Las Vegas Aces hire Becky Hammon as new head coach
There's been heavy speculation in recent years over whether San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon would eventually become the first female head coach in NBA history. That idea will be put on the back burner for now, as the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces hired the 44-year-old to be their next head coach.
According to ESPN, the five-year deal will make Hammon the league's highest-paid coach. ESPN also reported that the former six-time All-Star plans to finish the current season with the Spurs.
Hammon has been an assistant for Gregg Popovich since retiring from the WNBA as a player in 2014 and has had a handful of interviews for NBA head-coaching gigs, but she has yet to land an offer. The former guard was a finalist for the Portland Trail Blazers lead position, but the job eventually went to Chauncey Billups.
Hammon played 16 seasons in the WNBA — eight with the New York Liberty and eight with the San Antonio Stars.
According to Shams Charania and Chantel Jennings of The Athletic, current Aces head coach Bill Laimbeer "could potentially" take a front office or advisory role with the team.
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