Becky Hammon is used to betting on herself — even when no one else would.

The Las Vegas Aces coach finished her college career as the most prolific scorer in the history of the Colorado State program, but she went undrafted by the WNBA in 1999.

“I’m disappointed but the battle’s not over,” Hammon said at the time. “It’s not going to end up a sad story.”

Hammon would go on to have a Hall of Fame playing career, with the New York Liberty and the San Antonio Stars, the franchise that later became the Aces. A six-time WNBA All-Star, she was named to the WNBA’s 15th, 20th and 25th anniversary teams.

Before taking the head coaching job in Las Vegas before the 2022 season, she became the first person to have her number retired by the franchise.

“It’s one of the biggest honors as an athlete that you can have,” she said. “You never know when you show up everyday and go to work. I had no idea. I was undrafted, played 16 years, and I wasn’t supposed to be here but here I am.”

She went on to coach in the NBA, spending eight years as an assistant for the San Antonio Spurs. Many saw her as a possible successor to Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who attended the Aces’ win in Game 2 of the WNBA Finals on Tuesday night.

“I always do what she says,” Popovich told the Aces after the game, which put them one win away from the first title in franchise history.

“You don’t need me, that’s for sure,” Popovich continued. “But it’s been great watching you guys play. It’s been great watching you on TV and the way you execute, the way you play physically, it’s just beautiful to watch. You just play great basketball.”

Coach Pop with the special guest appearance ❤️🖤@BeckyHammon // @spurs pic.twitter.com/DYMm03PsDL

— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) September 14, 2022

Hammon interviewed for NBA head coaching jobs on multiple occasions while with the Spurs, but she was never offered a position

“I sat in a lot of head coaching interviews,” Hammon said after being hired by Las Vegas. “Two things that people always said: ‘You’ve only been in San Antonio, and you’ve never been a head coach.’ Well, Mark Davis met me. Nikki met me. And they said, ‘That’s a head coach right now.’”

And in her first year as a head coach, she’s proved both Davis, the team owner, and Nikki Fargas, the team president, right. And she’s proved every single NBA executive who passed over her for a head coaching gig wrong.

In her first season as a head coach, Hammon has the Aces on the verge of a title. But that’s not all she’s done this year.

She led Las Vegas to the best record in the league at 26-10 and the No. 1 seed in the WNBA playoffs, earning her Coach of the Year honors in her debut campaign. She’s the first former player to win the honor in her first season and the third overall.

Under Hammon, the Aces set a franchise record for wins in a single season. She also recorded the second-best winning percentage ever by a rookie head coach. She led the team to a Commissioner’s Cup championship in July and was one of the coaches for the WNBA All-Star game.

Now she has her sights set on yet another accolade: a WNBA championship.

“It’s about putting these ladies in a position to win a championship. That’s been my focus,” Hammon said following the Game 2 win.

“That’s why I took the job. I felt they had the talent to do it and I felt that I could build the relationships and build the culture in the right way for us to put ourselves in a position to be able to win a championship. Like I said before, we haven’t won anything yet. All we did was take care of home court, what we are supposed to do.

“I’m used to people not picking me — I don’t know if you’re aware. I just do me.”

The NWSL is changing up its athlete acquisition process, with the league announcing on Wednesday that it will replace the CBA-eliminated draft with a pair of player combines starting this December.

Dividing prospects into two groups — adults and college-aged (U18-23) and youth (U13-17) — the three-day programs will showcase player talent and allow clubs to sign standouts as free agents.  

To maintain competitive balance across the NWSL and set incoming 2026 expansion teams Boston Legacy FC and Denver Summit FC up for success, the league already revised several roster-building mechanisms, including adopting a new allocation money structure as well as intra-league loans.

Like the abolishment of the draft and the new mechanism requiring athletes to acquiesce to their own trades, the new NWSL combines will give players more freedom over their careers while also better aligning the growing US league with global soccer standards.

"As the women's soccer landscape continues to rapidly evolve, a Combine is a strategic platform that will allow us to support NWSL clubs in early talent evaluation and provide players with exposure to a professional environment," said league director of youth development Karla Thompson in Wednesday's statement.

"This initiative is about widening the lens...and ensuring that talent, wherever it resides, has a continued pathway to our league."

Despite falling from the playoffs on Wednesday night, Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase is still ending her season on a win, with the WNBA naming the first-year expansion team sideline boss the 2025 Coach of the Year this week.

Nakase picked up 53 out of the sports media panel's 72 votes to take the title, with fellow sideline rookie Karl Smesko (Atlanta Dream) trailing with 15 votes while veteran leaders Becky Hammon (Las Vegas Aces) and Cheryl Reeve (Minnesota Lynx) tied for third place with two votes apiece.

"What this does, is it reflects on [our] whole organization," said Nakase, sharing credit with her team and staff. "Without [the players], we wouldn't have had a winning season and we wouldn't be where I am today now."

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Golden State made WNBA expansion history under Nakase

In leading Golden State to a 23-21 regular season — a league record for wins by an expansion team in their first campaign — Nakase also minted the Valkyries as the first-ever expansion franchise to make the WNBA Playoffs in their debut season.

That success came from the team's strong defense, as the Valkyries held opponents to a league-wide low in both points per game (76.3) and field goal percentage (40.5%) on the year.

Before joining the Valkyries, Nakase served as an assistant coach in Las Vegas, helping guide the Aces to back-to-back championships in 2022 and 2023.

"Natalie has been a fierce leader from the very moment she was announced as head coach," said Golden State GM Ohemaa Nyanin. "Her core philosophy of connectivity and emphasis on high character has created an environment where everyone can thrive. Her unique approach to leadership and ability to hold players accountable with care while staying true to her values has been remarkable."

"I love playing for a fiery coach who always wants to win and believes in her players so much," said Valkyries — and former Aces — guard Kate Martin.

The new WNBA home-away-home first-round format has upped the dramatics in the 2025 Playoffs, as multiple home-court upsets have forced Game 3 deciders this week.

The No. 6 Indiana Fever's Game 2 win over No. 3 Atlanta set up Thursday's elimination game, with the injury-riddled Fever taking down the Dream 77-60 on Tuesday to keep their playoff dreams alive.

The No. 7 Seattle Storm also earned themselves a Game 3, facing No. 2 Las Vegas in Thursday's nightcap after snapping the Aces' 17-game winning streak in Tuesday's 86-83 Game 2 shocker.

Indiana and Seattle remain the series' underdogs, ceding home-court advantage as Atlanta aims to build on their first playoff win since 2016 while Las Vegas shoots for a third title in four years.

"Our backs were definitely against the wall in this, and we know that we've just been through so much this season," Fever center Aliyah Boston said postgame. "Coming out with this win and then giving ourselves another chance in Game 3, emotions are high."

How to watch Game 3 action in the 2025 WNBA Playoffs

The first round's Game 3 finales begin with two winner-take-all matchups on Thursday night, beginning when the No. 6 Indiana Fever tackles the No. 3 Atlanta Dream at 7:30 PM ET on ESPN2.

Shortly afterward, the No. 6 Seattle Storm will take on the No. 2 Las Vegas Aces, also airing live on ESPN2.

The No. 1 Minnesota Lynx became the first WNBA team to punch their ticket to the 2025 semifinals with a dramatic come-from-behind win on Wednesday night, fighting back from a 17-point deficit to sneak past the No. 8 Golden State Valkyries 75-74 and sweep their first-round playoffs series.

Bolstered by a strong crowd traveling down to San Jose for the relocated home matchup, the Valkyries broke out into an early lead, but the 2025 expansion side couldn't hang on in the final seconds as the top-seeded Lynx rallied.

"I am just so proud of our effort," Minnesota forward Napheesa Collier said postgame. "I think it shows the grit and the resilience that this team has and what we've been talking about for two years."

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The Lynx secured the only sweep in this year's best-of-three opening postseason round, with every other series moving to a Game 3 decider.

"The games that we've watched demonstrate that level of desperation for teams in elimination games," Minnesota head coach Cheryl Reeve reflected.

How to watch the Minnesota Lynx in the 2025 WNBA semifinals

The No. 1 Minnesota Lynx will next face the lowest seed to advance past this week's first round, with Thursday and Friday Game 3 action determining their opponent.

The 2025 WNBA semifinals will then tip off on Sunday, with live coverage airing on ESPN platforms.