NEW YORK — When the United States women’s basketball team won gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, Alyssa Thomas was recovering from a torn achilles.
Now, with the 2024 Paris Games under two weeks away, Thomas is preparing to represent her country for the first time on the Olympic stage.
The Connecticut Sun forward will play for Team USA as the women’s national team strives for its eighth consecutive – and 10th overall – gold medal. The 2024 Paris Games mark the first Olympic appearance of Thomas’ career.
Her debut, however, could have come sooner.
Thomas, 32, tore her achilles in January of 2021 while playing in the Czech Republic and was forced to take herself out of the running for a roster spot on Team USA in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. This time around, Thomas earned her red white and blue jersey and is ready to make an impact among the world’s best.
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“Everything happens for a reason, and it’s just my time now,” Thomas said Tuesday ahead of the Sun’s game against the New York Liberty. “It’s exciting to be a part of an Olympic team. I think that’s one of the highest honors that you can accomplish.”
Thomas stepped away from USA Basketball following her 2014 rookie season in the WNBA. The now-league veteran plays overseas in EuroLeague during the offseason, and the Olympics always overlapped with her only off time.
Thomas opted for rest, that is until a call from Cheryl Reeve – the US women’s basketball team coach – a few years back. Reeve asked Thomas if she would reconsider returning to USA Basketball and supplemented the conversation with a myriad of reasons why she should.
Thomas recommitted to the process and helped USA Basketball win the 2022 FIBA World Cup. Most recently, Thomas averaged 9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3 assists en route to a 3-0 record for the Women’s National Team in the 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belgium last February.
As the Olympics near – Team USA will open with group play against Japan on July 29 – Thomas is focussed on sticking to her game.
“I think nothing changes for me. I think I’m an energy player on the defensive and offensive end,” Thomas said. “We’re trying to win the gold. I think Team USA has been dominant for so many years and it’s what is expected of you. Of course we know everyone is going to give us their best shot and you can’t underestimate any team. Just coming in with the mindset that every game is like we’re playing for the gold.”
It has been a balancing act for Thomas as she prepares herself for the Olympics while still grounding herself in the success of the Sun. Connecticut sits at second place in the league standings with a 18-6 record. Thomas, a consistent starter, has paced the Sun with 11.2 points per game. 9.2 rebounds per game and 7.7 assists per game. Connecticut is on the hunt for its first-ever WNBA title this postseason.
“It’s extremely tough – the way the season is set up and the amount of games that you’re playing,” Thomas said. “Now the last game before Olympics starts and you have to shift your mindset to a whole different team, different plays. It’s just a whirlwind of things going on in your mind.”
Despite going into the fourth quarter tied 63-63 Tuesday against the Liberty on Tuesday, Sun coach Stephanie White decided to sit Thomas for the final 10 minutes to give the forward some rest before she departs.
“It’s the last game heading into the Olympic break and I felt like a good opportunity for everybody else to come in and get some minutes and see what we can do to build our depth, too,” White said Tuesday.
Thomas will be joined by 11 fellow WNBA players on the women’s national team, namely A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces, Breanna Stewart of the New York Liberty and Brittney Griner of the Phoenix Mercury. Thomas’ parents, sister, aunt and uncle will be making it out to Paris to watch a dream realized.
“I grew up watching the Olympics with my family,” Thomas said. “It’s something that everyone in the world watches. For me to be able to represent my country, it’s just an honor.”
