Becky Hammon, the 2022 WNBA Coach of the Year and a champion with the Las Vegas Aces, spoke out against the now-nine-month detainment of WNBA star Brittney Griner in Russia during a conversation with Hannah Storm on Wednesday at the espnW Women + Sports Summit in Ojai, California.
Hammon, who in October became the first person to lead a WNBA franchise to a title in their debut season as head coach, spent extensive time overseas in Russia during her playing days. She became a naturalized Russian citizen 15 years ago, allowing her to play on their national team at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.
"It's wrong," Hammon said of Griner's detainment. "It was a gut punch. There's so many things that are normal over there that I'm like, 'It's not normal.' ... She's been turned into a political pawn and it's really unfortunate. The international world really needs to pay attention."
Griner, a former No. 1 overall pick, WNBA champion and U.S. Olympian, was initially arrested in Russia in February for bringing into the country vape cartridges carrying a small amount of cannabis oil. She was convicted on drug charges and sentenced to nine years in prison, a decision that was upheld last week after she attempted to appeal. The case is believed to eventually conclude with a prisoner swap, though experts say Russia is not expected to work toward a deal before the U.S. midterm elections this month.
Hammon, who also announced at the summit that starting in December she'll serve as an ESPN studio analyst for the 2022-23 NBA season, said she believed a resolution to Griner's case has stalled in part because of her status as a women's basketball athlete.
"If this was LeBron James, is LeBron James still sitting over there? I don't think so," Hammon said. "And that's the unfortunate part about all of this.
"I think there would be an absolute uproar, craziness, pandemonium. And [Griner's case] got a lot of attention and it's still getting some attention. But there's days where it's like, 'Man, she's still over there. Night after night after night.' We've got to get her back as soon as possible."
Hammon was also asked about being passed over for NBA head-coaching opportunities after serving as a longtime assistant to Gregg Popovich with the San Antonio Spurs. Hammon previously said she returned to the WNBA this past offseason, where she had a decorated career as a player for the New York Liberty and San Antonio Stars, because she simply was wanted there.
"I don't need so-and-so to tell me I'm a good coach," Hammon said Wednesday. "I don't need somebody's stamp of approval."
When asked whether she thought the NBA was close to hiring its first woman head coach, Hammon responded that "in some ways, I feel like it could happen in the next one to two years. In other ways. I'm like, 'You're so far off. This is like, 10 to 15 years away,'" blaming decision-makers who don't want to take a risk by making a type of hire that's never been done before.
"Some guys, there's multiple examples, they just walk right into a head-coaching position. They've never coached a day in their life," Hammon said. "It's not that easy. If it is that easy, everybody would be doing it."