Diana Taurasi (right) of the United States passes Leonie Fiebig of Germany during a women's basketball exhibition match between the United States and Germany on July 23, 2024 in London.
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LONDON — When Brittney Griner, A'ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart take to the basketball court Monday in the opening game of the Paris Olympics, they will be looking to extend a winning streak that dates back to before most of them were born.
The U.S. Women's Basketball National Team is undefeated in the Olympic Games since 1992. Every member of the team has won an Olympic or World Cup gold medal in the past, and the team is seeking its eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal and its 10th overall.
LeBron James may have been the flag bearer for the U.S. team at Friday's opening ceremony, but it's the U.S. women's team that stands at the apex of the most winning dynasty in the history of basketball, or any sport for that matter.
But some big names were missing from this year's US national team, and because the Olympics took place in the middle of the WNBA season, the players on the national team had little time to practice together.
Meanwhile, other countries are sending more players to the WNBA, playing alongside the U.S. girls and trying to catch up with them by studying their dominance on the basketball court.
All of these factors combined could threaten the longest gold medal streak in Olympic history.
How to avoid the pressure of history
When asked how she keeps her players grounded while they enjoy easy success, U.S. coach Cheryl Reeve responded: “You can't escape history.”
“We're building on this great culture that was built a long time ago, so I think we're aware of that,” Reeve told reporters after an 84-57 exhibition win over Germany in London last week. “But I also think it's really important that this journey is unique and special for this group. This is our first experience together.”
“You can't escape history. We stand on the foundation of this great culture that was established a long time ago,” U.S. coach Cheryl Reeve told her players ahead of the Paris Olympics.
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It's a first for this combination of players. The team includes first-time Olympians Sabrina Ionescu, Kalia Copper and Alyssa Thomas. All nine others have previously competed in the Olympics. Diana Taurasi, 42, made history as the oldest woman in U.S. basketball history to compete in the Olympics.
If you think it's great that two-time gold medalist LeBron James is still playing basketball at age 39, playing for the Los Angeles Lakers with his son, consider Taurasi, who is three years older than James and has won five Olympic gold medals and is seeking a sixth.
“I'm not going to the Olympics as a farewell tour. I'm going to win a gold medal with my teammates. That's the only reason I play basketball,” she told NPR. “So I feel exactly the same as I did the first time, except my back hurts a little bit!”
A'ja Wilson made the remarks during the U.S. women's basketball team's press conference at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games Main Press Center on Saturday.
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Griner's first overseas trip since ordeal in Russia
The U.S. team also includes Griner, a 6-foot-9, dunk-able athlete. Paris will be her third Olympics but her first trip overseas since being held captive for 10 months in Russia.
She was traveling back and forth to Russia while playing in the EuroLeague when two e-cigarette cartridges containing doctor-prescribed cannabis oil were found in her luggage in 2022. Griner was convicted on drug charges and sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony, but was later released in a prisoner exchange.
Griner spoke to NPR this spring about the emotional struggles she's been through since then, and she's also writing a memoir. Go homeHe spoke about the mental and physical abuse he suffered while in Russian custody.
She remained on the bench for last week's friendly against Germany, but Reeve told reporters that Griner was “absolutely fine” and would play in the Olympics.
Teammate A'ja Wilson said players are trying to help Griner get through the trauma.
“We'll always be her sisters,” Wilson told reporters in response to a question from NPR. “We're just there for her and trying to help her and hold her close, and we're grateful to be her teammates again.”
Have you heard of the name Caitlin Clark?
One player who didn't play in the Olympics is the NCAA's all-time leading scorer and current WNBA rookie who has been credited with boosting the league's popularity. Perhaps there's a “Caitlin Clark effect” at work, but the Indiana Fever player was not selected for the Olympic team.
“Certainly, some new fans will say, 'If we lose, it's because Caitlin Clark isn't on this team,'” said Lindsay Durbin, a sports management professor at Syracuse University. “But that's simply not true.”
Durbin said Clark is fresh out of college, has only played half a WNBA season and is “not yet one of the top 12 players in the country.”
Clarke was also unable to attend USA Basketball training camp this year because she was in the Final Four and led her team, the Iowa Hawkeyes, to the NCAA Division I championship in April (where they lost to South Carolina).
“If you've heard of a player like Caitlin Clark, you're surprised she's not on the team, because she was the catalyst for introducing us to the game,” says Richard Cohen, a British journalist who covers the WNBA, “but for those of us who follow the WNBA closely, she probably never would have made the team.”
Arike Ogunbowale, who was cut from the U.S. Women's Olympic Team, celebrates with the MVP trophy after Team WNBA defeated the Olympic Team, 117-109, during the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game on July 20, 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona.
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Another athlete missing from the Olympic team
Analysts said an even bigger surprise was the absence of Arike Ogunbowale, who was named MVP of this year's WNBA All-Star game that beat the Olympic team earlier this month and was the game's leading scorer.
Ogunbowale, who missed out on a place in the national team four years ago, took part in training camp this year but was later removed from the national team after denouncing the selection process as political.
“I didn't feel like they really wanted me on that team, so I declined,” she told ESPN earlier this month.
Durbin, the Syracuse University professor, said the U.S. team's loss to WNBA all-stars Clarke and Ogunbowale was a “wake-up call.”
“When you're a team that's been so dominant for so long, it's hard to take anybody seriously,” she said, “so I think that was a good opportunity for them to take a step back and say, 'OK, we can beat them.'”
That could also pose a threat to the Paris Olympics.
Competition
Team USA's Olympic opener will be on Monday (9 p.m. local time, 3 p.m. Eastern) against Japan in Lille, France. The two teams met in the gold medal game in Tokyo three years ago, with the U.S. winning 90-75.
Before arriving in France, the U.S. women's team was only able to practice together for three days in Phoenix during WNBA All-Star Weekend.
Japan, by contrast, has been preparing for Monday's match for about a year, while other nations have been training together full-time for the past month.
“The world is catching up. One of the strongest teams is France, who obviously have home-court advantage. Canada is getting better. China is looking good,” says Cohen, a WNBA reporter in the U.K. “The U.S. is still the favorite and the favourite to win, but there's a lot of pressure on them.”
“If we win this much, the first person to lose will be remembered as the one who ended the dynasty,” he said.
