Diana Taurasi, A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart spoke to the press ahead of the team’s debut

The USA Basketball Women’s Team has won nine Olympic gold medals. Yes, nine. It’s a dynasty that began back in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles when they won their first gold and apart from a small blip back in Barcelona 92 when they won the bronze, the team have been at the top of the podium in every single Olympic Games since. In fact, so dominant have they been over the past three decades that they haven’t lost a single game since 1993. What’s more, they’ve only lost three times since basketball was introduced as an Olympic sport in 1976. They are the greatest international basketball team ever. Their dominance is unmatched. Expectations are incredibly high, and a gold medal is a must in Paris.

“The history doesn’t matter,” insists Diana Taurasi in the team’s first press conference in Paris. The 42-year-old basketball legend knows a thing or two about success. In París, she’s going for her sixth medal having won gold in Athens, Beijing, London, Rio and Tokyo. “The history doesn’t affect this team. We must discover our own identity both on and off the court. Those last eight [gold medals] don’t promise you anything going forward and that’s the mindset we’ve always had. We respect everyone and we know how difficult this is. We never take it for granted. We just focus on ourselves, and we go from there. We try not to look too far into the future.” she continued.

Taurasi, together with former US teammate Sue Bird, has won the most ever gold medals in US Olympic history- in both male and female categories. In the men’s, Kevin Durrant has the chance to win his fourth gold medal in Paris and thus become the most decorated basketball player for Team USA. Despite Taurasi’s success, she insists on solely looking forward and not contemplating on her past success- something she explains is key to increasing chances of success. “I try not to think about it. I really am focused on what’s next and that is what has kept me playing for a long time. You can get caught up in the winning, the losing, the medals, the trophies, the MVPs and all that stuff but at the end of the day, it really doesn’t matter. What matters is the work you put in every single day and if that keeps you coming back, then you’ll have an opportunity to win your second, third or sixth medal. Success is the biproduct of hard work.”

It’s clear Taurasi is a reference for her teammates, many of whom are stars in their own right. She’s the leader who sets the standards. She’s the key figure that keeps this team grounded and makes sure their mentality is correct. She’s an example to follow.

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“Diana is the GOAT,” says Aja Wilson when asked about the influence of her teammate. “She puts in the time, work, effort and love behind the game. She doesn’t have to be the most vocal person; she can just be who she is and I’m so grateful to have been her teammate. It’s been amazing to be around her. I’ll never take for granted being around greatness and she’s an example of what one can achieve when they put their mind to it.”

Right now, the team and coach Cheryl Reeve are focused on winning the USA’s 10th Olympic medal and writing themselves into the history books. The team will begin their quest for gold on Monday, July 29, against Japan before facing Belgium and then Germany on the first and third of August, respectively.