Becky Hammon
She broke the NBA's glass ceiling, becoming the first woman to serve as a full-time assistant coach and later leading a WNBA team to a championship.
Born 1977 (age 49)·American basketball player and coach·Birthday: March 11·Generation X
Biography
Becky Hammon’s story is one of relentless vision. A standout point guard from South Dakota, she carved out a remarkable 16-year playing career, primarily with the New York Liberty and San Antonio Stars, known for her clutch shooting and high basketball IQ. Undrafted, she became a six-time WNBA All-Star. Her true revolution began in 2014 when San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, impressed by her mind for the game, hired her as an assistant, making her the first full-time female coach in NBA history. For eight seasons, she was a respected tactician in the Spurs' system, even serving as head coach during a Summer League championship run. In 2022, she returned to the WNBA as head coach of the Las Vegas Aces and immediately stamped her authority, leading the team to a title in her first season, proving her strategic prowess was transferable and dominant.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Becky was born in 1977, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Becky Was Born
The biggest hits of 1977
#1 Movie
Star Wars
Best Picture
Annie Hall
#1 TV Show
Happy Days
Becky's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1977Born
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1982Started school
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1990Became a teenager
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1993Could drive
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
1995Could vote
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
1998Turned 21
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2007Turned 30
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 40
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 49 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Became the first full-time female assistant coach in NBA history with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014.
- Led the Las Vegas Aces to the WNBA championship in her first season as head coach in 2022.
- Earned six WNBA All-Star selections during her playing career, despite going undrafted in 1999.
- Became the first woman to act as head coach during an NBA Summer League, winning the 2015 Las Vegas Summer League title.
Did You Know?
She became a naturalized Russian citizen to play for the Russian national team in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, winning bronze in Beijing.
In 2020, she was reportedly a finalist for the Milwaukee Bucks' head coaching position.
She wore number 25 throughout her WNBA career as a tribute to her childhood idol, former NBA player and coach Greg Ballard.
““I don’t want to be hired because I’m a woman. I want to be hired because I’m qualified.””
