Report: Becky Hammon Finalist for Blazers' HC Job, Billups to Get 2nd Interview
San Antonio Spurs assistant Becky Hammon is reportedly a finalist for the Portland Trail Blazers head coaching vacancy, according to Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski added that Hammon and Los Angeles Clippers assistant Chauncey Billups were getting second interviews with Portland, while Charania and Amick reported that multiple people from the team's first round of interviews—including Nets assistant Mike D'Antoni, South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley and Spurs vice president of basketball operations Brent Barry—were also candidates to be in the team's final stage of interviews.
The Trail Blazers and former head coach Terry Stotts mutually agreed to part ways earlier in June after the team failed to get out of the first round of the postseason for the fourth time in the past five seasons.
Hammon, 44, would be a historical replacement, potentially becoming the first female head coaching hire in NBA history.
She was a six-time All-Star in her 16 seasons in the WNBA as a player for the New York Liberty (1999-06) and San Antonio Silver Stars (2007-14), averaging 13 points and 3.8 assists for her career.
She joined Gregg Popovich's staff in San Antonio following her playing career, where she's served as an assistant coach for the past seven seasons. She even took over as the team's head coach in December when Popovich was ejected from a game, becoming the first woman to ever do so in NBA history.
The Blazers aren't the only team reportedly interested in her as a head coach candidate. Per Charania and Amick, she also interviewed with the Orlando Magic last week.
