Time to dig out your Team USA jerseys! The players who will be representing the USA Basketball Women’s National Team at the Paris Olympics has finally been announced and includesincluding five-time Olympic champion Diana Taurasi and two-time Olympic champion Brittney Griner.
Following a February training camp and qualifying tournament, the field of Olympic hopefuls had been whittled down to 13. From April 3-5, the prospective 2024 Olympians gathered at Cleveland Clinic Courts to prepare for this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris.Twelve players made the final roster for Paris.
RELATED:USA Basketball Announces 2024 Olympic Team Player Pool: Who Made It?
Team USA Women’s Basketball Roster
Brittney Griner, Skylar Diggins, and Diana Taurasi of Team United States pose for photographs with their gold medals during the Women's Basketball medal ceremony on day sixteen of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games at Saitama Super Arena on August 08, 2021 in Saitama, Japan. Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Here’s the star-studded list of players — and the years they previvously participated in the Olympics — who will represent the Stars and Stripes in pursuit of USA’s eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal:
A’ja Wilson (2020)
Alyssa Thomas (first-time Olympian)
Breanna Stewart (2016, 2020)
Brittney Griner (2016, 2020)
Chelsea Gray (2020)
Diana Taurasi (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020)
Jackie Young (2020, 3x3)
Jewell Loyd (2020)
Kahleah Copper (first-time Olympian)
Kelsey Plum (2020, 3x3)
Napheesa Collier (2020)
Sabrina Ionescu (first-time Olympian)
Head coach Cheryl Reeve, from the Minnesota Lynx, will lead the group, with assistance from Mike Thibault of the Washington Mystics and Curt Miller of the Los Angeles Sparks, per USA Basketball.
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) June 11, 2024Good luck, world. See ya in Paris.
ðºð¸ #USABWNT x #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/4k5wzERroq
“It’s a great mix of talent across the board in terms of individual skill sets,” USA Basketball CEO Jim Tooley said, according to the Associated Press. “We have veterans, newcomers and those in the middle. Good perspective and continuity is such an important thing and is why we’ve been successful in the Olympics.”
Will Caitlin Clark play in the Olympics?
Caitlin Clark, the NCAA women's basketball sensation, has a number of accolades to her name: just in the last few months, she became the NCAA's all-time leading scorer (in both the men's and women's game), and was drafted first overall in the WNBA by the Indiana Fever. Unfortunately for her, she won't be able to add Olympian to that impressive list, at least not just yet.
Speaking to reporters Sunday, June 9, Clark revealed that she'd been informed she wasn't being selected for Team USA's Olympic roster.
"I'm excited for the girls that are on the team," Clark said, according to ESPN. "I know it's the most competitive team in the world and I know it could have gone either way — me being on the team or me not being on the team. I'm going to be rooting them on to win gold. I was a kid that grew up watching the Olympics, so it will be fun to watch them.
"Honestly, no disappointment. It just gives me something to work for; it's a dream. Hopefully one day I can be there. I think it's just a little more motivation. You remember that. Hopefully when four years comes back around, I can be there."
After the roster was officially released,Jen Rizzotti, the chair of Team USA's selection committee, explained Clark's absence.
“It would be irresponsible for us to talk about her in a way other than how she would impact the play of the team,” Rizzotti told the AP. “Because it wasn’t the purview of our committee to decide how many people would watch or how many people would root for the U.S. It was our purview to create the best team we could for Cheryl.”
How many times has Team USA Basketball won?
The U.S. women’s basketball team has dominated the Olympics more than any other nation, even giving the U.S. men’s team a run for their money.
Women’s basketball was added as an Olympic sport in 1976, with nine of the 12 gold medals being awarded to Team USA, which has gone undefeated since 1996.
Below are all the Summer Games in which they took gold:
Los Angeles (1984)
Seoul (1988)
Atlanta (1996)
Sydney (2000)
Athens (2004)
Beijing (2008)
London (2012)
Rio (2016)
Tokyo (2020)
Team United States pose for photographs with their gold medals during the Women's Basketball medal ceremony on day sixteen of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games at Saitama Super Arena on August 08, 2021 in Saitama, Japan. Photo: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
Don't Miss
Watch live coverage of theOpening Ceremonyon Friday, July 26, on NBC and Peaco*ck beginning at 12 p.m. ET. Telemundo will provide Spanish-language coverage beginning at 1 p.m. ET. Primetime coverage starts at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT on NBC andPeaco*ck.
Originally published Jan 25, 2024.
