The San Antonio Spurs are not only are an incredible franchise when it comes to winning championships, but they also just broke ground on equality hiring for women.
There's a reason the San Antonio Spurs are one of best organizations in the NBA.Tuesday, the team named Becky Hammon an assistant coach, making her the first female paid by an NBA team to be an assistant.
"I very much look forward to the addition of Becky Hammon to our staff," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said in a statement. "Having observed her working with our team this past season, I'm confident her basketball IQ, work ethic and interpersonal skills will be a great benefit to the Spurs."
--Hammon, 37, who plays for the WNBA's San Antonio Stars, will retire after her 16th season. She is a six-time All-Star and two-time first-team All-WNBA, is seventh in points, fourth in assists and sixth in games in WNBA history.
Hammon is not the first woman to serve on an NBA coaching staff but is the league's first woman assistant, however. Lisa Boyer, now associate head women's basketball coach at South Carolina, served on John Lucas' staff in Cleveland in 2001-02. But Boyer did not travel with the team and worked with the Cavs' staff as an offshoot of her job as assistant coach of the WNBA's Cleveland Rockers.
Nancy Lieberman, the Hall of Famer who coached the Texas Legends in the D-League, said Hammon's hiring marked a special day for women.
"A glorious day for the NBA and an awesome day for women," she said. "The NBA has always been a leader in diversity and opportunity.
"I'm so proud of Becky, she's put in the work. The Spurs are not a bells and whistles organization, they didn't do this for PR. They did it because they believe she is the best person for the job. Pop did it because it strengthens his coaching staff."
There are a tremendous amount of women qualified to teach or coach sports, but as usual they never have received their due. Hopefully, this move by Coach Pop will open up the gates to more smart and deserved hirings in the world of Men's sports.
