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Joseph Zucker is the featured Columnist IV.
Icon Sportswire via Jevone Moore.
The Athletic's Chantel and Shams reported that San Antonio Spurs assistant Becky Hammon is close to joining the Las Vegas Aces as their next head coach.
According to the report, the contract with the Aces will be a record-setting contract for a WNBA head coach.
The Spurs will finish the season with a five-year deal for Hammon, according to a report.
The 44-year-old was named one of the league's 25 greatest players, after a career in which he made six All-Star teams and was named to the league's 25 greatest players.
She transitioned into a coaching role with the Spurs after her playing career ended.
She was promoted to the front of the Spurs' bench in June of last year, and it was only a matter of time before she got to run her own team in the Association.
In December, she told LaChina Robinson that she was open to coaching in the WNBA.
LaChina Robinson replied.
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I askedBeckyHammon if she was surprised that the head coach of the women's team was opening her doors, she replied that her doors were open.
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No woman has coached as many NBA games and played in as many WNBA games as Becky.
Popovich disciples Mike Budenholzer, James Borrego,Brett Brown and Mike Brown all got head coaching jobs. Some were surprised to see Hammon pass over the years and raised concerns over structural issues within the NBA.
She thought her wait was the result of the scarcity of vacancies at any given time.
You can throw the male and female out the door. There are 30 jobs. They are hard to get. Not all 30 jobs are available, right? There are maybe four or five that are available. The amount of scrutiny and pressure that comes with those jobs is hard to get. I think I get better every time I walk through that door. An organization is going to hire me because I'm the best coach for the job. All the stuff that comes after that will come.
After the NBA season ends, it's likely that Hammon would be a candidate for vacancies. Maybe she grew tired of waiting and decided to take on the challenge of coaching in the WNBA now.
If she wants to revisit her pursuit of becoming a coach in the NBA, she needs to become a successful coach in the W.
The two reported Sunday that the Aces were interested in Hammon. The report was surprising since Las Vegas hadn't made a decision on the head coach.
The team finished with the second-most wins in the history of the league in 2021. Some wondered if his strategy was setting Vegas up for success in the playoffs.
The offense ran through A'ja Wilson and Liz Cambage as they attempted the lowest number of three-pointers. The team's potential was put down to the fact that they didn't play the perimeter game.
The Storm swept Las Vegas in the 2020 Finals, winning all three games by double digits. The Phoenix Mercury beat it in the semifinals in five games.
Dan Padover was the general manager of the Aces. It's a surprising amount of turnover for an organization with recent success. The roster could look different since both Wilson and Cambage are free agents.
The front office, coaching staff and lineup could be changed, but the sky-high expectations are likely to stay the same for Hammon in 2022.
