ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
In Phoenix tomorrow, some of America's greatest basketball players will compete against each other in the WNBA All-Star Game. The All-Star team sees favorites like Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark team up to go head-to-head against the U.S. Olympic Team. Sabreena Merchant covers women's basketball for The Athletic, and she joins us from Phoenix. Hi, there.
SABREENA MERCHANT: Hi, there. Thanks for having me.
SHAPIRO: So this game is the first time we're going to see Team USA in action, which includes Kelsey Plum and Brittney Griner, both of whom are former Olympians. What do you make of the team overall?
MERCHANT: The U.S. Olympic team is one of the greatest collection of talents ever assembled. I mean, the U.S. Women's Basketball Team is maybe the greatest Olympic team success story. They're going for their eighth consecutive gold medal. They have multiple former MVPs on their team, including Diana Taurasi, who's competing in her sixth Olympics and has a chance to win a sixth consecutive gold. So it's just an overwhelming abundance of talent. And to think of all the players who are not on the team who could potentially be there...
SHAPIRO: Totally.
MERCHANT: ...American basketball is just an excellent, excellent place.
SHAPIRO: But the team's first game in the Olympics is just 10 days away - July 29 - so how do you think they're going to approach the All-Star Game tomorrow? Is this, like, a warm-up, or what?
MERCHANT: It's interesting because the WNBA put on a similar showcase back in 2021 with the U.S. Olympic Team versus a collection of WNBA All-Stars. And the U.S. Olympic Team took it very seriously as a normal game, and they still lost to the WNBA All-Stars. And it ultimately ended up meaning nothing because they went on to win a gold medal pretty convincingly.
I do think, this time around, with how fast-paced the first half of the WNBA season has been and the fact that three of their projected starters are nursing injuries, it's going to be more of an exhibition-type feel to this game. And the fact that the WNBA players get to take a month off after this game means they have a lot more in the tank. So I wouldn't be...
SHAPIRO: Yeah.
MERCHANT: ...Surprised if the Olympic team experienced another defeat. But, again, it is an incredibly talented team, so either result seems plausible.
SHAPIRO: Tomorrow is also a first for rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, and their rivalry on the court has dominated headlines this season. This game is the first time they're going to play on the same roster. What are you expecting to see?
MERCHANT: I enjoyed that Angel Reese said that everyone can wear their get-along T-shirts tomorrow...
SHAPIRO: (Laughter).
MERCHANT: ...'Cause she and Caitlin will be on the court together. Obviously, you know, their dynamic - dating back to Iowa and Maryland, then Iowa and LSU, and now, obviously, with Indiana and Chicago - has been such a great source of momentum for college basketball and professional basketball.
I do hope that they're on the court together as much as possible because, even just attending the open practices today, there is so much excitement for seeing those two rookies here. It's the first time two rookies have been in the All-Star Game in 10 years for the WNBA, so I do hope that they get a chance to play together a little bit. Maybe Caitlin gets to dish an assist to Angel or Angel gets an offensive rebound that leads to a Caitlin three - just something that gets to showcase what both of them are best at.
SHAPIRO: You said that there's a really deep bench here of people who could have been on the Olympic team, but do you find it odd that superstars like Clark and Reese aren't?
MERCHANT: I do find it a little odd. I think part of the goal of USA Basketball is to advance the growth of the sport worldwide. And, to me, a great way to do that would be to bring the biggest stars in the sport onto the biggest stage in the sport, which is the Olympics. I do understand that the goal of winning a gold medal supersedes the popularity aspect of it.
But when you have so many great players on the USA - and you could make an argument that Caitlin Clark's been the second-best guard in the WNBA this season - I think it was a little strange that they opted for such a veteran lineup. But I do think that this is kind of a fun opportunity for Caitlin and Angel to make, you know, an initial case for the 2028 Olympics, let's say, for the USA Basketball Committee.
SHAPIRO: Sabreena Merchant covers women's basketball for The Athletic. Thanks. It's been great talking to you.
MERCHANT: Appreciate it.
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