Becky Hammon will be the first head coach in WNBA history to earn $ 1 million in annual salary. According to Sam Gordon of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Las Vegas Aces owner Mark Davis confirmed the news.
Following the launch of Dave Ziegler and Josh McDaniels, owner Mark Davis, who also owns the Aces, confirmed that new coach Becky Hammon will be the first WNBA coach to exceed $ 1 million in annual salary: pic.twitter.com/bT8ZfnuEZ6
– Sam Gordon (@BySamGordon) 31 January 2022
“Girls, guys, anyone can look at her and say, ‘She’s just like me. A small basketball player who retired and she got the job, and she earned a million dollars. I can do that too. ‘ “It was very important to me to bring in that kind of value,” Davis said on Monday.
Hammon has spent the past eight years as an assistant under San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, where she led the Spurs to a 2015 Summer League title. The 44-year-old coach who became a point guard has interviewed for numerous high-profile positions as head coach and general manager in the NBA, but was never appointed. Hammon believes leading the Aces will be the opportunity she needs to prove she can succeed away from the Spurs.
“I sat in a lot [NBA] head coaching interviews. “Two things people always said, ‘You were just in San Antonio, and you’ve never been a head coach,'” Hamon ESPN in early January.
She added: “I feel I am ready to have my own team. And it’s the organization that made it very, very clear that they really, really wanted me. And that’s why it’s always good to be wanted. ”
Hammon is take over for Bill Laimbeer after former Bad Boy Detroit Piston stepped down as head coach after leading the Aces to a 77-45 regular season record, three conference finals and an appearance in the 2020 WNBA final where they lost to Seatle Storm .
The main task for Hammon will be to re-sign Liz Cambage and lead an Aces list built around 2020 MVP A’ja Wilson. Las Vegas kicks off their season on May 6 when they encounter Phoenix Mercury on the road.
