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Hammon opting to represent Russia at the 2008 Olympics caused a stir in American basketball, but it does not tell the full story of the ex-pro turned coach. Pulse Sports explores her playing and coaching career.
By her admission, nothing in life has been easy for Rebecca Lynn Hammon, whose illustrious playing career has been followed by a segue into coaching. Becky Hammon is the head coach of the Las Vegas Aces of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), having previously served as assistant for the San Antonio Spurs in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Hammon, a former point guard, was a six-time WNBA All-Star, a two-time selection in the All-WNBA First Team and was twice included in the All-WNBA Second Team before retiring.
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Where is Becky Hammon from?
Despite being Russian-American, Becky Hammon was born in Rapid City, the second most populous city in South Dakota, in north-central America.
How old is Becky Hammon?
Born March 11, 1977, Becky Hammon turned 47 on her last birthday.
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Becky Hammon’s height and weight
Becky Hammon's height is 5 feet 6 in, 1.68 in metres. The 47-year-old's listed weight is 136 pounds. In kilograms, this is 62kg.
Becky Hammon’s parents and siblings
The former basketball pro turned coach was born to Marty Hammon and Bev Hammon. Becky Hammon’s father was a basketball coach for several decades, and he previously joked that his daughter "came out of the womb loving basketball.”
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She has two siblings, Gina Hammon and Matt Hammon.
Becky Hammon’s early life and education
Despite her instant love for the sport, Becky Hammon did not play competitively until she turned eight. While the co-education YMCA league mostly comprised boys on the squads, Becky's parents bumped her up two age groups because she was much better than her peers. This was typically met with disapproval by League officials until they saw her play and recognised her talent.
She played basketball at Stevens High School in South Dakota, named South Dakota Miss Basketball as a junior and South Dakota Player of the Year in her senior year.
Despite her promise, Becky's physique and perceived laboured movement meant she did not catch the eye of college recruiters until a Colorado State assistant spotted her talent, getting her into the Colorado State Rams.
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Her prolific scoring saw her become an All-American three times — bestowed upon amateur athletes considered to be excellent in their sport — as well as Colorado Sportswoman of the Year.
Hammon's feats at Colorado State in the mid-to-late 1990s saw her set records — points (2740), points per game (21.92), field goals made, free throws made (539), three-point field goals made (365) and assists (538).
The upshot of the 47-year-old's records ultimately saw her inducted into the Colorado State University Sports Hall of Fame in November 2004, and her number 25 jersey at Colorado State was retired in January 2005.
Becky Hammon Tennessee
While representing the New York Liberty in the WNBA, Becky Hammon had an off-season spell with Tennessee Fury in 2003 in the defunct National Women's Basketball League (NWBL). According to Knox News, Hammon led the NWBL in scoring with 20.6 points averaged per game.
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When did Becky Hammon retire?
Despite going unpicked in the 1999 WNBA Draft, Becky Hammon had a successful career before her 2014 retirement.
Hammon was with the San Antonio Stars and was honoured with the Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award in 2014, given to the player who “most exemplifies the ideals of sportsmanship on the court — ethical behaviour, fair play and integrity.”
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Why did Becky Hammon become a Russian citizen?
Becky Hammon is a naturalised Russian citizen, acquired in 2007. Hammon already represented CSKA Moscow during the WNBA offseason, but her dual citizenship stirred the pot.
It all came about after the former guard’s exclusion from the 23-player group invited to the US women’s national team try-out for the 2008 Olympic Games, leaving her “devastated” according to her mother’s anecdote. Opting to represent Russia undoubtedly provoked condemnation, with then-head coach Anne Donovan questioning Hammon's patriotism.
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Hammon would win bronze with Russia at the 2008 Games in Beijing, an achievement the former point guard ranks among her career’s finest. She also played as Russia again made the semi-finals four years later in London but were eliminated by France and were pipped by Australia in the bronze medal game.
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Who is Becky Hammon married to?
Although people think that Becky Hammon and Brenda Milano are married, the couple prefers to keep their relationship a mystery and are reluctant to make public declarations, even if the pair reportedly met in 2010 and began a relationship five years later.
Despite their secretive relationship, they are still together and have two kids, Cayden and Samuel. Like her spouse, Brenda Milano is a former basketball player turned coach. Milano was born and raised in Boonton, New Jersey, and grew up in a conventional Christian home.
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Becky Hammon NBA
Having spoken of her interest in coaching, it was no surprise that Becky Hammon did just that after her playing career.
Before landing a head coach role at the Las Vegas Aces in 2021, Hammon became an assistant coach at NBA side San Antonio Spurs in 2014, making her the first-ever Russian coach in NBA history before guiding the franchise as head coach in the Summer League in 2015 — the first woman with that honour.
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The 2008 Olympic bronze medallist made an impression on long-serving Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, who praised her basketball IQ, work ethic and interpersonal skills.
In December 2020, Hammon replaced Popovich courtside after the long-serving coach was ejected in a game against the Los Angeles Lakers in December 2020, making her the first Russian and first woman to be acting head coach in NBA history.
She interviewed for a coaching position with the Portland Trail Blazers the following year, making her the first woman to come close to an NBA head coach position, but ultimately lost out to Chauncey Billups.
She has gone on to become head coach of the Las Vegas Aces in December 2021, leading the franchise to consecutive WNBA titles in 2022 and 2023.
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What is Becky Hammon’s salary?
Becky Hammon was the highest-paid coach in the WNBA before Nate Tibbetts’ appointment by the Phoenix Mercury. The 47-year-old is said to be earning $1 million per season at the helm of the Las Vegas Aces.
Becky Hammon Instagram
The two-time WNBA winner as a coach is on Instagram, and her @officialbeckyhammon account has 195,000 followers at the time of writing. Becky Hammon has 441 posts on the photo and video-sharing social networking service.
Becky Hammon Twitter
Even though she does not post as frequently, Becky Hammon has an account on X, formerly Twitter. She can be found @BeckyHammon and has 87,900 followers.
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