How a potential decision between the WNBA, NBA is a 'win-win' for coach Becky Hammon
CBC
There is no wrong answer for Becky Hammon.
But there could soon be a tough, life-changing decision.
Hammon, the reigning WNBA champion and coach of the year with the Las Vegas Aces, is reportedly in the mix to become the next head coach of the Toronto Raptors. Sportsnet reported on Tuesday that Hammon did not formally interview with the team.
The move would make her the first woman to become the full-time head coach of a major North American men's sports team. But it would also mean leaving the WNBA, a league whose popularity is booming and one in which she spent 16 years as a player.
Asked about NBA possibilities at a press conference last week, Hammon said "it's a lot of chatter at this point" and that she's "not far along in the process with any team."
Kayla Alexander, a two-time Canadian Olympian, spent two years as Hammon's teammate with the San Antonio Stars — the franchise later relocated to Las Vegas — in 2013 and 2014.
The Milton, Ont., native told CBC Sports she has fond memories of playing with Hammon and believes she would make a good NBA coach.
Hammon also spent eight years as an assistant to legendary San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich.
"Regardless of her decision, we're gonna all benefit from it," Alexander said. "Because whether she's lending her skills and her amazing talents to the WNBA and helping to grow our league, or if she's lending it to the NBA and breaking barriers and continue to be the inspiration, it's a win-win for all of us."
At this point, Hammon is used to being passed over. She was an undrafted point guard who turned into a six-time WNBA all-star. Yet in 2008, more than halfway through her career, Hammon, of Rapid City, S.D., didn't so much as receive a tryout invitation to the U.S. women's Olympic basketball team.
She instead competed at those Beijing Olympics for the country where she played overseas as a naturalized Russian citizen, winning bronze.
Most recently, she's been shut out of NBA head coaching jobs despite numerous interviews. And so she told Time Magazine recently that when considering whether to leave the WNBA for the NBA, her happiness is most important.
"I love being here. I love being back on the women's side. I don't need the stamp of approval from the NBA," she said.
More specifically, Hammon appears infatuated with her current situation.
