All this non-stop chatter about Clark not making the Team USA Olympics women’s basketball roster is a bit dizzying. Can’t we pick a team without catty squabbles?
Yeah, Clark is a three-time WNBA champion and the Sixth Player of the Year in 2023. And she twice has led the WNBA in 3-point shooting percentage and also has been on the All-Defensive team twice.
Oh … not this Clark?
Those are good milestones for Alysha Clark, but the masses want rookie Caitlin Clark on the roster.
She was busy with Iowa chasing a championship at the time and couldn’t make Team USA camp due to NCAA Tournament obligations. It appears none of the WNBA’s old guard is sad she won’t be in Paris.
So, pencil in Caitlin Clark for 2028. Some more veterans will be gone and Caitlin won’t receive any pushback then.
Seriously, if you start your team with A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart, you can probably round it out with Division III and junior college players and still earn the team’s seventh consecutive gold medal. But which players are the best on the Team USA women’s basketball roster?
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A’ja Wilson leads Team USA Olympics roster
Here’s the 2024 roster, ranked 1 through 12:
1. A’ja Wilson — The best women’s player in the world is having her best WNBA season ever. That says a lot when she’s a two-time MVP and two-time champion. Wilson averaged 16.5 points and 7.3 rebounds when Team USA won the gold in 2021 in Tokyo and she’s ready for big things in Paris.
2. Breanna Stewart — Back in the Olympics for the third time, “Stewie” averaged 15 points, 10 rebounds and 4.7 assists in Tokyo. She also is a two-time WNBA MVP and a two-time champion enjoying another solid season.
3. Alyssa Thomas — The WNBA triple-double wizard is an Olympian for the first time. She has a record 13 triple-doubles (10 regular season, three playoffs) and was MVP runner-up behind Wilson last season.
4. Jewell Loyd—The WNBA scoring leader a season ago was a spot player in Tokyo in 2021 and averaged 4.8 points. Her lone concern is shooting just 26.7 percent from 3-point range this season.
5. Kahleah Copper — Traded by the Chicago Sky to the Phoenix Mercury in the offseason, she is averaging a career-best 22.5 points, supplanting Diana Taurasi as the team’s go-to scorer. This is her first Olympics for Team USA.
6. Sabrina Ionescu — Another first-time Olympian, she contributes in every area and is the top 3-point threat in the women’s game. Ionescu, who gave Stephen Curry a run in their 3-pointer competition at the All-Star Game, set a WNBA mark with 128 treys last season.
7. Brittney Griner — Griner is looking for her third gold medal and she stood out in Tokyo with averages of 16.5 points and 7.2 rebounds. She has made 69 percent of her field-goal attempts in 14 Olympic contests.
8. Kelsey Plum — A first-time Olympian who is one of the WNBA’s best all-around players. She has a career 88-percent free-throw percentage and has 64 treys in just 20 games this season.
9. Diana Taurasi — Her first Olympics was in 2004 in Athens, and her five gold medals are tied with former U.S. teammate Sue Bird for the most ever by an Olympic basketball player, man or woman. The 42-year-old averaged just 5.8 points in 2021 and figures to be a secondary contributor again this time.
10. Napheesa Collier — Collier is out indefinitely with plantar fasciitis in her left foot, sustained in a game on July 4, and she could end up being replaced on the roster. The Team USA coach is Cheryl Reeve, who also is Collier’s coach with the Minnesota Lynx. Collier has received MVP chatter during her tremendous season, which includes averages of 20 points and 10.2 rebounds.
11. Jackie Young — One of four members of the two-time defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces on this team. Young is averaging career highs of 18.7 points, 5.7 assists, and 4.8 rebounds this season.
12. Chelsea Gray — Gray recently returned from a foot injury sustained in Game 3 of last season’s WNBA Finals. The five-time All-Star would be higher on this list if not for the setback. She averaged 7.3 points and shot 58.1 percent from the field in the 2021 Olympics.
Mike Sullivan – Field Level Media
Related: Ranking Team USA Olympics men’s basketball roster, who’s the best player?
