The basic definition of what makes a sports dynasty is when a team or individual produces a sustained run of excellence. If any team has gone above and beyond such a premise, it is the USA Basketball Women’s National Team.

In a thrilling, nail-biting 67-66 win over France on Sunday, Team USA closed out the Paris Olympics with their eighth-consecutive gold medal and 61st-consecutive Olympic victory. A feat which is unparalleled in international basketball history. When it comes to sustaining a consistent run of dominance in the midst of rapid change in sports and other aspects of society, the American women have come to epitomize the true essence of dynasty.

The beginning of the dynasty can be traced back to the historic 1996 Olympic team, led by head coach Tara VanDerveer and featuring future legends Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes, Rebecca Lobo and Dawn Staley. After an exhibition tour in which they won an outstanding 59-consecutive games, they steamrolled their way into Atlanta to put women’s basketball on the map. They are credited with paving the way for the launch of the WNBA in 1997.

Since then, the women of Team USA have never relented on the world stage. Even as dynasty runs in other sports (Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors in the NBA;

The 2024 Olympic Games are in the books.

After Team USA cruised through their first five games of the women’s 5×5 basketball competition, the gold medal final against France proved to be the toughest of the Americans’ 61-straight Olympic wins. Nevertheless, the United States survived to claim an eighth-straight gold medal, leaving France with silver. Australia earned the bronze over Belgium.

Here are Swish Appeal’s final takeaways from the Paris Games:

Team USA is human after all

Yes, Team USA won the gold. The victory makes it 61 in a row in Olympic play and a record eight-straight golds. Still, the margin of victory was one point, leaving me wary of the future. Like a person barely making ends meet, we survived another month. But what about the next? France pushed Team USA to the brink, and in four years, where will the rest of the world be? I shudder to think about the 61-game streak ending on our land after accomplishing everything USA Basketball has over these last few decades.

Sunday night, Monday morning and maybe even a few days after, these women should celebrate as much as they’d like. However, if you needed a wake-up call that the rest of the world is coming, this is it. The men have already experienced this, losing games here and there and failing to…

Yes, Team USA knew winning another gold would not be easy. But, an eighth-straight gold was more difficult than expected, as France challenged the United States for a full 40 minutes. Only when the final buzzer sounded on the 67-66 win was the Americans’ golden quest complete.

France established the terms of engagement in the opening quarter, with the hosts successfully forcing Team USA to play scrum-style basketball. Deflections, strips, blocks and boards, rather than points scored, defined the opening frame. France’s inability to defend without fouling, gifting the Americans 10 free throw attempts, helped the United States claim a 15-9 advantage after the first.

The second quarter saw much of the same. The Americans’ search for a big, momentum-swinging play that would sap the French’s spirit instead resulted in too many turnovers and no offensive rhythm. In the first half, Team USA coughed up the ball 13 times. France remained unfazed, playing with relentless energy even as point-blank scoring opportunities repeatedly rolled off the rim. With just over four minutes to go before the half, their persistence paid off as the home team tied it up at 20 all on a Valeriane Ayayi jumper. After a free throw from Breanna Stewart and beautiful paint score from A’ja…

For much of the women’s 5×5 basketball competition at the 2024 Olympics, Team USA comfortably has cruised at altitude. Although encountering occasional bouts of turbulence, the Americans always remained in control. However, in Friday’s semifinal matchup against Australia, Team USA launched into a higher stratosphere, leaving no doubt in their dominance of the Opals, 85-64. A 60th-straight win secured the Americans a chance at an eighth-straight gold.

On Sunday, Team USA will be meet France in the gold medal match at 9:30 a.m. ET (NBC). If the Americans approach the crowning contest with a similarly elevated intentionality and intensity, it will be shocking if, soon after the final buzzer sounds, gold medals are not being placed around the necks of the 12 members of Team USA as the US national anthem plays and the Stars and Stripes are raised.

But, that doesn’t mean that the hosts will not try to make it hard on the United States. France survived a semifinal slugfest against Belgium on Friday, overcoming poor shooting with will and want to in the overtime win, 81-75. A talented roster, a raucous crowd and maybe a little (or a heavy dose of) home cooking should allow Les Bleues to hang with Team USA. At least for a half or so.

For all Gabby Williams’ smart and…

Belgium and Australia will play for a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics this Sunday, Aug. 11. The third-place game in the women’s 5×5 basketball tournament will tip-off at 5:30 a.m. ET and can be streamed digitally via Peacock.

Belgium has already made history by making the bronze medal game, having bowed out in the first round of the women’s basketball tournament at the 2020 Tokyo Games in the country’s first-ever Olympic appearance. In that one-point loss to eventual silver medalists Japan, it was clear that the international basketball world had not seen the last of the Belgians, and that given good health, they’d be back and better in 2024.

It’s safe to say that’s come to fruition. In Paris, Belgium officially has taken that next step, ranking third among competing teams in points per game (76.4) and second in field goal percentage (46.8 percent) thanks to a roster with several talented playmakers and shooters. Look no further than Belgium’s passing statistics to get an idea of why they’ve been so good: four of their players are averaging at least four assists per game (Emma Meesseman, Julie Vanloo, Antonia Delaere and Elise Ramette), a surefire indication of an unselfish group that doesn’t need any one player to dominate the basketball in order…

In the semifinals of the women’s 5×5 basketball tournament at the 2024 Olympic Games, Team USA had no problem taking out Australia, winning 85-64. France needed a push in the fourth, but they beat Belgium in overtime, 81-75.

Team USA and France will now face each other in the gold medal match on Sunday, Aug. 11 at 9:30 a.m. ET, while the bronze matchup will feature Belgium and Australia at 5:30 a.m. ET.

How Team USA beat Australia

The Americans went with Jackie Young in the starting lineup, just like they had in the quarterfinal contest. Young had another productive game, scoring 14 points during her 19 minutes of play and helping the United States win their 60th-straight Olympic game.

Team USA’s scoring was relatively even, with four different players in double figures. Breanna Stewart had another phenomenal performance, scoring 16 points and going 6-for-12 from the field. Kahleah Copper continues to be one of the more underrated players on the squad, leading the Americans in scoring off the bench with 11 points.

Australia had plenty of WNBA talent on its roster, but struggled to score points. Isobel Borlase led the Opals with 11 points, while Marianna Tolo and Tess Madgen scored 10 points each.

How France beat Belgium

In what was undoubtedly one of the best games…

The second semifinal game of the women’s 5×5 basketball tournament at the 2024 Olympics is Friday, Aug. 9 at 3 p.m. ET, with Belgium playing France (Peacock/USA Network).

This will mark the seventh time these two teams have ever faced off, with the current series tied at 3-3. These two teams play each other very close; however, France has won two of the last three games dating back to 2022. Here are some key factors to look out for during the semifinal match:

How will Meesseman and Belgium’s offense perform?

Belgium has been an offensive juggernaut throughout the tournament, led by star forward Emma Meesseman. Their ability to space the floor and share the ball has been the key to their success, allowing them to average just under 80 points per game.

Meesseman has looked like arguably the best player in Olympic competition. She recently went off for 30 points on 67 percent shooting against Japan and followed that up with an efficient 19-point, nine-rebound and six-assist effort against Spain. Even Team USA had very little answer for her offensively. France will look to disrupt Belgium’s offensive flow by pressuring their guards and denying Meesseman easy touches. It will be crucial for Belgium’s perimeter players to knock down shots and relieve the pressure on…

After Team USA put an end to the feel good story of the competition, dismantling Nigeria with ease, and Australia crushed Serbia, the two teams are going to meet for a spot in the gold medal game in the women’s 5×5 basketball competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The game tips off on Friday, Aug. 9 at 11:30 a.m. ET (NBC).

The United States remains unbeaten, whereas Australia lost its opening game to Nigeria. It was a wake-up call for the Opals. The 13-point loss on July 29 exposed certain flaws in their game, especially not handling the ball properly, as evidenced by the 26 turnovers committed against D’Tigress. After tough wins over Canada and France, by five and seven points, respectively, the Opals made it out of Group B. And after beating Serbia in the quarterfinals, the reward for their hard work is a chance to become No. 60 in Team USA’s streak of consecutive Olympic wins.

The Americans had their quarterfinal game won after three quarters and in the final 10 minutes they were just having fun with it, as head coach Cheryl Reeve gave playing time to some battle-hungry players. Chances of the semifinal game being competitive aren’t good, as it would take a perfect performance from the Opals and an off night from Team USA.

The frontcourt duo of A’ja Wilson…

The gap between the best and the rest became abundantly clear on Wednesday, with all four winners in the women’s 5×5 basketball quarterfinals cruising to victory by 10 or more points. Now, the table is set, and Team USA, France, Belgium and Australia are the four teams left vying for the gold medal.

Before we look at matchups and who might reach the gold medal game, let’s recap how the four semifinalists got there.

Smith leads Aussies to semis

The Opals were in charge of this contest from the jump. They had a slight edge in the opening quarter and took full control of the game in the second, outscoring Serbia 22-13.

Alanna Smith led Australia with 22 points, and Cayla George was a spark plug off the bench with 18 points. Australia has a tall task ahead of them, facing the Americans in the semifinals. Still, they’ve played as well as anyone and are in prime position for their sixth Olympic medal in women’s basketball.

Belgium advances behind bigs

Belgium defeated Spain 79-66 thanks to the combination of Emma Meesseman and Kyara Linskens. This one-two punch contributed 38 points and 17 rebounds, giving Belgium the advantage they needed to come out victorious.

Spain didn’t go down without a fight. Megan Gustafson scored 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds,…

Enjoy Swish Appeal’s exclusive conversation with Jerzy Robinson (2008), the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2026 who was MVP of 2024 FIBA Under-17 Women’s Basketball World Cup for the world champion United States.

We talk about her development as a player, strong family foundations, business acumen, moving from Arizona to California and remaining a kid despite all of her accomplishments. Some highlights from the interview include:

On winning the MVP during the U17 World Cup:

I would say it’s the biggest achievement in my career so far other than the gold medal.

On lifting weights since she was nine years old:

As a little kid I didn’t really understand the advantages of it. My dad had me in the weight room and I was like, “Oh man, Dad.” But over time, when I was 11, 12, I started to see my body change. I think that’s when I really realized, especially playing with the boys, that I had a stronger base and foundation.

Advice she got from Russell Westbrook:

Having that work, work ethic and consistency is really important as a player, maybe more important than anything else, because there’s internal motivation, external motivation that comes and goes. So just staying in the lab and continuing to work on…