Team USA Silences Attendance Critics With Star-Studded Crowd in Olympics Quarterfinal
The US Women's National Basketball Team secured its 59th consecutive victory on Wednesday after defeating the Nigerian National Team 88-74 in the Paris 2024 Olympics Quarterfinal.
Despite what the relatively tight final score would suggest, Team USA dominated the game from pillar to post. They led 52-33 at halftime and 76-48 after three quarters before taking their foot off the gas pedal in the final frame, allowing Nigeria to make the score look closer than the actual game.
The attendance that Team USA has attracted throughout these Paris Olympics has been a central discussion point for sports pundits.
This was most notable when Stephen A. Smith went on a passionate rant against Team USA during a July 31 episode of 'The Stephen A. Smith Show', citing Team USA not placing rookie sensation Caitlin Clark on its roster as a reason why the 13,040 fans in attendance for USA's July 29 game against Japan was the lowest attendance of any Paris Olympics women's basketball group stage game.
The total attendance for Team USA's Wednesday Quarterfinal game was 12,437 fans, according to FIBA.
While this initially might seem to solidify Smith's stance, this was actually the highest attendance out of any Paris Olympics women's basketball quarterfinal game.
It even surpassed the France vs. Germany contest that also took place in the same stadium on Wednesday, which drew 12,399 fans.
There were several celebrity sightings at the Team USA game. Sitting courtside were US Men's players LeBron James and Bam Adebayo, Olympics swimming legends Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky, and iconic actor Terry Crews.
The stars are out at Bercy Arena. ⭐️
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) August 7, 2024
📺 USA Network + Peacock
🇺🇸 #USABWNT #Paris2024 #Basketball pic.twitter.com/Ux0qzpyKtU
Las Vegas Aces superstar A'ja Wilson led Team USA in scoring Wednesday, tallying 20 points and adding 11 rebounds. Wilson's Aces teammate Jackie Young added 15 points of her own while reigning WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart scored 13 points in the quarterfinal win.
Team USA's semifinal game is against Australia, and tips off at 11:30 AM EST on Friday, August 9.
GRANT YOUNG
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.