Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon coached the Spurs to a strong 93-90 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Monday in the Summer League title game, and she made history when she became the first female head coach in NBA summer league ever.
“It was a grind,” Hammon said. “They’ve been together for 17 days. They really started to jell the last two or three games. They listened, and they played really hard for me. I just really appreciate their attentiveness and alertness. They were tired, but they fought through.”
Summer League MVP Kyle Anderson had 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists in the win. His behind-the back assist in the first half was also one of the prettiest plays of Summer League:
“I really love [Hammon], and I’ve only known her a couple days,” said Spurs guard Jonathan Simmons (via the Associated Press), who was named championship game MVP after scoring 23 points. “She’s a real cool coach. She’s a player coach. That’s something we all like.”
Last year, the Spurs made Hammon the first female full-time assistant coach in NBA history. Earlier this summer, they told her she would lead the team in Las Vegas, and now she las already led the Summer League team to a championship. If anyone still doubted Hammon’s legitimacy as an NBA coach, they better stop because she is proving naysayers wrong at every turn The players even went as far as gaving Hammon a Gatorade shower in the locker room after their win.
She also predicted earlier to Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated that Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich would tell her “to get a big glass of wine and enjoy it.”
“You never know what your journey has in store,” Hammon told Golliver. “You just work hard and keep your nose to the grind. You do things the right way, you treat people the right way, and good things happen. … I’m just thankful that [Popovich] trusted me with the guys in that locker room, and that those guys trusted me back.”
.
