For the eighth straight Olympics, the USA women’s basketball team took home the gold medal, but it was not without some drama in the final game against host nation France, where they escaped with a 1-point win to secure the gold.
As always, the USA women’s roster was stacked with the biggest names in the WNBA, but given it was a pretty veteran squad that went to Paris, there could be some turnover for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. It isn’t likely to be as dramatic at the top of the roster as what the men’s team will see, but I’d guess anywhere from 4-6 spots on this year’s roster could turnover depending on what transpires in the WNBA over the next four years.
Here, we wanted to take a too early look at the names that could make up that 2028 squad, starting with this year’s gold medal winning roster and then the up-and-coming names that will be challenging them for spots in L.A.
From The 2024 Roster
Locks
A’ja Wilson
Breanna Stewart
This part of the exercise isn’t hard. Wilson and Stewart are the two best players in the world and they played like, well, the two best players in the world in Paris. They’re USA Basketball vets and present problems for other teams in the frontcourt that no countries have answers for. They will both be 33 by the 2028 Olympics, but they show no signs of slowing down and after leading the way to gold this year, figure to be back doing the same in L.A.
Basically A Lock
Napheesa Collier
Collier started every game and saw her minutes load increase throughout the Olympics, which is usually a pretty good indicator of how much trust she had with the team and coaching staff (it didn’t hurt Cheryl Reeve coaches her in Minnesota too). Collier provides tremendous versatility with her combination of length, strength, and quickness, and she hounded opposing wings defensively and had some big games on the boards, even as she wasn’t asked to be a focal point offensively. Her ability to do the little things on both ends of the floor is incredibly valuable, and at just 27, it’s hard to see her missing out on the 2028 squad when she’s in the midst of her prime.
The Crowded Backcourt Race
Kahleah Copper
Sabrina Ionescu
Jewell Loyd
Kelsey Plum
Jackie Young
This is where things get interesting. The competition for guard spots is going to be incredibly tight in 2028, just as it was this year. I think you can make a case for all five of these women to be back, but I do think there will be at least some turnover in the backcourt just because the pool is so deep.
Copper provided a critical scoring punch off the bench in the semis and finals, and her toughness and tough shot-making ability is always welcome on a USA Basketball roster. Ionescu’s ability to inject instant offense as both a shooter and facilitator will make her a strong candidate in ’28, but she played more sparingly than I think some expected and I’d guess that was largely a defensive decision. Loyd never seemed to quite find a comfortable role offensively on this roster, but she’s so productive in Seattle she could absolutely be a factor again for the ’28 squad. Plum filled the spark plug role, bringing some needed juice to the backcourt off the bench, while her Aces teammate Young played her way into a starting role by the knockout stages and is a two-way player who doesn’t always need the ball to be impactful (which is an important trait for a USA Basketball roster).
All of these women will be in the mix for L.A., but there is a ton of backcourt talent either already in the WNBA or soon to arrive there and the competition for those guard spots is going to be pretty incredible. I’d guess three of these five will be back on the roster, but I’d be fairly surprised if all of them get to run it back.
Veterans Who Might Not Be Back
Chelsea Gray
Brittney Griner
Alyssa Thomas
Gray will be 35 by the L.A. Games, Thomas will be 36, and Griner will be 37. We know USA Basketball values striking a balance between having veterans with Olympic experience and bringing in top young players, so there’s certainly a chance for each of them to earn a spot if they continue playing at their current level four years from now. That said, the player pool figures to only be getting stronger and I think a couple of these spots will be turned over.
Surely By 2028 She Will Have Retired…Right?
Diana Taurasi
I have to assume by 2028 we will not see a 46-year-old Diana Taurasi suiting up for Team USA, but then again, it is DT and no one thought she’d make it to Paris.
New Candidates For 2028
One thing about the USA women’s roster is that it tends to be loaded with top picks. There have certainly been exceptions, but for the most part, the players starring for Team USA have been stars since college. As such, looking for the players that will be in the mix in four years for an Olympic roster spot starts with players who have that kind of pedigree. However, USA Basketball values experience, and it’ll be fascinating to see how many of the young, up-and-coming stars get nods over established veterans who have gold medals already in their trophy cases. Still, I could see as much as half the roster being up for debate going into the 2028 Olympics, with a number of big names in the pipeline that will be challenging for those positions.
Backcourt
Arike Ogunbowale
Caitlin Clark
Paige Bueckers
JuJu Watkins
Has the ship sailed with Ogunbowale at this point with USA Basketball? That’s a legitimate question as she’s been left off the last two rosters despite a strong case for inclusion, and this year Ogunbowale said it was her decision to remove herself from consideration before the final selections. If the door is still open, the Wings star is among the best players on the planet and will still be firmly in her prime in 2028.
Caitlin Clark is about as close to a lock for the 2028 team as you can be without having ever been on a USA Olympic roster. The outcry over her being left off this year went too far, but as Dawn Staley noted in Paris, if she was playing like she did in the month after not making the squad from the start of the season, she probably would’ve gotten the nod.
Paige Bueckers will be in her third year in the W by the 2028 Olympics, and with lofty expectations on the presumptive No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, she figures to be in the mix for a roster spot. Just as intriguing is JuJu Watkins, as the USC star could be in her second or third year in the WNBA by the time the Olympics arrive, and if she continues on an upward trajectory after a sensational freshman campaign at USC, she just might be one of the best players in the world by that point and hard to justify leaving off.
Frontcourt
Kiki Iriafen
Angel Reese
Cameron Brink
Aliyah Boston
While Bueckers is assumed by many to be the No. 1 pick next year, there is a chance Kiki Iriafen supplants her at that spot with another strong year after transferring from Stanford to USC to team up with Watkins. She’ll have a couple years in the WNBA to cement herself as a star by the time the Olympic team gets picked, and she certainly could have a strong case for inclusion.
Angel Reese has become a household name this year, and if Team USA is looking for some toughness and rebounding to round out their frontcourt, she is as good as there is on the glass in the WNBA. Cameron Brink was supposed to be on the 3×3 team before suffering a torn ACL that ended her season, but the Sparks young star is already among the most feared shot-blockers in the WNBA. If she continues to round out her offensive game, she could certainly be in the mix (especially if Griner isn’t back there could be a void in that shot blocker role off the bench).
Finally there’s Aliyah Boston, who seems to be coming into her own in her second season in Indiana after being the No. 1 pick in 2023. If she and Clark have become the dominant duo the Fever hope they can be by 2028, she figures to factor into the USA Basketball selection pool as well.