← No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show
No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show
Team USA Survives, and a Look Ahead to 2028
01:00:34
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- [00:00]
Ben Pickman
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- [01:33]
Sabrina Merchant
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- [03:35]
Chantel Jennings
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- [05:09]
Ben Pickman
For the Athletic I'm Ben Pickman and this is the Athletic Women's Basketball show presented by AT&T.
- [05:18]
Sabrina Merchant
Oh.
- [05:31]
Ben Pickman
Welcome to the Athletic Women's Basketball show on a special Sunday Monday Gold Medal edition to close out the Olympic Games. Team USA has just wrapped up its eighth straight gold medal, defeating France 6766 in a truth thriller that I don't think any of us on this podcast saw coming. Asia Wilson has been named term and MVP, leading Team USA with 21 points and 13 rebounds. And they needed every single one of them. Kalia Kopper, 12 points, 5 rebounds off the bench, playing a critical role after not playing such a big role earlier in the tournament. To break it all down from a thrilling, thrilling gold medal game, I am joined by Chantal Jennings, who is still in Paris. And these Olympics are over, so who knows where she is going next. Sabrina Merchant is also here and she, like me, watch this game on TV. We'll dissect all angles, look forward to the 2028 games in LA and just wrap up the Olympics as a whole. But let's start with you, Chantelle, because you were in the building in Paris, you saw everything that unfolded. And there was a lot that unfolded firsthand. The crowd, the environment, all the madness, I guess just set the scene for those of us who were not lucky enough to be there. What was it like? What did it sound like? How did kind of the tenor shift throughout? What. What sticks out in your mind as we record this just a few hours after the conclusion of that gold medal game?
- [06:51]
Chantel Jennings
Well, it should surprise no one that it was heavily favored in terms of French fans. Like, it was probably 85, 15, if we're being generous, even. And I think even just the. Obviously that lends itself to the noise, but I think just the Alle Blues, like those chants going over and over and over and over again and sort of the rise and the fall, and France was just like sticking with the US and leading the US at points, obviously up by 10 in the third quarter. Like, they were informed, they were smart, they knew what was going on, they were excited, and everyone wants to slay Goliath. And so I think even the people that weren't super aware of how far this French program had gone and sort of how much promise this group has was just like, yeah, let's take down Team usa. That sounds like a good thing. Seven straight gold medals. Let's do it. And so everyone was really engaged even two hours before the game. Like, probably a quarter of the arena, maybe a fifth of the arena, every seat had a French flag put on it so that when the fans came in, they were like waving these flags and they broke into the national anthem at multiple points during the game. Like, it was just a very, as we expected, raucous environment that was very pro France.
- [08:07]
Ben Pickman
Wait, so what did then fans do? If you were an American fan and you showed up with a French flag at your seat. What happened to all those extra flags? And I guess, you know, separately, a big question. Were the crowd, were they ever, like, nervous? Were they tense? Were they just, like, into it? Or was it just like a fearlessness? Because in theory, like, they were the underdog here, they had nothing to lose overall.
- [08:27]
Chantel Jennings
So I think it was all. It was like the section that was for the home team, France, in this situation. I guess they would have been away because they were lower ranked, but no. So it was like it was all French fans. So I think it was their supporter section. And the front was the group that had the drum and was like leading the cheers and stuff. And so all of the French flags went to French fans, I believe. I haven't fact checked that, but I'm going to solidly guess that that is true. And the second part of your question.
- [08:56]
Ben Pickman
I've already forgotten that is, okay, you're running on a crazy day. Like, did it feel tense at times or like fans nervous or because France was so much the underdog and this was USA's tournament to lose that, you know, they didn't ever really bite their nails because, like, everything was kind of a bonus in theory at least, maybe from some people's perspectives.
- [09:18]
Chantel Jennings
Yeah, I don't think they were nervous and I don't know what they would have been nervous about necessarily. Like, they were playing. It was obviously kind of like a mucky game. Like, lots of, you know, turnovers, lots of sort of like empty possessions and stuff. Low scoring, defensive minded. But that's how France likes to play. That's what they want to do to opponents. And I'm sure they expected it to come back to them a bit as well. And so it was just this, like, building anticipation as the game was going on of, like, are they going to do this? Are they going to do this? Or the fans thinking in their mind, like, are we going to do this? Are we going to do this? And it was like every time the US Missed a layup, they. They cheered just as loud as when they scored a layup. Like, every mistake the US made was equally cheered as much as sort of the French success. And so it was a really interesting place to be. And just from like a reporting perspective, what's really interesting is that, you know, sort of ethics and standards are different in every country. And so there were people on press row that were, like, cheering openly for France. And like, when Gabby's foot was like, over, like, you know, she takes that shot initially and immediately, anytime at the end of the game. Like, you just have to look for the foot first, like if the shot goes in or not, whatever. But like immediately at the end of the game as a reporter, you're looking at the foot and I'm like, okay, she's over the line. It's a two pointer, whatever. But the people in front of David and I were like, ah, like freaking out. And they were like, it's a three, it's a three. They were saying it in French, but they had their three fingers up so I can assume that's what they meant. But it was just like, it was weird because it was, you know, to our left were fans and then in front of us were reporters who were also saying like, it's a three. So it was a really unique environment to be filing on deadline in.
- [10:59]
Ben Pickman
We should say that Chantel and David Aldridge, the aforementioned David Aldridge have stories that are up now on TheAthletic.com about this game and the games as a whole. And that shot that Gabby Williams hit, she is the near hero with a shot that will get remembered. But you know, almost was so much bigger with her foot on the line at the buzzer that in theory, if she is just half a foot back, ties the game sends it to overtime and who knows what happens from there. Sabrina, like, that's the experience in the arena, I guess. What was it like for you to watch? When did, I don't know, the reality of the game start to take over and when did you start to recognize, okay, this is a real battle and how were you kind of feeling as it kind of progressed through the four quarters?
- [11:40]
Chantel Jennings
Sabrina, I also feel like you should tell all of our listeners how you feel about mornings because when this time came out, I was so happy for myself because I was like a 5:30 tip. Finally, I'm going to get to bed at a reasonable hour because I have gone to bed at 3am more often than I haven't since covering the Olympics. And I immediately thought, oh, Sabrina is going to hate this.
- [12:01]
Sabrina Merchant
Well, luckily I am in North Carolina right now. So this was a 9:30am start. Not a huge problem. Very doable on a Sunday morning. I am in a house with nine of my friends from college and six kids. So they all had me up. Well, ready to go for this 9:30 start? Easy peasy. So if there's any noise in the background, that's where that's coming from. But yeah, it's funny, we've talked all Olympics, all in the lead up to the Olympics about how, you know, Team USA is just so much more talented than every other team. They have the two best players in any game. I didn't really expect anyone to give them a significant challenge. Ben and I, we had mentioned like home court advantage, though briefly in our last debate before the start of the medal rounds. And that was kind of the only thing that really seemed like it was going to swing the tide against the usa. And I'm not sure that it was actually home court advantage or just a team that really came out to play and flustered the United States from what they like to do best. But I don't think I really thought the US was in trouble at any point during the game. Even when they went down by 10 during the third quarter, it just felt like, oh, this is very early and there are so many buttons left for Sheryl Reeve to push that she hasn't that I felt like there was still plenty that the Americans could do to get back into the game. Very different from how I felt watching the US Men play at many different points. But interesting that there were these mirrored US France games in both gold medal matches on back to back days. But it was strange to watch them in such a close game. And it just kind of validated everything I thought about this team, that they have the capability to win in different ways if one method isn't working in that down the stretch. I still trust their closers more than anybody else's and that included Kalia Capper today, even though that wasn't something I think either of us expected coming into this game. But admittedly a lot more exciting than I thought this game had any right to be. And credit to France for making that happen. I do wonder if that's going to be possible on the Americans home soil. I'm sure we'll talk about 2028 a little bit, but yeah, I mean, this was just a really, really exciting capper to what had been, I'm not gonna say like the most uninteresting tournament for the Americans. But like, it was cool to finally see them tested and actually have to apply like some game pressure.
- [14:14]
Ben Pickman
I think that's a really good point, right, because we really hadn't seen them pushed at all. And so, you know, even down the stretch of this game, like one of the biggest questions I had and was just taking notes upon was like, who? What are these lineup combinations? Who's the closing lineup with? Like, who is Cheryl Reeve putting in in different situations? How is she mixing and matching these different like situations? Because frankly, like, they had changed every game and in no instance, like, was it a close game where it was like, what is the closing five? Right. We had kind of started to see that, you know, in the men's game a day earlier in. In the semi final of the men's tournament as well. Right. The way that Steph Curry, LeBron, you know, KD, we all knew they were going to be in that lineup. On the women's side, you know, it was safe to assume that Stewie and Asia Wilson were going to be in that lineup. But, like, who were the guards going to be? Who was going to play the three? Those were all like, big, big questions. And, you know, I guess the funny thing about the Olympics is we saw that in a sample today and four years from now, when there is another Olympic Games and we're like, wondering the same questions, it will be a totally different group and we'll just start to ask them again. But it's funny you say that, like, to the point of the game's rhythm, because for me, the US has gotten off to slow starts all tournament long or for a lot of the tournament, but. And you know, they led 16, nine, and they certainly didn't play their best first quarter. But it wasn't like, it was hard not to think, okay, like, they're gonna open it up in the second or the third. And it wasn't until like the second quarter for me, when it was, okay, France is not going away. And suddenly you look up and it's 2020 with 357 in the United to go in the half. And the United States offense isn't really doing anything to break down the France defense. And their O of three from three are the Americans. And suddenly, like, they're just training baskets to keep flashing to the French men's team on the sideline. You see Wemby and Batum, they're all standing up, raising. It was like, oh, this is a different game. And then Asia Wilson suddenly, right before halftime, I think she missed like, four point blank layups. All contested and very physical in a row. And I don't think I've ever seen Asia Wilson do that before. And we all kind of noted it in the live blog. And at that point, if I think you didn't already recognize that this game was a little bit different, I think you had to recognize at that moment that, like, okay, like, we're in for a real battle in the second half. Is that kind of how you felt, Chantel, watching it in person, or how did it kind of feel for you being there? As you saw It.
- [16:28]
Chantel Jennings
Yeah. I think it's interesting, Sabrina, that you sort of felt like through the whole thing, like this is a group that's going to pull it off. Because I just felt like there were so many uncharacteristic things happening. And when you think about Team usa, what is the most uncharacteristic thing that could happen? Getting second. Like, and so throughout the game and I think, you know, sort of the moment for me that I was like, oh my gosh, like I'm actually going to cover a loss was when Asia got the Travel call with 42 seconds left at the elbow. Cause it was just one of those moments where it was like, I don't think I've ever. Like that's. She originates her. Like that is her sweet spot. She can do anything from there. She can take anyone off the dribble there. And like you said, she'd missed layups and stuff. And there was sort of all of these breadcrumbs there. But then in that moment, in that clutch moment we've seen her excel in so many times to then travel, I was like, wait, are they. Are they really going to lose this game? But even before that, you know, Jackie Young getting that fifth foul call 25ft from the basket, 30ft from the basket, however far she was like, that is an uncharacteristic thing for Jackie Young. She's such a good, strong, dominant defensive player. Similarly, the last few games we've seen this offensive for her Team USA offensive explosion from her, which she hadn't had throughout the game. But it was like this. You think of Jackie and you're like, great perimeter defender. Kelsey Plum calls her the best two way defender in the world and you get your fifth foul in the Olympic gold medal game, 30ft from the basket. Like, it was just these sort of piecing together things that felt really uncharacteristic for this team. You know, I think Stewie's game, she missed a lot of bunnies as well. Alyssa Thomas had a few passes that I'm thinking of one specifically where it was just overshot, where it was like, who's that going to? And then on the defensive end, there were times, there was one I can think of off the top of my head where France got out behind them and people didn't run back. And it was like, what is. I think it was, we'll let people in on a journalism secret. For a lot of games, you pre write some things so that you can file right at the buzzer. And I had pre written something that accounted for the US winning by 15, like, 600 words, contextualizing the win in terms of the dynasty, what it means moving forward, blah, blah, blah. Right in the third quarter, I started writing the opposite of that piece because I felt strongly enough like, I can't just start to write at the buzzer if they do lose this thing. And I think it had just been enough of those breadcrumb pieces that I was, like, it felt possible to me. I didn't think it was likely. And I think some still in the back of my mind, I thought throughout the tournament, different players, numbers have been called outside of Asia and Stewie that we've seen step up so this could happen. But it just. There were enough breadcrumbs there that I was like, my job is to file something definitive and important about this game at the buzzer, and I can't be sort of left standing at the starting line not having any idea where I'm going with it. And so it was in the third quarter, when they were down 10, that I started writing the. Yeah, sort of an end of the end of the streak story, if you will, and kind of took pieces from both of those for what I actually published. But I definitely. There were moments, I think, when David and I looked at each other where, you know, he specifically said going into halftime, he said, I think we're going to know exactly how this game goes in the first five minutes of the third quarter. And anyone who knows David Aldridge's work, like, he's a great basketball mind. He's brilliant. And he says that to me in five minutes into the third quarter or four minutes, you know, France went on an eight no run. And I go, so how's this. How's this going for Team USA so far? Da. What do you think? And he was like, it's not looking good. And that was obviously, Sabrina came in. Sabrina Yanescu came in shortly after, and. And the offense started to pick up a bit, and the defense started to pick up a bit, and they looked more like their identity. But I find it interesting that you sort of had a confidence in. In them. And maybe if I hadn't had to file at the buzzer, I would have felt the same way. But I think I was like, I can't be left unprepared. I have this anxiety in me of I needed to have something ready to go.
- [20:40]
Sabrina Merchant
I mean, I think that's the right instinct to have in the moment, you know, to be prepared for all situations. But like you mentioned, you know, looking at the game, that Chelsea Gray was Having where, yeah, there were a couple of nice passes, but in aggregate, I don't think the offense was flowing very well through her. You have Sabrina Nesco on the bench. You have Kelsey Plum on the bench to run things at the point of attack. Like if Jackie Young's in foul trouble. Kali Copper is about as close to a like, for like players Jackie Young as you can get in terms of those physical drives to the basket. Like what she was able to do down the stretch in the fourth quarter, getting fouled repeatedly, you know, making her free throws. And if Alyssa Thomas, you know, isn't working, then like, let's run to Fisa Collier more at the big positions. And she was great cutting off of Sabrina and like attacking the glass, really big rebounds just throughout the game. So I don't know, maybe it was like unnecessary confidence considering the USA had played 25 minutes of pretty bad basketball. But the fact that they just, we talked about the depth of this team. They just have so many options. So to see everybody sitting on the bench and think, all right, well someone's going to change it. Like, that's the whole point of bringing all of these 12 players, for all of them to have their moment.
- [21:43]
Chantel Jennings
That's interesting you bring that up though, Ben, I'm curious for your thoughts on this because we talked so much about the player rotations on the last pod and sort of what to expect and sort of the groupings that we saw going forward. And as the game is going on, you know, Team USA only attempted 12 three pointers. France attempted 36. They only made seven. Like they didn't shoot well, but they made seven to the US's two. And I just kept thinking with this sort of defense that France was running, like, it would be nice probably to have some floor spacers out there. You've got Jewel Lloyd and Diana Taurasi sitting on the bench. They're the only two players who didn't play. Sabrina Ionescu doesn't go in until the third quarter. And I'm thinking you have these excellent three point shooters, streaky at times maybe. But like, I think that made me think, like, wait, what's, what's the plan here? Because you have what seems like an obvious choice in players who've played well so far or, you know, can hit. That might make things easier for Stewie and Asia that are just sitting on the bench with their warm up shirts on.
- [22:45]
Ben Pickman
Yeah, I mean, I think that was the question that we all had as we were kind of talking about it. And we put this in the live blog throughout the game is like, what are these rotations? And what are the different levers that Cheryl Reeve is going to pull? I mean, Sabrina Unescu, she entered the game for the first time with 433 to play. In the third quarter, Team USA was down 40 to 35. I think they went on, what, an 80 run right away when she entered the game to kind of regain the lead. And I think a bunch of us, and I think a lot of people online were suddenly like, oh, it's about time, like, you put her in. And it wasn't even that, just her shooting, but it was just kind of her playmaking, too, and a poise with the basketball and her court vision. Overall, someone like Diana Taurasi, who gets a DNP cd, does not play in her final, you know, in what would have been, I guess, her final Olympic game, or what will be her final Olympic game. I thought it was another question that we had was like, you know, Diana Taurasi is on the roster for experience. She's on the roster because she's been in every situation that USA Basketball has been through. Now, of course, they haven't been through a situation quite like the one they were on Sunday, and, you know, years and years and decades, frankly. But, like, she is on the team for her experience, for her ability to be steady. And I thought it was an interesting choice for Charl Reeve, like, not to go to Taurasi at all. Right. Because, like, isn't she on the roster to provide the kind of calming, like, steadiness to play point guard? And maybe, you know, Cheryl or someone else talked about that. I mean, Jewel Lloyd, someone who can shoot the basketball again, as you mentioned in Playmate, like, Tim USA was not doing a very good job of that early on. So, you know, to me, like, that was just a looming, looming question throughout the whole game is like, we didn't know the combinations, and we won't know what 20, 28 looks like, and this will be the one chance this group has to play like this. But, yeah, it was a little puzzling, I think, at times about, you know, why certain groups were on the floor and why certain players were not.
- [24:39]
Chantel Jennings
Diana was asked afterwards in the mixed zone where reporters interview the players, did you have any heads up that you were going to be out of the rotation today? And she said no. So I think she thought she was getting into the game today. Cheryl had talked about scaling back sort of in the rotation, but I don't. I don't think there was an idea in Diana's mind. That she wasn't going to see the floor at all today. And then she kind of made a quip about. Someone asked about, oh, now you have more gold medals than your best friend Sue Bird. She said, yeah, but we scored the same number of points today. And it was just sort of that like, oh, tell us how you really feel, Diana thing. And, yeah, I mean, it's. The jewel one is very surprising to me, too. And, you know, this is a, you know, I'm. This roster is so talented. You can go with so many different lineups, but throughout group play, we saw so many different groupings out there. And you think that you have that sort of 120 minutes in the lab to figure out what works, what doesn't. And then it sort of felt like that continued into the quarterfinals. And then the ATO that they ran to Kalia, like, they had never run that before with these players in this kind of a moment. And it worked, which is great, and it's great because it worked. But, like, can you imagine if it hadn't sort of a thing and if things end up differently and it's suddenly like, well, you have this group and you're running this play on the floor after not a lot of time together, but what every Team USA team gets together. It was just surprising. I think the lack of sort of consistent personnel and rotations throughout these six games is sort of, when I look back at this Olympic slate, that'll be one of the things that really stands out to me and that I wonder if, you know, anything changes for 2028 when it'll be the exact same situation, but, you know, leading into the World cup and then. And then the Olympics, if maybe they try to figure out those rotations and identify a final roster sooner in a way.
- [26:40]
Ben Pickman
Yeah. And we should mention that, you know, there is kind of a fitting historical tie that on the same day, Diana Taurasi does not play in her final Olympic game, but still picks up a medal. Lauren Jackson of Team Australia, they get the bronze by beating Belgium. She also did not play as she picked up, you know, her fifth Olympic medal at age 43. So a little bit of interesting history there. Sabrina, what did you kind of make of the rotations and Cheryl Reeves decisions and to use players or not use players, and how she kind of went about it in closing time, too.
- [27:09]
Sabrina Merchant
I mean, we talked about this already, but just like the lack of Sabrina Nescu in the first half was very confusing to me because she's kind of the only other natural point guard on this roster, other than Chelsea Gray. And given how limited Gray was in this particular game, I thought it kind of screamed for needing UNESCO earlier. And just you think about all the way back to the Olympic qualifiers, and they were playing Belgium in that tournament in Belgium, it was bringing in Sabrina, you know, off the bench that really helped spark them. That combination with Nafisa Collier, which we saw immediately happen in this game, was really effective. So I thought it was strange not to use really, but, like, not using Jewel Lloyd. Like, she and Kelsey Plummer very similar in terms of their spacing. Kelsey was having a good game. They really like the way Kelsey pressures up, you know, full court. So I understood that choice. And then in terms of just having chemistry, like, she obviously knows how to play with Jackie. She knows how to play with Asia Wilson. So Plum just has a little bit of advantage over Lloyd in that particular scenario. And Lloyd just. I mean, she looks like a shooter. She just hasn't shot the ball at all, like, well, this season or last season. So it's getting somebody a little bit more in rhythm to me. Made sense in that particular case. I'm like, it's so hard to come off the bench cold and contribute immediately as a scorer, whereas, like, UNESCO at least gets to contribute with the ball in her hands. And that's just not really Jewel Lloyd's game. She's not a point guard. So I understood that the Alyssa Thomas and Bernie Griner minutes were a little interesting. Like, there was just a lot riding on Asia Wilson and Brandon Stewart in this game, which, I mean, about time, I guess. Like, they've been playing, like, 19, 20, 24 minutes for most of the tournament, and the US hasn't needed more out of them, but in this particular instance, when, like, ATS passes are going all over the place and the French are spreading the floor and making BG depend on the perimeter, like, yeah, let's use our more versatile bigs. Like, that made perfect sense to me. So it was interesting, like, to see that Cheryl Reed had the stomach to shorten the rotation when she needed to because, like, this is. This is gut check time, right? Like, we can't make everybody happy every day, so let's just play the players who are actually playing well. And, like, it even came to the point where, like, Nikisa Collier wasn't on the foreign, you know, in closing time, and it's like, well, she's Cheryl Reeves player in Minnesota, so for her to have the summit to do that, like, show that, like, we just got to make the decisions that are going to work here and it was. It was cool to see that her actually, like, have to make these tough choices and see them come to fruition.
- [29:21]
Ben Pickman
Sabrina, you really have a glass half full or I guess, approach to this game. Like, I'm thinking, I'm sitting there watching like, Marine Fatu, one of the point guards for France. She had a wide open three pointer with, like, five minutes to go in the game after Sabrina Unescu had a bad turnover around half court, and it led to a scramble. And France is up two at that point. And if Fatou makes that three pointer, suddenly France is up five with five minutes to go. And it felt like, you know, I marked it down in my notes, much like I did when I was watching, like, the Serbia Team USA men's game when, like, the Serbian player, I'm forgetting his name right now, blank, like, missed a knuckleball three pointer with, like, three minutes to go. That potentially, like, there was that three pointer, and it would have been the same exact thing. And it's like, that is the kind of shot that I felt like, okay, suddenly France is a five with five to go. Like, this could really, really happen because it happens. Like, these upsets happen before you know it. Like, they don't happen, and they don't happen, and they won't happen, and then they do happen. And, like, that's just kind of how it works all the time. And you wake up, you're like, wow, Team usa, like, would have lost and that three doesn't go, and suddenly I think that leaves the door open. But I'm surprised because, like, I did still think Brittney Griner could be effective. Like, I know, you know, I understand what you're saying about E.T. and she did not, you know, play her best game either. But Griner wasn't bad in the, you know, the few five minutes that she played in the first half. And in a game that was so physical, you know, like someone who is just six, seven, and a body who can control the paint, like, she can and, like, handle the physicality. I did think there was some advantage here. I'm not saying they should have closed the game with her instead of, like, Stewie or Asia Wilson, but, you know, maybe to spell her at times in. In the late third quarter or early fourth quarter, I thought that would have been, you know, potentially way to just continue to claw back into the game.
- [31:02]
Chantel Jennings
I think I just, you know, I'm sure we'll. We'll move on soon. But I guess just one more thing that I was thinking about as we were talking about Sabrina Unescu is like, she is a really, really good. And having covered her in college, she's a really good long shot rebounder. Like, this is why she gets so many triple doubles, because she is able. She has a nose for the ball. In terms of when people shoot threes, she knows where they're going. Because I think we see that out of a lot of three point shooters who've been like shagging their own balls for their entire life, right? You know where misses are going. And so you're looking at a French team that shot 7 of 36 from range. They missed 29 3. So those are. That's 29 potential long ball rebounds that a player like Sabrina, who has a knack for that on the floor, can be a real asset in those situations. And in that first stretch, she was in for four and a half minutes. She got two assists, but she also had two defensive rebounds and a steal. And when Cheryl was talking after the game, she said, you know, they weren't able to get out into their identity, which is getting into transition and moving up the floor. Floor long ball rebounds and getting up the floor like that is a Sabrina Yanescu thing. Like she can hunt down those rebounds and move the ball up the floor. And so that was just another thing. It wasn't just her ability to space the floor, her ability to pass, but specifically to hunt down those rebounds when France was shooting and missing so many threes really surprised me.
- [32:17]
Ben Pickman
I know we're going to get like, we'll continue to get granular throughout this conversation just as we recite moments, but stepping back a little bit, I guess. Sabrina, to you, like, what do you feel like we learned about this team USA team that we can kind of think about moving forward? And how will you remember this American team? Is it just about today or is it something broader? Just what are your kind of broad thoughts on. On this group?
- [32:39]
Sabrina Merchant
We knew they were the most talented team coming into the tournament, and I don't think that has been dispelled at all. Like, they obviously had more options than anybody else and they obviously had Brianna Stewart and Asia Wilson and that was a trump card that nobody else could quite match. But I think what we learned in this game was that they also have closers like Kalia Kopra is a Finals MVP who was in multiple close games in that series against Phoenix back in 2021. And she looked very comfortable in like high intensity situations downstretch. Like you mentioned, the Marine for two missed three, who comes back and ties the game right away. Kalia Copper like Asia Wilson, Finals mvp. She's the one who scores the next basket. Brianna Stewart FORMER Finals MVP she's the one who puts the USA ahead and they never look back after that, I think 56 to 55. So they have a lot of players who have been tested at various points in their pro career and have never really had to use that in this particular context, international basketball, because the margins have been so wide. So to see that translate, I think is the thing that really sticks out to me about this tournament that, like, yeah, it's not just that we have more talent and we can boat race a bunch of teams. It's we also know how to execute down the stretch. And that is another skill that the Americans are just better at than most of the other players in this field.
- [33:46]
Ben Pickman
Now, are we allowed to swear on this podcast? I'm not going to recall what Asia Wilson said about Kalia Koprapowski, but I would urge everyone out there, I mean, I would urge everyone to watch the post game interview and see the praise and the look on Asia Wilson's face as she is asked about how she would describe Kali, a copper, because I think it sums up Kah. And you know what, she kind of brings just the energy, the ferocity, like her fearlessness that you're talking about pretty, pretty well a great game for her. Chantel, what about you?
- [34:15]
Chantel Jennings
I think for me it's sort of the cliche we always hear of being ready when your number is called. And this group, despite sort of the struggles that I think they had at times in this gold medal game, it really was personified by them during this tournament. You think of Jackie Young stepping up in that third group stage game after playing 20 total minutes in the first two games and sort of coming all the way to France playing 20 minutes. I think she had only taken like one or two shots in those first two games and then exploding for the offensive and defensive performances she had and particularly, particularly important on the offensive end as well. But like Kalia Copper in this gold medal game, being able to step up when her number is called. Sabrina sitting on the bench for 25 minutes and then going in and instantly having an impact, I think it's again, probably just echoes what Sabrina was saying in terms of the talent and the depth of this roster and their ability to find that. But I think just the challenge that that is to be cold on the bench and go in and immediately have an impact that takes obviously, you know, a physical strength but also a mental strength. And so I think that was a piece of this team that, yes, they were more talented than any team they played against, but I think the challenge of, you know, being what the team needs. And actually, I'll harken back to Sue Bird did an interview with Carmelo Anthony and Kid Miro on their podcast, and she was talking about how Team USA Basketball was the hardest basketball she ever played. Played because you never get to be yourself. And Sabrina Andescu talked a little bit about this in post game today. But you don't get to be the player you are for your WNBA team if you're the best player on your WNBA team, which most of these, all of these players are, like, they get to be who they are for the Lynx or the Liberty or the Aces, right? But when they come to Team usa, it's basically Asia and Stewie who are who they are, and everyone else conforms. And that's a hard thing for someone who's been playing basketball for so long. And it sort of needs to, like, merge into this lane in a very different way. And so to be doing that on top of, you know, sitting on the bench and then having your number called and doing the thing that the team needs for you to do, maybe not even necessarily the thing that you're best at, like, I think it just really speaks to the fortitude and the mental strength of this team.
- [36:34]
Ben Pickman
I like that you called that out, the kind of players coming in off the bench, because I think one of the takeaways I have from this game, and as I think more broadly about the tournament, is the final, kind of quietly, was a changing of the guard for Team usa. Like, if you look at up and down the box score, you know, they had a team full of experienced players, someone like Diana Taurasi, someone like Chesky Grace, someone like Brittney Griner, and all of those players either had no impact or very little impact at all for in this final game, right? Brittany Griner plays, does not play in the second half. She plays five minutes overall. Chelsea Gray plays 13 minutes on the game. I think she only played right the first two minutes of that second half. Diana Taurasi we talked about did not play even someone like Alyssa Thomas, you know, this was her first Olympics. She'll be 36 at the time of the next Olympics. This might be her only chance. You know, she's obviously one of best players in the world, but I don't think there's a guarantee that in four years, like depending on who the coach is, depending on how she's performing, depending on what the rest of the roster looks like. I don't think there's a guarantee that, you know, she is on that team in Los Angeles in a few years time. Like, I think when I think of the men's team that just won gold, such an obvious kind of changing the guard end of an era, right, with LeBron, Durant, Stephen Curry, these like pillars in the basketball world who are playing in either, you know, Steph's first Olympics. But, you know, LeBron and Durant have been there forever and this is very likely their last Olympics on court. And everything seemed to be built around them on the women's side. Like, if you would have told me this was a close game and Chelsea Gray was still going to be have an impact, I wouldn't have been shocked heading in. But stepping away, it was a younger generation of player who really were the difference in this game. And I think, you know, there was obviously a lot of discourse heading into this tournament about maybe not building for the future as much as some people fans out there would want. Obviously the selection or omission rather Caitlin Clark kind of being at the center of that. But I do think stepping back, you know, you now have eight players up and down the roster that are seven of eight players who, you know, were battle tested like no Team USA team before that. And I think that is the kind of experience that will certainly serve them well as you move forward. And it really is, you know, that core group of, you know, Wilson, Stewie, Nafisa, Collier. I think Jackie Young will now be a staple obviously going forward in five on five, someone like Plum, Unescu, like, these are the players who that 2018 will be built around. And I think there was a kind of natural handoff because the situation dictated it.
- [39:03]
Chantel Jennings
Against France, there was this great moment in the mix zone after the game where we were all talking to Diana and Sabrina Ionescu came up and we were going to talk to her next. And she kind of was trying to take a selfie while Diana was doing the interview. And Diana kept leaning over and smiling. And Diana ends her interview and she looks at all of us reporters and she goes, how do you hand a torch? Exactly? And she, you know, sort of pretends to hold a torch and looks over at Sabrina and like kind of puts it on top of her fist in a way that it was like this cute, cheesy moment. But it was like, yeah, this really is what this team is. It does feel like a changing of the guards, a passing of the torch, whatever analogy you want to use. Like it is going to look different in 2028. And it will also sort of look the same. Right. But I think it will skew as it has, you know, a little bit younger when we, when we do look ahead to that 2028 roster before we.
- [39:54]
Ben Pickman
Get into that for just a little bit. Like Sabrina, we talked a lot last week about the world and how they, you know, stand and fare against the American teams. You know, we kind of went back and forth on some of this. There was a, you know, Noah Eagle on the broadcast on NBC was kind of big on harping on this, shows that the world is closer to Team USA than maybe some people thought. I mean, he's obviously not alone in believing that. Where do you think, like, is the world actually getting closer to Team usa or do you think this is just kind of an anomaly of a performance or that, you know, Team USA had a little bit of an off night in France at home, played, you know, the best possible defense it could play, and mucked it up enough to make this a one point game. Can you, can we read into this performance and, you know, extrapolate it to the broader context here at all, or are we crazy for doing so?
- [40:53]
Sabrina Merchant
I mean, I think France is better than I thought they were coming into this tournament. The general state of the world, other than US Basketball, I think still has a little bit of a ways to go in terms of approximating the talent and the consistency of what the Americans can put out in any given tournament. And like, this is not like the men's side. They take every tournament seriously. They win the World Cup, Sandy Olympics, like, they're out there every two years making this happen. So I do think that there's still a definite hurdle for everybody else to clear. But I will say that, like, maybe it was the home court advantage. Maybe it was just like the special elixir of, like, the men's team doing so well and the women's team doing so well. And they're capturing the magic of the Paris energy and all of that put together that created this special moment for the French team. But, you know, Gabby Williams is a legit international star and they have so many young players, as you mentioned on the live blog with Marine Fatu and Salon. And, you know, Dominique Belonga got some minutes in this game and obviously Layla Lacan was pretty good in her minutes. So there is, there's something to look forward to with France in terms of their basketball future. But I still think there was something magical about this particular Paris Olympics that amplified what they were capable of. And I'm not willing to say that, like, they're this close to the US on an average day, but it was obviously, like, a really impressive performance. I mean, they. They took the US closer than anybody has in the last 61 Olympic Games, so they obviously deserve a lot of credit for that. But I am, you know, I've been very bullish on the US this entire time, even across the course of this game. So I'm not willing to, you know, hang them out to draw yet.
- [42:20]
Ben Pickman
Shantelle, what's at you after being there and seeing all these games in person?
- [42:23]
Chantel Jennings
Yeah, I mean, we've. I don't know how many different ways we can say it. It's the accumulation of the best talent in the world. And I think as other teams have grown, you know, they've gone from having two or three players on the floor that can hang with the U.S. to having five players on the floor that can Hang with the U.S. and at the same time, I think coaching has elevated in women's basketball, and I think you've seen programs go out and hire the best of the best. You know, Germany went out and hired Canada's coach. Like the Belgium team, they had a coaching change, but their new coach that came in has really elevated their program. They, you know, they finished seventh in Tokyo. They finished fourth here in Paris. And so I think it's an elevation of everything. But at the end of the day, the US For a lot of reasons, I think because of Title nine, because of how rich the college basketball landscape is and the ability for these players to play in eybl. And this isn't a knock on sort of the players who play as young professionals and professional leagues across Europe. But I think all of it funnels into the wnba, which is the best league in the world, and Team USA is always going to pick from that league, the best Americans in that league. And so, you know, they have a head start in that way over other countries. And I think other countries are continuing to pick up speed and continuing to grow, but so, too are the Americans. And so, yeah, and all of this is going to be moot because in 2028, they're going to have home court advantage. And that's just going to be hilarious, you know, like, as much as the French crowd sort of willed, you know, willed the French to this title game, and, you know, in Japan, obviously they didn't have fans in the arena, but I think playing on your home turf means something. But, yeah, the Americans in 2020, it is just going to be silly.
- [44:12]
Ben Pickman
See, But I don't know if I fully agree with that because I think there will obviously be times in which the crowds will be amazing and women's basketball is going to get primetime showings. But a part of me thinks to like NCAA tournament environments, right? When you have like a one seed who's playing at home or, you know, a one seed in a neutral site that they are so the clear favorite and suddenly here comes this pesky underdog who you know shouldn't be there, doesn't have the talent to match up with it. And you watch some of these games and like the fans, the home fans that are there in abundance tighten up a little bit. Like they get tight, they get nervous. And I think players do feel that energy, like for all the potential benefits and the, the joys that come with playing at home. And we certainly saw that from France at this tournament. Like, I do think there is a potential added layer of anxiety or stress or like, you know, are the Americans, like, if they played this game, you know, riding. Now they're riding a 61 game win streak into the next Olympics. If they play this kind of close game in a semi or at home, like, I don't know, just the, does the nervous energy of the like, oh, snap, like this could really happen of the crowd, does that weigh on them? And suddenly it leads to more turnovers and more kind of madness. The way we feel in the college game, like, that's the other side of this coin that I do think we might feel in Los Angeles. Now maybe the talent discrepancy is still so large that we don't. But I'm just thinking about that and as Sabrina mentioned, I'm thinking about it in the context of France, who, you know, fatu is just 23, Lacan's 20, Malonga's 18, Rupert is 23, Salon is 22. Like, Gabby Williams will be 31 at the next Olympics. Like, a lot of these players are hitting their primes. In four years, they're not going to forget this experience. They're going to be better pros then. So I don't know, like the crowd. I can make the case both ways here. Sabrina, are you buying that?
- [46:07]
Sabrina Merchant
I mean, I think home court advantage is definitely more beneficial for an underdog than it is for a favorite. It definitely galvanizes you more if you need something to help you power through. And there's definitely some anxiety that comes through when it's like, I remember just thinking about Caitlin Clark talking about how they just needed to get out of Iowa City and play those games. On a neutral site when they were in the tournament just this past season. Like, there was so much tension, clearly when they were playing West Virginia, that just wasn't there later in the tournament when they got out of that home court. So I know I can be tempted to recognize that home court might not be as beneficial for the US as it was for France, but it also means that nobody else is benefiting from it. So I think that in general helps the Americans.
- [46:47]
Ben Pickman
That's a very fair point. And I guess, Sabrina, you said you know one of the players who might be one of the faces of the 2028 team in your answer there, that is Caitlin Clark. And I guess as we wrap this conversation up, let's just pause for a second and maybe take a very quick look or an early look ahead at 2028. I mean, Sabrina, how do you think the 2028 roster will look different? Who do you think will be coaching that team? What will be different when it comes to your home turf in LA just a few years from now?
- [47:17]
Sabrina Merchant
You know, it's funny, I did the same exercise back when the 2021 Olympics ended. On the WNBA podcast, I used to have shout out to my old guy, Evan Gualberto, who does great WNBA video if you want to follow him. But I got eight out of 12 that time. So I'm going to see if I can put down some names later today and look back in four years and see how I did. But it's interesting because I don't think anybody screams as like an there's going to be like four players that scream as like obvious age outs of this current Olympic roster. And yet there are a lot more than four who I think are going to be knocking on the DO to try to get on next Olympic team. Right? We're talking about Clark, we're talking about Paige Becker is Cameron Brink, Angel, Reese, Aaliyah, Boston. Like even younger players. I didn't even mention juju Watkins. Like there's so many players who could be trying to get onto that team that there just might not be room for because Stewie and Asia still exist. And you know, Sabrina Nescun and Pisa Collier. Like they're all just going to be at great ages for this next Olympics. So I don't know, it's going to take me a little, a little whittling down to figure this out.
- [48:18]
Chantel Jennings
But okay, but who are your four age outs? That's what I'm curious about.
- [48:22]
Sabrina Merchant
Thomas, Griner, Tarazi and Gray.
- [48:25]
Chantel Jennings
Interesting as as Gray walked by today in the mix zone Tarasi said to her, you know, something about like, you'll be in la. And she like sort of nodded and smiled and walked by. So that's an interesting behind the scenes for you.
- [48:40]
Sabrina Merchant
Maybe this is a bad tournament to judge Chelsea Gray off of, considering she's coming off of Broken Foot. But this was not the ideal point guard that I want to see in four years at the 2028 Olympics.
- [48:51]
Ben Pickman
I was just going to say, is Diana Taurasi going to be on the selection committee in four years making that decision?
- [48:58]
Chantel Jennings
No, I think she fully, she made the joke many times, but she just said, you know, I'm going to be in la, on the beach with a beer in my hand. And I fully expect her to be like, basically what sue and Megan were at all of the like soccer and women's basketball games like at the Olympics this year. You know, Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird showed up today and I just thought like, wow, you guys partied with the U.S. women's National Team all night and you're here. Megan Rapinoe is wearing sunglasses. I was like, yep, that checks out. But commitment, I appreciate the commitment. I, I'm going to honor your commitment and showing up. Way to go. I think come 2028, Penny and Diana will probably join that group as well.
- [49:36]
Ben Pickman
The ceremonial partiers of the, of the tournament.
- [49:39]
Chantel Jennings
I mean, they've earned it.
- [49:41]
Ben Pickman
They should. They definitely have. They definitely have. I mean, Sabrina, I would also throw Ryan Howard. She was a name, you know, as you were rattling off names like Ryan Howard, someone else who just won a medal on the 3x3 team, I think someone who obviously is in the Team USA system, was one of the last cuts of this 5 on 5 team and she'll only be closer to her prime or hitting her prime in four years and someone I think like very much will, will have a spot here. I think the coach, you know, question is also a very interesting one, right? That like this kind of Don Staley to Cheryl Reeve path seemed kind of natural. And Cheryl has obviously been with Team USA forever. You know, she mentioned post game that Mike Tebow, this will be the last game he ever coaches. He's the winningest coach in WNB history. Not really a surprise there as he's, you know, already kind of left the WNBA sideline for the Mystics front office full time. But there is a little bit of a question here at coach to Carol Lawson, someone, you know, the Duke women's basketball head coach who was on Cheryl staff and you know, had the scout, I believe for Sunday's game could be there. Kurt Miller, another assistant with a lot of, you know, WNBA experience in big games, could be the head coach. You know, I think a dark horse name that I wouldn't be shocked if some people started to clamor for is someone like Becky Hammond, who didn't ever play for the United States and the senior national team. She played for Russia when she was a player. But I think Becky is, you know, widely regarded as the best or, you know, top two coaches in the WNBA. And the roster in 2028 should have a lot of familiar names to her. Asia Wilson, Jackie Young, Kelsey Plum, of course, I think the locks of that group and we'll see what happens with Chelsea Grace. So, you know, I think Becky Hammond could be another really interesting possibility if they decide to go out of someone who is not currently in the Team USA system right now and bring someone like that on. Chantelle, what do you kind of think of roster in coach as we take a very early look at 2028, I.
- [51:28]
Chantel Jennings
Think Kara Lawson to me feels like the person who has been most groomed to take over the team in 2028. You look back at, you know, basically every coach who has led during this streak was an assistant before they were a head coach. And you look at Carol Lawson. She won gold with three on three in Tokyo. She was an assistant on this staff with Tebow and Cheryl. And you know, we have, we should say Cheryl hasn't made any definitive announcement. Right. Or did she say something in the post game on tv?
- [51:58]
Ben Pickman
No definitive announcement here. But I think, you know, Team USA tends to move one. You know, you get a cycle and this was her cycle, clearly.
- [52:05]
Chantel Jennings
Right. And Gino Auriema coached twice in 2012 and 2016, but similarly was an assistant before he was. And you don't necessarily based again, past doesn't necessarily need to be future here at all. But Team USA tends to be a team and a program that's very rooted in what it does. It has a new national senior team director right now, Bri Weiss. Carol Callen retired ahead of this Olympic cycle. So maybe they do sort of step outside of the box of what they've done before. But you know, I think Carol Lawson. But you know, I also said that I thought Carol Lawson was going to get the Tennessee job and that obviously didn't happen. So I have a great track record of picking Carol Lawson as someone who's going to get a job and than being very wrong in terms of players for the next cycle. Yeah, I mean, I think it's you sort of have these groups where it's like you have the age outs, you have the single appearance players, which, you know, every, every cycle there's like at least one of those. Errol Atkins was the notable one for this most recent cycle. So you sort of look at who's on the team right now as a first time Olympian, that's not going to be an age out who might be a single Olympic appearance person. And I don't know exactly who that would be. I think Alyssa Thomas is someone who isn't necessarily going to age out of the system, but she came back into this program specifically because Cheryl Reeve brought her back in. And so Cheryl Reeve is gone. Does that also mean Alyssa Thomas is gone? It'll be very interesting. And I'm curious how, given how much attention the selection process got this past cycle with Caitlin Clark, 2028 in Los Angeles, you have a player who has sort of resurrected USC in la making women's basketball really hot there right now. Does that sort of become an argument for her? Is this going to change the selection process at all? Has, has the Caitlin Clark discourse changed the way that Team USA is going to do anything? I would venture a guess no. However, we've been wrong about these things before and, and it'll be interesting to see how they make decisions moving forward. And again, given sort of how this was an older roster that ultimately in terms of playing time skewed younger, maybe they do bring along those younger players that aren't going to play as much in their first Olympic experience because they know they'll be the future of the program. So I think there's a lot of possibilities with what happens in 2028, and.
- [54:22]
Ben Pickman
I guess we will have a lot of time to discuss that. But let's put a final bow on the Paris Olympics and let's actually just for a second, extend our scope from beyond just the basketball. And maybe Sabrina, you can reflect on this first and then I'll reflect and then we'll let Chantelle have the final word on Paris because she is obviously the one who is there, I guess for each of you guys like Sabrina first, like what were just your maybe three favorite non Olympic basketball, men's or women's. So we'll exclude all basketball on the five on five and I guess three on three.
- [54:55]
Sabrina Merchant
I would not have made the list.
- [54:57]
Ben Pickman
Yeah, yeah. I was going to say unless the German 3 on 3 team is up there, but maybe they aren't. What were your favorite 3 non basketball moments just from these games as you watched them and consumed all the action from every sport.
- [55:12]
Sabrina Merchant
Just off the top of my head, I would say Quincy hall winning that race, the 400, just gutting it out at the very end. You rarely see, like physical exertion so obvious on these athletes. So that was a really cool moment, having him get gold for the Americans. I loved artistic swimming. Just that the light to watch over and over again. It was the only sport my mom could get into during these Olympics and we had a lovely time watching that together. So there's so many things I watch the Olympics and I think there's no way I could possibly do that. And I watch artistic swimming. I'm like, there's literally no way I could do any of that. And then, let's see. I love the water. I love relays. So any relay that Tory Husk was on, love her.
- [55:51]
Ben Pickman
That's good for me. I mean, I think, I think Chantel might, this might be on your list too. It was some of the American distance running. I mean, Grant Fisher, for me, kind of maybe the star, the number one name I will remember from these Olympics, he first, you know, took Bronze in the 10,000 meter race, you know, a 26, 27, 28 minute, just grinding race that he closed so strong with such an amazing kick that like, I will just remember that. And the emotions I felt watching that. And then for him to close out his Olympics, you know, with the 5,000 meter bronze, again, similar race, obviously half the distance, but that was so, so memorable. I think number two for me is watching Novak Djokovic, someone who his whole career, you know, the greatest men's tennis player, maybe the greatest tennis player of all time, obviously the grand slam leader. Basically the one thing he didn't have on his resume was an Olympic gold medal. And to see the emotions that he felt. And he broke down in tears and just couldn't contain himself after beating Carlos Alcaraz in a final that was so, so thrilling. And having already defeated Rafael Nadal like earlier in the tournament, to me, like just an all time great, doing all time great things. And then seeing the kind of reactions of the U.S. women's gymnastics team, right, as they took gold as well, led by Simone Biles as well. Again, a great. Who, you know, I don't know. I've had something to prove. But obviously, like she did not individually have her best Olympics in Tokyo. And so for her to lead this group in this Olympics, I mean, those are three things you could keep going with so many other moments.
- [57:39]
Sabrina Merchant
Three other things I want to say.
- [57:40]
Ben Pickman
Yeah, exactly. Like I'm like, okay, there are other things that I wish. Should I have said that? Should I have said that? I'm going back and forth too, but I guess we'll leave it there for now, I guess. Chantel, maybe if you want to break the three here, since you saw so many in person. Women's soccer, I'll cheat and throw a fourth in there. Obviously an amazing win there. Chantel, you were there. Break the list, do three, do four, do five. Just empty the notebook on whatever you want to say of things you will Remember from Paris 2024.
- [58:07]
Chantel Jennings
Yeah, so the really weird thing about covering the Olympics is that you kind of have to exist in your own vortex or else you will just break because you're, you know, you're working like 14, 16 hour days a lot of the time and, you know, you can't. You can't pay attention to everything. I didn't watch any swimming because it just, like, didn't work with my schedule. And so Tori Husk probably did great, but I couldn't tell you anything she did, even though I've been in Paris for three weeks. And so you're kind of stuck in your bubble. Like, even when I got sent to Nice and Marseille to cover the Canadian women's soccer team, who, you know, was this group of incredible players that were reeling from the revelation that their coaching staff had cheated. And I had told a colleague, I was like, oh, I'm going to Nice tomorrow to cover Canada soccer. And she was like, oh, why? I was like, oh, because there was a massive cheating scandal and it was just like, you know, you sort of exist in your bubbles and no one else knows what's sort of going on outside of their lane because it's. If you even try to, you'll explode. And so all of the best things that I saw at the Olympics were things that I literally saw because I wasn't able to watch much of it. But I'll say sort of the first thing is just like walking around and seeing Olympians in the wild. Like, you're just like walking down the street and then someone who's really fit walks by you and they're wearing, you know, whatever, like Poland. And you're like, that's an athlete. And it's just like, you sort of feel like you're in this, this world of like, you know, I'm like a Muggle and these, like, people are walking by and I'm like, oh, my gosh, what do you do? How good are you at it? Like, don't have enough Time for these questions. I was on the metro one night and the woman, there weren't a lot of people and the woman sitting across from me was fully kitted out in Canada stuff. And I said, oh, are you a part of the Canadian Federation? She said, yeah, she coaches artistic swimming, funny enough, Sabrina. And we start chatting and she hears that I work for the Athletic. But she actually thought. I said, I do athletics. So she thought, which is what track is called in the Olympics. And so she said, for who? And I said, for the Athletic. And she said, well, where are you from? And I said, Minnesota. And she said, oh, for the Americans. And I was like, well, the Athletic is in America. And it was this like hilarious sort of like back and forth. That was wonderful. So that was just sort of that experience of like walking by greatness on your way to like grab a cup of coffee. It was pretty cool. The second best thing I saw was speed climbing. This was like the one sport that I really wanted to cover. When we were in our meetings, everyone sort of raised their hands for like, what do you want to cover that's not, you know, what you're sort of going to cover? And I said, shotgun speed climbing. And everyone's like, all you, Chantal, not a problem. But it's just really unbelievable to see a person scale essentially a five story building in less than five seconds with your own eyes. YouTube doesn't do it justice. So that was really, really cool. And my third coolest probably, you know, just seeing Simone Biles. I was there the night that the team won their team gold. And I think back to, you know, sort of the seminal moments of my childhood. Like, the Magnificent Seven was such an important early childhood memory for me of like, what female athletes could be and do and like when they work together and all of those sort of cheesy things. But it was really cool to be in Bersey arena to watch the Golden Girls or their. I guess we can't swear on the.
- [61:36]
Sabrina Merchant
Podcast they're less the F Around and Find out.
- [61:39]
Chantel Jennings
Yeah, the F Around and Find out crew. But yeah, to see them win gold was. Was also really, really cool. Also, and we haven't even talked about this. We had texted often about Gala's Freed From Desire.
- [61:52]
Sabrina Merchant
Freed from Desire.
- [61:53]
Chantel Jennings
So last night as I'm covering the Olympic gold medal game between Brazil and the US in soccer, Meg Linehan, our fearless soccer writer, looks at me and says, don't freak out, but I saw someone doing a sound check and I think it's Gala. I think she's going to perform Freed From Desire. And I was like, you shut your mouth. This is not happening. This is. This is a song that we have just heard constantly for three weeks. I was like, I can't believe this is going to happen. This is incredible. And lo and behold, before the game starts, she walks out, and Meg's like, get your camera out. And so we both are, like, videotaping it. And she walks onto the field with four dancers that I can best describe as in sort of, like, base jumping outfits, where when they put their arms up, it's sort of like there's still fabric there. Two are in, like, sparkly red, two are in sparkly blue. And she performed Freed From Desire live for park des Princes ahead of the Brazil US Women's National Team. So that's my bonus piece that it was just like, you know, Meg and I are sitting in the press box, like, fist pumping, and we're like, I can't believe this is our life right now. This is.
- [63:00]
Sabrina Merchant
It's a banger. This is the real banger. And it's the kind of thing where, like, even watching on tv, I could tell that this song was playing over and over again. Like, the na na na na over and, like, watching the video of the Serbian basketball team, like, celebrating their bronze medal in the bus, listening to the Serbian techno remix of this song, like, it was perfect.
- [63:16]
Chantel Jennings
Like, it's not a great song, but it is, like, the best effing song you've ever heard in your life. And being in an arena with, like, 40,000 people going, Da na na na, it's just like, you can't hate it. Except I do kind of now. Like, I'm ready to never hear that song again.
- [63:30]
Ben Pickman
I was gonna ask you, do you know all the words to Call Me maybe yet? Or are you taking a break from.
- [63:34]
Chantel Jennings
Listening to God's Odd? Geez. Truly, the music choices here have been a choice. But, yeah, I do know everywhere to call Me maybe. And then it was like when the U.S. women's National Team won every cliche song that involves the usa, Like, Born in the usa, Beach Boys, Surf in usa. It was like, they didn't play Party in the usa. No, apparently that was out of the discography. But, yeah, it was just like, the music choices have been a choice.
- [64:02]
Ben Pickman
Well, I guess now you'll just have to wait to hear those songs until you return to the United States. And, you know, maybe at customs when you get back home, they'll be playing that music to welcome you back to this country. And I think we could probably go on for another hour just hearing stories that you have, some of your food recommendations, other travel stories from trains, planes and all the different places you were. But you know, there is another place that you can understand some of those thoughts, and that is theathletic.com or newyorktimes.com athletic where you can read Chantel's vital stories from Paris, the final stories of David Aldridge and a number of other colleagues who were in Paris covering these Olympic Games, basketball and otherwise. So I would recommend checking out the website and other kind of podcasts that are recapping the Games for more of our Olympic coverage as we finish off the 2024 Paris Games and then this week, WNBA season resumes on Thursday with, you know, the second half of what should be a really, really exciting season. Hard to believe that Brianna Stewart and Asia Wilson, they will be playing games for a whole other team by the end of this week, which is pretty crazy to think about. And before then we will be back with another podcast to get you set for the second half of the WNBA season. But until then, for Ben Pickman, for Chantelle Jennings, for Sabrina Merchant, thank you all for listening, reading, enjoying our Olympic coverage and so much more to look forward to in the Olympics. And LA 2028 will be here sooner than we know it and so we will talk to you all later this week.
- [65:42]
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- [66:08]
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- [67:01]
Chantel Jennings
ACAST powers the world's best podcasts. Here's a show that we recommend.
- [67:08]
Ben Pickman
Hey guys.
- [67:09]
Sabrina Merchant
Welcome to Giggly Squad, a place where we make fun of everything, but most importantly ourselves.
- [67:14]
Ben Pickman
I'm Paige desorbo.
- [67:15]
Sabrina Merchant
I'm Hannah Berner. Welcome to the squad. Giggly Squad started on Summer House when we were giggling during an inappropriate time.
- [67:21]
Ben Pickman
But of course we can't be managed.
- [67:24]
Sabrina Merchant
So we decided to start this podcast to continue giggling.
- [67:26]
Ben Pickman
We will make fun of pop culture news.
- [67:29]
Sabrina Merchant
We're watching fashion trends pep talks where.
- [67:32]
Ben Pickman
We give advice, mental health moments and games and guests.
- [67:35]
Sabrina Merchant
Listen to Giggly Squad on Acast or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [67:40]
Chantel Jennings
Acast helps creators launch, grow and monetize their podcasts everywhere. Acast.com.