Both the U.S. men’s and women’s basketball teams brought home the ultimate medal from Paris: Olympic gold medals. The men’s team won their fourth consecutive Olympic gold medal in Paris, while the women’s team extended their winning streak to eight games. Both teams were predictably dominant throughout the Olympics, going 6-0 on their way to winning the gold medal, with the men’s team winning by an average margin of 22 points and the women’s team winning by 15.7 points.
Still, the U.S. Olympic participation was dominated by debate over quota and playing time. Celtics After Kawhi Leonard was left out of the team, much of the buzz was centered around the decision to leave out Finals MVP Jaylen Brown from the Olympic team and replace him with teammate Derrick White.
Then, Jayson Tatum, the second-leading scorer on the 2021 Tokyo Olympic team, was benched for both games against Serbia, so analysis of the team’s performance focused on his DNPs. Charles Barkley He was one of many analysts who vocally criticized the decision. Stephen A. Smith He went so far as to describe Steve Kerr’s decision as “terrible.”
Meanwhile, the women’s team was hampered by the exclusion of Caitlin Clark from the Olympic team. Many media outlets criticized the decision to drop Clark, with USA Today columnist Christine Brennan He called it “the worst athlete selection decision I have seen in my 40 years covering the Olympics.”
On Wednesday, Cheryl Reeve, head coach of the U.S. women’s Olympic basketball team and head coach of the Minnesota Lynx, expressed frustration with how the debate over playing time and roster spots has become so dominant.
Speaking at a news conference in Minneapolis alongside fellow Olympians and lynx players Napheesa Collier (USA), Bridget Carlton (Canada) and Alanna Smith (Australia), Reeves noted that the roster decisions and rotations have received significant media attention.
“All everybody talks about is playing time and who’s going to play and who’s going to be on the team and who’s not going to be on the team and that’s where we are now,” Reeve said. “The seat I was sitting in just got a little bit harder and a little bit less rewarding, which is sad.”
The criticism didn’t stop when the U.S. women’s team arrived in Paris, with Reeve’s decision to initially select Mercury’s Diana Taurasi as a starter also coming under scrutiny. Taurasi, the most decorated Olympian in basketball history, struggled in her limited playing time and was eventually benched for star Jackie Young and missed the entire gold medal game against France.
During a press conference on Wednesday, Lieb was asked about Taurasi’s Olympic times but declined to comment.
“I really hope that we can find a way forward. Hateful language and things like that can only have a negative impact on the game,” Reeve said, “and we can be a lot better than that.”
Reflecting on his Olympic experience, Reeve also said he tried hard to help his players enjoy winning their first gold medal as a team and not worry too much about the historical context of the program’s greatness.
“What I wanted for them was for it to be something special and to say, ‘We Have Win 8th [straight gold]” “Because I feel like that would take away from my special journey. And that’s what we One.. I’m sure I won’t be with the same group again the next time, otherwise I think I’d lose the joy of what I’m doing.”
