The eventful competition of the Olympics in Paris is just around the corner. With a stern aim to win an eighth consecutive gold medal, Team USA is also all ready to take down teams from other countries. Specially, when coming off of great runs in the rising WNBA. However, the WNBA stars from other nations are also prepared to give them heavy competition.

Hence, with just 20 days left for the event to kick-start, who are the WNBA players who have represented their respective countries before?

Team USA and its star-studded Olympic roster

This year around, Cheryl Reeve, the head coach for Team USA, and the selection committee have chosen 12 heavyweight talents to fill their spots. Everyone in the team has at least 3 All-Star honors to back their game. Moreover, most of them have represented the blue and white jersey before. But the ones to make a comeback in the Olympics are as follows-

1. Diana Taurasi

Beginning with none other than the ‘White Mamba’ of the WNBA, she will be representing the USA for the sixth time in the Olympics. With the same, she will become the only basketball player to achieve that feat. Interestingly, she was selected in the 2004 Athens Olympics as a rookie who was coming into the league with 3 National Championship titles. Since then, she has participated in 2008 Beijing, 2012 London, 2016 Rio De Janeiro, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She has swept a gold medal in all of them.

2. Breanna Stewart

The New York Liberty’s talented power forward has been displaying her dominance in the paint. Coming into the 2024 Team USA’s roster, she already has experience from the two former Olympic games where the team has won gold. Interestingly, Stewart joined her stalwart former UConn Husky Taurasi in the 2016 Rio De Janeiro Olympics as a rookie as well. Another appearance from her was at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.

3. Brittney Griner

The 6-ft-9 center will be entering her third Olympic event this summer. The 10x WNBA All-Star has previously played in the 2016 Rio De Janeiro and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She joined her Phoenix teammate Taurasi in her third season as a professional basketball player. Her physical presence on the floor will surely be something to watch as Team USA tries to take down their opponents.

4. A’ja Wilson

The 2x back-to-back WNBA champion A’ja Wilson will be lodging her second Olympics tournament. The outstanding player is already having a brilliant start to her season in the WNBA as she continues to reign over the entire league in points per game. Surely, she will be a lethal weapon for Team USA’s offense. Currently, she is the frontrunner in the MVP race.

5. Chelsea Gray

The ‘Point Gawd‘ has recently returned to her team in Las Vegas after a long break. Still, she has performed immaculately. The 3x WNBA champion will be flying out to Paris, France, for her second Olympic tournament alongside her current teammate A’ja Wilson. Her passing abilities and the skills to open up to her teammates will be quite helpful for the team.

6. Napheesa Collier

Minnesota’s leading rebounder and the league’s Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner Collier will wear the blue jersey second time for the Olympics. She is also leading in the top five in the league for points, rebounds, and steals. The 2024 Commissioner’s Cup MVP’s ability to lead her squad is something that Team USA can certainly use to grab their next medal.

7. Jewell Loyd

The 2x WNBA champ and the reigning scoring leader in the league is going for her second Olympics this year. The veteran is putting up the fifth-highest points per game average in the league right now. Moreover, her improving shots from the deep will add length for Team USA.

Team Australia (the Opals) and their WNBA stars

Australia is the third-best team in the world in the FIBA World rankings. It is interesting to see that among the many faces in their 12-player roster, 4 are active players in the WNBA. These are as follows.

1. Rebecca Allen

The Phoenix Mercury starter will be entering her second Olympic tournament this summer. Previously, she played in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Team USA disqualified them in the quarterfinals. It will certainly be interesting to see how Allen tackles her now WNBA teammates in Taurasi, Griner, and Kahleah Copper.

2. Ezi Magbegor

One of the top players in the Seattle Storm who many would argue should have been an All-Star once again will also attend the Paris Olympics as her second such event. It will be worth watching as this hooper stops her WNBA teammate Jewell Loyd from the deep.

3. Alanna Smith

The Commissioner’s Cup champion for the year will be representing her country for the second time in a row. She is currently in the Minnesota Lynx of the WNBA and will go against her teammate Napheesa Collier in Paris.

4. Stephanie Talbot

The Los Angeles Sparks player will also be joining the rest of the above-mentioned players. Interestingly, while no one on the 5×5 roster for Team USA was selected from this West Coast team, Dearica Hamby did make her way into the 3×3 roster after Cameron Brink tore her ACL and had to stay out of the floor for her entire rookie season.

The stage is set and so are the players. While there is still some time before the hoopers leave for Paris, it is certainly amazing to see how many WNBA players a part of these honorable teams. Only time will tell how these skillful talents perform for their countries and bring pride to them.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.