Hammond, as reported first by The Athletic, then later CBS Sports and ESPN, has accepted a four-year contract to take over behind the bench of the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces, a franchise she once played for when they were known as the San Antonio Silver Stars. She will also serve as the franchise’s General Manager.
Financial terms of the contract were not disclosed at the time this is going to print, but Hammon will be the highest-paid coach in league history when summer rolls around.
Hammon, 44, was a six-time WNBA All Star and two-time WNBA First Team, along with having her #25 retired from the Silver Stars/Aces franchise, in addition to being in the New York Liberty’s Ring of Honor.
A member of Gregg Popovich’s staff since the 2014-15 season, Hammon was able to coach Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli and Tony Parker near the end of their careers. There is also that thing about working under Popovich, who is just 12 wins away from being the all-time winningest coach in NBA history. Popovich trails Lenny Wilkens by eight and Don Nelson by 11, having reached this point in nearly 400 fewer games.
Nelson had five different head coaching jobs, while Wilkens had seven jobs with six teams, coaching the Seattle Supersonics twice.
The Spurs had no idea Popovich would evolve into a top-three all time coach when they made him a first-timer in 1996.
Speaking of first times, Hammond was a finalist this past summer for the vacancy in Portland after Terry Stotts and the Trail Blazers mutually parted ways after nine seasons. Stotts got Portland to the postseason every year but his rookie campaign, leading the Blazers to the Western Conference Finals in 2019.
While the timing of Hammond getting this opportunity is long overdue, you almost have to ponder what would have come about if she remained on staff under Popovich when the latter’s contract expires after next season.
The Blazers and Spurs are both 13-19 as 2021 closes, while telling two entirely different stories as the season progresses. The Spurs are in the midst of rebuilding, while Portland must be sick and tired of seeing Damian Lillard and/or CJ McCollum showing up in trade rumors multiple times per day.
Hammon yesterday celebrated a historic anniversary, as it was one year to the day she became the first woman to act as head coach in a NBA game. Popovich was ejected during the second quarter of a game against the Los Angeles Lakers. Popovich could have named any of his other assistants, but instead turned the remaining two-and-a-half quarters over to Hammon. The move was not done as a publicity stunt or any type of social justice gesture. Instead, Popovich knew Hammon was up to the task and let her do her thing with the best player in the world (LeBron James) on the opposing bench.
Hammon lost out on the Portland job to Chauncey Billups, who had only one year of assistant coaching experience…last season with the Los Angeles Clippers. Typical of Portland to make a move that makes absolutely no sense, while the obvious answer is sitting across from you in an interview room (or in 2021’s case as Zoom calls).
If Bill Laimbeer could go from an assistant with the Minnesota Timberwolves to a two-time WNBA Coach of the Year and three-time WNBA Champion, imagine what the Aces are about to do with Hammon at the helm. The irony is Hammon is replacing Laimbeer as head coach, who has taken the Aces to the conference finals each of the past three years, including a WNBA Finals appearance in 2020.
-JC24