Kirk Hinrich - International Career

International Career

In July 2006, Hinrich was officially named to the U.S. national basketball team that would compete in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. He was initially invited to participate in February 2006, but declined due to the pressure of making a decision in the midst of a competitive NBA season with the Chicago Bulls. After his 2005–06 season ended, however, Hinrich changed his mind and accepted a spot on the team's roster. Hinrich said of the incident:

The roster first fielded more than 20 players, but it was soon cut down to 15 players, among which was Hinrich. When the final roster was announced, Hinrich was chosen as one of the 12 players set to compete in the FIBA World Championship in Japan. After Hinrich learned of his grandfather's death, he briefly left the US training camp in Las Vegas early in the morning of July 25 and returned to his hometown of Sioux City, Iowa.

Hinrich started the exhibition game against Lithuania on August 13, 2006. He scored 10 points, had 2 steals, and shot 80% from the field in a US win. After the game, Hinrich was asked about starting the game. He responded, "We're playing in groups right now. I know when I get my time, I just try to make the best of it, make sure our team is successful. It's one of those deals when you play in groups in spurts like that, it's a little bit tougher. But, you don't hold back and give it everything you got because you know you'll be rested a lot."

In the FIBA world Championship semi-final, Team USA played against the Greece national team. With 2:41 to play in the game, Hinrich connected on a three-point shot to bring the US within 5 points, but was then called for an unsportsmanlike foul on Greece center Sofoklis Schortsanitis. With 45 seconds left, he knocked down another three pointer to pull the US within four. Hinrich was then fouled out when he intentionally hit a Greek player to stop the shot clock. Despite the US effort, the Greek sealed the deal with free throws and won 101–95. The US team then played against the Argentinian team for the bronze medal. In the game, Hinrich played against his former Bulls' teammate Andrés Nocioni. The US went on to win 96–81, and took home the bronze medal.

Hinrich dropped out of the U.S. training camp for the FIBA Americas Championship in 2007, citing personal reasons. The Chicago Tribune reported that Hinrich dropped out of his commitment to the US national team so that he could focus on his wedding, and to "hitting the weights" hard. In April 2008, Hinrich revealed that he would not play for Team USA in the Beijing Olympics since his wife was expecting a baby. He said of the Olympics, "It wasn't like I was upset about anything. It just wasn't working out for me."