Becky Hammon was recruited by Colorado State and lead the program to its best season ever with a 33-3 record and an appearance in the Sweet Sixteen. After college, she went undrafted into the WNBA in 1999 and was drafted by the New York Liberty. She was traded to San Antonio in 2007 and earned the nickname “Big Shot Becky” for the number of clutch buckets she put up. Hammon went on to play in the Olympics for Russia helping them earn a bronze medal in 2008 after acquiring a dual citizenship.
Hammon suffered an injury in 2013 and with a year of recovery ahead of her started working as a coaching intern with the San Antonio Spurs. After her first season with the Spurs, Head Coach Gregg Popovich gave her a glowing assessment praising her “basketball IQ” and “ability to reach the players”. He then offered her, her current job of a full-time coach for the Spurs, making her the first female full-time coach in the four major men’s sports. The former point guard coached the Spurs to victory in the NBA summer league in 2015, becoming the first woman to win a summer league title as a coach.
Her skills, personality and impact she has on players put her in the running for the men’s basketball head coaching job at her Alma Mater. If she takes the job, she will become the first woman to coach a men’s Division I basketball program. It would come as no surprise though if she set her sights even higher as she is the leading candidate for the first female head coach in the NBA.
