NBA: Becky Hammon is first female coach to win summer title
- Published
Becky Hammon won a bronze medal with Russia in the 2008 Olympic Games
Becky Hammon is the first female head coach in NBA summer league history to win a title after San Antonio Spurs beat Phoenix Suns 93-90 in the final.
Hammon, 38, became the NBA's first female full-time assistant coach last year and then took charge of the Spurs for the Las Vegas tournament.
She said of her team: "They listened and they played really hard for me. They were tired but fought through."
Spurs won six straight games to win the off-season mini-league.
Hammon is a former professional basketball player who played in America, Spain and Russia and who played internationally for both the United States and Russia after gaining Russian citizenship.
Jonathan Simmons, 25, scored 23 points to take the Most Valuable Player Award.
He said: "She's a real cool coach. She's a player coach. That's something we all like."
The Las Vegas competition is one of three summer leagues run by the NBA with clubs often using young players and trialists to identify potential future talent.
Becky Hammon won a bronze medal with Russia in the 2008 Olympic Games
Hammon joined the coaching staff at San Antonio Spurs in August, 2014
Jonathan Simmons celebrates with Hammon after victory in Las Vegas.
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