San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon has had a busy summer and has earned some down time. Nearly three weeks after leading the Spurs Summer League squad to a title, she did just that.
On Saturday she visited the Freeman Coliseum to watch her former team and raise awareness for an important cause. The San Antonio Stars defeated the Seattle Storm 88-81 and raised $26,000 for the CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Mobile Mammography Unit.
The 38-year-old has made headlines ever since the Spurs hired her as the first full-time female assistant coach in NBA history. Since then, the Sacramento Kings hired Nancy Lieberman to their staff as an assistant coach and the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals made Jen Welter the first female assistant coach in league history.
However, Hammon knows she really hasn’t done anything. There is one person who took a chance on her that she is still grateful to this day for.
“Pop is really the guy that went out on a limb and did what no other professional coach did before, and take a chance on a woman,” a smiling Hammon said. “And you can ask him, he doesn’t care what I am. He thought I had a great mind and wanted to add to the group, so blame him for all the hoopla.”
Hammon is getting ready for her second season with the five-time champion Spurs and knows fans worldwide will have their eye on San Antonio when the 2015-16 season tips off.
“There is tons of excitement with our offseason and what we were able to accomplish,” Hammon said. “With R.C. and all the guys behind the scenes did a great job recruiting these guys and that is a tribute to the history of what they’ve built in San Antonio. People want to be a part of something special.”
To hear to the entire interview with Hammon, listen below.
