The WOman in the man cave
The San Antonio Spurs hired Becky
Hammon as an assistant coach, making her THE FIRST female assistant coach to be
hired full time in NBA history. This has opened the floodgates of opportunity
for other women in the sports market. This may be minute to men in the market,
but for a sport that is dominated by men, regulated by men, coached by men, and
reported by men; this is a significant step for progress. This is not to say
that women need to be included in every minor detail of sports, however, this
does grant us access to more than just the behind the scenes jobs as well as
the more feminine career paths.
You may be
wondering, “What is so special about her to make her qualified to be an
assistant coach in the NBA.” Hammond just completed her 16th season
playing in the WNBA, she was named one of the WBNA’s top 15 players of all
time, she was prolific scorer during the prime of her career, is a team player
and knows how to maintain her self on and off the court. At Colorado State, she
was a three-time All-American, however she went unpicked in the 1999 WNBA
draft. She continued to work hard and eventually signed with the New York
Liberty and later was traded to the San Antonio Stars were she flourished. Her
resilience, patience, dedication has landed her not only in the WNBA but also
in a historical position of assistant coach in the NBA.
Hammon is
an inspiration to all young women chasing dreams in a male dominated career. This
can be viewed as a woman entering into the “man cave”, she deserves to prove to
the world that she is capable of coaching a male team, but more importantly,
that women are capable of doing all that men are given the opportunity to.
Some may be asking “well, she
played in the WNBA, that’s completely different from coaching in the NBA”, while
this is true, Hammon has earned All-WNBA Team honors four times and was named a
WNBA All-Star six times—which proves that she has been successful at the
highest levels of basketball. She has a story of failure and disappointment
that can be utilized to uplift, encourage and assist any team she comes in
contact with.
Other NBA teams are playing
checkers while the Spurs are playing chess; this was an extraordinary move,
because it shows that the Spurs are ahead of the curve. This was a move in
favor of the entire franchise, not necessarily just the team or just the coach.
It’s a statement to the league that the Spurs are turning over a new leaf and
are open to change. They have been called—boring to watch, great old players,
who have a bland home court, basic uniforms and boring colors. After, defeating
the two-time defending champions Miami Heat they are ready to add more to their
reputation than just ordinary, safe, day-to-day remarks.
A stand for one is a stand for women.
Queen Tut
