San Antonio Spurs' Assistant Becky Hammon Becomes First Female to Coach NBA Summer League Team
Becky Hammon will become the first NBA female head coach when she leads the San Antonio Spurs summer league team in Las Vegas.
The former WNBA star recently became the first full-time NBA assistant when she joined Coach Gregg Popovich and the Spurs prior to the start of the 2014-15 season. In all, Hammon played 16 WNBA seasons and was named an All-Star on six different occasions.
"Nothing in my life has really ever been easy," Hammon said back in August, ESPN reported. "I've always been someone who did it uphill. I'm up for challenges. I'm up for being outside the box, making tough decisions and challenges. ... And I'm a little bit of an adrenaline junkie. Throw those all those in there and this was the perfect challenge and opportunity."
Las Vegas Summer League begins on July 10, with the Spurs opening the next day against the New York Knicks. The Spurs will play at least five games in the tournament.
"It doesn't matter if you're a man or woman," Popovich previously told reporters in justifying Hammon's rising status. "It's the same position, it's the same pick-and-roll, it's the same defenses and all that sort of thing."
Playing for the San Antonio Stars and New York Liberty, the 38-year-old Hammon averaged 13 points, four assists and three rebounds over her career, with her best season coming with San Antonio in 2009 when he averaged 20 points, five assists and three rebounds. In all, Hammon had eight seasons where she averaged at least 15 points and four assists.
Natalie Nakase previously served as an assistant coach on the Los Angeles Clippers' staff in 2014.
San Antonio is also participating in the Salt Lake City Summer League. Will Hardy, the team's video coordinator, will coach the Spurs there.
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