Diana Taurasi is arguably the most successful woman basketball player in the Olympics. Winning the gold medal in the six Olympics she has featured in is a testament to that. However, Taurasi’s last Olympics campaign ended in a shocking manner.
In the gold medal game against France, Taurasi didn’t play a single minute. She was benched by coach Cheryl Reeve, who recently explained the reasoning behind her decision during an appearance on “In Case You Missed It” with Khristina Williams.
“It is the hardest coaching job there is in that, whether it’s Steve Kerr on the men’s national team or whether it’s me with the women’s national team, you’re going to piss a lot of people off because there are a lot of great players who aren’t playing like they want to play,” Reeve said. (22:26)
The 58-year-old clarified that every player on the Olympic roster was great and capable of winning games. However, being a great player individually or with a franchise and being great for the national team are two different things.
“They’re great players for their teams, they’re great players in the league, but not everybody can be the great player on the national team, right? You have to make a choice.”
Reeve stated that players knew what they were signing up for when they went to Paris. As per Reeve, when the team was down 10 points, she had to make adjustments in the best interest of the team. Even if it meant keeping Taurasi on the bench the whole time, she did what was necessary.
The four-time WNBA Coach of the Year claimed that any of the players who didn’t get their time on the floor could’ve won Team USA the game.
A case can be made for all of them because they’re all great players, but in that moment, Reeve had to come up with a plan, and unfortunately, Taurasi didn’t fit in that plan.
Diana Taurasi opened up on the Olympic snub
Diana Taurasi’s final run in the Olympics was marred by controversy from the beginning. When she was picked in the squad, many people frowned upon it, claiming that the spot belonged to Caitlin Clark. As the tournament progressed and Team USA kept winning games, people forgot about it.
However, when she was benched in the gold medal game, the discussions erupted once again. In the three-part documentary series titled ‘Taurasi,’ the WNBA legend opened up about the snub.
“I’m confused by what happened,” Taurasi said. “I never got, ‘Hey, you’re not going to play because we’re going this direction.’ Sounds good, I can live with that.”
Benching superstars in the Olympics was the trend with Team USA men’s and women’s basketball. With an abundance of talent on the roster, the coaches were simply spoilt for choice.
Steve Kerr, the head coach of the men’s 5×5 basketball team in the Paris Olympics, faced the same problem. In a lineup that included Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Anthony Edwards, and more, Kerr couldn’t find a regular spot for Jayson Tatum.
Tatum was just coming out of an NBA Championship run and was one of the best players in the league. Still, he wasn’t getting minutes. At the time, even Kerr was criticized for his decisions, but when Team USA won the gold medal, everyone moved on.
Read More:
UConn Star Azzi Fudd Reveals Which WNBA Star She Looked Up to as a Kid, and It’s Not Diana Taurasi
Diana Taurasi Sends Strong Message on Fever’s Playoff Potential With Caitlin Clark
