The sports world has been buzzing in recent days, since the Las Vegas Aces announced their decision to hire San Antonio Spurs Assistant Coach Becky Hammon to be their head coach for the 2022 season. The decision has largely been praised by Vegas fans who believe Hammon is the missing piece for a potential title run, while some pundits believe Hammon is overqualified and that it is a step backwards for a coach that is more than deserving of an NBA head coaching position. The reality of the situation is that the fans are 100% right, and the pundits are half-right. The fans and pundits are correct in that Hammon has done more than enough as an assistant to Gregg Popovich to earn a head coaching job, and the Aces are the perfect fit. The pundits are correct in that she is overqualified, but wrong in the assertion that Hammon going to work for a WNBA team is a step backwards. It’s no secret that the NBA has a gender bias, but if Hammon is successful in her time with the Las Vegas Aces, she can build a better case for NBA teams considering women head coaches, which is why her decision to accept this job is a good thing for her career and other women looking to become head coaches in the future.
When the Spurs hired Becky Hammon to be an assistant to Head Coach Gregg Popovich in August 2014, it wasn’t exactly a shot in the dark. Her resume as a player is fantastic both collegiate and professional. While at Colorado State, Hammon led the Rams to their best regular season in program history with a 33-3 record, and a NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in 1999. She holds school records for career points (2,740), points per game (21.92), field goals made (918), free throws made (539), three point field goals made (365), and assists (538). In 2004, Hammon was inducted into the Colorado State University Sports Hall of Fame, and in 2005, her Colorado State jersey number 25 was retired by the team. Hammon was a 6-time WNBA All-Star splitting time between the New York Liberty, and the San Antonio Stars from 1999 to 2014. She also won the Bronze Medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics while competing for the Russian Basketball Team. The Spurs were impressed by her resume, which made the decision to hire her an easy one.
In addition to her primary role of assistant head coach, Hammon served as head coach for the San Antonio Spurs Summer League Team in 2015, and she successfully led the team to the Las Vegas Summer League title. She was the first female head coach of an NBA Summer League team, and the first female head coach to win a Summer League title.
Becky Hammon’s pursuit for an NBA head coaching job hasn’t been easy, but it’s not due to a lack of trying. Hammon was most recently interviewed by the Portland Trailblazers in June, 2021. In fact, Portland was so impressed with Hammon that they gave her a second interview. The Trailblazers ultimately chose to hire an inexperienced Chauncey Billups, who spent the 2020/21 season as an assistant head coach for the Los Angeles Clippers. This further cemented the NBA’s reputation of gender bias.
The Las Vegas Aces announced their decision to hire Becky Hammon on December 31, 2021. It has the potential to be a very beneficial hire in more ways than one. It benefits the Aces, who are fresh off of a run to the 2021 WNBA Playoffs Semi-Finals, and are looking for the missing piece that could lead to a title. They are hoping that Hammon is the answer. It benefits Hammon because she’ll be filling the most desired head coaching job opening in the WNBA, which will give her much needed experience as a head coach, and if successful, it could boost her chances of getting a head coaching job in the NBA. It also benefits the WNBA, because bringing a legend of the game back to the league could spark greater and renewed interest in the WNBA and higher ratings. It’s a step forward for all parties.
Hammon said she won’t rule out the possibility of returning to the NBA for another chance at filling a head coaching vacancy. She also said her current focus will be 100% with the Las Vegas Aces.
Hammon confirmed that she will stay with the Spurs through the end of the NBA season before starting her duties as Head Coach of the Aces.
The WNBA will open its regular season on May 6th.
