If you’ve ever sat courtside or yelled at your TV during a high-stakes playoff game, you know that coaching isn’t just about drawing squiggles on a whiteboard. It’s about presence. And honestly, nobody in the modern era of basketball has a presence quite like Becky Hammon. She’s got this vibe—sorta gritty, totally unapologetic—that has turned every locker room she enters into a winning one.
When people search for Becky Hammon teams coached, they usually expect a long laundry list of stops. But the reality is actually way more interesting. She didn't hop around from team to team for twenty years to find her footing. Instead, she spent nearly a decade in the most intense "coaching lab" on the planet before basically breaking the WNBA record books.
Let’s look at the actual stops on her journey. It’s a short list, but man, it’s heavy.
The San Antonio Spurs (2014–2021)
This is where the legend started. Most people know she was the first woman to be a full-time assistant coach in the NBA. But what's often overlooked is that she wasn't just a "diversity hire" or a figurehead. Gregg Popovich—the guy who isn't exactly known for suffering fools—brought her on because she was essentially a basketball genius.
She spent eight seasons in San Antonio. Think about that for a second. In NBA years, that’s an eternity. While she was there, she did things no woman had ever done:
- She coached the Spurs' Summer League team to a championship in 2015.
- She became the first woman to be part of an All-Star coaching staff.
- In December 2020, she took over the reins during a game against the Lakers after Pop got ejected, becoming the first woman to serve as an acting head coach in a regular-season NBA game.
It wasn't always easy. There were rumors and whispers. Fans and pundits would constantly ask, "When is she going to get the big job?" She interviewed for a bunch of them—the Bucks, the Blazers, you name it. But for whatever reason, the NBA front offices kept overthinking it. They missed out. Their loss was the WNBA's massive, massive gain.
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The Las Vegas Aces (2022–Present)
Basically, Becky Hammon got tired of waiting for the NBA to stop being weird about her gender and decided to go where she was wanted. On December 31, 2021, the Las Vegas Aces announced they’d hired her.
What happened next was kind of ridiculous.
Usually, when a new coach takes over, there’s a "rebuilding" period. Not for Becky. In her very first year (2022), she led the Aces to their first-ever WNBA Championship. She won Coach of the Year. She won the Commissioner’s Cup. It was like she walked into the building and the winning just started happening.
But she wasn't done.
In 2023, she did it again. Back-to-back titles. Then, in 2025, she cemented the Aces as a true-blue dynasty by winning her third championship in four years. That put her in the stratosphere of legendary coaches like Cheryl Reeve and Van Chancellor.
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The "Almost" Teams and the Controversy
When you look at Becky Hammon teams coached, you have to mention the teams she didn't coach, too. There was that whole Portland Trail Blazers saga where it seemed like she was the frontrunner, but then things got messy in the media. Some people claimed the "intel" from San Antonio wasn't great; others said that was just a hit piece to justify not hiring her.
And then there's the Russia thing. People get this confused all the time. Becky Hammon never coached the Russian national team. She played for them in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics because USA Basketball didn't give her a look. It was a business move and a way to live her Olympic dream. It caused a huge stir at the time, but if you look at it through the lens of a professional athlete’s career, it makes total sense. She was chasing the highest level of competition.
Why Her Style Actually Works
So, why does she keep winning? If you ask players like A'ja Wilson, they'll tell you it's about the "buy-in."
Hammon is incredibly blunt. She’s got that San Antonio "Pop" DNA where she doesn't sugarcoat things, but she also has this deep, empathetic connection with her players. She’s a "player's coach" who also happens to be a tactical master.
She changed the way the Aces played. They became faster, more aggressive, and more cohesive. She took a team that had all the talent in the world but couldn't quite get over the hump and turned them into the most feared squad in the league.
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What’s Next for Becky?
The question of whether she'll ever go back to the NBA is always looming. Honestly? She might not want to. She’s making over $1 million a year—the first WNBA coach to do so—and she’s winning rings like they’re party favors. Why would you leave a dynasty to go take over a struggling NBA team that might fire you in two years because the owner is impatient?
If you’re looking to follow her path or learn from her success, here are some actionable takeaways:
- Don't wait for permission. Becky didn't wait for an NBA head coaching job to "prove" she was elite; she went and dominated the WNBA to show them what they were missing.
- Culture over everything. Success in Las Vegas didn't happen because of a single play; it happened because she held every player, from the MVP to the 12th woman, to the same standard of accountability.
- Master the "in-between." Her time in San Antonio shows that being a great "No. 2" is often the best preparation for being a "No. 1."
Becky Hammon's list of coached teams might be short, but it's one of the most impactful resumes in the history of the sport. Whether she stays in Vegas for another decade or eventually takes over an NBA bench, her legacy is already set. She didn't just break the glass ceiling; she shattered it and used the shards to build a trophy case.
To keep track of her current standing, keep an eye on the WNBA standings this season. The Aces are always the team to beat as long as she's holding the clipboard. You can also follow the official Las Vegas Aces team site for real-time updates on her coaching record and upcoming milestones.