Last Olympics, Marine Johannes had one wish– “to face the USA in the Final.” Today, that is exactly what she is going to achieve. The 29-year-old had been amusing the spectators throughout the team’s journey in the Paris Olympics. But this is nothing new for her. Often described as a shy introvert outside the lines, Johannes is ironically quite flashy on the court. Someone who has even surprised King James with her playing style.

As she now steps into the Bercy Arena to fulfill one of her long-standing dreams, let us learn more about how she has been performing for her home country of France.

Looking at the previous Olympic years

The talented shooting guard, who helped the New York Liberty of the WNBA sweep the Commissioner’s Cup in 2023, has been to the Summer Games podium before as well. In fact, she thrust France to a Bronze medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. How? Here are her contributions to the France National Team from her second Olympic appearance.

Although she has never been a starter, back in 2021, she played for 24 minutes on average. With that time on the floor, she added 11.2 points per game with 44.4% from the field and 23.5% from beyond the arc. She also aided the team with 3 rebounds and 4 assists per game.

In 2021, she had posted her then career-high with 18 points against Spain. That was also the game where she had attempted the most three-pointers with 8. However, only 2 made it to the basket. Surprisingly, she had a career-high of 7 assists against the USA that year with 7 deliveries, which she might want to break in this meeting. She was also averaging the most assists for the French team in Tokyo. Sadly, it was Japan only that forced them to leave the Olympic grounds back then and be satisfied with a bronze medal.

But she debuted in the 2016 Rio Games where she added 4.9 points in 15 minutes per game. However, her confidence going against her opponents even as a first-time Olympian was quite interesting. Out of 12 players, she had the sixth-best scoring average of 4.9 points per game. She also had the seventh-best rebounding in the team at 2 boards per game. However, she has shone even more brightly as she tries to grab gold for France.

Marine Johannes as a 3x Olympian

Certainly, the first two experiences have been humbling for the reigning bronze medalist. However, the third time is always the charm. Marine Johannes will be going against her WNBA teammates Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu in the gold medal game on Sunday. And so far, she has been everything and more that is expected of a bench player. In the Paris Games, she has an average of 12.2 points, second highest in the team.

Against Germany, she had the best performance of her Olympic career. In the quarterfinal matchup, she logged 24 points. She was 57% from the field in that game. She went 5 of 10 from beyond the arc, making 50% from the deep for that game. With this stat, she joined Diana Taurasi and two more stars as the only ones with more than 5 three-pointers games in their Olympic careers. Marine Johannes is also giving a decent average of 2 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 0.8 steals per game this year.

Even in the semifinals against a very motivated and talented Belgium, she had the best assists with 5 deliveries. In the team’s 81-75 win, Johannes made or assisted in at least 11 points total. This is over 13% of the team’s total – a momentum she will look to carry against the unbeaten US team.

How can Marine Johannes help France get the better of Team USA?

The 29-year-old guard soon wishes to rejoin the WNBA next year. Talking about the same, she told the Associated Press, “I hope so.” Although she had a smile, the 2023 finalist, who was suspended from the league due to its prioritization rule, has one more mission to complete. That is, going against the best that the USA has to offer.

So far, Team USA has been winning every game with a margin of at least 19 points. But France is also right behind with at least 15 points differentials despite one loss at the hands of Australia. Even in the loss to the Opals, the 5-ft-10 player had a tie for the second best scoring in her team with 9 points, Hence, if we look at how Marine Johannes has been performing, France can do a good job keeping the offensive fire raging against one of the best post player teams of the Paris Tournaments.

Although she has the experience and the skills to give a great outing to the team and the viewers, Team USA is also good at draining the confidence of most of its opponents. Of course, they are the 7x consecutive Olympic champions. Nevertheless, like every championship game, this gold medal run will also be an enticing one.

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.