For eight years, the San Antonio Spurs coach celebrated
Gregg Popovich and Becky Hammon served as an assistant
. While observers’ comments often indicated that hiring a woman was “a bit of a gimmick,” the instructor vehemently disagreed, declaring the great ex-officer “fiery, she has a wit, and our comrades respected that.”
Hamon appreciates what Popovich taught her.
“Not skipping steps is most important, especially early in training camp.” She added, “The bigger point is to lay a great foundation of fundamentals and fundamentals and start with communication” — a topic I’ll discuss later.
The two covered many issues, and even clashed, and eventually “[s]Saying goodbye was obviously hard not only for myself but for Pop and [Spurs] organization.” However, it was a good time to leave. Hammon became head coach of the Las Vegas Aces and the first to win an inaugural year WNBA championship.
To help analyze Hammon’s success, I’m going to use provocation
Research based on 46 high-quality studies
The investigators found data that met their criteria for measuring the key factors that enhance career and performance among successful people across key industries. Factors include a superior leadership style, strong member support, competent team member communication, and, as investigators point out, they progress easily into top-level sports organizations. Recent articles about the 2022 Las Vegas Aces season feature Hammon’s contribution in these three areas.
What is clear about this coach’s leadership is that she is constantly engaged with the players, always striving to improve them. A year before joining the Aces, Hammon was in Las Vegas,
Find a moment to connect with Kelsey Plum
And passing some tips to the player about the offensive strategy that improved their game. She was grateful, saying that Hammon “was where we are, and that helps us.”
Another quality of leadership that this coach displays is his understanding that challenges inevitably come with the job. Al-Asala won 13 of their 15 matches, but lost five of the next seven. Hammon said, “There must have been some hiccups. We went out like a rocket and then hit some rough spots.” She considered the challenges useful, which led her to add the following:[t]Adversity will be more beneficial to us than a win-loss record in the future.”
As a commander, Hamon is difficult and difficult, but
He cares deeply about the players
. She said, “I adore this team. I love coaching them, hanging out with them, and interacting with them. It’s been a lot of work, but it’s really fun work.”
Not surprisingly, such a strong leader would appreciate the contribution of team members’ support. After the aces won the tournament,
Hammon complimented the players, noting the core of their appeal.
She exclaimed, “They care about each other. They invest in each other. It was an absolute honor to be their coach. I saw excellence and I wanted to be a part of it.”
A journalist concluded
“[t]The chemistry of this team stands above everything for me.”
Much of this was attributed to Hammon’s careful planning, which featured “the second-most efficient offense in league history” while in defense they compensated for limited height with “coverings to make small play sustainable”.
enhance their chemistry
Communication with the team, which Hammon believes is essential to success
. “The most important thing I wanted to do was just get to know them on a personal level,” she asserted. I approached them one by one – “Learn the nuances of each individual player and invest the time and sit down and talk to them and engage with them.” It became clear that “talent management is perhaps as difficult as parenting.”
The success of the Hammon-led Aces is an important development, one that fortunately developed as widespread interest in women’s sports grew and began to yield financial gains. For example, a professor of sports management pointed this out
Big companies like Michelob and Google are taking advantage of this expanding market
and increased WNBA revenue along with the league’s notoriety.
Nowadays I sometimes find myself fantasizing about women’s basketball in the 60’s. The prevailing view was that females had less stamina than males, and so the rules protected them, dividing the courts into offensive and defensive halves and preventing them from joining play until the ball had reached their area. Too often the athletes seemed to imitate the chess pieces, appearing aloof and projecting light years of ambition into anything resembling a dynamic modern contest.
It’s an exciting contradiction to live in an era when coaches like Becky Hammon lead talented players to achieve performances that increase game quality and entertainment value.
Chris Dobb is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Southern Connecticut State University and author of a variety of books involving sociology and sports.