"We're still Olympians because we made that team" - Rolando Blackman regrets how politics prevented him from playing in the Olympics

Since 1936, the United States men's basketball team has failed to secure a gold medal in the Olympics four times. They brought home the silver medal in 1972 and finished third in 1988 and 2004. The other year it didn't win gold was in 1980 when the US boycotted the Moscow Olympics.

Rolando Blackman was among those who didn't get the chance to compete in the international competition. Recently, the Dallas Mavericks legend shared his disappointment in not being able to represent his country because of politics.

"I'm still highly disappointed in the decisions that were made to use us to do something to fight a political battle," Blackman told Mavs.com. "Of course, of course, I'm disappointed in that because you get up there, and you liked to have been inside of the competition because we had a great team."

The Moscow boycott

The four-time All-Star rued having to be a pawn of political warfare, although the tensions between America (and its allies) and the Soviet Union then could have had the players on pins and needles throughout the two-week event.

At the time, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan did not sit well with many Western governments. As a sign of protest, the US led the decision to boycott the Moscow Games. More than 60 nations followed suit.

Unfortunately for Blackman and his teammates, that meant missing out on the only opportunity to play on one of the grandest stages in basketball. At that point, only amateurs were allowed to play for the national squad, and the Kansas State University product was about to turn pro in 1981.

It may have been 44 years ago when the boycott happened, but the pain of not participating in the Olympics and watching his compatriots gun for the gold every four years still lingers. Be that as it may, he has expressed pride for being one of the dozen chosen to represent the Red, White, and Blue in 1980.

"Political situations can do what it did, but we're still Olympians because we made that team," Blackman added. "And I'm very, very proud to be a part of USA Basketball."

From immigrant to Olympic starter

The former No. 9 pick should indeed be proud because he had to fight for a spot in the 12-man lineup against nearly 80 other hopefuls. It was quite a journey for the hoopster, who was born in Panama and migrated to America as a child.

Blackman also would have secured a slot in the starting lineup alongside Isiah Thomas, Mark Aguirre, Michael Brooks, and Sam Bowie. That was a pretty formidable group, as all five were collegiate standouts, and three of them went on to have successful NBA careers.

USA Basketball will honor Blackman and his contemporaries when Team USA takes on Canada in a showcase game as part of the organization's 50th anniversary.

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