The origin story of the best women’s basketball tandem in the world — and now the protectors of Team USA’s dominant legacy — started 11 years ago in Lithuania.
In July 2013, a young Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson joined forces on the USA’s FIBA U19 World Cup team. Stewart, 18 years old and fresh off her first national title at UConn, had long been part of USA Basketball. Wilson, 16, was months away from committing to South Carolina for her collegiate career and an up-and-comer in the national team pipeline.
After cruising to a 61-28 victory over France in the final, Stewart, the World Cup MVP, and Wilson posed together with their gold medals and made silly faces. Over a decade and many gold medals later, a photo of the moment resurfaced at last month’s WNBA All-Star Weekend in Phoenix, where the pair once more sported USA on their chests on the eve of the Paris Olympics.
“A’ja, A’ja, A’ja!” Stewart shouted across the room during a media availability, both of them separated by…
