In the eyes of most observers and analysts, current San Antonio Spurs assistant Becky Hammon will eventually become the first woman to serve as an NBA head coach. It wasn’t meant to be this time around for the 44-year-old, who first joined Gregg Popovich’s staff ahead of the 2014-15 season. She reportedly was a finalist for the Portland Trail Blazers gig, but they ultimately hired Chauncey Billups.
“There’s 30 jobs, and they are incredibly hard to get,” Hammon told the Associated Press (h/t ESPN) during a Tuesday phone interview. “When I say there are 30 jobs, not all 30 are available, so I’m really talking about three or four and they are really hard to get.”
Hammon added she wants to make history but only based on merit and, ultimately, because somebody has to be the first.
“Please don’t hire me to check a box,” she said. “That’s the worst thing you can do for me. Hire me because of my skill sets and coaching, who am I as a person, hire me for those.”
While speaking with CNBC’s Jabari Young in July, Hammon admitted knowing she was Portland’s second choice behind Billups for their opening.
“I knew I was second; I knew who they wanted,” she explained at that time. “And I’m OK with that, because every race I’ve gotten into my entire life, I’ve been behind, and I’m OK with that. And that’s just how it is — but at the same time, I’m not ignorant to what I’m going up against.”
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