NEW YORK (AP) — There was much more at rise for the 1996 Olympic women’s basketball team than just winning the gold medal when they took the floor against Brazil in Atlanta.
An 18-month journey was coming to an end and anything less than a gold medal would have been considered a huge failure for the Americans. But a defeat also could have been a major blow to the two professional startup leagues in the U.S. looming on the horizon after the Atlanta Olympics.
“We knew what was at stake,” backup guard Dawn Staley said.