Diana Taurasi, 42, still driving force for Team USA

LILLE, France — Five-time gold medalist Diana Taurasi can’t wait to get on the court at the Paris Olympics. She insists her love of basketball is more important than winning medals.

The 42-year-old American knows that every Olympics is different, and her experience competing in her sixth year has taught her to trust the process and enjoy the moment.

“I still love the game. I love competing. I know we always talk about winning and losing, but I love the journey of it, the preparation, the fight. I think sometimes you get distracted by the wins, but it’s the things that happen before the wins that I’ve really enjoyed,” Taurasi said Thursday.

“You have to enjoy the moment that you are here. Tomorrow we have the opening ceremony, for some of us it is the first time and some of us have done it before, but you have to enjoy it. And then, when it is time to play, that will be the most serious part,” she added.

Taurasi could become the most decorated team athlete in Games history if the U.S. women bring home a medal. She expects the competition at Lille’s Pierre Mauroy Stadium to be tough.

“It’s always difficult: France is tough, Spain has dynamic players, Australia is always strong and organised, China has young talent who play differently, as does Japan, and that’s not to mention Belgium, which will definitely take this position,” she said.

Depth and teamwork will be the keys to success when the US takes on Japan in their opening match on Monday, Taurasi said.

“You have to go out there and be as unselfish as you can throughout your career. That takes effort from everyone. We have to build that chemistry as quickly as possible,” Taurasi said.

The Phoenix Mercury guard and WNBA all-time leading scorer said she’s still not thinking about quitting, joking about competing in the 2028 Games in Los Angeles: “I’ll be there — having a beer on the beach.”

–Reuters, especially for Field Level Media