GOOD

Becky Hammon Becomes The First Female Assistant Head Coach In All 4 Major U.S. Sports

She may have a head coaching gig in her sights as well.

 Tod Perry
06.28.18

In 2014, when Becky Hammon was hired by the San Antonio Spurs, she became the first female full-time assistant coach in all four of the major U.S. sports. Now, she’s progressed to the front row of coaches’ seats as the Spurs’ new assistant head coach.

The promotion came after Gregg Popovich’s assistant, James Borrego, moved on to become the head coach of the Charlotte Hornets.

Photo by Platon Shilikov/Wikimedia Commons.

Hammon played 16 seasons in the WNBA, where she was a six-time All-Star and the league’s 9th-leading scorer. She was originally hired by the Spurs to coach its Summer League team, which she took to a championship.

\n
\n

While becoming the first female assistant coach in NBA history is a historic achievement, Hammon’s ascent may not be over this offseason. The Milwaukee Bucks reportedly plan to interview her for a head coaching position this offseason.

\n

For those who doubt Hammon’s abilities and chalked her promotion up to a publicity stunt, Pau Gasol begs to differ.

He wrote an open letter for The Players Tribune singing Hammon’s praises:

“I’ve been in the NBA for 17 years. I’ve won two championships … I’ve played with some of the best players of this generation … and I’ve played under two of the sharpest minds in the history of sports, in Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich. And I’m telling you: Becky Hammon can coach. I’m not saying she can coach pretty well. I’m not saying she can coach enough to get by. I’m not saying she can coach almost at the level of the NBA’s male coaches. I’m saying: Becky Hammon can coach NBA basketball. Period.”

Sports

People are so ready to get rid of Trump #IHopeOurNextPresident is already trending on Twitter

via Gage Skidmore / Flickr

If you are totally ready to move on from Donald Trump, you're not alone. According to a report last April from the Wason Center National Survey of 2020 Voters, "President Trump will be the least popular president to run for reelection in the history of polling."

Yes, you read that right, "history of polling."

Keep Reading Show less
donald trump female president andrew yang twitter hashtags next president after trump
Politics

Is Kap back? Colin Kaepernick will be working out for multiple NFL teams this week.

via Around the NFL / Twitter

After three years on the sidelines, Colin Kapernick will be working out for multiple NFL teams on Saturday, November 16 at the Atlanta Falcons facility.

The former 49er quarterback who inflamed the culture wars by peacefully protesting against social injustice during the national anthem made the announcement on Twitter Tuesday.

Kaepernick is scheduled for a 15-minute on-field workout and an interview that will be recorded and sent to all 32 teams. The Miami Dolphins, Dallas Cowboys, and Detroit Lions are expected to have representatives in attendance.

RELATED: Joe Namath Says Colin Kaepernick And Eric Reid Should Be Playing In The NFL

"We like our quarterback situation right now," Miami head coach, Brian Flores said. "We're going to do our due diligence."

NFL Insider Steve Wyche believes that the workout is the NFL's response to multiple teams inquiring about the 32-year-old quarterback. A league-wide workout would help to mitigate any potential political backlash that any one team may face for making an overture to the controversial figure.

Kapernick is an unrestricted free agent (UFA) so any team could have reached out to him. But it's believed that the interested teams are considering him for next season.

RELATED: Video of an Oakland train employee saving a man's life is so insane, it looks like CGI

Earlier this year, Kaepernick and Carolina Panthers safety Eric Reid reached a financial settlement with the league in a joint collusion complaint. The players alleged that the league conspired to keep them out after they began kneeling during the national anthem in 2016.

Before the 2019 season, Kaepernick posted a video of himself working out on twitter to show he was in great physical condition and ready to play.

Kaepnick took the 49ers to the Super Bowl in 2012 and the NFC Championship game in 2013.

He has the 23rd-highest career passer rating in NFL history, the second-best interception rate, and the ninth-most rushing yards per game of any quarterback ever. In 2016, his career to a sharp dive and he won only of 11 games as a starter.

nfl colin kapernic kaepernick collusion social justice athletes san franciso 49ers miami dolphins detroit liions espn kaepernick workout
Culture

Senior counterterrorism official: U.S. is seen as 'exporter of white supremacist ideology'

Robert Thivierge/Flickr

In the category of "claims to fame nobody wants," the United States can now add "exporter of white supremacist ideology" to its repertoire. Super.

Russell Travers, acting director of the National Counterterrorism Center, made this claim in a briefing at The Washington Institute in Washington, D.C. "For almost two decades, the United States has pointed abroad at countries who are exporters of extreme Islamist ideology," Travers said. "We are now being seen as the exporter of white supremacist ideology. That's a reality with which we are going to have to deal."

Keep Reading Show less

A new form of sound-based AI is being deployed to protect endangered African elephants

Between Alexa, Siri, and Google, artificial intelligence is quickly changing us and the way we live. We no longer have to get up to turn on the lights or set the thermostat, we can find the fastest route to work with a click, and, most importantly, tag our friends in pictures. But interacting with the world isn't the only thing AI is making easier – now we can use it save the world, too.

Keep Reading Show less
environment politics
Good News