This Saturday, after their first win in five games, the San Antonio Stars honored Becky Hammon, one of the team’s greatest players, by retiring her No. 25 jersey.
“I took the gravely road up to the top,” said Becky during the ceremony. “I took the trail that was no trail and just kept going.”
A graduate of Colorado State University, Becky played 13 seasons in the WNBA after entering the league undrafted just three years after its founding. She started her professional career with the New York Liberty and right from the start, Becky’s influence was obvious. She played as a backup point guard for her first four seasons in the league and then took over the starting position when the Liberty’s starting point guard, Teresa Weatherspoon, left the team.
Becky accomplished much throughout her career. She earned the honor of being named as an All-Star six times. She was also named to the All-WNBA First team twice and made the second team another two times. She led the WNBA in assists in 2007 and received a Bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing playing for Russia after the U.S. team did not call her up. That same year, Becky Hammon also led the Stars to the WNBA Finals earning the silver and black their first Western Conference championship.
In the Summer of 2014, Becky Hammon became the first woman full-time assistant coach in the NBA for the San Antonio Spurs under the direction of Gregg Popovich. A year later, Becky served as the head coach for the San Antonio Spurs’ summer league team, a first in NBA history. Needless to say, she led them to the Championship.
“You just never know where you can go and the places you can reach when you combine love and passion and a work ethic,” said the humbled and sincere Hammon while addressing close to 10,000 fans Saturday night.
Becky’s love, passion, and work ethic have made her a beloved sports figure in San Antonio.
“I’ve just loved this game for a long time and I love the city of San Antonio,” said Hammon. “Thank you for supporting me.”
