Hammon came on the scene with 3:56 remaining in the second quarter in the Spurs’ game against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers ended up winning the game 121-107.
“Obviously, it’s a big deal. It’s a substantial time,” Hammon told reporters. “I was part of this organization. I was traded here in 2007 (when I was at WNBA), so I was in San Antonio and I was part of Spurs and the sports organization with the stars and everything for 13 years. So I invested a lot of time, and they they invested a lot of time in me to build myself and make me better.
“Honestly, at the time, I was just trying to win the game. I say that a lot, but I try not to think about the big picture and its huge aspect because it can be overwhelming. It’s my job to come in to be focused on these guys and make sure that I am helping them to do the things that will help us win.
“I really didn’t have time to reflect. I didn’t look at my phone, so I have no idea what’s going on outside AT&T Center tonight.”
Hammon said that she did not enter the arena thinking she would be put in the role of head coach, “but this is how things happen and you roll with that,” she said. “I would have liked a different result. Overall, I would have loved a victory tonight more than anything.”
Popovich will be credited as the head coach in official statistics, but it was a historic moment. As for how Hammon found out that she would take Popovich’s place? “He officially pointed at me,” she said. “That was it. He said, ‘You got it’.”
Hammon, six times a WNBA All-Star in her 16-year career as a player, was the first full-time technical assistant in NBA history when hired by Spurs in 2014. Previously, she served as Spurs’ head coach during the summer League , which is carried out during the off-season.
Hammon is again nominated for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, for the class of 2021. Before Wednesday’s game, Popovich was asked about this, as well as his thoughts on Hammon’s playing days and his career of coach.
“Obviously, I think a lot about her skills for signing her. It all started when I saw her play,” said Popovich.
“She was a leader, everyone on the team reacted to her, she was very confident, very competitive and led the entire show. And when I met her and she was at our coach meetings before she was hired, while she was injured for a season, we discovered her way of playing, her innate understanding of what wins, what loses, what has to be there to make a program.
“So she has all the tools she needs to be an excellent coach in our league.”
Spurs guard Dejounte Murray said after the game: “The future is bright for her. I hope she just persists and doesn’t give up. One day it may happen, it may not happen, who knows, but she is definitely on the right track. . I think everyone here appreciates her … She is setting an example for every woman out there. “