The USA women’s basketball team got three big wins in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belgium over the last week, solidifying their stop atop the FIBA World Rankings and increasing expectations of gold at the Paris Summer Olympics.
The team is coached by two out WNBA coaches, each of whom was last year named to the Outsports Power 100: Cheryl Reeve of the Minnesota Lynx, who is the head coach, and Curt Miller of the Los Angeles Sparks. Longtime WNBA coach Mike Thibault rounds out the coaching staff.
The team eeked out a win against world No. 6 Belgium, the host of the tournament. They then beat both Nigeria and Senegal — two top-20 teams — by 50-plus points.
The team also features five out players. The roster won’t necessarily be the same for the Paris Summer Olympics later this summer, as changes can be made depending on scheduling, production, or anything else that might come up. But the 12 likely have a good shot of making it.
Get off the sidelines and into the game
Our weekly playbook is packed with everything from locker room chatter to pressing LGBTQ sports issues.
Get to know the out LGBTQ players and coaches on Team USA:
Cheryl Reeve, head coach
Reeve is a legendary coach in women’s basketball, having lead the Minnesota Lynx to four WNBA titles. She was an assistant coach at the Olympics in 2016 and 2020, and she now takes the helm as head coach of the team. Reeve and wife Carley Knox, an executive with the Lynx, were together ranked No. 19 on Outsports Power 100 for 2023.
Curt Miller, assistant coach
Miller has been named the WNBA Coach of the Year twice, both during his successful stint with the Connecticut Sun, when he took the team to four straight semifinals and two finals. Miller is now the head coach of the Los Angeles Sparks. He was ranked No. 52 on Outsports Power 100 in 2023.
Headed home from our Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belgium. Excited as the road to the Paris Olympics continues. Go USA 🇺🇸! pic.twitter.com/mq1FlPHRut
— Curt Miller (@CurtMillerWBB) February 12, 2024
Kahleah Copper
Copper has played in the WNBA for four seasons, winning a league championship with the Chicago Sky in 2021, being named MVP of those WNBA Finals. She’s posted numerous photos of her and fiancée, former Swedish National Team player Binta Daisy Drammeh. The two got engaged to marry in November.
Jewell Loyd
Loyd has played for the Seattle Storm since entering the league in 2015, when she won the league’s Rookie of the Year award coming out of Notre Dame. Loyd previously appeared in Nike’s Be True campaign, to celebrate the LGBTQ community.
Breanna Stewart
“Stewie” is literally one of the best WNBA players of all time, included on the 25-best list the WNBA produced for its 25th anniversary. She’s won two WNBA titles and two WNBA league MVP awards. She was the top draft pick out of UConn — where she won four NCAA titles — in 2016. She’s married to former WNBA player Marta Xargay.
Diana Taurasi
Taurasi is also on the WNBA’s top-25 players list. A three-time WNBA champion and one-time league MVP, Taurasi is the only WNBA player to score 10,000 points in her career. She’s married to former teammate Penny Taylor.
Alyssa Thomas
Thomas is a four-time WNBA All-Star with the Connecticut Sun. She and teammate Dewanna Bonner announced their engagement to marry last year.
Stewart and Taurasi competed for Team USA at the Tokyo Summer Olympics, as well as three other out players.
