Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon was irate with her team after they blew a double-digit lead on Thursday in a 95-87 loss to the Wings.
Between poor defense and lack of free throws awarded by referees, Hammon let it all go postgame and is ready to have a lighter pocket after it all.
“A’ja Wilson shoots one free throw. Chennedy Carter, zero, Jackie Young, zero,” Hammon told reporters postgame. “I’m f–ing tired of that bulls–t. I’m not saying they didn’t earn their 22 down there. But when [Wings forward] Awak Kuier shoots more free throws than A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young, and Chennedy Carter all combined, that’s a problem.”
Hammon added that her team is “not getting the same whistle” as opponents and told the league to “Give me my fine.”
On Thursday night, the Aces made 12 trips to the charity stripe compared to 22 for the Wings, as the Aces fell to a short-handed Dallas squad that was missing Arike Ogunbowale and Alanna Smith.
The Aces led 55-45 with 9:37 left in the third quarter before it all came crashing down. The Wings were led by their three stars Azzi Fudd (22 points), Paige Bueckers (20 points), and Jessica Shepard, who put up a wild 22 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 assists stat sheet.
Hammon is not shy about speaking her mind; last postseason, she was fined for comments about the state of officiating leaguewide.
Just earlier this week, Hammon doubled down on her comments from Dec. 2023 when she said Knicks guard Jalen Brunson was not a “1A dude.”
“I speak from experience,” Hammon said Tuesday. “Allen Iverson got MVP, and he lost in the finals. I think the two best teams are probably in the West, but I’m up for being proven wrong.”
Hammon was an assistant coach for the Spurs from 2014 to 2021 under Gregg Popovich and was the NBA’s first full-time female assistant coach.
