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Becky Hammon did not have a traditional path to get to where she is today.
“My journey’s not by mistake,” Hammon said. “Every hard thing that I’ve gone thru has built something in me that I’ve needed down the road.”
Hammon, a six-time WNBA All-Star, had several years of experience as an assistant coach for the Spurs. During a game in which Gregg Popovich was ejected, she became the first female acting head coach in NBA history.
During her interviews to become a permanent head coach in the NBA, Hammon said that she was often told that she only had experience in San Antonio and had never been a head coach. It didn’t bother her, though. She just needed to rise above it.
“I’m used to people not picking me,” she added. “I just do me.”
So what did she do? She was named the WNBA’s Coach of the Year.
During her first year as a head coach in the WNBA, she led her team to win the Commissioner’s Cup, the No. 1 seed, and the WNBA championship. This was the first time the Aces won the title, and in the process, Hammon became the first former WNBA player to win a title as a head coach.
Hammond deserves all of the flowers that she is getting today. Popovich issued a statement supporting her accomplishments. Former and current players from San Antonio tweeted their congratulations. She even got some love from United States President Barack Obama.
The Tip-Off
Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network.
For The Win staffer had a roundtable discussion about the proposed rule change to the NBA Draft:
“According to the reporter for The Athletic and Stadium, the NBA and players association are deep into talks on a new collective bargaining agreement that would, among other things, lower the draft eligibility age from 19 years old back to 18—effectively ending the one-and-done era of college basketball.
Our Slack channel did not handle this news well. Battle lines were drawn between those (Andy Nesbitt) who thought this meant the end of NCAA basketball as we know it and others who thought the impact wouldn’t feel as extreme as it sounds.”
You can read the transcript here.
Shootaround
—Why the NBA could go back to drafting high schoolers in 2024, explained
— The 2022-23 NBA Statement Edition jerseys, ranked from best to worst (that we’ve seen so far)
— Sixers Wire’s Ky Carlin looks at three potential trade targets for Philly
— HoopsHype ranks the 76 best NBA players in league history