Becky Hammon

Becky Hammon, born on March 11, 1977, in Rapid City, South Dakota, embarked on a distinguished basketball career that spanned playing and coaching. She initially gained recognition for her prolific scoring at Colorado State University, earning three All-American selections in 1997, 1998, and 1999. In her senior year (1998-99), she led the Colorado State Rams to a 33-3 record and an NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen appearance. Undrafted in the 1999 WNBA Draft, Hammon signed with the New York Liberty, where she spent eight seasons, participating in three WNBA Finals (1999, 2000, 2002). Her jersey, number 25, was retired by Colorado State in 2005, a testament to her collegiate impact. She later played for the San Antonio Stars, leading them to their first WNBA Finals appearance in 2008 and retiring as the franchise leader in assists per game (5.1) and scoring average (15.6), and the WNBA leader in career free throw percentage (89.7). Hammon earned six WNBA All-Star selections throughout her playing career (2003, 2005-07, 2009, 2011).

In a significant career transition, Hammon joined the San Antonio Spurs as an assistant coach on August 5, 2014, becoming the first woman to hold a full-time assistant coaching position in the NBA. This groundbreaking role was followed by several other ‘firsts’: she became the first woman to serve as head coach in the NBA Summer League in 2015, leading the Spurs to the league title. In 2016, she was the first woman to be part of an All-Star coaching staff, and on December 30, 2020, she became the first woman acting head coach in NBA history. Her success continued as she was hired as the head coach for the Las Vegas Aces on December 31, 2021. She quickly led the team to their first WNBA Championship in 2022, becoming the first rookie head coach to do so, and repeated the feat in 2023, marking the first back-to-back WNBA titles in over 20 years. Her coaching achievements earned her the WNBA Coach of the Year award in 2022.

Beyond her professional playing and coaching, Hammon’s career has been recognized through various inductions into prestigious halls of fame. She was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 2015, the San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame in 2018, the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2022, and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on August 12, 2023. Hammon also represented Russia in the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games, earning a bronze medal in 2008. Her dedication and accomplishments have made her a notable figure in basketball history.