Breanna Stewart And Napheesa Collier Reveal There's A 'Community' Of Moms—And Kids—On Team USA
Five members of the Team USA women's basketball team are moms.
Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier tell Women's Health there's a "community" there, despite WNBA rivalries.
The kids have become friends during the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Today, the United States women’s basketball team takes on Nigeria in the quarter-finals of the Olympics, getting the group that much closer to winning gold in Paris. If they beat Nigeria, they'll face Australia in the semis.
But for five of the members, they have a little more than gold on their mind: Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, Diana Taurasi, Chelsea Gray, and Brittney Griner are parents, too.
Having the kids around provides extra motivation for the team, who is currently searching for their eighth gold medal in a row.
“Whether we're with our kids or on the basketball court, I want to be the best that I can be, and to show my kids that when they get older, they can do anything that they want,” Breanna told reporters during a July 27 press conference. “We just want to continue to change the standard, change the narrative. Because there hasn't been as many kids as there are in this one ever, and we only want that to continue to grow.”
Typically, the 12 players on the Team USA roster are WNBA rivals. But the group has rallied around the group's mothers, even planning a birthday celebration for Breanna's daughter Ruby, who turns three on August 9. (Breanna shares Ruby and son Leo with wife Marta Xargay.)
“There's a ton of kids with our Team USA group,” Breanna told reporters during a July 27 press conference. “So I'm sure we'll find something fun, very Paw Patrol-like, but it'll just be a great day for her. And for us, we'll just be continuing on our journey.”
The children have all become friends, too: Ruby has become especially close with Diana Taurasi's daughter Isla, who's a similar age to her.
“Between the men and the women [basketball teams] here, there's a lot going on in our hotel, and a lot of people supporting us, which I think we can all appreciate,” Breanna continued. “Hopefully the kids are gonna make some friendships that they'll look back and be like, ‘Wow,’ like when they look at pictures.”
The kids even have favorite players on the team, Napheesa (who shares two-year-old daughter Mila with her husband, WNBA skills coach Alex Bazzell) tells Women's Health.
"I think Sabrina [Ionescu] is a fan favorite with all the kids on the team," she said. "[There's a] community of everyone just pitching in to help raise these little kids."
Overall, Napheesa said having so many moms on the team goes to show "how strong we are."
Go Team USA!
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