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June 12, 2020 By: Natasha Vukonich

10 of the most influential and badass women in sports: 10. Becky Hammon

As we move on to our 10^th and final influential woman, I want to point out that this list was organized in no particular order. Each woman has had to overcome their own hardships and dedicated their life to different sports and facets of the industry. Each woman has used their platform to advocate for a myriad of topics — the ones that are closest to their hearts. There is no way to rank or compare these women because there is no way to quantify the influence of their advocacy, nor the importance of their successes in shaping the future of sports.

However, it is fair to say that No. 10 has definitely had a profound effect on the jobs available to women in sports. Even our No. 3, Katie Sowers, has this woman to thank for busting through the glass ceiling that some thought would never be broken, and others hoped never would.

Becky Hammon

One of the most badass women of all, the undrafted seven-time WNBA All-Star, first full-time female coach in any of the four major U.S. sports as assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs, “Big Shot Becky” is no stranger to forging a new path for herself and future female generations.

Despite nearly being passed over as a college player entirely, Hammon enjoyed a highly decorated collegiate career with the Colorado State Rams, where she was the WAC Mountain Division all-time leading scorer and 98-99 Player of The Year. ‘Big Shot’ also received the 1999 Colorado Sportswoman of The Year award and Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award from the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association for ‘Best Senior Under 5’8”.

She left Colorado State with six all-time school records, having helped CSU land a spot in the national top-25 for the first time ever, while also single-handedly exponentially improving game attendance. Hammon’s achievements and commitment to the school were honored with her 2004 CSU Hall of Fame induction and 2005 retirement of her No. 25 jersey.

After CSU, Hammon’s talent was once again almost overlooked when she went undrafted in the 1999 WNBA Draft. Luckily, the New York Liberty picked her up and jumpstarted a 16-year WNBA career. And it didn’t take long for the 5’6” point guard to turn the WNBA upside down.

As a rookie she received her first of seven WNBA All-Star nominations and went on to lead the league in assists in 2007. Ultimately retiring from a league that almost didn’t want her, as one of the WNBA’s Top-15 Players of All Time and WBNA Top 20@20.

In 2008, Hammon was turned down again. This time it was by the U.S. Women’s Basketball Team. So of course, Hammon took matters into her own hands, becoming a naturalized Russian and joining the 2008 and 2012 Russian National Teams.

Named for her ability to make shots in important moments, “Big Shot Becky” has also taken a lot of big ‘shots’ off the court for the benefit of young women and dismantling of gender norms.

Hammon took her biggest shot of all in 2014 when she joined the San Antonio Spurs as an assistant coach and ultimately the first full time female coach in any of the four major sports in the nation.

After years of gaining notoriety for her basketball IQ and ability to unify and lead a team, the Spurs were quick to recognize Hammon as a potential coaching weapon.

In 2015 the Spurs went to the Las Vegas summer league without Gregg Popovich.

SPOILER ALERT: They went with Becky Hammon and yes; she was the first female to act as an NBA head coach.

And on July 20, 2015, Hammon walked her signature red high heels all over the Summer League Championship. Returning to San Antonio with a win and proof that ‘assistant coach’ isn’t her last stop on the NBA career train.

Pretty much everyone thinks she should become a head coach, especially considering many of her male counterparts haven’t played professionally themselves.

After 17 seasons in the NBA and two championships, Pau Gasol took to the Players Tribune to share his thoughts on Hammon as a head coach.

He noted, “I’m not saying she can coach almost at the level of the NBA’s male coaches. I’m saying: Becky Hammon can coach NBA basketball. Period.”

Gregg Popovich has also compared Hammon to the likes of Steve Kerr and Avery Johnson.

This is what makes Becky Hammon extremely important. Sure, she dominated in college, in the WNBA, and overseas, but that doesn’t mean much to the average critic.

Now, in a league where there are ONLY men, her accomplishments cannot be contested on the basis of gender.

She is the next step in young women being fully recognized as great athletes, coaches, and journalists rather than just great within the female category.

The point is, Becky Hammon is one of the best assistant coaches in the league and just happens to be female.

She may be the first NBA coach to wear red high heels instead of brown loafers, but she won’t be last.

It’s clear that Hammon is 100% ready and capable to coach an NBA team, the league just needs to catch up.

This star-studded list does not even begin to address the profound contribution of women of all ages to sports in America. It is past time to support pay equality for women in sports. Every little girl who dreams of reaching the podium, trains for a lifetime to do so, and entertains us along the way, should receive compensation equal to her male counterparts.