Lynette Woodard is one of women’s basketball’s greatest pioneers: a five-tool player who could do it all while dazzling fans with her infectious enthusiasm and magnetic smile.

Throughout her career, she has been a “first” both as an individual and as part of a team. At the University of Kansas, she is first in seven statistical categories, including scoring, rebounding and steals. She was the first woman to play for the Harlem Globetrotters.

Those are individual firsts. 40 years ago, Woodard was part of a historic group first.

At the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, she was a member of the first US Women’s National Basketball Team to bring home a gold medal. Among her teammates were Cheryl Miller, Pam McGee, Teresa Edwards and Kim Mulkey. The Americans went undefeated and dominated their opponents by double figures in every game, including a 92-61 victory over Canada in the gold medal game. All the games were played at the Great Western Forum in Los Angeles. Woodard feels “eternally grateful” for the experience, in large part for the work it took to get there.

It had been a long four years after the United States boycotted the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow over the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan. As a result, the Olympic dream of American athletes who put in years of sacrifice, including Woodard, were derailed. As she told Swish Appeal in an interview:

We worked just as hard to be there, but just overnight we weren’t able to attend. So to be able to weather the storm, if you will, for four years, continue to train, doing all the things that were necessary to make that team, I was so happy and eternally grateful to be a part of it.

It was also a long eight years after the US Women’s National Team came away with the silver medal at the 1976 Montreal Games, the first-ever Olympics to feature women’s basketball. Woodard “beams with pride” when thinking about playing alongside her fellow future legends on the 1984 team and how they would help to grow the game. She shared:

Everyone on that team had game and we respected each other’s game. It was a fantastic time. Cheryl, who was probably the number one college player at that time and had that West Coast vibe. To watch Kim Mulkey over the years, the McGee twins, they were just some heavy hitters who brought a lot to the game and really helped to build that foundation that sealed that opportunity for us to get that gold medal.

To win the first-ever gold medal for the United States in women’s basketball was one thing, but to win it at home was icing on the cake. Woodard explained:

It meant everything. We had to go through that boycott so we know that it did not have to be. You waited anxiously up until it was game time to be able to say, ‘Yes we did it, we’re here, there’s no turning back.’ It really held our focus and we just took one game at a time and that’s all you could really do. It forced us not to look too far down the road, stay right in the pocket where we needed to be, so that we can come out of there victorious.

Photo credit should read HEINE PEDERSEN/AFP/GettyImages

The 1984 Olympics were defined in large part by the exploits of the American athletes in front of a rabid partisan crowd. Mary Lou Retton won hearts with her perfect 10 performance in gymnastics. Carl Lewis cemented his status as the “world’s fastest man” with four gold medals. Edwin Moses glided his way to greatness in the 400-meter hurdles. The US boxing team, led by Evander Holyfield, became one of the most decorated. Florence Griffith Joyner made her debut. The US men’s basketball team steamrolled their way to a gold medal, led by the likes of Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing and Sam Perkins.

Woodard said being around the Olympic Village with many of these eventual superstars was unforgettable. As she describes it:

The things we got to enjoy was the Olympic Village. Being able to walk around, eat the greatest food, it was really awesome, meet a lot of people in the community. It was a vibe that was second to none and people look forward to it every Olympic Games. You want to hear about that village, you want to go to that village, you want to see that village just so you can really feel a part of what the Olympic Games is all about. A lot of folks we got to rub shoulders with before they became these megastars, it was really cool.

The 1984 team is in many ways the link between the 1976 team and the present day. They were the beginning of what has become one of the greatest dynasties in all of sports. The women of Team USA are poised to win their ninth gold medal in Paris, as well as their eighth-consecutive dating back to the historic 1996 team that captured gold at the Atlanta Games.

Woodard wants the 1984 team to be remembered as the ones “who set the foundation,” while also crediting those who came before and expressing pride in what the team has become. She said:

We brought the gold home. We can honestly say that we helped start that and, not to negate anyone, the 1976 team they did a great job too, they brought us to the silver, but we went ahead and kicked that door down. We’ve been victors ever since and we want to keep that.

Team USA’s gold medal defense in women’s 3×3 basketball is off to a rough start.

Through two pool play games, the Americans are winless, falling first to Germany and then to Azerbaijan. With only 30 total points scored, Team USA sits in eighth—and last—place. Advancement to the tournament requires a top-six finish, meaning the American quartet of Rhyne Howard, Dearica Hamby, Cierra Burdick and Hailey Van Lith have some work to do.

Fortunately, Thursday presents the Americans with an opportunity to begin to reverse their fate, as they, like all teams, will play two games. Grab two wins and, suddenly, things won’t seem so dire for the defending gold medalists. But, that’s easier said than done. Chemistry and cohesion—manifested in quick passes, timely cuts and connected defense—drive success in 3×3 basketball. Team USA has yet to establish such characteristics, as the foursome has never played together in a major tournament.

Although, as Tiffany Hayes demonstrated for Azerbaijan on Wednesday, elite individual skill still can supersede all. Against Team USA, Hayes applied all her immense athletic gifts to lead Team Azerbaijan to the 20-17 victory. Hayes finished with 11 points, dipping deep into her bag of off-the-dribble scoring tricks. She also grabbed seven boards and swatted three shots. The Americans were led by Hamby’s seven points and five rebounds, with Van Lith adding five points and Burdick chipping in four points and four boards. Howard, who missed a significant chunk of the WNBA season with an ankle injury, has struggled to find her stride in the 3×3 format, managing just a point on Wednesday.

The United States meets Australia (7 a.m. ET) and Spain (3:30 p.m. ET) on Thursday. While Australia fell to Canada in their first match, they defeated Germany on Wednesday. Spain is undefeated in pool play, with wins over Azerbaijan and France. Hayes and the Azerbaijanis meet France (6:30 a.m. ET) and Germany (12:30 p.m. ET). Overall, Hayes leads the competition in scoring (21 points), rebounding (14) and blocked shots (three).

Canada is cruising

Team USA’s northern neighbors, in contrast, are thriving on the court in Paris. The Canadians are at the top of the table, scoring 43 points across two victories. The Plouffe sisters—Michelle and Katherine—both have scored 15 points total to lead Canada to comfortable wins over Australia and China. On Thursday, they’ll aim to preserve their perfection with games against Germany (3:30 a.m. ET) and France (4 p.m. ET).

China looks to solidify spot in standings

Photo by Alex Gottschalk/DeFodi Images via Getty Images

Outside of Hayes and the Plouffe sisters, China’s Mingling Chen has been the competition’s most impressive player. The 6-foot-4 24-year-old has a competition-leading seven drives, allowing her to score efficiently on 1-point shots (71 percent shooting). After an inspiring overtime win over France in their opener, China was resoundingly defeated by the aforementioned Canadians. That decisive loss has the 1-1 Chinese in sixth place with 32 points scored, just above the winless French and Americans. China must hang onto, or improve upon, that spot in the standings to earn a berth in the tournament. Prevailing in what likely are to be two tough matches against Australia (3 a.m. ET) and Spain (12 p.m. ET) on Thursday would put them in a much stronger position.

Game information

China vs. Australia

When: Thursday, August 1 at 3 a.m. ET

Where: Place de la Concorde in Paris, France

How to watch: Peacock

Germany vs. Canada

When: Thursday, August 1 at 3:30 a.m. ET

Where: Place de la Concorde in Paris, France

How to watch: Peacock

Azerbaijan vs. France

When: Thursday, August 1 at 6:30 a.m. ET

Where: Place de la Concorde in Paris, France

How to watch: Peacock

United States vs. Australia

When: Thursday, August 1 at 7 a.m. ET

Where: Place de la Concorde in Paris, France

How to watch: NBC

China vs. Spain

When: Thursday, August 1 at 12 p.m. ET

Where: Place de la Concorde in Paris, France

How to watch: Peacock

Germany vs. Azerbaijan

When: Thursday, August 1 at 12:30 p.m. ET

Where: Place de la Concorde in Paris, France

How to watch: Peacock

Spain vs. United States

When: Thursday, August 1 at 3:30 p.m. ET

Where: Place de la Concorde in Paris, France

How to watch: E! Network

Canada vs. France

When: Thursday, August 1 at

Where: Place de la Concorde in Paris, France

How to watch: Peacock

With the WNBA is on pause, the 2024 Olympic Games are in full swing as the best women in the world are representing their countries and striving for medals in the women’s 5×5 basketball competition.

Group C, composed of Team USA, Germany, Belgium and Japan, kicked off action on Monday with two matchups. The United States opened up with a 102-76 victory over Japan and Germany handled Belgium with an 83-69 victory, marking both opening games as uneventful blowouts and leaving Team USA and Germany as the top two teams in the group with two points a piece.

How Team USA, Germany dominated

Both opening games were smooth sailing for one country and a nightmare for the other.

Team USA did Team USA stuff. Fueled by a terrific team effort, the women from the United States were catapulted by the two-headed dragon of Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson as they combined for 46 of 102 points, 21 rebounds and seven assists, leaving Japan no chance to mount a comeback as Team USA led every quarter.

Germany jumped out to an early lead and got a well-rounded effort from their starting lineup as nearly every starter logged double-digit points and the team shot better than 50 percent from the floor. They also dominated the glass. Belgium struggled with their footing from the tip and never established a true groove in this matchup, despite an impressive showing from Emma Meesseman.

What’s next?

With the second round of Group C games set to tip off on Thursday, it is up Japan and Belgium to make a push for the quarterfinals. Japan will meet Germany at 5 a.m. ET (Peacock), while Belgium will battle Team USA at 2:45 p.m. ET (USA Network).

Game information

Japan vs. Germany

When: Thursday, August 1 at 5 a.m. ET

Where: Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France

How to watch: Peacock

Belgium vs. United States

When: Thursday, August 1 at 2:45 p.m. ET

Where: Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France

How to watch: USA Network

In the second set of Group B games on Thursday, Nigeria and France will play for group supremacy, as both teams won their openers. While France’s victory over Canada might have been expected, Nigeria’s win over Australia certainly was not expected.

If you’re a fan of the EuroLeague, you were not surprised by how good of a showing Gabby Williams (12 points, eight assists, five steals), Marième Badiane or Janelle Salaün had against Canada. France sit at the top of the table thanks to scoring the same amount of points as Nigeria, but holding Canada to just 54 points.

How D’Tigress stunned the Opals

Nigeria will be looking for another upset after winning 75-62 against Australia. After some hesitation at the beginning of their first game, D’Tigress picked up the pace and entered halftime up by 13 points. 19 of their 41 points came off turnovers, which the Opals committed in bunches. No team can expect to have the lead after losing the ball 16 times during a half! The play of that time period, if not the whole game, was Murjanatu Musa’s block on Ezi Magbegor as the Seattle Storm big was driving to the basket. In the second half, Australia tried to regain control over the game, but missed field goals and free throws, as well as 10 more turnovers, didn’t help their cause. Nigeria’s hustle was unmatched on that day; they simply wanted it more.

During Swish Appeal’s interview with Ify Okoro before the Olympics, she said:

We enjoy basketball and we are coming to put a stamp on our name, you know, just to make Africa proud. Take it one game at a time. Just focus on executing. That’s the thing. We are just gonna come and do our thing and try to win as much games as we can.

Their tenacity would be enough to do that, but by playing their game, they were able to shock the world.

What’s next?

Now, the Opals are in a must-win situation, which is bad for them, but good for us casual viewers, who will get to see them meet Canada in a potential barn-burner. The result of that game depends on efficiency. Canada must shoot better from long distance than their 5-of-18 performance against France. They’re capable of that, just as much as the Opals are of executing better than they did against Nigeria. If they play like they did in the second half, we’ll be in for a tight, exciting contest.

Game information

Australia vs. Canada

When: Thursday, August 1 at 7:30 a.m. ET

Where: Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France

How to watch: Peacock, nbcolympics.com

France vs. Nigeria

When: Thursday, August 1 at 11:15 a.m. ET

Where: Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France

How to watch: Peacock, nbcolympics.com