The San Antonio Spurs announced on Wednesday that assistant coach Becky Hammon has been promoted to fill the role of James Borrego, who was recently hired by the Charlotte Hornets.
Hammon’s new role will move her to the front of the bench and one step closer to becoming the first female head coach in the NBA. Ettore Messina, who assumed head coach responsibilities while Gregg Popovich was away from the team, will remain the Spurs’ top assistant coach but Hammon is expected to be directly under him.
Hammon became the first full-time female coach in the NBA in 2014 with the Spurs but was previously a lower level assistant coach, primarily working from behind the player’s bench. She served as the team’s head Summer League coach for two years and lead the Spurs to a Summer League championship in 2015.
Before signing on with the Spurs, Hammon was one of the most prominent WNBA players in history and played for 16 seasons in the league, eight with the New York Liberty and eight with the San Antonio Stars. She was voted to the WNBA All-Star team six times and had her number 25 jersey retired by the Stars in 2016.
While recovering from injury in 2013, Hammon attended many of the Spurs practices and coaching sessions, where she made an impression on Popovich and was ultimately hired.
Although she was not chosen for either position, Hammon interviewed for the head coaching vacancy with the Milwaukee Bucks and was considered for the Detroit Pistons job before both were awarded to other coaches last month. Hammon is expected by many to become the first female head NBA coach, which seems much more within reach now that she has been promoted.
With the retirement of Popovich expected before 2020, Hammon would be a prime candidate to replace him considering her experience with the team.
Featured Image via: Wikimedia Commons
