2022 HOSTS & FEATURED SPEAKERS
St. Vincent
Grammy Award Winning Artist
Jocelyn
Alo
USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year 2022
Renie
Anderson
Chief Revenue Officer and Executive Vice President, NFL Partnerships
Malika
Andrews
NBA Reporter and Host of 'NBA Today', ESPN
Meg
Aronowitz
Vice President, Production, ESPN
Dr. Jessica
Bartley
Senior Director of Psychological Services, United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee
Carolyn
Braff
Head of Gatorade Brand Strategy
Arthur
Bryant
Partner, Bailey Glasser, LLP
Aisha
Chaney
Coordinating Producer II, LA SportsCenter, ESPN
Keia
Clarke
Chief Executive Officer, New York Liberty
Emma
Coburn
Athlete, New Balance
Susan
Cohig
Executive Vice President, Club Business Affairs
Marsha
Cooke
Vice President, Executive Producer, ESPN Films and 30 for 30
Kareem
Daniel
Chairman, Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution
Stephanie
Druley
Executive Vice President, Event & Studio Production, ESPN
Elle
Duncan
SportsCenter Anchor & Summit Host
Crystal
Dunn
Professional Soccer Player, United States Women's National Team (USWNT)
Rachel
Epstein
Vice President, espnW Marketing & Female Audience Expansion
Dr. Courtney
Flowers
Associate Professor of Sport Studies & Sport Leadership (SSSL)
Julie
Foudy
espnW columnist and ESPN soccer commentator, World Cup Champion
Laura
Gentile
Executive Vice President, Commercial Marketing, Disney Networks & ESPN and Founder, espnW
Hilary
Guy
Coordinating Producer II, ESPN
Becky
Hammon
Head Coach, Las Vegas Aces
Ashleigh
Huffman
Chief of Sports Diplomacy
Kate
Johnson
Director of Global Sports & Entertainment Marketing Partnerships, Content and Media, Google
Flora
Kelly
Vice President, Brand Strategy & Content Insights, ESPN
Mary Ellen
Kelly
Owner & Founder, Fuel Forward
Monica
McNutt
ESPN Basketball Game and Studio Analyst
Jaymee
Messler
Co-Founder, Gaming Society
Dr. Jordan
Metzl
Sports Medicine Physician
Shima
Oliaee
Producer, Pink Card
Cindy
Parlow Cone
President, U.S. Soccer
Julianna
Pena
UFC's Bantamweight #1 Contender
Susie
Piotrkowski
Vice President, espnW
Midge
Purce
Professional Soccer Player, United States Women's National Team (USWNT)
Jess
Smith
Head of Revenue, Angel City
Sarah
Spain
espnW Writer, ESPN Radio Host & TV Personality
Carolyn
Spellings
Chief of Evaluation, Research, and Accountability
Hannah
Storm
SportsCenter Anchor
Stef
Strack
Founder & CEO, Voice in Sport
Becky
Hammon
Las Vegas Aces
Head Coach, Las Vegas Aces
The Las Vegas Aces announced the hiring of Becky Hammon as the team's head coach on December 31, and it didn't take long for that hire to pay big dividends, as nine months later, the 16-year pro led the Aces to their first WNBA Championship.
Along the way, Hammon was named the WNBA's Coach of the Year, while leading the Aces to the best record in the league. Las Vegas also won the Commmissioner's Cup Championship during the 2022 regular season, and placed four players in the 2022 WNBA All-Star Game. A'ja Wilson was named league M'VP for the second time, and Kelsey Plum joined her on the All-WNBA First Team.
The seeds for Hammon's hiring were originally sewn when the Aces retired her jersey on September 13, 2021. That ceremony served as the culmination of the franchise's 25th anniversary alumni initiative, which saw the Aces embrace their Utah and San Antonio roots, and celebrate the players who helped build the franchise and the league from the ground up.
Las Vegas owner Mark Davis spent time with Hammon and her family that week, and walked away understandably impressed.
Hammon played 16 seasons in the WNBA, including her final eight in San Antonio, where she led the franchise to its first finals appearance in 2008.
On August 5, 2014, San Antonio Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich hired Hammon as a full-time assistant making her the first woman in league history to occupy that position.
Over the next eight years, Hammon continued to accumulate coaching 'firsts' in the NBA. On July 3, 2015, she became the first woman to serve as head coach in the NBA's Summer League where she led the Spurs to the league title.
Less than a year later, Hammon became the first woman to be part of an All-Star coaching staff, and on December 30, 2020, following Popovich's ejection in San Antonio's game against Los Angeles, Hammon took over on the bench, becoming the first woman acting head coach in the history of the NBA.
A member of the WNBA's 15th, 20th and 25th anniversary teams, Hammon went undrafted in 1999 following her All-American career at Colorado State. She signed with the New York Liberty as a free agent that same year, helping the team to WNBA Finals appearances in three of her first four years in the Big Apple.
The Rapid City, South Dakota native earned her first All-Star nod in 2003, and represented New York on the Eastern Conference squad in 2005 and 2006 as well.
Following the 2006 campaign, the Liberty traded Hammon to San Antonio. In her first season in silver and black, the 5-6 guard posted what were then career highs in scoring (18.8 ppg), and assists (5.0) while earning another trip to the WNBA All-Star Game. As a team, the Silver Stars made their first appearance in the postseason since 2002, falling to Phoenix in the Western Conference Finals.
In 2008, Hammon led San Antonio to its first trip to the WNBA Finals where they fell to the Detroit Shock. The Silver Stars made the playoffs in each of her seven full seasons with the team, and Hammon once again was named to the All-Star team in 2009 and 2011.
She retired as the franchise leader in assists per game (5.1) and scoring average (15.6), and the WNBA leader in career free throw percentage (89.7).
Hammon was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 2015 and the San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.
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