The Las Vegas Aces were able to clinch their second straight WNBA Championship on Wednesday night, which puts head coach Becky Hammon into some rare company as an elite coach in the sport.
Hammon gained her fame as an assistant under legendary coach Gregg Popovich in the San Antonio Spurs organization. She even became the first female to act in a head coaching role in an NBA game after Popovich was ejected from a game in 2020.
Since then, she moved on to become a head coach in the WNBA with the Las Vegas Aces. And all she has done is win since joining the organization.
Game 4 of the WNBA Championship against the New York Liberty came down to the wire, but the Aces were able to come away with a 70-69 victory to secure a 3-1 series win.
THE LAS VEGAS ACES ARE BACK-TO-BACK WNBA CHAMPIONS! 🏀🏆🏆 pic.twitter.com/msmisaRUkO
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) October 19, 2023
With this victory, Hammon is just the third head coach in WNBA or NBA history to win back-to-back championships in their first two years as a head coach.
Becky Hammon is just the THIRD head coach in WNBA or NBA history to win BACK-TO-BACK championships in her first two years 🫡 pic.twitter.com/0Bk9858HPa
— espnW (@espnW) October 19, 2023
This shows that Hammon is not only a great coach for the women’s game, but one of the best coaches in the sport of basketball period. Fans took notice of her latest successful season, praising her and the Aces on social media for their win.
Huge fan of Becky Hammon! Enjoyed her time with the Spurs! She’s amazing.
— MΞΤΑΝΑRRATIVΞ (@MetaNarrativeCD) October 19, 2023
https://twitter.com/theheavydave/status/1714834027301998767
She’s her
— Kyrie’s Hub (@kyrieshub) October 19, 2023
Becky Hammon ain't messin' around!
— Random Bullshit Go!!!! (@eliteseniordev) October 19, 2023
Wonder if Portland trailblazers now regret passing her up for the job
— Joseph “The Demon “Albanese (@DemonEvilMuscle) October 19, 2023
Hammon’s name came up in a number of NBA coaching searches in the past, and it is clear that she is an excellent mind for the game.
It obviously remains to be seen if she ever attempts to return to the NBA coaching scene. But plenty of NBA teams should certainly be taking notice of what she is doing at the WNBA level.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.