The Becky saga continues
It’s almost over, and while the Becky Hammon saga continues, so does the hypocrisy.
Over the past few weeks, another basketballer has made it known he would be playing for another team rather than his home country. Chris Kaman of the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers received his German citizenship and will play for their team in the Olympic qualifying tournament, but I fail to see the uproar and righteous indignation at his decision. Why is that?
Is it because Kaman wouldn’t have had a chance in hell at making Team USA, whereas Hammon had a legitimate shot based on her ability (many will argue she had no shot based on coach Anne Donovan and Team USA’s actions)? Is it because it’s the Russians and more people still have the Cold War memories? Is it because Hammon is a legitimate face of the WNBA while Kaman (up until a few days ago) wasn’t even the first or second face of his franchise?
While I think there’s truth in all those statements, something did strike me as I read the LA Times article I linked above.
As for Kaman, when reached Thursday at his mother’s home in Michigan, he declined to comment.
Becky’s been totally different, as evidenced by this quote from the Rocky Mountain News.
“It’s hard to balance everything,” Hammon recently told the Rocky Mountain News. “I have to keep my well-being intact and I’m trying to focus on playing for the Stars. We’ve been trying to be a little bit selective on talking to media outlets just for my own sake.
“When I get over there, I’ll be glad to be just with my team and family. I’m not going to do much media when I get over there. I’m trying to get it over with while I’m still here. As it gets closer, I realize the media will get beefed up even more. We’ve done everything. Every magazine, newspaper outlet, ESPN. You name it, we’ve pretty much hit it.”
Now, is it because Becky’s been asked to comment or because she put herself out there? I think avoiding the media pressure would have only made it worse for Becky, but you have to wonder if this is wearing on her. I would assume it is, but she’s still performing well so far this season.
