Abby Wambach (1:53)

I was at the hotel and I did what a. What a person does. I checked the traffic and see how long it was going to take me. And I was like, doing the math.

Julie Foudy (2:01)

Yeah.

Abby Wambach (2:02)

Halfway to the game I realized, oh, I didn't account for everybody flocking to the stadium at the same exact time. That's silly. That was a silly thing. And the live hit was going to happen at like 6:35 or something.

Julie Foudy (2:16)

Right.

Abby Wambach (2:16)

And it's like 6:20 at this point. And I like to be early. I'm not like a late person by any means. So my, my, my Uber is like stuck dead stop in traffic and I'm like a half a mile away from the stadium and I'm like, I have to get out and run. So I get out, and I just was, like, in the middle of the street. I was a half a mile away.

Julie Foudy (2:38)

Oh, okay.

Abby Wambach (2:39)

And so I get out, and I'm sprinting to get to the stadium, and I realize what the traffic really was, because the cars weren't moving at all. I sat there for five minutes, and I was like, what the hell? So that forced me to start running. And I realized, oh, the reason why all of the car traffic was stopped was because there was a train that was. That came to a complete dead stop on the train tracks.

Julie Foudy (3:01)

Not moving.

Becky Hammond (3:01)

That.

Abby Wambach (3:01)

That are. It is completely not moving. And it's like. Not like a passenger train. It's like one of those oil trains. It's, like, carrying big things of oil. And there's hundreds of people on this side of the train trying to get to the other side of the train.

Julie Foudy (3:16)

And it ain't moving.

Abby Wambach (3:17)

That is where the stadium is. And so I look to my left and look at my right, and I'm like, I've gotta. I've gotta figure out how to get on the other side of this train. So I'm looking under the train. I'm like, do you think I could crawl under the train? Like, no, that could kill me. Because if it starts to go that I'm. You know. And I was like, I'm gonna crawl. I went to, you know, where the. The cars link up. Yeah. And there's, like, a staircase. Yeah, There was, like, a ladder that you could climb up the train and across and then jump down.

Julie Foudy (3:47)

Wait, you went up and over it?

Abby Wambach (3:50)

Not over. Over.

Becky Hammond (3:51)

Like, it was, like, over the.

Julie Foudy (3:52)

The gap.

Abby Wambach (3:53)

Yeah, you. It would. It would get you over the. The. The gap. And so I looked to my left and looked to my right, and some people were like, do it. And other people were like, no, don't do it. And I was, like, having this. Like, I was torn. I was like, I gotta do this. I just gotta go. And so I ran up there. I climbed across, jumped down, and I was like, whoa, I'm brave. I did something totally out of character for where I live in my life now. And I kept running because I had to get to the field. And I finally found you. And of course, I was now, like, 10 minutes early, but that was.

Julie Foudy (4:29)

And you got to dump the big powerade bucket onto her head, which was so good. And we'll show that picture.

Abby Wambach (4:36)

Yeah, there's so many fun stills that we posted over the weekend, and it was just, like, so fun to be there, to be able to celebrate. Alex Morgan for all of the time that she spent and being the face of women's soccer for essentially the last 10 years has been so fun to watch her kind of develop and grow the game and involve herself in all of the things that she's involved with now. And then a lot of the former teammate, my former teammates were there, and so it was like a little reunion.

Becky Hammond (5:05)

A reunion.

Julie Foudy (5:06)

It was fun. And I hope she hears that story so that she understands the commitment level of.

Abby Wambach (5:12)

Oh, she heard it. She heard it. I told it three times.

Julie Foudy (5:15)

This is what I will do for you to get to your interview and dump pink headbands on your head.

Abby Wambach (5:21)

That is right.

Julie Foudy (5:23)

Okay, party people, we have Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammond in the house at the party tonight. So stick around because she may or may not Tootsie Roll for us. But first, let's get this party started with the highlights and headlines you'll want to celebrate this week in women's sports. Our party starter is brought to you by Ally the Bank that is your Ally. I'm excited for the NCAA women's basketball season to get going. Next week, November 3rd, the regular season kicks off. We are going to have a conversation with Gino Auriemma, which is super fun, and we'll be talking hoops a lot in the next few months. But let's get this party started first with U.S. women's National Team. So, as you know, after losing that first game, which you were at versus Portugal on Thursday not night, they actually lost two to one. And it was the first loss the US has ever had against Portugal, by the way, first time Portugal had ever scored on the United States in 12 matches. And so in the second game, which happened on Sunday over the weekend, they came back with a younger team in that second game and did much better. They beat him 312 goals. A brace by 20 year old Olivia Moultrie, who is also tearing it up with Portland with the Thorns. And a goal to seal it by another Portland Thorns player, Sam Coffey. So it was basically Portland over Portugal on Sunday, I feel like. And then there's one more game in this window still in Connecticut right now as we record this and the US Heads to Kansas City and CPKC Stadium, which I'm super pumped to actually call a game at because I have not yet, which is where Casey Current, of course, plays. Um, and they're gonna take on. The US Is gonna take on New Zealand on Wednesday night.

Abby Wambach (7:11)

Yeah. So we are gonna go for women's soccer to women's swimming. American swimmer Kate Douglas she left her mark on the Toronto World cup on Saturday, becoming the first woman to ever break the 52nd mark in the short course of the hundred meter freestyle with an incredible time of 49.93. Now, breaking that 50 second barrier was like the final frontier in women's short course sprinting something like it's breaking like the the 4 minute mile right in track or the 10 second barrier in the men's 100 meter. Kate Douglas. She's awesome. 23, from Pelham, New York, is one of the most versatile swimmers in the world. She's a University of Virginia legend. She led the Cavaliers to three straight NCAA titles and set multiple American records. She has five Olympic medals, two gold, silver and one bronze. And Julie, did you know that after she won, she was given this sweet king esque crown to wear? Hopefully we can show that image right here because she is the queen of the hundred meter freestyle. Queen Douglas.

Julie Foudy (8:22)

Oh, that's so good. See, I think they probably were watching our show and they also wanted to give crowns out. I'm sure they do that forever, but we think it's us.

Becky Hammond (8:30)

All right.

Julie Foudy (8:31)

Forbes releases its most powerful women in sports list recently. I don't know if y' all saw it. Number one on that list. Most powerful women in Sports is number one. Gail Benson. She made history in 2018 when she became the became the only woman to own both an NFL and NBA franchise, taking control of the New Orleans Saints and the New Orleans Pelicans after the death of her husband Tom. Number four on that list, Caitlin Clark. Mm, we know why. Number five on that list, Michelle Kang, majority owner of three women's pro soccer teams, Washington Spirit, OL Lyones and London City Lionesses. And as we know, she's gonna grow that empire out. And she donated 55 million to U.S. soccer for women's team. So we love Michelle Kang. Number seven on that list. Jessica Berman, commish commissioner of NWSL. Number nine on that list, Abby M.M.

Abby Wambach (9:31)

Fee and Stewie, co founders of Unrivaled and of course, just ultimate ballers. We, we've had Stewie. We want Fee. Fee, where are you? Come to our.

Julie Foudy (9:41)

Come to the party. And then number 14 on that list, our teammate Cindy Parlo Cohn, now president of U.S. soccer. She is the first female president in crushing it. And she came in ahead of Asia Wilson. Let's go.

Abby Wambach (9:56)

CP.

Julie Foudy (9:59)

Asia Wilson at 15. Number 17, co founder of Angel City, Karen Norton, who's a friend, also managing partner of Monarch Collective, which is this 250 million dollar fund solely about driving growth in women's sports, number 22, Becky Hammond. Number 23, Billy Jean King. Still rocking the top 25. I think the Kinger, though, really should be number one, right?

Abby Wambach (10:30)

Totally. I also think it's pretty amazing that in this podcast, we have two of the top 23 who are involved with this podcast today on this podcast. Well done.

Julie Foudy (10:42)

Crazy well done.

Abby Wambach (10:43)

All right, you guys, that is your party starter, and thanks to Ally for sponsoring this segment. As we know, Ally is more than a bank, and their do it right approach helps customers unlock their economic potential and guides their efforts as a leading. As a leading sport sponsor in women's sports. Just like us, Ally believes that when women in sport win, we all have a reason to party. Ally Bank, Member, fdic. Okay, so, Jules Peloton is shaping the future of fitness with the brand new Peloton cross training Tread plus powered. It's the most incredible thing. It's powered by peloton iq.

Julie Foudy (11:28)

Yeah. Have it. It is amazing. And as you can imagine, abs, I'm pretty particular about how I work out because I can't just, like, run on my own anymore. I can't just run like that. Like, obviously, we spent our life doing that and training that way, but it is the hardest thing, and I won't do it. I just won't. I won't do it anymore. It's not enjoyable. And that's why this new Peloton Tread plus is amazing, because you get all the classes, of course, in front of you, so you feel like you're in a class, but you can totally mix things up. You're not just running. You can swivel that screen and you can get off and start doing a little boot camp on the side. It's so cool, the swivel. I was like, what?

Abby Wambach (12:15)

It's the best. Also, it's been a game changer for me because, like you, I can't run, but I can't run because I have foot problems. And so the tread and the forgiving nature of the actual tread helps me to be able to actually move. I can walk on there. I can get an incline on there. I can swivel that screen. But I think what I love most is that the screen swivels in a way where I can guide and I can do the pilates on the ground. I can do weightlifting. I'm like, literally looking at this peloton plus tread. It's. It's just.

Julie Foudy (12:48)

It's in your basement. It's.

Abby Wambach (12:50)

My wife loves it. Seriously, I am stunned how much I actually didn't know I needed this. It mixes up my weekly routine. It's guide guides by instructors. Like, I feel like I've got friends and I've got trainers on my side now.

Julie Foudy (13:02)

Yeah. Yeah. I love it too. I love it. So let yourself run, lift, sculpt, push, and go.

Abby Wambach (13:09)

It does it all.

Julie Foudy (13:10)

Explore the new peloton cross training tread +@1peloton.com Abigail thank goodness. Because I was a little bit over the heat of the summer and we're getting finally into sweater weather. And let me tell you, Quince does it right. I don't know if you've seen this, but their 50 Mongolian cashmere sweater is iconic for a reason.

Abby Wambach (13:37)

I gotta check.

Julie Foudy (13:38)

They have. I know they have these premium denim that fits like a dream. And they also offer this like luxurious. Which makes me feel luxurious and I look luxurious. Outerwear. Outerwear that you'll wear year after year. And I'm getting to the stage where we get into our fall games with U.S. women's National Team.

Abby Wambach (14:00)

Yes.

Julie Foudy (14:00)

And we're on the field pre game. Sometimes for an hour. Pre game show. Right.

Abby Wambach (14:05)

Hard to stay warm and look stylish.

Becky Hammond (14:08)

Yeah.

Julie Foudy (14:09)

You're not in a studio. You're not in a warm, cozy studio. You got to look good and stay warm. So I have been eyeing their wool coats. Cool. Because they give me. Which is really hard to do a totally designer look but cost a fraction of the price. And the quality is just as good, if not better. And this is how they do it. Quince partners directly with top tier ethical factories. And what they do is. What we're trying to do is cut out the middlemen. That means that they deliver these luxury quality pieces at half the price literally. Of similar brands. And it's the kind of wardrobe that it's the upgrade that will make you feel smart and stylish. And it's effortless. And for me, my Quince cashmere crew neck. And then I go with their Italian crossbody bag.

Abby Wambach (15:02)

Cool. I love the cross bodies.

Julie Foudy (15:04)

Yeah. That has become a staple for me this season. And. And you literally can wear it with jeans, joggers. Sometimes I wear it with pajamas. And. And somehow I. It actually makes me look like I planned my outfit.

Abby Wambach (15:20)

I mean, Julie, are you coming into a stylish era? Is Julie becoming styled? Okay.

Julie Foudy (15:26)

Maybe Quince is gonna get me there.

Abby Wambach (15:27)

That's right.

Julie Foudy (15:28)

Find your fall staples at quinte. Go to quince.com welcome to the party. For free shipping on your order and which I love. 365 day returns. In case it actually doesn't fit right. So they're now available in Canada too. Yay. Yay, Canadians. That's Quint. Q U I n c e-dot com welcome to the party. To get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quint.com welcome to the party. All right, party people. And now to the partiest part of our party. Becky Hammond, the architect in just four years of one of the greatest dynasties in WNBA history. Since taking over the Las Vegas Aces in 2022, she's led the team get this. To three championships in those four years. Also, she was named a coach of the year and a record setting 16 game win streak to close out this regular season. But her story started long before that. After 16 seasons in the WNBA, six All Star appearances and her number retired by both the Liberty and the Stars, she transitioned seamlessly into coaching, becoming the first woman to serve as a full time assistant in the NBA under Greg Popovich.

Abby Wambach (16:53)

So good.

Julie Foudy (16:54)

What's made Hammond so successful isn't just her basketball mind, of course. It's how she connects with her players. We're going to talk a lot about this. Inspires and demands the best from everyone around her. And perhaps most important, her ability to bust a dance move like a 21 year old. Becky Hammond.

Abby Wambach (17:19)

Becky Hammond.

Becky Hammond (17:22)

Crushing has not stopped. The party hasn't stopped.

Abby Wambach (17:24)

Yeah, I know. Damn.

Julie Foudy (17:27)

Come on, sister, talk to us about this party. It just gets better every year.

Becky Hammond (17:34)

Well, you know, my knees were feeling good that night at the, at the, at the parade. So I was like, you know, I'm gonna get out there, I'm gonna break it down a little bit. Go circuit like 2002. See how I'm hanging? It wasn't good. The next day my knees were like, screw you. It is not. No, it was not good.

Julie Foudy (17:51)

You can still do it. You can, you can bust a move. I said I thought I saw a little Tootsie Roll in there.

Becky Hammond (17:56)

Oh yeah. I'm never going to be the last one to the dance floor. You can just take that to the bank. I'm always going to be on the dance floor.

Abby Wambach (18:01)

I love that you got in there with your players. There's nothing better than when you're a player and the coach comes in and like dances for a minute. You're like, you feel like you've won even more getting your coach to dance. But are you a dancer like all the time or is it just when you win?

Becky Hammond (18:16)

Oh, I mean, winning definitely helps the vibe for sure. No, but like if I go to like a wedding or something, like I Don't leave the dance floor. Like, I'm pretty much on the dance floor all night. Like, I don't know. I've always loved dancing. I'm not the greatest dancer, but. Yeah, I think I used to make videos when I was young and stuff. Like, you know, in South Dakota, there's not a lot of dancers around, so I thought I was pretty good. But no, it's. It's. I don't know. It's just a good way to connect with people. I love music, so. Although I'm getting a little old, I'm pushing 50 now, so it's. It hurts me the next day if I have to move my knees too much.

Julie Foudy (18:58)

50 is the new 20. Come on now.

Abby Wambach (19:00)

You know that.

Becky Hammond (19:00)

Keep telling myself, let's do that.

Julie Foudy (19:02)

Come on. Do the celebrations over the years, how have they changed? Like, they must just get more ramped up every year, right?

Becky Hammond (19:11)

Well, the Tootsie Roll, I mean, I did that the first year, and so then it became a thing. They made me do it in 23. And then this past year, I was actually in the coaches locker room, and they were doing their thing in the locker room, and they're like, no, we have to go get coach. We have. So they ran, got me and then played Tootsie Roll because they know if they play that song, I have to do dance. So then now it's a thing. I think I'm gonna have to do it for the however many other championships we win, which will hopefully be a lot, but. So I'm just gonna have to do knee injections leading up to the playoffs. Stem cells just in anticipation. Yeah.

Julie Foudy (19:44)

Preventative. You're gonna do it before you even get into the playoffs. I'm just gonna start these injections now in case.

Becky Hammond (19:49)

Exactly, exactly. Just in case I have to whip out my Tootsie Roll again.

Julie Foudy (19:55)

Okay. This season, my goodness, what a year for you all. Just to give the party people, our listeners, some context, let's rewind back to August 2nd of this. Of this year. You lost to Minnesota links by 53 points, which was the largest loss in franchise history for y'. All.

Becky Hammond (20:18)

You're.

Julie Foudy (20:18)

You were also sub.500 at this point in the season. So take us back to the emotion of that moment and how you turn that all around, if you would.

Becky Hammond (20:28)

Oh, man. So obviously losing sucks, but there's. There's, like, a way to lose, right? Like 53 points, eighth away. So we had game the next day, and honestly, you know, I don't sleep much during the season, and it was just up all night watching film. But we had a game the next day, so we kind of had to like turn the page quickly. We couldn't dwell on it too much. Asia hits the group with a text after that, that loss and was basically like, don't come to the gym if that didn't like, embarrass you. And you know, it's interesting because people look at that 53 point loss, which, I mean, it was a. It was embarrassing, right? For sure. But we had kind of been making some strides. Like we weren't winning games. But I kept telling them, I'm like, you know, we're getting closer. I know it's not translating to wins, but as a coach, I'm like, there. There becomes times where it's like, okay, as long as we're making baby steps in the right direction, like, okay, we can everybody stay on board. That was just like a bitch slapped back to reality. Like, bam. I don't know if I could say.

Julie Foudy (21:40)

That on here, but anyways, I've never said that before in my life.

Abby Wambach (21:43)

Yes.

Becky Hammond (21:44)

And, yeah. And so it was like. I mean, I don't know what stirred in them. I had been stirring the whole time, but it really got to the point where it didn't really have anything to do with X's and O's. Like, it was in our head and in our hearts and mostly in the head. You win the battle in the head, you'll probably win the heart. But you lose it in your head, man, it becomes really tough. And that was a gut check. That was a heart check. And that loss, I know everybody kind of looks at it because we took off from there, but we really were moving in the right direction before that devastating, like, you know, embarrassing loss. But that what they said. Beyond that, I don't know. I know what I kind of let into them at some. At a certain point, you know, would you say I was just disgusted with our effort in our execution? I mean, like in the league anymore too. It's so good. First of all, they were the best team in the league at that point. Right?

Abby Wambach (22:49)

And.

Becky Hammond (22:52)

They were the standard. To me, they were the standard. Like, I love the way Minnesota plays. I love the way they move the basketball. 53 points is. I think it was a WNBA record. It wasn't just an Aces record. I was like, this team knows how to set records, all right, like, good and bad, they're going to set some records. But it was really just getting the group back and again, keeping everybody on board. It's so easy to fall apart in June, July, when things are not going well. And so that thumping, it was kind of like, well, if that didn't do it, I don't know what it is. Like, it's beyond, like, an X's and O's game anymore. This is a mental aspect that we need to, like, get over and get over quickly.

Abby Wambach (23:32)

So what did you do then? Like, how did you. How did you get back into that locker room and get the players to recover whatever it is you were trying to build upon? You know, it's like you were taking these baby steps and then it was like these giant, like, 100 miles back with this loss. How do you get the team back? Obviously, the Asia text is important. I know that Jewel asked to come off the bench. What did you do, like, strategically, from, like, leadership, coaches perspective to get to right the ship, essentially.

Becky Hammond (24:06)

So I started reminding them who they were. I started showing videos of winning, what it looked like to win and win together and the champions that they were and the people that I knew who I was working with. I got a lot of years invested with, you know, Asia, Jackie, Chelsea, Kia, Cape. Like, I know who you are. And my thing was, like, you're not being your authentic self, and anytime you're not, you're going to struggle in mediocrity, in being below average, and nobody gets what they signed up for. Like, you don't get what you signed up for. This team doesn't get what they signed up for. Like, you have to be yourself in a selfless way. And I started showing them highlight videos of themselves. Like, almost every game we'd watch our film. And the other thing I did was I started making them write scouting reports.

Abby Wambach (24:59)

Because I was brilliant.

Becky Hammond (25:01)

I was like, you know what you. I needed. I needed them to take some ownership. I needed them to take accountability for what was going on out there and not just me telling them what to do or how to do it. Like, no, you're in charge of it. I didn't score one point, nor will I. Like, you have to do this stuff. You have to get the defensive scotch. You have to execute the scheme. I was like, I can give you the greatest scheme in the world, and if you don't try hard at it, it's gonna suck. But I could give you the worst scheme, and if you try really hard, it'd probably be pretty decent. Like, you gotta work it to make it work. You have to work it, and it has to take a huge amount of effort and energy, and you have to decide if you want to do it or not. So that. That's on you. I can't make you want it, and I. It can't bother me the most when we get scored on. It should bother you guys as well.

Julie Foudy (25:47)

And so you literally, like, had them up there. Like, Asia's doing the scouting report, right? Like, she's like, okay, next time we play Minnesota. Here's what that's.

Becky Hammond (25:56)

Yep.

Julie Foudy (25:57)

And they were running this. That's awesome.

Becky Hammond (25:59)

I did. I did a one, one or two last year, too. I made them. You're gonna make your own practice plan. We're gonna. You're gonna do the practice. And what that helped me do was it helped me know what they thought they needed to work on. And then. So I'm watching them put their practice together, and the things that they. They link together is really not far off from what, you know, you already know as a coach. It's like, you're hoping they do it. And, like, good kids, you know, they most of the time succeed when you get. When you put the ball in their hands. But I. I started having. And they had a couple of really good, outside of the, like, box ideas, schematically, defensively, a couple games. I was like, I love it. I love it. There's a couple that I was like, nope, can't do that. This is why. But, like, you know, and. And then once I explain, you know, maybe why we can't do something, certain coverage or whatever, they'll be like, oh, yeah, okay. Yeah. But, I mean, 95% of it, it was the same stuff we were already doing, but it was theirs.

Julie Foudy (26:58)

Now there's ownership in it. Yeah. What about Jewel Lloyd asking to come off the bench? I mean, Abby and I have talked about this on the pod. Like, one of the most selfless things to say, like, hey, stop starting me. Let me actually be a spark off the bench. What was your reaction to that?

Becky Hammond (27:17)

Well, I told her no the first time. I told her no the first time. And it was. I didn't want her to think that I had lost confidence in her. Like, you're jeweloid. Like, the shots are gonna fall, and that's all really. I mean, I don't know a lot about soccer, but, like, shooting is just, like, numbers. Like, you could miss 20 in a row. You might make the next 50. Like, you just have to keep shooting. And I know she's putting in the work. I see her putting in the work, and so I told her no the first time. She came back around a couple games later, and she was. She was kind of distraught and emotional, and I Said, okay. I said if let's try it, let's try it. Whatever it's going to take for me to help take a load off your mind right now because this is way too heavy like to carry around right now. And so sure enough, we put her on the bench and the rest is history.

Abby Wambach (28:15)

Okay.

Becky Hammond (28:16)

But let me tell you, having a 20 point score come off the bench is crazy.

Abby Wambach (28:19)

Yes.

Becky Hammond (28:20)

Like, that's crazy.

Abby Wambach (28:22)

Yeah.

Julie Foudy (28:22)

And the rest is history, meaning 16 game win streak to close out the season and then you get the 2 seed for the playoffs and then boom, you're in the final against Phoenix Mercury and it's a straight sweep for third title in four years.

Abby Wambach (28:35)

But I'm like, I'm fascinated by this kind of leadership. And Becky, I need to understand you a little bit more because I'm very intrigued by the way that you lead. I have like, I have like the feeling where I wish that you could have been my coach in a way because you get your teams to win and obviously, like, that's the point of what we're doing. But I wonder like, what you would describe your leadership style. Like, because you, you're capable of striking this balance, of getting the most out of your players. Like, you push them hard and you also listen to them and you love them and, and it's like this incredible balance that not many coaches can get right. Like, how do you, how, how would you describe your coaching style and how did you learn this? Like, how did these players, they feel held free and challenged and to be able to do that is like, it's like the total package. How do you do it?

Becky Hammond (29:33)

Right? Well, I'll say this. I got into coaching, yes, we want to win championships, but I got into coaching to impact people. Right. I always felt like the people that impacted me the most were teammates, were coaches, people that were really invested in me. And at the end of the day, when I'm dead and gone, you know, like, what did I want them to say at my funeral is that like, I impacted people. Like, and that to me is a lasting legacy. More than the championships. Championships are great. Yes, I'm ultra competitive, love winning, but like, not before. I love people. Like, people got to come first. And the, the people in that locker room, it's like, I mean, first of all, I'll say this. When it was really hard and not looking good, they came in with the greatest attitudes, which is hard to do, and worked their tail off. Like, they showed so much character. And if you had bad character, like I said, that season falls apart. In June, really great character can sustain you during that. And the. The equity. I. I just talk about making investments in people and so investing in people. And then when it's time to pull out and make a. A withdrawal, it's there. It's there. But not before. I haven't put in, you know, 99 times before I get my one withdrawal. And you really. I try to be, obviously an active listener, but also I think honest. I'm just honest with them. They know I don't blow smoke. Like, if I tell them they were good, they were freaking good, and they could take it to the bank, you know, and when I'm like, we sucked. They know we sucked. Like, we fell short. We didn't. We didn't. We didn't have it today. But I think just, you know, my dad, if I had to say my. My greatest leadership style, I would say just uniting people, and I would say that even coming from the NBA, you know, I tell the story of DeMar DeRozan, who's, you know, this six, seven straight black guy from Compton. What, like, what does he have in common with a little white girl from South Dakota who's, like, gay? Like. But you'd be surprised. You'd be surprised that when you see down and start talking to people, what you can actually connect on instead of your disagreement or maybe where you go this way and they go this way. There's so much more that we actually have in common, and those are the things I choose to focus on, is just, you know, investing in the people and listening to their stories. I think I coach you best when I know who you are. If I don't know who you are, I don't know what buttons to push, because you can't coach every player the same. Asia, Chels, Jack, Jewel. I can coach all of them hard. Like they're winners, you know, like, they. They get it. And so let me tell you, I set the tone real quick. When I come in and I go off on Asia about her defense, it's like she's the best defensive player on the planet. I'm like, yeah, she could have done this better. Like, you know, but she takes it.

Julie Foudy (32:47)

She's.

Becky Hammond (32:47)

She's so coachable. She's. She's super easy. And it's because she wants to win, and she's over herself. Like, there's not.

Julie Foudy (32:54)

She's over herself. What a great. What a great line.

Becky Hammond (32:58)

And she's. Most. Most players will say, oh, yeah, you can coach me hard. No, you can't. You. Because you don't want the truth. If you want to be coached hard, you got to be able to handle some truth in there. And hopefully whoever's coaching you up throws a lot of love in there too, because that, that covers over even mistakes, because coaches can make mistakes. I can put you in the wrong situation or put you in a hard situation. You know, I put, you know, Kia Stokes in a really hard situation this year and her professionalism. So I had my end of the year meetings with, with all of them, right? The one I got emotional with was Kia. And it's because her character and her professionalism and who she is as a person, like, jumped off the charts to me because she, I took her out of the starting lineup. She went from helping us win championships and starting to, like, hardly playing. I could put her in with 14 seconds left and she could go out there and get a stop for me. Like, do you know how rare that is for somebody to stay in the game like that and, like, keep giving to her teammates? So I was like, of all, like, I got emotional with her because just that she's just a winner. Like, I don't, I don't know how else to put it. Like, and not just on the basketball court, like, as a person, like, you're going to do great in life because those kind of people, you always need those kind of people in your locker room and in, in your life. And she's. But I got a whole locker room full of, like, really high character people. And that's why I said, like, it was, it was hard. It definitely was hard. But, like, going to work with them and their energy, even when it sucked and we had really uncomfortable film sessions, you know, I could see the players kind of going down like, like this in their seats. You know, it's like, I, I don't want to sit there and, and be negative Nelly the whole time, but, like, there's some stuff we gotta talk about. Yeah, yeah, of course. You know, their, their ability to, to, to absorb it and then go out there and try to get it right. I, I just so appreciate that about, really, each and every one of them. We just had a really good group.

Julie Foudy (35:02)

Yeah, I saw you give a quote once. It says, I want the happiest team as well. Right. Because happy players make better players. And you can see that in everything you do. I mean, even like your press conferences with Asia Wilson, when she mentions grabbing balls or something and starts giggling and the two of you, I'm like, oh, my God, I love them so much. You start shaking.

Abby Wambach (35:22)

Yes.

Julie Foudy (35:25)

She'S funny.

Becky Hammond (35:26)

I mean, that's impossible to not, like, have a good time with. If you guys talk about a party, you know, I had a bunch of assistants come over for the men's side and the NBA side of stuff. But I think our first couple of practices, they were like. I was like, I know it's a little weird at first. Like, I learned to, like, just let them be themselves because some at sometimes, you know, we gotta. We gotta. We gotta work here. It can't just be all fun and games, but, man, they sure do make coming to work fun every day. I know. For me, and that is one of my biggest things. I was always a better player when I was happy. And I think it's not just for athletes. It's for employees. Like, you come to work with a better energy, with a different vibe. You have more production. Like, you're just. You're more involved, for sure. And I think that goes a long ways.

Julie Foudy (36:13)

Yeah. And Asia Wilson, among all the things that she's won, you know, I don't think people talk about that enough about her. Like, just how much joy comes out of her. Yes. There's going to be the angry texts that say, this isn't good enough. Don't show up. Right. Like, that balance, though, of her having fun and doing what she loves, really, I think, shines through as well, which is fun to see.

Becky Hammond (36:36)

Well, I think, you know, a couple times early on in the season, there was a moment we had just gotten our butts kicked by Golden State, and I could just. She was so heavy, and I pulled her in my office. We just cried there together. Like, we're both trying so hard, and we're both just coming up short. And I think just having those. Those raw moments with each other and then also knowing that, like, we're in it together. And I, you know, I had a moment like that with Chelsea, you know, and I think there was. From all the stuff that kind of happened in the off season, you know, there was a lot of people that left, and I think our team had to heal in a way. Not only are you trying to heal some wounds up, but also adding new pieces, you know, Jewel coming out of her situation, Dana coming out of her situation. So we had these really great people, but we're in really vulnerable spots, and it takes time. That's. That's the thing with chemistry. Right? Like, that's the thing with baking a cake. You can't just put it in and then pull it out at 15 minutes. Like, it has to cook 25 minutes. Like, there's just no way around it. And so there was. There was some healing that I think had to take place. People playing maybe out of a chip on their shoulder, like here, you know, people just had a lot of loss. You know, a couple of my players lost really close family members. So there's just. There's just some stuff going on, I think, early on and until it became a really safe space. And I think that's one of the things that Asia and Chelsea, Jack, I really stretched them leadership wise. You know, where they started having team stuff at their house. Like, I'm sorry, but that stuff matters. It sounds.

Abby Wambach (38:26)

It does.

Becky Hammond (38:27)

Like, oh, yeah, it does matter.

Julie Foudy (38:28)

Totally.

Becky Hammond (38:29)

When we go to dinner. When we go to dinner, everybody's phones are down and we're talking to each other. We're not on our phone, like, yeah, you're at dinner, but nobody's paying attention or talking like, yeah, this group was different. Like, they put down the phones, they talk to each other. And so, you know, they. They really started investing and that. And that was the thing. I know they watched the movie Thunderbirds on Netflix, that documentary. So they were. So they were talking about blind trust. Because that's one of my words, is trust. Like, you. You quit calling the friend that never picks up.

Abby Wambach (39:03)

Mm.

Becky Hammond (39:04)

Right. Like, how do you establish trust? It's like, you do what you say you're gonna do. You be where you say you're gonna be, and you show up, and you do it consistently. You can't have trust without consistency. And we were lacking consistency. And if there's anything that drove me crazy, I was like, I would. Because I saw brilliance at times, even when we were not playing well, I would see 10 minutes of brilliance, and then it would just fall off the cliff. It's like, how do you sustain that greatness? How do you sustain not even being extraordinary? Just be really solid. How do you sustain that? And we were having trouble with consistency. We were having trouble with even consistency in our effort. And that was them flipping that switch for each other. Because sometimes when you can't flip your own switch, you need that buddy that comes alongside of you and turns it on for you.

Abby Wambach (39:50)

That's right.

Becky Hammond (39:50)

And they had those. They're. That. They're those kind of people.

Abby Wambach (39:59)

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Julie Foudy (41:38)

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Becky Hammond (43:50)

The W is in a great spot overall. Now they have to get this. The logistics obviously worked out. I think it's the best product it's ever been. I know they're better players than when I played, and I don't know if you guys see that same trend, but they just. They're doing more. They're bigger, stronger, more athletic, more skilled, and that has to happen. Like, it shouldn't look. The game shouldn't look the same way in 2025 as it did in 2002 or 2005. And so the growth of the game, the eyes on the game, the skill set of the game has grown exponentially. And I think, you know, they're going to get a huge bump in their pay, as they should. But I also. It is still a young league. It is still a young league, and I. You know, they don't pay me to make those decisions. I'm glad I don't have to make those decisions, but the ladies deserve to get paid. There's no doubt about it. I hope they can get it figured out. Yeah, I really do, because I need my. I need my hoops, my X's and O's. Don't. Don't lock me out. Don't lock me out.

Julie Foudy (44:49)

We all want to be playing, right? We all want to be playing. Okay. All right. To our party Poppers segment. Becky, questions that pop. Are you ready?

Becky Hammond (45:00)

Okay. Sounds like a rapid fireplace. It is.

Julie Foudy (45:03)

Which player taught you all your dance moves?

Becky Hammond (45:07)

Chelsea.

Julie Foudy (45:08)

Chelsea. Okay.

Becky Hammond (45:10)

Yes.

Julie Foudy (45:10)

Chelsea.

Abby Wambach (45:11)

That's good. Okay. If you could trade playbooks with any coach in the world for a week, who's your pick and why?

Becky Hammond (45:19)

That's a good one, I must say. Eric Spoelstra, also, because I think he has a really great. Not only just offensive mind, but a great defensive mind, great cultural mind. So I would want his. Not just his X's and O's playbook. I would want his leadership playbook. I would want everything to check out. Steve Kerr is another one that I really love watching coach. But he's got, like, you know, you have Steph Curry. The stuff you could do offensively is so fun and creative. So. But I love watching them, obviously, cook offensively and even Defensively, when they were winning those championships, you know, they were always about 5 defense.

Julie Foudy (46:02)

Is there a text from Greg Popovich? Pop, as you call them? We've all called him. You've saved or still think about.

Becky Hammond (46:11)

Yeah. And he. He texted me, obviously, after the championship. He actually was FaceTiming me and I didn't have my phone with me or I would have picked up and put him on the party. My first year that he put me in charge of summer league, so it's like 2015. He told me, he was like, just be yourself. Don't try to be me. Be yourself. You're good enough. You got this, like. But he would always just tell me to be myself. Yeah.

Abby Wambach (46:39)

Amazing.

Becky Hammond (46:40)

Which is great advice.

Abby Wambach (46:41)

We love Pop. Which Aces player would you actually trust to babysit your kids? And who's definitely not going to get that gig?

Becky Hammond (46:56)

I would say I got a lot of really good. I would say mom potentials, Kia, Chelsea, and Asia are all very mom. They would do a good job with your kid. The other part of that is they're not gonna let your kid get away with too much. See, that's the other part.

Julie Foudy (47:18)

Oh, they're gonna call them out. They're calling the boys out. Okay, good.

Becky Hammond (47:21)

Yeah, like, don't be acting up in here. So you gotta. You gotta keep them on the. On the right path there. I'm gonna say KB and Jackie are not gonna be on kid duty. Not that they wouldn't be great aunties. KB is actually super good with kids. She got a little. Because she's a big kid herself. She's a whole vibe. So. But no, we. We got some good ones, good options.

Julie Foudy (47:47)

What's one rule in the WNBA you wish you could change?

Becky Hammond (47:52)

One rule that I wish we could change. Oh, my gosh. There's a lot of things I wish we could change. I wouldn't say. And they're talking about it, but it's a high five rule. So when a shooter shoots. I think they just changed it in the NBA. They should change it in the W. But it's like your follow through, right? And I went. I used to have to go to all these rules and officials things because pop didn't want to go to them. So I had to go to all these ones with the school first in the NBA. And it was like the high five, right? And they're like, well, the ball's already gone. I'm like, yes, I know. Like, physics wise, the. The ball is gone. But there's a reason why players have follow through and like, it affects the shot. If you. If you don't.

Julie Foudy (48:40)

Can't follow through.

Becky Hammond (48:41)

Yeah. I can't explain it, but I'm like, when you can't follow through and you just get your hand hit, it does affect your shot. I. And I'm like, I know the ball is gone, but there's something with the landing and hitting.

Julie Foudy (48:51)

Yeah.

Becky Hammond (48:52)

Sticking your landing and the follow through. So I hope they change that rule. I believe they changed it in the NBA, so hopefully it's coming to the.

Julie Foudy (48:57)

The W. All right.

Abby Wambach (48:58)

Okay. So who is your party person? And what we mean is, like, the one person you would bring to this party. Who should we have on and what should we ask this person?

Becky Hammond (49:10)

Oh, man, you should definitely have ajon, because she's a hoot.

Julie Foudy (49:14)

Of course. We would love to have Aeon.

Abby Wambach (49:16)

Of course.

Becky Hammond (49:18)

And what you should ask her. I don't know, something about her feet or hands. Like, this woman has the most unbelievable feet and hands in. In the athletic world that I've ever seen. Like, some of her catches and stuff. So I don't know where. Where she got those hands. They're like spider man hands. But, like, anything hits, man, those. Those paws, they're sticking to that.

Abby Wambach (49:41)

That hand. That's good.

Julie Foudy (49:42)

Spider Man. Spider woman hands.

Becky Hammond (49:45)

So don't ask her, but she'll say that her hands stick to balls all the time, so. And. And start laughing at me.

Julie Foudy (49:50)

Exactly.

Abby Wambach (49:51)

We're bringing that.

Julie Foudy (49:53)

We're bringing it back. Moles.

Abby Wambach (49:55)

The entirety of the interview will be wrapped around balls, and we will say balls as many times as possible.

Julie Foudy (50:01)

I love that she literally just, like, looks at you and start giggling and you just shake your head like, oh, my God.

Becky Hammond (50:07)

The first time it ever happened, I was. I knew right before I was. I had already. It was already coming out of my mouth, and I was like, oh, here we go.

Abby Wambach (50:13)

So good.

Julie Foudy (50:14)

I said balls. Yeah, sister. So damn happy to see you crushing it and see you inspiring a world of young women who want to grow up and wear hooded blazers on the sideline coaching. I am on the road, you know.

Becky Hammond (50:29)

I tried to get away from it, and they wouldn't let me.

Julie Foudy (50:31)

Why? Why would you want to get away from that? That's such a good look. That's iconic.

Becky Hammond (50:36)

Well, now it has to be. But, like, at the beginning of the year, I came out and they looked at me like, because I was going to be like, I just got tired of, like, packing for the road trip. So many different outfits and pairs of shoes and all this. So I was like, you know what? Let's Just wear the three quarter zipped on the road. And then at home, we can. We can wear normal business attire. Right. I come out and Chelsea's like, what are you doing?

Abby Wambach (51:00)

Superstition. Yep.

Julie Foudy (51:02)

Yeah.

Becky Hammond (51:02)

Like, no, no, no, no, you can't. You have to bring. No. They looked at me like I wasn't ready to play. I'm not ready to go.

Abby Wambach (51:09)

You're not in your uniform.

Becky Hammond (51:10)

Yeah. So I retired it and unretired it in, like, one day.

Abby Wambach (51:13)

That's good. That's good.

Julie Foudy (51:15)

Is the hooded blazer. Is the hood stitched in, or is it, like. It's separate thing? Very important.

Becky Hammond (51:22)

I have both.

Julie Foudy (51:23)

Okay. Both.

Becky Hammond (51:24)

There's. There's certain brands that have it. You can actually change the hoods out, but they'll be like zippers on the side and. Beard.

Abby Wambach (51:32)

Beard.

Julie Foudy (51:32)

Beard. Okay.

Becky Hammond (51:35)

I can't. I can't remember the first name, but okay. Yeah. And then they have the ones that you can, like, change out.

Julie Foudy (51:41)

Good one. All right. Party pose on three. Your best party pose. You ready, Bex?

Becky Hammond (51:47)

Oh, my gosh.

Julie Foudy (51:47)

You got it. I. I have to think about mine, too.

Abby Wambach (51:51)

Yeah.

Julie Foudy (51:52)

Party pose on three. One, two, three.

Abby Wambach (52:00)

Killed it.

Becky Hammond (52:01)

We. We had a big debate in my house whether this was three or three.

Abby Wambach (52:05)

Oh, yeah, That's a good question.

Becky Hammond (52:06)

Soon I went. I went 3. Because if we get 4, then that's easy.

Julie Foudy (52:10)

4.

Abby Wambach (52:12)

How much do you love Becky Hammond?

Julie Foudy (52:15)

I know.

Abby Wambach (52:15)

Like, I have so much. Like, this is. This is serious. I love watching some coaches and I have so much, like, envy for the players that get to be coached by those people, because to have a player like Asia Wilson and to know what. That. That Asia is the kind of player that wants to be pushed. And to know that, like, Becky is the kind of coach that is people first. Like, that is a way to get to the championships. That is a way that's like. It's like. I don't know. I just love it so much, and I love how much the players talk about the love they have for Becky, and I love that it's people first. It's just, like, kind of. It's kind of revolutionary, if you ask me.

Julie Foudy (53:04)

Well, and you. You pointed out in that fourth game against Phoenix Mercury when they were about to sweep and they're up, and it's like, the closing minutes of that game, and she's, like, locked in, intense.

Abby Wambach (53:17)

She's, like, snarling on the sideline, and I'm like, look at that coach. Like, look at Becky. She is in this. And until that whistle, that final whistle.

Julie Foudy (53:26)

Blows, it's A standard.

Abby Wambach (53:27)

Yeah. It's so good. I love. And I love talking to her. She's such a good person. I want to be friends with you, Becky. I didn't ask. I didn't have the guts to ask on during the interview, but I'll ask.

Julie Foudy (53:38)

Can we be friends?

Abby Wambach (53:39)

Yeah.

Julie Foudy (53:40)

We're gonna get to a game. We told her that when we signed off. We're like, we're getting to a game for sure. We're coming to Vegas.

Abby Wambach (53:45)

Look out.

Julie Foudy (53:46)

The party is coming to Vegas. All right, party people, join us at that party in Vegas whenever that happens, because that's happening. And don't forget to subscribe to the welcome to the party YouTube channel so that you can see the nonsense that's happening here. You can't just hear it. You can see it. And you click that little bell so it reminds you when those episodes go live, because we want you part of the party.

Abby Wambach (54:14)

Okay? And believe this or not, I have read every single comment that people have left. I watch where we're at. We're right. Check right now if you wouldn't mind commenting or rating our show. It really does matter to us. Not just, like, the business side of it, but, like, I actually really love hearing from the party people. Also, if you haven't, please subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or wherever you get your podcast. And then also just be. Be sure to follow us on Tik Tok and Instagram at welcome to the Party show. That's basically where Julie and Billy and I bring this content and our shenanigans straight to your feed. Kate Diaz.

Julie Foudy (54:57)

Absolutely. Wait, Abs. We're at 634.

Abby Wambach (55:00)

Nice.

Julie Foudy (55:01)

Five star ratings.

Abby Wambach (55:02)

How many more weeks until Thanksgiving? Because.

Julie Foudy (55:04)

I know, because. Let's see, we got about almost, not quite a month to get us to a thousand. You don't think so? I'm taking it. 30 people get us to a thousand by Thanksgiving. Abby thinks it's going to be Christmas time. I'm winning. Let's go. Just click five. Put a little comment in by the.

Abby Wambach (55:22)

End of the year. I think we'll hit it. Yeah.

Julie Foudy (55:25)

All right, I'm taking a loser.

Abby Wambach (55:27)

The loser has to wear the poop hat.

Julie Foudy (55:33)

Everybody has a pooper. That's why we invited you. All right, usa. Usa. USA on three. One, two, three.

Abby Wambach (55:43)

Welcome to the Party is an independent production brought to you by Treat Media. Treat Media makes art for humans who want to stay human. Silver Tribe is our production partner, and you can also watch our full conversations on the welcome to the party. YouTube channel and follow us at. Welcome to the Party show on Instagram and TikTok.