Becky Hammon just made basketball by becoming an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs.
The former WNBA player became the first woman to have a full-time position on the coaching staff of an NBA team. Here are five things to know about Becky Hammon.
- The 37-year-old had a successful WNBA career, spanning 16 years with the New York Liberty (1999-2006) and the San Antonio Stars (2007-2014).
- Becky Hammon’s career as a basketball player includes six WNBA All-Star appearances (2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011) and a place in the WNBA’s exclusive Top 15 Players of All Time list.
- Hammon suffered a knee injury in 2013 that sidelined her for the season. She spent most of the 2013-14 NBA season around the Spurs’ organization working on her rehabilitation. The organization gave Hammon access to the team’s practices, coaching meetings and more.
- Lisa Boyer was the first woman to serve on an NBA coaching staff when she worked as part of the Cleveland Cavaliers staff in the 2001-02 season. However, Boyer was a part-time employee and she didn’t get paid. Becky Hammon is a full-time coach for the Spurs and she’s getting paid.
- “Having observed her working with our team this past season, I’m confident her basketball I.Q., work ethic and interpersonal skills will be a great benefit to the Spurs,” Coach Gregg Popovich said Tuesday in a statement. He also told Hammon that she’s qualified for the position and the fact that she’s a woman had nothing to do with the team’s decision to hire her.
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