Many things in sports and life are often uncertain. However, in the United States of America, there seem to be three assurances. Those are death, taxes, and the Women’s Olympic team winning a gold medal. As the squad forms with some exhibition games under their belt, they have every reason to believe their path towards another gold medal won’t be disrupted. However, the competition from around the world has improved to at least give the U.S. a run for their medal.

The U.S. has always dominated the competition over the past Olympics mainly due to their consistent star power. The roster consists of big names from the WNBA, including New York Liberty’s Breanna Stewart, Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson, and Phoenix Mercury’s Diana Taurasi. Stewart was the MVP for Team USA in the past two Olympics, and considering she hasn’t slowed down in the WNBA, her success should continue. Taurasi has already made history after winning her fifth gold medal in 2021. No basketball player, men's or women’s, has won more than four except her and Sue Bird. Taurasi will likely pass her former Olympic teammate in what will be her last run. The team also consists of stars in the league who are making their Olympics debut, like the Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu, the Mercury’s Kahleah Copper, and the Connecticut Sun’s Alyssa Thomas. Although it will be their first Olympics and they likely watched the past runs by Team USA, these new players have proven on their respective teams that they belong with the best in the world. 

Many things make the U.S. team one of the greatest units ever assembled every four years. In 2024, this squad is built off their depth off the bench. Anyone of the players who comes off the bench has a great case to start, and that makes the coaching staff’s job that much harder. The U.S. is led by Head Coach Cheryl Reeve, who also coaches the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx. Her approach to every matchup in group play could change based on which group of five players works together best, or who they match up against in a game. Team USA will likely dominate the 2024 Olympics, but their competition has improved, helping the game grow globally.

In the Olympics, women’s basketball is often the U.S.’s competition to lose. However, the other countries who are trying to dethrone them have improved every Olympics. With multiple teams having their share of WNBA players to represent them, the United States’ path toward the gold might not be a cakewalk. The improved teams around the world not only grow the game but also make it tougher as well. Despite other countries' improvements, the U.S. team is focused on its path, especially 2021 Olympics MVP Stewart. “The competition has gotten better and there’s a lot of parody amongst teams around the world that everybody wants to beat us. We are focusing on ourselves while also knowing we don’t take any opponent lightly and it’s going to be a tough road ahead.” Teams like Australia, France, and China may indeed medal and compete for gold, but the U.S. knows how to win the women's basketball Olympics.

The U.S. starts group play on Monday, July 29th at noon PST against Japan.