A Matter of When, Not If, Becky Hammon Becomes NBA's First Female Head Coach
*By Max Godnick*
The last person to break glass in the NBA was [Shaquille O'Neal](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3MTNj7z5dQ), 25 years ago.
Becky Hammon, an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs, could be the next.
Hammon interviewed this week to be the head coach of the Milwaukee Buck. A six-time WNBA All-Star, Hammon was the first woman to be an NBA assistant coach and has served on Spurs' Coach Gregg Popovich's staff since 2014. If she were hired by the Bucks, she would be the first woman to coach a men's team in any of the country's four biggest sports leagues ー the NBA, NFL, Major League Baseball, and NHL.
Popovich told [The New Yorker] (https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/04/16/how-far-can-becky-hammon-go-in-the-nba) in April that he believes his assistant is "ready" to lead her own team.
Hammon is up against other, more-experienced candidates for the Bucks job, including the 2015 NBA coach of the year, Mike Budenholzer. Though most NBA pundits think her chances of being hired are slim, the fact that Hammon is being considered may represent progress for gender equality in professional sports, said James Yoder, the founder of Chat Sports.
"It would be a monumental move in sports history for her to get that job," said Yoder in an interview Thursday with Cheddar.
The Bucks will probably not hire Hammon, Yoder said, but it's a matter of when, not if a woman breaks the NBA's glass ceiling, and it's likely to be Hammon.
"I think before too long, maybe one or two seasons, she will end up landing an NBA coaching job," he said.
Yoder added: "Any woman who thought that she couldn't break into men's sports from a coaching perspective has got to be rooting for Becky Hammon."
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/the-nba-makes-herstory-with-first-female-head-coach-interview).
Cheddar Innovates gets a look at the satellite that's searching for the earliest light from the big bang, plus a former Nike executive breaks down what the new era of sportswear looks like.
Stefan Olander, co-founder of sportswear company Omorpho, joins Cheddar Innovates to talk about his 'gravity sportswear' concept and why our workout clothes need an overhaul.
MARLOWE., the men's skincare and grooming brand, has announced 23-year-old professional boxer Ryan Garcia as "Chief Marlowe Officer" and co-owner of the brand. In this role, Ryan will help boost brand awareness, oversee product design, and strategize digital marketing content for his signature products. Ryan joined Cheddar to discuss the partnership and his boxing career.
A packed Thursday pod: Carlo and Baker cover the latest developments in the Ghislaine Maxwell, Jussie Smollett and Elizabeth Holmes trials. Plus, Dems are losing the Hispanic vote, Boris Johnson in trouble again, and is it possible that Adele has peaked?
Laine Higgins, college sports reporter for the Wall Street Journal, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell where she discusses the college football coaching carousel and says Lincoln Riley, Brian Kelly, and Mario Cristobal leaving for new schools this quickly is not normal.
The leading gaming organization and lifestyle brand 100 Thieves just raised $60 million in new funding closing its Series C. This new round of funding has raised the valuation of the organization to about $460 million. John Robinson, president and COO of 100 Thieves, joins Cheddar News to talk about what's next for the company.
Heather Smith, Founder and Chief Strategist at theHAUTEbar, discusses how the ski and resort industry is bouncing back after the pandemic; Mark Ellwood, Host of "Travel Genius" Podcast, breaks down the best travel destinations for winter sports before the 2022 Winter Olympics kick off; Cheddar gets a look at Curiosity Stream's 'Jeremy Jones' Higher.'
