Dearica Hamby Replaces Cameron Brink on USA Olympics 3x3 Team
Cameron Brink will be replaced by Los Angeles Sparks teammate Dearica Hamby on the USA 3x3 basketball team competing in the Olympics in Paris.
Let's get more gold @dearicamarie 🤝
— USA Basketball 3x3 (@usab3x3) June 24, 2024
Dearica Hamby has been named to the 2024 🇺🇸 #3x3WNT for the Olympic Games in Paris! pic.twitter.com/yTUTsTlMT8
USA Basketball announced that Hamby will join the squad alongside Cierra Burdick, Rhyne Howard and Hailey Van Lith, who were previously chosen as participants. Brink of course is unable to compete after she suffered a torn ACL.
Howard, star for the Atlanta Dream, was also recently injured, but it appears she may be able to participate. She is currently listed as out indefinitely by Atlanta with a sprained ankle.
Hamby certainly earned her spot on the team given she has starred for the Sparks all season, leading the team in points, rebounds and assists. Dearica is averaging 17.8, 10.5 and 3.5 in those categories respectively.
She also has experience in the format having been part of the gold medal winning 3x3 roster in the 2023 FIBA AmeriCup. Hamby took home tournament MVP honors at the time. She will now join the team expected to don gold again after the USA won the inaugural event in 2021.
Last year, Dearica Hamby, who is replacing Cameron Brink on the USA 3x3 Olympic team, came up big to win gold at the 2023 FIBA 3x3 AmeriCup.
— Joshua Sánchez (@jnsanchez) June 24, 2024
Great to see her on the squad for Paris! 🇺🇸🏅pic.twitter.com/hRzqG6rcsB
Everyone was obviously upset by Brink's injury, including Hamby. But Dearica told The Associated Press she knows if there was going to be a replacement, this is a selection Cameron would be happy about.
“It’s kind of an ironic situation. I’m sure if she wanted to have anybody replace her, she’d want it to be me.”
3x3 action will begin on July 30th at the Olympics in Paris.
Robin Lundberg is a media veteran and hoops head who has spent the bulk of his career with iconic brands like Sports Illustrated and ESPN. His insights have also been featured on platforms such as Fox and CNN and he can currently be heard hosting shows for Sirius XM and on his burgeoning YouTube show. And now he brings his basketball expertise to Women's Fastbreak on SI!