Report: Aces coach gets permission to discuss NBA vacancy

Aces coach Becky Hammon was granted permission to speak with the NBA’s Toronto Raptors about the team’s head coaching vacancy, according to an ESPN report.

Hammon led the Aces to the first championship in franchise history and was named 2022 WNBA Coach of the Year during her first season with the team. She also spent eight of her 16 WNBA seasons with the San Antonio Stars, the Aces’ predecessor, and is the only player in franchise history whose number has been retired.

After finishing her playing career, Hammon spent eight seasons as an NBA assistant for San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.

Hammon has interviewed for NBA head coaching jobs in the past. She was considered a finalist for the Portland Trail Blazers’ job in 2021 but lost out to Chauncey Billups.

The Aces’ season begins May 20. Sunday is the first day of training camp.

ESPN reported that several top NBA assistants will also interview with the Raptors, including Golden State’s Kenny Atkinson, Milwaukee’s Charles Lee, Phoenix’s Kevin Young, San Antonio’s Mitch Johnson, Sacramento’s Jordi Fernandez, Memphis’ Darko Rajakovic and Miami’s Chris Quinn.

Contact reporter Andy Yamashita at ayamashita@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ANYamashita on Twitter.