Rapid City native and former professional women's basketball player Becky Hammon, who is currently an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs, has been awarded as the ESPNW Woman of the Year. She is the first full-time female assistant coach in the history of the National Basketball Association.
Hammon went to high school at Rapid City Stevens and was Miss Basketball for South Dakota in 1994. She was also named the South Dakota Player of the Year in 1995.
She then moved onto college, where she attended Colorado State. While playing with the Rams, she became an all-american. In 2004 she was inducted into the Colorado State University Sports Hall of Fame, and the following year they retired her number.
Hammon went undrafted in 1999, but was signed to the Women's National Basektball Association in May of that year to the New York Liberty. She continued her carreer there until 2007 when she was traded to the Silver Stars. Hammon, who was nicknamed "Big Shot Becky" finished her career there in 2014.
She was awarded All-WNBA Second team honors in 2005 and 2008 with All-WNBA First team honors in 2007 and 2009. Hammon was also voted to six WNBA All-Star games over her career in the league.
