LAS VEGAS \u2014 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\u2019s first four-time MVP.<\/p>\n
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.<\/a><\/p>\n Varner, a 46-year-old professor in UNLV\u2019s 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\u2019ja Wilson\u2019s MVP campaign. But when he saw a call on social media to dress up as Hammon \u2014 though the post only referred to Hammon\u2019s traditional blazer\/hoodie combo \u2014 he found new inspiration.<\/p>\n He went with a red hoodie, black blazer and red sneakers, a nod to the traditional colors of Hammon\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n \u201cFor the record, those are the only two times in my life I\u2019ve dressed as resembling Becky Hammon, so I don\u2019t do this as a full-time thing, but it was funny when I walked in both days before the game, everyone was like, \u2018Yo Becky!\u2019\u201d Varner said. \u201cIt was clearly a look that resonated.\u201d<\/p>\n A few of the Aces had a chance to see the fake Hammon before the game and appreciated the effort.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s funny,\u201d NaLyssa Smith said. \u201cIt just brings personality to the game.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI love everyone being locked in on women\u2019s sports right now,\u201d Dana Evans added. \u201cIt\u2019s just such a pivotal moment for us, and I\u2019m so grateful that it\u2019s growing so much, and to see men dressing up like Becky and little boys dressing up like A\u2019ja, that\u2019s so cool. And that\u2019s dope. That\u2019s what we\u2019ve been wanting.\u201d<\/p>\n During the games, Varner also tried to mimic some of Hammon\u2019s mannerisms \u2014 \u201cBeck-anics,\u201d as he refers to them \u2014 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.<\/p>\n The homage comes from a place of genuine respect. As a professor, Varner identifies with Hammon\u2019s 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\u2019s inaugural season.<\/p>\n \u201cI 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,\u201d Varner said. \u201cShe 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. \u2026 She just does everything the right way, and she really lets those players\u2019 strength shine.\u201d<\/p>\n @espnw<\/a> <\/p>\n This fan is committed \ud83d\udc4f #wnba<\/a> #aces<\/a> #wnbafinals<\/a><\/p>\n