The mood at the Rodman household must be electric right now. After all, Trinity Rodman, daughter of NBA legend Dennis Rodman, just helped the U.S. women’s national soccer team clinch their first Olympic gold medal in 12 years. Certainly, the basketball fraternity wouldn’t miss out on recognizing the feat and the talent.

On August 10, in a game that kept everyone on the edge of their seats, the U.S. defeated Brazil 1-0. The first and only goal of the game came from Mallory Swanson, one of the three on the Emma Hayes’ front three alongside Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman. It was a contentious goal to break the deadlock, not for the players on the field but for those watching on TV.

Due to the lack of replays, many felt Mallory Swanson was offside and that the goal shouldn’t have been counted. However, for those inside the stadium, it was clear that the striker was onside. After trying time and again to get past the defense of Brazil, midfielder Korbin Albert played a beautiful through-ball. When she did, Sophia Smith was offside, but before she could collect the ball, Swanson shouted, “Don’t touch it!”

Swanson came in from the left, dribbled the ball into the penalty box, and scored, giving the USWNT the lead. And subsequently, the win. Earlier this week, Trinity Rodman, Swanson, and Smith appeared on TODAY, where they proudly introduced their new moniker, ‘Triple Espresso.’ The five-time NBA champion’s daughter explained, “We have a proposal for our trio name to be ‘Triple Espresso.’ So we’re going to put that out into the air and let people run with that because we like that as well.”

Although fans and players have also given the trio nicknames like “The Trident” and “Holy Trinity,” it’s clear that ‘Triple Espresso’ is the name that is sticking with them. However, it wasn’t just ‘Triple Espresso’ that made this victory possible. Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher delivered a game-saving performance, especially with a one-handed save on Adriana’s header in stoppage time. This marked the third occasion where the U.S. emerged victorious against Brazil in an Olympic final, with previous wins in 2004 in Athens and 2008 in Beijing.

Watching the moment live were Mission Impossible star Tom Cruise and former U.S. soccer star Megan Rapinoe herself. But celebrations were certainly not limited to courtside.

Trinity Rodman shines as celebs and family praise Team USA’s Olympic gold victory

As the US women’s soccer team secured only the 5th Olympic medal of the program, USA hype-man this Summer Games and Dennis Rodman’s brief rival, Magic Johnson, were quick to jump in to congratulate. “Congratulations to the US Women’s Soccer team on beating Brazil to win the gold this morning!!🥇” he wrote on X.

Rodman, who shared the court with Kobe Bryant in 1999, also saw the LA Lakers‘ icon’s widow, Vanessa, extending her cheers over the win – keeping alive not just the Kobe-Dennis bond but also the one he shared with his daughter. Posting an image of Trinity Rodman and her teammates on her Instagram story, she captioned, “GOLD.” 

Kobe left a huge impact on Trinity when he reminded her that “women are capable of being as successful, if not more successful, than men.” She revealed that it motivated her to continue playing soccer. She had seemingly met Kobe through his daughter Natalia, whom she played on the same team with as a six-year-old. So the eldest of the Bryant daughters also celebrated the win, posting a photo of the ‘Triple Espresso’ trio with their gold medals.

But Trinity’s connection to Kobe wasn’t just that. Turns out, he was one of her sporting idols while growing up. In an interview with Vogue before the Olympics, she appreciated his Mamba mentality. “His mentality was like no other. The way he worked the court, the way that he would toy with defenders. I always preach that being able to play with the defense is a huge part of the game. Kobe was so mentally fit all the time. Even if his team lost, he was winning the one-on-one battle.

But the NBA ties don’t end there. Actress Gabrielle Union, wife of three-time NBA champion Dwyane Wade, also took to Instagram to praise the gold-winning team. She shared a stat graphic highlighting how the team has returned to its winning ways. Finally, back in the Rodman family, Trinity’s brother, Dennis Rodman Jr., who is following in his father’s footsteps by playing college basketball at USC, shared an image of Trinity and her teammates, captioning it, “Gold for you!! @trinity_rodman.”

Trinity ended her Olympic run with 3 goals, 1 assist, and tallying 46 caps for the senior team.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection Asia Avinger.