66-419: Hammon can refer to: People [ edit ] Becky Hammon (born 1977), American basketball player and coach Jupiter Hammon , American poet Stratton Hammon , American architect Thomas Hammon , English MP Places [ edit ] Hammon, Oklahoma Umm al-Amad, Lebanon (ancient Hammon) Mythology [ edit ] Baʿal Hammon ,
132-664: A "Notice of the Right to Sue" on May 23 2024. On August 12 2024 Dearica Hamby filed a federal lawsuit in U.S. District Court against the WNBA and the Las Vegas Aces . In the lawsuit, Hamby alleges that Hammon questioned her commitment and dedication to the Aces; asked if Hamby's pregnancy was planned; and told Hamby that she was a "question mark" on the team as the Aces "needed bodies" and she would not be ready to play in time for
198-448: A "health issue", necessitating a leave of absence. Two days later, it was announced that he would need to take an indefinite break from work, with assistant Mitch Johnson stepping in as interim head coach. The Spurs later revealed on November 13 that Popovich had suffered a mild stroke . Popovich served on the coaching staff for the U.S. men's national team during the 2002 FIBA World Championship (assisting George Karl ), during
264-587: A game against the Los Angeles Sparks . During her year-long rehabilitation, Hammon attended the NBA's San Antonio Spurs ' practices, coaches' meetings, and games, where she was frequently invited to contribute opinions. On August 5, 2014, Hammon was hired as an assistant coach for the Spurs , becoming the first Russian NBA coach in NBA history, as well as the second female coach, after Lisa Boyer worked as
330-705: A great benefit to the Spurs." Hammon has also earned the respect of many NBA players throughout the league. One of basketball's most prolific scorers, Pau Gasol wrote an open letter about female coaches with an emphasis on Hammon; he said, "I've played with some of the best players of this generation … and I've played under two of the sharpest minds in the history of sports, in Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich. And I'm telling you: Becky Hammon can coach. I'm not saying she can coach pretty well. I'm not saying she can coach enough to get by. I'm not saying she can coach almost at
396-480: A nationally televised game against the Miami Heat . Popovich frequently sat out his starters on road trips over the years to ensure they have enough rest for the playoffs; the Spurs' roster was among the oldest in the league. NBA commissioner David Stern was outraged by this and said on the night of the game that it was "unacceptable", and "substantial sanctions [would] be forthcoming". On November 30, Stern fined
462-553: A player and coach. Hammon was named to the team representing the United States at the 1998 William Jones Cup competition in Taipei , Taiwan . The U.S. team, coached by Nell Fortner , won all five games, earning the gold medal for the competition. Hammon scored 18 points over the five games. In 2008, after learning that she would not be invited to try out for the U.S. national team , Hammon announced she would try to claim
528-568: A review of documents including texts and emails, and further resulted in the Aces losing their first round 2025 draft pick. In September 2023, Hamby filed a discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) after criticizing the WNBA's investigation for failing to speak with other Aces players and for not dispensing adequate punishment to Hammon or the team. The EEOC granted Hamby
594-695: A roster slot on the Russian national team in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing . Hammon became a Russian citizen in 2008, a decision that was controversial at the time in American Basketball. The coach of Russia's team, Igor Grudin, was also the sports director of the CSKA team that Hammon played for in Moscow during the WNBA off-season. Hammon also signed a three-year extension with CSKA Moscow at around
660-530: A volunteer assistant with the Cleveland Cavaliers and John Lucas in 2001. Hammon's contribution to the staff made an impression on head coach Gregg Popovich . In a media statement released at the time of the hiring announcement, Popovich stated: "I very much look forward to the addition of Becky Hammon to our staff. Having observed her working with our team this past season, I'm confident her basketball IQ, work ethic, and interpersonal skills will be
726-787: Is a Russian-American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Las Vegas Aces of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She previously served as an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A three-time All-American basketball player for the Colorado State Rams , Hammon went on to play for the San Antonio Stars and New York Liberty of
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#1732773331698792-424: Is currently ongoing. Gregg Popovich Gregg Charles Popovich (born January 28, 1949) is an American professional basketball coach and executive who is the president and head coach for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Popovich has been a member of the Spurs organization since 1994, as president of basketball operations and general manager before taking over as coach of
858-744: Is the first woman to be a head coach in the Summer League. On December 30, 2020, Hammon became the first female acting head coach in NBA history after Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich was ejected during a game against the Los Angeles Lakers . A year later in December 2021, she was hired by the Las Vegas Aces to be their head coach. Hammon previously played for the Aces from 2007 to 2014 when the team played in San Antonio and
924-596: The 2015 NBA Africa exhibition game . In the 2015–16 season, Popovich led the Spurs to a franchise-high 67 wins, but he and the team lost in the conference semifinals against the Oklahoma City Thunder in six games. On February 4, 2017, Popovich recorded his 1,128th regular season win with one franchise, surpassing Sloan. On April 13, 2019, Popovich surpassed Lenny Wilkens and became the all-time winningest coach in NBA history with his 1,413th win (regular season and playoffs combined). Popovich supported
990-729: The 2017 Women's March . He also repeatedly criticized the behavior of former U.S. President Donald Trump . Popovich endorsed Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election . Popovich has spent considerable time and money working with several charities and nonprofits such as the San Antonio Food Bank and the Innocence Project. He also took part in Shoes That Fit, an organization that aims to deliver shoes to more than 200 students at Gates Elementary School affected by Hurricanes Irma and Maria . Popovich
1056-581: The Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award from the Women's Basketball Coaches Association as the best senior player under 5 ft 8 in (1.7 m) in 1999. On November 12, 2004, Hammon was inducted into the Colorado State University Sports Hall of Fame. On January 22, 2005, her number 25 Colorado State jersey was retired at Moby Arena . Undrafted during her rookie season, Hammon was signed to
1122-646: The Russian national team in the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics was controversial in American basketball. In some circles she was branded an American traitor, with then-U.S. national coach Anne Donovan questioning her patriotism. "If you play in this country, live in this country, and you grow up in the heartland and you put on a Russian uniform, you are not a patriotic person in my mind," Donovan said. Hammon responded to Donovan's criticism saying, "You don't know me. You don't know what that flag means to me. You don't know how I grew up. The biggest honor in our classroom
1188-760: The San Antonio Spurs . During his time as an assistant coach at the Academy, Popovich earned a master's degree in physical education and sports sciences from the University of Denver . In 1979, Popovich was named the head coach of the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens , the joint men's basketball team of Pomona College and Pitzer College in Claremont, California . Popovich coached the Pomona-Pitzer men's basketball team from 1979 to 1988, leading
1254-757: The Soviet Union with the U.S. Armed Forces Basketball Team. In 1972, he was selected as captain of the Armed Forces Team, which won the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) championship. This earned the 6-foot-2-inch (1.88 m) guard an invitation to the 1972 U.S. Olympic Basketball Team trials. In 1973, Popovich returned to the Air Force Academy as an assistant coach under the school's head basketball coach Hank Egan . Egan later became an assistant coach under Popovich for
1320-531: The WNBA on May 12, 1999, and joined the New York Liberty . She had a solid rookie season statistically, backing up starting point guard Teresa Weatherspoon . Her aggressive play at both ends of the court made her a favorite among Liberty fans. After the 2003 season, Hammon took over for Weatherspoon as the Liberty's starting point guard and, with Vickie Johnson and Crystal Robinson , became one of
1386-438: The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and for several other teams outside the United States. Hammon was born and raised in the United States, but she became a naturalized Russian citizen in 2008 and represented the Russian national team in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics . Hammon was hired by the San Antonio Spurs as an assistant coach in 2014. Hammon served as the team's Summer League head coach in 2015; she
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#17327733316981452-673: The 1998–99 season and helped them advance to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet Sixteen . She was named the WAC Mountain Division player of the year for the 1998–99 season and surpassed University of Utah player Keith Van Horn as the WAC's all-time leading scorer. [1] Hammon set many Colorado State all-time records, including points (2740), points per game (21.92), field goals made (918), free throws made (539), three-point field goals made (365) and assists (538). She received
1518-609: The 2003 FIBA America Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournament, and during the Athens 2004 Olympic Games (assisting Larry Brown ), where the U.S. team won the bronze medal. On October 23, 2015, Popovich was named the head coach of the U.S. men's national team, taking over from Mike Krzyzewski after the Rio 2016 Olympic Games . At the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup , the U.S. national team finished in seventh place, its worst finish ever in international competition. With Popovich serving as
1584-497: The Liberty. Primarily used to provide instant points off the bench, Hammon had a breakout WNBA season in 2003, providing much-needed offense for the Liberty. However, her season was cut short by a knee injury. On August 16, 2005, Hammon scored her 2,000th WNBA career point. At the end of the 2005 season, she was named to the All-WNBA Second Team. In January 2007, she played her WNBA "off season" with Rivas Futura in
1650-547: The Los Angeles Sparks. The Silver Stars advanced to the 2008 WNBA Finals , where they were defeated by the Detroit Shock 3–0. Hammon averaged a career-high 19.5 ppg and 5.0 apg in the 2009 WNBA season. The Silver Stars had a record of 15–19 and lost to the eventual champion Phoenix Mercury in the first round. Hammon was an All-Star as well as a first-team All-WNBA selection. On August 31, 2011, Hammon became
1716-735: The NBA Coach of the Year for the third time. He also won his fifth NBA championship with San Antonio that season, beating the Heat 4–1 in the Finals. On February 9, 2015, Popovich became the ninth coach in NBA history to win 1,000 games when the Spurs defeated the Indiana Pacers 95–93. He and Jerry Sloan are the only two coaches in NBA history to win 1,000 games with one franchise. On August 1, 2015, Popovich served as Team Africa's head coach at
1782-485: The Olympic stage, and it was not a purely financial decision. However, by obtaining Russian citizenship , her salary with CSKA tripled, and she was eligible to make $ 250,000 for winning a gold medal for Russia from the government. She would have received a $ 150,000 bonus for winning a silver medal. Since then, Anne Donovan changed her position, stating "I don't know that I have any strong thoughts on [Becky Hammon joining
1848-521: The Russian national team] anymore. Even at the time. I've known marathon runners in particular that I've watched over the years have represented other countries. I've watched other athletes do it." She also said: The thing that took me off guard with Becky was that it hasn't happened in women's basketball before. And again, the facts around that: that we didn't ask her to participate, that we didn't ask her to try out for our team, that's really what I had
1914-684: The Silver Stars to a WNBA best record 24–10 and led them into the playoffs for a second straight year. In the conference semi-finals, Hammon scored 30 points in a Game 1 win against the Sacramento Monarchs. San Antonio would eventually win the series and advance to the Western Conference Finals. Following a loss in Game 1 and a win in Game 2, Hammon's 35 points propelled the Silver Stars to a victory in Game 3 against
1980-585: The Spanish League. On April 4, 2007, Hammon was traded to the WNBA's San Antonio Silver Stars . Hammon posted career high averages of 18.8 ppg (fourth best) and 5.0 apg in 2007. She led the league in assists that year. While in San Antonio, Hammon earned the nickname "Big Shot Becky" because of her ability to make shots in important moments. Her nickname was derived from "Big Shot Bob", a nickname given to San Antonio Spurs forward Robert Horry . In 2008, Hammon averaged 17.6 ppg, and 4.9 apg as she led
2046-401: The Spurs $ 250,000 for what he called "a disservice to the league and the fans". According to Stern, Popovich had not informed the Heat, the league or the media in a suitable time frame that the four players were not making the trip to Miami. Stern's decision was criticized by commentator Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports , who said, "Stern doesn't care about the realities of his league, just
Hammon - Misplaced Pages Continue
2112-445: The Spurs had a 3–15 start in the 1996–97 season, with David Robinson sidelined with a preseason back injury, Popovich fired coach Bob Hill on December 10, 1996, and named himself head coach. Robinson then broke his foot after only six games and was lost for the season. Sean Elliott was also limited to 39 games due to injury, and Chuck Person missed the entire season. With a reduced roster that included an aging Dominique Wilkins ,
2178-418: The Spurs in 1996. Popovich is the longest tenured active coach in the NBA as well as all other major sports leagues in the United States . Nicknamed " Coach Pop ", Popovich has the most wins of any coach in NBA history, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest coaches in NBA history . Popovich led the Spurs to a winning record in his first 22 full seasons as head coach, surpassing Phil Jackson for
2244-535: The Spurs struggled and won only 17 games for the remainder of the season for an overall record of 20–62. The Spurs' disastrous season allowed them the first overall pick in the 1997 NBA draft , which they used to draft Tim Duncan out of Wake Forest University . The Spurs blossomed as the 6'11" Duncan teamed up with the 7'1" Robinson in a "Twin Tower" offense and defense for several years. After recovering to win 56 games in 1997–1998 (Popovich's first full year as coach),
2310-470: The Spurs won their first NBA title in 1999 . In 2002, Popovich relinquished his position as general manager to R. C. Buford , who had served as the team's head scout. Popovich and Buford were both given their starts in the NBA in 1988 as assistants on Brown's coaching staff with the Spurs. Popovich has won five championships with the Spurs— 1999 , 2003 , 2005 , 2007 and 2014 . He was named NBA Coach of
2376-532: The Spurs. In 1994, Popovich returned to San Antonio as the general manager and vice president of basketball operations after Peter Holt purchased the team. Popovich's first move was to sign Avery Johnson as the team's starting point guard . Another one of Popovich's early moves in San Antonio was to trade Dennis Rodman to the Chicago Bulls for Will Perdue . Rodman was not fond of Popovich, as Rodman said in his first book, Bad As I Wanna Be . After
2442-620: The WNBA or the NBA for now 25 years. I've never had an HR complaint. Never, not once. I still didn't, actually, because Dearica didn't file any. She didn't file with the players' union, she didn't file with the WNBA. Those are facts. It's also factual that nobody made a call about trading her until Atlanta called us in January [2023]. That's a fact. So...it just didn't happen. I'm sorry, the bullying? I spoke with her every day. If she wanted to practice, she practiced. If she didn't, she didn't. Over-the-top care, actually. Over-the-top care." The lawsuit
2508-543: The Year in 2003, 2012, and 2014. On April 4, 2008, Popovich returned to the U.S. Air Force Academy to receive the academy's award of Distinguished Graduate. Despite his four NBA titles at the time, Popovich said it was the most meaningful award he had ever received. On May 2, 2012, Popovich won his second Coach of the Year Award for the 2011–12 NBA season . On November 29, 2012, Popovich sat out starters Tim Duncan, Tony Parker , Manu Ginóbili , and Danny Green for
2574-673: The academy's Air Force Falcons men's basketball team, and in his senior year was the team's captain and leading scorer. He graduated from the Academy in 1970 with a bachelor's degree in Soviet studies . Popovich underwent Air Force intelligence training and briefly considered a career with the Central Intelligence Agency . Popovich served five years of required active duty in the United States Air Force , during which he toured Eastern Europe and
2640-456: The accolades, she drew little attention from college basketball recruiters, who considered her too small and too slow. She eventually grabbed the attention of a Colorado State assistant coach, and she committed to the Rams. Hammon's prolific scoring for the Colorado State Rams made her an All-American three times, as well as Colorado Sportswoman of the Year. She led her team to a 33–3 record in
2706-483: The appearances. To him, the appearance on Thursday night was that Popovich had tried to embarrass him on national television and that's why the commissioner tossed that tantrum." Popovich led the Spurs to the 2013 NBA Finals to face the Miami Heat . The series lasted seven games, but the Spurs had their first-ever Finals loss. On April 22, 2014, Popovich was awarded the Red Auerbach Trophy as he won
Hammon - Misplaced Pages Continue
2772-488: The beginning of nearly every game around the league over the rest of that day and the following days, with other teams also deciding to take an 8-second backcourt violation, commemorating Bryant's jersey number 8, which he wore from 1996 to 2006. On March 27, 2021, after leading his team to a 120–104 victory against the Chicago Bulls, Popovich won his 1,300th regular season game and became the third NBA coach to reach
2838-521: The chief god of Carthage Hammon, an alternative spelling of the Egyptian god Amun Zeus Hammon and Jupiter Hammon, alternative spellings of Zeus Amun and Jupiter Amun See also [ edit ] Hamon (disambiguation) Hammond (disambiguation) Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Hammon . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
2904-643: The comments from NBA commissioner Adam Silver surrounding the controversy with the NBA and China. On January 26, 2020, the Spurs hosted the Toronto Raptors just hours after a California helicopter crash claimed the lives of nine people, including NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his 13–year-old daughter Gianna, and Popovich proposed that both teams take an intentional 24-second shot clock violation on each of their first possessions to pay homage to Bryant's jersey number 24, which he donned from 2006 to 2016. This violation tribute would subsequently be executed at
2970-527: The first Russian coach in WNBA history. In her first year as head coach, Hammon's Aces won the 2022 WNBA Finals and she became the first rookie head coach to win the WNBA title. The following season, the Las Vegas Aces repeated as 2023 WNBA champions, with Hammon becoming the first coach to win back-to-back WNBA titles in 20 years. On August 12, 2023, Hammon was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame for her contributions as
3036-489: The first female NBA head coach to win a Summer League title. At the 2016 NBA All-Star Game , Hammon became the first woman to be part of an All-Star coaching staff. On June 2, 2017, Hammon was interviewed for the position of general manager of the Milwaukee Bucks ; she was not considered as a finalist for the position. During her seventh season with the San Antonio Spurs , on December 30, 2020, Gregg Popovich
3102-644: The head coach for the U.S. men's national team, he led the team to a gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, going 5–1 and defeating France 87–82 in the final. Popovich was married to Erin Popovich for 42 years until her death on April 18, 2018; the couple had two children. He is a serious wine collector, and an investor in Oregon's A to Z Wineworks. On multiple occasions, Popovich has spoken out on behalf of social justice issues, including in support of
3168-670: The head coach of the U.S. national team at the 2020 Summer Olympics , leading the team to a gold medal. In 2023, Popovich was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame . Popovich was born on January 28, 1949, in East Chicago, Indiana , to a Serbian father and Croatian mother. He graduated from Merrillville High School in 1966. Popovich attended the United States Air Force Academy . He played on
3234-555: The league's 'respect in the workplace' policies in her treatment of former Aces player Dearica Hamby . This suspension was the result of a multi-month investigation into Hamby's allegations of discrimination and mistreatment at the hands of Hammon and the Aces after informing them of her pregnancy in August 2022, a pregnancy she alleges is also what led to the team trading her to Los Angeles Sparks in January 2023. The WNBA's investigation included interviews with 33 people, in addition to
3300-601: The level of the NBA's coaches. I'm saying: Becky Hammon can coach NBA basketball. Period." Hammon has been inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame and has been selected as ESPNW's Woman of the Year. On July 3, 2015, Hammon became the first female head coach in the NBA's Summer League when the Spurs announced she would coach their summer league team. Hammon led the Spurs to the Las Vegas Summer League title on July 20, 2015, becoming
3366-507: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hammon&oldid=1193423883 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Disambiguation pages with surname-holder lists Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Becky Hammon As head coach: Rebecca Lynn Hammon (Russian: Ребекка Линн Хэммон; born March 11, 1977)
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#17327733316983432-422: The milestone. On March 11, 2022, Popovich surpassed Don Nelson for most regular season wins of all time, notching his 1,336th regular season victory with the Spurs. Popovich needed 370 fewer games than Nelson to achieve this record. On July 8, 2023, Popovich signed a five-year contract extension, keeping him with the franchise through the 2027–28 season. On November 2, 2024, Popovich reportedly experienced
3498-400: The most consecutive winning seasons in NBA history. During his tenure, the Spurs have had a winning record against every other NBA team, being a key figure of the sustained success of the Spurs throughout the 1990s, the 2000s, and most of the 2010s. Popovich has led the Spurs to all five of their NBA titles, and is one of only five coaches in NBA history to have won five titles. He was also
3564-466: The most issue with. Becky made a great business decision and this was a great opportunity for her to get to the Olympic Games. I hold no grudge and more power to her. But the facts around it when it first came out were not accurate. Becky came, had a great experience; I'm glad we're going to the gold medal game. In May 2023, Becky Hammon received a two-game suspension from the WNBA for violating
3630-627: The most significant contributions to the Liberty's tradition of excellence and to the growth of the WNBA." Previous inductees include Vickie Johnson , Teresa Weatherspoon , Rebecca Lobo , Sue Wicks , and Kym Hampton . On June 25, 2016, the San Antonio Stars retired Hammon's No. 25 jersey prior to the Atlanta Dream game. Hammon had long expressed aspirations of becoming a coach after her playing career ended. On July 13, 2013, Hammon tore her left anterior cruciate ligament in
3696-609: The next season. Following the 1987–88 season, Popovich joined Brown as the lead assistant coach for the Spurs. From 1988 to 1992, Popovich was Brown's top assistant, until the entire staff, including R. C. Buford , Alvin Gentry and Ed Manning , were fired by owner Red McCombs . Popovich moved to the Golden State Warriors for a brief stint in 1992, serving as an assistant under future Hall of Famer Don Nelson and bringing with him Avery Johnson , who had been cut by
3762-631: The release of Griner. Hammon was shown in Marie Claire magazine's "The 8 Greatest Moments for Women in Sports". Hammon has been in a relationship with Brenda Milano since 2015. They have two sons. Hammon is also a noted poker player in the WNBA off-season. In December 2023 she attended the inaugural World Series of Poker Paradise event, where her first tournament was the $ 5 million guaranteed $ 1,650 Mystery Millions. Hammon's decision to gain naturalized Russian citizenship in order to play for
3828-556: The same time she was named as a prospect for the national team. Hammon shot 1-for-6 from the field in a 67–52 loss to the United States in the 2008 Olympic semifinals, but helped the Russian team to win the bronze medal by scoring 22 points against China. She played for Russia at EuroBasket 2009 , the 2010 World Championship and the 2012 Olympics . In response to the detainment of Brittney Griner in Russia due to alleged drug possession in 2022, Hammon joined other athletes to call for
3894-431: The seventh player in WNBA history to score 5,000 points. Later in the year, Hammon scored 37 points in a playoff-clinching win against the Los Angeles Sparks. Hammon retired from the WNBA in 2014. She is a six-time WNBA All-Star. On August 2, 2015, Hammon was inducted into the Ring of Honor during halftime of the game between the New York Liberty and the Seattle Storm . The Ring of Honor recognizes players who have "made
3960-405: The start of the 2024 season. It further alleges Hammon told Hamby that she did not "hold up her end of the bargain," implying that Hamby had implicitly agreed not to get pregnant when she signed her two-year contract extension. Becky Hammon has strongly denied the allegations, stating in a post-game press conference after the federal lawsuit was filed: "Here's some facts: I've been in either
4026-423: The team to its first outright title in 68 years. During his time as head coach at Pomona-Pitzer, Popovich became a disciple and later a close friend of head coach Larry Brown at the University of Kansas . Popovich took off the 1985–86 season at Pomona-Pitzer to become a volunteer assistant at Kansas, where he could study directly under Brown. Popovich returned to Pomona-Pitzer and resumed his duties as head coach
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#17327733316984092-417: The team's co-captains in 2004. In 2003, her first season with the Tennessee Fury of the National Women's Basketball League (NWBL), Hammon led the league in scoring, averaging 20.6 points per game. In 2004, Hammon signed with the Colorado Chill, a new team in the NWBL, but played in only two games because of an anterior cruciate ligament injury in her right knee sustained in the 2003 season when playing for
4158-436: Was ejected in the second quarter of the Spurs' 121–107 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers , and Hammon became the first female acting head coach in NBA history. In 2021, Hammon was the first woman to be a finalist for an NBA head coaching position when she interviewed with the Portland Trail Blazers . The job went to Chauncey Billups . Hammon was hired as the head coach for the Las Vegas Aces on December 31, 2021, becoming
4224-446: Was known as the Stars, and has her number retired by the organization. On August 12, 2023, Hammon was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame , becoming the first Russian in the basketball hall of fame. Hammon was born in Rapid City, South Dakota . Hammon learned to dribble a basketball at a very young age, playing Nerf ball with her older brother and father, and continued to hone her skills on her home court. She
4290-416: Was raised as a devout Christian. Hammon played basketball at Stevens High School in her hometown of Rapid City, South Dakota . As a junior, she was named South Dakota Miss Basketball. As a senior, she was voted the South Dakota Player of the Year after averaging 26 points, 4 rebounds and 5 steals per game. She graduated in 1995, and also was voted female class athlete by her graduating class. Despite
4356-403: Was who could put up the (American) flag, roll it up right, not let the corners touch the ground. Obviously we definitely define patriotism differently." She has also stated. "I love my country. I love our national anthem. It absolutely gives me chills sometimes. I feel honored to be an American, to be from America because of what we stand for." Hammon said she played for Russia primarily to play on
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