Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner headline USA Basketball minicamp roster

The USA Basketball Women’s National Team announced its 18-athlete roster for its minicamp, which will be held Feb. 2-4 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner are set to represent the Phoenix Mercury at the minicamp.

Taurasi, a five-time Olympic champion, and Griner, a two-time winner, are two of the 11 Olympians who will participate in the training camp.

This star-studded roster includes Sabrina Ionescu, Jewell Loyd, Kelsey Plum, Breanna Stewart, A’ja Wilson and Aliyah Boston.

Taurasi is also the only remaining player from the 2012 Olympic team, which included names such as Candace Parker, Sue Bird and Maya Moore.

The Las Vegas Aces have four players on the roster, the most from one WNBA team. Wilson, Plum, Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray all look to make their mark in the minicamp and eventually make the Olympic team heading for Paris this summer.

“With less than 200 days until the 2024 Olympic Summer Games, we are excited to bring together a group of athletes who aspire to represent the United States not only in Antwerp but ultimately in Paris,” said Jennifer Rizzotti, USA Basketball Women’s National Team committee chair said in a press release. “Not only will the training camp be tremendously valuable, but the qualifying tournament in Belgium will offer a meaningful opportunity to compete against world-class talent as we get one step closer to selecting the 2024 USA Women’s National Team.”

Following the training camp, the USA Basketball Women’s National Team Committee will select 12 of the 18 players to represent the team at the 2024 FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament, which will be held Feb. 8-11 in Antwerp, Belgium.

Head coach Cheryl Reeves will lead the squad at both the training camp and the Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

USA Basketball, in pursuit of its eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal, participates in the quadrennial qualifying tournament even though they qualified with a gold medal in the 2022 World Cup. The four-nation pool in Antwerp will feature matchups versus Belgium, Nigeria and Senegal.

This might be Taurasi’s last stand with the Olympic team, as the 41-year-old legend is nearing the end of her illustrious career.