Almost two years have gone by since the Paris Olympics where we saw one of the most exciting women’s basketball finals to date. The United States narrowly escaped defeat, squeaking by home country France, 67-66.
Players, coaches and fans probably still remember French wing Gabby Williams hitting a bank-shot on the three-point line rather than behind it. Inches were between the U.S. winning gold and the game going to overtime. I’m sure many still remember when Breanna Stewart pointed to the three-point line once Williams’ shot went in to indicate to officials that Team USA still had won.
UNBELIEVABLE ENDING IN PARIS. 😱
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 11, 2024
Gabby Williams banked it in at the buzzer but her FOOT WAS ON THE THREE-POINT LINE. TEAM USA WINS BY A SINGLE POINT.#ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/DJI7YxfVMl
Since then, USA Basketball has taken note of how the gap between the U.S. women’s senior national team and the rest of the world only has gotten smaller. This should come as no surprise as international players continue to enter and stick in the WNBA.
As a result, USA Basketball made a major hire on May 8, 2025. The Federation brought on five-time Olympic gold medalist and four-time WNBA champion Sue Bird into the fold to be the women’s team’s first-ever managing director.
What does a managing director do and how is this a change in the status quo for the U.S. women? Bird’s role is a lot like a general manager in other pro sports. She’s responsible for identifying the coaching staff and players for all international competitions, including the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and the upcoming FIBA World Cup taking place in Berlin, Germany in less than two months.
Previously, Team USA had a committee that would be responsible for selecting players. This committee received criticism over the years for leaving key players off Team USA rosters, including Candace Parker in 2016, Nneka Ogwumike in 2021 and most recently Caitlin Clark in 2024.
When USA Basketball CEO Jim Tooley was asked why hiring Bird in this role was so critical, he spoke about the advantages of having one person in charge of these critical decisions rather than a group.
”[Bird] is well-rounded and having a managing director versus a committee allows us to be more nimble,” he said. “The sport, the pace of the game and of the business is so much more intense than it used to be. It just helps us be a lot more flexible and get our priorities in. We can strategize long term with a single person versus a committee that kind of comes and goes. This helps us in so many ways.”
Back in May of last year, Bird was asked how much she was going to shake up the historical precedent within the U.S. senior women’s national team. For instance, how much will World Cup teams reflect the Olympic team?
During the previous three Olympic cycles, at least half of the FIBA World Cup team also would be on the Olympic team two years later. The 2022 World Cup team had eight players go to Paris, the 2018 World Cup team sent six players off to Tokyo and the 2014 World Cup team included nine players that were on the 2016 Rio roster.
Bird didn’t provide concrete answers at the time, but soon we will get a sense of how a former player is going to run USA Basketball’s greatest dynasty.
With her now in the driver’s seat for her first Olympic cycle, which began with a bunch of camps and a World Cup qualifying tournament back in March, what might her first Olympic roster look like for the 2028 Olympic Games?
Below I project who I expect to be named to the roster two years out. This exercise will begin with who I believe are locks for the roster all the way down to those who miss the cut, and then followed by my prediction for the final 12. Players in each tier are listed in alphabetical order by last name.
Who are most certain?
- Napheesa Collier (forward)
- Sabrina Ionescu (guard)
- Kelsey Plum (guard)
- Breanna Stewart (forward)
- A’ja Wilson (center)
- Jackie Young (guard/wing)
This group consists of Team USA’s two leaders in Stewart and Wilson — who were given the duo nickname of “Stew’ja” during their run in Paris. The front-court duo represents what pro women’s basketball has been all about as of late and that’s front-court versatility. Stewart and Wilson are two players who both are some of the most versatile and dominant the sport has seen. Assuming that Collier will look like herself following multiple ankle surgeries over the past many months, the 2025 MVP candidate also should be a lock as well. Her two-way value, switchability and Team USA experience will be critical.
When it comes to the guard group here in Ionescu, Plum and Young, they all were on the 2024 Paris team and barring injury there isn’t any reason why they shouldn’t be on the 2028 Los Angeles squad. This trio represents some of the best guards in the league who all can play both on and off the ball, can all shoot and facilitate as well. Young has even more value as she’s also a two-way wing who can guard multiple positions.
Likely but not locks
- Paige Bueckers (guard)
- Aliyah Boston (center)
- Caitlin Clark (guard)
- Kahleah Copper (guard/ wing)
- Chelsea Gray (guard)
- Angel Reese (forward)
The reason I put Chelsea Gray in this tier rather than the one above is simply because by 2028, the “Point Gawd” will be 35 years old. While Gray will be past her prime, that doesn’t mean she still doesn’t have value. The 2028 Olympic team still will be under the leadership of “Stewja” but someone is going to need to help the group stay organized on the floor — enter Gray who probably still has some of the best feel for the game in the league.
Bueckers, Clark and Boston all have been invited to multiple USA Basketball camps since the Bird era began. For Boston, she’ll most likely slide in at the spot that Brittney Griner held at Paris 2024, which was the first front-court player off the bench. Bueckers has been playing at close to an MVP level in just her second year as a pro, and Clark, who many bemoaned should have been on the team two years ago, also should land on this roster. Also, it helps that Stephanie White, her Fever head coach, most likely will be one of Kara Lawson’s assistants in Los Angeles.
Copper really could go either way. She’s been an active participant in a bunch of the camps and was on the FIBA World Cup qualifier roster this past March. Team USA is all about players having to sacrifice so much in order to reach the common goal: winning a gold medal. There were times when Copper struggled getting used to that in 2024, although she stayed ready and stepped up big time in that gold medal game against France. She scored 12 points off the bench and hit the game winning free throws.
Dark Horses
- Veronica Burton (guard)
- Sonia Citron (guard/ wing)
- Rhyne Howard (guard/ wing)
- Kiki Iriafen (forward)
Howard has put in her dues with her eyes set on getting a spot on the 5x5 senior women’s national team. She became an Olympian in 2024 and played on the 3x3 team that finished with a bronze medal after a rough start. Burton, who actually is auditioning to be an Olympian in general, has attended camps both for the 3x3 and 5x5 team. Like Howard and Plum before her, a common pipeline for getting on the 5x5 team is to earn a spot on the 3x3 team first.
And then the two Mystics teammates in Citron and Iriafen. The issue with Iriafen is that she’s a bit limited positionally, really only able to play the four and has room to grow on defense. Citron probably is my No.1 sleeper in this group especially since Team USA is going to need another wing to join Young. Speaking of wings, one of the final spots on this roster could come down to either Howard or Citron, two players who both are two-way wings that can score at three levels.
Young stars who might have to wait until the next cycle
- Sarah Strong (forward)
- JuJu Watkins (guard)
The two best women’s college basketball players in the country as of now are Watkins and Strong. By 2028, both players could be in the WNBA, and with the depth that the current pool of players has as of now, it’s doubtful these two make the 2028 roster.
When Clark wasn’t selected to the 2024 Paris team, there was discussion about why Stewart did in 2016 when she was a WNBA rookie. In a decade’s time, so much more talent has arrived in the WNBA, making not only the W more competitive, but also making the USA Basketball player pool even more competitive. This also is why you see players like Burton trying out for both teams at once.
Just like how Clark had to wait her turn for an Olympic cycle before getting involved in the senior women’s national team, the same probably will go for both Strong and Watkins.
Prediction time:
Citron is the dark horse that wins it out. I predict she joins a group made up of all the players in the first two tiers sans Copper.
Team USA needed another wing to spare Young when needed and if any of the wings in the pool replicate what Young can do, it’s Citron, the player who grew up saying Young was her favorite player.
I predict Team USA will enter LA 2028 with seven returners from Paris and five first-time Olympians. My guess is Bird won’t break precedent all that much in her first cycle as managing director, although we’ll have to see what her first roster looks like for the September World Cup in Berlin.
