Pau Gasol penned an emphatic letter in support of Becky Hammon as an NBA head coach

When news surfaced that the Milwaukee Bucks were interested in hiring Spurs assistant Becky Hammon as their head coach, there was a good amount of pushback from the Internet from those corners who still held misgivings about the capability of a female head coach to lead a team of men.

Pau Gasol has responded. On Friday, the Spurs forward took to The Players’ Tribune to combat misperceptions by sharing his own anecdotes with Hammon, as well as arguing directly against some of the faulty beliefs still held by her detractors.

This year, in a practice a few months back, I was drilling the pick-and-roll with Dejounte Murray. [...] But what I remember about this particular drill is that, at some point during it, Coach Hammon stopped us mid-motion. Coaches Hammon, Borrego and Messina walk over, and Becky says to Dejounte, “D.J., O.K. — your bounce pass? It’s too low. You’ve got to hit Pau exactly where he needs it. Run that again.” [...] Of course, Dejounte being Dejounte, he figures it out fast — and pretty soon we’re flying through. But something about that moment has just always stuck with me. Just, like … the level of knowledge of the game that Becky showed, you know what I mean?

Gasol also addressed the perceptions that Hammon was hired as “good P.R.” for the Spurs (Gregg Popovich doesn’t roll that way, says Gasol) and that Hammon couldn’t mesh in the locker room with the guys (“just very ridiculous”). In general, it’s a heartfelt and very compelling read, as much against sexism as in support of Hammon in particular.

Of course, in a perfect world, Hammon’s qualifications would speak for themselves. Being an assistant to Popovich, one of the NBA’s greatest coaching minds ever, has proved to be a desirable trait among teams seeking coaches. Hammon was already once an elite point guard in the WNBA, and for the last four seasons, she has been an active hand in the Spurs machine that just keeps on chugging. If not for her inability to be seen with equal respect, her qualifications would put her at the front of the line in any coaching search.

If the Bucks hire Hammon, she would be the first female head coach in the history of the NBA. Jenny Boucek of the Sacramento Kings is currently the only other active female assistant coach in the league.