in the first round by the Indiana Pacers in 6 games.
Towards the end of Game 6, Patrick Beverly and a Pacers fan briefly had a heated interaction. The fan threw the ball back to Beverly, resulting in him launching the ball back at the fan at an high speed, almost striking Coach Dobner who was directly underneath the path of the ball.
“So that's all I do and you know, sometimes it's fun sometimes it's serious and again we're trying to win a championship so as long as we're all on the same page with the same goal in mind everybody's happy”. Coach Dobner on team success.
Dobner along with the rest of the assistant coaching staff (exception of Dave Joerger, Rex Kalamian, Pete Dominguez, who weren’t eligible) later coached in the 2024 All-Star game. After the 2023-2024 season, Dobner along with assistants Josh Oppenheimer, D.J. Bakker, and Trevor Gleeson would not be retained for the 2024-2025 season under Rivers.
Coach Dobner notably worked with and/or coached Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez, Jrue Holiday, Donte DiVincenzo, Grayson Allen, Bobby Portis, Pat Connaughton, PJ Tucker, Jeff Teague, Jevon Carter, and Damian Lillard.
Stockton Kings (2024-present)
Coach Dobner was hired as an assistant coach for the Stockton Kings in 2024 under head coach Quinton Crawford.
The 2024-2025 Stockton Kings finished their regular season with a record of 15-7, second place in the Western Conference.
“Yeah I think you have to fall in love with the process it's not easy there's a lot of work that goes into this, like I said one of my things is work hard stay humble. No job is too little or too big, but you know day in and day out you're just staying true to yourself you never know who's watching and your goal for the season get that ring, that's all I want to do.” - Coach Dobner on growing as a coach.
Sidney Dobner’s coaching career is one that’s inspiring and impactful. She’s slowly working her way up the coaching ranks and no doubt we’ll most likely see her again on the sidelines in the NBA. Player development experience is a key skill in today’s game, a valuable trait for a coach and her relationship building shows off her character.