Swimsuit

Breanna Stewart Shares Incredible Throwback From Early Team USA Days to Celebrate 2024 Gold Medal

The athlete has a long history with the U.S. women’s basketball team—from Junior National Team days to three Olympic golds.

Martha Zaytoun

Breanna Stewart
Breanna Stewart / Daniela Porcelli/Getty Images

To close out the 2024 Paris Olympics, the U.S. women’s basketball team took to the basketball court on Sunday, Aug. 11. They were looking for their eighth consecutive gold medal. And after a closely contested match, they got just that.

The 5x5 roster was stacked with some of the WNBA’s best veterans. Between six-time gold medalist Diana Taurasi and first-timers Alyssa Thomas, Kahleah Copper and Sabrina Ionescu, the team had depth and range—and took advantage of it, too. A key piece of their talent came at the hands of three-time Olympian Breanna Stewart.

The New York Liberty forward made her Olympic debut at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, winning gold alongside her teammates in her first appearance on the international stage. Since, she has picked up two more golds, including the Paris games.

But her USA Basketball career began years before that first podium finish. At just 14, Stewart joined the U16 team, representing the country in international competition with other under-16 teams. Over the next four years, she progressed through the Junior National Team ranks before making her debut with the Senior National Team in 2014.

Since, Stewart has taken part in three FIBA Basketball World Cups—and secured gold in each one (in addition to her three Olympic golds). To commemorate her (and Team USA’s) most recent achievement, the 29-year-old took to Instagram, where she shared a photo of herself and A’ja Wilson holding their newest medals up for the camera. The second of the two snaps featured a throwback of the pair from their Junior National Team days—each with a gold medal in hand like in the first photo.

Stewart and Wilson—the 2024 Olympic women’s basketball MVP—have a rich history together, and a lot to celebrate.

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Martha Zaytoun
MARTHA ZAYTOUN

Martha Zaytoun is a writer on the Lifestyle and Trending News team for SI Swimsuit. Before joining SI Swimsuit in 2023, she worked on the editorial board of the University of Notre Dame’s student magazine and on the editorial team at Chapel Hill, Durham and Chatham Magazines in North Carolina. When not working, Zaytoun loves to watercolor and oil paint, run and water ski. She is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and a huge Fighting Irish fan.

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