# Becky Hammon
**Becky Hammon** (Rebecca Lynn Hammon; born 1977) is an American basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the [Las Vegas Aces](https://www.edgepedia.org/las-vegas-aces) of the WNBA, a position she has held since December 31, 2021[1](https://aces.wnba.com/becky_hammon). A 5-foot-6 guard, she played 16 seasons in the WNBA with the [New York Liberty](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-york-liberty) and San Antonio Stars, then became the first full-time female assistant coach in NBA history under [Gregg Popovich](https://www.edgepedia.org/gregg-popovich) with the San Antonio Spurs[1](https://aces.wnba.com/becky_hammon) • [2](https://www.nba.com/news/10-things-know-becky-hammon). As the Aces' coach she has won three WNBA championships (2022, 2023, and 2025) and the 2022 Coach of the Year award[1](https://aces.wnba.com/becky_hammon) • [3](https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/1611661319/2026/01/2025-Final-Aces-Notes.pdf).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1977; guard, 5 ft 6 in; Colorado State '99[1](https://aces.wnba.com/becky_hammon) |
| Playing career | Undrafted in 1999; New York Liberty 1999–2006, San Antonio Stars 2007–14; six-time All-Star[1](https://aces.wnba.com/becky_hammon) |
| Playing records | WNBA career-best free-throw percentage .897 at retirement; 2,740 points at Colorado State, the most in Western Athletic Conference history by a man or woman[2](https://www.nba.com/news/10-things-know-becky-hammon) • [4](https://time.com/6279558/becky-hammon-interview-wnba-aces/) |
| NBA firsts | First full-time female assistant coach in the NBA (Spurs, August 5, 2014); first woman to head-coach an NBA Summer League team (2015 title); first woman acting head coach in NBA history (December 30, 2020)[1](https://aces.wnba.com/becky_hammon) |
| Aces record | Hired December 31, 2021; 2022 Coach of the Year; WNBA titles in 2022, 2023, and 2025; WNBA-record 34 regular-season wins in 2023 (34–6)[1](https://aces.wnba.com/becky_hammon) • [3](https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/1611661319/2026/01/2025-Final-Aces-Notes.pdf) |
| Discipline | Suspended two games without pay in 2023 and the Aces' 2025 first-round pick rescinded after the league's investigation into impermissible benefits involving Dearica Hamby[5](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/cathy-engelbert-says-no-discipline-001810070.html) |
| Honors | Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (August 12, 2023); Women's Basketball Hall of Fame (2022); WNBA Top 25 of All Time[6](https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/1611661319/2025/05/2025-05-30-Aces-v-Sparks-Notes-FINAL.pdf) • [7](https://beckyhammon25.com/career/) |
## Playing career
Hammon grew up outside [Rapid City, South Dakota](https://www.edgepedia.org/rapid-city-south-dakota), shooting on a rim mounted over a concrete slab at the family home in the [Black Hills](https://www.edgepedia.org/black-hills); she described the stakes of missing plainly: "if you missed, the ball rolled for 30 yards"[2](https://www.nba.com/news/10-things-know-becky-hammon). At Stevens High School she set career records for points, assists, and steals, but college recruiters largely ignored her; one assistant's evaluation dismissed her as an "average white girl"[4](https://time.com/6279558/becky-hammon-interview-wnba-aces/). Colorado State took a chance, and in 1996 she was the highest-scoring freshman in the nation at 19.2 points per game. She finished with 2,740 career points, still the most in [Western Athletic Conference](https://www.edgepedia.org/western-athletic-conference) history, and was named first-team All-American in 1999[4](https://time.com/6279558/becky-hammon-interview-wnba-aces/).
**WNBA.** Despite that record, no team drafted her in 1999. She made the New York Liberty's roster in training camp and played eight seasons there (1999–2006) before a 2007 trade to [San Antonio](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-antonio), where she played eight more seasons through 2014[1](https://aces.wnba.com/becky_hammon). She was a six-time All-Star, twice named All-WNBA First Team, and led the league in assists per game in 2007 (5.0)[1](https://aces.wnba.com/becky_hammon). In her first San Antonio season she averaged a career-high 18.8 points per game and earned the nickname "Big Shot Becky"[8](https://www.nba.com/news/becky-hammon-hall-of-fame-profile-2023). She retired with the WNBA's best career free-throw percentage, .897[2](https://www.nba.com/news/10-things-know-becky-hammon), and her teams reached the [WNBA Finals](https://www.edgepedia.org/wnba-finals) in 1999, 2000, 2002, and 2008[1](https://aces.wnba.com/becky_hammon). She was named to the league's 15th, 20th, and 25th anniversary teams[1](https://aces.wnba.com/becky_hammon).
**Russia.** After receiving no invitation to try out for the 2008 United States Olympic team, Hammon became a Russian citizen and played for Russia internationally, a controversial decision that drew public criticism from then-US coach [Anne Donovan](https://www.edgepedia.org/anne-donovan)[2](https://www.nba.com/news/10-things-know-becky-hammon). She won a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, averaging a team-high 13.0 points per game, and finished fourth at the 2012 Olympics[1](https://aces.wnba.com/becky_hammon).
## San Antonio Spurs (2014–22)
A torn ACL in 2013 ended Hammon's season and opened her coaching path: she spent her rehabilitation sitting in on Spurs practices and film sessions, and Popovich said that period convinced him to hire her if he could[8](https://www.nba.com/news/becky-hammon-hall-of-fame-profile-2023) • [2](https://www.nba.com/news/10-things-know-becky-hammon). On August 5, 2014, the Spurs made her the first full-time female assistant coach in NBA history[1](https://aces.wnba.com/becky_hammon). The milestones that followed came quickly: in 2015 she became the first woman to serve as head coach of an [NBA Summer League](https://www.edgepedia.org/nba-summer-league) team and led the Spurs to the Las Vegas title; in 2016 she was the first woman on an NBA All-Star coaching staff; and on December 30, 2020, after Popovich's ejection against the [Los Angeles Lakers](https://www.edgepedia.org/los-angeles-lakers), she became the first woman acting head coach in the league's history[1](https://aces.wnba.com/becky_hammon).
She also interviewed for NBA head-coaching jobs, including the [Milwaukee Bucks](https://www.edgepedia.org/milwaukee-bucks)' vacancy in 2018, the first woman to interview for a top NBA bench job, but was never hired[9](https://www.axios.com/2018/05/05/first-woman-interviewing-for-head-coach-nba). Over her eight seasons on the bench, the Spurs went 377–258[1](https://aces.wnba.com/becky_hammon).
## Las Vegas Aces (2022–present)
Aces owner Mark Davis offered Hammon the WNBA's first $1 million-a-year coaching contract to leave the Spurs' bench, and the team announced her hiring on December 31, 2021[10](https://cdn4.creativecirclemedia.com/nmcsd/files/20240709-091650-80c-Register%20070924.pdf) • [6](https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/1611661319/2025/05/2025-05-30-Aces-v-Sparks-Notes-FINAL.pdf). In her first season she won the 2022 WNBA Coach of the Year award and the championship, becoming the first rookie head coach in WNBA history to win a title[1](https://aces.wnba.com/becky_hammon) • [11](https://apnews.com/article/469d0534d4f93041b7623b1a8a77f3fd). The Aces repeated in 2023 behind a WNBA-record 34 regular-season victories (34–6)[3](https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/1611661319/2026/01/2025-Final-Aces-Notes.pdf), and that year's Finals against Sandy Brondello's New York Liberty was the first in league history between two head coaches who had been WNBA players[12](https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/38568047/wnba-finals-2023-becky-hammon-sandy-brondello-coach-players). After a semifinal exit in 2024, Las Vegas won its third championship in four seasons in 2025, going 30–14 and finishing second in the regular season[3](https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/1611661319/2026/01/2025-Final-Aces-Notes.pdf).
Her coaching approach emphasizes player empowerment and trust with her core of A'ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, and Jackie Young[13](https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/34600503/las-vegas-aces-becky-hammon-silences-doubters-becomes-first-rookie-coach-win-wnba-title) • [14](https://www.nbcsports.com/wnba/news/becky-hammon-cements-her-legacy-as-one-of-the-wnbas-greatest-coaches-with-another-aces-title/).
**Discipline.** In 2023 the WNBA suspended Hammon for two games without pay and rescinded the Aces' 2025 first-round draft pick after investigating Dearica Hamby's allegations that the team had pressured her over her pregnancy and revoked promised benefits; Hamby later filed a lawsuit against the Aces and the league[5](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/cathy-engelbert-says-no-discipline-001810070.html) • [15](https://as.com/us/masdeporte/dearica-hamby-presenta-demanda-contra-las-vegas-aces-y-wnba-n/). In 2025, Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said a separate salary-cap investigation into the team, opened after the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority offered each Aces player $100,000 a year for two years, ended with insufficient evidence for discipline[5](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/cathy-engelbert-says-no-discipline-001810070.html).
## Legacy and recognition
Hammon was inducted into the [Women's Basketball Hall of Fame](https://www.edgepedia.org/womens-basketball-hall-of-fame) in 2022 and the [Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame](https://www.edgepedia.org/naismith-memorial-basketball-hall-of-fame) on August 12, 2023, with Popovich, a fellow inductee, in attendance[6](https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/1611661319/2025/05/2025-05-30-Aces-v-Sparks-Notes-FINAL.pdf) • [10](https://cdn4.creativecirclemedia.com/nmcsd/files/20240709-091650-80c-Register%20070924.pdf). Her No. 25 jersey was retired by both of her WNBA franchises, San Antonio in 2016 and Las Vegas in 2021[1](https://aces.wnba.com/becky_hammon). When Popovich retired in 2025 as the NBA's all-time wins leader, his hiring of Hammon was cited among the gender barriers broken during his tenure[16](https://apnews.com/article/d721a3d62bcdbb3946f0c3a23b1f096d). She has declined to discuss where she ranks among WNBA coaches, saying there is plenty of work left to be done[14](https://www.nbcsports.com/wnba/news/becky-hammon-cements-her-legacy-as-one-of-the-wnbas-greatest-coaches-with-another-aces-title/).
## References
1. [Becky Hammon (San Antonio, 2007–14), Las Vegas Aces](https://aces.wnba.com/becky_hammon)
2. [Becky Hammon: 10 things to know, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/news/10-things-know-becky-hammon)
3. [Head Coach Becky Hammon, 2025 Las Vegas Aces game notes](https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/1611661319/2026/01/2025-Final-Aces-Notes.pdf)
4. ['I'm Not Going to Beg for a Job Anymore.' Becky Hammon Isn't Waiting for the NBA to Call, TIME](https://time.com/6279558/becky-hammon-interview-wnba-aces/)
5. [Cathy Engelbert Says No Discipline for Aces as Salary Cap Investigation Ends, Yahoo Sports](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/cathy-engelbert-says-no-discipline-001810070.html)
6. [Head Coach Becky Hammon, 2025 Aces game notes](https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/1611661319/2025/05/2025-05-30-Aces-v-Sparks-Notes-FINAL.pdf)
7. [Career Highlights, The Official Website of Becky Hammon](https://beckyhammon25.com/career/)
8. [Becky Hammon's persistence as player paves her path to Hall of Fame, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/news/becky-hammon-hall-of-fame-profile-2023)
9. [Spurs assistant coach first woman to interview for NBA head coaching job, Axios](https://www.axios.com/2018/05/05/first-woman-interviewing-for-head-coach-nba)
10. [Becky Hammon's 'underdog' mentality has helped Aces get back on track, Brookings Register](https://cdn4.creativecirclemedia.com/nmcsd/files/20240709-091650-80c-Register%20070924.pdf)
11. [Harris praises 2022 WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/469d0534d4f93041b7623b1a8a77f3fd)
12. [WNBA coaches Hammon, Brondello to make history in Finals, ESPN](https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/38568047/wnba-finals-2023-becky-hammon-sandy-brondello-coach-players)
13. [Las Vegas Aces' Becky Hammon silences doubters, becomes first rookie coach to win WNBA title, ESPN](https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/34600503/las-vegas-aces-becky-hammon-silences-doubters-becomes-first-rookie-coach-win-wnba-title)
14. [Becky Hammon cements her legacy as one of the WNBA's greatest coaches with another Aces title, NBC Sports](https://www.nbcsports.com/wnba/news/becky-hammon-cements-her-legacy-as-one-of-the-wnbas-greatest-coaches-with-another-aces-title/)
15. [Dearica Hamby presenta demanda contra Las Vegas Aces y WNBA, AS](https://as.com/us/masdeporte/dearica-hamby-presenta-demanda-contra-las-vegas-aces-y-wnba-n/)
16. [Gregg Popovich retires after 29 seasons as San Antonio Spurs coach, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/d721a3d62bcdbb3946f0c3a23b1f096d)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Basketball and court team sports › Basketball players and coaches (biographies) › WNBA players*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license