Teresa Weatherspoon and Becky Hammon embrace their intertwined legacies in the history -- and future -- of the WNBA

“Just a little baby girl,” Weatherspoon joked.

In the same way, Hammon and Weatherspoon see themselves in the 2024 rookie class that once again is transforming the WNBA. It’s the same fire, the same desire, with a little more brashness — and a whole lot more attention.

“At the end of the day, they’re really super skilled, they’re fun to watch — and they’re jawing at each other,” Hammon said. “People like to be like, ‘Oh, Angel (Reese) is talking.’ I’m like, nobody talks more crap than Caitlin (Clark) too.’ … It’s a different generation. I think we talk subtly. They be talking in your face. And my thing is — let them go. They’re big girls.”

Both coaches find it hard to understand the discourse around in-game civility in the WNBA. They remember themselves as players, eager to talk trash and step to an opponent.

Even now, Hammon and Weatherspoon rarely back down from a conflict, encouraging their players to bring their personalities onto the court.

“Why hold back?” Weatherspoon said. “I mean, I’ll be honest, I jaw too. Like (Hammon) said, if you went after one of my teammates, you definitely going to come through me. And I’m jawing.

“Because we want to win. Why not? What are you holding back for? There’s no tomorrow. You’re not out there to harm anyone. You’re out there to get a win. However the heck I got to get a win, I’m going to go get it.”

For Hammon, such competitiveness was a learned trait passed down by veterans such as Weatherspoon. It came hand in hand with a shared sense of gratitude instilled by Weatherspoon and fellow veterans such as Kym Hampton and Sue Wicks.

Now, 21 years later — regardless of competition or outcome — both coaches carry that gratitude through their daily life.

“They just loved this moment so much because they’d never had it,” Hammon said. “Whether that’s at the beginning of the league or in Year 27, be thankful for the opportunities. There’s a lot of women that fought really hard to have these moments.”

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