The Chicago Sky will battle against Las Vegas Aces who are one of their toughest opponents on Thursday. While there will be heated moments in an attempt to outdo the other, no one can forget the warm and cordial bond between the head coaches Becky Hammon and Teresa Weatherspoon. The two coaches though will be sharing opposite stages tonight, they still will fondly reminisce about their time together that led to a close bond between the two.

For starters, the two once played together as players in the New York Liberty. While Hammon came up as an undrafted player in the Liberty camp, Weatherspoon was a veteran with almost 10 years of experience by then. But how Hammon melted Weatherspoon’s heart that the latter assumed a sister role for her is a story worth telling.

Becky Hammon meets Teresa Weatherspoon

In 1999, Hammon came as a vulnerable player who measured 5 feet 6 inches. She was therefore often taken on a harsh round by Weatherspoon and her teammates, as per the Las Vegas Review-Journal. While Hammon doesn’t remember much of it, all she recollected was that she fell flat on her face during a fast break practice when she was dominated by either Weatherspoon or Vickie Johnson.

The Liberty as per Weatherspoon had a little “rough” practice with increased physicality that wouldn’t be understood by the new generation since there is now a lot of talk about the physicality in the WNBA. Hence, Weatherspoon and Hammon both chose not to divulge much about the routine.

But whatever it was, it brought them closer. While on the outside, Weatherspoon would give challenges to Hammon, on the inside they developed a sister-like bond where Weatherspoon & Co. would protect their new recruit and saw her being a perfect fit for the team. It would come as a surprise that the Hall of Famer at one time found it difficult to make it to the roster in 1999.

Teresa Weatherspoon helps Becky Hammon

As the story goes, Weatherspoon and the seniors took on convincing the management that despite being undrafted Hammon needed to be in the team. “‘We like the little white girl. We hit her so hard. But she got up,’” Hammon joked while imagining how Weatherspoon would have convinced the top-level executives of the team.

The bond flourished even though Hammon was a backup player for Weatherspoon. Nonetheless, Weatherspoon didn’t let feelings of jealousy or any other negative thoughts creep in between the two. “If anybody messed with me, they were all over them. So they became like protective big sisters,” Hammon further divulged of the then lineup.

Meanwhile, when questioned Weatherspoon too accepted Hammon’s exceptional gameplay. She praised the 47-year-old for being an excellent post player. And also reasoned that they were rough against Hammon because they saw potential in her, something that propelled Hammon to have a 16-year-long career after being undrafted in the WNBA at first.

When Weatherspoon went to the Los Angeles Sparks, Hammon assumed a mainstay role for the New York Liberty. Maybe it was the start she got at the Liberty that helped Hammon be the player she is. And now the two sisters are making their mark in the league with their coaching roles and mentoring players like they were done once in the league.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.