The NBA and WNBA have spent more than a decade working with Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In organization, a relationship that has expanded to include promoting a leadership program for girls as young as 11.
There’s just one problem: A handbook for adults running the program tells them not to address the group as “girls.”
Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In organization runs Lean In Girls, a program backed by the NBA and WNBA. Its 2023 facilitator handbook tells adults to avoid addressing the group as “girls.” (Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Yes, Lean In Girls, which the NBA and WNBA say they’re “proud to support,” includes guidance for working with participants who may be exploring their gender identity. Its facilitator handbook encourages children to share their pronouns and instructs adults to use gender-neutral language.
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The handbook also discusses “social power” and “active allyship,” teaching facilitators how to help young participants recognize and challenge societal biases.
So, how much of the curriculum did the NBA and WNBA review before deciding to support the program?
NBA and WNBA have a longstanding relationship with Lean In
The NBA’s 2022-23 Social Impact Report stated that the WNBA had worked with Lean In for eight years, airing public service announcements during the playoffs to promote the value of girls and women in sports.
Those early campaigns focused on gender equality and encouraging men to support women. By 2024, the partnership included Lean In Girls, a program designed specifically for children.
That year, the leagues teamed up with WNBA star Aliyah Boston for a promotional campaign encouraging girls to reject stereotypes and embrace their “leadership superpowers.”
On April 20, 2026, the NBA published a video describing Lean In Girls as a “free, school-ready” program backed by both leagues. Promotional ads for Lean In also air during WNBA broadcasts.
The NBA and WNBA back Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In Girls, whose handbook tells adults not to call participants “girls” and covers gender identity. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
The WNBA also teamed up with Flau’jae Johnson, with Lean In’s website declaring that Johnson and the league were proud to support the initiative.
Lean In says the free program is designed for girls ages 11-15 and can be used in schools and community organizations.
Lean In Girls handbook includes guidance on gender identity, pronouns and social power
OutKick obtained a 2023 Lean In Girls Facilitator Handbook through Courage Is A Habit, a parental-rights organization that previously investigated the program.
The handbook describes Lean In Girls as a program developed for girls and young teenagers who “identify with the girlhood experience.” The program includes leadership activities involving goal-setting, confidence and dealing with failure. One section, titled “Gender inclusion,” explains that some participants may be exploring their gender identity or feel uncomfortable with the label “girl.”
“When you greet your group or refer to them as a whole, avoid calling them ‘girls’ or ‘guys,'” the handbook states.
Instead, facilitators are encouraged to use terms such as “everyone,” “folks,” “leaders” and “team.” The handbook also encourages participants to share their pronouns, though it cautions against making the practice mandatory, and suggests substituting they/them pronouns into fictional scenarios.
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Another section instructs facilitators to consider how people’s identities affect their “social power.” According to Lean In Girls, adults, wealthy people and able-bodied individuals generally have more power than teenagers, people living in poverty and people with disabilities.
The handbook also encourages facilitators to create a “brave space” where teenagers can “contend with injustice” and practice “active allyship.”
NBA and WNBA support Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In Girls program, whose handbook includes gender identity guidance and tells facilitators not to call participants “girls.” (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
During a February 2026 webinar hosted by the American School Counselor Association, Lean In Girls official Kelly Meredith described an updated 15-session program with four sections. She said Part 3 addresses overcoming bias and barriers, while Part 4 focuses on allyship.
OutKick requested the current curriculum, including Parts 3 and 4, to establish what material facilitators are being given today. Lean In initially directed OutKick to another email inbox. The organization did not provide the materials or respond to subsequent follow-up emails.
California school district used Lean In Girls as a targeted intervention for middle school students
Records obtained by OutKick show that Santa Clara Unified School District brought Lean In Girls into Buchser Middle School and explored expanding it to four other middle schools.
At the district’s Spring 2025 Equity Convening, Buchser counselor Brenda Goldstein and vice principal Gilbert Montiel presented Lean In Girls as a “Tier 2 Intervention,” a designation for targeted student support.
The school said eighth-grade girls were struggling with social connections, confidence and negative social messages. Officials reviewed academic performance, attendance and discipline records, along with weekly Panorama check-ins, when evaluating the need for the program.
According to the district presentation, recruitment included applications with essay questions and interviews. Academic data and Panorama check-in histories also factored into the recruitment process, as did “diversity.”
The school’s stated objectives included helping girls examine gender and cultural stereotypes, understand their identities and recognize barriers to leadership.
The district later developed plans for programs at five middle schools. One presentation proposed a “formal partnership with Lean In Girls as their first public school partner.”
A planning document shows that several schools intended to use only Parts 1 and 2 of the curriculum. The records don’t explain why Parts 3 and 4 were left out or whether officials reviewed those sections.
The records confirm that Buchser implemented the program, but don’t establish which lessons students received or whether the planned expansion happened.
Recruitment materials provided by the district promoted confidence-building and leadership activities, including confronting bias and challenging stereotypes. The records don’t establish whether parents were told about the facilitator handbook’s guidance on gender identity, pronouns and nonbinary participants.
OutKick asked Santa Clara Unified officials which schools ultimately implemented the program and whether they reviewed Parts 3 and 4. OutKick also asked whether participation was voluntary and whether affirmative parental consent was required.
In an Oct. 12, 2026, email, district official Mark Schiel acknowledged the questions and said he would attempt to provide answers, noting that some staff members were unavailable because classes were not in session. OutKick extended the district’s response deadline as a courtesy.
The district did not provide answers by the extended deadline.
NBA and WNBA haven’t answered questions about Lean In Girls
In July, OutKick reported that the WNBA selected Girls in the Game as a beneficiary of its All-Star Game charitable initiative. The organization, which the league supported as part of its effort to keep girls involved in sports, said on its website that it was “moving beyond the binary of ‘girl'” and welcomed gender-expansive participants.
OutKick asked the WNBA whether it knew about that language before selecting the organization and whether biological males could participate in its girl-centered programs. Neither the WNBA nor Girls in the Game answered those questions.
For this story, OutKick contacted the NBA, WNBA and Lean In Girls to ask what the leagues reviewed before endorsing the program and who approved the relationship. The inquiry also asked whether league officials were aware of the gender-identity guidance. The leagues were asked whether they provide financial support and what information was given to players featured in promotional campaigns. Lean In Girls was asked to provide its current curriculum and explain what materials it shared with the leagues.
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OutKick has been seeking answers and curriculum materials from Lean In since August 2026. The NBA and WNBA were first contacted on Oct. 9. None of the three organizations provided substantive answers by the Oct. 13 deadline.
The NBA publicly described Lean In Girls as “school-ready” and put its name behind the program. Explaining whether anyone at the league actually reviewed the material before doing so shouldn’t be nearly as difficult.
