HABOOB
USA Basketball’s B-team pleads with airline to delay a connecting flight
Apparently, America’s B-team gets the B-team treatment.
Fresh off its FIBA AmeriCup championship victory two days prior, USA basketball’s unheralded group of G Leaguers was trekking back to the states Monday needing a little assistance.
Center Marshall Plumlee tweeted at United Airlines hoping someone there could pull a few strings.
By strategically tagging the message with a photo of his gold medal and hoping patriotic United employees could help, Plumlee asked the airline to delay its connecting flight out of Buenos Aires, Argentina so his teammates and he could make it on the plane.
Dear @united airlines, team USA needs just a 1 hour delay to make our connecting flight in Buenos Aires. PLZ help us #bringhomethegold pic.twitter.com/luTvViNwqS
— Marshall Plumlee (@marshallplumlee) September 4, 2017
Knowing that making a viral hullabaloo on Twitter often gets things done in the year 2017, Plumlee enlisted the very sad-looking coach Jeff Van Gundy and his teammates to help.
Others like Northern Arizona Suns coach and Team USA assistant Ty Ellis, big man Jameel Warney and guard Darrun Hilliard pleaded with United to help Team USA out.
The #BringHomeTheGold hashtag got very literal.
@united Help us GET BACK HOME!!! You owe the American people!! #HELP #BringHomeTheGold #MissingMyFamily #WWJD https://t.co/GId9xZzO7A
— Ty Ellis (@CoachTyEllis) September 4, 2017
@united help us out. WE WANNA GO HOME !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #FreeUS https://t.co/RdxHkuV2Kk
— Jameel Warney (@Fullcoursemeelz) September 4, 2017
Pretty please @united 😢🙏🏾. We tryna #bringhomethegold https://t.co/Yo6gS49jIH
— Larry Drew II (@_LarryLight) September 4, 2017
Hilliard’s desperation and multiple tweets appeared to annoy the United social media manager.
Dear @united airlines, PLEASE HELP @usabasketball #bringhomethegold PLEASE!!!
— Darrun Hilliard (@DHilliard6X) September 4, 2017
@united please! For the people!!!!
— Darrun Hilliard (@DHilliard6X) September 4, 2017
Darrun, we are communicating with someone from your team already. Thanks. ^DP
— United (@united) September 4, 2017
Why was this collection of unknown hoopsters playing for Team USA in the first place?
Well, the United States would like to play in the 2019 FIBA World Cup, where it will send its usual top-tier players, and to qualify USA Basketball needed to win the gold at the AmeriCup event.
Because FIBA decided to schedule future events during the NBA and European hoops seasons, teams like the United States have looked at other players to play. It worked out in this case as the United States took home gold.
Well, with the exception of the traveling arrangements, that is.
