| Head coach | Tara VanDerveer |
|---|---|
| 1996 Summer Olympics |  |
The 1996 United States women's Olympic basketball team competed in the Games of the XXVI Olympiad which were held in Atlanta, Georgia. The U.S. women's Olympic team won their third gold medal at the event, going undefeated and beating Brazil in the Gold medal final. The team is considered to be one of the best in women's basketball history. [1]
| United States women's national basketball team roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
 Katie Smith
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21 July 1996 |
| United States | 101–84 |  Cuba |
| Pts: Leslie 24 Rebs: Leslie 7 Asts: Edwards 9 | Pts: Martínez 21 Rebs: Víctores 8 Asts: Lagnó 6 |
23 July 1996 |
Ukraine  | 65–98 | United States |
| Pts: Nazarenko 14 Rebs: Shliakhova 5 Asts:four players 2 | Pts: Bolton 21 Rebs: Leslie 9 Asts: Swoopes 7 |
25 July 1996 |
| United States | 107–47 |  Zaire |
| Pts: Azzi 18 Rebs: McCray 8 Asts: Edwards 5 | Pts: Ngalula 17 Rebs: Tshijuka, Lobela 5 Asts: Mabika 3 |
27 July 1996 |
Australia  | 79–96 | United States |
| Pts: Timms 26 Rebs: Sporn 7 Asts: Maher 3 | Pts: McClain 24 Rebs: McClain 11 Asts: Edwards 15 |
29 July 1996 |
South Korea  | 64–105 | United States |
| Pts: Jung S-m 17 Rebs: Jung S-m 6 Asts: Chun J-w 7 | Pts: McCray 16 Rebs: McCray 9 Asts: Swoopes 4 |
4 August 1996 18:35 |
Brazil  | 87–111 | United States |
| Scoring by half: 46–57, 41–54 | ||
| Pts: Arcain 24 Rebs: Alessandra 9 Asts: Paula 10 | Pts: Leslie 29 Rebs: Leslie 6 Asts: Edwards 10 | |
The '96 Olympic team is considered to be the best women's national team assembled. [11] It is also credited with helping launch the WNBA, the most successful professional women's basketball league in the United States and around the world. [12]
In 2022, ESPN aired a 30 for 30 three-part documentary series on the team called "Dream On". [13] It highlighted how far women's basketball (and in sports in general) have come and also what remains to be achieved. [14]
Lisa Deshaun Leslie is an American former professional basketball player. She is currently the head coach for Triplets in the BIG3 professional basketball league, as well as a studio analyst for Orlando Magic broadcasts on Bally Sports Florida. In 2002, Leslie made history as the first player to dunk during a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) game. Leslie was ranked 5th on ESPN.com's 2021 list of the WNBA's greatest players of all time.
Women's basketball is the team sport of basketball played by women. It was first played in 1892, one year after men's basketball, at Smith College in Massachusetts. It spread across the United States, in large parts via women's college competitions, and has since spread globally. As of 2020, basketball is one of the most popular and fastest growing sports in the world.
Suzanne Brigit Bird is an American former professional basketball player who played her entire career with the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Bird was drafted by the Storm first overall in the 2002 WNBA draft and is considered to be one of the greatest players in WNBA history. As of 2021, Bird is the only WNBA player to win titles in three different decades. She held a front office position for the NBA's Denver Nuggets as their Basketball Operations Associate. She has also played for three teams in the Russia league; and also has dual citizenship, with both U.S. and Israel.
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DeLisha Lachell Milton-Jones is an American retired professional basketball player and head coach of Old Dominion. Milton-Jones played college basketball for the University of Florida. She was a first-team All-American and SEC Player of the Year her senior season.
Kathryn Suzanne Steding is a former collegiate and professional basketball player. She is currently an assistant coach for the Stanford Cardinal women's basketball team.
Nell Fortner is the current women's college basketball coach at Georgia Tech. She is most well known for leading the 2000 Olympics team to a gold medal. She has received numerous awards including the 1997 National Coach of the Year, the 2000 USA Basketball Coach of the Year and the 2008 SEC Coach of the Year. In April 2018, she was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.
Razija Mujanović is a Bosnian former women's basketball player. She was voted the best female European basketball player three times by the Italian sports magazine La Gazzetta dello Sport. She was elected to the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2017.
Angel Lajuane McCoughtry is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and a two-time Olympic gold medalist. McCoughtry completed her college career at the University of Louisville in 2009. She was selected first overall by the Atlanta Dream in the 2009 WNBA draft and was considered its franchise player during her tenure with the team. McCoughtry has also played overseas in Turkey, Slovakia, Lebanon, Hungary and Russia.
Tina Alexandria Charles is an American professional basketball player for the Atlanta Dream of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Originally from Jamaica, Queens, New York City, Charles was drafted first overall in the 2010 WNBA draft by the Connecticut Sun. In 2009 and 2010, she and teammate Maya Moore led the Connecticut Huskies to two undefeated national championships. She has won three Olympic gold medals with Team USA.
Breanna Mackenzie Stewart, nicknamed "Stewie", is an American professional basketball player for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and Fenerbahçe of the Women's Basketball Super League, Euroleague Women.
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The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league that governs most levels of basketball in the United States. Basketball is the second most popular sport in the United States, after American football. In terms of revenue, the NBA is the third most profitable sports league in the United States and the world, after the National Football League (NFL) and Major League Baseball (MLB). Basketball was invented in 1891 by Canadian physical education teacher James Naismith in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Ariel Atkins is an American professional basketball player for the Washington Mystics of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). In addition to her playing career, she serves as a player development coach at the University of Michiganduring the off-season.
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