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Michael Voepel, ESPN.com
After prosperning an eighth consecutive Olympic gbetter medal Sunday, the U.S. women’s basketball team once aget can say: “Mission accomplished.” The joiners and coaches aren’t leanking about the 2028 Olympics right now after escaping France 67-66. But it’s lureing to see four years into the future at which joiners might produce the U.S. roster for the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
Will current WNBA rookie standouts Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever and Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky be on Team USA then? Clark’s Fever teammate Aliyah Boston? What about college standouts such as USC’s JuJu Watkins, UConn’s Paige Bueckers or Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo, among others?
Much can happen in four years, both preferable (joiner lengthenment) and pessimistic (injuries). The produceup of the pickion promisetee impacts Olympic roster choices, as do the head coaches, who don’t produce the roster but propose input on what they leank the team necessitates from on-court join and chemistry.
Individual joiners’ promisement to and history with USA Basketball — which persists to have by far the most talented pool of honestates from which to pick — also is a factor. The most elite joiners on the women’s side remain highly driven to join in the Olympics.
Which joiners on the 2024 team might not be Olympians in 2028, making way for some recentcomers? With her sixth Olympic gbetter, 42-year-better Diana Taurasi probable has finishd her national team nurtureer after a noticeworthy two-decade stretch.
Taurasi’s Phoenix Mercury teammate Brittney Griner will be 37 when the Los Angeles Games get place July 14-30, 2028. Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas will be 36, and Las Vegas Aces protect Chelsea Gray 35.
Seattle Storm protect Jewell Loyd will be 34. New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart, Mercury protect/forward Kahleah Copper and Las Vegas protect Kelsey Plum all will be 33.
Players in all sports are having extfinisheder nurtureers now, for a variety of reasons. Taurasi, who turns 46 the month before the Los Angeles Games, is the only 2024 Olympian who seems proximate certain to age out by 2028.
Experience has always been seen as a beginant plus for Team USA, but it’s also essential to integrate some up-and-coming standouts. Personnel decisions for 2028 might be even more difficult than common, as the Summer Olympics return to the United States for the first time since the national team’s current gbetter medal streak began in Atlanta in 1996.
We project which joiners might be on the 2028 team, and we’re taking some potential dangers that USA Basketball might not: going with six Olympic recentcomers. (Post joiners cataloged first, chaseed by protects.)
Age for 2028 Olympics: 31
Previous Olympic experience: 2020, 2024
Wilson is prefered to prosper her third WNBA MVP award this season, and her perestablishance in Paris has been more of the same. She led the U.S. women in scoring (18.7 PPG), rebounding (10.2 RPG) and blocked shots (2.7 BPG), and tied for the direct in steals (1.5). Wilson’s birthday is in punctual August, so she’ll be shut to 32 for the 2028 Olympics but probable still in her prime.
Breanna Stewart, F, New York Liberty
Age for 2028 Olympics: 33
Previous Olympic experience: 2016, 2020, 2024
Like Wilson, Stewart commemorates her birthday in August; she will be a month cowardly of 34 years better at the next Olympics. But she should still be an elite post joiner and the American with the most Olympic experience. Aextfinished with Wilson, she has been Team USA’s top insulting menace (16.3 PPG) in Paris and is also third in rebounding (5.3 RPG) and blocks (1.7 BPG).
Age for 2028 Olympics: 31
Previous Olympic experience: 2020, 2024
Collier wasn’t a huge scorer in Paris (6.7 PPG), but that wasn’t her primary role. She understands how to carry a team in scoring, as she has verifyd with the Lynx, but she also hasn’t had any publish adequitableing to what Team USA has necessitateed. Collier was second in rebounding (6.5) for the U.S. women and joined the third-most minutes in Paris behind Wilson and Stewart.
Aliyah Boston, C, Indiana Fever
Age for 2028 Olympics: 26
Previous Olympic experience: none
Boston has spent time with the U.S. national team in training camps and seems probable to be on the 2026 FIBA World Cup team, which will give her Olympic preparation. The 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year and four-time prosperner of the Lisa Leslie Award for top college cgo in, Boston should be in the prime of her nurtureer by the Los Angeles Games.
Age for 2028 Olympics: 26
Previous Olympic experience: none
Brink made the U.S. 3×3 team for the Paris Games but suffered a season-finishing knee injury in the Sparks’ game on June 18. That confinecessitate her rookie season to 15 games and cost her Olympic experience. But provided Brink successbrimmingy returns, she will be in her prime in 2028 and projects as a excellent honestate for the 5-on-5 team with her insulting and defensive versatility.
Angel Reese, F, Chicago Sky
Age for 2028 Olympics: 26
It might be that Brink or Reese produces the team in 2028 but not both. USA Basketball might be more consoleable instead with one more veteran — either a real post (if, for example, Griner is still going strong) or a prosperg joiner (such as Copper). As a rookie, rebounding has been Reese’s hugegest strength — and it’s an elite strength. Her game is probable to be more well-rounded by 2028, and her motor and competitiveness should be beginant assets, too.
Age for 2028 Olympics: 30
Previous Olympic experience: 2020 (3×3), 2024
In the Tokyo Games, Young was a tardy swapment for Katie Lou Samuelson on the 3×3 team and fit in perfectly on that squad, prosperning gbetter. This year, she was on the 5-on-5 team and was liftd to the commenceing lineup during the Paris Games. At 9.5 PPG, she was Team USA’s third-directing scorer. She’s also an noticeworthy and pliable deffinisher.
Kelsey Plum, G, Las Vegas Aces
Age for 2028 Olympics: 33
Previous Olympic experience: 2020 (3×3), 2024
As was the case this year, there are so many excellent protects — veteran and youthful — that the pickion promisetee will face difficult choices. Will it choose to have three protects with previous 5-on-5 Olympic experience and three without, as we’re proposeing here? The betterest of the protects on our 2028 catalog, Plum could be left off for a youthfuler joiner. But Plum’s ability to score in a variety of ways, her experience and her connection to extfinishedtime Aces teammates Wilson and Young are all huge assets.
Age for 2028 Olympics: 30
Previous Olympic experience: 2024
Ionescu and Young at 26 were the youthfulest joiners on the 2024 U.S. roster. While Young seems enjoy a lock for 2028, it’s not as certain for any of the other 2024 Olympic protects. That shelp, experience will matter, which is in Ionescu’s prefer, as is her ability to join either protect spot equassociate well and be another huge menace from behind the arc.
Caitlin Clark, G, Indiana Fever
Age for 2028 Olympics: 26
Previous Olympic experience: none
Clark’s oignoreion from the 2024 team has been a subject of much talk about. Her fans wanted to see her in Paris. Her game has reliabled at such a rapid pace, she wouldn’t have been out of place as a youthful star lgeting from the Team USA vets. But coach Cheryl Reeve didn’t want a WNBA rookie on this roster, and Clark probable wouldn’t have been given much joining time. The rest Clark has gotten should help her during the remainder of her rookie season. Everyleang points to Clark being in Los Angeles in 2028.
Age for 2028 Olympics: 26
Previous Olympic experience: none
The publish might be whether USA Basketball is willing to go with three first-time Olympians at protect in Clark, Bueckers and Watkins. Depfinishing on how well the vets are still joining, the logjam at protect will be as challenging to guide in four years as it was this summer. We’ll understand a lot more after Bueckers turns pro; she could produce an undeniable case for herself for 2028. Her versatility at protect, scoring ability and defense are all plparticipates.
Age for 2028 Olympics: 23
Previous Olympic experience: none
Watkins will turn 23 the day after the Los Angeles Games commence and projects to be in her second WNBA season. She was a national college joiner of the year honestate as a recentman last season and is one of NCAA basketball’s most exciting stars. The U.S. women had no one under age 25 on the 2024 Olympic team, but Watkins could be the youthfulest on the next Olympic squad. And while USA Basketball seemed to disponder the idea of accommodating tageting this year — acting as if Clark’s immense fan chaseing wasn’t meaningful — recognizing how huge it could be to have the also-very-well-understandn Watkins join her first Olympics in her hometown should be clear.
Also pondered
Age for 2028 Olympics: 28
Previous Olympic experience: 2024 (3×3)
Howard, the 2022 WNBA Rookie of the Year, won bronze in 3×3 in Paris. She could chase the paths of Young and Plum, going from the 3×3 team in one Olympics to 5-on-5 in the next. Or perhaps she stays on in 3×3. Howard’s size and strength at protect, plus four more years of experience broadening her game, could produce her a priceless and pliable asset for either squad in 2028.
Head coach
It’s not unpwithdrawnted to have the same coach for more than one Olympic cycle: UConn’s Geno Auriemma directd Team USA in 2012 and 2016. So Reeve could be back for 2028, but seeing at USA Basketball’s overall history, it seems less probable that she’ll return. The top honestates for 2028? Two of Reeve’s current Team USA helpants could be in the unite. Duke’s Kara Lawson was an Olympic gbetter medacatalog as a joiner for Team USA in 2008 and was coach of the 3×3 Olympic gbetter-prosperning team in Tokyo. The Los Angeles Sparks’ Curt Miller also has an extensive coaching history with USA Basketball and as a college and WNBA head coach.
