Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson, center, celebrates teammates after the Aces defeated the Dallas Wings in an WNBA basketball game at Michelob Ultra Arena in Mandalay Bay Sunday, July 7, 2024.
Thursday, July 25, 2024 | 2 a.m.
Las Vegas Aces superstar A’ja Wilson developed a mild case of “senioritis,” in her words, over the last month of the WNBA season.
The USA women’s basketball team revealed its Olympic roster on June 24, with Wilson included and immediately regarded as the leading force in the Americans’ quest to bring home the gold medal from Paris. She’s been counting down the days until the start of the competition ever since, even with 10 WNBA regular-season contests and an All-Star Game in between.
“I just want to rest and go to Paris, but we can’t,” Wilson lamented shortly after the Olympic announcement.
The time has now arrived, with Wilson and her USA teammates set to begin their Olympic schedule on July 29 against Japan. Group-stage games against Belgium (August 1) and Germany (August 4) follow before the top eight teams move into a single-elimination bracket to crown a champion.
Wilson won’t be alone in representing the local back-to-back WNBA champions as part of the 5-on-5 women’s basketball tournament. All members of the Aces’ “big four” are on the USA roster with Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young playing next to Wilson.
Aces reserve Megan Gustafson, meanwhile, is on Spain’s 5-on-5 team, while recent free-agent acquisition Tiffany Hayes will play for Azerbajian’s 3-on-3 squad. It’s the first time any Azerbaijani basketball team has ever competed in the Olympics.
With four Team USA players and six overall competitors, the Aces have more Olympians than any other team in the WNBA.
Wilson and Gray will play for Team USA for a second straight Olympiad, while Plum and Young join the 5-on-5 team for the first time.
Outside of the Aces, Team USA has a loaded roster that includes New York Liberty standouts Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart and Phoenix Mercury mainstays Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner.
Betting odds imply Team USA has about a 98% chance to win the competition, with future odds as high as -5000 (risking $5,000 to win $100).
The women’s team has won the last seven gold medals dating back to 1996. The only time it has not medaled at the Olympics was in 1980, when the United States boycotted the games in Moscow due to the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan.
“My masterpiece for Paris would have to be winning gold alongside my teammates,” Wilson told NBC Sports. “We want to continue to live that legacy we’ve been doing for years and continue to lay down that foundation for the next teams to come.”
Wilson dominated in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, starting all six games and averaging 16.5 points and 7.3 rebounds.
And she hasn’t shown any signs of complacency in the WNBA this season where she’s well on the way to winning a third career Most Valuable Player award. Wilson currently leads the WNBA in points (27), rebounds (12) and blocks (2.8) per game.
She could have an even bigger impact in the international games.
“I’m not gonna lose sight of how much of a blessing it is to be an Olympian,” Wilson said. “Just to say that I’m two-time (Olympian) that’s truly a blessing and I’m just grateful for the moment.”
Gray was named to the Team USA roster before even playing a game this season. The point guard missed the first 12 games of the season with a left leg injury sustained during last year’s WNBA Finals.
Since returning, she’s averaged 7.3 points and 4.7 assists. But her impact goes beyond statistics, as the Aces have elevated their game with her at the helm by going 10-2 with her on the court as opposed to 6-6 while she was out.
“I love being a part of greatness and wearing ‘USA’ across my chest,” Gray told USA Basketball. “I don’t take it lightly. I know a lot of people wish they were in my shoes and had the opportunity.”
Both Plum and Young played for USA’s 3-on-3 team during the last Olympics. The 3-on-3 team also ultimately prevailed, and now the pair can become the first players to ever win gold medals in both 3-on-3 and 5-on-5 basketball.
Plum paced the 3-on-3 team with a tournament-best 6.2 points per game and .705 one-point shooting percentage.
Making the 5-on-5 roster scratches off one of Plum’s biggest goals as she remembers missing out in Tokyo.
“I was sitting at home watching the All-Stars lose to Team USA last time,” Plum said. “I very vividly remember that moment.”
Young has seen her game take off in her sixth WNBA season, averaging 18.5 points and 5.6 assists per game. She threw down a career-high 34 points against the Mercury on June 13.
With Team USA’s 3-on-3 team, she averaged two points and 2.6 rebounds per game.
Aces coach Becky Hammon said she would be making a brief trip over to Paris to watch her players compete in a handful of games. While she won’t be on the bench — Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve is the 5-on-5 team’s coach — Hammon left the Aces’ Olympians with some parting encouragement.
“Becky was telling us to enjoy these experiences because they don’t happen often,” Wilson said.
This story appeared in Las Vegas Weekly.