San Antonio Stars player Becky Hammon will remain in the River City after she retires from the WNBA later this month. She will become only the second female assistant coach in NBA history when she takes a seat on the San Antonio Spurs bench this coming season.
"I very much look forward to the addition of Becky Hammon to our staff," said Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich. "Having observed her working with our team this past season, I'm confident her basketball IQ, work ethic and interpersonal skills will be a great benefit to the Spurs."
Lisa Boyer served as the NBA's first female assistant coach in 2001. The Cleveland Caveliers signed her on for one season.
Hammon played 16 seasons in the WNBA, splitting her career between the New York Liberty and the Stars. She leads San Antonio in all-time assists (1,112) and three-point field goals made (493). She also ranks second in points scored (3,442) and games played (218).
Over the course of her career, she averaged 13.1 points, 3.8 assists and 2.5 rebounds during a regulation game (28.0 minutes). She ranks seventh in points scored (5,809), fourth in assists (1,687) and sixth in games played (445) in WNBA history. She earned All-WNBA First Team honors twice (2007 and 2009) and Second Team honors twice (2005 and 2008).
She attended Colorado State and achieved All-American status three times, but went unpicked in the 1999 WNBA draft. The New York Liberty signed her in May 1999 where she spent her first eight seasons.
The NBA has made great strides to include women in its organization. The National Basketball Players Association named D.C. lawyer Michele Roberts its new executive director on July 29, the first woman to lead a major North American sports union, according to ESPN. The NBA hired Violet Palmer and Dee Kantner in 1997 as the league's first female referees. Palmer came out on July 31 saying she would marry her partner of 20 years. Women have also coached throughout the NBA's lower organizational levels over the last 15 years.
