Yes, the Spurs assistant made history Saturday when she became the first female head coach in the history of the NBA Summer League, but she wants everyone to look at the bigger picture.
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“I just think it’s important [for] society that women be rewarded for their brains just as much as any guy,” Hammon said after the game, per ESPN. “To me, it’s always about bigger picture. We want to make sure that when your wife or your daughter goes in for a job interview, she gets the same opportunity that a guy gets. I think that’s the bigger picture, that’s the bigger goal. Whether it’s basketball or in the Army or in CEOs or in operating rooms, we want women there.”
The Knicks — led by 19-year-old 7-footer Kristaps Porzingis, the team’s No. 1 pick this year — spoiled Hammon’s debut by defeating the Spurs, 78-73, in her team’s Las Vegas Summer League opener.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich made Hammon, 38, the first full-time female assistant coach in the history of major North American professional sports when he hired her last summer.
Saturday’s game, however, was different from her role on the Spurs bench last season.
“It’s a different role,” she said before Saturday’s game, according to the San Antonio Express-News. “You go from giving support and watching the details going on during the game to, you’re the one calling the timeout, you’re the one drawing up the plays, you’re the one the players get pissed at when they get yanked. It’s a step over.”
