Reports: Mercury’s Taurasi, Griner, Copper on Team USA basketball for Paris Olympics

Three Phoenix Mercury players are expected to be named among the 12 members of Team USA that will compete in the 2024 Summer Olympic games in Paris later this summer, according to multiple reports.

Diana Taurasi, the WNBA’s all-time scoring leader who is in her 20th season with the Mercury, will be joined by teammates Brittney Griner, who returned to the court Friday night after missing the first 10 games of the regular season, and Kahleah Copper, who was acquired by Phoenix in the off-season and currently is the WNBA’s third-leading scorer.

The Mercury posted on its X account (formerly Twitter), the full roster that is being widely reported, which includes the three Phoenix stars.

The roster was stirring controversy because of who is not included: Rookie Caitlin Clark, who has been the talk of the league since being drafted first overall by the Indiana Fever after her stellar college career at Iowa but is not on the roster, according to USA Today and other reports.

Taurasi, considered one of the WNBA’s all-time greatest players and the undisputed face of the Mercury franchise, is second in scoring for the team this season, averaging 16.3 points a game. She was named to the All-Star game 10 times and earned five Olympic gold medals with Team USA, the most recent in 2020.

Griner is a six-time All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist. She scored 11 points and added four rebounds in Friday’s season debut in 21 minutes of play. She missed the first 10 games with a fractured toe. This will be Griner’s first time playing overseas since she was detained for 10 months in Russia, where she had been playing in the off-season. After her release, Griner said she would not play internationally again unless it was part of Team USA in competition such as the Olympics.

Copper has had an immediate impact for the Mercury and leads the team in scoring, averaging 23.5 points a game along with 4.6 rebounds. She is a three-time WNBA All-Star and gold medalist in the 2022 FIBA Women’s World Cup.

Other Team USA members expected on this summer’s roster include: A’Ja Wilson, Jackie Young, Kelsey Plum and Chelsea Gray of the defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces; Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart of the New York Liberty; Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx; Jewell Loyd of the Seattle Storm; and Alyssa Thomas of the Connecticut Sun.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Mercury’s Taurasi, Griner, Copper on Team USA for Paris Olympics