The U.S. women’s basketball team clinched their eighth consecutive gold medal in a thrilling victory over France, edging out the host nation 67-66 in the final event of the 2024 Paris Olympics. The hard-fought win was witnessed by basketball icons LeBron James, Dawn Staley and Lisa Leslie, who were courtside for the nail-biting showdown.
A’ja Wilson led the charge for Team USA, delivering an impressive 21 points, 13 rebounds, and four blocks. Her outstanding performance throughout the tournament, where she averaged 18.7 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks, earned her the MVP title, solidifying her status as the world’s premier women’s basketball player. Also in attendance was NBA star Bam Adebayo, who is rumored to be romantically linked to Wilson.
“When the buzzer went off and the backboard turned red. I was, like, ‘Oh my God, it was a two,’ and then it hit me. I was, like, ‘Wait, no, we won,’” Wilson said of the final seconds of the gold medal game. France almost tied the game and sent it into overtime, but a French player’s foot was on the three-point line, which rendered it a two-point shot.
“It was just a surreal moment, but I loved the environment; I loved the atmosphere,” Wilson added. “We went; we battled; we faced some adversity, but we came out on top and kept the main thing, the main thing.”
Kahleah Copper came off the bench to add 12 points, and five rebounds, and two steals; Kelsey Plum added 12 points and four assists, also off the bench. No other U.S. players scored more than eight points.
Cooper, arguably the second-most important player for the United States in the gold medal game, responded to a question about her inconsistent playing time in the six games.
“Great players show up whenever their name is called,” Copper said. “I think the story of my career is just me staying ready — the preparation meeting the opportunity — and then just taking off from there. I’m that player whenever my name is called, I’m going to go out there and give it all I had.”
Cooper was also asked about the final shot of the game.
“I was behind her, so I saw it was a two,” she said. “No stress for me. I don’t know about the people on the bench.”
