Becky Hammon’s No Comment on Chennedy Carter’s Aces Exit Says A Lot

Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon was asked about Chennedy Carter being waived from the team before the Aces’ July 9 game against the Portland Fire.

“We aren’t going to comment on players that aren’t here anymore,” Hammon said, per an X post from Jade Lawson of 7News DC.

However, this hasn’t always been Hammon’s policy about former players. She was asked about Kate Martin getting signed to a development contract with the Los Angeles Sparks (which has since become a standard contract that will last through the end of this season) back in May and sang Martin’s praises.

“[Martin is] great in the locker room, great teammate, super hard worker. She’s somebody who came in with pro habits and a lot of times from college, that’s hard to do, but she came in and was a nice piece for us,” Hammon said of Martin, per an article from Marisa Ingemi of the Los Angeles Times.

The fact that Hammon was willing to talk about Martin (whom she coached during the 2024 season, which was Martin’s rookie WNBA campaign) but was quick to dismiss a question about Carter by saying she doesn’t comment on former players says a lot about how Carter’s tenure in Las Vegas ended.

Why Becky Hammon Not Talking About Chennedy Carter Speaks Volumes

Those who have followed Carter’s career over the past several seasons know that the Aces didn’t waive her because of anything that happened on the basketball court. She’s one of the league’s most talented guards, and she proved that when she was competing for Las Vegas.

But off-court and locker room issues have followed Carter wherever she went. While these haven’t seen the light of day (yet) during her time with the Aces, this response from Hammon, combined with several things Carter has said on social media, makes it clear that there’s more to the story behind Carter being waived. And Hammon’s blunt response about not wanting to talk about it hints at this.

Especially when contrasted with her eagerness to give Kate Martin her flowers, talking about how great Martin is in the locker room (which has been said by everyone who has been in Martin’s orbit). If Hammon could truthfully say the same thing about Carter, why wouldn’t she have done so?

Becky Hammon is one of the most respected people in basketball, both men’s and women’s. If she can’t find positive words to say about Chennedy Carter after her team waived her, it’s hard to imagine that another WNBA team will take a chance on Carter after her stop in Las Vegas went awry.

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