When one thinks of legendary coaches, there’s often a perception that they’re these geniuses, devising plays the common fan can’t possibly comprehend. Maybe that’s true in some cases, but sometimes, when the best player in the world is on your team, you give her the ball and tell her to go win the game.
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Becky Hammon is rightly regarded as the best coach in the WNBA. Formerly an assistant for the San Antonio Spurs under Gregg Popovich, she also made history by coaching the Spurs to the 2015 Summer League championship. She took over as head coach of the Las Vegas Aces before the 2022 season, and has led them to three WNBA titles in the past four years.
The Aces were red-hot in the second half of the season, and they rode a 19-game winning streak into the playoffs. Once there, they took out the Storm and Fever before sweeping the Mercury in the Finals. They were led, as always, by A’ja Wilson, who became the first player in history (NBA included) to win the MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Finals MVP and the title.
Wilson appeared last night on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, and described what went into her game-winning shot in Game 3 of the Finals that all but sealed the third Aces title in four years.
“It wasn’t pretty, but it went in,” she laughed after watching a clip of her fadeaway jumper breaking an 88-88 tie with .1 left. Fallon pointed out that a timeout was called right before that play, and so he asked if she knew the ball was coming her way. Her response was kind of hilarious.
“Becky [Hammon] … she gets the board, and she just draws one line, and she’s like, ‘Alright, go do it.’ And I’m like, ‘Do what? Where’s the rest of the play to help us win?'” she said.
Hammon had such trust in her superstar that she didn’t need to draw up something elaborate. Getting it in Wilson’s hands was enough. She did give one parting pearl of wisdom though before the Aces broke the huddle: “Just make sure there’s no time on the clock for them to go score.”
Obviously it worked, as Wilson did exactly what her coach wanted and won the game. She told Fallon that her goal was just to find the orange of the rim and then trust herself to get the ball there, something that was made more difficult by all the orange in Phoenix’s arena.
The play was emblematic not only of Wilson’s greatness, which is finally being appreciated as she enters the GOAT discussion, but of the fact that sometimes the best thing a great coach can do is get the ball to your best player and let them make a play.
Phil Jackson knew to get it to Michael Jordan. Popovich knew he could count on Tim Duncan. And Hammon knows that her best chance is to give it to Wilson with the game on the line.
