Raptors Have Permission to Interview WNBA Champion Becky Hammon, per Report

She would be the first female full-time head coach in NBA history.

With the Raptors searching for a replacement for coach Nick Nurse, a potentially barrier-breaking candidate has emerged.

Toronto has received permission to interview Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon for its head-coaching vacancy, according to a Thursday afternoon report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Hammon, 46, won the WNBA title in her first season with the Aces. She was hired on Dec. 30, 2021, leaving the Spurs–where she was an assistant coach—after eight seasons.

Before taking up coaching, Hammon was one of the most accomplished players in WNBA history. She was a six-time All-Star with the New York Liberty and San Antonio Stars, and was named to the league’s 15th, 20th and 25th anniversary teams.

Hammon had been linked to the Trail Blazers' job in the summer of 2021, but Portland eventually hired former All-Star guard Chauncey Billups. No woman has ever worked as a full-time head coach in the NBA.

The Raptors fired Nurse, who guided the team to the 2019 NBA title, on April 11. In five seasons at the helm in Toronto, Nurse amassed a 227–163 record.