NBA: for the first time, a woman coached a team

LeBron James celebrated his 36th birthday on December 30 by winning in San Antonio with the Los Angeles Lakers (107-121).

By the way, the quadruple NBA champion broke a historic record: his 1000th game in a row with at least 10 points scored, doing better than Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

On the night of Wednesday to Thursday in Texas, the sportsman of the year for the Americans registered 26 points.

Yet the event of the match was not there.

During this game, and for the first in the history of the NBA - which has lasted for more than 70 years -, a woman coached only a team, that of the San Antonio Spurs, the former franchise of Tony Parker.

Her name: Becky Hammon.

She replaced the head coach of the Texan team, the legendary Gregg Popovich excluded for having criticized the referees a little too hard just before half-time: “Now they are yours!

The grizzled bearded man smiled as he left the bench to leave his assistant in charge.

pic.twitter.com/2wK5jwflKo

- San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) December 31, 2020

“I didn't particularly think about what that represented because it could be disturbing.

It's of course a big event, but I tried not to think about it, so as not to be overwhelmed by what I was going through.

I didn't have time to look at my messages.

I tried to place the players in the right places, to motivate them but of course, I would have preferred a victory, ”said the former playmaker after the match.

"It was really nice to hear him shout his instructions and give his players the game systems," said LeBron James.

She played in the Olympics with Russia

At 43, Becky Hammon, the one who will forever be the first, is no stranger in the world of the NBA.

Appointed to the Spurs staff in 2014 the year of the last franchise title, when Boris Diaw and Tony Parker still played there, she was the second female assistant in the NBA, after Lisa Boyer (Cleveland) in 2001-2002 and the first full-time, all US professional sports combined.

She was also already the first woman to coach an NBA team in the Summer League in 2015.

A former player, she participated twice in the Olympic Games in 2008 (bronze medalist) and 2012 under the colors of… Russia.

She has since been naturalized American: “It all started when I saw him play.

She was a leader, everyone on the team referred to her, she was very confident, very competitive and leading.

And when I got to know her we discovered her passion for the game, her innate understanding of what wins, what loses, what is essential to make a program.

She therefore has all the necessary tools to be an outstanding coach in our league, ”said Gregg Popovich, who will lead the American team at the Tokyo Olympics.