2024 Olympic Women’s Basketball Preview: Can Anyone Beat Team USA?

There may not be a prouder tradition in American sports than the United States dominating women’s basketball at the Olympics. The American women have had a stranglehold on the 5×5 basketball competition at the games for a long time, winning seven straight gold medals dating back to the 1996 games. Here, we break down the 2024 Olympic women’s basketball competition and whether or not any team can deny the US an eighth straight gold.

Best Olympic Women’s Basketball Betting Promos

While the United States will be heavy favorites in most games they play at the Olympics, there is still betting action available on just about all of their games. Bettors can use the below sportsbook promotions to get involved with wagering on USA basketball at the Olympics. Just click on the Claim Offer button for each offer you wish to take advantage of below.

2024 Olympic Women’s Basketball Gold Medal Odds

As you can see from the odds listed above, it would take nothing short of a miracle for another team to come away with the gold medal in Olympic women’s basketball. The United States is so much better than the other countries at the highest levels of this sport. Even if the US is not at its absolute best at this tournament, they will still be expected to win every game that they play by a significant margin.

Team USA Women’s Basketball Roster For Paris Olympics

The United States Olympic women’s basketball roster is an interesting one for a number of reasons. But no matter what your thoughts on that roster, nobody can deny that it is absolutely loaded with talented basketball players. Below is the full list of players that will be participating in the 2024 Paris Olympics in women’s basketball for the United States.

• Napheesa Collier
• Kahleah Copper
• Chelsea Gray
• Brittney Griner
• Sabrina Ionescu
• Jewell Loyd
• Kelsey Plum
• Breanna Stewart
• Diana Taurasi
• Alyssa Thomas
• A’ja Wilson
• Jackie Young

This team features all three of last year’s WNBA MVP finalists on the same team, as A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, and Alyssa Thomas were all in consideration for that award last year. Combine them with elite players like Napheesa Collier, Jewell Loyd, and Sabrina Ionescu, and this team will be very difficult to beat.

Is Caitlin Clark On Team USA?

One notable omission from this year’s Olympic team is Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever. Clark, who was named a WNBA All-Star in her rookie season, was not made a member of the Olympic roster. While that decision has drawn some scrutiny from some of the newer fans of the WNBA and women’s basketball in general, it is hard to pick a player who Clark should have replaced on this year’s team.

There is no doubt that Clark will be on future teams representing the United States in the Olympics. But with the likelihood that she would have to wait her turn on the bench behind more experienced international players, the potential for controversy surrounding her playing time was understandably not appealing to USA Basketball this time around.

Will Team USA Win the Women’s Basketball Olympic Gold Medal?

There is no such thing as a guarantee in the world of sports. Upsets happen all the time and even the best teams manage not to win championships in some years. But it would take one of the most surprising results in the history of sports for the United States not to win the gold medal in Olympic women’s basketball in 2024.

The roster for the United States is simply too deep for other countries to contend with. Unless we see a shooting performance for the ages from a country like Australia or Canada at these Olympics, nobody is likely to dethrone the United States anytime soon.

Other Women’s Basketball Gold Medal Contenders

While the United States is heavily favored to come away with the gold medal in women’s basketball, there are a few countries that at least have a chance to steal the gold from them. Here is a quick rundown of the nations with the best chances to take down the mighty USA and deliver their nation a gold medal that they would never forget.

China

China has the second-best odds to win the gold medal at the Paris Olympics, even if they are distant second to the United States. One area where China can definitely compete with the US is with their size. Players like Han Xu and Li Yueru are not as technically skilled as the bigs of the United States but they are still very talented and that could cause problems for the Americans if the US has an off night.

France

The French team does not have the same size that China does in their bid to challenge the United States for the gold medal in Paris. But they do have some talent that could make them dangerous on the perimeter. Marine Johannes spent some time with the New York Liberty in the past and her ability to shoot the three-point shot could make France a challenge for the Americans, especially with home-court advantage on their side.

Australia

This year’s Australian national team may not be as good as it has been in the recent past. But it’s still a very good squad, led by WNBA players like Ezi Magbegor, Alanna Smith, and Bec Allen. Magbegor’s shot blocking ability will be key if the Australians want any shot at beat the United States, as paint protection will be key against a Team USA with so many players who can score at the rim.