U.S. rolls to women’s hoops gold medal in Bird’s last Olympics

SAITAMA, Japan — Sue Bird capped disconnected her unblemished 17-year Olympics tally with a grounds 5th golden medal.

All she and longtime U.S. teammate Diana Taurasi person done connected the planetary signifier is triumph and present basal unsocial with 5 golden medals — the archetypal hoops players ever to execute that feat — aft a 90-75 triumph implicit Japan connected Sunday astatine the Tokyo Games.

“Couldn’t person asked for a amended ending. There’s truly not overmuch other to say,” Bird said. “I consciousness truthful arrogant I’ve been capable to deterioration this azygous for arsenic agelong arsenic I have, to play on broadside this 1 arsenic agelong arsenic I have, We’ve won, and that’s evidently the story, but I don’t deliberation there’s anyone other I’d alternatively bash it with due to the fact that we conscionable person truthful overmuch amusive and I emotion you homie.”

The U.S. has present won the past 7 Olympic golden medals matching the country’s men’s programme for the astir ever successful a row. The men did it from 1936-68.

With Bird orchestrating the travel of games and Taurasi’s scoring, they person been a changeless unit for the U.S., providing stableness for the women’s programme since the 2004 Athens Games. They person won each 38 of the games astatine the Olympics they’ve competed in.

The brace walked disconnected the tribunal Sunday arm-in-arm for the past time, knowing their enactment was done. While Bird is finished, Taurasi said that she’ll beryllium backmost for a sixth Olympics.

“See you successful Paris!,” Taurasi said.

The names person changed astir the pair, including greats Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes, Tina Thompson, Tamika Catchings and Sylvia Fowles, but the results haven’t.

The Americans are connected a 55-game Olympic winning streak dating backmost to the bronze medal crippled of the 1992 Barcelona Games.

The U.S. fto Japan cognize that wasn’t going to alteration connected Sunday.

The Americans jumped retired to a 18-5 pb down a ascendant archetypal 4th by Brittney Griner. The squad pb 23-14 aft 1 arsenic Griner had 10 points, taking vantage of the undersized Japanese team. Japan was capable to get wrong six successful the 2nd 4th earlier the Americans went up 11 astatine the fractional and ne'er looked back.

As the last buzzer sounded, Bird and Taurasi embraced and past proceeded to hug each of their teammates and the coaching staff.

Griner finished with 30 points, making 14 of her 18 shots.

While Bird has said she is moving on, the aboriginal is agleam for the U.S. down Griner, Breanna Stewart and the six newcomers connected this year’s team. That included A’ja Wilson, who volition beryllium counted connected to support the streak going 3 years from present astatine the 2024 Paris Games. Wilson, who celebrated her 25th day connected Sunday, made her beingness felt successful her Olympic debut, scoring 19 points successful the golden medal game.

But determination were different milestones of enactment Sunday too Bird’s farewell.

The triumph besides made Dawn Staley, the archetypal Black women’s hoops manager for the U.S., the 2nd pistillate to triumph a golden medal arsenic a player, adjunct and caput manager joining Anne Donovan.

The crippled besides marked the extremity of Carol Callan’s tally arsenic the nationalist squad director. She started close earlier the Americans won the archetypal golden of this streak successful 1996 and has been the designer for this unprecedented run.

Japan, which was the lone 1 of the 11 different teams to ever person beaten the U.S. successful an Olympics, won a medal for the archetypal clip successful the country’s history. The team’s champion decorativeness earlier Sunday was fifth.

The big federation has been connected the emergence since it hired manager Tom Hovasse. He said erstwhile helium got the occupation 4 1/2 years agone that his squad would beryllium playing against the U.S. for the golden astatine the Tokyo Games — and would bushed them.

He was fractional right.

The 2 teams met successful preliminary excavation play and the U.S. won by 17 points aft trailing by 2 aft the archetypal quarter. Just similar that game, the Americans utilized their ascendant station vantage to power the rubric game. Japan’s biggest subordinate was 6-foot-1 — nary lucifer for the imposing beforehand enactment led by Griner, who is 6-9.

While the wide nationalist and household members couldn’t be the games due to the fact that of the coronavirus pandemic, Bird did person fiancee Megan Rapinoe successful the stands cheering her on. Bird came implicit and embraced Rapinoe aft the game. She helped the U.S. women’s shot squad triumph a bronze medal earlier this week, scoring 2 goals successful that game.

A ample contingent of Japanese volunteers, who had been successful the Saitama Super Arena for the full tourney sat and applauded their team. No existent cheering was allowed due to the fact that of the coronavirus pandemic.