Becky Hammon​

Before she became a historic coach in the NBA and a hugely successful head coach in the WNBA, Becky Hammon was an elite player. At Colorado State, she was outstanding. She was a three time All-American and was named the Colorado Sportswoman of the Year in 1998. Her senior year, she became the WAC’s all-time scorer for both men and women. She remains at the top of almost all the all-time lists for the Rams. She is also top 40 in points all-time in the NCAA. In 2004, Hammon was inducted into the Colorado State Sports Hall of Fame. The following year, she had her number 25 jersey retired by the school. ​

In the WNBA, Hammon’s success only furthered. In 1999, she signed with the New York Liberty, where she spent the next 8 seasons, three of which as a WNBA All-Star and in one of which she made the All-WNBA Second Team. In 2007, she was traded to the San Antonio Stars, where she earned the nickname “Big Shot Becky”. In her first year with the Stars, she led the league in assists. Over her 8 seasons in San Antonio, she made the All-Star team three times, made the All-First Team twice and the All-Second team once. Her number 25 was retired by the Stars in 2016. Hammon retired from the league in 2014.​

Shortly after retiring as a player, Hammon was hired by the San Antonio Spurs as an assistant coach, becoming the first woman to ever fill that role full-time. That year, she was named ESPNW’s Woman of the Year. She spent 8 years on the Spurs’ coaching staff, becoming the first woman head coach of the Summer League in 2015, which she won, the first woman to coach in the NBA All-Star Game in 2016 and the first woman acting head coach when Greg Popovich was ejected from a game in 2017. In 2021, she was hired as head coach of the Las Vegas Aces, where she has won two out of two WNBA Championships, the first head coach to do so in 20 years. In 2023, she was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for her contributions as a player and coach.​