The exhilarating and fiercely competitive Olympic Games concluded with the USA Basketball Team securing their eighth consecutive gold medal in a thrilling 67-66 victory over host nation France. Since their bronze in 1992, Team USA has maintained a remarkable 61-game winning streak, and with the next Olympics set for Los Angeles, this dominance shows no signs of fading. In women’s basketball, since Atlanta 1996, the competition has largely become a battle for silver, with gold nearly always assured for the United States.
Angel Reese Reacts to the Gold
As the Olympics end, the WNBA season resumes this Thursday, starting with a matchup between the Chicago Sky, led by rookie Angel Reese, and the Phoenix Mercury, featuring six-time Olympic medalist Diana Taurasi. Reese, like many basketball fans, watched the intense gold medal game where France’s Gabby Williams almost forced overtime with a buzzer-beater that was ruled a two-pointer because her foot was on the three-point line. Reese commented on X, formally twitter about Williams’ availability to return to the WNBA and decided not to enter into a debate about which players would go to the next Olympics in Los Angeles, supporting her teammates at a time to celebrate rather than create controversy.
Who is Gabby Williams
Gabby Williams, who represented France in both the Tokyo and Paris Olympics, was named to FIBA’s All-Star Five and was honored as the Best Defensive Player of the Paris tournament. In the gold medal game, she scored 19 points, grabbed seven rebounds in 32 minutes, showcasing her defensive prowess despite not having played in the WNBA since 2023. Williams currently signed with Turkish team Fenerbahçe S.K., but before that she had a career in the WNBA. She was drafted out of the University of Connecticut in the 1st round with the 4th overall pick by Chicago Sky in 2018, then acquired by Seattle Storm in 2023 and is the last team she has played with.
Williams had a solid, though not spectacular, WNBA career, averaging in the 135 games she played 7.1 points and 3.9 rebounds over five seasons. Her defensive skills, however, could be a significant asset to any WNBA team, especially the Chicago Sky, who are battling for a playoff spot, sitting in eighth place with a 3.5-game lead over the Atlanta Dream. With around 15 games left for all teams, the WNBA season is entering its most exciting phase, marking what could be the league’s best season yet in terms of ratings, merchandise sales, and sold-out arenas.
