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It’s interview time for the Orlando Magic.
The search for a new head coach continues, and word of where candidates will be interviewing is beginning to leak out.
Among the first to reportedly secure an interview with the Magic is San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
As @ShamsCharania of @TheAthletic reports in this piece about the Trail Blazers, the Magic have been granted permission to interview Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon for their coaching job. The Magic are working to interview additional candidates as well. https://t.co/DpX4tYRnbh
— Josh Robbins (@JoshuaBRobbins) June 12, 2021
Hammon, an assistant with the Spurs since 2014, became the first woman to serve as a head coach during an NBA regular season game in December 2020 when he filled in for Gregg Popovich after he was ejected.
The six-time WNBA All-Star is now among the favorites to become the first full-time female head coach, serving as a trail blazer for many to follow in her footsteps.
“I mean, this ball is never moving fast enough, in my opinion,” Hammon told CNBC during an interview in April. “People don’t like doing something new and different. It’s uncomfortable. It takes massive amount of risk. Somebody’s going to have to take a chance...In some ways, I feel like it could be in a year. In other ways, it could be 10 years. I’m not really sure. What I’m sure of is, I’ll be ready.”
Hiring Hammon will be a well-deserved and historic move. With the Magic at a critical stage in terms of player development, they likely will also interview candidates with head coaching experience like Los Angeles Clippers assistant Kenny Atkinson, who has been linked to the Magic along with fellow Clippers assistant Ime Udoka and Milwaukee Bucks assistant Darvin Ham, as reported by Michael Scotto and Yossi Gozlan on a HoopsHype podcast.
Per Charania, Hammon is also on the list of candidates for the Portland Trail Blazers, along with South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, Los Angeles Clippers assistant Chauncey Billups and Brooklyn Nets assistant Mike D’Antoni. Hammon in 2018 interviewed for the Milwaukee Bucks job before they hired Mike Budenholzer.