The Minnesota Lynx will be sending two players to Tokyo as Nepheesa Collier and Sylvia Fowles were named to the U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team on Monday morning.
Fowles has been a fixture on Team U.S.A., winning gold medals in each of her past three Olympic appearances. A six-time All-Star and 2017 WNBA MVP, Fowles is the third-oldest player on the roster behind 39-year-old Dianna Taurasi and 40-year-old Sue Bird, who are both going for their fifth career gold medals.
While Fowles has plenty of experience, Collier will bring some youth to the Olympic roster. The 2019 WNBA Rookie of the Year will make her first appearance in the Olympics and is averaging a career-high 17.7 points and 6.3 rebounds in nine games with the Lynx this season.
Collier will join six newcomers including reigning WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson (Las Vegas), Skylar Diggins-Smith (Phoenix), Chelsea Gray (Las Vegas), Ariel Atkins (Washington), and Jewell Lloyd (Seattle).
In addition to Collier and Fowles, Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve will serve as an assistant on head coach Dawn Staley’s staff.
“USA Basketball has never been in a better place,” Staley said in a statement. “I’m honored to be the coach of such an amazing collection of talented women, both those named to the team and those who gave their all the last few years but won’t be with us in Tokyo.”
The rest of the roster was filled out with plenty of veterans as Breanna Stewart (Seattle), Tina Charles (Washington) and Brittney Griner (Phoenix) made the cut.
The U.S. team has won the past six Olympic gold medals and haven’t lost a game at the Olympics since 1992. Team USA will open pool play against Nigeria on July 27 before facing Japan on July 30 and France on Aug. 2.
