Wilson, Gray win Olympic gold medal with USA Basketball

Aces guardant A’ja Wilson arrived precocious past period successful Tokyo, an Olympic debutante — hoping to assistance the U.S. nationalist women’s hoops squad to a seventh consecutive Olympic golden medal.

She departed precocious Saturday nighttime with different Olympic golden medal, having validated her lasting arsenic 1 of the champion hoops players successful the world.

This time, connected the world’s biggest sporting stage.

Wilson celebrated her 25th day by helping Team USA rotation to yet different golden medal astatine Saitama Super Arena successful Tokyo, contributing 19 points, 7 rebounds and 5 blocks successful a 90-75 triumph implicit Japan.

The gregarious superstar played immoderate of the champion hoops of her progressively superb vocation during the two-week tournament, averaging a team-high 16.5 points to spell with 7 rebounds and 1.8 blocks.

She hasn’t yet reached the highest of powers, but has rapidly assembled 1 of the amended resumes successful hoops history.

She was already an NCAA nationalist champion and No. 1 wide draught pick. A perennial WNBA All-Star and league MVP. Now she’s an Olympic golden medalist and planetary hoops large similar the predecessors she’s agelong admired.

Wilson thrived with the Americans arsenic their starting powerfulness forward, overwhelming the absorption with her generational operation of accomplishment and size. She’s a mid-range maestro and a fleet finisher astir the rim, equipped with nimble feet and array of debased station moves that the likes Nigeria, Japan, France, Australia and Serbia could not contain.

Her skills were optimized alongside a fleet of different WNBA greats. Like halfway Brittney Griner, who overpowered Japan’s smaller beforehand enactment en way to 30 points connected 14-of-18 shooting.

Or guards Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi, who won the 5th golden medal of their legendary careers.

And truthful connected and truthful forth.

Aces teammate Chelsea Gray is 1 of those All-Stars, having a important relation arsenic the backup constituent defender successful what was besides her archetypal Olympic experience. The 28-year-old played it to perfection by operating the discourtesy with poise and ratio whenever she replaced Bird.

She finished the golden medal crippled with six points and 4 assists, and averaged 7.3 points and 3.2 assists crossed the six games successful the tournament. She adds a golden medal to a resume that already included a WNBA title and aggregate All-Star and All-WNBA honors.

After the win, Wilson and Gray were jubilant successful solemnisation alongside the remainder of their teammates, who collectively maintained American planetary dominance. Team USA has won 55 consecutive games successful Olympic competition, dating backmost to 1996 erstwhile this year’s caput coach, Dawn Staley, was a prima constituent defender for the nationalist team.

This year’s squad boasted an indomitable frontline comprised of Wilson, Griner, Breanna Stewart, Tina Charles and Sylvia Fowles. They collectively played a superb marque of hoops predicated connected shot and subordinate movement, and stellar squad defense.

They extended the streak that Staley helped start.

Wilson and Gray articulation Aces teammates Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young arsenic golden medalists. Plum and Young helped USA Basketball triumph the inaugural three-on-three tournament.

The Aces volition reconvene successful Las Vegas and resume their play Aug. 15 against the Washington Mystics astatine Michelob Ultra Arena.

Contact newsman Sam Gordon astatine sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon connected Twitter.