3 Phoenix Mercury players chosen for Olympic Team, AP source says

PHOENIX (AZFamily/AP) — A trio of Phoenix Mercury players have been selected to play basketball at the Paris Olympics, a source with The Associated Press said.

The person who provided the full roster to The Associated Press spoke on condition of anonymity on Saturday because no official announcement has been made. The decision was first reported by The Athletic.

According to The Associated Press, Mercury guards Diana Taurasi and Kahleah Copper, along with center Brittney Griner, were chosen to play for Team USA Basketball in Paris.

This will be Taurasi’s sixth Olympic Games. The 41-year-old is a five-time gold medalist and has played in every Olympics since 2004. She will break the record for the most Olympics played in the sport of basketball.

This will be Griner’s first time playing internationally since she was detained in a Russian prison for 10 months in 2022. She said she’ll only play abroad with USA Basketball.

Paris 2024 will be Copper’s first Olympic games.

Olympic veterans Breanna Stewart, A’ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier, Jewell Loyd and Chelsea Gray will also be on the team, along with Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young, who helped the U.S. win the inaugural 3x3 gold medal at the Tokyo Games in 2021.

The U.S. women have won every gold medal in women’s basketball since the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Basketball star Caitlin Clark is notably missing from the roster. According to a person familiar with the decision, she won’t be heading to the Paris Olympics.

Clark does have some international experience with USA Basketball at a younger level, but she couldn’t attend the national training camp in Cleveland after she was invited because she was leading Iowa to the Final Four. Clark finished her career as the NCAA’s Division I all-time scoring leader.

Clark, now a rookie with the Indiana Fever, has drawn millions of new fans to women’s basketball in her college career and also in her young WNBA career.

The U.S. team will train together for a few days in Phoenix in July. Then, it’s off to London for an exhibition game against Germany before heading to France.

The Americans will play Japan, Belgium and Germany in pool play at the Olympics.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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