The ladies of the WNBA continue to be a hot topic as they embrace old and new fans to the sport.
In June, outlets announced the roster of players competing for gold in the 2024 Paris Olympics. The women’s basketball committee handpicked a team of team of twelve players. However, the selection process isn’t based on past championships or recent performance for the current season. After earning an invitation from the committee, each person must attend a training camp. During training camp, players endure rigorous training, and the selected staff evaluates their performances. Following camp, there is a qualifying tournament to help narrow the selections. After the training camp concludes, the committee picks top players based on their performance.
As the Paris Olympics are quickly approaching, the announcement arrived a month before the competition begins on July 26. Over half of the 12 basketball players chosen to represent Team USA are Black women.
Here’s the players that made the list below.
A’ja Wilson
This isn’t A’ja Wilson’s first time qualifying for the Olympics. The Las Vegas Aces star’s Olympic debut was in 2020. Wilson played college basketball at the University of South Carolina, where she helped bring home the NCAA championship title in 2017. That following year, she was drafted by the Las Vegas Aces in the first round of the WNBA draft as the No. 1 overall pick. The highly decorated star player recently announced her shoe collaboration with Nike. Outside of basketball, Wilson is also the author of “Dear Black Girls: How to Be True to You,” which was released in February. She also owns a candle business called Burnt Wax Candles.
Alyssa Thomas
Alyssa Thomas is a first-time Olympian who will get the chance to compete on one of the biggest courts in the world. The four-time WNBA All-Star plays for the Connecticut Sun and is in her 11th season with the team. The Pennsylvania native was a part of the USA Women’s World Cup winning team and was recognized as the team’s Best Defensive Player.
Brittney Griner
Brittney Griner is an Olympic gold medalist who made it to the Olympics in 2016 and then again in 2020. The WNBA all-star plays for the Phoenix Mercury. After a public detainment in 2022, where she was held in a Russian prison camp for nearly 10 months, Griner returned to the sport she loved in 2023. The superstar player will return for a third time to in hopes of bringing home another gold medal.
Chelsea Gray
Chelsea Gray is the Las Vegas Aces point guard. Throughout her 10-year tenure in the WNBA, she has been a three-time WNBA Champion. Gray received the opportunity to compete in the Olympics in 2020, which was a first for her. Gray took home Olympic gold four years ago and is ready to do the same in July.
Jackie Young
Jackie Young is regarded as the “Silent Assassin” of the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces. While she may be a woman of little words, her skillset speaks for itself. The guard is known for racking up double-digit points during games, averaging at least 20 points per game in the 2024 WNBA season.
Jewell Loyd
Jewell Loyd, who plays for the Seattle Storm, was selected as the No. 1 overall WNBA draft pick in 2015. Loyd’s skills and explosive moves on the court earned her the nickname “Gold Mamba” in which her late mentor Kobe Bryant proclaimed her to be. This will be Loyd’s first time heading to the Olympics, where she may add another gold medal under her belt.
Kahleah Copper
Kahleah Copper is a first-time Olympian who will represent the Phoenix Mercury. This isn’t the first time that the three-time WNBA All-Star and MVP has vied for gold overseas. In 2022, she helped Team USA bring home the winning title at the 2022 FIBA Women’s Women’s Cup.
Napheesa Collier
Napheesa Collier heads to the Olympics, representing the Minnesota Lynx. Collier first won Olympic gold in 2019 at the FIBA AmeriCup in Puerto Rico. That same year, she earned recognition as Rookie of the Year. Since then, she dominates on the court, earning achievements such as the All-WNBA first team in 2023, the All-WNBA second team in 2020, and more.