Rick Carlisle: Becky Hammon on 'A Great Trajectory' to Become NBA Head Coach
Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle believes San Antonio Spurs assistant Becky Hammon is on her way to running her own NBA team.
"She's on a great track, a great trajectory," Carlisle told reporters before the Mavs and Spurs tipped off Friday. "She's had a lot of interviews. I know she has done very well in the interviews from things I have heard from people who have talked to her. I believe she is going to get there."
Hammon, 43, has already broken numerous barriers on the sidelines, most recently becoming the first female acting head coach in league history after Gregg Popovich was ejected from a game against the Los Angeles Lakers in late December.
Popovich praised Hammon shortly after that game:
"She earned it. She is qualified. She's wonderful at what she does. I wanted her on my staff because of the work that she does. And she happens to be a woman, which basically should be irrelevant but it's not in our world, as we've seen as it's been so difficult for women to obtain certain positions. It was business as usual for us."
At this point, it doesn't seem like Hammon can do much more to prove herself aside from being given an opportunity to run her own roster.
The former WNBA star previously served as head coach of the Spurs' summer-league team, earning the respect of both her peers and players. She also interviewed for the Milwaukee Bucks general manager role in 2017 and met again with the franchise a year later about its head coach vacancy.
Los Angeles head coach Frank Vogel agreed it's only a matter of time before Hammon is leading her own staff.
"I've talked to her a bunch in coaches conferences and whatnot, and she really knows her stuff," Vogel said. "Obviously, she's here for a reason. She's equipped. She's intelligent. The guys have a great respect for her. And I think she's going to be a head coach in this league someday."
However, there's plenty of angst among Hammon's supporters that she hasn't been given the opportunity yet.
Hammon's former WNBA teammate Vickie Johnson told The Athletic's Christopher Kamrani there's no question she's ready.
"You tell me if I'm wrong," Johnson said. "If she was a guy and she had all these accolades and had done all she has done in this league, she would already be a head coach."
