Becky Hammon completes Aces coaching staff by adding ex-NBA player

When John Lucas III thinks of his proudest basketball moments, his mind turns to Las Vegas.

The Aces announced Lucas as their new player development coach Monday, giving him another milestone moment to link to the city.

Six years ago, Lucas made his debut as the Minnesota Timberwolves’ NBA summer league coach at UNLV’s Cox Pavilion and realized he had found his calling.

“I found my coaching voice that summer,” he said. “Ever since then, that’s all I’ve ever thought about.”

Lucas was just a year into his coaching career at the time. He remained in player development for the Timberwolves until 2019 before joining the Los Angeles Lakers in 2021-22 and the Phoenix Sun during the 2023-24 season.

Lucas’ entire résumé stood out to Aces coach Becky Hammon, and now he’ll bring his voice and passion to the Aces.

The former Oklahoma State basketball star was a journeyman as a professional player from 2005 to 2017. He made stops with six NBA teams, including the Timberwolves, before he retired. He also played overseas and in the G League.

“Lucas has an extensive basketball background,” Hammon said. “We’re excited to welcome him to the Aces family, and now that we have a full staff, I am more excited than ever for the upcoming season.”

Lucas, 42, is the team’s final assistant coach addition. He joins recent hires Ty Ellis and Larry Lewis, who replaced Tyler Marsh and Natalie Nakase, both of whom went on to take WNBA head coaching jobs.

With Charlene Thompson-Swinson remaining from Hammon’s original staff, the Aces have a coaching group Lucas believes should attract and cultivate top talent.

“I really do think we have the best staff in the WNBA,” Lucas said. “We’re covering every aspect of the game.”

How he got the job

Lucas has been around basketball for as long as he can remember, even serving as a ball boy in the NBA at age 5. His father, John Lucas II, was the No. 1 overall pick in 1976 and a longtime NBA coach before he retired in 1990.

When the Suns fired former coach Frank Vogel in May, Lucas III was part of the staff that also was let go.

His company, JL3 Basketball, kept him close to his passion through speaking engagements with students and coaches in addition to skill development sessions with players.

He stayed in touch with the connections he made from the early days of his coaching career, and Hammon knew some of them from her time as an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs.

“I tried to call as many people I knew who were coaches to go sit in and pick their brain about their defensive and their offensive schemes,” Lucas said. “Just learning and wanting to be better as a coach, so whenever that opportunity presented itself again, I was ready for whatever was thrown my way.”

When Hammon came looking to fill her open role, Lucas said they immediately “spoke the language.”

Most player development coaches can be seen on the court with players during pregame warmups. You can expect that from Lucas with the Aces and more.

“You’re gonna see a little bit of everything. For me, it’s about giving it all,” he said. “They’re going to be in the best shape, their shooting percentage is going to go up. Everything about their game is going to go to (another) level.”

Ties to the WNBA

Lucas has two young daughters, but being a “girl dad” isn’t his only connection to women’s sports.

Through his basketball camps, Lucas can rattle off an extensive list of names of young basketball stars he’s helped coach, including UConn star Paige Bueckers and Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese.

His ties to the WNBA go even deeper. The Houston native used to compete with the now-defunct Comets as a practice player in high school, developing his skills against the likes of Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes and Kim Perrot.

“I couldn’t come out here and just play lackadaisical,” Lucas said. “They were coming at me, so I had to go right back at them.”

Former Seattle Storm player Barbara Turner is Lucas’ god-sister. She won NCAA titles at UConn in 2003 and 2004. He said she worked out with him every summer and inspired him.

“When you’ve been around the (women’s) game, you see it and you just fall in love with it,” Lucas said.

Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.