The Las Vegas Aces finished a dream season. A’ja Wilson was at the forefront of it all. She won every major accolade, including a league-best fourth MVP. Stephen A. Smith has regularly lauded the 29-year-old for her brilliance. But when speaking about the Aces, you have to speak about their head coach, Becky Hammon. And Smith did just that.
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She is the architect behind the Aces’ recent dominance. Now being touted as a dynasty, she has guided them to three chips in the last four seasons. Likewise, the ESPN analyst wants to see her make more history. “I’ve said this on many occasions, and I’ll say it again. She deserves to coach in the NBA… If I owned an NBA team, I would not mind giving her a chance as the head coach of my franchise,” he said on his YouTube show.
Smith has shown vast support for Hammon to make a move to the NBA. Last month, when advocating for Wilson’s MVP, he said, “That woman can coach. I love that Becky Hammon,”. The Aces’ head coach can do the talking to increase the likelihood. But her numbers do more than enough talking to justify consideration.
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Her road to a third title was historic in itself. She develops great relationships with players and understands the philosophies of basketball. And when talking about a winner, she has the best record in WNBA Finals as a head coach (10-2) after sweeping the Phoenix Mercury. Furthermore, she has experience working with NBA teams.
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Before making a move to the Aces, she was an assistant coach to Greg Popovich during the Spurs’ peak years. Becky Hammon was also a finalist for the Portland Trail Blazers job a few seasons ago. But no matter if the opportunity comes or not, the Hall of Famer wants to be trusted, and not given the reins to a franchise.
Becky Hammon is open to an NBA coaching job
Hammon has come across opportunities to be in the NBA on more than several occasion. Before the Trail Blazers, she interviewed with the New York Knicks in 2020. Prior to it, the Milwaukee Bucks also invited her for an interview. While she didn’t get any of the jobs, Becky Hammon knows how tight the race is. “When I saw there are 30 jobs, not all 30 are available, so I’m really talking about three or four and they are really hard to get,” she said in 2021.
But the last thing she wants is for her to be appointed for the wrong reasons. “Please don’t hire me to check a box. That’s the worst thing you can do for me,” she said. And NBA teams don’t have that luxury. In every interview, Hammon revealed how teams tried to capture her basketball mind and philosophies before making a decision.
She doesn’t mind waiting, as long as the job comes with inherent trust that she is the right coach to lead an NBA franchise. In terms of her experience, Becky Hammon is a Hall of Fame player. She learned and contributed to Popovich’s dominance for eight years before choosing to be a head coach for the Las Vegas Aces.
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She is more than qualified to be at the helm of an NBA franchise. Can it happen soon? That’s hard to tell since the Aces can achieve something remarkable. As the WNBA’s growth continues to skyrocket, the Aces have set the standard for the league. Hammon’s paws are all over it, and she loves working with her players.
Hammon has created a dynasty in Las Vegas and is keen on continuing to ascend with the team. However, given how often NBA coaches are fired, a slot could open up. As appealing as that move would be, it will be a hard decision to make for Becky Hammon.