Now, Taurasi is putting her words into practice, having been selected to her sixth Olympic team, the most by a USA Basketball player, male or female.
Taurasi won’t be the only Mercury player representing the country in Paris, as she will be joined by center Brittney Griner, who will be playing in her third Olympic Games, and wing Kalia Copper, who will be making her Olympic debut.
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The three Phoenix Mercury Olympians join the U.S. team with different levels of experience and approach the Paris Games with different perspectives.
“Thank you Phoenix Mercury. I think there’s something special about the Valley. It must be the water,” Griner told reporters on Tuesday. “But I’m really happy to share this experience with two of my teammates, one for the first time and the other for the third time. It’s a whole different feeling putting on a USA jersey, especially seeing two of my teammates putting it on together.”
The trip to Paris will mark Griner’s first international appearance since she was detained in Russia in February 2022. It’s just one of many highlights of Griner’s journey to the Olympic team. She already had to overcome a broken toe that forced her to miss the first 10 games of the WNBA season while preparing to welcome her and her wife, Sherrell, into their first child in July.
“There are lots of exciting things happening [are] “The first one has just arrived,” Griner said. [I’m] I’m back on the court and there’s a lot of good things going on in my life right now and I’m really happy. [I’m] “Not only am I playing for the Phoenix Mercury, but I’m also playing for my hometown and my soon-to-be baby and trying to make him proud.”
In Tokyo, Griner, along with Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson, led the U.S. team in scoring with 16.5 points per game. She also averaged 7.2 rebounds per game.
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This will be Taurasi’s sixth Olympic appearance, and her wealth of experience will certainly benefit the U.S. team. At 42 years old and in the 20th year of her professional career, Taurasi remains one of the WNBA’s top players and a scoring threat. Taurasi said she never expected to get to this point, but is grateful for the opportunity.
“Honestly, when I went to my first Olympics in 2004, I thought it was amazing and it’s probably my last Olympics, which is nice,” Taurasi told reporters. “And now it’s my sixth and I can’t really put it into words. It’s humbling. It’s an honor and I’m excited to go and I’m excited to start the journey.”
Like Griner, Taurasi is excited to be on the Olympic stage with her two teammates, and while this is only Copper’s first year with the Mercury, Griner and Taurasi are excited to be with her in her first Olympic Games.
“It’s a special moment for Kerr,” Taurasi said. “You know, her path and her journey is different than a lot of people’s, and what I admire the most about it is that she continued to get better at basketball using every avenue available to her. Playing overseas, continuing to get better year after year, and then when you look at her now, it’s just an incredible story. And she’s getting all of that credit. And, you know, the first Olympics is one of a kind.”
Unlike Taurasi, who was a rookie on her first Olympic team, and Griner, who was in her fourth year when she first competed, Copper is a ninth-year WNBA veteran making her Olympic debut.
Copper’s first time with the U.S. National Team came in 2022, where she helped the team win a gold medal at the FIBA World Cup. In six games, she averaged 9.5 points while shooting 55.5% from the field and 41.7% from three-point range. Copper also represented the U.S. National Team at the 2024 FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifier in Antwerp, Belgium in February.
“I [WNBA] Final MVP [in 2021]At the beginning of the season, no one would have expected me to win. So that was my biggest thing. [career moment] “It’s been a while,” Copper told reporters, growing emotional, “but my process … you see this, you see the game-winner, you see that, but you don’t know what it takes, the amount of nights and nights of preparation. But for it to happen in my ninth year, it’s pretty special for me. So [making the Olympic team is] It’s definitely number one.”
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For Copper, making the Olympic team is the culmination of a journey filled with challenges and changes, from the early days of his career when he moved from the Washington Mystics to the Chicago Sky to his current position with the Mercury, Copper’s determination has been unwavering.
Copper said the journey she’s taken throughout her career has shaped her into the player she is today and has helped her inspire other young players who look up to her: She’s won a WNBA championship, had the opportunity to play with basketball legends and can now call herself an Olympian.
When asked what he’s most looking forward to about going to Paris, Copper’s answer was simple.
“To win a gold medal,” Copper said. “I don’t think there’s anything comparable to a gold medal. Not many people have it, not many people have the experience, so I just want to have the full experience and cap it off with a gold medal.”
