Report: Becky Hammon among head coaching candidates for Pacers

The Indiana Pacers have begun formulating a list of candidates they will interview for their vacant head coaching position, and Becky Hammon is part of the group.

Hammon is expected to take part in the Pacers’ first round of virtual interviews, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports. She is one of more than a dozen candidates who will be interviewed by the team.

Hammon has been an assistant coach on Gregg Popovich’s staff with the San Antonio Spurs since 2014. She is widely respected around the league and considered the favorite to eventually become the first female head coach in NBA history.

Back in June, Hammon was linked to the New York Knicks job. She had been mentioned as a candidate for that position multiple times before the team hired Tom Thibodeau. Hammon also became the first female coach to interview for an NBA head coaching job when she met with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2018.

Hammon, 43, is a former WNBA player. She also played professionally overseas prior to taking a job on Popovich’s staff.

The Pacers fired Nate McMillan after they were eliminated from the Orlando bubble. While they are conducting a wide-ranging search for a new head coach, they appear to already have a favorite candidate in mind.