WNBA synergy shines during U.S. Olympic basketball team’s 59th straight win

Flag football has yet to make its Olympic debut, but the United States showed it has plenty of quarterback options for 2028 on its women’s basketball team.

Chemistry between WNBA teammates shone as Kelsey Plum launched a three-quarters court pass to A’ja Wilson and Chelsea Gray equaled the feat with a pass to Jackie Young that had the Bercy Arena announcer shouting “touchdown” during the United States’ 88-74 victory over Nigeria in the basketball quarterfinals on Wednesday.

The U.S. march toward an unprecedented eighth straight Olympic gold medal continued with a 59th consecutive Olympic victory to end Nigeria’s dream run. D’Tigress was the first African basketball team to make an Olympic quarterfinal but couldn’t compete with the U.S. basketball dynasty.

The Americans won with ruthless offensive efficiency. They dished 31 assists on 34 made field goals. All but one player had at least one assist, led by Alyssa Thomas’ six off the bench. Plum, Gray and Diana Taurasi each had four.

“We’re 12 of the best players in the world and everyone has to find a way to contribute, and we’ve always found a way to do that,” Taurasi said. “You make the team for a certain reason, but maybe you don’t have to use all those tools. That’s just what USA Basketball is about.”

Although she’s the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer, Taurasi is most valued on this team for her passing, head coach Cheryl Reeve said. The three-time WNBA champion and 11-time league All-Star has surely lost several steps from the height of her powers, but Phoenix Mercury teammate Brittney Griner said Taurasi is still “our floor general.”

She started the three pool games and averaged 0.7 points and 2.7 assists. Needing a lift on defense entering the knockout stages, Reeve subbed three-time WNBA All-Star Jackie Young into the starting lineup.

The Las Vegas Aces guard finished with 15 points, and Taurasi tallied three, a lone three-pointer on her first shot of the game. But the Chino native was a constant presence in team huddles and in celebrations. When Plum completed another highlight reel play by wrapping a pass around a defender in the lane to find a wide-open Wilson for a layup, Taurasi was the first one off the bench to wrap Plum in a hug.

“She’s the epitome of USA basketball,” said Plum, who had six points off the bench and is trying to win her second Olympic gold medal after a 3-on-3 basketball title in Tokyo in 2021.

Taurasi is the first U.S. basketball player to appear in six Olympics, but at 42 years old, she is not the oldest basketball player in the tournament. Australia’s Lauren Jackson, 43, retired from professional basketball in 2016 before returning in 2022 with hopes of making her fifth Olympic team. The three-time WNBA most valuable player scored six points in Australia’s opening game but did not play in the past two games, including a quarterfinal victory over Serbia on Wednesday.

The Americans will face Jackson’s Opals in the semifinals on Friday at 8:30 a.m. PDT.

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Taurasi still looks back fondly on her first Olympic experience from 2004 when she was a rookie in the WNBA. She was young, playing in her first Olympics with longtime friend Sue Bird and soaking up a summer in Athens.

LeBron James was also making his Olympic debut that year. The USA basketball stalwarts ran into each other again in London this summer as the men’s and women’s teams crossed during the pre-Olympic exhibitions.

“We pretty much looked at each other and said, ‘What the hell we doing here?’” said James, who is playing in his fourth Olympics, but first since 2012. “But it’s a blessing. It’s an honor to be able to still compete at this level and represent Team USA, especially at the later stages of our careers.”

James was on hand Wednesday to watch, sitting in the front row opposite the U.S. bench with a bandage over the stitches above his eye. James picked up the cut during the men’s basketball team’s blowout win on Tuesday.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.