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WNBA star Becky Hammon to join San Antonio Spurs coaching staff

Becky Hammon walks off the court following Game 5 of the NBA playoff series between the San Antonio Spurs and the Dallas Mavericks in San Antonio on April 30.
Becky Hammon walks off the court following Game 5 of the NBA playoff series between the San Antonio Spurs and the Dallas Mavericks in San Antonio on April 30.
(Eric Gay / Associated Press)
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Becky Hammon has played in the WNBA finals four times but never emerged with a ring.

Even with her San Antonio Silver Stars looking like a long shot at best to win it all this season, the retiring WNBA great still has a good chance to put a championship on her resume sooner rather than later.

But as a coach, not a player. And in the NBA, not the WNBA.

Hammon has been hired as an assistant coach for the NBA champion San Antonio Spurs, a team she spent some time with last season during their title run. She will become only the second woman to work as a coach in the NBA. Lisa Boyer, now an assistant at South Carolina, served on John Lucas’ staff in Cleveland in 2001-02.

“I very much look forward to the addition of Becky Hammon to our staff,” Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich said in a statement. “Having observed her working with our team this past season, I’m confident her basketball IQ, work ethic and interpersonal skills will be a great benefit to the Spurs.”

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A six-time WNBA all-star, Hammon is seventh in WNBA history in points (5,809), first in free-throw percentage (89.6%), second in three-pointers (824) fourth in assists (1,687) and sixth in games played (445). She also is first in turnovers, with 1,217.

She went to the finals with the New York Liberty in 1999, 2000 and 2002, and once more with the Silver Stars in 2008.

Twitter: @chewkiii

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