Why are there American athletes playing for different countries in the Olympics?

Question

I saw an American basketball player playing for Russia and they are not originally from there and they have never lived there! Can anyone tell me why and how they can play for Russia when they are from the United States?

Answer 1

Easy. Dual citizenship. The player you refer to is Becky Hammond, I assume. She got a quickie citizenship from Russia so that she could play for them, because she wasn't good enough to make the American team. It's the same story with another player, Chris Kaman, who is an American ball player playing for Germany.

Answer 2

Their grandparents might be from Russia you may never know