Fever star added to USA Olympic Qualifying Tournament Team
NEW YORK (WISH) — The Indiana Fever’s star center Aliyah Boston adds another line to her already impressive resume.
USA Basketball announced Sunday that Boston will be on the 2024 USA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament Team that will play in Antwerp, Belgium, this week.
Boston has played on other USA Basketball teams, but this will be her debut on the senior team. She joins five-time Olympic champion Diana Taurasi, along with six other Olympians, including Ariel Atkins, Napheesa Collier, Jewell Loyd, Kelsey Plum, Breanna Stewart, and Jackie Young. Also included on the team are Sabrina Ionescu, Rhyne Howard, and Alyssa Thomas.
Ionescu and Thomas helped Team USA win the gold medal in the 2022 Women’s World Cup with Atkins, Cooper, Loyd, Plum, and Stewart.
Boston and her teammates will compete in the 2024 FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament starting Thursday, Feb. 8 and going through Sunday, Feb. 11.
The tournament consists of 16 teams playing in four different venues — Belgium, China, Brazil, and Hungary. The top teams that come out of the tournaments will earn a spot in the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.
Team USA drew the top seed in October, which was based on the FIBA Women’s World Rankings. America’s ladies will compete against the national teams from Belgium, Senegal and Nigeria. The first game will be Thursday at 2:45 p.m. against Belgium. Friday at 12:15 p.m. Team USA will play Nigeria, and finally, Sunday at 1:15 p.m., they face Senegal.
The top three teams at each qualifying tournament location will get a spot in the Summer Olympic Games. Since the United States are the current World champions, Team USA already has a spot locked for Paris.
The United States team is looking for its ninth straight Olympic gold medal in women’s basketball. According to USA Basketball, the final roster for the Summer Olympic Games is still be evaluated.
The Opening Ceremonies of the Paris Olympics are July 26. The Games run until August 11.