I, for one, will be rooting for Becky Hammon and team Russia when it comes to Olympic basketball this summer. And just to clarify something right off the bat: I’m not Russian and I am patriotic. I thought I’d explain that early on, because judging by how Hammon has been scorned as of late, the American public seems ready to jump to irresponsible conclusions.
When team USA’s 23-player roster was released, Hammon’s name was conspicuously absent, despite her stats being at least comparable, if not better than several players who did make the list. Hammon was also the runner-up MVP for the WNBA last season, where she plays for the San Antonio Silver Stars. When the roster size was expanded, she was later added and invited to try out for the team, hoping to make the 12-player final roster. However, Hammon declined this invitation because she had meanwhile been offered a very lucrative deal with the Russian club CSKA Moscow to play professionally during the WNBA’s offseason. This decision led to her inability to try out for the U.S. team and here’s why:
