Becky Hammon
Becky Hammon Became First Female NBA Coach
History was made in the NBA this month when Becky Hammon was named head coach of the San Antonio Spurs summer league team.
Becky Hammon in 2002
Rebecca Lynn “Becky” Hammon (born March 11, 1977) is an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association and a retired professional basketball player. Hammon played for the San Antonio Stars and New York Liberty of the Women’s National Basketball Association. She also played for multiple basketball teams outside of the United States. Hammon, who was born and grew up in the United States, became a naturalized Russian citizen in 2008 and represented the Russian national team in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.
On August 5, 2014, Hammon was hired by the Spurs as an assistant coach, becoming the second female assistant coach in NBA history but the first full-time assistant coach. This also makes her the first full-time female assistant coach in any of the four major professional sports in North America. On July 3, 2015, the Spurs announced that Hammon would be the team’s Summer League head-coach, the first woman to head-coach in that league. Hammon led the Spurs to the Las Vegas Summer League title on July 20, 2015.
Biography
Rebecca “Becky” Hammon was born on March 11, 1977, in Rapid City, South Dakota, the daughter of Martin and Bev Hammon. She has one brother and one sister.
Hammon played high school basketball at Stevens High School in her hometown of Rapid City, South Dakota. As a junior, she was South Dakota Miss Basketball. As a senior, she was voted the South Dakota Player of the Year after averaging 26 points, 4 rebounds and 5 steals per game. Also that year, she was voted female class athlete by her graduating class.
College Career
Hammon’s prolific scoring for the Colorado State Rams made her an All-American as well as Colorado Sportswoman of the Year. She led her team to a 33–3 record in the 1998–1999 season and helped them advance to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet Sixteen. She was named the WAC Mountain Division player of the year for the 1998–1999 season and surpassed University of Utah player Keith Van Horn as the WAC’s all-time leading scorer.
Hammon set many Colorado State all-time records, including points (2740), points per game (21.92), field goals made (918), free throws made (539), three-point field goals made (365) and assists (538). She received the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award from the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association as the best senior player under 5 ft 8 in (1.7 m) in 1999.
On November 12, 2004, Hammon was inducted into the Colorado State University Sports Hall of Fame. On January 22, 2005, her number 25 Colorado State jersey was retired at the Moby Arena.
Professional Career – WNBA
Undrafted during her rookie season, Hammon was signed to the WNBA on May 12, 1999 and joined the New York Liberty. She had a solid rookie season statistically, backing up starting point guard Teresa Weatherspoon. Her aggressive play at both ends of the court made her a favorite among Liberty fans. After the 2003 season, Hammon took over for Weatherspoon as the Liberty’s starting point guard and, with Vickie Johnson and Crystal Robinson, became one of the team’s co-captains in 2004.
In her first season in 2003 with the Tennessee Fury of the National Women’s Basketball League (NWBL), Hammon led the league in scoring, averaging 20.6 points per game. In 2004, Hammon signed with the Colorado Chill, a new team in the NWBL, but played in only two games because of a knee injury she sustained in the 2003 season when playing for the Liberty.
Primarily used to provide instant points off the bench, Hammon had a breakout season in 2003, providing much-needed offense for the Liberty. However, her season was cut short by a knee injury. On August 16, 2005, Hammon scored her 2,000th WNBA career point. At the end of the 2005 season, she was named to the All-WNBA Second Team. In January 2007, she played her WNBA “off season” with Rivas Futura in the Spanish League.
On April 4, 2007, during the WNBA Draft, Hammon was traded to the Silver Stars, along with a second round draft pick in the 2008 draft, for the second overall first round pick in the 2007 WNBA Draft, center Jessica Davenport. Hammon posted career high averages of 18.8 ppg (fourth best) and 5.0 apg (first in WNBA) in 2007. While in San Antonio, Hammon earned the nickname, “Big Shot Becky” because of her ability to hit shots in clutch moments. It comes from the nickname “Big Shot Bob” given to San Antonio Spurs forward, Robert Horry.
Hammon averaged 17.6 ppg, and 4.9 apg as she led the Silver Stars to a WNBA best record 24–10 and led them into the playoffs for a second straight year. In the conference semi-finals, Hammon scored 30 points in a Game 1 win against the Sacramento Monarchs. San Antonio would eventually win the series and advance to the Western Conference Finals. Following a loss in Game 1 and a win in Game 2, Hammon’s 35 points propelled the Silver Stars to a victory in Game 3 against the Los Angeles Sparks. The Silver Stars advanced to the WNBA Finals where they were defeated by the Detroit Shock 3–0.
Hammon averaged a career-high 19.5 ppg and 5.0 apg in the 2009 WNBA season. The Silver Stars had a record of 15–19 and lost to the eventual champion Phoenix Mercury in the first round. Hammon was an All-Star as well as a first-team All-WNBA selection. On August 31, 2011, Hammon became the seventh player in WNBA history to score 5,000 points. Later in the year, Hammon scored 37 points in a playoff-clinching win against the Los Angeles Sparks.
Coaching Career
Hammon had long expressed aspirations of becoming a coach after her playing career. On July 13, 2013, Hammon tore her left anterior cruciate ligament in a game against the Los Angeles Sparks. During her year-long rehabilitation, Hammon attended the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs’ practices, coaches’ meetings, and games, where she was frequently invited to contribute opinions. On August 5, 2014, Hammon was hired as an assistant coach for the Spurs, becoming the first full-time, salaried female coach in NBA history.
Hammon’s contribution to the staff made an impression on head coach Gregg Popovich. In a media statement released at the time of the hiring announcement, Popovich stated: 
“I very much look forward to the addition of Becky Hammon to our staff. Having observed her working with our team this past season, I’m confident her basketball IQ, work ethic, and interpersonal skills will be a great benefit to the Spurs.”
On July 3, 2015, Hammon became the first ever female head coach in the NBA’s Summer League when the Spurs announced she would coach their team. Hammon led the Spurs to the Las Vegas Summer League title on July 20, 2015, becoming the first female NBA head coach to win a summer league title.
