BECKY HAMMON

But it's been a learning experience; learning the NBA, learning the travel schedule and certain coaches, their styles, what they like to run out of timeouts, personnel, tendencies.

I think it's kind of silly, actually... I've been coached by men the majority of my career. It hasn't ever been an issue. They have never walked in on us. So I don't - I think it's a nonissue when you really reverse the conversation.

Let's just face it: The average girl is not 6-3. I look very average.

It's just really awesome to be rewarded for all your hard work; that people take notice of how I treated my teammates, how I was in my community.

I feel like I've had 20 years of experience at a very high level, if you throw in college, playing overseas, I've played in hundreds and hundreds of games.

Your mind is just constantly moving, thinking of different scenarios, not only on your team but their team too, trying to figure out things they are doing.

Playing basketball for me is like breathing.

But I think in the midst of working, you can't get too crazy serious.

But, at the end of the day, you live in the world with billions of people, and everyone has a unique upbringing and experience.

I just think there's a real art in listening. I need to listen.

For me, I think it's such a notable point to make that a leader had to believe, a leader had to see that potential.

You shouldn't get into coaching unless you care about the people you're leading.

I was always smaller and slower than everybody else, so I had to figure out other ways to be successful. Some people can survive on their athleticism; I had to survive on my brain.

If you don't want a female coach, don't hire one!

It's not that I set out to say, 'I'm going be the first assistant coach in the NBA.' That really - it was never my intent. It just kind of happened very naturally.

And a pick and roll in the women's game is a pick and roll on the men's game... I mean, character, working for each other - trusting your teammates. That stuff, that's universal.

It's one thing to watch the NBA, but when you have to be there for every film session, every practice, it's a grind. It's a lot of hard work.

You're getting to know these guys as people, and as players. You have to develop a rapport. They give me a lot of respect.

The last reason I want to be hired is because of my gender. I want to be hired because you trust me, because of my potential, because you believe that I know basketball, and we go and we build from there.

You have those people speaking really good things in your life and it grows and produces fruit later on. But somebody had to initially plant those good seeds.

Nothing in my life has really ever been easy. I've always been someone who did it uphill.

People ask me all the time, will there ever be a woman player in the NBA? To be honest, no. There are differences. The guys are too big, too strong and that's just the way it is.

I'm up for challenges. I'm up for being outside the box, making tough decisions and challenges... And I'm a little bit of an adrenaline junkie.

If you could play in the Olympics or sit on your couch and watch at home, what would you do? It was that simple. This is basketball; it's not war.

My whole childhood I grew up wanting to be a professional basketball player.