The 2024 USA Basketball Women’s Olympic roster has been announced and it’s a mix of young players and veterans who will make the trip to Paris this summer.
While most of the talk about the roster has centered around Caitlin Clark not making the team, no one would argue that there aren’t 12 deserving players headed to France to represent Team USA. Seven players are returning from the 2020 team that won gold in Tokyo.
Diana Taurasi, 42, will play in her sixth Olympic games, a feat that has only been accomplished by 211 people in the history of the world. Taurasi first represented Team USA on the 2004 team when Clark was 2 years old. She’ll be joined by her Phoenix Mercury teammates Kahleah Cooper and Brittney Griner. Cooper will be making her Olympic debut while Griner made the team in 2016 and 2020.
The Mercury aren’t the only team with multiple players on Team USA. The New York Liberty are sending Breanna Stewart, the reigning WNBA MVP who will be making her third consecutive team, and Sabrina Ionescu, who will be making her Olympic debut.
The Las Vegas Aces are sending four players including Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum, A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young. Gray and Wilson were on the 2020 squad while Young represented Team USA in the 3×3 competition in Tokyo.
Here’s the full roster.
|
Name |
Position |
Team |
|---|---|---|
|
Napheesa Collier |
Forward |
Minnesota Lynx |
|
Kahleah Cooper |
Guard / Forward |
Phoenix Mercury |
|
Chelsea Gray |
Guard |
Las Vegas Aces |
|
Brittney Griner |
Center |
Phoenix Mercury |
|
Sabrina Ionescu |
Guard |
New York Liberty |
|
Jewell Loyd |
Guard |
Seattle Storm |
|
Kelsey Plum |
Guard |
Las Vegas Aces |
|
Breanna Stewart |
Forward |
New York Liberty |
|
Diana Taurasi |
Guard |
Phoenix Mercury |
|
Alyssa Thomas |
Forward |
Connecticut Sun |
|
A’ja Wilson |
Forward / Center |
Las Vegas Aces |
|
Jackie Young |
Guard / Forward |
Las Vegas Aces |
Clark was left off the final roster in favor of more accomplished WNBA players. While Clark handled the decision with class, it has still caused people to lose their minds, as have most things involving Clark recently.
Despite struggling from the field early in her professional career, she’s 14th in the WNBA in scoring at 16.8 points per game, which is right around where Taurasi and Ionescu are. She’s also fourth in assists, 18th in steals and 24th in rebounding
There was a case to be made for Clark to be on the roster, but Team USA went another direction. Now there are only four years to debate whether she belongs on the roster for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. In theory, Diana Taurasi’s roster spot will be open by then.
The women’s Olympic basketball tournament begins on Sunday, July 28 with Team USA playing their first Group C game against Japan on Monday, July 29 at 3pm EST. They’re scheduled to take on Belgium on Thursday, August 1st at 3pm EST and will finish group play on August 4 at 1:15pm EST against Germany.
The Women’s quarterfinals are on Wednesday, August 7, the semifinals are on Friday, August 9 and the gold and bronze meal games will be played on Sunday August 11, the last day of the Games. Team USA is going for their eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal.
