© John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
From being an instant superstar for the Phoenix Mercury since she was drafted to being detained in Russia for almost a year, Team USA center Brittney Griner is back to focusing on basketball and representing her country at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
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With the USA Basketball Women’s National Team, the 6-foot-9 center has won gold in the Rio de Janeiro 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Games amongst other records and accolades, but she most recently became the ninth American player to score 200 points on Sunday vs. Germany.
200 Points 🇺🇸
On top of securing yesterday’s win over Germany, BG became the 9th player in #USABWNT history to score 200 points. pic.twitter.com/XXijNUh9Rn
— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) August 5, 2024
Coming into the 2024 Olympics with 177 points all-time, she added six against Germany in an 87-68 win and crossed the 200-point plateau as she sits with 201. So far in Paris this year, she has a combined total of 24 points.
Only eight other players have reached this feat. BG joined Lisa Leslie, Griner’s Mercury teammate Diana Taurasi, Sheryl Swoopes, Teresa Edwards, Katrina McClain, Sylvia Fowles, Tina Thompson and Breanna Stewart on this illustrious list. Only Stewart, Taurasi and Griner are the active players who can add to their totals, the rest have retired.
While she is coming off the bench, having the star power and talent that Griner possesses as a depth option has seen huge mismatches against the opposition. Las Vegas Aces and WNBA superstar A’ja Wilson has arguably been the best player for Team USA at these Olympics with two double-doubles in three games and when Griner subs in after her, it has formed a dynamic one-two punch at center that other teams struggle to control.
Despite not necessarily getting the same amount of playing as she would if she was playing with the Mercury, Griner has taken this opportunity and ran with it, being grateful to be with other talented players with a common goal of winning another Olympic gold medal.
By beating Germany, it marked the 58th straight win by the United States, with the streak beginning at the Barcelona 1992 Olympics. As long as the U.S. stays the course and continues to play the brand of physical and high-offensive basketball that they have done in the group stage, it will bode well going into the knockout rounds.
Team USA will face off against Nigeria in the quarterfinals on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. PT. Whoever wins that matchup will go up against the winner of Serbia vs. Australia.
We meet again.
🇺🇸 #USABWNT vs Nigeria in the #Paris2024 quarterfinals on Wednesday at 3:30 pm ET! pic.twitter.com/vImXLXz3Wz
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) August 4, 2024
Jackie Young guided Team USA to 87-68 win over Germany, go undefeated in Olympic group-stage play
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Reporter Alec Cipollini covers ASU Athletics, the Phoenix Mercury and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @AlecCipollini
