Team USA is loaded with talent, but the 12 players representing the United States aren’t the only WNBA players who are competing in the Paris Olympics. Sixteen other players are making appearances, representing Australia, Canada, Germany, Belgium, China, Spain and Azerbaijan.
Here’s where to find your favorite international players:
Australia
After the United States, the Opals have the most current WNBA players on their Olympic roster. Ezi Magbegor and Sami Whitcomb of the Seattle Storm, Rebecca Allen of the Phoenix Mercury, Alanna Smith of the Minnesota Lynx and Jade Melbourne of the Washington Mystics. Also on the team is former WNBA player, Storm legend and Hall of Famer, Lauren Jackson.
Magbegor headlines a stacked Australian squad that’s looking for its first medal since 2012. In the 2021 Olympics, the Opals were knocked out in the quarterfinals. The 6-4 center will anchor Australia’s defense, like she does for the Storm. Magbegor is averaging 2.4 blocks per game this season in the WNBA, which is the highest mark in her career, and currently the second best in the league behind American star A’ja Wilson. As a whole, Australia should have a solid interior defense, as Smith is also one of the WNBA’s leading shot-blockers, averaging 1.8 per game, which is the third most of active players.
Offensively, Magbegor is averaging 13.3 points per game. Smith is also enjoying her best season in the WNBA, averaging 11.5 points and shooting 43.6% from beyond the arc. Allen and Whitcomb are also sharpshooters. Allen averages 1.4 3-pointers per game in Phoenix, where she is playing her ninth WNBA season, and Whitcomb makes 1.3 per game. She’s in her eighth WNBA season.
Melbourne, who is the WNBA’s youngest player at 21, has carved out a role in Washington, where she is averaging 5.8 points in 13.6 minutes per game. In a 77-74 exhibition loss to Canada on July 23, Melbourne led the Opals with 23 points. This is her first Olympic appearance.
Canada
Team Canada boasts four WNBA players, including Aaliyah Edwards, who is one of two rookies to make an Olympic roster. She joins fellow Mystics teammates Melbourne (Australia) and Julie Vanloo (Belgium) in competing for their respective countries.
Edwards was named the Canadian women’s basketball player of the week on June 11, after an impressive stretch with the Mystics where she averaged 14 points and 10.3 rebounds over four games. Overall the UConn graduate is averaging 8.6 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, with a career-high 23 points and 14 rebounds against Chicago on June 6.
Bridget Carleton of the Lynx will also represent Canada in her second Olympic games. As a starter for the Lynx, Carleton is having her best WNBA season, averaging 8.9 points and 3.9 rebounds, while shooting 43.5% from 3-point range. That’s the third-best mark in the league, right behind Smith, her Lynx teammate and Australian national team member.
Sparks guard Kia Nurse, who is averaging 7.9 points per game, and Atlanta guard Laeticia Amihere, who has played sparingly for the Dream, round out the WNBA players on the roster.
Germany
American spectators got a glimpse of Team Germany on Tuesday, when it competed against Team USA in an exhibition game. Three WNBA players competed on the German side in an 84-57 loss at the hands of America.
Leonie Fiebich and Nyara Sabally both play for the Liberty, and Satou Sabally is on the roster for the Wings.
Fiebich has played well off the bench for New York this season, with her best performances coming in July, when she had multiple double-digit scoring performances. In the exhibition loss to the United States, Fiebich was her team’s second-leading scorer with 12 points, 3 assists and 2 steals. Nyara Sabally finished with 9 points and 10 rebounds.
Satou Sabally is making her return to basketball after missing the first half of the WNBA season with a shoulder injury sustained in a FIBA Qualifying Tournament in February. She will be a key piece for Germany, despite not looking fully healthy against the United States in the exhibition. She finished with 8 points on 3-for-17 shooting. But WNBA fans know what the older Sabally sister is capable of after watching her average 18.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.8 steals for Dallas last season.
Belgium
There are three familiar faces on the Belgian national team, but only one is currently in the WNBA. Julie Vanloo, who plays for the Washington Mystics, will represent Belgium alongside Emma Meesseman and Julie Allemand, who have both had successful WNBA careers despite not playing this season.
In a qualifying game in February, Vanloo gave Team USA all it could handle, scoring 19 points in a close 81-79 loss. She made five 3-pointers in the game and also dished out four assists. As a 31-year-old rookie for the Mystics, Vanloo is averaging 8 points and 5.1 assists per game.
China
Both Han Xu and Meng Li have played in the WNBA previously, but LA’s Li Yueru is the only current Chinese Olympian in the league. She previously played for the Sky in 2022, but saw just 6.1 minutes per game in 16 appearances. She’s made an impact for LA this season, playing in 22 games and finishing with a career-high 18 points and 7 rebounds against the Storm on June 11.
Spain
Despite being born in Wisconsin and playing college basketball at Iowa, Megan Gustafson became a Spanish citizen in order to play in the Olympics. Spain is getting a prolific scorer, as Gustafson averaged 27.8 points per game as a senior in college, earning Player of the Year honors. She currently plays for the Las Vegas Aces, averaging 8.8 minutes per game.
Azerbaijan
Tiffany Hayes, who also plays for the Aces, became an Azerbaijani citizen in 2015, in order to compete in the Olympics. She will play in the 3×3 competition. This will be Azerbaijan’s first Olympic 3×3 appearance, thanks to Hayes, who led the team to victory in the 2024 FIBA 3×3 Universality Tournament, earning them an Olympic bid. Hayes averaged a team-high 6.5 points per game in that tournament (3×3 games are played to 21).
Her team will open Olympic play against Spain on July 30.
Source Agencies
