Ex-Dallas Mavericks Guard Recalls Boycotting The 1980 Olympics

Shandel Richardson | Jul 11, 2024

1984; Atlanta, Ga, USA; FILE PHOTO; Dallas Mavericks guard Rolando Blackman (22) against the Atlanta Hawks at the Omni Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Network. / Malcolm Emmons - USA TODAY Sports

The basketball world is in the middle of celebrating the 50th anniversary of the USA Basketball.

While it has won several gold medals in the history, former Dallas Mavericks guard Rolando Blackman will never forget 1980. That was the year he boycotted the Olympics in Moscow for political reasons.

He instead chose to protest the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. Blackman reflected on the moment in an interview with Dwain Price of Mavs.com.

“I’m still highly disappointed in the decisions that were made to use us to do something to fight a political battle,” Blackman told Mavs.com. “Of course I’m disappointed in that, because you get up there and you liked to have been inside of the competition, because we had a great team.

Blackman later became the No. 9 pick in the 1981 NBA draft. He was a four-time All-Star before the Mavs retired his No. 22 jersey. He finished with 17,623 points.

Forty-four years later, Blackman remains proud of making the Olympic team.

“This is one of the highest honors that I’ve earned,” Blackman said. “I went out there with 80 people and made the Olympic team, and two weeks later I worked my tail off to be one of the starters on the 1980 Olympic basketball team. Political situations can do what it did, but we’re still Olympians because we made that team. And I’m very, very proud to be a part of USA Basketball.”

The full story can be read at Mavs.com

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day NBA. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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