American Diana Taurasi in new basketball role as she chases history, 6th Olympic gold medal

Diana Taurasi is settling into a new role with USA Basketball.

She is trying to earn a spot on the U.S. roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics, which would be her sixth. But this one feels like her first.

Ignore that she turns 42 before the Paris Games even start next July. Or that the veteran guard is chasing a chance at Olympic history, seeking to become the first to win six straight gold medals in basketball.

"I'm in a different position where you know in the last couple of them I did it with my peers, and now I'm doing it with B [Betnijah Laney] and you know, players that I'm not that familiar with," Taurasi said Sunday night from Knoxville after a 95-59 exhibition win over No. 11 Tennessee.

This time around, there's no Sue Bird as they made history at the 2021 Tokyo Games winning a fifth straight gold. Yes, Taurasi won gold with Brittney Griner in 2021 and 2016. Her WNBA teammate with the Phoenix Mercury is in the group starting training camp Tuesday in Atlanta.

Taurasi is building chemistry that simply existed previously. This group that caps this training stint Sunday with an exhibition at Duke includes only Ariel Atkins (2021) and Angel McCoughtry (2012 and 2016) along with Griner as teammates Taurasi celebrated Olympic gold with before.

A'ja Wilson, who just led the Las Vegas Aces to the WNBA title, currently has her left wrist in a cast. Breanna Stewart is awaiting the birth of her second child with her wife. Chelsea Gray is recovering from an injured foot that will keep her from a return to her college home at Duke.

That means getting to know a bunch of new teammates off the court.

"That always helps you when you're in the game," Taurasi said.

She understands how major a factor that can be when playing on big