Becky Hammon chosen as Journal's Athlete of the Year

By Jeff Budlong, Journal staff | Wednesday, December 31, 2008

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For Becky Hammon, 2008 will be a year remembered more for her decision off the basketball court than anything the Rapid City native did on it.

Hammon accomplished a lot with the San Antonio Silver Stars of the WNBA leading the team to the WNBA Finals before falling in three games to the Detroit Shock. However, Hammon’s standout year will be remembered more for the 31-year-old point guard’s decision to play for Russia in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

While the decision was not popular in her hometown or on a national stage, Hammon’s conviction in the face of wide criticism earned her the 2008 Rapid City Journal Athlete of the Year.

Hammon made the decision in April after not being part of Team USA’s original list of possible players for the team and never wavered in her determination to play in the Olympics, even if it did come under another country’s flag.

“This is a once in a lifetime chance for me,” she said as she announced the decision. “Come August, I would be staring at two doors. One would lead to Beijing, and the other to my apartment.”

Hammon played for a professional Russian basketball team during the WNBA offseason and had already applied for dual citizenship. However, others countered she was only doing this for the money after previously signing a three-year contract with the Russian team which would earn her millions of dollars.

Hammon went to Russia to train with her team, and after a bit of a slow start in Beijing, Hammon found herself playing Team USA in the semifinals. The end result was not what she hoped, as her team lost 67-52. Hammon managed just three points in the loss.

“They’re very tough defensively and they put a lot of focus on me. That’s a compliment,” she said after the loss.

Hammon would rebound and prove she is indeed one of the better players in the world, helping lead the Russian team to a bronze medal by scoring a team-high 22 points in a victory over host China.

“For me, I’ve worked just as hard for this medal as a gold one, so to me it might as well be (gold),” Hammon said.

While standing on the podium accepting her medal and listing to “The Star Spangled Banner,” Hammon put her hand over her heart, showing that while she played for Russia she would always be an American.

“I love my country, I love what we stand for,” she said.

In the end, the journey was just as important as the results.

“This is the game and I think it’s important to keep perspective,” she said. “If this is the toughest thing I have to face in life I think I’ll have a very easy life. There’s bound to be more peaks and valleys along the way, but I think this has helped prepare me for those peaks and valleys that I’ll face further in life.”

Upon returning to America and the WNBA season, Hammon picked up where she left off after finishing as the runner-up in the league’s MVP voting the previous season. She averaged nearly 17 points a game and five assists helping the Silver Stars breeze through the Western Conference by beating the Sacramento Monarchs in three games in the first round. Hammon and the Silver Stars then dispatched rookie of the year and league MVP Candace Parker and the Los Angeles Sparks in three games before falling in the finals.

Hammon averaged 18 points during the playoff run to bring to a close her 10th season with the WNBA.

Hammon’s 2008 gave everyone lots to talk about, but the determined Rapid Citian always found a way to get the job done -- her way.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.