Becky Hammon doesn’t rule out returning to the NBA as a head coach

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — She played in the Olympics and in the WNBA and now she’s led her team, Las Vegas Aces, to two WNBA titles.

Becky Hammon was back in her home state of South Dakota today as the guest speaker at Experience Sioux Falls’ annual luncheon.

She is considered one of the greatest WNBA players of all time.

Becky Hammon, who grew up playing in Rapid City and was a six-time WNBA all-star, talked about being back in South Dakota.

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“It’s my roots, it’s where I’m from,” Hammon said.

And how growing up here helped shape who she is today.

“One thing people don’t understand about South Dakota, it’s either outdoors, fishing, or sports, that’s what we do here,” Hammon said.

Hammon made history when she became the first woman to ever coach an NBA men’s basketball team.

While she coaches for Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA now and won back-to-back national championships, she hasn’t ruled out coaching in the NBA again.

“A lot of times people are scared to do something that’s never been done before, so it’s going to have to take a special group of leadership and ownership to kind of pull the trigger not that I don’t think it can’t be done I think it can be done,” Hammon said.

Hammon also talked about Caitlin Clark and how she has helped elevate women’s basketball and the number of people who watch it.

“We were already moving the needle in Vegas but Caitlin’s arrival, I mean it’s undeniable her impact is undeniable the numbers are there the numbers don’t lie, almost 20 million people watching a woman’s college basketball game,” Hammon said.

And her advice to young girls is simple.

“I mean I was a little girl shooting in the driveway you want to make it, keep shooting in your driveway, keep playing against your older brother,” Hammon said.

The Las Vegas Aces open up their regular season on May 14th.

For a look at their schedule with dates and times, click here.