03 Jan Gregg Popovich Says Becky Hammon Deserves To Be A Head Coach

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich says his assistant coach. Becky Hammon deserves a full-time head coaching job in the NBA. Hammon became the first woman to lead a team from the sidelines after Popovich was ejected from the Spurs’ 109-103 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, Wednesday night.

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“Women do the same jobs as well and better than men. That’s a fact. There’s no reason why somebody like Becky and other women can’t be coaches in the NBA,” he said. “On a larger scale, that’s why it wasn’t a big deal to me — because I know her. And I know her skills, and I know her value and I know her future is very, very bright. I understand the attention it got, but in all honesty, I assumed that most people already knew that she was qualified to be a head coach in the NBA.”

The three-time Coach of the Year added that there are many women who are qualified for coaching positions in the league: “There are many, many, many qualified women who are being held back,” Popovich said. “And it’s just the nature of the world. It’s slowly changing, but the sooner the better.”

There are currently 11 women on NBA coaching staffs throughout the league.

[Via]