Spurs make Hammon first female assistant to sit courtside in league
Promotion latest step in former WNBA star’s groundbreaking path
SAN ANTONIO — Becky Hammon’s pioneering NBA journey received another boost from the Spurs when they announced on Wednesday she will move into a position of prominence for a woman in pro basketball.
It’s a promotion that elevates her from the back of the bench to the front, a first for a female assistant.
With her move up in the pecking order of Gregg Popovich’s assistants, Hammon will now sit courtside, elbow to elbow with fellow assistants Ettore Messina and Ime Udoka.
Fans, regardless of gender, welcomed the groundbreaking move.
“Be nice to have her take over when Pop retires,” Carlos A. Farias wrote on Twitter.
The Spurs announced the promotion with a simple three paragraph press release, but the symbolism of the move to a highprofile spot on the bench was not lost on women in San Antonio and around the nation.
“I immediately thought of Sheryl Sandberg’s book and how she talks about the need for women to ‘sit at the table,’ ” said Gretchen Rush, women’s tennis coach at Trinity University, referring to “Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead.”
“It’s an interesting sort of visual with Becky, in that she’s at the table with the boys at the top level of basketball. That’s what the book talked about: Take a seat at the table and don’t sit back. It’s inspiring for young women. It reminds me of what Billie Jean King always says: ‘If you see it, you can be it.’ She (Hammon) has got a seat at the table where she can lead, and it’s great for all of us, great for the Spurs.”
Players applaud move
The Spurs elevated Hammon to the spot — and the courtside chair — vacated by assistant James Borrego when the Charlotte Hornets named him their coach last month.
Spurs players applauded the move.
In a tweet from Spain, center Pau Gasol wrote, “Congrats @BeckyHammon!!!” followed by clapping hand emojis.
The Spurs made history on Aug. 4, 2014, when they made Hammon, a longtime WNBA All-Star guard who played her final eight seasons with the San Antonio Stars, the first full-time, paid female assistant coach in the history of major North American pro sports.
Hammon’s promotion is a well-earned one.
She coached the Spurs’ Las Vegas Summer League teams in 2015 and 2016, guiding the 2015 squad to a championship. In the past few preseasons, she coached the team for a half or two along with the other assistants while Popovich watched from the stands.
After Hammon helped coached the Spurs to a preseason win over Denver last October, guard Manu Ginobili said, “I know it’s different because she’s the first (full-time) female assistant coach (in NBA history), but she’s a coach. And she is doing a great job. She is smart. She understands the game. She’s another coach we respect.”
The Bucks made headlines in May when they interviewed her for their head coaching vacancy.
Although the job ultimately went to former Atlanta Hawks coach and Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer, Hammon’s interview bolstered her reputation as the most likely candidate to shatter the NBA’s glass ceiling.
In a recent article for The Players’ Tribune, Gasol stated why he believes Hammon is eminently qualified to be an NBA head coach.
“One, she was an accomplished player — with an elite point guard’s mind for the game,” Gasol wrote. “And two, she has been a successful assistant for arguably the greatest coach in the game. What more do you need?”
Making it happen
In March 2017, Hammon turned down an offer from the University of Florida to become the women’s basketball coach. In March, Hammon turned down another big opportunity, passing on an offer from her alma mater, Colorado State, to coach the men’s team.
Those decisions seem to point to her wanting to become the NBA’s first female head coach.
“As far as women coaching men, it’s really silly,” Hammon said. “People ask me all the time, ‘will there ever be a woman player in the NBA?’ To be honest, no. There are differences. The guys are too big, too strong, and that’s just the way it is.
“But when it comes to things of the mind, things like coaching, game-planning, coming up with offense and defensive schemes, there’s no reason why a woman couldn’t be in the mix and shouldn’t be in the mix.”
On Wednesday, she took another step toward making it happen.