Welcome to another episode of Sports Are Fun! presented by TurboTax.
In this week's Sports Are Fun!, soccer icon Kelley O'Hara, sports journalist Greydy Diaz, retired NWSL star Merritt Mathias, and JWS intern BJ serve up their hottest takes all things women's sports.
In true Sports Are Fun! style, the crew dives right in. First up: WNBA legend Diana Taurasi's recent retirement announcement.
"I was introduced to Diana Taurasi at age 10 when she started her career at UConn," recalls Mathias. "At that time, I was very much like, 'I'm going to UNC, I'm going to play on the national team.' To see her at UConn — the UNC equivalent for women's basketball — and just the swag she had, the way she carried herself... For me, she transcended the sport."
"Thinking about her legacy — over 20 seasons, six gold medals, all-time leading scorer," says Diaz. "But a lot of people throughout her career, even now, don't know that she's Latina. I feel like that's a huge part of her legacy."
"To see a Latina dominate the sport as one of the greatest ever, if not the greatest, that's super special," she adds.
The co-hosts additionally tackle the SheBelieves Cup results, the SEC coin flip, the 2025 NWSL jerseys, and so much more.
Co-host Mathias urges new USWNT generation to carry the torch
After that, Sports Are Fun! weighs in on coach Emma Hayes's youthful USWNT. That's when Mathias asks if this generation will keep speaking out on cultural and political issues.
"I hope that this iteration of the USWNT starts to find their collective voice," the three-time NWSL champion asserts. "As they head into the 2027 World Cup, this is the first time this generation of players is being confronted with the weight and responsibility of [wearing] that crest."
"It's the truest reflection of America that we've seen from the USWNT, the most diverse," she continues. "It's also going to play under an administration [where] what makes everything great about this women's national team — diversity, equality, inclusion — is being attacked."
"I love that America looks like this because I love our women's national team," agrees O'Hara. "I think that is a great point."
"Will this generation look at the Megan Rapinoes, the Christen Presses, the Alex Morgans, the Becky Sauerbrunns, the Kelley O'Haras, and say, 'We, like you, will continue to push,'" Mathias asks, shouting out her Sports Are Fun! co-host.
"'We are going to uphold the narrative that marginalized groups matter. Because every single one of them is represented on our USWNT.'"
"That's powerful," O'Hara responds.
About 'Sports Are Fun!' with Kelley O'Hara
'Sports Are Fun!' is a show that’ll remind you why you fell in love with women's sports in the first place.
Join World Cup champ, Olympic gold medalist, and aspiring barista Kelley O'Hara as she sits down with sports journalist Greydy Diaz and a revolving cast of co-hosts and friends. Together, they're talking the biggest, funnest, and most need-to-know stories in the world of women’s sports.
From on-court drama to off-field shenanigans, to candid (and silly) chats with the most important personalities in the space, this show screams "Sports Are Fun!"
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USA Basketball won an historic eighth-straight Olympic gold in the final team event of the Paris Games on Sunday, narrowly taking down host nation France by a wildly tight score of 67-66.
While the US entered the game as heavy favorites, France led in the second half by as many as 10 points, with defensive sturdiness and a raucous home crowd propelling them to a wildly tight 67-66 final score.
French defense nearly upsets Team USA
It was Team USA's closest game in Olympic history, only avoiding overtime thanks to Team France star Gabby Williams's foot touching the three-point line as she sunk the final bucket.
The US came into the matchup boasting a massive point differential, but France almost immediately flipped the script, forcing the defending champs into 19 turnovers — 13 in the first half alone.
The US had scored just 25 points by halftime — the lowest recorded in Paris — but France also struggled to capitalize on turnovers, shooting below 30% from the field in the first half.
Bench boosts USA to Olympic gold medal win
While it took some time for tournament stars A'ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart to find their footing, the US saw key contributions off the bench in the second half. First-time Olympian Kahleah Copper became the spark the team needed, adding 10 fourth-quarter points and taking control alongside Kelsey Plum and fellow first-timer Sabrina Ionescu.
Wilson ultimately bounced back, recording 21 points, 13 rebounds, and four blocks to close out the slim win, with 15 of those points coming in the second half.
Olympic MVP A'ja Wilson leads all-tournament team
Wilson was crowned Tournament MVP after the final whistle, joined on the all-tournament team by USA teammate Stewart, France's Williams, Belgium's Emma Meesseman, and Australia's Alanna Smith.
Diana Taurasi, who didn't see any playing time on Sunday, earned a record sixth Olympic gold medal, breaking a tie with longtime teammate Sue Bird for the most in Olympic basketball history.
Ultimately, the game's further professionalization around the globe produced Team USA's toughest Olympic battle yet. But despite the late-tournament challenge, they managed to carry the weight of a now-61-game winning streak all the way to the gold.
The USA women's basketball team launch their 5×5 Olympics campaign this afternoon, tipping off against Japan in the first of three pool play games ahead of the knockout rounds.
Team USA has not lost a single Olympic game since 1992, when they fell to the Unified Team — a joint squad spanning 12 of the 15 former USSR countries — in the semifinal round. They've earned gold in every Olympic Games since 1996.
Olympic records on the line
The US has gold medal expectations once again in 2024, where they would become the first team in any team sport to walk away with eight straight gold medals in eight consecutive Olympic Games.
Veteran guard Diana Taurasi is going for her sixth-straight Olympic gold medal. If successful, she will become the first basketball player to reach six career gold medals.
That said, times have changed: "It's probably the least amount of preparation we've had going into an Olympics because of our schedule and WNBA," Taurasi told reporters prior to today's opener.
The US faced a humbling start to training camp after falling to Team WNBA 117-109 at the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game earlier this month. However, they came back to dominate pool play opponent Germany 84-57 in their final pre-Olympic tune-up.
Chemistry is key for Team USA
After today's game against Japan, the US will take on a Belgian side led by 2019 WNBA Finals MVP Emma Meesseman on Thursday. Team USA will close out pool play with Sunday's rematch against Germany before turning their attention toward the knockout round.
With superstars like A'ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Brittney Griner, and Napheesa Collier leading the charge, the biggest challenge for Team USA will be building chemistry throughout the tournament.
"You really have to be the most unselfish you've ever been in your career, and it takes that from everyone because we had to forge this chemistry pretty quickly," said Taurasi.
How to watch Team USA vs. Japan today
The US tips off at the Olympics at 3 PM ET today, with live coverage on USA Network and Peacock.
One of the best players in the WNBA has high praise for New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu.
Phoenix Mercury veteran Diana Taurasi, called Ionescu “the ultimate competitor” while speaking with reporters at USA Basketball’s fall training camp. Both Taurasi, 41, and Ionescu, 25, are participating in the camp and exhibition games this month as the team prepares for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
“There’s not many players that I love to watch. Sabrina is one of them,” Taurasi said. “I just love her competitiveness. I love her dedication. I love the way she takes the game serious on and of the court.”
Ionescu keeps “the main thing, the main thing” — as in, basketball is front and center, Taurasi said. While Ionescu’s high profile — from her signature shoe to other big sponsorship deals — could be distracting, the New York Liberty guard doesn’t allow that to derail her.
“It’s one thing that I really appreciate about her,” Taurasi said of Ionescu, who helped lead the Liberty to the WNBA Finals in 2023.
Taurasi also recounted a story from 2019, when Team USA “got lit up” by Oregon in an exhibition game back when Ionescu still played for the Ducks.
“How she played against Tennessee is why she’s gonna be on this team for a long, long time,” she said. “She’s the ultimate competitor and the ultimate teammate, always looking to distribute, always looking to make the next connection.
“And I think that’s the beauty of her game and any day she can give you 30, but the way she sees the game and how quickly she makes decisions, it’s second to none.”
Ionescu responded to Taurasi’s comments. “My idol,” she wrote in reference to Taurasi.
My idol 🙏🏼 https://t.co/NRmBkfeUJL
— Sabrina Ionescu (@sabrina_i20) November 8, 2023