MELBOURNE (Australia) – The Opals have revealed their 26-player long list who will fight it out for the 12 seats on the plane to the Women’s Olympic Basketball Tournament Paris 2024.

With Australia getting ready to step out for a special landmark of their 10th appearance at the Games, competition will be fierce to make the cut. 

The initial squad consists of the ballers who will participate in various training camps, tours, and fixtures, both domestically in Australia and also internationally, against other countries also bound for the Olympics.

The list boasts 14 players with prior Olympic Games experience, including 11 members of the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2022 team who secured a bronze medal. The legendary Lauren Jackson also makes the lineup, having announced her retirement, but then having subsequently opened a door to return for an Olympic swansong.

Additionally, rising stars Jade Melbourne and Isobel Borlase, who helped the Opals qualify for Paris at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belem, Brazil during February, are also part of the squad.

Notably, Georgia Amoore, a standout player from college basketball in the USA at Virginia Tech and eligible for the upcoming WNBA draft in April, has been selected in her first Opals squad.

Seventeen players from the squad competed in the Australian WNBL club season, with a significant number of athletes currently playing in Europe, including Tokyo Olympians Marianna Tolo and Ezi Magbegor, while Chloe Bibby, was recently crowned Polish League MVP.

Opals’ Head Coach Sandy Brondello said selecting the squad was an important step in preparations for Paris.

She stated: “It’s always an exciting time to announce an Olympic squad and I congratulate all the athletes. They all know what it means to play for Australia, and they all want the opportunity to represent their country at an Olympics.

“Our squad is full of exceptional talent, and they will make the decision to pick a final 12 very difficult. We have Canada, Nigeria and France in our pool, so we are focused on that and what is required to get onto the podium.”

The full list of Opals players can be found at our Roster Tracker for the Women’s Olympic Basketball Tournament Paris 2024.

FIBA