Because she was tired of failing interviews with NBA leaders for “head coach” positions, Becky Hammon finally agreed to join the Las Vegas Aces 18 months ago, and the former assistant to Gregg Popovich hit hard for his rookie season: the title of Coach Of The Year and the WNBA title! Inducted this year into the Hall Of Fame for her career as a player, Hammon regrets that NBA franchises prefer to hire coaches with no experience, but with a glorious past…
“I don’t even count…” she answers the magazine TIME about one-night stands. “It’s as if my 16 years as a player didn’t count. If I had 16 years in the NBA and my name was Brian, I would have already been hired and then fired a few times. She could have said Jason or Chauncey, rather than Brian…
” Because you wouldn’t follow a woman, you wonder if players will be behind me?”
Now, she no longer makes it a priority. Although she met the Raptors, to replace Nick Nurse, she focuses on her players who are aiming for the double. “My happiness is more important” she continues. “I like being here. I love being back on the women’s side. I don’t need NBA approval. (…) When something has never been done or they don’t know what it looks like, leaders are afraid. People don’t like the difference. I’ve been different all my life. I don’t look like it. I’m telling you, it helps to look like it… If I walk into the room and have the biggest pair of c……, it won’t work. Because it will take someone who is not afraid to make difficult choices. »
Her presence on an NBA bench has always posed problems for some, and she remembers the questions she was asked during interviews, such as this: ” Why would the players be behind you? » “I don’t know if we ask this question to all male coaches, but it seems strange to me”, says Becky Hammon, who also wonders if her sexual orientation is also a problem. “Why am I here if you think the athletes won’t be behind me? Because you wouldn’t follow a woman, you wonder if players will be behind me? In the end, leadership has no gender, and professional athletes remain professional athletes. If they feel you can give them information that will help them gain the advantage, win, no matter if Kermit the Frog tells them, they will listen. »
“Never again will I be begging for a job. If they want me, they know where to find me! »
Quite rightly, she also reminds us that we never ask ourselves the question when a man coaches women… “From now on, you will have to come get me” she warns. “Never again will I be begging for a job. If they want me, they know where to find me! ”
In the end, this WNBA parenthesis does him good. “Quite frankly, I got tired of hanging out with guys all the time,” Hammon concludes. ” All the time. I did some guy stuff. I know the code of men, I like the atmosphere between guys. I’ve spent thousands of hours with men. I like men’s stuff, like hunting, fishing, diving, shooting… But I’ve never been really close to a colleague”.
