SAN ANTONIO — Editor's Note: The video above is from earlier this season, when Gregg Popovich was ejected and Hammon made history by taking over head coaching duties.
Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon was among four trailblazing women in San Antonio honored by the NCAA with a 2021 Legacy Award.
The program, which began in 2014, honors the careers and community engagement of former student-athletes, coaches, and local leaders. Hammon won the Naismith Award at Colorado State, was named one of the WNBA's top 15 players of all time, and has a place in history as the first woman to be a full-time NBA assistant.
Earlier this season, she made history as the first woman to direct an NBA team after Gregg Popovich got ejected against the Lakers.
The other awards for the San Antonio area went to Clarissa Davis-Wrightsil, Stacey Johnson, and Maj. Gen. Angie Salinas, each distinguished in her field.
Davis-Wrightsil was a two-time Naismith Award winner and national champion at Texas, and her TeamXpress Foundation empowers girls through sports.
Johnson founded of the “Dreams for Youth” San Antonio Sports Foundation, a grant program serving over 200,000 local kids.
Salinas is the CEO of Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas. She was the first Latina selected and promoted to the general officer ranks in the U.S. Marine Corps, where she had a 39-year career.
“We are thrilled to recognize this year’s NCAA Legacy Award recipients who have committed their time, service and energy to improving their communities, and who continue to embrace and uphold diversity, equity and inclusion in their everyday lives,” said Derrick Gragg, NCAA senior vice president of inclusion, education and community engagement.
“These eight individuals are trailblazers, leaders, accomplished athletes and community warriors, and we celebrate them as role models and beacons of society. They have certainly enhanced the communities of San Antonio and Indianapolis, where our Final Fours are being played this year. Their will and determination inspire us all,” Gragg said.