Becky Hammon on mentor Gregg Popovich stepping down as Spurs head coach: 'My heart's a little heavy for him'
Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon praised Gregg Popovich after he stepped down from coaching the San Antonio Spurs to become their full-time president.
Popovich suffered a mild stroke in November that kept him from calling plays for the team the rest of the season, and he retires from coaching after 29 years on the job. Assistant coach Mitch Johnson, who served as interim head coach for the rest of the season, will take over permanently.
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Before the Aces' preseason matchup against the Dallas Wings on Friday night, Hammon applauded Popovich, who took her under his wing in the years leading up to her tenure in Las Vegas.
"That's who mentored me, that's who spent literally thousands of hours with me," Hammon said. "Watching him, I was there eight years. It's a lot of games, it's a lot of practices, it's a lot of coaches' meetings. So yeah, my heart's a little heavy for him because I know how much he loves it, but I'm sure he'll crush this role just as much."
Hammon was part of Popovich's coaching staff from 2014 to 2021 and was the first woman to lead an NBA team after Popovich was ejected in a loss to the Lakers in 2020. The former New York Liberty guard was also the first woman to serve as a head coach in the NBA Summer League and was linked to the Portland Trail Blazers vacancy in 2021 before being hired by the Aces.
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She became the first WNBA coach to win a championship as a rookie and secured another title in 2022. Despite her ties to the Spurs and fans calling for her to replace Popovich, the 48-year-old insisted she is happy with her role in Las Vegas.
"I'm super happy where I am," Hammon said. "This opportunity for me, I couldn't pass on it. I bet on myself instead of, maybe waiting it out for a maybe [in the NBA]. I've enjoyed being back on the women's side. You guys know I'm effusive about my love for this team and being back in the women's game."
"If I were to ever make that jump again, you know it just has to be the right fit, right time, in front of the right people, with the right team," she added.
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