Becky Hammon talks Aces Dynasty, Coaching A’ja Wilson & Female Head Coaches in the NBA | Ep.15

Summary

Podcast Summary: Post Moves with Candace Parker & Aliyah Boston — Ep.15

"Becky Hammon talks Aces Dynasty, Coaching A’ja Wilson & Female Head Coaches in the NBA"
Release Date: November 12, 2025
Hosts: Candace Parker & Aliyah Boston
Featured Guest: Becky Hammon

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Episode Overview

In this vibrant and wide-ranging episode, WNBA legends Candace Parker and Aliyah Boston welcome Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon for an in-depth conversation on building a basketball dynasty, evolving as a coach and player, mentoring a generational star in A’ja Wilson, and confronting the structural barriers facing female coaches in the NBA. The dialogue blends personal anecdotes, technical basketball talk, stories from Becky’s storied playing and coaching career, and candid reflections on the state and future of women’s basketball and coaching. Interspersed are plenty of laughs, real moments, and insight for players and fans alike.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Opening Banter & Weekly Check-ins

• [00:31–04:56] Candace and Aliyah exchange updates: Candace boasts about the Chicago Bears’ win streak and brunch rituals, while Aliyah shares Caribbean home life—beach runs and family meals (“My mom did make oxtails after church on Sunday. And that right there, that right there did it...” — Aliyah, 01:40).
• They share friendly, competitive teasing about their “Unrivaled” squads and break down other expansion team rosters, highlighting youth, athleticism, and shifting league power (Breeze, Hive, Rose, Mist).

2. WNBA Lottery & Draft Preview [08:51–13:32]

• Candace and Aliyah walk through the mechanics of the upcoming WNBA draft lottery, analyzing team odds and possible prospects: “Will this be back to back? The Wings have a 42% odds...” — Candace, 10:15.
• Discussion on top draft choices, with Candace predicting Olivia Miles as the top pick for the Lynx:

  "She is one of the most dynamic point guards, can pass her absolute ass off if you’ve not watched her play. Change of speed. Think Chelsea Gray can shoot the rock but prefers setting up her teammates..." — Candace, 11:56

• Deeper talk on what teams like the Sky, Storm, and Mystics might do (“I think they're searching for a point guard...that’s a hard position to find”—Candace, 12:43).

3. Welcoming Becky Hammon & Aces Dynasty Discussion [17:34–25:58]

• Becky joins and Candace introduces her as the “originator... dynamic guard turned unbelievable coach.”
• Becky describes the emotional rollercoaster and relief after winning the 2025 WNBA Championship:

  “It’s crazy...you’re super happy, but honestly, it’s almost like it’s just a relief. I feel like I can breathe again. I can sleep again. Especially that team and Aaliyah, your guys series. I didn’t sleep at all.” — Becky, 19:17

• Reflects on the constantly shifting roster, unique personality of each championship run, and having to “reestablish it every year...the minutes don’t carry over, the points don’t carry over, the work doesn’t carry over” (21:27).

4. Mental Fortitude & Building Team Culture [24:29–27:43]

• Aces’ 2025 title “hardest by far,” especially surviving Indiana in the playoffs (“Indiana actually was probably the hardest series I’ve ever been through.” — Becky, 24:29).
• Becky details fostering player trust and navigating the emotional and mental grind, crediting her focus on presence and “next person up” mentality.
• Both Candace and Becky stress the importance of communication and empowering every player’s voice:

  “I want to be a phone call for you if you need help...let me help you. And I just think sitting down and listening, I can learn a lot about you, where you come from, your past.” — Becky, 27:43

5. Tactical Philosophy & Spurs Influence [29:13–31:06]

• Sheds light on Aces’ terminology and daily “vitamins”—individual skill work and extra shots, a practice borrowed from her Spurs days.
• Describes making the gym a fun, hunger-inducing place, even locking players out “so I can make that hunger...for when you guys get back in.”
• Candace learns about new lingo: “I don’t know what they’re talking about...I really think I’m a smart, high IQ player...” — Candace, 29:13

6. Coaching Aces Stars & Changing Team Schemes [31:14–35:00]

• Becky reflects on her initial assessment of the Aces’ core and her pitch to Mark Davis—clear out congestion, maximize talent, and challenge players to shoot beyond their comfort zone.
• “As long as we’re keeping score, it’s fun. To me, like, we can have the most fun. Working hard, being competitive, that’s... the funnest element of the whole thing." — Becky, 31:55
• Stresses how authenticity, honesty, and real relationships drive team success.

7. Women in Coaching — Breaking Barriers [35:00–45:37]

• Candace asks about trends in hiring WNBA coaches with NBA pedigree, crediting Becky as a catalyst.
• Becky highlights the undervalued WNBA playing experience:

  “Nobody’s asking these questions if I had a 16-year NBA career...when you start adding all these years up, I’m going on 26, 27 years in either a WNBA or NBA arena...” — Becky, 36:09

• Explains barriers facing women, from “locker room questions” to broader issues around leadership perceptions:

  “Leadership knows no gender. Just like character and bravery and courage and resiliency... Can women lead? Men? Women are doing so much more important things than leading basketball teams... NBA, when they want it, they'll get it, because there's people that are ready right now.” — Becky, 39:26

• Candid about the need for “extra” qualifications and persistent bias (“They're looking for check marks to check you off, not to push you in the door.” — Becky, 43:20).

8. Becky’s Unique Path — Player to Coach, Russia & Resilience [45:37–57:08]

• Reflects on difficult, lonely moments of playing for Russia after being overlooked by USA Basketball:

  “That door was not for me from birth...That walking through that door really changed me because I got really comfortable with people being uncomfortable with me.” — Becky, 46:53

• Shares a formative NBA coaching story: her idea shot down, only to be used later by another assistant (“life of a woman…” — Candace, 51:12).
• Talks about growing into her voice and confidence, earning increased trust from Gregg Popovich and NBA peers.

9. Legacy, Motivation & What’s Next [57:08–58:48]

• Becky reveals that she never planned on coaching—she realized she preferred the grind over commentating:

  "I can never leave the gym a winner. Like, I don’t want to be the one talking about it. Put me in the Foxhole with people, put me in the work, in the grind. That’s really where I want to be." — Becky, 57:32

• Emphasizes that the impact on people is her true legacy: “help change this viewpoint, or she helped me get... to this point in my life or my career.”

10. Honoring Becky’s Playing Career [58:48–65:06]

• Candace brings the conversation back to Becky’s legacy as a player, including her 2008 playoff heroics (“this little five foot five guard comes in and hits five”—Candace, 61:25).
• Becky attributes her team’s success to chemistry and culture over raw talent:

  “You can beat a more talented team...When you genuinely like each other. That was a group that just genuinely liked each other and dug in deep and did all the little things for each other.” — Becky, 61:56

11. Coaching A’ja Wilson & Superstar Development [65:55–69:17]

• Becky gushes about her relationship with A’ja Wilson:

  “She’s a real, real one. We have hard conversations, you know... she’s been so coachable. You’re the best player in the world and the easiest player to coach.” — Becky, 65:55

• Credits Wilson’s upbringing and thirst for growth every year. Emphasizes challenging her defensively and the value of hard conversations.

12. Rapid Fan Q&A: Style, Favorites, & Player Matchups [70:16–76:44]

• On her signature “hoodie-blazer” sideline look:

  “I have so many hoodies...So I was like, let’s try to incorporate the hoodie...and then we won, so then we’re like, we can’t just keep it up because we won it.” — Becky, 70:51

• Admits affection for all players, but dodges naming Jackie Young as a “favorite.”

  “If Jackie says she’s the favorite, she’s the favorite. Nobody puts baby in a corner. That’s it.” — Becky, 73:42

• Names toughest career matchups: Alana Beard, Katie Douglas, Cheryl Swoopes, Cynthia Cooper, and throwback Andrea Stinson.

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Memorable Quotes

• On player empowerment:

  “I want to be a phone call for you if you need help...Let me help you.” — Becky Hammon, 27:43

• On being a pioneer:

  “Leadership knows no gender...The problem was never with the players. It’s with the decision makers and the other people. The players, they don’t care if Kermit the Frog came in and told them—if that’s going to help them win, they will listen.” — Becky, 39:26

• On facing bias:

  “They’re looking for check marks to check you off, not to push you in the door.” — Becky, 43:20

• On legacy:

  “At the end of the day, man, people are the only thing that go on.” — Becky, 58:48

• On A’ja Wilson:

  “…The best player in the world and you’re the easiest player to coach.” — Becky, 65:58

• On style:

  “I have so many hoodies...I was like, let’s try to incorporate the hoodie...and then we won...” — Becky, 70:51

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Notable Timestamps

• WNBA Draft/Lottery Breakdown: 08:51–13:32
• Welcoming Becky Hammon: 17:34
• 2025 Championship Recap: 19:17–25:18
• Player-Coach Relationship: 27:43
• Coaching Philosophy/Spurs Influence: 29:13
• Women in Coaching Discussion: 35:00–45:37
• Becky’s Playing for Russia & Early NBA Years: 45:37–53:36
• Coaching Career Reflections & Player Legacy: 57:08–65:06
• Coaching A’ja Wilson: 65:55–69:17
• Fan Q&A, Style, & Guarding Matchups: 70:16–76:44

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Tone & Energy

The episode balances thoughtful, heartfelt storytelling with playful banter and humor. Candace and Aliyah bring a natural, easy rapport, and Becky Hammon’s candor, wit, and unfiltered honesty shine through. The language is energetic, real, and filled with the inside jokes and lingo characteristic of pros talking the game they love.

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For Listeners New & Old

This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in women’s basketball, leadership, and progress in sports. It provides insider perspectives on building a championship culture, coaching elite athletes, challenging outdated norms, and pursuing excellence—even when the odds (and biases) are stacked high. Through Becky’s journey, listeners get a look into both the grind and glory of the women’s game and what’s fueling its next leap forward.

Transcript

[A]

Can you confirm that Jackie Young is your favorite? Oh.

[B]

This has been a thing. Everybody knows I love Jackie, but I really like all of them. It's like your kids. You can't have a favorite.

[A]

No, that's not the question. Is Jackie your favorite?

[B]

If Jackie says she's the favorite, she's the favorite. Nobody puts Baby in a corner. That's it.

[C]

What's up, everyone? And welcome back to another episode of.

[A]

Post Moves.

[C]

I'm Candace Barker, here with my co host, Aaliyah Boston.

[A]

That's me.

[C]

Follow us. Postmoves show on all socials and don't forget to hit that subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[A]

We have a fun episode today. Becky Hammond is joining us. I am so excited to talk to her.

[C]

I cannot wait to talk to Becky Hammond before it's all said and done. She might be the goat. We'll see. So what did you do this week since I've last saw you at our Adidas summit in Portland, Oregon, last week.

[A]

That was fun. I can tell you I didn't hit the zipline. But what I did do after that was I came home. So I'm in St. Thomas right now hanging out, chilling with the fam. This is my last little hoorah.

[C]

Island girl.

[A]

I'm back.

[C]

You're an island girl. So what do you do? What is home?

[A]

I read a lot. I go to the beach, but I kind of just, like, chill. Like, I work out, but outside of that, I don't really do too much.

[C]

What's your food like? Food is the most important thing when you go home.

[A]

My mom did make oxtails after church on Sunday. And that right there, that right there did it like in my grandma, she made me some soup. She made me chicken ale soup. And I love chicken noodle soup. That's my favorite soup in the entire world.

[C]

I always love chicken soup. I'm jealous of people like you who lived on a beach. I remember as a kid being like, when I grow up, I'm going to live near a beach and I will not have my kids have the same trauma and terrible weather as I had growing up in the Midwest, where it would be. You couldn't even wear your Halloween costume because you had to wear a coat underneath it. So you had to plan your Halloween costume based off of the wind chill that was about to occur on October 31st?

[A]

No, I mean, we live right near the water. So we went. My mom and I actually went ran the beach this morning. Had to do some conditioning and Then took a nice little dip, ran to the beach.

[C]

Look at that. Yeah, I'm really jealous.

[A]

What can I say?

[C]

Really jealous.

[A]

Oh, you can come.

[C]

Yeah, I'm. I'm definitely gonna come visit. My mom and your mom are great friends, so I'm sure we will make a trip to get that oxtail. Make sure that.

[A]

Yes, exactly.

[C]

Make sure that that's on the menu.

[A]

Oh, don't even worry about it.

[C]

I am really happy because the Chicago Bears are streaking again. They are on a two game win streak. We were down 20 to 10 with like seven and a half minutes in the fourth. And I have brunch every Sunday at my house. And my friends were over and they looked at the score and they said, ha, the Bears are going to lose. And I said, ye of little faith. I said, in years past, the defense, you know, kicks in and it. It kicks in. And I was like, in years past, the offense never kicked in. But guess what? This year, this year we have a dude named Caleb Williams. And he's not just throwing laterals. He's throwing down the field. He's making third down conversions. He's moving the chains. And I had my son going to Bears. Like, we were so hyped. So I'm. I'm really sad as a parent because I'm setting him up for failure because that's what Bears fans do. We have hope and that's the worst thing to have. But.

[A]

Well, they're on a streak, though.

[C]

We're six three.

[A]

Keep it up.

[C]

We're streaking.

[A]

We're.

[C]

We're looking eye to eye with Detroit Lions. We'll see, but we have a lot of hope. So. All right, that's it for my week. I think it's time for what we want to talk about, presented by AT&T. Connecting our fans to everything happening on and off the court. So let's get into it. What we want to talk about. Aaliyah.

[A]

Well, first of all, I definitely think we should start with unrivaled and my squad. Okay, so we know I was on vinyl last year, but now I'm on Phantom. And all I'm gonna say is we really do have a great squad. Like, are you kidding me? Like kp, Satu, Dana, Natasha Cloud, Kiki Areafin.

[B]

Like, what?

[A]

What are you talking about?

[C]

You all are definitely athletic. Talking about, I will tell you that. And, um, the Phantom have nowhere to go but up from last year because last year I don't even think they made the playoffs. So I think it's an amazing thing that The Phantom have moved on and up to where?

[A]

Why would you say that? Would you say that? Why would you say that? Is that. Did you think that is what was needed in that moment?

[C]

I'm saying you weren't on the team last year, so now you're able to come in and you are going to bring energy and effort and all of those things. So I am extremely happy to see you play alongside some amazing guards. Golly, y' all got athleticism on. Athleticism. Some other notable players that are on other teams are the two teams that are the expansion teams. So two additional teams in the Breeze, which. The breeze kind of looking kind of nice.

[A]

No, they are looking nice, but not too much, Candace.

[B]

Not too much.

[A]

Too much.

[C]

The Breeze have Paige Beckers, Rakia Jackson, Dominique Malonga, Arie McDonald's, Kate Martin and Cameron Brink. It's very young, but sometimes when you're young, you're hungry and you're more hungry than some of the older teams. So we'll see how that fares. They're athletic. They have pretty much everything in every position, I would say, in terms of a pick and roll with Rakia rising, Paige coming off of Malanga.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Good luck guarding that.

[A]

Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.

[C]

No, I just Now.

[A]

No, no, no, no, no, no. Because. Because that's not what's needed right now. That's not the type of mindset that we need. I don't need to hear that. Okay.

[C]

And another team, the Hive. Kelsey Mitchell, Sonia Citron, Ezzy Magnavore, Natisha Heideman, Saniya Rivers and Monique Billings. They look like a squadron. Nice squad, Rose. Returning champs protected Chelsea Gray and Clea Copper. So they are still on the squad from last year's champions.

[A]

And still got Azeray and Lexi.

[C]

Still got Azeray, Lexi. And also added Shakira Austin and Suge Sutton. I think that this is going to be a battle of styles of play because if you let anybody, any of these squads play their style of play, they're going to win. But it's who can impose their will on the other team. So I will say the Mist returning Brianna Stewart, who was protected. Leisha Gray is a new addition to the Mist. Correct. She wasn't on the Mist last year.

[A]

Yes.

[C]

And you got Stewie, Alicia Gray, Alana Smith, Veronica Burton, Arike and Leigh. So, you know, there's other squads, but those are. Those are the ones I have my eye on. I'll be honest. Go be honest. You said, go, Phantom.

[A]

Go, Phantom.

[B]

I got you.

[C]

I'll be. I'll be calling the games this year with Turner. I'm really excited. Last year I actually at the beginning said the Rose were going to win and then they sucked through the regular season and then they ended up winning because everybody was coming at my head when I said I think they're going to win. So I was like, yo, Chels, Yoka. Y' all are messing with, you know.

[A]

With what you're saying, my street cred.

[C]

So this year I am going to say, mm, that.

[A]

See how long you're taking to answer that, which is really weird to me.

[C]

How is it weird?

[A]

Because there's like, there's.

[C]

There's only one choice.

[A]

I don't know why you don't know the answer. But hey, take your time. Seriously, take your time.

[C]

I like these three squads. These three squads jump out to me. And no offense, Rose, you guys are defending champs and everybody's going to give you their best. So I'm. I'm not putting you in those three squads. Don't hate me. Khan, Chelsea, I think Breeze Basketball Club, I think Phantom and I think the Lunar Owls are going to be the three that compete for a championship swag.

[A]

All I need to hear was Phantom. The other two, cool, live, laugh, love. You know, they make it. They make it.

[C]

I'm only worried about Phantom and transitioning from women's basketball in unrivaled to now the WNBA. They announced that the date for the 2026 lottery will be on Sunday, November 23rd on ESPN. Here's how it works in case you've been living under a rock. The five teams that missed the playoffs in the most recent season are entered into the draft lottery. Each team's odds are determined by their cumulative record the past two seasons. Not just last season, the past two seasons. Dallas Wings finished with a combined 19. Damn. 19 and 65.

[A]

Yo, you just did a lot. Why did you would you say damn.

[C]

Like that in the last two?

[B]

That's.

[C]

That's really hard to do. All right. Followed by Chicago Sky 23 and 61, Los Angeles Sparks 29 and 55, Washington Mystics 30 and 54 and Connecticut Sun 39 and 45. Only the wings and Mystics own their own picks. I will say that again. Only the Wings and the Mystics own their own picks. The Lynx have Skies pick, the Storm have the Sparks pick. And the sky has the Sun's pick. So technically the Lynx could have made it too. The semifinals of the WNBA championship and get the first number one pick.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Which is some link stuff. They would do that so The Links own Sky's first round pick from a prior trade. They gave up the 2026 first round pick to the Links and I believe that was number 11 draft pick in 2025 which they drafted Haley Van Lith with. And then the Storm owned the Sparks first pick from Kia Nurse Trade in January of 2024 and the sky own son's first pick from the Marina Mabry trade. That happened last year. Dallas Wings have the best chance of landing the number one pick. No duh. They were 19 and 65 and they got the number one pick last year. So will this be back to back? The wings have a 42% odds. Lynx have 26% via the sky. Storm have 16% via the sparks. Mystics have 9.7% in the sky 5.5%. Who do you want to see go as the number one pick?

[A]

Oh, I feel like. I feel like AZ as number one. I can see it. I know there's a lot of conversation with Lauren Betts as well. Especially with that size. I don't know. I don't know. I mean I'm just glad I'm not in that position. And you, who do you think?

[C]

Well, first and foremost I'm going to go on the record and say that historically in this league you don't the balls don't fall for teams that lose back to back. Like very rarely do you get back to back number one picks go fever.

[B]

So thank you.

[C]

So therefore I'm going to go out because I think the links just like you know how Dallas Mavericks just got the number one pick after that trade and like whatever and because of the links off season stuff and all that stuff, I feel like the universe is aligning to give the links number one pick. And I will tell you if you're Cheryl Reeves, you are picking Olivia Miles. Olivia Miles would be the number one pick. She is one of the most dynamic point guards can pass her absolute ass off if you've not watched her play. She transferred from Notre Dame and is now at tcu. She is one of those dynamic playmakers. Change of speed. Think Chelsea Gray can shoot the rock but prefers setting up her teammates. And I think her in that Lynx office offense would be ridiculous.

[A]

I also think AZ in the links offense.

[C]

No, I don't disagree but I think that they're searching for a point guard. Like point guards are hard to find in the wnba. Think about like the top point guards in the wnba. It's really hard and that's a hard position to find and to play. And I think she she would be my number one pick. Obviously, AZ system wise would be number one as well, depending on the team. But yeah, like, mystics get the number one pick. Az, 100% sky. If you're the sky and you get the number one pick. You going with Olivia? Are you going with Az?

[A]

Oh, honestly, I could see them going with Olivia.

[C]

Just because you need to pair a guard with Angel, Reese and Gardoza.

[A]

Camila.

[C]

Okay, I got you. And if you're the Storm, I think you go with az.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Because you already have a point guard. You already have a two guard. Yeah, I. I think it's going to be an exciting. It is going to be exciting lottery. All right. I think that wraps up what we want to talk about. Presented by @t. Connecting Changes everything. Hey, Aaliyah, that's where you say what? Candace, I think it's time to bring in our next guest. She is a legend. She is a hall of famer. She is a three time, sorry, WNBA champion. She coaches for the Las Vegas Aces. It was a little. It's a little awkward, but we'll bring her in. And Aaliyah and I are excited to welcome Becky Hammond to post moves.

[A]

Let's do it. After we won the national championship in 2022, I saw you, Candace, in the crowd, and I just grabbed the mic and said it. I love you, girl.

[C]

And I felt that because I saw myself in you. The joy, the pressure, the entire journey.

[A]

You always been someone that I've looked up to. And hearing you say you got this, that meant more to me than you probably even know.

[C]

That's what adidas is all about. The you got this campaign as a reminder that support, even one moment, one voice, can change everything, whether it's a.

[A]

Coach, a teammate, a friend. Sometimes it just takes someone reminding you who you are.

[C]

We've both had those people, and now we're trying to be that for someone else.

[A]

Learn more about the you got this [e-mail] yougot this and follow along. Adidas and Adidasus.

[C]

This episode is brought to you by prize picks. You and I make decisions every day. But on prize picks, being right can get you paid. Don't miss any of the excitement this basketball season. On prize picks, where it's good to be right. It's the best time of year. The holidays are coming up. The NBA is back. We've got football on Sundays. My week is filled, and I love it. And now that I'm watching it all unfold, I've been having some fun on prize picks, too. It's super simple. All you have to do is pick more or pick less on at least two player stats. And if you get your picks right, you cash in. I've hit a few lately. I had Steph Curry and Luka Doncic both going more on points. I know. Brilliant. And those guys are always in my prize picks lineup. And what I love is how easy it is to play. You can make your lineup in under a minute. And this season they added stacks. So if you want more on stuff points, threes and assists, you can play them all in one lineup. Plus, you can now follow other players on the app and copy their lineups with one click. So whether you've locked into hoops, football, or both, Prizepix is the best way to make every game a little more fun. Download the Prizepix app today and use Code Postmoves to get $50 in lineups after you play your first five dollar lineup. That's code Postmoves to get $50 in Lineups after you play your first $5 lineup. Prize picks. It's good to be right, Candice.

[A]

Honestly, my favorite plays are the ones where a teammate just knows what you need. Like they're two steps ahead.

[C]

Exactly. That's the AT T guarantee. They don't wait for you to ask. In rare event of a network outage, they'll automatically credit you for a full day of service.

[A]

So basically, it's like your PG throwing you the perfect pass before you even post up. Like just lead me to the rim.

[C]

Or when AV is already in position before anyone else sees it coming.

[A]

All I'm saying is staying connected matters. And with AT T, they make sure that you're covered.

[C]

That's connection with commitment. That's the AT&T guarantee.

[A]

AT&T connecting changes everything.

[C]

Credit for fiber downtime lasting 20 minutes or more or for wireless downtime lasting 60 minutes or more caused by a single incident impacting 10 or more towers. Must be connected to impacted tower at onset of outage. Restrictions and exclusions apply. See att.com/guarantee for full details. All right, Becky Hammond, the originator. The five foot.

[B]

What?

[C]

What are you, five foot six?

[B]

On a good day.

[C]

Five foot six? Oh, wow.

[B]

Okay.

[C]

Five foot six dynamic guard turned unbelievable coach. Welcome to Post Moves.

[A]

Yes.

[C]

Is it weird being a guard on the show or are you comfortable in the paint?

[B]

I was comfortable in the paint. Probably not with YouTube roaming around it, but I went in there quite a bit.

[C]

Oh, and you? Listen, we're gonna get to this later, but you are the one that invented The English like, the ability to just throw the ball from down here where we can't time your jump and off the top of the glass. I tried so many times to block your shot, but you were able to get in there amongst the trees a lot of times. So give yourself.

[B]

Well, Candace, I might throw it into the stands rather than let y' all block me. So I was like, one thing we're not gonna do is get blocked in there, but no. Yeah. I mean, hey, I'm small, so I had to do things a little unorthodox, but since I've been living down here in San Antonio, you know, you have the English, and now I've just called the other one Spanish. So whether we're. Which. Whatever way we're spinning it, you know, you got English, and then you got Spanish, depending on what ham.

[C]

Well, you've done an amazing job at, you know, obviously, your basketball career as a player, but now, currently coming off of the WNBA championship, it's a little awkward for me in the space between, you know, Aaliyah and yourself with that championships. But. But, coach, Congratulations on the 2025 WNBA Championship. How have the last couple weeks, months, whatever, felt like since that championship, It's.

[B]

It's. It's crazy. I mean, obviously you're, like, super happy, but honestly, it's almost like it's just a relief. Like, I feel like I can breathe again. I can sleep again. Especially that team. And Aaliyah, your guys series. I mean, I didn't sleep at all. So, you know, I feel like I'm catching up on a little bit of sleep, getting to play my mom role back here in San Antonio. And, yeah, it's been a whirlwind. Even still, I'm like, man, sometimes I'll text the girls. I'm like, man, y' all really did that. Like, it was. It was a heck of a ride. They aged me about 15 years, this group, but I'll take it because one thing that stinks is going into. I hated it last year, like, going into the off season, a loser. So I was like, no, we. We gotta. We gotta win. We gotta get back on those winning, winning ways. But it was. It was a really fun run, honestly. The last, you know, 20 games of the season, even the ones that we got pounded, you know, were just really great learning lessons for us and growth for us, so. But it's. It's been good. It's been nice everywhere you go, you know, I like being called champ, that's for sure. I didn't like it last Year coming in, losing.

[C]

Well, coach, first of all, we're not going to feel sorry for you because you've won three championships in the four years you've been there. So I'm not going to be like, sorry about last season for not taking home the championship trophy, but becoming the first former WNBA player to win a championship as a coach. You did that in your first year. What can you say about this group? Because in 2022, it was a different team than back to back in 2023. Obviously last year, you know, you dealt with injuries as mo as some teams do, and this year the same, but it was a completely different team this year. You had to reinvent your bench. You lost Alicia Clark, Sydney Coulson coming off the bench. You talk about Kelsey Plum being traded and, you know, going to Los Angeles and Jewel Lloyd, you know, kind of acclimating her to the. To the system, to the aces way. So what can you say about how different this 2025 championship was?

[B]

I think that's been kind of the cool thing about it, Candace, is like every year has been different. Like, the 2022 group was different than the 2023 group. And the 2023 group, even though a lot of times you're looking at the same faces, every team has to come in. You have to reestablish it every year and who you're going to be that year, because as we all know, the minutes don't carry over, the points don't carry over, the work doesn't carry over. You got to get over and do it all over again every year, day in and day out. And, you know, quite honestly, coming out of 24, you know, and if you go back, Candace, we thought we were going to have you in 24, right? Like, we were all fully intending on you coming back.

[C]

So I remember that whole time, you sending me sets, I was like, actions, yes. I was like, this.

[B]

We're going to do this. And. And so we, you know, it was. Every year is different, and you got to just kind of go with. With the flow of the season and obviously dealing with different injuries. You know, Kia wasn't off and Chelsea wasn't even a year post op. You wouldn't have been a year post op. Like, it was just. It was. It was tough. And I think, you know, the. What I learned from 24 was to not let there be any slippage. You know, I mean, we came in. In 25 and I was hammering our defense, like, left and right, because 24, I felt like we were a little bit complacent coming in. You know, we had just won two, and there's. There's real valuable lessons, and everybody can handle the losses. How do you handle your success? And just that understanding that you have to be present. And I think, you know, every moment that you're out on that court, not take anything for granted. I mean, you know, the fever were a perfect example of that, like, ups and downs, the resiliency that a team has to go through and grow from, because you have no point but to get up and go to work tomorrow. That's the only option. So it's the next person up. And coming into this year, it was, you know, losing Clum was big. Bringing in Jewel was big. You know, bringing in Dana Evans and kind of what she had gone through in Chicago, what Jewel had gone through in Seattle, what our own team had gone through. Losing A.C. plum, Tiffany Hayes, Sydney. Like, we. We. I feel like we were kind of a hurting group coming into the season. Not. Not physically, but, like, just mentally and emotionally. And we. We were all kind of dealing with some things I think we had to heal from. And until it really became a safe space for everybody to where you can really genuinely build up that trust with each other that, hey, like, trying your hardest is cool here every day. And it's safe to. In that, you know, sometimes we got to look in the mirror and be like, it wasn't good enough today, but let's get it done today or tomorrow, you know, and having that. Just that mindset of being present every day and going to work every day because it was a grind. This year's was hardest by far. Indiana actually was probably the hardest series I've been through.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, true. And you know what? It's funny, Aliyah, you're sitting there, but it's like, I was pissed after game five. I'm sure you were more pissed, but we're going to the finals. But then I went back and watched it. My CT calls me Candace at like 3 in the morning. She's like, you still mad? And I was like, no. I'm like, Indiana just played their asses off. Like, I can't. I mean, you guys played amazing. Can't be mad at either team. It was just two teams, blow for blow, back and forth, and both teams really playing at an elite level. I don't care what the names on the jerseys are. Those were two teams just going at it in the best way possible. I thought super competitive down to the wire, obviously, in most of those games. And so this one. This one Hit different for sure though, because it was different.

[A]

I was going to ask you, you know, you talked about how every season was different. Would you say that this was your favorite championship?

[B]

It. Oh man. Favorite. It was the hardest fought one. And honestly, Leah, like this year it wasn't as much X's and O's. It was like the psyche and keeping everybody on board and keeping everybody moving in the same direction with. With no matter what we were dealt. And every team had different cards dealt to them. Right. That you have to deal with. And so just trying to figure out and putting those pieces together. But I'm gonna. 23 with game four was unbelievable.

[C]

That was wild.

[B]

That was because that was like everybody just penciled us in to lose after we lost Chelsea and Kia and in that series and you know, I remember you calling me Candace. Being, getting there and being on the bench and what a voice you were for our team that year. The voice and the presence. I mean that stuff matters. And I'll. I'll. Yeah, I guess this probably was my favorite if I had to say it.

[C]

Becky.

[B]

Mary put me on.

[C]

I know I'm sitting there. I know I'm sitting there. She tried to like, you know, justify.

[A]

She did, she did. You know, it was great.

[C]

But she tried to justify 2023. But. But Becky, I do want to go back to 2023 because I think I learned a lot in the one year that we were together on the aces in the way that you not only pour into your team and have expectations, but the way that you listen. And I can remember sitting on my couch with my foot up in, you know, in a cast and you calling me like, what you got? What do you think we should do? What should we run? Whatever. And I remember going over some of the plays with you and you and me watching the game that night and you doing that as the first play. And so I feel like being a part of the aces locker room taught me about the ownership that you empower each player to have on the team. Where did that come from? Because I know as a player I played against you, I was never your teammate. But obviously in passing we were cool. We said hello, whatever. You were a great teammate and you were a leader and a guard and a point guard and things like that. But as a coach, where did that come from? That listening element, that leaning in and pouring, you know, other things into your players.

[B]

I just think it goes to the human factor, right? Like at the end of the day, people can get caught up in your guys names and your accomplishments, but at the end of the day, I think the authenticity to really want to be heard and seen is real and valued, not just for what you do on the court, but, like, who you are as a person. And I just feel like the better I know my players, the more times I can sit down with you and have dinner or just shoot the crap, you know, turn a game on, be like, oh, did you see that play? Because we'll text sometimes during your NBA games and be like, oh, my God. Like, you know, did you see that? But I just think the investing into people's. In people's lives, I mean, that's why I got into coaching. Like, the championships are great. I love winning championships, but, like, man, I want to be a phone call for you if you need help, if I can help in any way. You want to bounce something off me. I tell my. My. My players all the time, like, tell me if I need to be the bad guy with your family, with your agent, with your other team, like, help. Let me help you. And, you know, I. I just think sitting down and listening, I. I can learn a lot about you, where you come from, your past. How you learn is a big thing with me. And I know, like, the first couple weeks, Candace, you were kind of struggling with our thing, and then, like, week three, it just went, voom. Like, got it. Because there was a lot, right, where you're trying to learn our verbiage, and our verbiage is like.

[C]

Like, she. We came in. We came in, and, you know, I'm from the era of the wnba where it was like, we did the same three, you know, practice drills. Like, every team does Olympic shooting. Every team, like, we did the same three practice drills. So I come in, and they're talking about vitamins, and I'm like, everybody's required to take vitamins. And like, Chelsea Gray laughs at me because she's. No, vitamins are like, the extra work that you're coming in, you're getting extra shots up, you're doing, like, there was just terminology where I was looking to my left, like, I've been in this league this long. I. I really think I'm a smart, high IQ player. I don't know what they're talking about. I have no idea.

[B]

So, yeah, yeah. I mean, the. The vitamins really came from the spurs, you know, because I learned a lot, obviously, in my eight years there, just how they run things. And so we implemented a lot of those things in the daily vitamins. Chip England, who's behind OKC's bench now, it's no shock that they're as good as what they're doing. He does so much stuff behind the scenes for the teams that he's a part of. And so the daily vitamin is those things that you gotta take them. You gotta do your vitamins, and they're necessary. And I think the best thing is that, you know, trying to make it fun in the process. Like, I wanted to make the gym always a place that you're excited to come into. That's why sometimes I locked you all out, too. Like, no. So I can make that. That hunger, you know, for when you guys get back in the gym. All I want you to do as a Las Vegas Aces players, come here, just worry about playing basketball. That's it. That's the only word I want you to have coming into that gym. And then we can go to work from there. But, yeah, the vitamins, a lot of the lingo, you know, we have. One word can change the whole play. So it's like, it can be three of the same actions, and then the last word changes the last action.

[A]

And.

[B]

And so it's a. It's a vocabulary in itself. But once you get it, you get it. And then you just started, like, it was. It was over then.

[A]

And here I thought. Here I thought you were about to start naming those plays. I was like, let me get my note. I was like, what's the last word?

[B]

You know, I was. I was gonna go there, but I did that on. On. On some other interview, and Chelsea got on me. She's like, don't say our place.

[A]

No, I for sure was like, let me find a little notebook. But, Coach, I just have a question for you. So when you initially was taking over the Aces, and, you know, you had that core, Asia, Jackie, kp, you know, and then you added Chelsea, obviously. What. What was your mindset in that conversation? Because, you know, just thinking about Indiana. I don't need all the gems. I don't need it all. But, you know, like, what was kind of that mindset and the conversation that you had with them, you know, to kind of get that going up? Because, you know, we're on the brink of wanting to win a championship, and obviously this year, tasting it so bad and it being so close, like, what was your mindset when you first got there?

[B]

Yeah, so I remember just watching the Aces from before when Bill had them and kind of the pieces that he put in place. I remember having a conversation actually with Pop when I was contemplating, and I was like, I think I'm going to Take this job. Like, I think I can go there. I think I can win with this group. They were running the triangle still, and so I was like, man, they're making tons of shots and they're in so much congestion. I just felt like there was bodies around them all the time. I'm like, if they can make shots like this with bodies all around them, how many shots are they going to make when we clear it out and people got space to operate in? And so that was kind of the mindset that I had going in. It was just like, we're about to win this. Because what. From what I saw and how close they were and the skill set and the talent that we had, I just felt like we could go in there and create a culture of winning. And it was fun, too. And I think that's the biggest thing, that fun is like a bad three letter word in professional sports. It's like, oh, like, you can't have fun. I'm like, man, as long as we're keeping score, it's fun. To me, like, we can have the most fun. Working hard, being competitive, that's, to me, the funnest element of the whole thing. But the space with the talent. I mean, Asia came down to San Antonio and I met with her for the first time. I'd never met, really. Asia took her in the gym and I was like, oh, my gosh, you could shoot like further than 15ft. I've only seen you shoot at 15ft because, you know, she was always operating in that low post, in that kind of elbow area. And so I was like, dang, once we get some shooting bigs, too, I'm like, it's about to be over. And just really challenged all of them. You know, even. Even with Plum, you know, I loved her juice, how she got downhill. And then, you know, it got to be where it was paint and spray. Like, you get down there, you make your rim read. And. And I think a lot of that was just kind of new to the W in the sense of just the getting in there and with the action to create for somebody else. Right. And, you know, even that team in 2022, we had some. We had some heart to heart meetings, you know, when things weren't going great. And I think the best thing about the group, though, is just their character. You can coach them hard. Like a lot of players say, oh, you can coach me hard. You don't want the truth. And to be a really great coach or just even mentor or leader, I think you have to be authentic with People, you have to be honest with people in the right way, in the right tone, at the right time. And so just coming in and trying to build those relationships up and that trust factor in a really short period of time, because the W preseason is super short. So preseason that year I was like, I think we're going to be really good. Like, I got to see us against another W team though, like going against the platform, the practice guys is not quite the same and just being in that organized setting, but it was a group, I thought we could win right away.

[C]

The biggest thing that I will say that I've seen in that first step that Mark Davis took in hiring you and bringing in Nikki Fargas and operating the Aces organization as a professional team, which we had not seen very much in the wnba with that, now we are seeing this trend of the WNBA only hiring coaches that have had experience in the NBA. And I believe that you were kind of the catalyst of that because of your success, because of Nate Tibbett's success, because of Natalie Nicase's success. I mean, they're all, you know, Natalie sat on your bench for a number of years with the Aces, but she had some experience with the Clippers as well. What can you say about past players? Because you being the first WNBA player to win a championship as a coach. What can you say about the league in hiring former players? Because we're seeing that in the NBA and we're seeing other coaches, you know, that played in the NBA that are now coaches. What can you say about that in the wnba? Because we don't have many former players that are sitting in that seat.

[B]

I just think the value has to go up, right? Like value my playing career. And I think that was one thing when I went over to the NBA. Nobody's asking these questions if I had a 16 year NBA career. But like all of a sudden, because of my gender and because I played in the W and not the NBA, all of a sudden my basketball career doesn't count towards my time in an arena. I mean, when you start adding all these years up, I'm going on 26, 27 years in either a WNBA arena or NBA arena. That's a lot of basketball. And I think, you know, I felt like sometimes on the men's side it was like, well, she didn't, she didn't play in the NBA. It's like, well, how many coaches are actually have played in the NBA that are. That are coaching now? Not, not that many. There are some, obviously, and some very successful ones. But just Valuing that experience, I think has to go through the roof. The work and the detail that a W player puts in is the is, is, is the same as the NBA. Your guys's workouts and how you work and how you go about your professionalism and how you attack a scouting report, how you attack an off season workout, you know, it's the same. And I think people recognizing that for what it is, which is it's basketball work. And I don't care what gender you are like, you put in that work, you're going to learn, you're going to get better and it should be valued and putting, you know, now people are starting to put their money where their mouth is, which is great for everybody.

[C]

The perspective. We had a conversation and you know, amongst many times on some restaurant or something, I don't even know where we were in the world, but we had a conversation at dinner and I remember you saying something to me about when you were the coach, you know, when you were, you know, being looked at as a head coach candidate in the NBA and you were a finalist for Portland. I remember talking to you before you went down to Orlando Magic, all of that. And some of the conversations would be like, well what, what about the locker room? But those same questions aren't then asked to male head coaches because male head coaches, it's a thing in the wnba, it's a thing in college. Nobody ever questions like locker room etiquette or what are you going to do when you walk in after a game. Like, nobody says that. And with that, it made me think of all of the other barriers or obstacles that are in the way for a female to finally get a shot at an NBA job. I mean, we've seen Don Staley got interviewed for the New York Knicks. Was she a serious candidate? I don't know. I wasn't in the ownership meetings. What is it going to take for. Because I'll be honest, as a competitor, I was pissed that you went to the Aces because I didn't want to. I knew you were going to come in and they were going to win a lot of championships. But also I thought you were and you still are to me in my eyes, the one that could actually sit in that seat as a head coach in the NBA. And it's unfair, like you said, for me to put all these other stipulations on all these other women when men get the job that aren't qualified all the time. But what is it really going to take organization wise, person wise? Because again, I'll say It, again, I thought you were the person because of Pop as well, because of the spurs organization, but also just because of you.

[B]

Yeah. I think at the end of the day, Candice, it's not a matter if there's candidates out there that could do the job. There are. That's not the issue. If you're looking for a reason not to, you can find it. Right. And whether you want to point to the locker room, by the way, I don't go in the Aces locker room. It has nothing to do with gender. Like, the locker room, whether it's an MBA locker room, a college locker room, male, female, like, it's a very private place, and it's a very. I don't know, it's. It's a sanctuary, if you will. I'm not trying to go in there and mess with people's rhythms or routines. Like, you do what you got to do, and I'll see you at 38 on the clock, you know, But I think if. If they wanted it, it would be. I don't know if they really want it. And I think the issue of, oh, can. Can. Can women lead? Men? Leadership knows no gender. Just, like, character and bravery and courage and resiliency. That. That stuff. You have to go through stuff and earn that stuff, and you build it up over time, and those are the things that make you really a successful coach. Because at the end of the day, everybody's going to go in there and they're going to have pretty solid X's and O's. It's. It's. Can you make the appropriate timeout? Can you. Can you draw a play to get your players look, can you. Can you get them to stay on board when everybody wants to jump ship, you know, because it's not looking good, it's not feeling good. And I think those. Those unifying factors are what make great leaders. And to me, I mean, women are doing so much more important things than leading basketball teams. They're leading surgical rooms. They're leaving leading platoons in our armed forces. Like, there's a lot of really great things that women can do. And honestly, it's the NBA. I mean, when they want it, they'll get it, because there's people that are ready right now. I could sit there and say, I probably said this to you. In some ways, I feel like it could happen in five years. And in some ways, not till 35 years. It was just. I know Pop used to get very protective of me when teams would call and be like, well, do they really want to interview or are they just doing this so they can get some clicks and, you know, I don't know. I don't know. I know with each interview I think you get a little bit better. You get more secure in who you are and your philosophies and what, what you're, you know, you're capable of. And, you know, there's no doubt in my mind that, that I could coach the man. And by the way, the problem was never with the players. It's with the decision makers and the other people. The players, they don't care if Kermit the Frog came in and told them, if that's going to help them win, they will listen. And I think being able to give players real time information that can help them on the spot, go out there and be successful is really valued. And they, they know, you know, spade recognizes a spade every time.

[C]

And, and well, again, again, I'm not to cut you off, but I still, if I'm, if I'm going to Vegas, which I have a couple times, and I'm putting money, and I'm putting money on a person, and I still will say this. I think you are the one that's gonna do that just because of your experience. And you always have to have an answer for questions that others aren't asked. Whenever you walk in and you're the only or the first, you always have to have extra, extra answers, extra qualifications. And I think you meet all of those extra asterisks that they try to put on all of us. Extra criteria, all that. Like, when I come to the table, I'll be honest, like, you know, broadcasting. I can't just show up like, I gotta have facts. I gotta have facts with those facts. I have to remember video and score and all of these things because of the extra criteria and extra standards that they have for women in this space.

[B]

Well, there's no doubt they're looking for check marks to check you off, not, not to push you in the door. And I think that perspective, first of all, it isn't helping move anything forward. Not because if you have that attitude in your work, you probably have it at home too. And so that's not very productive. And I think at the end of the day, you got to go out and hire the best person for the job, period. Now, we know we don't live in that world where, you know, the most qualified person doesn't always get the job, but you do have to be better and you do have to have an answer. I remember one of the first interviews That I did after I took the San Antonio job the first time. And I think, you know, the locker room con, like, did anybody ask Gino about the locker room? No. You know, so why are you asking me? You know, and I think when you start to flip the conversation and you flip the question around, people are like, oh, yeah, bad question. Like, didn't think that one through. And it's like, yeah, because you're trying to catch me in these. Aha. Like, okay, that's why you shouldn't be there instead of looking for reasons that you should be there. And this guy, he, he was like, you know, not from me, but another guy, another news reporter wrote him, is like, you know, pops pulling a stunt, blah, blah, blah. And those guys aren't going to listen to her unless they want to learn how to bake chocolate chip cookies. And he's like, you know, how do you respond to a guy like that? And I was like, you tell him I make a hell of a chocolate chip cookie. That's the comment in question is so ignorant in itself, which I do actually make chocolate good chocolate chip cookies.

[C]

I've never had your cookies, by the way, so I'm gonna need some.

[B]

Well, you probably had my mom's. You know, the apple doesn't fall too great. But, you know, some of the questions and the line of thinking, it's like, you're never going to win those people over anyways, like, let them stay in the hole that they're in. And you just got to be about the truth, be about being who you are. And when that door, when the door is open for me, Candace, and it's the door I'm supposed to walk in, I'll walk through that door. But if I can't be me authentically 100% and all female walking through that door, then the door's not for me, and that's fine. And we keep it pushing and you just keep busting ass and hope that, you know, the trips fall in the right place. But you're right, you do have to have an extra gear for sure.

[C]

Well, I've always been so impressed and I realize where this mentality comes from, just in terms of undrafted to hall of Fame despite an acclaimed college career at Colorado State, you were undrafted in 1999, but you went on to have a 16 season WNBA career. Six time WNBA All Star, two time WNBA First Team, which 2008, I remember quite vividly. We'll get to that in a little bit. But in the court of unpopular opinion at the time, you played for The Russian national team. And I can remember reading article after article about how unpatriotic it was and how ridiculous it was, and da, da, da. And, you know, you got a Russian passport. You played in Russia for a majority of your career for Seska.

[B]

You.

[C]

You ended up winning a Bronze medal in 2008 in Beijing for Russia, and you also competed in 2012. What was that like? And how did that prepare you to own your space now? Because I can remember it being a very lonely island for you, competing in the wnba, having to face those questions night in, night out about playing for the Olympics in Russia.

[B]

Well, first of all, I think, let's just be honest, USA Basketball didn't want me, so there's that. Right? And just like I said, when a door is shut or a door's not for me, it's not for me. And that door was not for me from birth. That door wasn't for me, Candace. It just wasn't my route. Now, it hurt like hell, you know, going through that and that disappointment, because to me, that was like a childhood dream. Right? Like every child dreams, a basketball player of playing in the Olympics and the red, white, and blue, but not for Russia. That wasn't the thing. I mean, you know, I'm a Rockies era American, where it was like, you know, the going to play for Russia was just like, unheard of. Red dawn, you know, But I'm sorry.

[C]

Aaliyah's a little confused. It's the Rocky. Rocky Balboa. Rocky 4 fought the Russian Drago. We'll get to that. I'll. We'll do a history lesson.

[A]

Do you remember when I was born? Please?

[C]

Yeah, she was born pretty late.

[A]

So What.

[B]

What year?

[A]

2001.

[B]

Oh, Lord.

[A]

Yeah, but I'm almost 24.

[B]

I know. It just makes me almost 29, so.

[C]

It makes me almost 40. So we're in the same boat.

[B]

I'm so glad you. You married those two, because I don't think people understand the woman that had to grow through that in order to go where I was going. And I had to during that time. It was very lonely. It was hard. It was hard. It was disappointing. People calling you names. I'd go into arenas, and they got traitor up on the signs and this and that. And I'm like, I'm pretty much probably one of the most patriotic people I know. Love this country dearly. However, that wasn't the plan for me. That wasn't the route for me, and it never was, Candace, no matter what I tried to do or how good I was. That door was closed for me. Now, true to God being God, there was another door open, and that's the one I walked through, the one that wanted me. And that. That walking through that door really changed me because I got really uncomfortable with people being uncomfortable with me. And when I walked into that first coaches meeting and I'm the only woman, like, it's uncomfortable for them. You know, everybody always asks how my experience, I'm like, this is also new for them, to have a woman in their space, to have a woman's voice in there, you know, and as coaches, you know, you have those trusted voices. I had to earn. I had to work extra hard to get that trust. And, you know, there was times that. I remember my first year, we were playing the Clippers, and back when they had. They were lob city, right? And they have J.J. redick in there and this and that. And we're going through our scout on how to guard J.J. redick. And I was like, well, I think we should do this. And Papa's like, no, no, no, no, we can't do that, because this, this, and this will happen. And I'm like, all right. And at that time, I didn't really have the. The. The grit, I would say, or the. The security or the confidence to sit. I was. My first year, man. I was doing way more listening than talking, believe me. So the fact that I measured up this. This. This idea on how to guard him, and he shot it down in front of the group. And then about two games later, another assistant coach says, we should do it this way, like a brand new idea. And I remember I'm sitting next, ime's next to me, and IME starts hitting my leg. Like, you just said this four days ago, and it was like the greatest idea ever, you know, And I truly get both sides. Like, you know, there was a thing that we were going to give up, and it was going to be layups over Tim Duncan if he had to go in there, but guarding him a certain way. And then from that point on, that's kind of how we guarded jj. And whether JJ was in LA or JJ was running off pin downs with Embiid in Philly, because the whole first quarter, they used to run this. This pin down. It was like, you do this, we do that kind of scenario, and you were either giving up something to Embiid or you're giving a nice look up to jj. But we ended up guarding a lot of the actions with that defense. But I just, you know, even though it was my idea it never went down as like my idea because it just wasn't heard. And I just remember specifically emei's tapping me on the leg, like, sorry about that, Holmes.

[C]

Like, life of a woman. Oh, boy.

[B]

You should see.

[C]

Yeah, listen, in operating rooms everywhere and studios everywhere, like, sometimes we'll say something in a production meeting and then like five minutes later it's on set and I'm like, didn't I just, like, I.

[B]

Just, I just said that.

[C]

Didn't I just say that? Am I, do you guys hear, Is this mic on?

[B]

Yeah, I, I, I'll say this, I'll say this. That was my first year and you know, the latter years, Papa's handing me the clipboard to, to draw up some of his plays and, and this and that, which is a very trusted role. And there was times where it was my scout and maybe I was against the group. I'm like, I'm adamant. Like, we have to guard it this way. And this is X, Y and Z, Y. And he would go with me. But it took, I had to earn that voice that I, eventually I earned his ear. But didn't start like that.

[C]

But you had to earn it more than others. And I think that's the reality of what we're in when we're the only in a situation. And you talked about your time spent coaching with San Antonio 2014-2021. It started off, I was there when you tore your ACL and you ended up deciding to go and spend the summer in San Antonio. And from that it ended up being a larger role with the Spurs. And then you became a full time, the first full time female assistant coach in the NBA. The first woman to be a head coach in the NBA Summer league, which in 2015, in which Lindsey Harding just was the head coach for the Lakers this summer, which I thought was really cool. First female acting head coach NBA game after Pop was ejected in 2020. What can you say about the path for your, like, your journey? I would say in understanding how to like, speak up, but also understanding like the role you have to play as a human because you have a lot of guys, like you said, IME hitting you like, yo, that's your idea. You have Paul Gasol that penned an open letter in support of you becoming the first female head coach. So you have a lot of support and a lot of, you know, but growing into that voice of understanding what it is to fight and when it is to just be silent and let your work do, do the talking.

[B]

Yeah, I mean, it's a process But I think, you know, all those instances that you have mentioned, whether that's playing for Russia, whether that's a knee injury, like it's all part of preparation. And so anytime anything's really hard, you really have to stop yourself and be like, okay, what am I supposed to be learning here? Because this sucks. And most of the time, you know, it's leading and preparing and building something in you that you're going to need later on in life. And you don't know what that is until you know. Right. And I think, you know, I was going to Pops practices every day. I'd get up, do my rehab at 6 in the morning, go over there and then spend the mornings and the afternoons over with the spurs and just getting my feet wet there. But had I not tore my acl, like, I'm not there, I'm over in Russia playing. And you know, it's been just thing after thing like that. Candace. I can't even make it up, right? Like this crazy journey of just pivots or sometimes you have to take one step back and then reroute and just figuring it out and finding a way and then trying to be, you know, the best person that you can be throughout it. Even when, you know I have a lot of support, I probably have a lot of haters too, you know, which I totally get. Like, I'm a first year NBA assistant coach and my name is everywhere. Like, you can't turn on the tv. I got tired of seeing me, right? Like there was, and here's a guy that's been working his way up for the past 15 years and nobody knows his name. Like, I kind of get it. I understand where there would be frustration with that now. It is what it is. Like, nobody's signing up to be like, no, okay, I'm not going to talk to Robin Roberts and not talk about this great thing that just happened for women. But there was, you know, there's a, there's a good old boys network there and that's fine. And I think once they figured out, you know, that I was really there to a learn and do whatever I need to do to help our team win and get the best out of our players. I'm not trying to go to HR and I'm not doing that. Like I'm here to be a sponge and soak this up and try to be as good as I can be for the group, for our coaches group, for our players and do it in maybe uncomfortable spaces. And I think that those areas really grew me a lot into that voice. Now I'm very confident in what I believe. That's why I said, I know I can go host in the NBA. There's not a doubt in my mind that I can do the job, but I'm not the decision maker there. I'm super happy with where I'm at. I got the bomb ass team, love my girls. And it's been so fun being back on the women's side, honestly, not only see the growth, but be part of that. That water that was poured in to now where we got the tipping point right. Like, there have been a lot of people filling that cup. And then, you know, you got the likes of Asia, Aaliyah, Caitlin, angel, and all these other really great page, you know, now coming in and you see that tip over where now you got a fair amount of eyes on you and you're able to impact the way that you really should have been impacting the whole way. But we know it wasn't always like that. I mean, at one point it was cool to knock on women athletes. Like, it's very out of style anymore to get on here and bash women. And that's growth as a society. But we still have some red tape to push through. There's no doubt about it.

[A]

I have a question. I know you said, you know, if it wasn't for your acl, like, you might have not even went in that door. I feel like now everyone always asks, like, the players, like, oh, do you see coaching in your future? Do you think you want to be a coach? Like, did you always have that thought of like, oh, maybe I do want to be a coach? Or you were kind of just like, no, that's never what I'm going to do.

[B]

That's funny because now the players are like, I'm never doing that.

[A]

That's exactly what.

[B]

Yeah, but no, so I was, I was going back and forth between. I was doing some TV at the time, and I was like, I just had like an aha moment where I was doing TV. I think I was doing a Pac 12 game maybe. And the coach that had just lost was like walking out and they're like, you know, their heads down, they're mad, whatever. And the commentator next to me was like, see, man, that's headquartered. Like, TV's the best. Like, you never have to leave the gym a loser. And I was like, yep, no, not for me, because I can never leave the gym a winner. Like, I don't want to be the one talking about it. Like, put me in. Put me in the Foxhole with people, put me in the work, in the grind. That's really where. That's where I want to be. That's where I'm most comfortable. But also it's where I think I have the most impact, you know, because at the end of the day, what do you want your legacy to be? Man, I want people to be like, man, she impacted me. Like, she helped change this viewpoint, or she helped me get. Get to this point in my life or my career. And that's what I want my legacy to be, more than championships or. Or player or whatever. Like, man, she really impacted my life in a positive way. And because at the end of the day, man, people are the only thing that go on.

[C]

I feel in some ways that your illustrious coaching career has overshadowed how dominant you were on the court. So I want to bring it back to you as a player, because I hope in, you know, 10 years, people are like, yeah, Candace played basketball, but she did this, this, this. Like, that's what I hope, honestly, in my second act, is that people forget about that. And I think in ways about you, like, because you're such an amazing coach, people forget that you. You were a dog. I mean, let's be honest, 16 years. I mainly want to take it back to my rookie year in 2008, because, you know, we were the glam squad. We were in la. Myself, Lisa Leslie, Delisha, Milton Jones. I think our producer Chelsea actually has a picture that we're going to show of a young CP baby. Hair still intact, but girl, you know, they still intact. And this is what you call the English right here, because I'm going up trying to block her shot. She's going to put some English and throw it over her head under my arm. Like, that's just Becky. But that's the Becky that I remember trying to attack the rim and go to the hole.

[B]

That's the reach I remember trying to go around. Look at that reach. Oh, my goodness.

[C]

In 2008, you and the Silver Stars went to the Western Conference finals against the Sparks. There was a certain shot.

[B]

Tamika Johnson, man, she used to get underneath me. I'm not. I'm not used to being the bigger players at all.

[A]

Hold on.

[C]

We're looking at it right now. Oh, my goodness. And that was when she had, in game three, 35 points, seven rebounds, four, six. Four assists, six of eight from three.

[A]

That was a good contest. Like, hands there. Doesn't even matter.

[C]

I mean, a slight push off. If they talk about today's rules, but, you know, it's cool. They, they, they won, they won a game two thriller. I'm not, I'm not upset at all. As you can see years later, Becky, you talk about competitive people. I still think about that shot Sophia Young hit. And I still think about our inability to guard the Spanish pick and roll with you and Ann Waters. It keeps me up at night. That's, that's why I'm in tv. Actually the opposite of you. You're like, I, you know, I want to leave the game a winner, whatever. Me, I'm like, last second shot. You do everything you do to prepare. And this little five foot five guard comes in and hits five.

[A]

Six. She's five, six, Candace five.

[C]

Nah, I'm not giving her that inch.

[B]

I was wearing shoes. I was wearing shoes.

[C]

I'm not giving her that inch. All I'm saying is this guard comes in, drops 35, 74. You lead the Silver Stars to the finals. I mean, you were pretty damn good. I think you were an amazing leader. What about that team was so special? What about that era of basketball for the new fans of women's basketball was so special?

[B]

Oh my gosh. First of all, your guys team was ridiculous that year. The length of like, you remember when I had you and Asia reach across the paint, you and Lisa reaching across the paint, the length of that team, and Delicia had arms for days. It was a chemistry thing, you know, and that's why I really value culture and chemistry. Because you can beat a more talented team. You guys were more talented than us, there's no doubt about that. Player for player. And you can really make some magical things happen. I think, you know, you don't have to always love your teammates, but man, it makes it sure fun when you do like them, right? Like, it makes it a lot of fun when you genuinely like each other. And that was a group that just genuinely liked each other and dug in deep and did all the little things for each other. Vicki Johnson was on that team. So we had some people that did a lot of dirty work. Aaron Buscher, Ruth Riley, you know, who are. These are like unbelievable teammates, right? If you know these, these women really great teammates. And then Sophia Young was obviously super talented.

[C]

Vicki Johnson coming off.

[B]

And as you know, in order to, in order to win a championship, you do have to get a little bit lucky here and there. And that shot that that Sophia made was, was crazy.

[C]

Shot was crazy. All right. Like I said, it is a part of a lot of my nightmares.

[B]

Hey, I remember, I think we called, I think we called it Fist out that Spanish action, that Spanish pick a.

[C]

Roll that we could never figure out how to. You know how you came in and you said, okay, I think we should guard JJ this way. I came in and was like, hey, so the way we're guarding this action, they're either getting a three or ants getting a layup. So I think we should maybe try to guard it this way.

[B]

Yeah. And I remember he'd be like, you ain't gonna get that again. You're not gonna get that again. And I'd go away from it for about two plays, and then I come back to about third, fourth play. I'd be like, yeah, you still ain't figured it out yet, Holmes, yet? Nope.

[C]

And we weren't going to. We still. We still are trying to figure out.

[A]

Candace, this seems like trauma. Do you guys need like a one on one session?

[C]

We do. There were so many times where she would. She would be coaching and I would just look at her and just think of 2008 and just think of. Because you know how Sue Bird. We had Sue Bird on our. On our podcast a couple weeks ago, and she talked about those years where you feel like you could have won a championship, but there's some lack of slippage. And it can happen in the beginning of the year. It can be a pivotal moment. It can be a momentum changer. Like 2008 to me, in my career, if I come into the league and win a championship my first year, I think all of the other stuff goes away. Like all of the personality, like all of those things that people were saying at the time, I think is not a barrier, is not an obstacle anymore. And so for me, 2008, I look at as like a missed opportunity. But obviously we lost to an amazing team. I mean, they. They deserve to win, they deserve to move on and things like that. But honestly, it is.

[B]

Our wheels fell off. Like, it took so much going through you guys. Our wheels fell off in the finals. Let's not talk about what happened in the finals. But we got there.

[C]

But still, again, I don't want to overshadow your playing career because I think people forget. And if they do Forget, go to YouTube and check out Becky Hammond's like, just watch a game. Because your craftiness, your ability to finish over length and things like that was undeniable. I. I do have to say that we wanted to make this, this episode about you, and I know you have to go, so we're going to be respectful of your time, but we want to make this about you. Can you Please. You are coaching one of the best players ever, if not going to be the best player ever in Asia Wilson. And you have said that in Scream from the Rooftop from the get go when you came in and you first started coaching Asia. From now, from then to now, what have you learned most about her?

[B]

Oh, man, she's a real, real one. Like, a real one. We have hard conversations, you know, we have moments together where, you know, she's telling me her thoughts, I'm telling her my thoughts. But the moment that I took this job, man, she's been so coachable. Like, the easy. Like, you're the best player in the world and you're the easiest player to coach. Like, she's just never a problem. And, you know, I think she allows me to get on her for her defense, you know, I mean, and that really sets a tone for the rest of the team. Like, she's yelling at Asia Wilson about being a crap defender and da, da, da, da, da. And Aja Wilson's the best defender in the world, you know, But I'm always. She really does want to be great. And so, like, that's what I'm here for. Like, I'm here to make you great. How can I help make you great? And I really take that approach with every player. Like, I want to make you the greatest version. Help make you the greatest version of yourself. And I say help because at the end of the day, you're the one that's in charge of that. I'm not in charge of that. Now you tell me that's what you want. I'm on board, like, and I'll help you get there. I'll do whatever it takes to help you get to that greatness level that we both believe you can get to. But honestly, we've challenged her in the off season. She comes back better every year. And honestly, I don't really see her. She's not working out with me. So whatever she's doing, I've learned to just go let her be herself and go do her. And she comes back better every year, which is hard to fathom at times, but her natural giftings as athlete and as a person, you know, I look at her parents, you know, and what a great job they did because she's had hard conversations before. You know, Eva and Roscoe always weren't her best friends. They were her parents. And I think at times, you know, as a parent myself now it's like, no, my job is to teach you when you did right and encourage you when you did great. And then check you when you don't and where we fall short. And if I don't tell you, who's going to tell you? I'm your mom, you know. But I just think that realness that she has with her family is really made her into a special human. And like I said, she's just never a problem. And there are times, I mean, when I go at her, she'll just shake her head. Yep, you're right. She's so unbelievably coachable. And I don't know if I've ever been around and I've been around some unbelievable players, but that. That willingness to. To kind of take a hit in front of your team or take a hit maybe when it's not even your fault, you know, your coach is yelling at you and you're like, it wasn't even my fault, but okay, you know, I'll take it. You know, she's just really secure in who she is. And, you know, I think even that was a process because I look, she's a different woman, you know, in 2025 than she was in 2022. And at the end of the day, we should all be different and better women than we were in 2022. In 2025. And you know, that's the trend and that's the. That's the goal. Right. It's always just keep getting better. Both as a person, as a mom, as a. As a leader, as a coach, as a player. Like what else we doing if we're not trying to get better in those areas?

[C]

I think the most important job honestly entitle. Because when you have a coach, it doesn't matter how old you are. I still call my high school coach coach. I still call my junior high coach coach. Like, that is one of those roles that in society it is respected. It is a hard job, but boy, it the payoff just from players loving you and understanding the impact that you're having not only on. In between the lines, but on the court. So obviously you hit the ball out the park in terms of that, but just being in your locker room and understanding how everyone feels about you was super special. So we are going to conclude the interview with fan questions. Okay, We.

[B]

All right.

[C]

The Vegas Aces questions, they came. They came with it. And it's lots of questions about your style. Okay, Fashionista. Fashionista. We are going to talk about your style.

[B]

So cast funny because I think I have no style.

[A]

No, they love it.

[C]

They trend. So you thought that you ushered in.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

You thought you ushered in to the wnba. Like, you know, pin down actions and space and movement and all that. No, they were looking at your hoodie blazer fit. So we're gonna get to some questions. All right, right here we got the hoodie hoodie blazer fish from Cassidy Liata. What's your favorite hoodie blazer color combo? And can you tell the origin story of this? Because I think that people want to know that.

[B]

Yeah. Well, when I first took the job, I was like, I didn't. I didn't want to do the zips. I hate polos and I hate lady polos. Especially. Like, just give us the men's polo. It's fine. Like, the lady polo, I'm not for. So I'm like, let's think of something that I like. And I have so many hoodies. Like, I'm in one today. I'm just in hoodies. So I was like, let's. I'm going to try to incorporate the hoodie. So then I, it's. I got my staff a bunch of hoodies, and then. So that's what we did. And then we won. So then we're like, we can't just keep it up because we want it. So what's funny is this year I came.

[C]

But what was the first hoodie like? Blazer, because you sew it in. I thought it was two separate things, but you actually sew your hoodie into your blazer.

[B]

You. Well, I've never sewn one, but you can buy them. I don't know how to sell Candace, but anyways, you can, you can. There's a couple brands that come with the hoodies in it. Veronica Beard. So if you, if you go, I don't know, to Saks or Neiman's or whatever. Veronica Beard.

[C]

Sponsored Deal.

[A]

Okay, I know she over here dropping names.

[B]

You can, you can zip, like, zip them out and put them in different ones. So if you just get a different blazer, you can throw on a different hoodie. Some of them they're attached and some of them, they're not attached.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

So I would say, like, I know.

[A]

I feel like I need to go.

[C]

Look for a little tea here on this post show. I haven't ever heard this.

[B]

I think the. One of my favorite combos, though, is always like, purple with like, navy blue or any kind of. I like color. I'm so tired of, like, black, white, and silver. I had eight years as a player, eight years as a coach, and then now we're going to black and silver again because. Because Mark and the Raiders. So I'm like, all right, we got to have a splash of color in here. So I opened it up to the colors. Blazers, like, in the second year, and then this last year because we lost in 24. I was like, you know what? Let's do the zip ups on the road, and then we'll do, like, business. Cash at home. I came out in our first, like, preseason game, and Chelsea looks at me. She's like, what are you doing? And I was like, what do you mean? Like, she's like, you're not ready. Like, where's your hoodie? And I was like, I thought we could do something different. She's like, no, no, no. Because then the hoodie came back. I was going to ditch the hoodie, but now I guess it. I. I guess it has to stay now.

[C]

It's provocative. It gets the people going. Gets the people going. Gets the people going. It's provocative. All right, Aaliyah, we got two more questions, so you go with the next one.

[A]

Okay, so this one is from ortneymarshe. Can you confirm that Jackie Young is your favorite? Oh.

[B]

This has been a thing. And I'm gonna be. I love Jackie. Everybody knows I love Jackie, but I really like all of them. It's like, your kids. You can't have.

[A]

No, that's not the question. Is Jackie the favorite?

[B]

If Jackie says she's the favorite, she's the favorite. Nobody puts baby in a corner. That's it.

[C]

I. I love it. I absolutely love it. Okay, for your last question, this is really tough because everyone sit in some pretty amazing questions.

[B]

The.

[C]

The Aces fans came with it. Let's see the hardest guard you ever played against in the W, and that comes from Jolene Kensell.

[B]

Okay, well, there's the first part of my career where, like, I really wasn't on the scouting report that much, Right. I maybe played five minutes a game my first couple of years. I had to work my way up the bench. So I was never assigned with trying to guard Cheryl Swoopes. Now, I might get switched onto her by accident, but, like, that was never my. My, my, my matchup.

[C]

They were like, Becky's man, come set the screen, put her in it, bring her into it.

[B]

Every time you're trying to ISO me. Actually, Nikki Teasley in 2001, I believe she used to try to post me up every time. And I believe it was Coop at the time was the coach. And he'd be like, yeah, and yelling at her to go in there. I'm like, bro, my mom knows There's a mismatch in the building, like, you're not gonna get this one. And they used to press that one so hard. So I had to guard in the post. I was never posting up, though, for your post moves audience. But you know, who guarded me really, really well. Who guarded me well was Alayna Beard. Oh, I hated going against Elena Beard. That. Those arms for days. And she was just bigger, faster, stronger than me. Lateral quickness, and it was like, oh, she was a nightmare. I hated when she guarded me. Katie Douglas was another one that guarded me really well. But. And typically, I liked the bigger guards because I could outmaneuver them a little bit. But them, they were like, more maneuverable than me, clearly. So I didn't like it when they guarded me. But having to guard somebody, I mean, Cheryl and Cynthia were about as good as it comes. And I'm going to name a throwback player Charlotte Hornets. Stinson. You remember Stinson. So she was a baller. But Adrienne Stinson was like. Or Andrea. I forget Adrian or Andrea. But she could. She was tough, like one on one. And I feel like dawn in her prime. We, you know, the we. We had that group of players that was kind of like on the outs of their even Cynthia Cooper was kind of going, you know, the other direction. They. We didn't get their prime years in the wild, but it would have been interesting had the W been formed, you know, 15 years, 20 years before that. What kind of legacies we'd be talking about because they were some ballers.

[C]

Becky, listen, on post moves, we accept all sizes, all shapes, all colors, all positions. If you want to come down into.

[A]

The paint, you can come hang out.

[C]

Welcome. So I really appreciate you coming into the paint with us.

[A]

Yes.

[C]

Thank you today and have an amazing conversation. Thank you, Becky.

[B]

Thank you, man. I love living in that paint. Thank you all for having me.

[C]

It's now time for you got this, presented by Adidas. There's nothing like a great assist to help us remember you got this. Learn more about the you got this [e-mail] yougot this and follow the action on Instagram, Ditas and Adidasus. Every week we're going to shout out someone who inspired us, rose to the occasion, or made that moment count. This week that you got this moment goes to. Drumroll, please. Thanks, Aaliyah. Usc, Jazzy Davidson. USC has another superstar, and she's showing why she was the number one recruit in the class of 2025. She led USC to an upset win over NC State. 69, 68. Scoring the winning bucket, which was a nicely drawn up out of bound play by Lindsey Gotlib. Oh, man, look at the usc. Look at a USC bench. Look at you approval. Look at that.

[A]

She's been hooping. I mean, she started off the game and was missing shots. And then she came out that second half and went like 5 for 5, knocking down threes, getting to the free throw line. That's a great pick right there. You know, she plays my Gamecocks this weekend.

[C]

I hear you're going to be in la. Maybe I'll see.

[A]

Are you coming to.

[C]

Maybe I'll go. Maybe I'll go to the game with you. Can I sit next to you at the game?

[A]

Possibly. Maybe.

[C]

Okay. Well, Jazzy, in the game against NC State, put up 21 points, 13 in that third quarter. Five blocks, four rebounds, four assists, three steals. Stacking the stat sheet. She's definitely allowed in post moves. She's definitely allowed in the.

[A]

Oh, a hundred percent. 100%.

[C]

And she was just named the Big Ten freshman of the week. The Trojans were number 18 ranked before Sunday's win over NC State. And now our number eight. Yeah, so you beat a number nine team. You jumped to number eight. That's what it was in the AP top 25. Yeah, you saw that. Quick, quick, quick.

[B]

Math.

[C]

No, I am really excited watching her in the way that she moved at the high school level and in the summer circuits and things like that. You just knew she was going to translate. Translate seamlessly. I think she, in her head thought she was going to be playing alongside Juju Watkins. Now the ball's going to be in her hands a lot more. With her being out and man, in her first couple games as a. As a college freshman, she's rose to the occasion.

[A]

So. Yes.

[C]

Yeah, I can't wait. I'm gonna be sitting next to you at the game. All right, that's my. You got this moment presented by Adidas. Next week, it's back to you. That's a wrap on this week's episode of Post Moves. Thanks again to Becky Hammond. Definitely an amazing conversation. New episodes drop every Wednesday. Subscribe on YouTube or wherever you get.

[A]

Your podcast and follow postmove show on all socials at Postmoose Show. That's two S's. You know what's next? Bow, bow, bow.