Spurs' Pau Gasol praises female coaching candidate: 'Becky Hammon can coach NBA basketball'
In a letter published by The Players' Tribune, San Antonio Spurs forward Pau Gasol offered strong praise for coaching candidate Becky Hammon, who would be the first female head coach in the NBA if hired.
Spurs' Pau Gasol praises female coaching candidate: 'Becky Hammon can coach NBA basketball' In a letter published by The Players' Tribune, San Antonio Spurs forward Pau Gasol offered strong praise for coaching candidate Becky Hammon, who would be the first female head coach in the NBA if hired. Check out this story on USATODAY.com: https://usat.ly/2rAkAM5
Tom Schad, USA TODAY Sports Published 11:56 a.m. ET May 11, 2018 | Updated 12:12 p.m. ET May 11, 2018
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Becky Hammon(Photo: The Associated Press)
In a letter published by The Players' Tribune on Friday morning, San Antonio Spurs forward Pau Gasol offered strong praise for assistant coach Becky Hammon and wrote that he is not surprised that her name has gained traction as a head-coaching candidate in the NBA.
"If you think I'm writing this to argue why Becky is qualified to be an NBA head coach … well, you're mistaken. That part is obvious," Gasol wrote in the letter. "Arguing on Coach Hammon's behalf would feel patronizing. To me, it would be strange if NBA teams were not interested in her as a head coach."
Hammon, who was a six-time WNBA All-Star before moving into coaching, was scheduled to interview for the Milwaukee Bucks' head-coaching vacancy earlier this week, according to a report from ESPN. She would be the first female head coach in the NBA if hired.
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Gasol, 37, shot down some of the arguments that have been made against Hammon's candidacy, including beliefs that a woman would struggle to coach men and that it would lead to some awkwardness in the locker room, an idea that Gasol calls "almost too stupid to include here."
The six-time NBA All-Star and two-time NBA champion also praised Hammon's coaching ability, pointing out his past experience with legendary coaches like Phil Jackson and current Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich.
"I'm telling you: Becky Hammon can coach," Gasol wrote in The Players' Tribune. "I'm not saying she can coach pretty well. I'm not saying she can coach enough to get by. I'm not saying she can coach almost at the level of the NBA's male coaches. I'm saying: Becky Hammon can coach NBA basketball. Period."
Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on Twitter @Tom_Schad.
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