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Becky Hammon joins the Spurs telecast on Friday night

The Spurs couldn’t intentionally tank

Chicago Bulls v San Antonio Spurs Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images

On Friday, Becky Hammon was in the AT&T Center and was recognized for coaching the Las Vegas Aces (formerly the San Antonio Stars/Silver Stars) to a WNBA Championship.

The former Spurts assistant left San Antonio at the end of last season and quickly lead the Aces to a 9-1 record in the first ten games.

After a standing ovation from the crowd she sat with Bill Land and Sean Elliott during the Spurs telecast on KENS-5 and shared some thoughts about the Spurs “tanking” plans for the season.

Hammon started off with a bit of humor.

“I told Pop he better not win too much or he’ll bet fired.”

But then she got serious-

“At the end of the day, these guys are competitors. You get out in a game, nobody wants to lose. I don’t care — these guys are competitive. You practice to win. It doesn't matter And that’s really how you establish winning habits. If you come out here to win and compete. and whatever happens happens. You’re never going to coach or play to lose, ever.”

Sean Elliott added-

“I don’t know of any player who is going to actively try to tank. That’s what I think a lot of people don't understand when they say ‘it’s a tank year.’ You have these guys and draft for their character and their competitiveness you can’t tell them to turn the volume down. Everybody is going out there - they’re representing themselves and they’re trying to play hard.”

Hammon replied-

“You can’t take a competitive person and make him not competitive or vice versa, non-competitive and make him competitive, and these guys are competitors and I think you see it at really every possession on the floor. It’s a joy to watch. It’s just the effort level these guys are putting in.”

Bill Land added how Devin Vassal was tired of media people asking about the intention for the Spurs to tank, sharing

“They just play all out all the time and they are very unselfish.”

To which Becky emphasized-

“Which makes them very dangerous.”

Perfectly said.


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