The San Antonio Spurs have hired WNBA star Becky Hammon as an assistant coach, making her the second woman to coach in the NBA and the first to take a full-time job.
Hammon is currently playing in her 16th WNBA season with the San Antonio Stars and had announced she will be retiring at the end of the campaign.
She joins Lisa Boyer as the only other woman to serve as part of an NBA coaching staff. Boyer, now associated head women’s basketball coach at South Carolina, was a member of John Lucas’ team for the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2001-02 season.
“I very much look forward to the addition of Becky Hammon to our staff,” Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said.
“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.”
Popovich invited Hammon to attend team practice when she suffered a season-ending knee injury in 2013.
Hammon is a six-time WNBA All High IQ: Becky Hammon. star and has spent the last eight seasons with San Antonio, where she’s become the team’s all-time leader in assists with 1,112 and 3-pointers with 493.
She also ranks second in franchise history with 3,442 points and 218 games played.
When asked in May whether or not women can coach in the men’s game, Popovich said: “I don’t see why not. There shouldn’t be any limitations. It’s about talent and the ability to do things.
“It’s not about what your sex is or your race or anything else.”
