Sam Hodde / AP
Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson, left, and guard Chelsea Gray celebrate during the second half of Game 3 of the team’s WNBA playoffs semifinal against the Dallas Wings, Friday, Sept. 29, 2023, in Arlington, Texas.
Monday, Jan. 22, 2024 | 1:01 p.m.
The Aces have the chance to be well-represented for this year’s Summer Olympics.
A’ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young and Kelsey Plum will be part of the 18-woman training camp roster for USA Basketball when camp takes place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., from Feb. 2-4.
The roster will be trimmed to 12 players prior to USA Basketball taking part in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Antwerp, Belgium, from Feb. 8-11.
This year’s Olympics take place in Paris starting July 26. The USA women have won the last seven gold medals.
“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 Paris,” Jennifer Rizzotti, USA Basketball Women’s National Team Committee chair, said in a statement. “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.”
Among the players joining the two-time defending WNBA champions will be New York Liberty stars Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu, Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner from the Phoenix Mercury, and MVP finalist Alyssa Thomas from the Connecticut Sun.
This will be the second time each the Aces’ “Core Four” will have a chance to represent Team USA.
Wilson and Gray were part of the 2020 team that won gold in Japan; the games were held in 2021 due to the pandemic. Wilson, the reigning Finals MVP, averaged 16.5 points and 7.3 rebounds to help the Americans claim gold.
Young and Plum won gold in the 3-on-3 tournament in 2020. Plum led the tournament in scoring with 55 points for her first gold medal, and Young had 18 points in the tournament for her first USA Basketball accolade.
Danny Webster can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Danny on X at twitter.com/DannyWebster21.
