Becky Hammon: Could the Las Vegas Aces coach make history (again) in the NBA?

After parting ways with Nick Nurse on 21 April, the Toronto Raptors have been on the hunt for a new head coach. The early stages of the hiring process typically begins with compiling a shortlist of preferred candidates for the position, and among the list revealed by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski is one of the most well-known names in professional basketball: Becky Hammon.

Wojnarowski claims that the Raptors have already received permission to interview Hammon for the role, and should she be offered the position - assuming she would accept it - Hammon would make history (again) by becoming the first permanent female head coach of an NBA team.

You can find out more about Hammon, including her path into the NBA and her numerous accolades in our detailed breakdown below.

Hammon's inclusion on the Raptors' shortlist isn't based on her gender, but rather her merit as an exceptional coach and her successful playing career.

Hammon grew up Rapid City, South Dakota, where she played basketball at Stevens High School. She was voted the South Dakota Player of the Year during her senior year, and would go on to play college basketball at Colorado State University, setting numerous records (including points (2740), assists (538) and three-pointers made (365)), receiving three All-American nominations, and becoming the Western Athletic Conference's all-time leading scorer, surpassing nine-year NBA veteran Keith Van Horn in the process.

She would then embark on a 13-year playing career that included stops with the WNBA's New York Liberty and San Antonio Stars, as well as Spanish teams Rivas Ecópolis and Ros Casares Godella and Russian clubs CSKA Moscow, Nadezhda Orenburg and Spartak Moscow. Hammon, a 1.68m (5-foot-6) point guard, also represented the Russian Olympic Committee in international play, winning a bronze medal at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and a silver medal at EuroBasket 2009.

Becky Hammon's career highlights and awards

• 6× WNBA All-Star (2003, 2005–2007, 2009, 2011)
• 2× All-WNBA First Team (2007, 2009)
• 2× All-WNBA Second Team (2005, 2008)
• WNBA assists leader (2007)
• WNBA 15th Anniversary Team (2011)
• WNBA 20th Anniversary Team (2016)
• WNBA 25th Anniversary Team (2021)
• No. 25 retired by San Antonio Stars/Las Vegas Aces
• Spanish League champion (2010)
• Queen's Cup winner (2010)
• Olympic bronze medallist (2008)
• EuroBasket silver medallist (2009)

The roots of Hammon's journey as a basketball coach began in 2013, when she tore her left anterior cruciate ligament in a game against the Los Angeles Sparks. During her rehabilitation in San Antonio, Hammon participated in practices, coaches' meetings and games of the Spurs - the professional men's NBA team in the city.

Her skills and work ethic made an impression on Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich - the winningest coach in NBA history - who hired Hammon as an assistant coach for the Spurs following her retirement in 2014. The move made Hammon the second female coach in NBA history (Lisa Boyer worked as a volunteer assistant with the Cleveland Cavaliers and John Lucas in 2001), and she quickly began showing the coaching acumen that would eventually lead to an interview request with the Raptors in 2023. Hall of Famer, three-time Olympic medallist and two-time NBA champion Pau Gasol penned an open letter about female coaches for The Players Tribune in 2018, writing of Hammon:

Hammon would make history in 2015 when the Spurs announced she would act as the head coach of their summer league team, becoming the first female head coach in the NBA's Summer League. Hammon would guide the Spurs to the Las Vegas Summer League title too, and just like that she secured her spot in history yet again as the first female head coach to win a Summer League title.

All of Hammon's success on the Spurs bench would not go unnoticed; in 2017 the Milwaukee Bucks interviewed Hammon for the position of general manager with the team, though ultimately she was not selected for the role. Three years later, in 2020, Hammon would become the first acting head coach in NBA history after Popovich was ejected in the second quarter of the Spurs' 121-107 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Finally, in 2021, Hammon would receive her first opportunity as a permanent head coach when she was hired by the Las Vegas Aces of the WNBA. True to form, Hammon hit the ground running, pushing the Aces to a 26-10 record and No.1 seed in the Western Conference, and ultimately going on to win the 2022 WNBA championship - becoming the first rookie head coach to win the WNBA title.

With the 2023 WNBA season mere weeks away (the opening game is scheduled for 19 May), Hammon would be forgiven for allowing the opportunity to interview, and perhaps secure a head coaching role in the NBA, distract her from her current obligations with the Aces.

After all, she has made history on every step of her extraordinary coaching career - who's to say she wouldn't shatter another barrier and become the first (permanent) female head coach of a men's professional team in the history of U.S. sports? Such an outcome would be groundbreaking for a number of reasons, but at the moment, Hammon is steadfastly committed to her duties in Las Vegas.

Hammon's comments would indicate she's not interested in leaving the Aces at this time, and who could blame her? She's only one year into the job, but her reputation is already beyond reproach, and Las Vegas, as defending champions, are on the verge of building a dynasty in the WNBA (not to mention the fact that the Aces have just moved into a new 64,000-square-foot facility, the first practice facility and team headquarters built solely for a WNBA team).

In short, Hammon finds herself in a good situation and doesn't need to jump to the NBA if offered the chance - at least for now. But rest assured: this won't be the last time an NBA team pursues Hammon for a head coaching role.