Open Thread: Becky Hammon didn’t realize the impact her hiring would have outside of the sports world when she joined the Spurs coaching staff
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The Spurs assistant coach called in to Ledlow & Parker to share her views on the NBA and her journey to the Spurs bench.
Becky Hammon has a seat on one of the most prominent benches in the NBA and people want to know more about how she got there. On the Ledlow & Parker podcast, Kristen Ledlow and Candace Parker discuss the Spurs assistant coach’s days in the WNBA, the crafty style of play that made her height a non-factor to her game.
Her faith enabled her to take an injury and accept the transformation into an NBA assistant coach. During that time, head coach Gregg Popovich took her under his wing. In fact, she considers Pop the boundary-breaker when it comes to the title of “first full-time woman assistant coach.”
Her first encounter with Pop took place on a plane returning from the London Olympics. The two talked about Russia and life in general, and in a very Popovich way, there was little conversation about basketball.
In regards to the Spurs culture, Hammon discussed the perspective of how basketball is what one does rather than who one is and that is part of what Pop teaches while building relationships.
Does Becky Hammon feel pressure to become a head coach?
“Of course there’s some pressure, but honestly, I just try to be about my work, be about the business at hand. Try not to get too far ahead of myself and just do my work and know that at the end of the day my chance will come, my opportunity will come.”
As the tide turns and more women become involved with male-dominated sports, Hammon shares that it is important to reverse the conversation and focus on what is happening overall, not about a woman in a men’s locker room.
You can find the podcast through this link on Reddit (Hammon’s piece starts at the 16:04 mark). If you are like me and don’t belong to Spotify, you can download the entire podcast here.
They do play a fun game at the 38:30 time stamp called “One Word Superlatives.” It’s a nice opportunity to hear Becky’s thoughts on her fellow coaches and players.
Give it a listen and share your thoughts in the comments.
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Open Thread: Becky Hammon didn’t realize the impact her hiring would have outside of the sports world when she joined the Spurs coaching staff
Open Thread: Becky Hammon didn’t realize the impact her hiring would have outside of the sports world when she joined the Spurs coaching staff
