The USA Women’s Basketball Team is no stranger to the top of the Olympic podium, with a dazzling collection of nine gold medals. It all began at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, and aside from a minor hiccup in Barcelona ’92—where they “settled” for bronze—the team has been an unbeatable force. In fact, they haven’t lost a game since 1993 and have only suffered three losses since women’s basketball became an Olympic sport in 1976. Talk about a dynasty! The pressure is on for another gold in Paris, but hey, no big deal, right?
“The history doesn’t matter,” Diana Taurasi declared at the team’s first press conference in Paris. Taurasi, a basketball icon at 42, isn’t just competing—she’s chasing history, going for her sixth gold medal. She’s already triumphed in Athens, Beijing, London, Rio, and Tokyo. But in her typical no-nonsense style, Taurasi emphasized, “The history doesn’t affect this team. We must discover our own identity both on and off the court. Those last eight [gold medals] don’t promise you anything going forward. We respect everyone and we know how difficult this is. We never take it for granted.”
Taurasi, who shares the record for the most Olympic gold medals in U.S. basketball history with former teammate Sue Bird, could easily rest on her laurels. But no, she’s all about the here and now. “I try not to think about it. I really am focused on what’s next and that is what has kept me playing for a long time. You can get caught up in the winning, the losing, the medals, the trophies, the MVPs and all that stuff but at the end of the day, it really doesn’t matter. What matters is the work you put in every single day and if that keeps you coming back, then you’ll have an opportunity to win your second, third, or sixth medal. Success is the biproduct of hard work.”
For her teammates, Taurasi is more than a legend; she’s the North Star guiding their journey. A’ja Wilson, a star in her own right, didn’t hold back in her praise: “Diana is the GOAT. She puts in the time, work, effort, and love behind the game. She doesn’t have to be the most vocal person; she can just be who she is and I’m so grateful to have been her teammate. It’s been amazing to be around her. I’ll never take for granted being around greatness, and she’s an example of what one can achieve when they put their mind to it.”
As Taurasi and her team, led by coach Cheryl Reeve, prepare for their opening game against Japan on July 29, followed by matches against Belgium and Germany, the stage is set for another chapter in the USA’s golden saga. Whether they can add a tenth gold to their collection remains to be seen, but with Taurasi at the helm, the journey is bound to be legendary.
