BECKY HAMMON became the first female head coach in the NBA summer league to win a title night after the San Antonio Spurs defeated Phoenix Suns 93-90 in the final.

Last year she became the NBA’s first female full-time assistant coach and stepped up this summer to coach the Spurs during the summer league, hosted in Las Vegas.

Monday’s final capped a remarkable rise for Hammon, who played professionally in the United States, Russia and Spain.

“It was a grind,” Hammon said. “They’ve been together for 17 days. They really started to gel the last two or three games. They listened, and they played really hard for me. I just really appreciate their attentiveness and alertness. They were tired, but they fought through.”

Her players were full of praise for her after the match, with MVP of the final Jonathon Simmons saying: “It’s amazing. It was a humbling experience for all of us. I really love her, and I’ve only known her a couple days. She’s a real cool coach. She’s a player coach. That’s something we all like.”

Speaking last year, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said she was hired for her coaching ability and not her gender, even comparing her knowledge of the game to franchise legend Tony Parker.

“She’s a firecracker. She takes no prisoners. She’s got a great personality,” Popovich said at the time.

“She knows her stuff. She’s competitive. I don’t know if her perspective is unique. It’s women instead of men, but it’s the same game. Becky knows what to do on a pick-and-roll just as much as what Tony Parker knows, so I don’t think it’s unique at all.”

Hammon praised the Spurs, and Popovich, for giving her a chance over the past 12 months.

“You never know what your journey has in store,” Hammon said, according to Sports Illustrated. “You just work hard and keep your nose to the grind. You do things the right way, you treat people the right way, and good things happen. I’m just thankful that [Popovich] trusted me with the guys in that locker room and that those guys trusted me back.”