Diana Taurasi Leads Team USA at Paris Olympics With History in Sight

Three years ago at the Tokyo Games, Diana Taurasi famously said these four words shortly after winning her fifth gold medal: “See you in Paris.”

At the time, Taurasi was 39 years old and competing in her 17th WNBA season with the Phoenix Mercury. Some observers laughed, saying there was no way the veteran guard would still be playing professionally in 2024. Well, the Paris Games are underway, and Taurasi is suiting up for her sixth consecutive Olympics as a member of Team USA women’s basketball.

Now 42 and competing in her 20th WNBA season with the Mercury, there was a great deal of chatter about whether Taurasi should have been named to the Olympic roster — especially over rookie superstar Caitlin Clark. Yet, setting Taurasi’s quest for a sixth gold aside, she brings something incredibly valuable to Team USA — vast experience.

Team USA is going through a changing of the guard after the retirement of impact players Sue Bird, Sylvia Fowles and Candace Parker. Taurasi already has said this will be her last Olympics as a player. Three players (Sabrina Ionescu, Alyssa Thomas and Kahleah Copper) are first-time Olympians, and two others (Jackie Young and Kelsey Plum) are newcomers, although they did won gold in 3x3 basketball in Tokyo.

A transitioning roster, plus the fact international rules dictate a much different brand of hoops than the WNBA and college basketball, makes Taurasi’s two decades of Olympic experience all the more valuable. Not only will her on- and off-court leadership and voice help the newcomers adapt to the physicality and officiating style of FIBA basketball, but watching how a player of her caliber adapts her game can be beneficial as well.

International women’s basketball is tough. Officials allow more contact than in the WNBA. Like college basketball, players only get five personal fouls before they are disqualified. Every part of the world seems to play the game differently, so nearly every matchup forces a team to adjust its game plan — sometimes dramatically. Add factors such as jet lag, pressure and emotions — and it’s no wonder the Olympics can bring out the best or worst in athletes. Make no mistake, having a player with two decades of experience in the WNBA, FIBA international competitions and overseas professional basketball to keep younger players calm and collected is a huge asset.

There’s also a deep personal edge to this tournament for Taurasi — her decades-long quest for excellence and refusal to be defeated has led her to this moment. When she won Olympic gold for the first time in 2004, her teammates were Hall of Famers Dawn Staley and Sheryl Swoopes. Ionescu and Copper were 7 years old. Taurasi doesn’t need another gold medal to cement her legacy — but she can make Olympic history by doing so.

Only one Olympic athlete has won gold in the same event in six consecutive Games: Hungarian fencer Aladar Gerevich (1932-60). Taurasi hopes to equal Gerevich’s feat.

Taurasi might not be as fast as she was in 2004, but she can still knock down a clutch 3-pointer with a hand in her face. Her trash talking — something she has to tone down in the Olympic environment — remains in peak form. Even in the twilight of her career, she’s authored legendary performances, such as in 2021, when she went on a solo 10-0 run in the fourth quarter of a WNBA playoff game on a busted ankle.

She’s an absolute menace on the court and always has been.

Taurasi brings that same energy to Paris. While Taurasi pursues her sixth individual gold, Team USA will compete for its 10th gold (and eighth in a row) in women’s basketball. (No other nation boasts more than two gold medals in women’s hoops.)

Although Team USA fields a roster flush with future Hall of Famers , this may be the Americans’ most difficult route to gold yet. The women’s basketball landscape has evolved significantly in recent years, and teams are getting closer to Team USA in terms of talent. Outside of Team USA, 17 other WNBA players will suit up for their home countries’ 5x5 rosters. Australia possesses five, including retired WNBA legend Lauren Jackson. Canada has four. Germany has three. Belgium has three, and Spain and China have one each.

In recent years, Team USA has skated to the podium with relative ease, but this year could be a little different. That should be a treat for viewers, who get to enjoy two weeks of international basketball at the highest level.

Taurasi will be a huge storyline at these Olympics as the White Mamba looks to bolster a legendary athletic résumé.

Related: Women’s Basketball Roster for 2024 Olympics Officially Announced

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