US women among most dominant dynasties in sports
When sports fans talk about dominant dynasties, they’ll bring up the likes of Bill Russell’s Boston Celtics, Tom Brady’s New England Patriots, Alabama football under Nick Saban, UCLA basketball under John Wooden and Geno Auriemma’s UConn Huskies.
The U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team should unequivocally be included in that conversation — even more so if Team USA, winners of six consecutive gold medals, makes it seven straight in Tokyo this summer.
Here are the numbers showcasing the unparalleled success the U.S. women’s national team has achieved over the last 25 years.
63 consecutive victories in FIBA competition:
The U.S. national team, the No. 1 squad in the world per FIBA rankings, boasts 63 consecutive wins in official FIBA competitions, starting with the 2006 World Cup bronze-medal game (the game before, the U.S. fell to Russia in the semifinals). Across that 15-year span, the U.S. women have won three World Cups and another three Olympics.
What’s even more astounding is that since 1996 the U.S. national team is 112-1 in major international competitions, including Olympic, World Cup and FIBA AmeriCup and Olympic qualifying play.
49-game Olympic win streak: The U.S. has won 49 straight Olympic games, starting with the 1992 bronze-medal game and running through the 2016 gold-medal game. Team USA can make it 50 with a victory Tuesday against Nigeria in its Olympic opener.
Put another way: U.S. women’s basketball has not lost in the Olympics in the lifetimes of half their players for Tokyo, including Ariel Atkins (24), Jewell Loyd (27), Napheesa Collier (24), Chelsea Gray (28), A’ja
Wilson (24) and Breanna Stewart (26).
In all, the U.S. national team is 66-3 throughout 10 Olympic competitions. The other two losses came in 1976, when the U.S. took home silver.
30.4 average margin of victory: The U.S. women don’t just win, they win big. During the program’s 49-game Olympic win streak, Team USA has defeated opponents by an average margin of 30.4 points. Their average margin of victory was even higher in Rio: 37.3.
Moreover, the 2016 Olympic team scored at least 100 points in six of its eight games, including the goldmedal game.
Seven straight golds at stake: Team USA’s eight gold medals in the 11 Olympics since women’s basketball was added to the Summer Games in 1976 is impressive as it is. But starting with the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, the U.S. Olympic team has won six consecutive gold medals — a level of dominance rarely seen in sports.
The U.S. men’s basketball Olympic team won seven straight golds from 1936-1968, a streak the women are heavily favored to match in a couple of weeks. India’s men’s field hockey program is currently tied with the U.S. women’s basketball team with six straight golds from 1928-1956.
Fifth gold within reach for Bird, Taurasi:
Basketball and UConn legends Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi are joining an exclusive club of basketball athletes who have played in five Olympic games. That group of eight athletes in all features U.S. basketball legend Teresa Edwards, who won four Olympic golds and one bronze with Team USA.
But the duo are also within reach making history by becoming the first basketball athletes to win five Olympic golds. There are four other Olympians (in fencing and equestrian) who have taken home at least five golds in the same event or discipline.
Bird, who was named one of the Team USA’s flag bearers Wednesday, is already the most decorated FIBA athlete in the world with a combined nine Olympic and World Cup medals, one ahead of Taurasi and Edwards.
11 have won all four major championships: U.S. Olympians don’t just take care of business on the international stage but domestically as well.
Eleven players in the program’s history, including four on the current Olympic team, have won an Olympic gold, FIBA World Cup gold, WNBA title and NCAA championship, including Bird, Stewart, Taurasi, Swin Cash, Tamika Catchings, Cynthia Cooper, Asjha Jones, Brittney Griner, Maya Moore, Sheryl Swoopes and Kara Wolters.
60 gold medals collectively: Bird and Taurasi aren’t the only frequent medalists on the squad. The 12 members of the U.S. Olympic roster collectively hold 60 gold medals in major international tournaments (three of which are in 3x3 events).
This will be the fourth and third Olympics for Sylvia Fowles and
Tina Charles, respectively, and both have winning experience at the World Cup (three for Charles, one for Fowles). Griner and Stewart are also one-time Olympic and two-time World Cup gold medalists.
Even Olympic newcomers Loyd and Wilson have won gold before at the 2018 World Cup, while Atkins, Collier and Skylar Diggins-Smith took home gold in 3x3 events, youth tournaments or the FIBA AmeriCup. Chelsea Gray is the only Olympian on the roster without a gold medal to her name — yet.
Two losses in exhibitions last week:
The improbable happened last week during the U.S. Olympic team’s training camp in Las Vegas when the star-studded roster lost back-to-back exhibition games, first against the WNBA All-Stars (less surprising) and two days later against Australia minus Liz Cambage (more surprising). The national team hadn’t lost consecutive exhibitions since 2011 and is now 200-18 overall in exhibitions since the 1995-96 national team tour leading into the Atlanta Games.
Should American fans be worried about the U.S. Olympic team? Probably not. Team USA looked much more like itself when it breezed past Nigeria in its third and final tune-up before heading to Tokyo and is already using that momentum to ensure the squad peaks at the right time and adds to its history of dominance.
“Obviously we lost those two games back to back, which nobody wanted to do,” Bird said Wednesday. “But at the same time, I think it taught us some things, we learned some things, and we’re going to use that in this week of practice and try to get better every day. But the mood’s been great. If anything, those losses could end up being our biggest wins, if you will.”