The U.S. women’s basketball roster was officially announced on Tuesday, six weeks after the 12 players will compete for a record eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal. With 7 players on Team USA (and 2 on the last 3×3 team), this is an experienced team that competed in the Olympics as Team USA .
Experience and maturity will only increase given the roster is skewed towards players in their 20s; the youngest player is 26 and the oldest is 42-year-old Diana Taurasi. Unlike previous Olympic rosters, this one does not include recent college graduates. Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark’s omission from the roster has been the subject of much debate, as did reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston.
The next chapter of The Greatest Dynasty of All Time.
The 2024 U.S. Women’s National Team is here.
🇺🇸 #USABWNT X #parisolympics pic.twitter.com/BdDki5De5O
— USA Basketball (@usbasketball) June 11, 2024
With 12 versatile, older players, coach Cheryl Reeve has a lot of flexibility in lineups and rotations, similar to how the defensive-minded coach operated with the Minnesota Lynx. Known for getting the best out of her players, she led the Bobcats to four WNBA championships in seven seasons in the 2010s. This will be Reeve’s first time taking charge of the national team in the Olympics. She was named the head coach for this cycle in 2021 after serving as an assistant coach to Geno Auriemma (2016) and Dawn Staley (2020).
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Get to know the players heading to France this summer for Team USA.
Collier, 27, is the 11th or 12th player on the Tokyo Olympic roster, but she will likely start alongside Chelsea Gray, A’ja Wilson and Brianna Stewart at these Games. Her game continues to improve (no surprise considering Reeve was her coach with the Bobcats) — she’s shooting 40 percent from 3-point range this season. Collier proved she could be the statistical leader when she scored 23 points, grabbed seven rebounds and had three steals in a tight game against Belgium in an Olympic qualifying game earlier this year.
The 29-year-old Cooper is playing the best basketball of her career in her first season with the Phoenix Mercury, averaging 24 points per game and shooting 39 percent from three-point range. Unlike many other players on the Olympic roster who came through the youth system, Cooper first made the U.S. team in 2021, and her game is only rising. Her versatility is highlighted on defense, where she can guard multiple positions, both playing with bigger and more physical players and in sync with outside linebackers.
We’re heating up with this trio.
From the valley to Paris @kahleahcopper @brittneygriner @dianataurasi 🔥
🇺🇸 #USABWNT pic.twitter.com/pZc6ZhatAh
— USA Basketball (@usbasketball) June 11, 2024
Gray, 31, suffered a leg injury in the 2023 WNBA Finals and has yet to participate in a WNBA game this season. However, Team USA said it has been in regular communication with Gray and her medical team and is confident she will be able to compete in France. Assuming that’s true, Gray will be the team’s best passer and engine. She has been a dynamic scorer and coordinator for the Las Vegas Aces, but if her role is repeated at the 2022 World Cup, expect Gray to serve more as the primary coordinator, especially Because there isn’t another pure point guard on the roster. Reeve needs a high-assist, low-risk floor general, and that’s Gray.
When Griner, 33, returned to the United States from 10 months of detention in Russia, she said she would only travel abroad again to compete in the Olympics for her country. Now that’s happening, Griner is making his third Olympic roster appearance. She recently returned from a broken toe to play in the WNBA, but even in two games she looked great, averaging 17.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3 assists and 1.5 blocks per game (30 minutes played) . She started all six games of Team USA’s 2021 trip to Tokyo (averaging 16.5 points and over 7 rebounds per game while shooting nearly 70% from the field). At 6-foot-9, she is the tallest player on the roster, allowing Team USA to instantly off-balance any opponent.
Napheesa Collier was a young role player in the last Olympic cycle and now takes a more prominent role in Paris. (Dirk Wahm/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images)
Ionescu, 26, is another potential backup ball-handler who will likely share duties with other guards, but her versatility as a scorer and rebounder will come in handy. Like Alyssa Thomas, Ionescu can have a triple-double. With her long range and quick release, she can come off the bench to help build a lead, or in close games she can come in and be a reliable free throw shooter (more than 90%).
With no true backup point guard on the roster, the 30-year-old Loyd will likely be tapped to take on some backup ball-handling duties — a task Team USA will likely take on by committee. Loyd will likely be considered for the late starter role, but the position remains somewhat questionable and could be determined based on specific game matchups. She is a proven scorer and excellent rebounder who can help Team USA break out and score or score. One of the many strengths of this team is that there are a number of players who have shown they can come back firing even after a slump, and Loyd is one of them.
Plum, 29, is a member of the inaugural 3×3 team and could find herself in the starting two guard spot, or she could be a burst of energy and instant scorer off the bench. She’s the Aces’ three-point shooter, but she can also go downhill and finish through contact. With Gray out, the Aces have taken on assist duties, with Plum averaging nearly five assists per game. Her familiarity with Wilson, Gray and Jackie Young is a major benefit in terms of potential playing time, and the unit can be used as a “reset” at times, especially early in pool play when Team USA needs to get on the same page hour.
Historical opportunity 🥇🥇@JackieYoung3 & @Kelseyplum10 Looking forward to becoming the first athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in 3×3 and 5×5 basketball! pic.twitter.com/WesRhIXVcj
— USA Basketball 3×3 (@usab3x3) June 11, 2024
Brianna Stewart, F
Stewart, 29, will be competing in his third Olympics. Stewart pairs with Wilson to provide versatility and stability on both ends of the court. Her 3-point shooting has declined this season, but Stewart is a third-level scorer who excels on defense. Stewart and Wilson are expected to start regardless of the game, as Reeve uses them as the core and builds on that.
Diana Taurasi, G
This will be Taurasi’s sixth Olympic appearance. Her first appearance came in Athens in 2004, when at the age of 22 she was the youngest player on the team. Her biggest teammate back then? Dawn Staley, then 34, would coach Taurasi at the Tokyo Olympics 16 years later. Taurasi’s deft passing and sharp shooting will help, but her experience is irreplaceable compared to any other player on Team USA. “We know that Diana’s basketball ability will be critical to us on many occasions, but we also know that her leadership is something this team does not possess,” said U.S. Women’s National Team Committee Chair Jane Rizzotti.
Diana Taurasi, a fixture on the U.S. national team for two decades, will compete for her sixth Olympic gold medal. (Gregory Shams/Getty Images)
Alyssa Thomas, F
The 32-year-old Thomas is known as “The Engine” in the WNBA and is a triple-double threat every night in the league. She’s not the tallest on any court, but she’s probably the strongest player in the league at 6-2. A common storyline among commentators about the 10-year veteran is that Thomas had torn both labrums (cartilage in the shoulder), so she used an unconventional shooting form. That hasn’t stopped Thomas from being productive, however, and Reeve actually asked her to return to the U.S. roster ahead of the 2022 World Cup after Thomas spent a few years on the outside looking in.
Aja Wilson, F
The two-time WNBA MVP has found success in both the Olympics and international competitions. Wilson excelled as a rookie at the Tokyo Olympics, averaging more than 16 points and seven rebounds while playing for her former coach Staley at South Carolina. In France, she will once again enjoy the comfort of being surrounded by three ace teammates. She also added a 3-point shot to her offensive arsenal. Wilson and Stewart are the new faces of the U.S. team in the changing of the guard era, and it is a new challenge for both of them. Wilson, 27, who has had the same responsibility on and off the court with the Aces, seemed ready for the occasion.
Jackie Young, G
Yang, 26, is a member of the Tokyo 3×3 team. Katie Lou Samuelson, an original 3×3 team member, was asked to prepare at the last minute after she tested positive for COVID-19 before the team set off. Young was one of the most improved players in the recent Olympics, becoming a prolific scorer and passer. She’s a tough perimeter defender and reliable scorer, and like the other guards on the roster, she’ll find herself filling Gray’s shoes when she’s not on the court.
(Photo of Breanna Stewart, Kelsey Plum, A’Ja Wilson and Sabrina Ionescu celebrating gold medals at the 2022 FIBA World Cup: Kelly Defina/Getty Images)
