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Rapid City native Becky Hammon inducted into Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
Former Rapid City Stevens player Becky Hammon was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday
Courtesy photo

Rapid City native Becky Hammon inducted into Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame

Aug 14, 2023
  

605 Sports Staff

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — During her 25 years of playing in the WNBA, coaching in the NBA and now coaching in the WNBA, Becky Hammon has broken down a lot of barriers. 

On Saturday, in front of a packed house, Hammon was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. 

“Thank you to all of the other people from this Class of 2023 that are going into the hall,” Hammon said during her induction speech Saturday. “It is unbelievable to go in with all these Spurs (Tony Parker and Gregg Poppovich were also inducted).”

During her 16-minute induction speech Hammon spoke fondly of her upbringing in Rapid City, South Dakota, and in particular, her parents (Martin and Bev) and her siblings (Gina and Matt). 

Hammon said that having grown up in South Dakota she could never have imagined ending up on the stage in Springfield. 

“To my mom and dad who couldn’t be here tonight, I can’t express the gratitude for all the necessary tools you equipped me with,” Hammon said. “The values you instilled in me and the countless amount of time and resources you poured into me have been invaluable. To the four people whom I get to call family, you are the foundational pieces of who I am today.”  

After graduating from Rapid City Stevens, Hammon attended Colorado State University where she was a three-time All-American. She holds the Colorado State career scoring record (2,740) and is the Western Athletic Conference’s all-time leading scorer. 

During a professional career that has now spanned 25 years Hammon said the journey reminded her of the outdoor ventures her family participated in while living in the Black Hills.

“I grew up in South Dakota and I had no idea my journey would be like all those back-woods hikes we went on so many times, up and down countless mountains,” she said. “We went down to riverbeds and creeks and I had to learn to keep up or risk missing out on the next adventure my dad would take us on.” 


Hammon played in the WNBA for 16 seasons with six all-star nominations. 

During her standout playing career and now milestone reaching coaching career Hammon was part of a lot of firsts.

  • First full-time female assistant coach in NBA history. 

  • First female head coach in NBA Summer League where she would be crowned champion.

  • First woman to serve as part of an NBA All-Star coaching staff. 

  • First female acting head coach in NBA history, taking over for Popovich after his ejection on Dec. 30, 2020. 

  • First rookie coach to capture a WNBA championship in 2022 with the Las Vegas Aces’ 3-1 win against the Connecticut Sun. Shortly after Hammon seized WNBA Coach of the Year honors.

During her induction speech Saturday Hammon joked at the amount of times that people told her she was the first person they had ever met from a Dakota. 

As a teenages Hammon had posters of Michael Jordan adorning her bedroom wall in South Dakota. 

“I had another poster, ‘Know your ABC’s to accomplish your dreams,” she said. “I read that poster almost daily about becoming a great basketball player. I also watched Michael Jordan’s video ‘Come Fly with me’ which was no small feat considering it took at least five minutes to rewind that tape on our VCR.” 

On her youth and upbringing, Hammon said she grew up knowing she loved Jesus and basketball. 

“My dad always told me to rule the ground and not the air and I learned the best tools that I’d have were things basketball pros wouldn’t see,” she said. “I don’t look like a basketball player. I am of average height and average speed but I was blessed with a portion of heart, grit, will and a strong mind.”

In her second season as coach of the Las Vegas Aces Hammon had coached the team to a 27-3 record, best in the WNBA.