The head coach and players of Team USA’s women’s basketball emphasized their endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential bid on Wednesday.
It’s the first major political statement from a top American team at this year’s Olympics and comes as the presidential race is heating up back home.
Harris took over the Democratic nomination earlier this month after President Joe Biden decided to end his reelection bid and endorse his No. 2. She’s now attempting to gain momentum in the race against former President Donald Trump, who is running to regain the office he lost to Biden in 2020.
The players on Team USA – and the WNBA in general –have been far more willing to engage in political statements than some of their other professional sports peers.
“We have been talking, especially with the social justice committee, finding a way to make sure that we can obviously back Kamala as much as we can. Because everything that we’ve been kind of working for this year … has been about voting rights, reproductive rights,” said Breanna Stewart, a power forward who plays her professional ball for the New York Liberty, on July 27.
“The things she stands for, we also stand for. So making sure that we can definitely stay united and continue to push the message of registering to vote, knowing where to vote and all the resources behind it.”
Women’s basketball players have had influential voices in key elections before.
In 2020, the Atlanta Dream protested against their then co-owner – then Sen. Kelly Loeffler, who was running for reelection against Rev. Raphael Warnock – over her opposition to the Black Lives Matter movement. That race ended up going to a run-off and Warnock defeated Loeffler. He’s now serving as a senator from Georgia.
“I think that’s a really important thing that our league has done through the years, using our voice as a vehicle for change, and I think no question that we would step to the plate in this scenario,” said Team USA head coach Cheryl Reeve, who also coaches the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx, on Wednesday.
“I think it’s really important that we don’t go backwards as we’ve seen, some of the threats to basic human rights, the things that we care about in our league, and so I’m proud to stand with the players in this in backing Kamala Harris.”
WNBA legend Diana Taurasi added Wednesday that she was thrilled to see Harris taking over the Democratic presidential ticket. Ultimately, it comes down to policy, she said.
“What are you going to do for the people of America that need you? And I think there’s a big portion of us that see a lot of us in her and what she wants to do with our country,” Taurasi said. “For me, that is one of the proudest and most amazing moments, so yeah, we’re going to back her and we’re going to do everything we can to make sure she wins and we go forward in this country in the right way.”
The endorsement from the women’s Team USA comes a little less than a week after men’s star Stephen Curry said he was excited about Harris’ candidacy. Harris had visited the men’s basketball team during their training camp ahead of the Games.
“If she’s on the ticket winning the election, like it’s, it’s a big, big deal to say the least and she represents the Bay Area,” Curry said last week. “She’s been a big supporter of us. And so I want to give that energy right back to her and just excited knowing, obviously, we’re representing our country here and this is a very monumental next couple of months for, for our country and the direction that we’re headed.”
CORRECTION: This story has been updated with additional reporting and corrects the name of Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia.