After losing to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, the New York Knicks fired head coach Tom Thibodeau. So, the organization has to hire a new coach. While the Las Vegas Aces are in the middle of their own season, they should wonder whether the Knicks would consider offering the job to Becky Hammon.
Hammon is one of the most successful coaches in the WNBA, winning two championships and the 2022 Coach of the Year award. She also has experience coaching in the NBA after spending several years as an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs.
Hammon was already up for other head coaching jobs in the NBA and could be a viable option for the Knicks if they want to bring in a new face. New York is also where Hammon spent the first few years of her WNBA career.
Becky Hammon could make history with the Knicks
It may sound ridiculous, but in over seventy years of existence, no NBA team ever hired a female head coach. In 2020, Hammon became the first female acting head coach in NBA history when Gregg Popovich was ejected in the second quarter of a game.
Before that, Hammon became the first female head coach of an NBA Summer League team in 2015. Hammon has already made NBA history. Becoming the Knicks’ newest head coach would only add to her resume.
However, being the first and only woman to lead an NBA team would be no easy position to be in. It would require Hammon to leave a league in which she is respected as one of the best coaches ever and come to the NBA, where certain fans and analysts would judge and criticize her every move simply because she is a woman. The question for Hammon is likely whether she feels she has accomplished everything she possibly could in the WNBA and wants to conquer a new league.
The Aces want to win another WNBA championship
With two losses, the Aces are not off to a great start like the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx, but that doesn’t mean Las Vegas isn’t contending for a championship this season. The Aces still have A’ja Wilson, the best player in the league, Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray, and Jewel Loyd.
They also have Becky Hammon, a proven coach who built a winning culture in Las Vegas. The Aces don’t want to lose Hammon while they’re still trying to win a championship and beat other experienced teams and coaches in Minnesota and New York.
Losing Hammon to the Knicks would be a tough blow to the Aces.