Becky Hammon Emerges As Legit Pacers Head Coaching Candidate
Current San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon has emerged as a very legitimate option to become the next head coach of the Indiana Pacers.
The Pacers parted ways with Nate McMillan a few weeks back following back-to-back eliminations in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
According to ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, Pacers brass is giving Hammon a serious look.
“Becky Hammon and former Sacramento Kings and Memphis Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger are among more than a dozen candidates who are expected to participate in a first round of virtual interviews for the Indiana Pacers coaching job,” he reported on Wednesday.
An interesting take from Giannis. https://t.co/ilbTNIsJAg
— Game 7 (@game7__) September 9, 2020
Hammon has long been regarded as someone who will inevitably land a head coaching opportunity in the NBA.
The 43-year-old was first hired by the Spurs back in 2014 – becoming the second female assistant coach in NBA history and the first female full-time assistant coach in NBA history.
In 2015, she became the first woman to coach an NBA summer league team and led San Antonio to a summer league title.
Since then, Hammon has consistently received high praise from current Spurs head coach, Gregg Popovich.
“She’s a special, special woman,” he said.
We all know what’s been going on with the NBA’s ratings. Now we know why. https://t.co/M9uOeWOpqN
— Game 7 (@game7__) September 8, 2020
Popovich also believes hiring Hammon as a head coach makes sense on multiple levels.
“If somebody is smart, it’s actually a pretty good marketing deal—but it’s not about that,” he said. “It’s got to be that she’s competent, that she’s ready.”
All in all, the Spurs legend thinks someone will need to show some bravery when it comes to Hammon.
“It’s going to take somebody who has some guts, some imagination, and is not driven by old standards and old forms.”
Will the Pacers ultimately be that team? Will they make a historic move and hire Hammon to be their next head coach? Time will tell.
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Jennifer Withers Hoey is a former Business Development Manager who transitioned to writing about sports. With valuable connections all over the West Coast, she has used those contacts to break some of the most interesting stories pertaining to the Portland Trail Blazers, Oregon Ducks, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Seattle Supersonics (RIP), and more.
