Photo Credit: USATSI
With the NBA season kicking off soon, the female in the spotlight this week had to be someone who was related to basketball. Who better than San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon? Hammon made headlines for being the second female assistant coach but became the first full-time female assistant coach in the NBA along with being the first female to coach a summer league team.
Before Hammon became a coach, she was a basketball player. Her time at Colorado State University is where she really started to get noticed. While Hammon did eventually end up going undrafted, her stats during her time at CSU were not only stellar with 2740 total points and 538 assists, averaging 21.92 points per game, but no one at CSU had broken any of her records since. Hammon was also inducted into the CSU’s Hall Of Fame and her jersey number “25” has already been retired too.
As already mentioned, Hammon did end up going undrafted, but she didn’t let that stop her. Hammon would eventually end up playing for the New York Liberty and the San Antonio Stars. Her 15-year career between the Liberty and Stars gained her many accolades such as a 6-time WNBA All-Star, 2-time All-WNBA First Team, and a 2-time All-WNBA Second Teamer.
As “Big Shot Becky” started to become even better, she would take her talents to the biggest competition, the Olympics. However, she would surprise everyone by playing for Team Russia instead of Team USA. Many criticized her decision, but for team Russia, Hammon helped to bring a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Even with all of that success, many didn’t even know Hammon’s name until she was named the assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs. Before the name Jen Welter was even uttered, Hammon was already making history in another sport. Hammon’s presence in a male dominated world has been long overshadowed, but now it looks like that could be changing due to the fact that Hammon looks like she could have a chance at becoming a head coach at some point, especially working under one of the best, Gregg Poppovich.
While it may be a little premature since she’s only been an assistant for a year, Hammon’s resume should answer any doubts that anyone has. She has lived and breathed basketball longer than some of the rookies in the NBA, so giving her the job seems like a piece of cake. It might not be a while before Hammon gets the job, but if the way that the players talk about her is an indication, she should be getting one soon.
Although most people focus on the fact that she is a woman coaching in a man’s league, the players don’t look at it like that which was illustrated by Spurs forward Jarrell Eddie, “We don’t look at it as female or anything, she’s the coach and we just listen” which is a refreshing attitude coming for any athlete.
Much like the women after her such as Jen Welter and Justine Siegal, Hammon has no problem working in a male-dominated league. Her response, when asked about it, sums up everything that all men seem to believe about females and sports, in general, “In professional sports, it is so male dominated. But we’re not asking the male to get up and leave his seat. We’re just saying scoot over a little bit — make a little room at the table for the ladies.”
Hammon should be celebrated for her coaching abilities and not her gender which is why she broke so many barriers and why she deserves to be the spotlight as much as any male coaches.
