The basic definition of what makes a sports dynasty is when a team or individual produces a sustained run of excellence. If any team has gone above and beyond such a premise, it is the USA Basketball Women’s National Team.

In a thrilling, nail-biting 67-66 win over France on Sunday, Team USA closed out the Paris Olympics with their eighth-consecutive gold medal and 61st-consecutive Olympic victory. A feat which is unparalleled in international basketball history. When it comes to sustaining a consistent run of dominance in the midst of rapid change in sports and other aspects of society, the American women have come to epitomize the true essence of dynasty.

The beginning of the dynasty can be traced back to the historic 1996 Olympic team, led by head coach Tara VanDerveer and featuring future legends Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes, Rebecca Lobo and Dawn Staley. After an exhibition tour in which they won an outstanding 59-consecutive games, they steamrolled their way into Atlanta to put women’s basketball on the map. They are credited with paving the way for the launch of the WNBA in 1997.

Since then, the women of Team USA have never relented on the world stage. Even as dynasty runs in other sports (Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors in the NBA; New England Patriots in the NFL; UConn Huskies and Tennessee Lady Vols in NCAA women’s basketball; New York Yankees in MLB) ebb and flow before eventual decline, this team has been able to sustain without any obvious difficulty or real threat to their dominance. Thus, the US women are objectively in the midst of the premiere dynastic run in modern sports.

Things couldn’t be better for the women’s game as it continues to grow in popularity, both in the US and abroad. The competition is expected to get stronger and the talent pool deeper, as evidenced by France’s solid performance that kept them close to the US.

As the countdown begins for Los Angeles in 2028, the hype has already started with the notion of Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, JuJu Watkins, Paige Buckers and Aliyah Boston playing alongside the likes of A’ja Wilson, Kahleah Copper and Sabrina Ionescu. From now until then, the game’s growth will not slow, especially with these names coming down the pike.

Who knows when it will end, but for now, nobody can touch Team USA.

The 2024 Olympic Games are in the books.

After Team USA cruised through their first five games of the women’s 5×5 basketball competition, the gold medal final against France proved to be the toughest of the Americans’ 61-straight Olympic wins. Nevertheless, the United States survived to claim an eighth-straight gold medal, leaving France with silver. Australia earned the bronze over Belgium.

Here are Swish Appeal’s final takeaways from the Paris Games:

Team USA is human after all

Yes, Team USA won the gold. The victory makes it 61 in a row in Olympic play and a record eight-straight golds. Still, the margin of victory was one point, leaving me wary of the future. Like a person barely making ends meet, we survived another month. But what about the next? France pushed Team USA to the brink, and in four years, where will the rest of the world be? I shudder to think about the 61-game streak ending on our land after accomplishing everything USA Basketball has over these last few decades.

Sunday night, Monday morning and maybe even a few days after, these women should celebrate as much as they’d like. However, if you needed a wake-up call that the rest of the world is coming, this is it. The men have already experienced this, losing games here and there and failing to win the gold in 2004. Let’s see how the women adjust so 2028 can be as successful as 2024. — Edwin Garcia

Leïla Lacan is WNBA-ready

France’s Leïla Lacan, the No. 10 overall pick in this year’s WNBA Draft, wasn’t brought over by the Connecticut Sun this season. They view Lacan as a project, understandably so. She’s less than two months removed from her 20th birthday and would be the youngest player in the WNBA by nearly two years. Stashing her in France, rather than burying her underneath an experienced Connecticut bench, would stimulate Lacan’s development while the Sun retained her rights.

An impressive Olympic showing may accelerate her timeline. Lacan wasn’t a cornerstone of the French team, but they trusted her with meaningful minutes in meaningful games. She led France in plus/minus during their first knockout game against Germany, and finished the tournament with a 2.0 assist-to-turnover ratio. Lacan proved that she’s mature enough to impact winning at a high level, and could see productive minutes off the Connecticut bench next season. Given her age, she has one of the highest ceilings amongst 2024 draftees. — Beckett Harrison

Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Emma Meesseman is still one of the best players in the world

Belgium is a country that has been on the rise in recent years, having qualified in its first-ever Summer Olympics in 2020 and finishing in fourth place in 2024, and Meesseman has been the fulcrum of that success. It’s been over a decade now since the skilled forward made her WNBA debut for the Washington Mystics, and though we haven’t seen her play in America since 2022 with the Chicago Sky, there’s no question that she’s still at the top of her game.

Meesseman finished the 2024 Olympics leading all players in scoring at 23.3 points per game while shooting the ball at the highly efficient clip we’ve come to expect from her (58.4 percent from the field). She was also one of three Belgian players (Julie Vanloo and Antonia Delaere the others) to average at least four assists per game in an offense that delighted fans with its versatility and overall selflessness—two traits that just as easily define Meesseman’s career as a professional. Meesseman has already proven she can win at the highest level in the WNBA, KBSL (Turkey) and EuroLeague Women, and her leadership of the up-and-coming Belgian national team may be her greatest feat yet. — Eric Nemchock

Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

A’ja Wilson is HER

While having one of the best seasons in WNBA history, A’ja Wilson continues to be in full GOAT form after leading the United States to gold. As if there were any remaining questions about Wilson being the best in the W, the answer now stands with her being the best on the globe. A’ja and the women from the United States beat France in a 67-66 nail-biter as they claimed gold medals on France’s home turf, finishing 6-0 in Olympic play. Team USA has won eight-straight golds and Wilson is now up to seven gold medals of her own after yet another dominant performance for USA Basketball in international play.

Wilson finished top three in points, rebounding, blocks and efficiency, further cementing her dominance in what has so far been a masterclass of a season. I honestly couldn’t think of any argument against this legitimately being one of the best seasons for a player in the history of the league. Let’s see if her momentum continues and she can add a nice ring to it. — Myke Horrell

Photo by Jesse D. GarrabrantNBAE via Getty Images

FIBA experience matters

There is a justifiable desire by women’s basketball fans and players in the United States to see our nation’s best be able to earn their worth by playing domestically, rather than having to go overseas for a deserved payday. The sustainability of Athletes Unlimited and the forthcoming debut of Unrivaled are indicators of the increasing viability of this project. However, to continue to triumph on the international stage, both at the Olympics and in the World Cup, Team USA needs to ensure that players have extensive experience playing by FIBA rules, which is best gained by suiting up for squads that participate in EuroLeague Women or EuroCup Women.

While not a prerequisite for success (see: Wilson, A’ja), it certainly has its advantages (see: Meesseman, Emma). For Team USA, Kahleah Copper, responsible for clutch fourth-quarter heroics, has more FIBA experience than many of her American teammates, having suited up for Çukurova Basketbol Mersin during the most recent EuroLeague Women season. Napheesa Collier, another crucial player for Team USA, also spent time playing alongside Meesseman for 2023-24 EuroLeague Women champion Fenerbahçe Alagöz Holding. In Paris, Team USA proved that they’re still the best. But to remain the best, our gals might need to continue to play outside of the US. — Cat Ariail

Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

Team USA won their eighth-straight gold medal Sunday with a hard-fought 67-66 win over France.

With a gold medal in Paris, the USA Women’s National Team claimed the longest Olympic gold medal streak in a traditional team sport, passing the USA Basketball Men’s National Team, who won seven straight gold medals from 1936-1968.

It was a back-and-forth affair, but the Americans were able to claim gold thanks to a balanced effort from both the starters and the bench players.

A’ja Wilson led her team with 21 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks, and Kahleah Copper came up huge off the bench with 12 points. She scored 10 in the fourth quarter to help secure the victory.

The fourth quarter was a battle. USA and France traded buckets throughout and neither team led by more than one possession until the final minute. The last sequences defined the game began when Wilson hit a jumper that bounced off the top of the backboard and into the basket to put Team USA up 58-55 with 3:11 left. Gabby Williams, who finished with 19 points, then answered with two free throws. 

Copper scored on a driving layup, to put the USA up three with 1:19 left in the game. A minute later, Breanna Stewart blocked a 3-point attempt from France with 17.4 seconds left. Wilson made a free throw on the other end to put USA up 63-59. The teams then traded free throws back and forth before Copper’s final two points at the line clinched a victory for the Americans.

The first quarter was a defensive battle, as both teams struggled to make shots. The U.S. shot 27% from the field but made up for it with a 7-of-10 effort from the free throw line. France shot 20% from the field and did not attempt a free throw.

“That was a great game, a great French team, a great crowd, but we found a way to win,” said Diana Taurasi, who won her sixth gold medal. “That’s what these games come down to, is finding a way to win. You think it’s going to be pretty and every shot is going to go in, but the will to win is sometimes the only thing you need.”

Stewart started the game with a turnaround jumper and Wilson scored on a layup for a 4-0 lead. Williams answered with a 3-pointer for France, followed by a tough drive to the lane that gave her team a 5-4 lead with 6:28 left in the first quarter.

The red, white and blue took a five-point lead on two Kelsey Plum free throws with 2:22 left in the first quarter. After Marine Johannes hit a 2-point fadeaway, Brittney Griner scored on back-to-back possessions to give the United States a 15-9 lead heading into the second quarter.

Copper opened the second frame with a layup, but France answered with a 9-0 run, cutting Team USA’s lead down to 19-18. Wilson then stopped the run with a free-throw.

Brittney Griner, Jackie Young, A’ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier, Jewell Loyd and Diana Taurasi react after the final buzzer. USA Basketball photo.

Wilson scored on a fadeaway with 3:14, but Marine Fauthoux answered with a deep 3-pointer as the shot clock expired to tie the game at 23. The teams went scoreless for the next two minutes before Janelle Salaun made a jumper to give France a 25-23 advantage. Then, Napheesa Collier tipped in a miss from Wilson to tie things at 25 heading into halftime.

France forced 13 USA turnovers in the first half, which led to 12 points on the other end. Throughout the Olympics, the United States averaged 14.8 turnovers per game.

Williams led all scorers at halftime with eight points, while Wilson and Stewart had six and five, respectively.

France opened the second half with a 10-0 run before Plum answered with a 3-pointer. Wilson then scored on a layup to cut the French lead down to five. Another Plum 3 made it eight-straight USA points to bring the deficit to two, 33-35.

“I think something that was kind of impressive was that I don’t think any of us were startled, and we didn’t lose any composure,” Sabrina Ionescu, who had three assists, said. “We kind of just stuck with it. We were playing a really good French team in France, so we knew they were going to have the crowd, and everyone behind them. We understood that we had to chip away and just make the easy play.”

After Leila Lacan made a layup with 4:46 left in the quarter to give France a 5-point lead, The Americans answered. Wilson made two free throws and then blocked a shot which led to her scoring a layup on the other end. 

The USA took their first lead of the third quarter with 2:31 left on a Collier layup. The Americans ended the quarter on a 20-8 run to regain the lead, 45-43.

France and the United States traded points throughout the fourth quarter before Copper clinched the game with two free throws with 3 seconds left.

• Game story courtesy of USA Basketball