She previously served as an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

[4] Hammon learned to dribble a basketball at a very young age, playing Nerf ball with her older brother and father, and continued to hone her skills on her home court.

[4] Hammon played basketball at Stevens High School in her hometown of Rapid City, South Dakota.

As a senior, she was voted the South Dakota Player of the Year[4] after averaging 26 points, 4 rebounds and 5 steals per game.

[citation needed] Despite the accolades, she drew little attention from college basketball recruiters, who considered her too small and too slow.

She led her team to a 33–3 record in the 1998–99 season and helped them advance to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet Sixteen.

She received the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award from the Women's Basketball Coaches Association as the best senior player under 5 ft 8 in (1.7 m) in 1999.

She had a solid rookie season statistically, backing up starting point guard Teresa Weatherspoon.

After the 2003 season, Hammon took over for Weatherspoon as the Liberty's starting point guard and, with Vickie Johnson and Crystal Robinson, became one of the team's co-captains in 2004.

[15] On August 2, 2015, Hammon was inducted into the Ring of Honor during halftime of the game between the New York Liberty and the Seattle Storm.

The Ring of Honor recognizes players who have "made the most significant contributions to the Liberty's tradition of excellence and to the growth of the WNBA.

"[16][17] Previous inductees include Vickie Johnson, Teresa Weatherspoon, Rebecca Lobo, Sue Wicks, and Kym Hampton.

On July 13, 2013, Hammon tore her left anterior cruciate ligament in a game against the Los Angeles Sparks.

During her year-long rehabilitation, Hammon attended the NBA's San Antonio Spurs' practices, coaches' meetings, and games, where she was frequently invited to contribute opinions.

In a media statement released at the time of the hiring announcement, Popovich stated: "I very much look forward to the addition of Becky Hammon to our staff.

"[23] Hammon has been inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame[24] and has been selected as ESPNW's Woman of the Year.

[29][30] In 2021, Hammon was the first woman to be a finalist for an NBA head coaching position when she interviewed with the Portland Trail Blazers.

[36] On August 12, 2023, Hammon was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame for her contributions as a player and coach.

[37] Hammon was named to the team representing the United States at the 1998 William Jones Cup competition in Taipei, Taiwan.

The U.S. team, coached by Nell Fortner, won all five games, earning the gold medal for the competition.

Hammon also signed a three-year extension with CSKA Moscow at around the same time she was named as a prospect for the national team.

[citation needed] Hammon shot 1-for-6 from the field in a 67–52 loss to the United States in the 2008 Olympic semifinals, but helped the Russian team to win the bronze medal by scoring 22 points against China.

[40] In some circles she was branded an American traitor, with then-U.S. national coach Anne Donovan questioning her patriotism.

The biggest honor in our classroom was who could put up the (American) flag, roll it up right, not let the corners touch the ground.

However, by obtaining Russian citizenship, her salary with CSKA tripled, and she was eligible to make $250,000 for winning a gold medal for Russia from the government.

[45] Since then, Anne Donovan changed her position, stating "I don't know that I have any strong thoughts on [Becky Hammon joining the Russian national team] anymore.

[46]In May 2023, Becky Hammon received a two-game suspension from the WNBA for violating the league's 'respect in the workplace' policies in her treatment of former Aces player Dearica Hamby.

[48] In September 2023, Hamby filed a discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) after criticizing the WNBA's investigation for failing to speak with other Aces players and for not dispensing adequate punishment to Hammon or the team.

[48] On August 12 2024 Dearica Hamby filed a federal lawsuit in U.S. District Court against the WNBA and the Las Vegas Aces.

Becky Hammon has strongly denied the allegations, stating in a post-game press conference after the federal lawsuit was filed:"Here's some facts: I've been in either the WNBA or the NBA for now 25 years.