“Can’t Focus on One Player”: A’ja Wilson Reveals What Makes US Women’s National Team So Deadly

Moving on from the recent controversy of Caitlin Clark’s exclusion from the Olympics roster, the US women’s national team has kickstarted their preparations for the global event. The Paris Olympic Games are set to begin from July 26 and the 12-member squad for the women’s basketball division is getting ready to win gold again. Khristina Williams recently uploaded an old clip of her conversation with A’ja Wilson on LinkedIn where the two-time WNBA Champion detailed what makes Team USA so special.

Wilson said, “What makes us stand out has to be our depth. One through twelve, we are good. We are great at every position. We are big, and I think a lot of countries don’t have that. We have that and then some.”

The 27-year-old rightfully boasted about the depth of the US team because it includes the best players from the best women’s basketball league in the world.

In addition to that, Wilson also said that she loves playing alongside her national teammates. She said, “I love playing alongside that. You can’t just focus on one player.”

Interestingly, this conversation with Williams happened in April when the team was practicing together. Additionally, the team that has been selected to represent the nation at the Olympics is an embodiment of what Wilson talked about.

The 12-member squad consists of Diana Taurasi, Napheesa Collier, Kahleah Copper, Chelsea Gray, Brittney Griner, Sabrina Ionescu, Jewell Loyd, Kelsey Plum, Breanna Stewart, Alyssa Thomas, A’ja Wilson, and Jackie Young. To put into perspective just how deep and experienced this roster is, this will be Taurasi’s record sixth straight Olympic appearance.

She has played 38 Olympic games, which is the most among any other women’s player in USA Basketball Olympic history. The team also boasts (combined) 55 WNBA All-Star appearances, 15 Olympic gold medals, eight WNBA Champions, three WNBA MVPs, five WNBA ROTY winners, and 18 FIBA Women’s World Cup titles.

With such an experienced roster practicing together for a common goal, it’s impossible to think that Team USA will come back home with anything less than the gold medal.