Now more than halfway through the 2024 WNBA season, the league will put the season on pause for nearly a month as the Olympic Break gets underway. Following the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game on July 20, the Olympic Break is in full swing, wrapping up on Aug. 15 when the WNBA season resumes ahead of the playoffs.
The Olympic Break signifies — obviously — action beginning overseas in the Paris Olympics. Among the thousands of athletes heading to Paris, numerous WNBA players on Team USA and elsewhere are participating in the Olympic Games from July 26-Aug. 11.
Some of the top stars in the WNBA will have the chance to represent their countries in Paris as they fight for a spot on the podium to bring home an Olympic Medal before returning to their WNBA squads.
Let’s take a deeper dive into the women’s basketball taking place in the Olympics, both 5-on-5 and 3-on-3 competitions.
WNBA Players Participating
Napheesa Collier (USA, 5×5)
Kahleah Copper (USA, 5×5)
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The United States, led by Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve as head coach, is the defending Olympic Gold Medalists, claiming its eighth straight — and 10th overall — gold medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The 5-on-5 competition is a traditional format of basketball, unlike 3-on-3, and comprises of 12 countries split up into three groups to face off in Group Play.
In Paris, the US is once again heavy favorites to finish at the top of the podium, entering competition with odds of -1800, according to DraftKings. Behind the Americans is Australia (+2200), Spain (+2200), France (+2800) and Belgium (+3000).
Here’s the full breakdown of each group:
Group Play tips off in Paris on July 28, spanning until Aug. 4. Teams that advance out of each group will then take part in the Final Phase, which includes the quarterfinals round on Aug. 7 and the semifinals on Aug. 9 before the medal games on Aug. 11.
View the full 5×5 schedule.
3-on-3 Competition
The United States, led by Connecticut Sun president Jennifer Rizzotti as head coach, is the reigning Olympic champions in 3-on-3 competition, which is a competition that has hints of street basketball with the game being played on one half of the court while both teams attack and defend the same hoop. There are three players on a team rather than a traditional 5-on-5 competition, with winners of 3-on-3 play being the team that has the highest score at the end of 10 minutes or being the first team to reach 21 points.
The 3-on-3 competition comprises of the USA, Germany, Australia, Spain, Canada, Spain, Azerbaijan, France and China. The US is the clear favorite to win gold in Paris, entering with odds of -110. Behind the United States is Canada (+450), Australia (+500), France (+550) and China (+600)
Pool Round play will begin July 30 and conclude Aug. 3, with countries advancing to the semifinal round and medal games on Aug. 5.
View the full 3×3 schedule.
