Three years ago, during a global pandemic, the Tokyo Olympics kicked off to celebrate the greatest athletes in the world.
Team USA’s women’s basketball team clinched a gold medal for the seventh consecutive Olympics behind a stacked roster including Las Vegas Aces’ own, A’ja Wilson.
While all of the WNBA’s biggest stars were playing on Team USA, two Aces stars were missing. Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young.
Although they weren’t playing alongside Wilson, Plum and Young showcased their skills on the international level and were able to take home the first-ever 3×3 basketball gold medal.
Fast forward to the 2024 Olympics in Paris and both Plum and Young are winning gold medals again. This time, however, they were able to achieve the accomplishment with the USA’s five-on-five team.
“It’s special to represent the USA on the five-on-five team. It’s a big honor to experience (the gold) with my teammates and new friends,” Young said.
With a team full of Aces including Plum, Young, A’ja Wilson and Chelsea Gray, Team USA secured its eighth consecutive gold medal.
Now that they are back from Paris, the members of the Aces who were on Team USA are now reflecting on their time at the Olympics.
“It was a lot of fun because the fans were involved. In Tokyo there were no fans so this time it truly felt like the Olympics,” Wilson said. “It was a great vibe to be around and to see how much the sport has grown it was a lot of fun to be around.”
Wilson, who is the reigning WNBA MVP, was named the MVP of the Olympics women’s basketball tournament. In six games, Wilson was top five in points, rebounds and steals. She averaged 18.7 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game.
Although Wilson was the star player of Team USA, the other Aces on the roster did their part on the way to gold.
Plum averaged 6.5 points and 3 assists per game. Young averaged 1.5 steals per game and Gray was top ten in the tournament with 5.2 assists per game.
“There’s no better feeling than putting that gold on your neck,” Gray said. “It was really cool being there and putting the uniform on.”
Now that the Aces are back from its Olympic break, the team is looking to continue its quest for a third consecutive WNBA championship.
The team will play its first games in almost a month this weekend as the Liberty and Sparks come to Las Vegas.
With 16 games left, the Aces know now is the time to lock in for a postseason run.
“We know we have to lock in. There is still work to be done here,” Young said.
