Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon is one of several candidates expected to interview for the Toronto Raptors‘ vacant head coaching job, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports.
Hammon led the Aces to the WNBA title last year and was named coach of the year in her first season with the club after spending eight seasons as an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs.
Wojnarowski says the Raptors have received permission to interview Hammon.
The job became available earlier this month after the Raptors fired Nick Nurse.
Wojnarowski reports several NBA assistant coaches also are on Toronto’s radar, including current Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin, Golden State’s Kenny Atkinson, Milwaukee’s Charles Lee, Phoenix’s Kevin Young, San Antonio’s Mitch Johnson, Sacramento’s Jordi Fernandez, Memphis’s Darko Rajakovic and Miami’s Chris Quinn.
Wojnarowski reports the search also could include ex-NBA head coaches and NCAA coaches.
Hammon is part of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class of 2023.
As a player, she was named to the All-Star team six times and the All-WNBA team four times. She is part of the WNBA’s 15th, 20th and 25th Anniversary teams.
Hammon became the first full-time female assistant coach in one of North American’s four major men’s leagues in 2014.
In her seventh season with the Spurs, the team’s head coach Gregg Popovich was ejected during a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers and Hammon took over, becoming the first female acting head coach ever in the NBA.
During her eight-season run with the Spurs, when NBA coaching vacancies opened up, it wasn’t uncommon to see Hammon publicly floated as a candidate who was being considered. The Milwaukee Bucks, Portland Trail Blazers and Orlando Magic are all organizations which have, reportedly at least, had interest in her as a coach.
