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Michael Voepel, ESPN.com
Los Angeles Sparks forward Dearica Hamby has been named as the replacement for injured teammate Cameron Brink on the U.S. 3×3 women’s Olympic team, it was announced Monday.
Brink was selected to the team earlier this month but suffered a season-ending ACL injury in her left knee during the Sparks’ loss at Connecticut on June 18. That left a spot open on the Olympic team, and it went to Hamby.
“It is an honor to announce Dearica Hamby’s addition to the USA 3×3 women’s national team and we look forward to getting to work as a squad very soon,” USA Basketball 3×3 national team director Jay Demings said in a statement. “USA Basketball continues to keep Cameron Brink in our thoughts as she focuses on her recovery.”
Hamby has extensive 3×3 experience with USA Basketball, including in the 2023 FIBA AmeriCup, where the United States won the gold medal. She also has participated in training camps for the U.S. 5-on-5 team.
Hamby, who won the 2022 WNBA championship with Las Vegasis in her second season with the Sparks and has been one of the WNBA’s top players in 2024. She is leading the Sparks in points (17.8), rebounds (10.5), assists (3.5) and steals (1.5).
Hamby was the No. 6 pick of the 2015 WNBA draft out of Wake Forest. Chosen by San Antonio, she stayed with the franchise when it moved to Las Vegas in 2018 and was the WNBA Sixth Player of the Year with the Aces in 2019 and 2020. She was traded to Los Angeles before the 2023 season.
She joins TCU’s Hailey Van Lithformer Tennessee/WNBA player Cierra Burdick and the Atlanta Dream‘s Rhyne Howard on the 3×3 team for the Paris Games. Howard is currently out indefinitely with an ankle injury sustained June 19 but for now is still expected to play in the Olympics.
The U.S. women won the gold medal in 2021 in the inaugural Olympic 3×3 competition at the Tokyo Games. Allisha Gray, Stefanie Dolson, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young were on that team. Aces players Plum and Young are on the U.S. 5-on-5 team for the Paris Games.
