In September, USA Basketball expanded the list to more than 30 names. Hammon was invited to try out just days before training camp began.
She knew that if she accepted the invitation and participated in international play for the United States, she would greatly diminish the value of her Russian contract, one of the most lucrative in women's basketball. Essentially, she says was choosing between a guaranteed seven-figure contract and the long odds of making the U.S. team.
"Why should I take that chance for a really, really long shot and pass up four years of playing over in Russia?" Hammon asks. "I couldn't do that financially."...
Even though Hammon is not of Russian descent, speaks no Russian and is not a full-time resident, she was fast-tracked for Russian citizenship in February by the highest levels of Russian government.
Dual citizenship makes Hammon a precious commodity in the Russian league because two Russians must be on the floor at all times, and each club is allowed only two American players. That's why American stars like Diana Taurasi (Italy) and Sue Bird (Israel) also have procured foreign passports.
But unlike Taurasi and Bird, Hammon has a Russian passport. Because Hammon has never competed in a sanctioned international compe ion for USA Basketball, FIBA rules allow her to represent another country in the Olympics. Capitalizing on the fact that FIBA rules allow one naturalized citizen to compete for each country, the Russians offered Hammon not only a passport but also an opportunity to play for them at the Olympics.
Hammon makes the maximum WNBA salary, approximately $95,000. Her Russian team pays her six times that much. Knowing that her character and her patriotism would be questioned in America, Hammon (and her agent Mike Cound) made sure it was worth the trouble.
In March, she signed a four-year deal worth well more than $2 million. By agreeing to dual citizenship, Hammon nearly tripled her salary. "There's nothing more American than taking advantage of an opportunity," she said, smiling...