Meet the 12 players who made the cut.
The United States' Olympic women's basketball team is officially here.
On June 11, Team USA announced the roster of 12 players who would represent the country in the 2024 Paris Olympics. In a video starring actress Aubrey Plaza, the Emmy Award nominee shared that the team is going for their eighth straight gold medal.
"Good luck world," the team captioned the post. "See ya in Paris."
Twelve WNBA veterans are on the US Olympic women’s basketball team roster, eight of whom have been to the Olympics before. The Las Vegas Aces and Phoenix Mercury are sending the most players to the Olympics, with four and three players going to Paris, respectively. Notably, WNBA first round draft pick Caitlin Clark isn't on the team.
Keep reading to learn more about the 12 players on this year’s team, why Caitlin didn't make the cut, and how the team is expected to fare at the 2024 games.
Who is on the US Olympic women’s basketball team?
A'ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart will "lead an all-star cast" of the following players, Aubrey shared in the team's June 11 announcement.
- Napheesa Collier is a 27-year-old forward on the Minnesota Lynx. She went to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo and hopes to win another gold medal at this year's games, she said in an interview with Olympics.com.
- Kahleah Copper is a 29-year-old guard and forward for the Phoenix Mercury. This will be her first time at the Olympics.
- Chelsea Gray is a 31-year-old guard for the Las Vegas Aces. She went to the 2020 Olympics, but has not played in an WNBA game since last season due to a leg injury.
- Brittney Griner is a 33-year-old center for the Phoenix Mercury. She won gold medals with Team USA at the 2020 and 2016 Olympics. When speaking at a press conference in April 2023 following her 10-month detainment in Russia, she said the only time she would travel overseas again is to play in the Olympics, according to Olympics.com. “If I make that team, that’d be the only time I would leave the U.S. soil, and that’s just to represent the USA,” Griner said.
- Sabrina Ionescu is a 26-year-old guard for the New York Liberty. This will be her first time at the Olympics.
- Jewell Loyd is a 30-year-old guard for the Seattle Storm. She is returning to the Olympic games after being on Team USA in 2020.
- Kelsey Plum is a 29-year-old guard for the Las Vegas Aces. This will be her first time at the Olympics.
- Breanna Stewart is a 29-year-old forward for the New York Liberty. She went to the Olympics with Team USA in 2020 and 2016.
- Diana Taurasi is a 41-year-old guard for the Phoenix Mercury. She is a veteran of Team USA, having been to the Olympic Games in 2020, 2016, 2012, 2008, and 2004.
- Alyssa Thomas is a 32-year-old forward for the Connecticut Sun. This will be her first time at the Olympics.
- A’ja Wilson is a 27-year-old forward and center for the Las Vegas Aces. She is returning to the Olympic games after being on Team USA in 2020.
- Jackie Young is a 26-year-old guard and forward for the Las Vegas Aces. She won a gold medal at the Olympics in 2020 playing 3x3, but this will be her first time playing 5-on-5 and the Olympics.
Why is Caitlin Clark not on the Olympic women’s basketball team?
Fans were shocked to learn Caitlin would not be going to Paris with Team USA. However, rookies are rarely offered spots on the Olympic roster. And Caitlin only offered support and praise for the girls when reporters asked about her reaction to the news.
“I’m excited for the girls that are on the team. I know it’s the most competitive team in the world and it could have gone either way—me being on the team, me not being on the team—so I’m excited for them. I’m gonna be rooting them on,” Caitlin said in a video posted to X by Indianapolis Star reporter Chloe Peterson.
Caitlin said felt “no disappointment” when she learned she wasn’t on the roster and that this gives her something to work for.
"The thing she said was, 'Hey, Coach, they woke a monster,' which I thought was awesome," Indiana Fever coach Christie Sides told reporters on June 9, per NBC Sports. "She's young, she's going to have so many opportunities in the future."
Who has the most gold medals in women’s basketball?
Diana Taurasi first went to the Olympics in Athens in 2004. She and Sue Bird hold the record for the most Olympic titles in US basketball history with five each.
Team USA is a heavy favorite. And if the team clinches another gold this year, Diana will break the record.
“At USA Basketball, we want a gold medal. And that's the only thing, nothing else," Breanna told Women's Health back at the Team USA media summit in April. "Understanding that we continue to do the impossible is something that is amazing, and we're not going to be the ones to mess that up."
Sela Breen
Editorial Intern
Sela Breen (she/her) is the 2024 summer editorial intern at Women's Health. She is a rising senior at Northwestern University, where she studies journalism, international studies and theatre. She previously interned at Dotdash Meredith, worked on the Northwestern campus magazine and contributed to the Northwestern Medill Investigative Program.
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