Becky Hammon became the first full-time female assistant coach in any of the top four sports in America when she joined the San Antonio Spurs in 2014.
I believe she will get her shot at becoming a head coach once she has established herself as an assistant.
It is no secret the sports world is dominated by men. When you turn on ESPN, no matter what sport is being covered, nine times out of 10 the analyst will be a male.
When watching a game of just about any sport, if you look on the sidelines, nine times out of 10 you will see a male coach. I’m not trying to take anything away from Connetticut Coach Geno Auriemma, but, when looking at women’s NCAA basketball, he is the most talked about and highest paid coach in the league, and, coincidentally, he is male.
Now, considering all he has done with that program, it doesn’t surprise me he is the highest paid coach in women’s NCAA basketball. However, the point I’m trying to make is the sports world is very well set up for men to prosper instead of women when it comes to getting jobs and getting paid.
That is why I think Hammon becoming the Spurs’ assistant coach is so monumental, and it opens the door for more women coaches in the near future.
There could not have been any better team for her to join than a classy franchise like the San Antonio Spurs.
Any new assistant coach coming into the league would be lucky to learn the ropes from a head coach like Gregg Popovich. Hammon put her coaching skills on display as a head coach this summer by leading the Spurs to a Summer League Championship.
She is no stranger to the game either — Hammon played in the WNBA for 13 years and represented the Russian national team in the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games.
After watching her coaching highlights, you can tell Hammon is a coach full of energy who the players enjoy playing for and respect. Give her time as an assistant and it will only be a matter of time before an NBA team in search of a coach looks in Hammon’s direction. Who knows? After Popovich retires, because that day will unfortunately come, she might just take over San Antonio.
I really do hope she open doors for more female coaches in the major sports world. Not just assistant coaches either — I would like to see multiple female head coaches pop up within the next 10 years.
frbonner@indiana.edu
