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…
