SAN ANTONIO — As far as NBA coaching experience goes, Spurs’ Becky Hammon has quite the resume.
She has been with the team since 2014 and was hired as an assistant coach, making her the first full-time, paid female assistant on an NBA coaching staff. She made history by becoming the first female to coach an NBA team on December 30, 2020. Popovich was ejected in the second quarter and she assumed the head coaching role.
Hammon became the first-ever female head coach in the NBA's Summer League in 2015, and became the first female NBA head coach to win a Summer League title.
Needless to say, she is more than qualified to serve as a head coach in the league.
But, that time will eventually come, and she understands the difficulty that is ahead of her from achieving that goal.
And for her, it is not about being male or female.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Hammon explains her side when it comes to landing a head coaching job.
I think you can throw the female, male thing out the door. There's 30 jobs. They are incredibly hard to get. And when I say 30 jobs, not all 30 are available, right? So there's like maybe four or five that are available. And the amount of pressure and scrutiny that comes with each of those jobs, they're just really hard to get. ...So for me, you know that process, I think I get better every time I go through it and walk through that door.
Hammon has been in demand among NBA teams.
She was interviewed for the Bucks coaching spot in 2017, and drew interest from other teams such as the Knicks, Blazers and Magic.
But at the end of the day, an organization is gonna hire me because I'm the best coach for the job. And all the stuff that comes after that will come.
Hammon has endured her share of obstacles.
Recently, she was passed over for the Blazers head coaching position as Portland opted to go with Chauncey Billups. It was met with pushback after what many perceived as the Blazers botching her interview.
During Portland's introduction of their new head coach, team General Manager Neil Olshey addressed why the team passed on her. He said Billups checked a lot of the boxes that the team was looking for, and more during his explanation. It was also reported that a coaching background check revealed Hammon's coaching style in a bad light.
Regardless, Hammon is ready for a head coaching position in the near future, whether in San Antonio or not.
She’s paid her dues and now it is a matter of time before her goal is realized.
But my primary focus has to be to become the best coach that I can be, and be there for my players, for whatever organization is the right fit for me?
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