LAS VEGAS — Becky Hammon has drawn many admirers in her time leading the Las Vegas Aces. Hard not to as the coach who brought Las Vegas its first WNBA title in franchise history, and then its second, and has helped shepherd the career of the league’s first four-time MVP.
Perhaps none of those admirers has captured her aesthetic as closely as Kenneth Varner, the Aces fan who turned into a Becky Hammon impersonator for the first two games of the WNBA Finals.
Varner, a 46-year-old professor in UNLV’s education department, is a season ticket holder and no stranger to dressing up for games. He and his father donned pink wigs during the regular season in support of A’ja Wilson’s MVP campaign. But when he saw a call on social media to dress up as Hammon — though the post only referred to Hammon’s traditional blazer/hoodie combo — he found new inspiration.
He went with a red hoodie, black blazer and red sneakers, a nod to the traditional colors of Hammon’s first season on the Las Vegas sideline in 2022. For the second game of the series, Varner also wore a blond wig, big hoop earrings, a necklace with a cross, and purple eye shadow to complete the look.
“For the record, those are the only two times in my life I’ve dressed as resembling Becky Hammon, so I don’t do this as a full-time thing, but it was funny when I walked in both days before the game, everyone was like, ‘Yo Becky!’” Varner said. “It was clearly a look that resonated.”
A few of the Aces had a chance to see the fake Hammon before the game and appreciated the effort.
“It’s funny,” NaLyssa Smith said. “It just brings personality to the game.”
“I love everyone being locked in on women’s sports right now,” Dana Evans added. “It’s just such a pivotal moment for us, and I’m so grateful that it’s growing so much, and to see men dressing up like Becky and little boys dressing up like A’ja, that’s so cool. And that’s dope. That’s what we’ve been wanting.”
During the games, Varner also tried to mimic some of Hammon’s mannerisms — “Beck-anics,” as he refers to them — including her rapid twirl to signal a challenge, her exaggerated timeout calls and how she flails her arms when she is upset with the officiating.
The homage comes from a place of genuine respect. As a professor, Varner identifies with Hammon’s teaching ability. He sees her as a great teacher who inspires and brings out the best in her players; he loved the idea of Hammon assigning scouting reports to her players after their worst loss of the season, because explaining topics is a great learning tactic. He also appreciates how Hammon tries to teach and train her assistant coaches, which resulted in two of them being hired as head coaches and Natalie Nakase winning Coach of the Year in Golden State’s inaugural season.
“I teach people how to be teachers, and when I think of who a teacher is and what a really good teacher does, (Hammon) is that,” Varner said. “She gets out of the way of her players, she chews them out but with total love and is on them and wants them to learn from it. … She just does everything the right way, and she really lets those players’ strength shine.”
This fan is committed 👏 #wnba #aces #wnbafinals
Varner also loves when Hammon gets after the referees. In his view, she is trying to teach the officials how to better call the game.
“I love when she challenges a play, when she’s so mad and spinning that finger, like I shouldn’t have to do this,” Varner said. “She’s trying to educate the refs, too. ‘This isn’t my job. I don’t have to do this. You should do it.’”
The Aces players routinely talk about Hammon’s unique motivational strategies, including her pregame hype videos, animal analogies and love of acronyms. Her reputation as a leader and teacher apparently transcends the locker room.
Varner hopes to one day meet Hammon and trade thoughts on educating and maybe even basketball. For now, he has at least left an impression with his favorite coach.
“I thought he was cute,” Hammon said. “He was having a good hair day.”