The City of Lights is filled with stars from around the globe. But one country’s team among all is on its way to becoming a dynasty in its own right. That is the USA’s women’s basketball. Studded with gems from the WNBA, each player brings their most elite skills to the world’s biggest sporting stage. Aven among them, however, who is the best of the best when it comes to scoring? It will be a competition of experience as Breanna Stewart (third Olympics), A’ja Wilson (second), and Sabrina Ionescu (first) try to beat their own records.

While these stellar WNBA players have brought the limelight upon themselves in the league, who will be successful in doing the same in this quadrennial event? Let us find out who can be the scoring leader out of these stalwarts.

Breanna Stewart’s Legacy in the Olympics

Entering her third Olympics, Stewart is already confident about how her WNBA team is looking right now. For the New York Liberty, Stewart is currently averaging 19.3 points and 9 rebounds per game. It may not be a career-high scoring so far. But she has taken the role of the ultimate leader for the 2023 Commissioner’s Cup champs. Moreover, under her leadership, New York is also top of the league in standings leading into the Olympics break.

However, Breanna Stewart’s work in her last two Olympics cannot be ignored either. She was selected by Geno Auriemma and the USWNT selection committee as a rookie. In the 2016 Rio Olympics, she averaged a decent 8 points and 2 rebounds per game. What was more incredible was that she led the team in accuracy with 73% shots from the field. Still, she only saw a floor time of 10 minutes across 8 games that the team played.

In her second Olympics in Tokyo, she was a hair short from leading the team in PPG. For the postponed 2021 event, she added 15 points and 10 rebounds per game while going 47.9% from the field. She also elevated the team’s stats by dishing out 4.7 assists. Stewart also played the most for the Dawn Staley-led Team USA, leading with 32 minutes per game.

As per why she can be the one leading the team in scoring, we all have seen her performance in the 2024 WNBA All-Star game. While she did not become the MVP, she did do great. She put up 31 points with 47.6% from the field in 31 minutes. She also contributed with 10 rebounds to elevate the team in the 117-109 loss. This shows that she is very much capable of bringing out the beast inside her at crunch times.

Stewie is all ready to beat the stumps out with increasingly better performances. But a newcomer in the roster may also steal away the position.

Can Sabrina Ionescu’s threes get her to the top over A’ja Wilson and Stewart?

The Oregon alumna will be entering her very first Olympics event this year. While she may be a rookie on the big stage, her talents are nowhere matched by the fact that she is the newest member of the Team USA roster. Back in 2023, Ionescu set the record for the highest score in any 3-point contest, WNBA or NBA. Next year, although she lost by just three points, her very capability to show up to a stage like the NBA All-Star Weekend and perform at her best shows the courage that this California native carries.

Going into the Paris Olympics, she is averaging 19.4 points and 6.2 assists for her WNBA team. More often than not, Ionescu has carried the injury-laden Liberty on her shoulders. This is evident with her multiple 20+ points games and a 30-point season high. Moreover, her ability to create space for her team with a 34% accuracy from beyond the line can also be helpful for Team USA. She was also the Player of the Month for the Eastern Conference in the WNBA.

Talking about the Player of the Month, another star who can easily outdo most of the Team USA players in points is none other than A’ja Wilson.

A case for the team’s leading scorer in Tokyo Olympics: A’ja Wilson

Although we have written “a case” above, A’ja Wilson’s name is enough to do that for herself. Currently, she is arguably the best player in the WNBA. Not only is she primarily bringing the Las Vegas Aces wins but is doing so by giving monster performances. The reigning WNBA Finals MVP is averaging a league-high 27.2 points and 12 rebounds. She is also at the throne for most blocks with 2.9 per game. Wilson is also fifth in the league with 1.9 steals per game. Clearly, when Aces head coach Becky Hammon mentioned how the team needs to focus on defense as well, the 6-ft-4 center took it as her personal responsibility.

But she is not leading only the WNBA in stats. In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the first-time Olympian led the 12-player roster in points alongside Brittney Griner. A’ja Wilson averaged 16.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in 2021. Her efficiency from the field was also good at 59.4%. Certainly, she can be the highest scorer on the team once again. However, Dawn Staley’s prodigy had one disadvantage. She did not even attempt a single hit from beyond the arc.

Not to worry, this is a new year, and like every time, A’ja Wilson has improved her numbers for everything. This time around, she is dropping threes. For the Aces, she has attempted at least 1.6 three-pointers and has been successful with a rate of 39% so far. Nevertheless, the fact that she can help create space can be very huge in the clutch at the Paris Olympics.

While we may not choose one player to top the box score for Team USA, we can rely on them for an eighth straight gold. Let us grab our snacks and get ready with our supporting jerseys as well!

Editorial Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of EssentiallySports.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting pilot episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and SEC All-Freshman Team Selection, Silas Demary Jr.