Hammon has ‘heavy heart’ after Popovich retirement

Becky Hammon has a “heavy heart” for Gregg Popovich following his departure from his role as the coach for the San Antonio Spurs.

The Spurs announced recently Popovich’s retirement as head coach after nearly 30 years at the helm, to become the team’s president of basketball operations.

Popovich suffered a stroke in early November and elected not to return to the sidelines. Mitch Johnson temporarily be the interim coach for the remainder of this NBA season.

Las Vegas Aces coach Hammon served under Popovich as an assistant coach from 2014 to 2021.

“[Gregg is the man] who mentored me, that’s who spent literally thousands of hours with me,” she said.

“I was there [nearly] eight years; it’s a lot of games, it’s a lot of practices, it’s a lot of coaches’ meetings. My heart’s a little heavy for him because I know how much he loves it, but I’m sure he’ll crush this role just as much.

“He’s a huge reason why I have this job,” Hammon said.

“There are different kinds of leaders, and I think what was always so amazing about Pop was just how he led. People have different leadership styles. But I thought he always got the absolute most out of his roster, whatever his roster looked like.”