Progress. What we witnessed recently in the National Basketball Association is progress.
Although it slipped through the cracks with moderate fanfare, Gregg Popovich hired WNBA star and Russian Olympian Becky Hammon as a full-time basketball assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs on August 5, 2014.
Let me state the obvious. Beck Hammon is a female.
I am shocked. Some things are simply not done.
Men often coach in professional female sports but there has never been a full-time female assistant basketball coach in the National Basketball Association.
This hiring is ground breaking. In one move, the San Antonio Spurs have made a historical leap that transcends and opens the door for generations to come. Potentially. The decision to hire a female is historic. It just is.
We should have known that it would be Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs to introduce such a radical hiring into the NBA. The Spurs are trying desperately to cement their, “I’m classier than you as an organization and we are altogether better people” status in the NBA and professional sports.
Granted, Becky Hammon is not the first female to be on an NBA coaching staff.
Instead, Lisa Boyer, the current associate head coach for the South Carolina women’s basketball team, was on the Cleveland Cavaliers coaching staff under John Lucas in 2001-2002. While her participation was noteworthy, it was extraordinarily limited. Boyer was not full-time. Boyer was not paid. Boyer did not travel with the team. Boyer’s short stint with the Cleveland Cavalier’s pales in comparison with the Spurs bringing Becky Hammon on as a full-time assistant coach.
Hammon stated, “Nothing in my life has really ever been easy. I’ve always been someone who did it uphill,” She then said, “I’m up for challenges. I’m up for being outside the box, making tough decisions and challenges… And I’m a little bit of an adrenaline junkie. Throw those all in there and this was the perfect challenge and opportunity.”
Hammon will not be a glorified intern. She is going to be responsible for scouting, game-planning and the day-to-day grind of practice. That’s right, the players are going to hear a woman’s voice calling out which plays to run and they are going to be accountable to her for their actions. Hammon is going to travel with the team. Progress. She is going to coach the team full-time. Progress. And while the details of her contract were not made public, Hammon is going to receive monetary compensation for her position with the San Antonio Spurs. So, she won’t be working for free. Progress.
“I very much look forward to the addition of Becky Hammon to our staff,” Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said. “Having observed her working with our team this past season, I’m confident her basketball IQ, work ethic and interpersonal skills will be a great benefit to the Spurs.”
Popovich respected Hammon’s basketball acumen and felt that she would be a good addition to his championship winning team. And while Popovich may not have been trying to make a monumental statement, his hiring of Hammon has spoken volumes that will reverberate throughout all of professional sports.
He didn’t look at Hammon’s gender as a barrier. Instead, he hired her because she was the best man for the job. Or should I say, woman. And that folks, is Progress.
(Two sources for this story were ESPN.com and CNN.com)
Alexis Sara Cobb may be reached at: alexiscobb@ascexec.com or (724) 561-8082 Follow her on Twitter: @alexissara
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