There is a particular fusion of tension and chance, of anticipation and possibility, that comes with being a pioneer. Its demands constrict at times, even though it’s the dream, both in the immediate and the spectacular long view. It still continues, even now as Becky Hammon is in her seventh year on Gregg Popovich’s staff in San Antonio. Most recently, after Popovich got tossed from a game late in the second quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 30, he pointed to Hammon on his way out and said, “You got ’em.”
And that was that. She was the active head coach of an NBA team. In-bounds plays were hers to draw up, offensive sets were hers to call, defensive adjustments against LeBron James and Anthony Davis, already her forte with the Spurs, were going to be a mammoth task, as it is for any opposing staff. Afterward, James said as a player out on the court it was beautiful to hear Hammon patrolling the sidelines. Hammon, of course, wanted…
