FIBA: Largest ladies’s basketball takeaways from Paris Olympics

The 2024 Olympic Video games are within the books.

After Workforce USA cruised by way of their first 5 video games of the ladies’s 5×5 basketball competitors, the gold medal closing in opposition to France proved to be the hardest of the Individuals’ 61-straight Olympic wins. Nonetheless, america survived to assert an eighth-straight gold medal, leaving France with silver. Australia earned the bronze over Belgium.

Listed here are Swish Enchantment’s closing takeaways from the Paris Video games:

Workforce USA is human in any case

Sure, Workforce USA gained the gold. The victory makes it 61 in a row in Olympic play and a file eight-straight golds. Nonetheless, the margin of victory was one level, leaving me cautious of the longer term. Like an individual barely making ends meet, we survived one other month. However what concerning the subsequent? France pushed Workforce USA to the brink, and in 4 years, the place will the remainder of the world be? I shudder to consider the 61-game streak ending on our land after engaging in the whole lot USA Basketball has over these previous few many years.

Sunday evening, Monday morning and possibly even a number of days after, these ladies ought to rejoice as a lot as they’d like. Nonetheless, in case you wanted a wake-up name that the remainder of the world is coming, that is it. The lads have already skilled this, dropping video games right here and there and failing to win the gold in 2004. Let’s see how the ladies modify so 2028 will be as profitable as 2024. — Edwin Garcia

Photograph by Tim Clayton/Corbis through Getty Photos

Leïla Lacan is WNBA-ready

France’s Leïla Lacan, the No. 10 total choose on this 12 months’s WNBA Draft, wasn’t introduced over by the Connecticut Solar this season. They view Lacan as a mission, understandably so. She’s lower than two months faraway from her twentieth birthday and can be the youngest participant within the WNBA by practically two years. Stashing her in France, relatively than burying her beneath an skilled Connecticut bench, would stimulate Lacan’s growth whereas the Solar retained her rights.

A powerful Olympic displaying could speed up her timeline. Lacan wasn’t a cornerstone of the French workforce, however they trusted her with significant minutes in significant video games. She led France in plus/minus throughout their first knockout recreation in opposition to Germany, and completed the match with a 2.0 assist-to-turnover ratio. Lacan proved that she’s mature sufficient to affect successful at a excessive stage, and will see productive minutes off the Connecticut bench subsequent season. Given her age, she has one of many highest ceilings amongst 2024 draftees. — Beckett Harrison

Photograph by Gregory Shamus/Getty Photos

Emma Meesseman remains to be among the finest gamers on the planet

Belgium is a rustic that has been on the rise in recent times, having certified in its first-ever Summer time Olympics in 2020 and ending in fourth place in 2024, and Meesseman has been the fulcrum of that success. It’s been over a decade now because the expert ahead made her WNBA debut for the Washington Mystics, and although we haven’t seen her play in America since 2022 with the Chicago Sky, there’s no query that she’s nonetheless on the high of her recreation.

Meesseman completed the 2024 Olympics main all gamers in scoring at 23.3 factors per recreation whereas taking pictures the ball on the extremely environment friendly clip we’ve come to count on from her (58.4 p.c from the sector). She was additionally one among three Belgian gamers (Julie Vanloo and Antonia Delaere the others) to common at the least 4 assists per recreation in an offense that delighted followers with its versatility and total selflessness—two traits that simply as simply outline Meesseman’s profession as knowledgeable. Meesseman has already confirmed she will be able to win on the highest stage within the WNBA, KBSL (Turkey) and EuroLeague Girls, and her management of the up-and-coming Belgian nationwide workforce could also be her biggest feat but. — Eric Nemchock

Photograph by Gregory Shamus/Getty Photos

A’ja Wilson is HER

Whereas having among the finest seasons in WNBA historical past, A’ja Wilson continues to be in full GOAT kind after main america to gold. As if there have been any remaining questions on Wilson being the most effective within the W, the reply now stands together with her being the most effective on the globe. A’ja and the ladies from america beat France in a 67-66 nail-biter as they claimed gold medals on France’s residence turf, ending 6-0 in Olympic play. Workforce USA has gained eight-straight golds and Wilson is now as much as seven gold medals of her personal after one more dominant efficiency for USA Basketball in worldwide play.

Wilson completed high three in factors, rebounding, blocks and effectivity, additional cementing her dominance in what has up to now been a masterclass of a season. I truthfully couldn’t consider any argument in opposition to this legitimately being among the finest seasons for a participant within the historical past of the league. Let’s see if her momentum continues and she will be able to add a pleasant ring to it. — Myke Horrell

Photograph by Jesse D. GarrabrantNBAE through Getty Photos

FIBA expertise issues

There’s a justifiable need by ladies’s basketball followers and gamers in america to see our nation’s greatest have the ability to earn their value by enjoying domestically, relatively than having to go abroad for a deserved payday. The sustainability of Athletes Limitless and the forthcoming debut of Unmatched are indicators of the rising viability of this mission. Nonetheless, to proceed to triumph on the worldwide stage, each on the Olympics and within the World Cup, Workforce USA wants to make sure that gamers have in depth expertise enjoying by FIBA guidelines, which is greatest gained by suiting up for squads that take part in EuroLeague Girls or EuroCup Girls.

Whereas not a prerequisite for fulfillment (see: Wilson, A’ja), it actually has its benefits (see: Meesseman, Emma). For Workforce USA, Kahleah Copper, liable for clutch fourth-quarter heroics, has extra FIBA expertise than lots of her American teammates, having suited up for Çukurova Basketbol Mersin throughout the latest EuroLeague Girls season. Napheesa Collier, one other essential participant for Workforce USA, additionally hung out enjoying alongside Meesseman for 2023-24 EuroLeague Girls champion Fenerbahçe Alagöz Holding. In Paris, Workforce USA proved that they’re nonetheless the most effective. However to stay the most effective, our gals may must proceed to play outdoors of the US. — Cat Ariail

Photograph by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE through Getty Photos