WNBA's Las Vegas Aces hire Spurs assistant Becky Hammon as head coach, per reports
Becky Hammon has been hired by the Las Vegas Aces as their next head coach, according to multiple reports early Friday morning.
ESPN reported that the deal will make the 44-year-old the league's highest-paid coach.
Hammon had been an assistant for the NBA's San Antonio Spurs under Gregg Popovich for the last six years, at times filling in as the interim head coach. She interviewed for various NBA openings since 2018, including with the Portland Trail Blazers, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Indiana Pacers. While many saw her as a future NBA coach, she's now headed back to a league she starred in as a player.
A six-time All-Star guard, Hammon played 16 seasons in the WNBA (1999-2014), spending the first half of her career with the New York Liberty and the latter half with the San Antonio Stars. She was named to the 15th, 20th and 25th anniversary teams in league history.
In Las Vegas, Hammon will draw plays for one of the league's brightest young players, 2020 MVP A'ja Wilson, who is a restricted free agent, although the Aces not matching any offer she receives is difficult to fathom.
The move means coach Bill Laimbeer will be stepping aside. The Aces are owned by Mark Davis, who also owns the Las Vegas Raiders.
Follow Chris Bumbaca on Twitter @BOOMbaca.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Becky Hammon, Spurs assistant, hired as WNBA's Las Vegas Aces coach
