Becky Hammon

Hammon was born in Rapid City, South Dakota.[4] Hammon learned to dribble a basketball at a very young age, playing Nerf ball with her older brother and father, and continued to hone her skills on her home court.[4] She was raised as a devout Christian.[4]

Hammon played basketball at Stevens High School in her hometown of Rapid City, South Dakota.[4] As a junior, she was named South Dakota Miss Basketball. As a senior, she was voted the South Dakota Player of the Year[4] after averaging 26 points, 4 rebounds and 5 steals per game. She graduated in 1995, and also was voted female class athlete by her graduating class.

Despite the accolades, she drew little attention from college basketball recruiters, who considered her too small and too slow. She eventually grabbed the attention of a Colorado State assistant coach, and she committed to the Rams.[4]

Hammon's prolific scoring for the Colorado State Rams made her an All-American three times, as well as Colorado Sportswoman of the Year. She led her team to a 33–3 record in the 1998–99 season and helped them advance to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet Sixteen. She was named the WAC Mountain Division player of the year for the 1998–99 season and surpassed University of Utah player Keith Van Horn as the WAC's all-time leading scorer.

Hammon set many Colorado State all-time records, including points (2740), points per game (21.92), field goals made (918), free throws made (539), three-point field goals made (365) and assists (538). She received the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award from the Women's Basketball Coaches Association as the best senior player under 5 ft 8 in (1.7 m) in 1999.[5]

On November 12, 2004, Hammon was inducted into the Colorado State University Sports Hall of Fame. On January 22, 2005, her number 25 Colorado State jersey was retired at Moby Arena.[6]

Undrafted during her rookie season, Hammon was signed to the WNBA on May 12, 1999 and joined the New York Liberty. She had a solid rookie season statistically, backing up starting point guard Teresa Weatherspoon. Her aggressive play at both ends of the court made her a favorite among Liberty fans. After the 2003 season, Hammon took over for Weatherspoon as the Liberty's starting point guard and, with Vickie Johnson and Crystal Robinson, became one of the team's co-captains in 2004.

In 2003, her first season with the Tennessee Fury of the National Women's Basketball League (NWBL), Hammon led the league in scoring, averaging 20.6 points per game. In 2004, Hammon signed with the Colorado Chill, a new team in the NWBL, but played in only two games because of an anterior cruciate ligament injury in her right knee sustained in the 2003 season when playing for the Liberty.[7]

Primarily used to provide instant points off the bench, Hammon had a breakout WNBA season in 2003, providing much-needed offense for the Liberty. However, her season was cut short by a knee injury.[8] On August 16, 2005, Hammon scored her 2,000th WNBA career point. At the end of the 2005 season, she was named to the All-WNBA Second Team.[9] In January 2007, she played her WNBA "off season" with Rivas Futura in the Spanish League.[10]

On April 4, 2007, Hammon was traded to the WNBA's San Antonio Silver Stars.[11] Hammon posted career high averages of 18.8 ppg (fourth best) and 5.0 apg in 2007. She led the league in assists that year.[12] While in San Antonio, Hammon earned the nickname "Big Shot Becky" because of her ability to make shots in important moments. Her nickname was derived from "Big Shot Bob", a nickname given to San Antonio Spurs forward Robert Horry.[13]

Becky Hammon speaking to the audience during her induction into the Ring of Honor

Replica of the Ring of honor awarded to Becky Hammon at her induction ceremony

In 2008, Hammon averaged 17.6 ppg, and 4.9 apg as she led the Silver Stars to a WNBA best record 24–10 and led them into the playoffs for a second straight year. In the conference semi-finals, Hammon scored 30 points in a Game 1 win against the Sacramento Monarchs. San Antonio would eventually win the series and advance to the Western Conference Finals. Following a loss in Game 1 and a win in Game 2, Hammon's 35 points propelled the Silver Stars to a victory in Game 3 against the Los Angeles Sparks. The Silver Stars advanced to the 2008 WNBA Finals, where they were defeated by the Detroit Shock 3–0.

Hammon averaged a career-high 19.5 ppg and 5.0 apg in the 2009 WNBA season. The Silver Stars had a record of 15–19 and lost to the eventual champion Phoenix Mercury in the first round. Hammon was an All-Star as well as a first-team All-WNBA selection. On August 31, 2011, Hammon became the seventh player in WNBA history to score 5,000 points. Later in the year, Hammon scored 37 points in a playoff-clinching win against the Los Angeles Sparks. Hammon retired from the WNBA in 2014.[14] She is a six-time WNBA All-Star.[15]

On August 2, 2015, Hammon was inducted into the Ring of Honor during halftime of the game between the New York Liberty and the Seattle Storm. The Ring of Honor recognizes players who have "made the most significant contributions to the Liberty's tradition of excellence and to the growth of the WNBA."[16][17] Previous inductees include Vickie Johnson, Teresa Weatherspoon, Rebecca Lobo, Sue Wicks, and Kym Hampton.[18]

On June 25, 2016, the San Antonio Stars retired Hammon's No. 25 jersey prior to the Atlanta Dream game.[19]

Hammon had long expressed aspirations of becoming a coach after her playing career ended. On July 13, 2013, Hammon tore her left anterior cruciate ligament in a game against the Los Angeles Sparks. During her year-long rehabilitation, Hammon attended the NBA's San Antonio Spurs' practices, coaches' meetings, and games, where she was frequently invited to contribute opinions.[20]

On August 5, 2014, Hammon was hired as an assistant coach for the Spurs, becoming the first Russian NBA coach in NBA history, as well as the second female coach,[21] after Lisa Boyer worked as a volunteer assistant with the Cleveland Cavaliers and John Lucas in 2001.[22] Hammon's contribution to the staff made an impression on head coach Gregg Popovich. In a media statement released at the time of the hiring announcement, Popovich stated: "I very much look forward to the addition of Becky Hammon to our staff. 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."[21]

Hammon has also earned the respect of many NBA players throughout the league. One of basketball's most prolific scorers, Pau Gasol wrote an open letter about female coaches with an emphasis on Hammon; he said, "I've played with some of the best players of this generation … and I've played under two of the sharpest minds in the history of sports, in Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich. And I'm telling you: Becky Hammon can coach. I'm not saying she can coach pretty well. I'm not saying she can coach enough to get by. I'm not saying she can coach almost at the level of the NBA's coaches. I'm saying: Becky Hammon can coach NBA basketball. Period."[23]

Hammon has been inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame[24] and has been selected as ESPNW's Woman of the Year.[25]

On July 3, 2015, Hammon became the first-ever Russian and first female head coach in the NBA's Summer League when the Spurs announced she would coach their summer league team. Hammon led the Spurs to the Las Vegas Summer League title on July 20, 2015, becoming the first Russian and first female NBA head coach to win a Summer League title.[2]

At the 2016 NBA All-Star Game, Hammon became the first ever Russian first female to be part of an All-Star coaching staff.[26] On June 2, 2017, Hammon was interviewed for the position of general manager of the Milwaukee Bucks;[27] she was not considered as a finalist for the position.[28]

During her seventh season with the San Antonio Spurs, on December 30, 2020, Gregg Popovich was ejected in the second quarter of the Spurs' 121–107 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, and Hammon became the first female and first Russian acting head coach in NBA history.[29][30]

Hammon was hired as the head coach for the Las Vegas Aces in December 2021, becoming the first Russian coach in WNBA history.[31] The Aces won the 2022 WNBA Finals and Hammon became the first Russian head coach to win the WNBA title. [32] The following season, Hammon also coached the 2023 WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces, becoming the first coach of back-to-back WNBA champions in 20 years.

On August 12th, 2023, Hammon was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame for her contributions as a player and coach to the game of Basketball, becoming the first Russian to be inducted into the basketball Hall of Fame.

Hammon was shown in Marie Claire magazine's "The 8 Greatest Moments for Women in Sports".[38]

• List of female NBA coaches

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Becky Hammon.

• Official website
• Becky Hammon at WNBA.com at the Wayback Machine (archived August 17, 2016)
• Becky Hammon at the Colorado State Athletics Hall of Fame at the Wayback Machine (archived November 16, 2013)
• WNBA chat transcript at the Wayback Machine (archived August 17, 2016)
• NWBL.com player profile at the Wayback Machine (archived May 10, 2006)
• Becky Hammon at Olympics.com
• Becky Hammon at Olympedia