Spurs Hire Becky Hammon as NBA's First-Ever Female Assistant Coach
Geege Schuman stashed this in Basketball
Stashed in: Women, Basketball, XX, Extraordinary People
She is the second woman named as a member of an NBA coaching staff. Lisa Boyer was a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers coaching staff during the 2001-2002 season.
Yeah but.
Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today looked into it, however, and it doesn’t seem as though Boyer’s role was all that significant — or even one that was in an official capacity with the Cavaliers.
“Just got off the phone with John Lucas. Lisa Boyer didn’t travel with the team and he said she was paid by WNBA’s Cleveland Rockers.”
More on how Hammon got hired:
Back in February Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News wrote an article about Hammon's coaching ambitions that gives you a solid idea of how she landed the Spurs job.
It's a great story about someone making the most of an opportunity.
After missing almost all of the 2013 WNBA season because of an injury, Hammon, along with San Antonio Stars head coach Dan Hughes, approached Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and general manager R.C. Buford and told them that she was interested in coaching.
The Spurs invited her to participate in a variety of team activities in an unofficial capacity — an opportunity that she threw herself into. From the Express-News:
Hammon became a fixture at practice sessions, an unofficial coaching intern, participating in staff meetings and video sessions.
Hammon understands the value of an apprenticeship any prospective coach would cherish.
'I'm kind of just there, a fly on the wall soaking up how they run things over there in the film sessions,' Hammon said. 'I get a lot out of their film sessions, just listening to the coaches go back and forth on what they think is happening on certain plays.'
She won over Spurs coaches and players during that unofficial internship last season. She sat behind the bench at games and joined in coaches meetings. Tim Duncan raved about her, and Popovich said in February, before she was hired, "We love her to death."
http://www.businessinsider.com/becky-hammon-hired-spurs-2014-8#ixzz39cKQoXHB
So she has a legit shot at becoming a head coach some day. Cool.
8:02 PM Aug 05 2014