Paris 2024 women's basketball: A'ja Wilson had the golden touch for Team USA 

Dawn Staley, a U.S. basketball legend as both a coach and player, appeared on NBC after the USA won gold in women’s basketball. She was asked what made the difference in the win.

“We have A’ja Wilson, and you don’t,” she said with a laugh.

While there’s so much to analyze about why the USA won gold in Sunday's dramatic 67-66 decision over France, looking at everything from France’s suffocating defense to the Team USA’s problems with shooting early on, it really boils down to what Staley said. The USA has A’ja Wilson, and the rest of the world doesn’t.

FIBA named Wilson the MVP of the Olympic tournament. Not only did she have four double-doubles over the six games she played in France, Wilson also averaged a double: 18.7 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. Again and again, when the Americans needed a stop or a score or a shot of energy, it was Wilson who made it happen.

Breanna Stewart, who was named an all-star by FIBA, was a huge part of every U.S. win. Jackie Young stepped up in the semifinals. Kahleah Copper, who didn’t play much earlier in the Olympics, had 12 points and five rebounds in the gold-medal game.

Truly, every player on Team USA contributed to the gold-medal run in some way, something Wilson talked about after the game.

“We kept the main thing the main thing and we understood what we had in our locker room, constantly talking to each other, and believing in one another," she told NBC after the game. "We believed in each other, and that’s the greatest thing about it.”

There are often debates about how an MVP should be named. Is she the best player on the best team or the player who is most important to her team? In this case, the answer was the same person: A’ja Wilson.

France showed the world is coming

Playing in front of 12,126 mostly French fans who chanted “Allez Les Bleus,” France came agonizingly close to beating the United States. Gabby Williams’ final shot was a two-pointer instead of a three — but only by inches.

That shot and that game showed how the rest of the world is closing the gap with the U.S. Before France, both Belgium and Germany tested the U.S. Australia showed in this tournament that they once again belong with the world’s best. Brazil didn’t qualify for the Olympic Games this time, but have young stars who are already aiming for LA 2028. Japan and the People’s Republic of China didn’t make it out of the group phase this time, but have shown time and time again that their basketball players shouldn’t be ignored. Nigeria's coach Rena Wakama was named the coach of the tournament by FIBA thanks to what she built — and is continuing to build — there.

Williams was named an all-star of the tournament, along with Stewart, Wilson, Emma Meesseman from Belgium and Alanna Smith from Australia. They are all expected to be back in four years at LA 2028, and they will continue to help push their respective countries' growth over the next four years.

The way basketball is developing in the rest of the world, only one thing is guaranteed for the women’s basketball tournament at the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028.

It will be fun … and very, very competitive.