Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon says her ‘heart’s a little heavy’ for Gregg Popovich, who officially stepped down as the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs after 29 seasons.
“My heart’s a little heavy for him because I know how much he loves it,” Hammon said on Friday ahead of the Aces’ preseason matchup against the Dallas Wings. She said Popovich, who will transition into the role of the Spurs’ president of basketball operations, is ‘one of the greatest to do it. Arguably, the greatest to do it.”
Hammon said she texted Popovich following the news, telling her 76-year-old mentor that she’s ‘thinking about him and love(s) him’ because she’s sure it was ‘a heavy, heavy decision for him’ to step away. Hammon said she has no doubt that Popovich will ‘crush this new role just as much.’
‘I know he’ll still be running around that facility and be heavily involved with the everyday decisions. He will always be the most competitive person in the building, whatever building he’s in,’ Hammon said. ‘That part doesn’t change just because you get a little bit older.’
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Hammon got her start in coaching after Popovich hired her as an assistant coach in August 2014, making her only the second female coach in NBA history. Hammon coached the Spurs to a Summer League title in 2015, the first woman to do so. When Popovich was ejected in the second quarter of the Spurs’ loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 30, 2020, Hammon became the first female acting head coach in league history.
Hammon interviewed for the Milwaukee Bucks’ general manager position in 2017 and the Portland Trail Blazers’ head coaching vacancy in 2021, before accepting the Las Vegas Aces’ head coaching job in December 2021.
“He’s a huge reason why I got this job,” said Hammon, who won back-to-back WNBA titles in 2022 and 2023 and is 87-29 in three seasons as the head coach of the Aces. ‘That’s who mentored me. That’s who spent literally thousands of hours with me.’
Hammon said Popovich’s leadership always stood out to her during the eight years she spent on his staff.
‘I think what was always so amazing about Pop was how he led,’ she said. ‘People have different leadership styles, but I thought he got the absolute most out of his roster. Whatever his roster looked like. Turns out, he had some really good players.’
After news of Popovich stepping down hit the airwaves, many sports reporters endorsed Hammon as his successor and recommended she be named the Spurs’ next head coach to continue his legacy. The job is going to Mitch Johnson, who has served as the interim head coach since Popovich suffered a mild stroke on Nov. 2.
Hammon said she’s ‘super happy where I’m at.’
‘This opportunity for me, I couldn’t pass on it. … I bet on myself instead of, maybe waiting it out for a maybe (in the NBA). I’ve enjoyed being back on the women’s side. You guys know I’m effusive about my love for this team and being back in the women’s game,’ Hammon said. ‘If I were to ever make that jump again, it would just have to be the right fit, right time and for the right people with the right team.’
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