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No, this is not a PR ploy by the WNBA to put women’s basketball back on the American tongue… but the sports world is a-buzz today with reports that American born, point guard Becky Hammon has opted to play for the Russian National Basketball team in the 2008 Olympic Games.
From Newsday:
That’s right. Becky Hammon, the WNBA point guard from America’s heartland, is going to march into National Stadium in Beijing under a Russian flag, wearing a Russian uniform. And perhaps the biggest irony of all is that Russia, a country that for years represented the antithesis of a free market, bought her services - fast tracking her to Russian citizenship after she signed a four-year contract for more than $2 million to play for CSKA, a Russian professional team, last winter.
If we could only talk the Ruskies into taking Kobe…
Check out Becky Hammon’s photo gallery after the jump.
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5 Comments
Good for her. I hope she blows her knee out.
I guess American’s are the baketball version of Brazilians in football (soccer) who seem to find themselves naturalized all over the place some tournament time.
(say hellp to new Polish citizen Rogeirio Gurreiro at Euro ‘08 this year)
Since the US team didn’t even let her try out for a spot on the team. I don’t see what the big deal is, she can’t play for the U.S. so if another country is going to let her play in the olympics go for it.
America didn’t want you so go where you are wanted.
And thats childish to wish her a knee injury, its not like she’s a criminal.
It’s a bitch move. Literally.
If she were already a dual citizen, I could see it, maybe.
Ace, you are wrong about her not being invited. She wasn’t originally invited to try out, but she was added to the list of invitees when they expanded it. She didn’t accept and went to the Ruskies. Honestly, I don’t care, because who cares about women’s basketball, but it is fucked up that anyone can just shop themselves around if they don’t make it on their own country’s team.
Jeremy is misinformed; she was invited after she had agreed to play in Russia. The invite was merely for show as she had been informed she wasn’t going to be picked regardless of her performance.
The big question is why didn’t the top American vote getter in the WNBA’s 2007 MVP not get selected from the very beginning. Anne Donovan needs to answer that question. Maybe it’s about time we had a selection process that based on merit.
“This has been done for many, many years. [Foreigners have won] many medals for our US team. Australia has an American guy.”
Anne Donovan should have to explain why she passed on the best guard in the WNBA (discrimination?) . No one shoots like Becky and if you watched WNBA basketball you would see she is a fierce competitor. Check out some of her moves on You Tube. Yes thats a girl faking , juking and driving to the hoop.
After you watch her play the USA you will understand. This little girl has the heart of a lion!
Check her out in the Book of World Records for free throws.
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