On the last day of competition for the Paris Olympics, the surest American bet again came through.
But this time, barely.
The United States women’s national basketball team won its eighth straight Olympic gold medal on Sunday, via a startlingly close 67-66 victory over host country France at Bercy Arena. The win did more than just confirm the U.S.’ long-held supremacy in hoops. It gave the U.S. its 40th gold medal of the Paris Games, tying it with China for most golds at these Olympics. The U.S. leads the overall medals table with 126, to China’s 91.
By any objective measure, Team USA won the Paris Olympics.
A’ja Wilson saved the game for the U.S, as she scored 21 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked 4 shots. France played the Americans to a surprising 25-25 tie at the half, and the home team jumped out to a 35-25 lead early in the third. Team USA had won its previous 60 Olympic games by an average of some 30 points. Could the host country possibly end its successful Olympics with an impossible upset?
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The French came oh, so close.
Wilson was all over the place for most of the third quarter—grabbing rebounds, blocking shots—to stop France’s run. The U.S. took a 45-43 lead into the fourth. With just over 5 minutes left, France took a 53-51 lead. A Breanna Stewart free throw put the Americans back up, 56-55, under the four-minute mark. Then Wilson—of course—scored to give the U.S. a 58-55 cushion it refused to relinquish. A Kahleah Copper layup put the Americans up 62-59 with just over a minute to play. Marine Fauthoux forced a three-pointer to tie with 20 seconds left: Stewart got a piece of it, and the Americans held on.
Throughout these Games, Wilson continued to prove she’s the best women’s basketball player on the planet. She’s averaging 27.2 points per game in the WNBA, for the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces, and could become the first player in league history to average 12 rebounds a game (she’s averaging 11.96 per game right now). She entered the Olympic semifinals scoring at a robust 18.2 points per game clip. While she missed a host of short-shots she usually makes before halftime of the gold medal game, Wilson still attacked, and attacked.
The 6’5” lefty can do it all. She’s a smooth dribbler and shooter, a willing passer, and mixes things up with her physical play.
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This gold medal was historic for Diana Taurasi, the U.S. veteran star who earned her sixth Olympic title. While she struggled with injury and didn’t play much in these Games, Taurasi is the first Olympic basketball player to ever win 6 Olympic golds.
Brittney Griner could one day catch Taurasi: she’s now won three Olympic gold medals, and gets to celebrate this one after spending 293 days in 2022 incarcerated in Russia, before being released as part of a prisoner swap. Stewart, the reigning WNBA MVP, also won a third straight gold medal.
With all business taken care of in Paris, attention will now turn back to the WNBA, which is attracting a record number of fans this season, thanks in large part to an influx of compelling rookies, especially Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. Games resume on Aug. 15. Clark’s omission from this Olympic roster sparked controversy. She’s drawn unprecedented attention to women’s basketball, and certainly would have drawn cheers—and likely thrived—on the Paris stage.
But the American players in Paris all earned their way here. Clark’s Olympic time will likely come. Women’s basketball’s moment continues.
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