July 24, 2020
Becky Hammon was Spurs head coach for today’s scrimmage against the Bucks
The former WNBA star and longtime Spurs assistant got a chance to lead the team today in Orlando.
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San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon was named head coach for a scrimmage on July 23. (via @WorldWideWob on Twitter)
The San Antonio Spurs named assistant Becky Hammon as head coach for today’s scrimmage against the Milwaukee Bucks at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Head coach Gregg Popovich is planning to rotate his coaching staff for the team’s three exhibition games before the season officially resumes, according to ESPN’s Malika Andrews. The Spurs fell to the Bucks 113-92.
Hammon has been with the Spurs organization for six years, becoming the first female full-time assistant coach when she was hired in 2014 and she was promoted to the front of the bench in June 2018. She was also given the head coaching role at NBA Summer League in 2015, 2016, and 2019, leading the Spurs to the Las Vegas Summer League Championship in her first year.
Prior to Hammon’s foray into coaching, she had a stellar playing career at Colorado State and in the WNBA. At Colorado State, she led the Rams to a 33–3 record in the 1998–99 and helped them advance to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet Sixteen. She was also named an All-American three times during her college years.
Still, Hammon went undrafted in the WNBA before signing with the New York Liberty in 1999. She eventually took over point guard Teresa Weatherspoon’s role and was named co-captain in 2004. In 2007, Hammon was traded to the San Antonio Silver Stars and in 2011, became the seventh player in WNBA history to score 5,000 points before retiring in 2014 as a six-time All-Star.
Since Hammon’s arrival to the NBA and certainly, as she has made her mark on the Spurs, there have been rumors about her eventual ascension to a head coaching position in the league — with San Antonio or even elsewhere. In 2018, she became the first woman to interview for a head coaching role in the NBA when the Bucks reportedly brought her in following the ouster of Jason Kidd. She has also been floated as a candidate for the New York Knicks in recent months.
During a game against the Charlotte Hornets on March 3, fans and analysts were slightly confused when former Spurs big Tim Duncan was named acting head coach in Popovich’s absence over Hammon, despite being on the team’s coaching staff for less than a season.
Hammon and the Spurs’ are set to officially resume the 2019-20 NBA on July 30, along with the other 21 teams that traveled to Florida.
