‘I love being their coach’: Hammon’s connection with players propels Aces

Answering the question of where Becky Hammon stands in the historical hierarchy of WNBA coaches is a lot like attempting to measure the Aces’ dynasty to those of the past.

Hammon, 48, has already stuffed her résumé to the brim in four years. It’s a fitting trajectory after she earned the league’s 2022 Coach of the Year award for a season that saw her become the first to win a title as a rookie coach.

The run continued as she led the Aces to their third title in a sweep of the Phoenix Mercury, securing the best career coaching record in WNBA Finals history (10-2).

While still in pursuit of the Aces’ latest championship win, Hammon offered her view of what she and her team had already accomplished — using one of her signature metaphors, of course.

“It’s hard to analyze when you’re a character in the book and it’s still being written,” Hammon said. “But it’s all a journey, because you have a core group of individuals starting with A’ja (Wilson), (Chelsea Gray), (Jackie Young) and myself. … When you’ve got a history with each other, it can be really empowering to pull on that.”

The same is likely true for evaluating her career. The potential for more titles seems endless with Hammon and her core intact.

Hammon’s reflection on the Aces’ accomplishments came as she considered what it took for the team to “turn the page” from its unsuccessful 2024 season. That effort required a sense of resilience and chemistry that the Aces showcased by winning 23 of their last 25 regular-season and postseason games combined, including their title-clinching Game 4 finals win last week.

Fittingly, Hammon landed at the podium with Wilson, Gray and Young when the WNBA championship run concluded in Phoenix.

“This group — especially these three,” Hammon began, pausing to hold back tears. “I love being their coach. … They’re stuck with me.”

‘We’re just happy to be on the ride’

Sticking with Hammon is a prospect Wilson welcomes. Amid the latest championship celebrations, the four-time MVP turned to Hammon and made sure she knew it.

“You keep bringing championships to Vegas, and we’re just happy to be on the ride with you,” Wilson told her coach.

Hammon is one of four head coaches in WNBA history to win three titles. That exclusive group also includes her Aces predecessor Bill Laimbeer (three-time WNBA champion with the Detroit Shock, two-time coach of the year) and Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve (four-time WNBA champion, four-time coach of the year).

But it’s not just Hammon’s coaching skill that sets her apart, Wilson said. It’s her ability to build relationships with her players and pull the best out of everyone.

It’s no surprise that Hammon can connect with players. She retired from her Hall of Fame career as a player in 2014 and draws from that experience in her current role.

Midseason trade acquisition NaLyssa Smith benefited from Wilson’s coaching style this season.

“She just has a great balance of knowing how to push her players and then always motivating you and always telling you all the positive things,” Smith said. “I think, sometimes a lot of coaches, they forget that you have to have that balance or you’ll lose your players. Becky does a tremendous job always just building everybody up regardless of the situation.”

No raise needed?

Aces and Raiders owner Mark Davis conducted an impromptu news conference after the Aces’ Game 4 win.

The first question posed to him was about Hammon, and whether she should be the highest paid coach in the league.

“She’s not?” he asked.

Davis hired Hammon after she worked under legendary San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich for seven seasons, a move that came with the announcement that she’d be the WNBA’s first coach to earn seven figures.

ESPN later reported that Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts overtook Hammon as the highest-paid coach in the WNBA when he was hired in 2023. But Davis pushed back in a recent conversation with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, implying that she’s since earned a raise that went unnoticed by the media.

“The only time that there was a correct figure was when Becky was made the million-dollar coach, right when we hired her. And that was a statement that the value of these women is in the millions rather than the thousands,” Davis said. “I don’t think I need to talk about her salary, the number in it, but I believe I would just ask again — she’s not the highest paid?”

Davis’ confidence in what Hammon is earning comes amid a time where her name often appears in conversations surrounding who will become the NBA’s first woman head coach.

When Popovich stepped down as Spurs coach and into a front office position in May, Hammon was mentioned by multiple national outlets as a potential successor given her experience and her reported previous consideration for other NBA vacancies like the Portland Trail Blazers’ in 2021.

“I’m super happy where I am,” Hammon said when asked about Popovich and the NBA.

With Hammon now even more decorated, it’s hard to imagine that contentment will change any time soon for the Aces’ commander.

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