SAN ANTONIO (AP) – Becky Hammon became the first woman to lead a team in NBA history, taking over the San Antonio Spurs from the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night after Gregg Popovich was ejected in the first half.
Popovich was sent off by official Tony Brown with 3:56 left in the second quarter. Popovich yelled at Brown and entered court after a non-call on DeMar DeRozan’s attempted layup and subsequent rebound attempt by Drew Eubanks. Popovich was applauded when he left the court by several family members of the team who were present at the AT&T Center.
Hammon took over the squads of the team during timeouts and walked the sidelines after Popovich was ejected. Hammon was the first full-time female assistant coach in the history of the league.
Tim Duncan took over last season when Popovich was sent off against Portland on November 16, 2019. The Hall of Famer chose not to return as an assistant this season.
Hammon, a three-time All-American at Colorado State, played for the New York Liberty and San Antonio Stars in the WNBA and abroad before retiring to join Popovich in 2014.