The NBA’s glass ceiling has a crack in it now as history has been made with the official hiring of the NBA’s first female assistant coach. Up until now there has never been a female to coach in the NBA, but a step was taken in that direction recently when Natalie Nakase was hired as an assistant for the Los Angeles Clipper’s Summer League team. WNBA great Becky Hammon (named in the Top 15 WNBA players of all time), will retire after this season with the San Antonio Silver Stars after 15 years in the league and join the San Antonio Spurs staff for the 2014-15 season.
Despite the controversy that is sure to come from male chauvinists who don’t feel that a woman is qualified to coach a male professional team, the truth of the matter is that the NBA and the San Antonio Spurs feel that she is. Head Coach Gregg Popovich had this to say in a statement about Hammon, “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.” This is a huge compliment coming from a coach with 5 NBA championships and the most consecutive winning seasons of any NBA coach. Congratulations to Becky Hammon, and kudos to the San Antonio Spurs for giving her a shot. Click here to read more.
