WNBA legend Becky Hammon retired in 2014 and embarked on an NBA coaching career. She was fortunate to land an assistant coaching job for the San Antonio Spurs and work for the legendary Gregg Popovich.
Needless to say, Hammon learned a lot from Popovich during her eight-year career as a Spurs assistant coach. However, Becky revealed that when Pop finally allowed her to join his inner circle, she truly grasped the coach's spontaneity and cleverness.
"I think you get to know him more as a person, which I think helps you understand more of what he's doing, what buttons he's pushing, the way he thinks, the way he approaches things. Anytime you get to know the person behind what they do as an occupation I think is always an advantage. So, if he lets you into that space, that's a very private space because as we all know, he's a very private person. But there's a lot going on ... in that head of his," Hammon told ESPN in 2016.
Pop loves dinners, lots of dinners
Apart from contributing to the team, Hammon also took the opportunity to soak up valuable lessons from Popovich at the same time. According to the former San Antonio Stars guard, Pop values relationships and team bonding on and off the court. Hammon divulged that one way he fosters this connection is through group dinners.
Through those dinners, Becky said that Popovich got to know his team on a deeper level. Surprisingly, Hammon revealed that Pop doesn't really delve into basketball matters during conversations. On top of that, she also noted that Popovich also had a good sense of humor which made every gathering a fun experience.
"So, we have a lot of dinners," the sixteen-year WNBA veteran described. "And although we might talk some basketball, mostly it's about other things. So, to sit there and listen to some of his experiences and he's also asking you about your experiences. So, he's a really great guy to go to dinner with. He's a lot of fun."
Pop was just different
Becky became the first woman to serve as a full-time assistant coach in the NBA when she joined the Spurs. While that already speaks volumes about the rich basketball knowledge Popovich saw in her, the six-time WNBA All-Star reckoned that Pop's aptitude for coaching is still beyond compare.
The ability to instill the importance of fundamentals in his players and maintain a winning culture certainly makes Coach Pop such a unique leader. However, Hammon pointed out that Popovich's knack for thinking outside the box, approaching everything from a distinctive perspective and remarkable versatility in communication were the things she admired the most about the Hall of Fame coach.
As Becky put it, Popovich was the type of person who could connect and discuss pretty much everything with sense and incredible precision, a rare set of traits not all great NBA coaches possess.
"He's cut from a different [cloth]. I think that's why he's great," Hammon said of Popovich. " He thinks a little bit differently. His experiences are a little different. What I love about him is his world perspective. He always has a great way of breaking things down. It doesn't matter who he's talking to. He could be talking to a group of kindergarteners and he's going to break it down to where they can understand it. And then, he could be talking to a 15-year veteran, and he's going to break it down to where they can understand it speaking their language."
"I think all his world travel, his experiences; if you want to talk about wine, history or politics, whatever you want to talk about, he knows something about everything it seems," she continued.
Pop is far from over
After eight seasons of working under Popovich's tutelage in San Antonio, Hammon left the team in 2021. She then found a new platform for her coaching skills back in the WNBA as the head coach of the Las Vegas Aces, a position she still holds to this day.
Becky has been applying everything she learned from Coach Pop with the Aces. Since being onboarded, Hammon has made great strides as a coach. So far, she has already led the team to two WNBA championships, completing a back-to-back in 2022 and 2023.
On the other hand, Popovich went on to coach the Spurs. Next season, Pop will enter his 29th season as the team's head coach. Despite being one of the oldest coaches in the league, Popovich has yet to slow down in his pursuit of success for the Spurs.
It is yet to be known if Hammon would become the Popovich of WNBA. However, it's safe to say that embracing Pop's personality and leadership style during her time with the Spurs has been vital to Becky's coaching career.
Related: "They're in Africa, doing God knows what" - Becky Hammon discusses her parents' controversial reason for absence at Hall of Fame ceremony
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