1. Rebecca Lynn Hammon is a Russian-American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Las Vegas Aces of the Women's National Basketball Association.
48 Facts About Becky Hammon
1. 2.
Becky Hammon previously served as an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association.
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Becky Hammon was born and raised in the United States, but she became a naturalized Russian citizen in 2008 and represented the Russian national team in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.
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Becky Hammon was hired by the San Antonio Spurs as an assistant coach in 2014.
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Becky Hammon served as the team's Summer League head coach in 2015; she is the first Russian and the first woman to be a head coach in the Summer League.
6.
On December 30,2020, Becky Hammon became the first Russian and the first female acting head coach in NBA history after Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich was ejected during a game against the Los Angeles Lakers.
7.
Becky Hammon previously played for the Aces from 2007 to 2014 when the team played in San Antonio and was known as the Stars, and has her number retired by the organization.
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Becky Hammon learned to dribble a basketball at a very young age, playing Nerf ball with her older brother and father, and continued to hone her skills on her home court.
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Becky Hammon played basketball at Stevens High School in her hometown of Rapid City, South Dakota.
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Becky Hammon graduated in 1995, and was voted female class athlete by her graduating class.
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Becky Hammon eventually grabbed the attention of a Colorado State assistant coach, and she committed to the Rams.
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Becky Hammon's prolific scoring for the Colorado State Rams made her an All-American three times, as well as Colorado Sportswoman of the Year.
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Becky Hammon set many Colorado State all-time records, including points, points per game, field goals made, free throws made, three-point field goals made and assists.
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On November 12,2004, Becky Hammon was inducted into the Colorado State University Sports Hall of Fame.
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Undrafted during her rookie season, Becky Hammon was signed to the WNBA on May 12,1999, and joined the New York Liberty.
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Becky Hammon had a solid rookie season statistically, backing up starting point guard Teresa Weatherspoon.
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In 2003, her first season with the Tennessee Fury of the National Women's Basketball League, Becky Hammon led the league in scoring, averaging 20.6 points per game.
18.
In 2004, Becky Hammon signed with the Colorado Chill, a new team in the NWBL, but played in only two games because of an anterior cruciate ligament injury in her right knee sustained in the 2003 season when playing for the Liberty.
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Becky Hammon posted career high averages of 18.8 ppg and 5.0 apg in 2007.
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Becky Hammon's nickname was derived from "Big Shot Bob", a nickname given to San Antonio Spurs forward Robert Horry.
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Becky Hammon averaged a career-high 19.5 ppg and 5.0 apg in the 2009 WNBA season.
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Becky Hammon was an All-Star as well as a first-team All-WNBA selection.
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Later in the year, Becky Hammon scored 37 points in a playoff-clinching win against the Los Angeles Sparks.
24.
Becky Hammon had long expressed aspirations of becoming a coach after her playing career ended.
25.
On July 13,2013, Becky Hammon tore her left anterior cruciate ligament in a game against the Los Angeles Sparks.
26.
Becky Hammon has earned the respect of many NBA players throughout the league.
27.
Becky Hammon has been inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame and has been selected as ESPNW's Woman of the Year.
28.
On July 3,2015, Becky Hammon became the first Russian and the first female head coach in the NBA's Summer League when the Spurs announced she would coach their summer league team.
29.
Becky Hammon led the Spurs to the Las Vegas Summer League title on July 20,2015, becoming the first Russian and first female NBA head coach to win a Summer League title.
30.
At the 2016 NBA All-Star Game, Becky Hammon became the first Russian and first woman to be part of an All-Star coaching staff.
31.
On June 2,2017, Becky Hammon was interviewed for the position of general manager of the Milwaukee Bucks; she was not considered as a finalist for the position.
32.
In 2021, Becky Hammon was the first Russian and first woman to be a finalist for an NBA head coaching position when she interviewed with the Portland Trail Blazers.
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Becky Hammon was hired as the head coach for the Las Vegas Aces on December 31,2021, becoming the first Russian coach in WNBA history.
34.
Becky Hammon was named to the team representing the United States at the 1998 William Jones Cup competition in Taipei, Taiwan.
35.
In 2008, after learning that she would not be invited to try out for the US national team, Becky Hammon announced she would try to claim a roster slot on the Russian national team in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
36.
Becky Hammon became a Russian citizen in 2008, a decision that was controversial at the time among American basketball commentators.
37.
The coach of Russia's team, Igor Grudin, was the sports director of the CSKA team that Becky Hammon played for in Moscow during the WNBA off-season.
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Becky Hammon signed a three-year extension with CSKA Moscow at around the same time she was named as a prospect for the national team.
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Becky Hammon played for Russia at EuroBasket 2009, the 2010 World Championship and the 2012 Olympics.
40.
Becky Hammon was shown in Marie Claire magazine's "The 8 Greatest Moments for Women in Sports".
41.
Becky Hammon has been in a relationship with Brenda Milano since 2015.
42.
Becky Hammon is a noted poker player in the WNBA off-season.
43.
Becky Hammon would have received a $150,000 bonus for winning a silver medal.
44.
The thing that took me off guard with Becky Hammon was that it hasn't happened in women's basketball before.
45.
Becky Hammon made a great business decision and this was a great opportunity for her to get to the Olympic Games.
46.
Becky Hammon came, had a great experience; I'm glad we're going to the gold medal game.
47.
In May 2023, Becky Hammon received a two-game suspension from the WNBA for violating the league's 'respect in the workplace' policies in her treatment of former Aces player Dearica Hamby.
48.
Becky Hammon has strongly denied the allegations, stating in a post-game press conference after the federal lawsuit was filed:.