Becky Hammon inched closer to becoming an NBA head coach Wednesday.
The San Antonio Spurs announced they promoted Hammon to the front of their coaching bench. She replaces former assistant James Borrego, who became the Charlotte Hornets’ head coach in May.
Hammon has been with the Spurs since 2014. Before that, the 41-year-old spent 16 years in the WNBA, including eight seasons with the San Antonio Stars.
Her star has been on the rise quickly since joining the coaching ranks.
Hammon was the Spurs’ Las Vegas Summer League coach in 2015 and 2016, becoming the first woman to serve as a summer league head coach. She led San Antonio to a summer league title in 2015.
The Milwaukee Bucks had Hammon on their radar in 2017 in their search for a general manager before selecting Jon Horst. The Bucks then interviewed her for their head coaching vacancy in May before settling on Mike Budenholzer.
While plenty would argue Hammon is already more than qualified to become an NBA head coach, taking over as San Antonio’s lead assistant will do even more to cement her credentials.
As expected, Becky Hammon will move to the front of the bench with Gregg Popovich's staff next season. Continues to place her on the trajectory of being a future head coach, something many around the league expect to happen someday.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) June 27, 2018
Borrego had a front-of-bench position. So, Hammon will be a front-of-bench assistant coach for all those who were bothered by her getting an interview for a top job as a behind-the-bench coach.
— Jeff Zillgitt (@JeffZillgitt) June 27, 2018
That’s to say nothing of the benefits from continuing to work in close proximity to Gregg Popovich.
Not only is Popovich a coaching legend, but he has also helped steer assistants into NBA head coaching roles, with Budenholzer, Brett Brown and Mike Brown three of the bigger examples.
Borrego left for Charlotte, and Hammon was one of three assistants to receive interviews this offseason alone. Ettore Messina and Ime Udoka interviewed for multiple jobs.
It appears to be only a matter of time before Hammon becomes the NBA’s first female head coach. And it may not be that ridiculous to think she could one day succeed Popovich, who turned 69 in January.