Becky Hammon coaches San Antonio Spurs to NBA summer league title

Becky Hammon, the first woman to coach in the NBA summer league, can add another check mark to her list of career achievements.

The former WNBA star guided the San Antonio Spurs to the NBA Las Vegas Summer League title Monday with a 93-90 victory over the Phoenix Suns. Hammon, who became the NBA’s first full-time assistant coach under Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich last year, credited her players for making her first steps toward possibly becoming a head coach a success.

“It was a grind,” Hammon said. “They’ve been together for 17 days. They really started to jell the last two or three games. They listened and they played really hard for me. I just really appreciate their attentiveness and alertness. They were tired but they fought through.”

Like many winning coaches, Hammon received a congratulatory Gatorade shower during the team’s postgame locker room celebration. Jonathan Simmons, who earned summer league MVP honors following his 23-point performance against the Suns, described playing for Hammon as an “amazing” experience.

“I really love her and I’ve only known her a couple days,” Simmons said. “She’s a real cool coach. She’s a player coach. That’s something we all like.”

Hammon said she was pleased to be given an opportunity to showcase her coaching acumen on an NBA stage.

“You never know what your journey has in store,” Hammon told Sports Illustrated. “You just work hard and keep your nose to the grind. You do things the right way, you treat people the right way, and good things happen.

“I’m just thankful that [Popovich] trusted me with the guys in that locker room, and that those guys trusted me back.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.