The Crossover

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In hoop (slang for basketball, girls) terminology, ‘taking someone on a crossover move’ would describe dribbling hard to one side with a juke, then explosively crossing over with a dribble the other way, thereby blowing by the defender to score or get an assist.

In our terms and for the context of this blog, our heroine’s strong ‘crossover’ move represents something VERY different. Meet the NBA San Antonio Spurs (men’s Professional League) first and only full-time female assistant coach, Becky Hammons, formerly a WNBA (women’s Professional League) star player for the San Antonio Stars. Now that’s an unprecedented ‘crossover’ move, and to this point, wildly innovative considering our typical Cro-Magnon mentality toward women entering into men’s professional sports coaching circles.

The Real Deal

Becky first connected with Gregg Popovich, head coach for the San Antonio Spurs, sitting next to him on a flight back from the 2012 London Olympics, where she played ball for team Russia. Needless to say, she made a great first impression on Pop (Gregg’s nickname). They actually spoke of several topics much worldlier that basketball, including politics, wine and the history and culture of Russia, where Hammons had played professionally during the W.N.B.A. off-season.

The conversation did eventually make a ‘round about back to the game they both loved, basketball, prompting Pop to initiate, as Hammons recalls, this brief Q and A:

Pop: “So if you were an assistant for me and I asked you something, you’d tell me the truth?”                                                                         
Becky: “I don’t know why else you’d ask if you didn’t want me to tell the truth.”
Pop: “Good, I don’t want a bunch of ‘yes men’.”

Two things are of interest here. One Pop used ‘yes men’, a fascinating Freudian slip; and, two, this verbal miscue foreshadows some revolutionary events to come.

Our story picks up again after Becky suffered a serious knee injury in-season 2013, tearing her anterior cruciate ligament to be specific. Unbeknownst to her, this season ending injury was indeed fortuitous, if the end result is considered carefully.

While rehabbing her knee, she spent the 2013-14 season as a coaching intern with the Spurs as they won their fifth title. When Pop asked her opinion, true to form, she did not hesitate to give it.

With her playing career fading to black, Becky made it known to Pop that she had ambitions to coach full-time. Popovich, possessing a diverse and global view of basketball, was intrigued to say the least, but knew hiring a female like Hammons just for the sake of doing it would set the process back irreparably. They both knew she had to be qualified, capable and the right fit for the job, regardless of her sex. 

Last week, as the Spurs hired Becky Hammon, Pop’s statement never mentioned she was a woman. He said instead that, “Having observed her working with our team this past season, I’m confident her basketball I.Q., work ethic and interpersonal skills will be a great benefit to the Spurs.”

Look Better, Feel Better, Live Better
The women warriors we highlight sometimes in our weekly installments here are true heroes and role models. They simply don’t want the rules changed for them in order to succeed. They want to compete on a level playing field, without favors based on gender or to the contrary, sexist limitations. Just give them a level field and a fair shot. Read on and watch the history of winners repeat itself.

Becky was not even drafted by the W.N.B.A. out of college, but she made herself into a six-time All-Star. She was ignored by USA Basketball, so she became a dual citizen and played twice in the Olympics for Russia. And Hammons was warned as a young girl by her dad that she could not hope to compete in the professional basketball ranks but she now joins the N.B.A as a full-time coach. Win, win, and win! Remember...

         “Winners never quit and quitters never win.”\

PS: What do you think about Becky’s epic “crossover” move? Hip us!