When asked before the Olympics if she would consider a second go-round as USA women's basketball head coach, Dawn Staley said jokingly that she needed to win in Tokyo before even thinking about that.
Now that Team USA has secured its seventh consecutive Olympic gold medal, Staley had an answer Sunday: "I'm done."
Staley smiled as she said it in the Americans' postgame news conference and was asked by U.S. guard Diana Taurasi, "Does that feel good, Dawn?"
Guard Sue Bird, who like Taurasi won a fifth Olympic gold medal, also confirmed that this will be her last Olympics, but she had said that even before going to Tokyo. Taurasi, on the other hand, said, "See you in Paris" -- which is the site of the 2024 Olympics -- though it was unclear whether she was joking or not.
Either way, Staley said she has enjoyed her time but has done all there is to do. She said the purity and innocence of "just playing" is what she has loved the most about being involved with the national team.
"It creates that like no other team you'll participate on," Staley said. "It's the very thing I try to coach my college team [to have.]"
