Golden Again: Three Minnesota Lynx Leave Tokyo With Gold Medals

All the Minnesota Lynx do is win.

It doesn’t matter what gym the game is played in, what time zone they’re in, or what country they’re in.

This time, the Lynx found themselves victorious in Tokyo, knocking off host country Japan 90-75 in the Gold Medal Game of the 2020 Olympics. The victory marked Team USA’s 55th consecutive Olympic victory, a streak that dates back to the Bronze Medal Game at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.

Hall of Famer-to-be Sylvia Fowles won her fourth gold medal with Team USA, while Cheryl Reeve captured her second gold medal as an assistant and Napheesa Collier stood atop the podium with first Olympic gold medal.

Fowles captured her fourth gold medal tonight, but it is just the tip of the iceberg in what has been an illustrious career representing her country. It is her 10th gold medal, and 12th medal overall, playing for Team USA in various capacities; she won her first gold in 2005 at the World University Games. If this is it for Sylvia Fowles in a Team USA jersey, she leaves with an 86-4 record (95.5 win percentage) and one of the most impressive international resumes of any player in any sport on the face of Earth.

Reeve won her fifth gold medal overall on the bench for Team USA with tonight’s win. She previously won golds at the 2014 FIBA World Cup, 2016 Rio Olympics, 2018 FIBA World Cup, and 2019 AmeriCup. Reeve holds a record of 41-1 in official Team USA competition as an assistant coach.

Photo by THOMAS COEX/AFP via Getty Images

With tonight’s win, Collier now owns a career record of 49-1 in official USA Basketball competition, dating all the way back to her time on the 2014 FIBA Americas U18 Championship Team. She adds official National Team Olympic experience to go along with her experience on the 2014 Youth Olympic Games 3x3, 2015 FIBA U19 World Cup, and 2019 FIBA AmeriCup teams, all of which won gold medals. If Phee continues her trend of representing the United States as much she possibly can, she’s well on her way to compiling one of the most decorated trophy/medal cases and international competition resumes of any American basketball player in history.

In other history made with the victory, Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi became the first players in Team USA Basketball history, male or female, to win five Olympic gold medals in 5-on-5 basketball.

In addition to Fowles, Reeve and Collier, the Lynx had two more Olympic representatives in Tokyo: center Natalie Achonwa and forward Bridget Carleton represented their native Canada on the country’s National Team.

Next up for Minnesota’s five Olympians is a date with Sabrina Ionescu and the New York Liberty at Target Center next Sunday, August 15 to kick off the WNBA’s second half, entering which the Lynx carry a seven-game winning streak.