By Adam Rittenberg | ESPN, 2025-05-03 07:43:00
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
印第安纳州南本德市——拉斯维加斯王牌队主教练贝基·哈蒙(Becky Hammon)曾是圣安东尼奥马刺队在格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)手下的助理教练，她表示自己对目前的角色感到满意，但并不排除未来重返NBA的可能性。
马刺队周五宣布，波波维奇将不再担任主教练，而是转任球队篮球运营总裁的全职角色。米奇·约翰逊(Mitch Johnson)曾在11月波波维奇轻微中风后担任代理主教练，现在正式接替马刺队主帅的位置。
哈蒙于2014年至2021年期间担任波波维奇的助教，并在周五晚王牌队与达拉斯队在圣母大学珀塞尔馆进行的首场季前赛中执教。2020年，波波维奇被驱逐出场后，哈蒙成为NBA历史上第一位担任代理主教练的女性。
尽管之前与马刺队有着密切的联系，但哈蒙在WNBA中感到非常满足。
“我对我现在的位置感到超级开心，”哈蒙说。“这个机会对我来说，我不能错过……我押注我自己，而不是可能在NBA中等待。我很高兴能回到女子篮球领域。你们都知道我对这支球队的热爱，以及能回到女子比赛是多么的激动。”
哈蒙现年48岁，在WNBA征战了16个赛季，其中最后8个赛季在圣安东尼奥度过。在星队从2014年季后赛中被淘汰后，她从WNBA退役并加入了波波维奇的教练组。她在2021年末加入了王牌队，并在2022年成为第一位带领球队获得WNBA总冠军的新秀教练，然后在2023年再次夺冠。哈蒙曾是2021年波特兰开拓者队主教练职位的候选人。她也是第一位担任NBA夏季联赛球队主教练的女性。
在执教王牌队的三个赛季中，哈蒙的战绩为87胜29负。
“如果我将来再次做出那样的跳跃，你知道它必须是合适的，时机合适，面对合适的人，拥有合适的团队，”哈蒙说。
哈蒙认为波波维奇是她成为主教练的“一个重要原因”，并在周五听到这个消息后给他发了短信。
“他就是我的导师，他实际上花了几千个小时与我相处，”她说。“看着他，我在那里待了八年。这是很多的比赛，很多的训练，很多的教练会议。所以是的，我的心里为他感到有点沉重，因为我知道他有多热爱它，但我相信他也会在这个角色中做得很好。”
点击查看原文：Aces' Hammon lauds Popovich, 'super happy' coaching in WNBA
Aces’ Hammon lauds Popovich, ‘super happy’ coaching in WNBA
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon, a former San Antonio Spurs assistant under Gregg Popovich, said she’s happy with her current role while not ruling out a future move back to the NBA.
The Spurs announced Friday that Popovich will no longer be head coach and is transitioning into the full-time role as the team’s president of basketball operations. Mitch Johnson, who served as acting head coach after Popovich had a mild stroke in November, takes over at the Spurs’ helm.
Hammon, who coached the Aces in their first preseason game Friday night against Dallas at Notre Dame’s Purcell Pavilion, was an assistant under Popovich from 2014 to 2021 and became the first woman to serve as an acting head coach in the NBA after Popovich was ejected from a 2020 game.
Despite her previous ties to the Spurs organization, Hammon is quite content in the WNBA.
“I’m super happy where I am,” Hammon said. “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, 48, spent 16 seasons playing in the WNBA, the last eight in San Antonio, and joined Popovich’s staff after she retired from the WNBA when the Stars were eliminated from the 2014 playoffs. She joined the Aces in late 2021 and became the first rookie coach to guide her team to a WNBA championship in 2022 and then won another title in 2023. Hammon was a candidate for the Portland Trail Blazers coaching vacancy in 2021. She also was the first woman to serve as head coach for an NBA summer league team.
Hammon is 87-29 in three seasons with the Aces.
“If I were to ever make that jump again, you know it just has to be the right fit, right time, in front of the right people, with the right team,” Hammon said.
Hammon credited Popovich for being “a huge reason” why she’s a head coach and texted him Friday after hearing the news.
“That’s who mentored me, that’s who spent literally thousands of hours with me,” she said. “Watching him, I was there eight years. It’s a lot of games, it’s a lot of practices, it’s a lot of coaches meetings. So yeah, my heart’s a little heavy for him because I know how much he loves it, but I’m sure he’ll crush this role just as much.”
By Adam Rittenberg | ESPN, via ESPN