Phoenix Mercury All-Stars Taurasi, Griner and Copper talk about Team USA
Phoenix Mercury All-Stars Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner and Kahleah Copper discuss their commitment to Team USA at the Olympic Games ahead of the WNBA All-Star Game on July 19, 2024.
Team USA and Diana Taurasi have become synonymous.
After being nominated for the Olympic Games for the sixth consecutive year, Taurasi put herself in a position to achieve an unprecedented feat by winning her sixth consecutive gold medal.
If Team USA beats France on Sunday, Taurasi would be involved in 75% of the eight consecutive gold medals won. Friday’s semifinal win over Australia marked the 60th anniversary of the team’s victory.th Consecutive wins for Team USA, which has a 43-0 record in their games.
Taurasi has been a mainstay on the Olympic women’s team since moving from UConn to the 2004 Athens Olympics. She is the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer with over 10,000 points and is still playing at a high level for the Phoenix Mercury this season. Taurasi is averaging 16.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per game in her 20th season in the WNBA.
The 42-year-old was not immune to criticism during the Paris Olympics, however. Taurasi averaged 0.7 points in the group stage, making 1 of 6 shots and going pointless in two of the three games. Her early performance prompted fans on social media to complain about the absence of Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale and Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark in favor of Taurasi on Team USA.
Taurasi took a back seat during the Olympics in favor of younger players like Las Vegas Aces star Jackie Young, who replaced her in the starting lineup in the knockout rounds, but she has unmatched experience on the international stage.
More: Caitlin Clark fans tease Diana Taurasi for not scoring a point in the US national team’s win over Belgium
With 419 points, she is the fourth-leading scorer in Olympic history. Taurasi is 69 points behind former teammate Lisa Leslie for the top spot in USA women’s basketball scoring. Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant recently claimed the top spot for Team USA in scoring, but Taurasi remains the all-time leader with 43 games played.
Much like the group stage match against Belgium, a hostile atmosphere prevailed, and Taurasi and Team USA will face a home crowd that favors host France in the gold medal match. The French women have averaged 77.4 points per game, second only to Team USA’s 89.8 in the tournament. Former Seattle Storm player Gabby Williams has led France with 14.8 points, 5.4 assists and 2.8 steals per game.
The U.S. national team will close out the Olympics with a big performance against France in the gold medal game Sunday at 6:30 a.m. MST (9:30 a.m. ET) on NBC.
