Becky Hammon moved the needle, but the National Basketball Association assistant coach is now focused on taking the next steps in her career, which at the same time could allow her to make history again.
Weeks after Hammon was floated as a finalist for a head coaching job with the Portland Trail Blazers, which would have made her the first woman head coach in the NBA, Hammon spoke with CNBC on Saturday to express her thoughts.
Hammon said she isn’t bitter about not getting the job and that she gained a greater understanding of the hiring process. Hammon added that she’s ready for the opportunity once the right team is ready.
“I’m not mad,” Hammon said. “This is the business, and it’s a very competitive business. But, at the end of the day, throw everything out the window — if you want to hire me, you’ll find a reason to hire me. And if you don’t want to hire me, you’ll find that reason, too. And that’s just that.”
Hammon, 44, remains an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs. She explained why she’s ready for one of 30 head coaching jobs in the NBA and pointed to her professional growth under coach Gregg Popovich as the reason.
A victim of damage control?
Going into coaching interviews with the Blazers, Hammon didn’t pretend she was the favorite for the job.
Chauncey Billups was the Blazers’ first choice — that much was clear throughout NBA circles. The former NBA guard has a relationship with team executive Neil Olshey. Hence, Jody Allen, the sister of late Blazers owner and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, signed off on Olshey’s choice. The Blazers defended hiring Billups at his coaching introduction while also praising Hammon publicly.
“We absolutely admire Becky,” Olshey said on June 29. “She did a great job. Obviously, making it as far as the ownership level of an interview process isn’t easy.”
Olshey said Hammon getting that far is an “endorsement to just how far she’s come and how close she is to being a head coach.” Olshey then said Billups checked all of the boxes, including “gravitas leadership skills.”
When discussing the process, Hammon said, “I knew I was second; I knew who they wanted. And I’m OK with that, because every race I’ve gotten into my entire life, I’ve been behind, and I’m OK with that. And that’s just how it is — but at the same time, I’m not ignorant to what I’m going up against.”
