Many Pro Athletes Skip Sydney

ByABC News
August 2, 2000, 10:44 AM

Aug. 11 -- Denver Nuggets forward Antonio McDyess was named to the U.S. men’s basketball team, replacing the injured Tim Duncan, who followed Grant Hill and Tom Gugliotta off the Olympic team roster and on to the growing list of star professional athletes who will miss the Olympics this year.

Duncan underwent surgery May 24 to repair torn cartilage in his left knee, an injury that kept him out of the NBA playoffs last spring, and has only just recently begun rehabilitation. The San Antonio Spurs star forward had told USA Basketball that he might be questionable for the games in Sydney, it was reported Aug. 2.

His injury robbed the team of one of the NBA’s most effective big men. In addition, a departure by Duncan made him the third player to leave the men’s Olympic team in the past five months.

All-Star No-Shows

The International Olympic Committee opened the games to professional athletes in 1988, paving the way for basketball Dream Teams and hockey teams comprised of future Hall of Famers.

But the story in Sydney, so far, has been the big-name no-shows.

NBA MVP Shaquille O’Neal has spurned offers to play on his third Olympic team. O’Neal’s star Los Angeles Lakers sidekick Kobe Bryant also declined the invitation so he can get married this summer.

In tennis, Wimbledon champ Pete Sampras won’t be in Sydney, saying he didn’t want to make the long trip so soon after the U.S. Open. Martina Hingis, the top-ranked female tennis player in the world, said her busy schedule precludes her from representing Switzerland in the Olympics.

Anna Kournikova also declined the chance to play in Sydney. Russian Tennis Federation vice president Alexei Selivanenko said of Kournikova, “the interests of the Olympic Games and the interests of the tennis player differ.”

USA Basketball has had no trouble recruiting stars and attributes the few losses of big-name players to unfortunate injuries and scheduling problems, said Craig Miller, the assistant executive director of media public relations for USA Basketball.