Why did Becky Hammon choose to play for Russia rather than the US at the Olympics?
“After getting the impression that she would once again fail to make the U.S. Women’s National Basketball Team, Hammon announced she would try to claim a roster slot on the Russian basketball team in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. Coach Anne Donovan, one of the most decorated figures in women’s basketball and coach of the 2008 United States Women’s Olympic Basketball team said concerning Hammon’s decision, “If you play in this country, live in this country and you grow up in the heartland – and you put on a Russian uniform – you are not a patriotic person.” This has fueled controversy in which Hammon has been labeled a traitor for choosing to directly compete against her country in an event long predicated on nationalistic pride. Hammon became a Russian citizen earlier in 2008. The coach of Russia’s team, Igor Grudin, is also the sports director of the CSKA team that Hammon plays for in Moscow during the WNBA off-season. The announcement that she would participate in camps for th
