Team USA’s Brittney Griner (15) played her first international basketball game since her detention in Russia. She helped the USA women power by Japan in the opening game of group play on Monday as the U.S. aims for an unprecedented eighth straight gold medal.
It wasn’t close.
The team, which now boasts a 56-game Olympic winning streak, easily defeated Japan 102-76. A’ja Wilson led the way for Team USA with 24 points and 13 rebounds. Breanna Stewart added 22 points and eight rebounds.
“We always say the most physical team normally gets the win, so we had to come out and establish ourselves on the stage that we’re on, and I think we did a good job of that today,” Wilson said after the game.
The U.S. last saw the Japanese team in the gold-medal match at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago. At that meeting, the U.S. came away with a 90-75 win and a seventh straight gold medal. Now, the Team USA is hoping to win an eighth straight.
The game also marked a return to international play for Brittney Griner, since she was imprisoned in Russia. She was sentenced to nine years in prison on drug charges. But in December 2022, she was freed in a prisoner swap negotiated by the Biden administration.
After her release, she said she would never play overseas again unless suiting up for the U.S. at the Olympics. In Monday’s game, Griner had 11 points and nine rebounds.
“Honestly, I think it was incredible for BG to be back at the Olympics,” said Stewart of her teammate. “Anything that she does going forward, and the way that she handles herself, and being here, being overseas, being a dominant force down low, I’m really proud of her.”
The U.S. team will next play Belgium on Thursday.
