WNBA star Becky Hammon was hired by the San Antonio Spurs as an assistant coach on Tuesday. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.
Hammon announced in July that she is retiring at the end of this season. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich found out that Hammon wants to coach and invited her to Spurs practices last season. While at Spurs practices she worked with the players and the coaching staff, according to USA Today. Popovich has said that he expected Hammon to be a coach after she was done playing.
"I very much look forward to the addition of Becky Hammon to our staff," Popovich said in a statement. "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."
Hammon, a six-time WNBA All-Star, is in her 16th season in the WNBA. She has played for the San Antonio Stars for the last eight seasons. She leads the Stars all-time in assists (1,112) and three-point shots made (493). He is second in team history in points (3,442) and games played (218), according to ESPN. Hammon is seventh in WNBA history in points with 5,809, fourth in assists with 1,687, and sixth in games played with 445. In July 2011 she was named one of the WNBA’s top 15 players of all time. In 2012 she got the most votes for the Stars All-Decade team.
History was made with the hiring of Hammon. She becomes the second woman assistant coach in NBA history. Lisa Boyer was an assistant coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2001-02 season.