Few sports teams have reached the level of dominance that Team USA has achieved in women's basketball. The Americans have won seven consecutive Olympic gold medals, as well as nine of the past 10 dating back to 1984.
Team USA begins its defense of its status as the best team in the world on Monday, July 29, and will have the weight of the world on its shoulders all the way through the tournament.
Team USA has set the standard for international basketball across both women's and men's competitions. The women's team is uniquely dominant, however, as it matches its seven straight Olympic gold medals with four straight gold medal finishes at the FIBA World Cup.
Led by perhaps the two best players in the world, A'ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart, the 2024 Team USA squad will now look to build upon the standard set by the likes of Cheryl Miller and Cynthia Cooper.
Team USA went undefeated at the USA Basketball Showcase, but some cracks in the armor have begun to show. The Americans narrowly escaped with an 81-79 win over Belgium and lost to Team WNBA at the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game.
That's only heightened the anticipation for what has the potential to be a legacy-altering Olympic Games for a number of Team USA players.
Team USA will play in Group C
As the seven-time defending champions, Team USA will get the best shot from every team they encounter. That includes a rematch with Belgium that will challenge the Americans to prove that the recent scare was a flash in the pan.
Rounding out Group C with Team USA and Belgium will be Germany and Japan, with the latter operating as the first opponent of the tournament for the American side.
Team | Best Olympic Result |
|---|---|
Belgium | 2020 7th Place |
Germany | Olympic Debut |
Japan | 2020 Silver Medalist |
United States of America | 9x Gold Medalist |
Japan and Team USA will meet in a rematch of the 2020 Olympics Gold Medal Game. The Americans prevailed that time around, with Brittney Griner scoring an unbelievable 30 points to lead her country to the 90-75 victory.
Japan will be looking to exact a measure of revenge and solidify its status as one of the best teams on the planet with an early victory over Team USA.
Belgium is back in the Olympics after finishing seventh in the field in 2020. Germany, meanwhile, is making its debut at the Summer Games and will have vengeance on its mind, as well, after a recent 84-57 loss to Team USA in exhibition play.
With a deep group of high-level teams competing to dethrone the dominant champions, Team USA will have its hands full each time out.
Team USA's full 2024 Olympic schedule
If you're eager to watch the most dominant basketball team in the world compete for another Olympic gold medal, the games will be easily accessible. Some tipoff times have yet to be announced, but the theme remains the same with NBC's network of channels and services leading the Olympic coverage.
That all begins on Monday, July 29 with the highly-anticipated rematch of the 2020 Olympics Gold Medal Game between Japan and Team USA.
Date | Time | Opponent | Channel/Streaming |
|---|---|---|---|
7/29 | 2:45 p.m. EDT | Japan | USA/Peacock |
8/1 | 2:45 p.m. EDT | Belgium | USA/Peacock |
8/4 | 11:00 a.m. EDT | Germany | USA/Peacock |
8/7 | TBA | Quarterfinals | USA/Peacock |
8/9 | TBA | Semifinals | NBC/USA/Peacock |
8/11 | TBA | Medal Games | NBC/USA/Peacock |
The three group stage games will all be aired on USA, with additional coverage expected to be available on Peacock. If the Americans advance to the elimination rounds, coverage will continue for the quarterfinals on USA.
If Team USA advances further, coverage will likely be bumped to NBC, although USA and Peacock remain possible destinations for said games.
The same would transpire with the finals, with the gold medal game scheduled for NBC and the bronze medal game slated for USA. The hope, of course, is that Team USA will be competing for Olympic gold once more.
It's yet another shot at history for Team USA, which only has its own records to break and extend heading into the Olympic Games in Paris.