Michael Voepel, ESPN Senior WriterAug 11, 2024, 11:21 AM ET
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- Michael Voepel is a senior writer who covers the WNBA, women's college basketball and other college sports. Voepel began covering women's basketball in 1984, and has been with ESPN since 1996.
After winning an eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal Sunday, the U.S. women's basketball team once again can say: "Mission accomplished." The players and coaches aren't thinking about the 2028 Olympics right now after escaping France 67-66. But it's tempting to look four years into the future at which players might make the U.S. roster for the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
Will current WNBA rookie standouts Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever and Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky be on Team USA then? Clark's Fever teammate Aliyah Boston? What about college standouts such as USC's JuJu Watkins, UConn's Paige Bueckers or Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo, among others?
Much can happen in four years, both positive (player development) and negative (injuries). The makeup of the selection committee impacts Olympic roster choices, as do the head coaches, who don't construct the roster but offer input on what they think the team needs from on-court play and chemistry.
Individual players' commitment to and history with USA Basketball -- which continues to have by far the most talented pool of candidates from which to choose -- also is a factor. The most elite players on the women's side remain highly motivated to play in the Olympics.
Which players on the 2024 team might not be Olympians in 2028, making way for some newcomers? With her sixth Olympic gold, 42-year-old Diana Taurasi likely has concluded her national team career after a remarkable two-decade stretch.
Taurasi's Phoenix Mercury teammate Brittney Griner will be 37 when the Los Angeles Games take place July 14-30, 2028. Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas will be 36, and Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray 35.
Seattle Storm guard Jewell Loyd will be 34. New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart, Mercury guard/forward Kahleah Copper and Las Vegas guard Kelsey Plum all will be 33.
Players in all sports are having longer careers now, for a variety of reasons. Taurasi, who turns 46 the month before the Los Angeles Games, is the only 2024 Olympian who seems near certain to age out by 2028.
Experience has always been seen as a major plus for Team USA, but it's also necessary to incorporate some up-and-coming standouts. Personnel decisions for 2028 might be even more difficult than usual, as the Summer Olympics return to the United States for the first time since the national team's current gold medal streak began in Atlanta in 1996.
We project which players might be on the 2028 team, and we're taking some potential risks that USA Basketball might not: going with six Olympic newcomers. (Post players listed first, followed by guards.)
A'ja Wilson, F, Las Vegas Aces
Age for 2028 Olympics: 31
Previous Olympic experience: 2020, 2024
Wilson is favored to win her third WNBA MVP award this season, and her performance in Paris has been more of the same. She led the U.S. women in scoring (18.7 PPG), rebounding (10.2 RPG) and blocked shots (2.7 BPG), and tied for the lead in steals (1.5). Wilson's birthday is in early August, so she'll be close to 32 for the 2028 Olympics but likely still in her prime.
Breanna Stewart, F, New York Liberty
Age for 2028 Olympics: 33
Previous Olympic experience: 2016, 2020, 2024
Like Wilson, Stewart celebrates her birthday in August; she will be a month shy of 34 years old at the next Olympics. But she should still be an elite post player and the American with the most Olympic experience. Along with Wilson, she has been Team USA's top offensive threat (16.3 PPG) in Paris and is also third in rebounding (5.3 RPG) and blocks (1.7 BPG).
Napheesa Collier, F, Minnesota Lynx
Age for 2028 Olympics: 31
Previous Olympic experience: 2020, 2024
Collier wasn't a big scorer in Paris (6.7 PPG), but that wasn't her primary role. She knows how to carry a team in scoring, as she has proved with the Lynx, but she also hasn't had any issue adjusting to what Team USA has needed. Collier was second in rebounding (6.5) for the U.S. women and played the third-most minutes in Paris behind Wilson and Stewart.
Aliyah Boston, C, Indiana Fever
Age for 2028 Olympics: 26
Previous Olympic experience: none
Boston has spent time with the U.S. national team in training camps and seems likely to be on the 2026 FIBA World Cup team, which will give her Olympic preparation. The 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year and four-time winner of the Lisa Leslie Award for top college center, Boston should be in the prime of her career by the Los Angeles Games.
Cameron Brink, F, Los Angeles Sparks
Age for 2028 Olympics: 26
Previous Olympic experience: none
Brink made the U.S. 3x3 team for the Paris Games but suffered a season-ending knee injury in the Sparks' game on June 18. That limited her rookie season to 15 games and cost her Olympic experience. But provided Brink successfully returns, she will be in her prime in 2028 and projects as a good candidate for the 5-on-5 team with her offensive and defensive versatility.
Angel Reese, F, Chicago Sky
Age for 2028 Olympics: 26
It might be that Brink or Reese makes the team in 2028 but not both. USA Basketball might be more comfortable instead with one more veteran -- either a true post (if, for example, Griner is still going strong) or a wing player (such as Copper). As a rookie, rebounding has been Reese's biggest strength -- and it's an elite strength. Her game is likely to be more well-rounded by 2028, and her motor and competitiveness should be major assets, too.
Jackie Young, G, Las Vegas Aces
Age for 2028 Olympics: 30
Previous Olympic experience: 2020 (3x3), 2024
In the Tokyo Games, Young was a late replacement for Katie Lou Samuelson on the 3x3 team and fit in perfectly on that squad, winning gold. This year, she was on the 5-on-5 team and was elevated to the starting lineup during the Paris Games. At 9.5 PPG, she was Team USA's third-leading scorer. She's also an outstanding and versatile defender.
Kelsey Plum, G, Las Vegas Aces
Age for 2028 Olympics: 33
Previous Olympic experience: 2020 (3x3), 2024
As was the case this year, there are so many good guards -- veteran and young -- that the selection committee will face difficult choices. Will it opt to have three guards with previous 5-on-5 Olympic experience and three without, as we're suggesting here? The oldest of the guards on our 2028 list, Plum could be left off for a younger player. But Plum's ability to score in a variety of ways, her experience and her connection to longtime Aces teammates Wilson and Young are all big assets.
Sabrina Ionescu, G, New York Liberty
Age for 2028 Olympics: 30
Previous Olympic experience: 2024
Ionescu and Young at 26 were the youngest players on the 2024 U.S. roster. While Young seems like a lock for 2028, it's not as certain for any of the other 2024 Olympic guards. That said, experience will matter, which is in Ionescu's favor, as is her ability to play either guard spot equally well and be another big threat from behind the arc.
Caitlin Clark, G, Indiana Fever
Age for 2028 Olympics: 26
Previous Olympic experience: none
Clark's omission from the 2024 team has been a subject of much debate. Her fans wanted to see her in Paris. Her game has matured at such a rapid pace, she wouldn't have been out of place as a young star learning from the Team USA vets. But coach Cheryl Reeve didn't want a WNBA rookie on this roster, and Clark likely wouldn't have been given much playing time. The rest Clark has gotten should help her during the remainder of her rookie season. Everything points to Clark being in Los Angeles in 2028.
Paige Bueckers, G, UConn Huskies
Age for 2028 Olympics: 26
Previous Olympic experience: none
The issue might be whether USA Basketball is willing to go with three first-time Olympians at guard in Clark, Bueckers and Watkins. Depending on how well the vets are still playing, the logjam at guard will be as challenging to navigate in four years as it was this summer. We'll know a lot more after Bueckers turns pro; she could make an undeniable case for herself for 2028. Her versatility at guard, scoring ability and defense are all pluses.
JuJu Watkins, G, USC Trojans
Age for 2028 Olympics: 23
Previous Olympic experience: none
Watkins will turn 23 the day after the Los Angeles Games begin and projects to be in her second WNBA season. She was a national college player of the year candidate as a freshman last season and is one of NCAA basketball's most exciting stars. The U.S. women had no one under age 25 on the 2024 Olympic team, but Watkins could be the youngest on the next Olympic squad. And while USA Basketball seemed to dismiss the idea of accommodating marketing this year -- acting as if Clark's immense fan following wasn't important -- recognizing how big it could be to have the also-very-popular Watkins play her first Olympics in her hometown should be obvious.
Also considered
Rhyne Howard, G, Atlanta Dream
Age for 2028 Olympics: 28
Previous Olympic experience: 2024 (3x3)
Howard, the 2022 WNBA Rookie of the Year, won bronze in 3x3 in Paris. She could follow the paths of Young and Plum, going from the 3x3 team in one Olympics to 5-on-5 in the next. Or perhaps she stays on in 3x3. Howard's size and strength at guard, plus four more years of experience expanding her game, could make her a valuable and versatile asset for either squad in 2028.
Head coach
It's not unprecedented to have the same coach for more than one Olympic cycle: UConn's Geno Auriemma guided Team USA in 2012 and 2016. So Reeve could be back for 2028, but looking at USA Basketball's overall history, it seems less likely that she'll return. The top candidates for 2028? Two of Reeve's current Team USA assistants could be in the mix. Duke's Kara Lawson was an Olympic gold medalist as a player for Team USA in 2008 and was coach of the 3x3 Olympic gold-winning team in Tokyo. The Los Angeles Sparks' Curt Miller also has an extensive coaching history with USA Basketball and as a college and WNBA head coach.
