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.
