Rebecca Lynn Hammon ( rus, links=no, Бекки Хэммон; born March 11, 1977) is an American-Russian professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

coach and former player who is the head coach of the Las Vegas Aces of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). She previously served as an assistant coach for the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues i ...

(NBA). A three-time All-American basketball player for the

Colorado State Rams The Colorado State Rams are the athletic teams that represent Colorado State University (CSU). Colorado State's athletic teams compete along with 8 other institutions in the Mountain West Conference, which is an NCAA Division I conference and s ...

, Hammon went on to play for the

San Antonio Stars The San Antonio Stars were a professional basketball team based in San Antonio, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded in Salt Lake City, Utah, as the Utah Starzz before the ...

and

New York Liberty The New York Liberty are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Liberty compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as part of the league's Eastern Conference. The team was ...

of the

Women's National Basketball Association The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is an American professional basketball league. It is composed of twelve teams, all based in the United States. The league was founded on April 22, 1996, as the women's counterpart to the Nati ...

(WNBA) and for several other teams outside the United States. Hammon, who was born and raised in the United States, became a

naturalized Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country. It may be done automatically by a statute, i.e., without any effort on the part of the in ...

Russian citizen Russian citizenship law details the conditions by which a person holds citizenship of Russia. The primary law governing citizenship requirements is the federal law "On Citizenship of the Russian Federation", which came into force on 1 July 2002. ...

in 2008 and represented the Russian national team in the

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

and

2012 Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

. Hammon was hired by the

as an assistant coach in 2014. She became the first Russian assistant coach and the second female assistant coach in NBA history.Becky Hammon was born to coach
Espn.go.com (August 5, 2014). Retrieved on 2016-05-20. Hammon is also the first Russian and first female full-time assistant coach in any of the four major professional sports in North America. Hammon served as the team's Summer League head coach in 2015; she is the first Russian and woman to be a head coach in that league.Becky Hammon to be first female head coach in summer league
Espn.go.com (July 3, 2015). Retrieved on 2016-05-20. On December 30, 2020, Hammon became the first Russian and woman acting head coach in NBA history after Spurs' head coach Gregg Popovich was ejected during a game against the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

. A year later in December 2021, she was hired by the Las Vegas Aces to be their head coach. Hammon previously played for the Aces from 2007 to 2014 when the team played in San Antonio and was known as the Stars, and has her number retired by the organization.

Early life and education

Rebecca Lynn Hammon was born in

Rapid City, South Dakota Rapid City ( lkt, link=no, Mni Lúzahaŋ Otȟúŋwahe; "Swift Water City") is the second most populous city in South Dakota and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek, where the settlement developed, it is in western S ...

. Hammon learned to dribble a basketball at a very young age, playing Nerf ball with her older brother and father, and continued to hone her skills on her home court. She was raised as a devout Christian. Hammon played basketball at Stevens High School in her hometown of

. As a junior, she was named South Dakota Miss Basketball. As a senior, she was voted the South Dakota Player of the Year after averaging 26 points, 4 rebounds and 5 steals per game. She graduated in 1995, and also was voted female class athlete by her graduating class. Despite the accolades, she drew little attention from college basketball recruiters, who considered her too small and too slow. She eventually grabbed the attention of a Colorado State assistant coach, and she committed to the Rams.

College career

Hammon's prolific scoring for the

made her an

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n three times, as well as Colorado Sportswoman of the Year. She led her team to a 33–3 record in the 1998–99 season and helped them advance to the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...

Tournament's Sweet Sixteen. She was named the WAC Mountain Division player of the year for the 1998–99 season and surpassed

University of Utah The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...

player Keith Van Horn as the WAC's all-time leading score

Hammon set many Colorado State all-time records, including points (2740), points per game (21.92), field goals made (918), free throws made (539), three-point field goals made (365) and assists (538). She received the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award from the

Women's Basketball Coaches Association The Women's Basketball Coaches Association is an association of coaches of women's basketball teams at all levels. The organization was formed in 1981, with the goal of addressing the needs of women's basketball coaches. The mission of the WBCA ...

as the best senior player under 5 ft 8 in (1.7 m) in 1999. On November 12, 2004, Hammon was inducted into the Colorado State University Sports Hall of Fame. On January 22, 2005, her number 25 Colorado State jersey was retired at

Moby Arena Moby Arena is an 8,745-seat basketball arena on the campus of Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. The arena, officially known as the Colorado State Auditorium-Gymnasium, was opened on January 24, 1966, with a victory over New Mex ...

Professional playing career

Undrafted during her rookie season, Hammon was signed to the WNBA on May 12, 1999 and joined the

. She had a solid rookie season statistically, backing up starting

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run the team's offense by ...

Teresa Weatherspoon Teresa Gaye Weatherspoon (born December 8, 1965) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who serves as assistant coach for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). She played for the New York ...

. Her aggressive play at both ends of the court made her a favorite among Liberty fans. After the 2003 season, Hammon took over for Weatherspoon as the Liberty's starting point guard and, with Vickie Johnson and

Crystal Robinson Crystal LaTresa Robinson (born January 22, 1974) is an American basketball coach and former player, who is currently an assistant coach for the Phoenix Mercury. She grew up in Atoka, Oklahoma, and first garnered national recognition during her col ...

, became one of the team's co-captains in 2004. In 2003, her first season with the Tennessee Fury of the

National Women's Basketball League The National Women's Basketball League, often abbreviated to the NWBL, was an organization governing professional basketball leagues for women in the United States. The league was founded in 1997 and began play in the Fall of that year. The league ...

(NWBL), Hammon led the league in scoring, averaging 20.6 points per game. In 2004, Hammon signed with the Colorado Chill, a new team in the NWBL, but played in only two games because of an

anterior cruciate ligament injury An anterior cruciate ligament injury occurs when the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is either stretched, partially torn, or completely torn. The most common injury is a complete tear. Symptoms include pain, an audible cracking sound during inju ...

in her right knee sustained in the 2003 season when playing for the Liberty. Primarily used to provide instant points off the bench, Hammon had a breakout WNBA season in 2003, providing much-needed offense for the Liberty. However, her season was cut short by a knee injury. On August 16, 2005, Hammon scored her 2,000th WNBA career point. At the end of the 2005 season, she was named to the All-WNBA Second Team. In January 2007, she played her WNBA "off season" with Rivas Futura in the Spanish League. On April 4, 2007, Hammon was traded to the WNBA's

San Antonio Silver Stars The San Antonio Stars were a professional basketball team based in San Antonio, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded in Salt Lake City, Utah, as the Utah Starzz before the ...

. Hammon posted career high averages of 18.8 ppg (fourth best) and 5.0 apg in 2007. She led the league in assists that year. While in San Antonio, Hammon earned the nickname "Big Shot Becky" because of her ability to make shots in important moments. Her nickname was derived from "Big Shot Bob", a nickname given to

forward

Robert Horry Robert Keith Horry (; born August 25, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player and current sports commentator. He played 16 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning seven championships, the most of any pla ...

Becky Hammon at 2 August 2015 game cropped

In 2008, Hammon averaged 17.6 ppg, and 4.9 apg as she led the Silver Stars to a WNBA best record 24–10 and led them into the playoffs for a second straight year. In the conference semi-finals, Hammon scored 30 points in a Game 1 win against the Sacramento Monarchs. San Antonio would eventually win the series and advance to the Western Conference Finals. Following a loss in Game 1 and a win in Game 2, Hammon's 35 points propelled the Silver Stars to a victory in Game 3 against the Los Angeles Sparks. The Silver Stars advanced to the

2008 WNBA Finals The 2008 WNBA Finals was the championship series of the 2008 WNBA season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Detroit Shock, top-seeded champions of the Eastern Conference, defeated the San Antonio Silver Stars, top-seeded cham ...

, where they were defeated by the Detroit Shock 3–0. Hammon averaged a career-high 19.5 ppg and 5.0 apg in the 2009 WNBA season. The Silver Stars had a record of 15–19 and lost to the eventual champion Phoenix Mercury in the first round. Hammon was an All-Star as well as a first-team All-WNBA selection. On August 31, 2011, Hammon became the seventh player in WNBA history to score 5,000 points. Later in the year, Hammon scored 37 points in a playoff-clinching win against the Los Angeles Sparks. Hammon retired from the WNBA in 2014. She is a six-time WNBA All-Star. On August 2, 2015, Hammon was inducted into the Ring of Honor during halftime of the game between the New York Liberty and the

Seattle Storm The Seattle Storm are an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The Storm competes in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was founded by Ginger Ackerl ...

. The Ring of Honor recognizes players who have "made the most significant contributions to the Liberty's tradition of excellence and to the growth of the WNBA." Previous inductees include Vickie Johnson,

Rebecca Lobo Rebecca Rose Lobo-Rushin (born October 6, 1973) is an American television basketball analyst and former women's basketball player in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) from 1997 to 2003. Lobo, at 6'4", played the center position ...

, Sue Wicks, and Kym Hampton. On June 25, 2016, the San Antonio Stars retired Hammon's No. 25 jersey prior to the Atlanta Dream game.

Coaching career

Hammon had long expressed aspirations of becoming a coach after her playing career ended. On July 13, 2013, Hammon tore her left

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are also called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formati ...

in a game against the

Los Angeles Sparks The Los Angeles Sparks (LA Sparks) are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Sparks compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was fou ...

. During her year-long rehabilitation, Hammon attended the NBA's

' practices, coaches' meetings, and games, where she was frequently invited to contribute opinions. On August 5, 2014, Hammon was hired as an assistant coach for the Spurs, becoming the second female coach in NBA history,Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst
"Becky Hammon Hired to Spurs' Staff"
ESPN.com, August 5, 2014. after Lisa Boyer worked as a volunteer assistant with the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central ...

and John Lucas in 2001. Hammon's contribution to the staff made an impression on head coach Gregg Popovich. In a media statement released at the time of the hiring announcement, Popovich stated: "I very much look forward to the addition of Becky Hammon to our staff. Having observed her working with our team this past season, I'm confident her basketball IQ, work ethic, and interpersonal skills will be a great benefit to the Spurs." Hammon has also earned the respect of many NBA players throughout the league. One of basketball's most prolific scorers,

Pau Gasol Pau Gasol Sáez (, ; born July 6, 1980) is a Spanish former professional basketball player. He was a six-time NBA All-Star and a four-time All-NBA team selection, twice on the second team and twice on the third team. Gasol won two NBA champion ...

wrote an open letter about female coaches with an emphasis on Hammon; he said, "I’ve played with some of the best players of this generation … and I’ve played under two of the sharpest minds in the history of sports, in Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich. And I’m telling you: Becky Hammon can coach. I’m not saying she can coach pretty well. I’m not saying she can coach enough to get by. 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." Hammon has been inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame and has been selected as ESPNW's Woman of the Year. On July 3, 2015, Hammon became the first-ever female head coach in the NBA's Summer League when the Spurs announced she would coach their summer league team. Hammon led the Spurs to the Las Vegas Summer League title on July 20, 2015, becoming the first female NBA head coach to win a Summer League title. At the 2016 NBA All-Star Game, Hammon became the first woman to be part of an All-Star coaching staff. On June 2, 2017, Hammon was interviewed for the position of general manager of the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 196 ...

; she was not considered as a finalist for the position. During her seventh season with the

, on December 30, 2020, Gregg Popovich was ejected in the second quarter of the Spurs' 121–107 loss to the

, and Hammon became the first female acting head coach in NBA history. Hammon was hired as the head coach for the Las Vegas Aces in December 2021. The Aces won the 2022 WNBA Finals and Hammon became the first rookie head coach to win the WNBA Title.

Coaching record

, -style="background:#FDE910;" , style="text-align:left;" , LVA , style="text-align:left;" , 2022 , 36 , , 26 , , 10 , , , , style="text-align:center;" , 1st in Western , , 10 , , 8 , , 2 , , , style="text-align:center;", Won

WNBA Championship The WNBA Finals are the championship series of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the conclusion of the league's postseason each fall. The series was named the WNBA Championship until 2002. Starting 2016 Verizon is the officia ...

, - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 36 , , 26 , , 10 , , , , , , 10 , , 8 , , 2 , , , ,

WNBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;",

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

, style="text-align:left;",

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, 30 , , 1 , , 6.7 , , .422 , , .289 , , .882 , , .6 , , .6 , , .2 , , .0 , , .8 , , 2.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2000 , style="text-align:left;",

, 32 , , 16 , , 26.1 , , .472 , , .369 , , .884 , , 2.0 , , 1.8 , , .9 , , .0 , , 1.9 , , 12.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanist ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 32 , , 0 , , 19.3 , , .457 , , .378 , , .784 , , 1.6 , , 1.6 , , .8 , , .0 , , 1.5 , , 8.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 32 , , 1 , , 20.6 , , .442 , , .386 , , .679 , , 2.1 , , 1.7 , , .8 , , .0 , , 1.7 , , 8.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 11 , , 2 , , 23.4 , , .575 , , style="background:#D3D3D3;", .469° , , style="background:#D3D3D3;", .951° , , 1.9 , , 1.6 , , .9 , , .1 , , 2.4 , , 14.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 34 , , 33.2 , , .432 , , .335 , , .836 , , 3.5 , , 4.4 , , 1.7 , , .1 , , 3.4 , , 13.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; " Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discover ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 34 , , 34.7 , , .432 , , .365 , , style="background:#D3D3D3;", .901° , , 3.4 , , 4.3 , , 1.8 , , .1 , , 3.1 , , 13.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro votes to declare independence from Serbia; The 2006 ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 22 , , 20 , , 30.8 , , .425 , , .343 , , style="background:#D3D3D3;", .960° , , 3.0 , , 3.7 , , 1.3 , , .1 , , 2.9 , , 14.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple Inc., Apple's first iPhone (1st generation), iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakis ...

, style="text-align:left;",

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_ ...

, 28 , , 26 , , 33.4 , , .445 , , .404 , , style="background:#D3D3D3;", .931° , , 2.8 , , style="background:#D3D3D3;", 5.0° , , .8 , , .2 , , 4.0 , , 18.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

, 33 , , 33 , , 33.4 , , .390 , , .350 , , .937 , , 2.8 , , 4.9 , , 1.3 , , .2 , , 3.1 , , 17.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; Protests ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 31 , , 31 , , 33.8 , , .447 , , .369 , , .901 , , 3.3 , , 5.0 , , 1.6 , , .4 , , 3.5 , , 19.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 32 , , 32 , , 33.6 , , .442 , , .390 , , style="background:#D3D3D3;", .960° , , 2.9 , , 5.4 , , 1.1 , , .2 , , 3.3 , , 15.1 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrates ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 33 , , 33 , , 31.8 , , .440 , , .389 , , .892 , , 2.9 , , 5.8 , , 1.5 , , .2 , , 3.6 , , 15.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 33 , , 33 , , 30.2 , , .441 , , .435 , , .876 , , 2.5 , , 5.3 , , .9 , , .2 , , 3.2 , , 14.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 1 , , 1 , , 12.0 , , .333 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 3.0 , , 2.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 32 , , 32 , , 24.5 , , .417 , , .398 , , style="background:#E0CEF2;", 1.000 , , 1.4 , , 4.2 , , .4 , , .1 , , 1.6 , , 9.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 450 , , 329 , , 27.9 , , .438 , , .378 , , .897 , , 2.5 , , 3.8 , , 1.1 , , .1 , , 2.7 , , 13.9

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

, 6 , , 0 , , 8.3 , , .167 , , .222 , , 1.000 , , .2 , , .8 , , .0 , , .0 , , 1.0 , , 2.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2000 , style="text-align:left;",

, 7 , , 7 , , 29.4 , , .429 , , .304 , , .895 , , 1.4 , , 2.1 , , 1.3 , , .0 , , 2.4 , , 9.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

, 6 , , 0 , , 8.0 , , .353 , , .300 , , .000 , , .5 , , .3 , , .2 , , .0 , , .5 , , 2.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

, 8 , , 0 , , 22.9 , , .537 , , .424 , , .875 , , 2.1 , , 2.0 , , .6 , , .0 , , 1.3 , , 9.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , 5 , , 35.6 , , .392 , , .333 , , .400 , , 2.6 , , 3.4 , , 1.2 , , .0 , , 3.8 , , 10.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

, 2 , , 2 , , 38.0 , , .450 , , .286 , , 1.000 , , 3.5 , , 2.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 5.0 , , 11.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , 5 , , 35.0 , , .413 , , .444 , , .800 , , 2.8 , , 5.0 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , 3.2 , , 20.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

, 9 , , 9 , , 36.8 , , .421 , , .458 , , .895 , , 2.3 , , 4.6 , , 1.0 , , 0.6 , , 3.4 , , 18.1 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

, 3 , , 3 , , 33.7 , , .463 , , .381 , , .900 , , 2.7 , , 2.0 , , 1.7 , , .0 , , 2.3 , , 18.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

, 2 , , 2 , , 37.0 , , .393 , , .389 , , 1.000 , , 3.5 , , 5.5 , , .5 , , .0 , , 4.0 , , 20.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

, 3 , , 3 , , 34.7 , , .350 , , .391 , , .857 , , 2.7 , , 4.3 , , 1.7 , , .7 , , 3.0 , , 16.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

, 2 , , 2 , , 35.0 , , .500 , , .364 , , 1.000 , , 3.0 , , 4.5 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , 3.5 , , 17.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

, 2 , , 2 , , 28.5 , , .526 , , .500 , , 1.000 , , 3.5 , , 4.5 , , 1.5 , , .0 , , 2.5 , , 14.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 60 , , 40 , , 27.5 , , .426 , , .390 , , .889 , , 2.0 , , 2.9 , , .9 , , .1 , , 2.4 , , 12.0

National team career

United States

Hammon was named to the team representing the United States at the 1998 William Jones Cup competition in

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...

. The U.S. team, coached by

Nell Fortner Nell Fortner (born March 3, 1959) is the current women's college basketball coach at Georgia Tech. She is most well known for leading the 2000 Olympics team to a gold medal. She has received numerous awards including the 1997 National Coach of th ...

, won all five games, earning the gold medal for the competition. Hammon scored 18 points over the five games."1998 Women's R. William Jones Cup,"
USA Basketball, August 3, 2014.

Russia

In 2008, after learning that she would not be invited to try out for the U.S. national team, Hammon announced she would try to claim a roster slot on the Russian national team in the

2008 Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Nati ...

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the Capital city, capital of the China, People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's Li ...

. Hammon became a Russian citizen in 2008. The coach of Russia's team, Igor Grudin, was also the sports director of the CSKA team that Hammon played for in Moscow during the WNBA off-season. Hammon also signed a three-year extension with CSKA Moscow at around the same time she was named as a prospect for the national team. Hammon's decision to play for Russia was controversial in American basketball. In some circles she was branded an American traitor, with then-U.S. national coach

Anne Donovan Anne Theresa Donovan (November 1, 1961 – June 13, 2018) was an American women's basketball player and coach. From 2013 to 2015, she was the head coach of the Connecticut Sun. In her playing career, Donovan won a national championship with Ol ...

questioning her patriotism. "If you play in this country, live in this country, and you grow up in the heartland and you put on a Russian uniform, you are not a patriotic person in my mind," Donovan said. Hammon responded to Donovan's criticism saying, "You don't know me. You don't know what that flag means to me. You don't know how I grew up. The biggest honor in our classroom was who could put up the (American) flag, roll it up right, not let the corners touch the ground. Obviously we definitely define patriotism differently." She has also stated. "I love my country. I love our national anthem. It absolutely gives me chills sometimes. I feel honored to be an American, to be from America because of what we stand for." Hammon said she played for Russia primarily to play on the Olympic stage, and it was not a purely financial decision. However, by obtaining

Russian citizenship Russian citizenship law details the conditions by which a person holds citizenship of Russia. The primary law governing citizenship requirements is the federal law "On Citizenship of the Russian Federation", which came into force on 1 July 2002. ...

, her salary with CSKA tripled, and she was eligible to make $250,000 for winning a gold medal for Russia from the government. She would have received a $150,000 bonus for winning a silver medal. Since then, Anne Donovan changed her position, stating "I don't know that I have any strong thoughts on ecky Hammon joining the Russian national teamanymore. Even at the time. I've known marathon runners in particular that I've watched over the years have represented other countries. I've watched other athletes do it." She also said:

The thing that took me off guard with Becky was that it hasn't happened in women's basketball before. And again, the that: that we didn't ask her to participate, that we didn't ask her to try out for our team, that's really what I had the most issue with. Becky made a great business decision and this was a great opportunity for her to get to the Olympic Games. I hold no grudge and more power to her. But the it when it first came out were not accurate. Becky came, had a great experience; I'm glad we're going to the gold medal game.

Hammon shot 1-for-6 from the field in a 67–52 loss to the United States in the 2008 Olympic Semifinals, but helped the Russian team to win the bronze medal by scoring 22 points against China. She played for Russia at EuroBasket 2009, the 2010 World Championship and the

Popular culture

Hammon was shown in ''Marie Claire'' magazine's "The 8 Greatest Moments for Women in Sports".

References

External links

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hammon, Becky 1977 births Living people All-American college women's basketball players Russian women's basketball players American women's basketball players American Christians American emigrants to Russia American women's basketball coaches Basketball coaches from South Dakota Basketball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 2012 Summer Olympics Basketball players from South Dakota Basketball players with retired numbers Colorado State Rams women's basketball players Las Vegas Aces coaches LGBT basketball players LGBT people from South Dakota Lesbian sportswomen Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Naturalised citizens of Russia New York Liberty players Olympic basketball players of Russia Olympic bronze medalists for Russia Olympic medalists in basketball Point guards Russian basketball coaches Russian Christians Russian people of American descent San Antonio Spurs assistant coaches San Antonio Stars players Sportspeople from Rapid City, South Dakota Undrafted Women's National Basketball Association players Women's National Basketball Association All-Stars Women's National Basketball Association championship-winning head coaches

Early life and education

College career

Professional playing career

Coaching career

Coaching record

WNBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

National team career

United States

Russia

Popular culture

See also

References

External links