Notably omitted from the Team USA squad for the Paris Olympics, Chicago Sky rookie forward Angel Reese rushed to X to congratulate the Americans on their gold medal.
"A win is a win. Congrats ladies!!! @usabasketball" Reese tweeted . France's Gabby Williams thought she banked in a game-tying three-pointer as time expired only to realize her foot was on the line as Team USA narrowly defeated France 68-67.
Two-time reigning WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson led scorers with 21 points and added 13 rebounds. Kelsey Plum paced the American bench with 12 points and four assists.
Reese took to X again to respond to a tweet from the ESPN Women's Hoops account reading: "Yes, the US women’s 67-66 win over France is still soaking in. But…who will suit up for Team USA in the 2028 Olympics? Caitlin Clark? Angel Reese? Paige Bueckers? JuJu Watkins?"
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An outraged Reece quote tweeted : "Let’s just congratulate these women & let them enjoy this moment! Leave me out of this until my time comes" as she rose above any controversy over her omission to simply congratulate her fellow Americans on their success.
ESPN projected 12 players to make Team USA's 2028 Los Angeles Olympics squad: A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Napheese Collier, Aliyah Boston, Cameron Brunk, Angel Reese, Jackie Young, Kelsey Plum, Sabrina Ionescu, Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, and JuJu Watkins.
“I want to be an Olympian by 2028,” Reese said in early July. “I think I have time to just be able to continue to grow… I take pride in everything—being able to be from the United States and being able to wear those three letters across your chest."
"So that’s something that I do have as one of my goals, to be an Olympian and being able to play with a special class and great players like the women that are playing right now.”
Reese and Clark were amongst the biggest omissions from the 2024 Paris Olympics squad. South Carolina basketball coach Dawn Staley acknowledged that the timing of the selection may have negatively impacted Clark's chances.
“If we had to do it all over again, with the way she’s playing, she would be in really high consideration of making the team because she’s playing head and shoulders above a lot of people," Staley said .
"She’s shooting the ball extremely well. She’s an elite passer. She’s just got a great basketball IQ. And she’s a little more seasoned in the pro game than she was two months ago.”
Reese's last game came against Team USA for Team WNBA in the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game . The Chicago forward posted a double-double, tallying 12 points and 11 rebounds to help Team WNBA pull off the 117-109 upset.
Reese is leading the WNBA in rebounds during her rookie season and remains a strong contender for the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year award. Her Chicago Sky team remains in contention for the playoffs at 10-14.
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