SAN ANTONIO — The Texas Sports Hall of Fame announced the nominees for its Hall of Fame 2023 Class, and former San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon is on the ballot.
She is joined by former NFL player Priest Holmes of San Antonio, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, WWE's Steve Austin and the NFL's Matthew Stafford, just to name a few of the names listed.
Hammon left the Spurs to begin her head coaching job with the WNBA Las Vegas Aces once the Spurs' 2021-22 regular season was completed.
“Becky has become an integral part of our program in every way, shape and form,” Spurs' Gregg Popovich said. “This is a great opportunity for her to highlight her many skills. Her intuitive feel for the game and ability to teach will serve the Aces very well as she institutes her system and culture.”
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Hammon has done a remarkable job with the Aces and has not forgotten the lessons Popovich taught her about leading a team from the sidelines.
"Not skipping steps is the most important, especially early on in training camp," Hammon said. "This is a whole new system for them. Offensively, defensively, the terminology is different."
Hammon said, "The biggest point is to lay a great foundation of fundamentals and basics and you start with communication."
Now that Hammon is starting her next chapter in her basketball career, she admits it was tough to leave the Spurs.
"I spent a lot of time there obviously," Hammon said. "I've gone to battle with him [Popovich]. Saying goodbye was obviously tough for not only myself, but for Pop and the [Spurs] organization."
RELATED: 'Saying goodbye was tough' | Becky Hammon speaks about leaving the Spurs for WNBA coaching job
She continued with, "Just really grateful for their leadership and their belief in me and really equipping me to being a successful coach in the future."
She played 16 seasons in the WNBA, including her final eight in San Antonio, where she led the franchise to its first WNBA Finals appearance.
On August 5, 2014, Popovich hired her as a full-time assistant, making her the first woman in league history to occupy that position.
Hammon continues to get support from the San Antonio community as fans are closely watching how she is doing with the Aces, and cheering her on each step of the way.
Nominees for election will be selected by voters for admission to the Texas Hall of Fame next spring.
Twitter: @KENS5, @JeffGSpursKENS5