MANILA, Philippines – San Antonio Spurs swingman Danny Green is currently in Manila for the 2015 NBA 3X festivities that will take place over the weekend.
While speaking to the media during a press availability session on Thursday, August 27, at the Marriott Hotel, the 28-year-old veteran was highly complimentary of his assistant coach Becky Hammon.
Hammon, who was hired by the Spurs during the 2014 NBA offseason, became the first full-time female assistant coach in any of the 4 major North American sports (basketball, football, basetball, hockey).
A year later in the 2015 NBA Las Vegas Summer League, the former WNBA star coached San Antonio’s team to the Summer League title.
“She gives us another perception of how the game [is],” Green said about the contribution of Hammon, who averaged 13 points in her 16-year WNBA career split between the New York Liberty and San Antonio Stars.
“Obviously, she’s a point guard. She’s played. She’s well-respected. She was a great player. Good coach, as well. She knows the game. Everybody respects her,” said Green.
Hammon’s hiring was well-received by the public and media, most of whom credited the Spurs for making the move to attain her.
Five-time champion head coach Gregg Popovich also had a lot of praise for Hammon following her successful Summer League coaching job, saying “she’s got opinions and solid notions about basketball. Obviously, she was a great player. As a point guard, she’s a leader, she’s fiery, she’s got intelligence, and our guys just respected the heck out of her…”
“I don’t even look at it as, well, she’s the first female this and that and the other. She’s a coach, and she’s good at it,” also added Popovich, who’s considered by many analysts as the best coach in the NBA today.
Green also commended the job done by his assistant coach in the summer league, pointing out that getting a roster filled up with mostly NBA journeymen looking for individual glory to play like a team is an impressive feat.
“She’s a female, so she gives a different perception, different perspective of the game, and I think it works,” said Green, who signed a 4-year, $40 million contract to remain in San Antonio this offseason.
“She’s a great addition for us and she obviously is doing something great – she won the Summer League Championship, so she was able to manage those egos and get those guys to buy into the Spurs system.”
“It’s not easy to do in Summer League, because in Summer League most guys just want to get up shots,” explained the 6-foot-6, New York native. “But to get those guys to move the ball, pass, and swing it, it’s not an easy task, so she’s shown that she’s very capable of being a head coach someday.” – Rappler.com
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