NBA: San Antonio Spurs appoint Becky Hammon as assistant coach

The San Antonio Spurs have appointed Becky Hammon as an assistant coach, making her the second female to join a regular season coaching staff.

The 37-year-old becomes the first female coach since Lisa Boyer helped coach the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2001-02.

Boyer worked part-time, while Hammon has been brought in as a full-time employee by the NBA champions starting next season.                 

"I look forward to the addition of Becky Hammon to our staff," said Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich.

"I am confident her basketball IQ, work ethic and interpersonal skills will be a great benefit to the Spurs."                 

Hammon plays for the San Antonio Stars in the Women's National Basketball Association but has announced she will quit the team at the end of the season.                 

She has spent 16 years in the WNBA and ranks seventh in history in points (5,809), fourth in assists (1,687) and sixth in games (445).                 

Hammon, who is a six-time WNBA all-star, has spent the last eight seasons with the Stars after going undrafted in the 1999 draft and spending the first eight years of her career with the New York Liberty.                 

She is the Stars' all-time leader in assists (1,112) and three-point field goals made (493) while ranking second in franchise history in points (3,442) and games (218).                 

In her WNBA career, Hammon has averages of 13.1 points, 3.8 assists and 2.5 rebounds.

"In some ways it is trailblazing, but there have been so many other women that are doing really, really great things and I am just kind of following in their path," Hammon said.