It was the gold medal game against the Host nation at the Paris Olympics 2024. Both sides were even, with Team USA having a slight edge over France. The reason behind it was the vast experience on the roster and the ability to play under pressure. Yet, everyone was stunned when Coach Cheryl Reeve kept the team’s dynamic star Diana Taurasi out of the rotation.
Team USA won the nervy final game by just one point, sealing its eighth consecutive Gold medal in the Summer Olympics. The Mercury legend spoke about her bench role in her documentary. And Cheryl Reeve recently talked about it.
Cheryl Reeve Explains Diana Taurasi’s Benching
The USA national team already had multiple gold medal winners on the roster, and with another final match, everyone was excited. DT was one of them, but she didn’t come on to play a single minute in the game.
In her documentary, Taurasi mentioned that she would have understood if HC Cheryl Reeve had explained the decision to her, but nothing of that sort left her confused. On the ‘In Case You Missed It’ Podcast, the Lynx coach explained her side.
“You have to make a choice. And that’s unpopular. And I get that. But you know it when you sign up for it. And I can honestly tell you that going into that game, there was every intention of playing Diana Taurasi… It’s what you do as a coach: you go into survival mode. And those are the decisions that we made that we felt like were the best decisions to get us to the place to win the game,” Reeve Said on the Podcast.
Cheryl Reeve opens up on the real reason Diana Taurasi didn’t play in the Olympic gold medal game and why the decision came down to the heat of the moment.
— In Case You Missed It with Khristina Williams (@ICYMIwithKW) August 15, 2025
Full episode out now: https://t.co/8mTyxegLxP pic.twitter.com/TRfg8V07Uk
She added that the team went into the Gold Medal game like a normal game, and the decisions were made depending on the situation.
Scroll to continue reading
Trending WNBA News
The team led by 10 points at one moment when Reeves was looking to send DT on the court, but the French team’s comeback made her change her decision. Brianna Stewart’s block in the final seconds won the game for Team USA.
Diana Taurasi’s Limited Game Time During The 2024 Paris Olympics
The veteran star is one of the most decorated and impactful players, and she already has five Gold Medals under her belt. Still, Reeve gave a chance to every other player, mentioning that the team has a lot of talent and someone would eventually miss some game time. They might be star in their WNBA teams, but not in the national side. While this could surprise many fans, that’s Cheryl Reeve for you. Outspoken Reeves even questioned the 2025 All-Star selections, raising questions over fans’ choices.
Diana Taurasi played very few minutes in the tournament and averaged .7 points, 0.7 assists, and one rebound per game in group stage games. Playing her last Olympics and season with the Phoenix team, Taurasi retired in 2024.