Becky Hammon: I knew I was Blazers' second choice

Throughout interviewing with the Blazers for its head-coaching vacancy, Spurs assistant Becky Hammon sensed that she wasn’t the favorite to land the job.

“I knew I was second; I knew who they wanted,” said Hammon, who openly discussed multiple topics with Jabari Young of CNBC. “And I’m OK with that, because every race I’ve gotten into my entire life, I’ve been behind, and I’m OK with that. And that’s just how it is — but at the same time, I’m not ignorant to what I’m going up against.”

Instead of Hammon, Portland opted to hire Clippers assistant Chauncey Billups in the position. Billups was one of two preferred names mentioned by Blazers star Damian Lillard last month, immediately making him a strong candidate for the job.

“I’m not mad,” Hammon said. “This is the business, and it’s a very competitive business. But, at the end of the day, throw everything out the window — if you want to hire me, you’ll find a reason to hire me. And if you don’t want to hire me, you’ll find that reason, too. And that’s just that.”

There’s more from the Western Conference:

• Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle examines the pros and cons of drafting Evan Mobley for the Rockets. Houston owns the No. 2 pick in the draft, which is set to tip off on July 29. In addition to Mobley, Jalen Green, Jonathan Kuminga and Jalen Suggs are widely projected to be drafted in the top five, joining potential No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham.
• Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman lists five things to know about prospect Josh Giddey, who’s arguably the best international player in the draft. Giddey is expected to be available when the Thunder select at No. 6 later this month.
• Warriors superstar Stephen Curry won an ESPY award for “Best NBA Player” this past weekend, as relayed by NBA.com. The award was voted on by fans, with Curry averaging a career-high 32 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game in 2020-21.