Becky Hammon is the first official female to serve as a head coach during  an NBA game after Gregg Popovich was ejected during a game against the Lakers in 2020. She played in the WNBA  for the San Antonio Stars and for the New York Liberty, playing for 15 seasons.

Becky Hammon joined the Spurs staff in 2014 as an assistant coach and that’s been her role over the last six years. She has so much respect in San Antonio that she was honored with a mural in San Antonio. The mural has Hammon above the skyline and above her it says “Never Stop.” She attended Colorado State where she played basketball but was undrafted. She was then signed by the New York Liberty in 1999 where she earned the nickname “Big Shot Becky.”

 Hammon has gained a lot of respect from NBA coaches and players such as the Lakers Head Coach Frank Vogel and NBA star LeBron James. Hammon could be the next head coach of the Spurs if Gregg Popovich retires soon. If that  happens, she will be the first female head coach ever in the NBA. Hammon is one of the eleven female assistant coaches in the NBA. Hammon had an interview for the Milwaukee Bucks in 2018 but didn’t get the job and remained an assistant coach for the Spurs.

Other NBA teams followed the path that the Spurs did and started to hire more females to their staff. In 2017 the Sacramento Kings hired Jenny Boucek as an assistant coach for player development. However she got pregnant a month later and didn’t travel until the baby was six months old. Before she had her child, the Dallas Mavericks hired her as their first official female coach.