Phoenix Mercury’s All-Stars Taurasi, Griner, Copper talk Team USA
Phoenix Mercury All-Stars Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner and Kahleah Copper discuss playing for Team USA at the Olympics ahead of the WNBA All-Star Game on July 19, 2024.
Fans of the Phoenix Mercury are accustomed to Kahleah Copper’s late-game heroics.
From burying a buzzer-beating 3 to edge the Minnesota Lynx by one point in early June to dropping 20 points in the fourth quarter to help a shorthanded Mercury team nearly beat the Indiana Fever in July.
When Copper scored 10 of her 12 points for Team USA late in the second half in a tight gold medal game against France, it was all too familiar.
“I think it was seven minutes to go in the game and I think BG could see this coming, but Kah was ready,” Diana Taurasi said. “That’s what she does. It took a whole tournament to get there, but that’s what Kah does. She’s competed all year for us and we knew when things get tight, she’s always the opposite. She can do things that no one else can do on our team – national team or here at the Mercury.”
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Copper had a quiet start to the Paris Olympics, averaging 6.3 minutes during the three games in group play, and was even benched against Belgium. Copper’s production went up during the knockout rounds when she posted five points and a 3-pointer in 11 minutes. In the semifinal against Australia, Copper recorded 11 points and six rebounds in 20 minutes on the floor.
She kept the hot hand going against a difficult France team that made it harder defensively against the usually dominant Team USA. Known in the WNBA for her two-way play, Copper closed the 10-point deficit — Team USA’s largest deficit of the tournament — early in the third quarter.
Four of Copper’s total five rebounds were on defense, while she added two steals.
“We knew they were going to be super physical,” Copper said. “We didn’t know how the game was going to be managed as far as referees, but it was just defensive mentality and try to get them in closeouts and attack the rim and get some driving kicks.”
With 5 seconds left, Copper sealed the victory with two made free throws.
“To see her do that and get her first gold medal, we’re super proud of her,” Taurasi said. “She’s never changed. She’s the same hardworking chick that we love here. It was fun to do it with her and to see her get that gold medal meant everything to her.”
Copper is the Mercury’s top scorer and WNBA’s second-best in that category at 23.2 per game. Her eight games scoring 30-plus are the most in the league this season.
The Mercury (13-12) resume play Thursday at the Chicago Sky.