It had become a chestnut tree each off-season. The first full-time female assistant in history to have joined an NBA staff, Becky Hammon made the rounds of the “front office” in search of a position as head coach, which would have been another great first in the NBA world.
After having multiplied the interviews and fingered the possibility of obtaining the reins of an NBA team, the former shooter ended up accepting the offer of the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA.
“My heart was telling me it was time to leave,” she confided to justify her choice to leave the NBA for the WNBA. “This is where I belong now. There were many sleepless nights to come to this conclusion. Las Vegas sees me as a head coach now. The WNBA called me every year to offer me positions. I always said, “Thank you, I’m very flattered”, but I stayed in my lane. There, it was the first time that I said to myself that I was going to listen”.
A pioneer in the NBA despite everything
Becky Hammon will thus mark history in another way, becoming the first coach in the WNBA paid a million dollars per season, for a five-year contract. Although she did not achieve her goals, the former Russian international has paved the way for other players aspiring to join a staff in the NBA.
“Women are hired in all kinds of positions now. Not just in the NBA, but in every professional sports league. When someone says the cursor hasn’t really moved, that’s wrong. Just the interview process in Portland made things happen. It was a great process for me”.
Out of the question, however, for her to accept that her return to the WNBA is seen as a step back. This change of course and this new experience will perhaps even be a springboard for the future.
“I think it’s ignorant to say that. It’s ridiculous to think I’m above the WNBA as a coach. I prefer to coach in the WNBA, have my own organization and lead a team.
Becky Hammon is already preparing for the coming season with the goal of trying to do better than last season, when the Aces finished with the second-best record in the league before losing in the playoff semifinals against Phoenix. “Right now, I’m contacting all the players in the squad. I establish a relationship with them and I talk a little about the roles that will be assigned offensively and defensively.
The WNBA season kicks off on May 6.
