Risks don't deter female hoopsters

Tamika Catchings has known Paul George since he was drafted by the Indiana Pacers in 2010.

She was sickened when she heard the news he broke his right leg on a freak play during the US men's national team scrimmage on Friday. Still, the Indiana Fever star has no hesitation about suiting up for the women's national team again this fall.

"I don't think it gives me a second thought," said Catchings, a three-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champion.

"For me, representing our country is the highest honor you can have. I know I speak on behalf of all the women and I'm sure the men too, who are trying out. It's an unfortunate injury that can happen anywhere."

Catchings' thoughts were echoed by US women's national team players across the country over the weekend.

"It's part of the game; they give up their summer to go play and represent our country when they could go sit at home and do nothing," said Brittney Griner, who hopes to play for the US in her first major international competition this year. "We know the risks. Every time we step out on the court, we know the risk. It's tough."

Some NBA executives have long been concerned about injuries to players during summer competitions. A few NBA players have turned down playing for the national team because of fatigue, injury risk or contract status. Yet few women have ever said no when the US comes calling.

"These guys could get hurt like that in a practice," said Washington Mystics coach Mike Thibault, who was an assistant for the US women's team from 2005-2008.

"Should you stop playing for your country because of this? I don't know. That's a freak thing that happened. It could happen in your first regular-season game."

There is probably little that a WNBA team could do if it wanted to stop a player from competing.

As it is now, most of the Australian national team players took off the WNBA season to train for next month's world championships. Countries such as Russia and Australia offer bonuses to their players for leading the national teams to medals at the Olympics and world championships.

It comes down to simple economics and how different it is for the men and women. The top salary in the WNBA is about $110,000 while the average in the NBA is near $5.5 million. The US men's national team players who make the World Cup team earn on average nearly double that.

Most of the women's players make their money playing overseas, with the top ones earning anywhere between $600,000 and $1 million.

"It's difficult," said Sue Bird, who has won three Olympic gold medals for the US. "For people my age - and the answer might be something different for somebody younger - overseas always existed but there wasn't professional basketball in the US.

"So the national team has always been on this pedestal for people in my generation."

(China Daily 08/06/2014 page23)