The twitterverse were up in arms when it leaked that Los Angeles Sparks star Candace Parker had been left off of the final roster for the summer Olympics in Rio. In what comes are a surprise to many, the first question is who took her place? I think we can all make an educated guess in who will be new to the Olympic team this summer but before we get to that part, how can you justify leaving Candace Parker off of the National Team?
After resting for the first half of the WNBA season Parker returned to a Sparks team who seemed to have lost all hope. Upon her return, she carried the Sparks to the playoffs averaging 19.4 points, 6.3 assists and 10.1 rebounds per game. In her time with the Olympic team this past October, Parker put up some impressive numbers, she even recorded a triple double. While averaging a team-high 12.3 points and 9.0 rebounds, she lead Team USA to a 4-0 record.
The USA could field two teams in the Olympics and both would make it to the gold medal game. It has to be an extremely difficult task in choosing only 12 players out of all the talent in the USA pool. Every member on the team deserves their place and we will all be cheering them on to victory! The final 12-player 2016 U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team will be announced Wednesday. The team is selected by the USA Basketball women’s national team player selection committee. UConn coach Geno Auriemma returns as the head coach.
This isn’t an official list but sources say the final roster is as follows;
Lindsey Whalen Minnesota Lynx
Maya Moore Minnesota Lynx
Sylvia Fowles Minnesota Lynx
Seimone Augustus Minnesota Lynx
Sue Bird Seattle Storm
Breanna Stewart Seattle Storm
Diana Taurasi Phoenix Mercury
Brittney Griner Phoenix Mercury
Tamika Catchings Indiana Fever
Tina Charles New York Liberty
Angel McCoughtry Atlanta Dream
Elena Delle Donne Chicago Sky