AUSTRALIA, — Seattle Storm fans will have a trio of players to root for on Australia's National Women's Basketball Team at the Paris Olympics this summer.
Current Storm players Ezi Magbegor and sharpshooter Sami Whitcomb were officially announced over the weekend. Joining them on the "Opals" is three-time WNBA MVP and four-time Olympic medalist Lauren Jackson, who played for the Storm from 2001-2012.
"It means a lot I think, just being able to represent yourself, your family, a whole nation, it's pretty incredible," Magbegor told KING 5's Chris Egan in an exclusive interview prior to the announcement. "Obviously just seeing the history that the Opals have created in the past and to be a part of that, it's not something that everyone gets to do so whenever I put on the green and gold, I definitely wear it with pride."
Magbegor was also a member of Australia's last Olympic team in 2021 that was eliminated in the quarterfinals in Tokyo. Jackson played in the 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics with Australia but missed the past two while she was retired from basketball. Now 43, Jackson unretired in 2022 and has been playing professionally in Australia for the past few years.
This will be Whitcomb's first Olympic Games after becoming a naturalized Australian citizen in 2018. Born in southern California, Whitcomb played at the University of Washington but played professionally in Australia before the WNBA and has previously played in a World Cup with the Opals.
"It's where I feel like I discovered myself, I made a real life there, I have two boys now, a wife, it's home now for me," Whitcomb told KING 5's Chris Egan of her pride in playing for Australia. "It's where we spend our offseasons. The sisterhood of playing on that team, it makes me emotional just talking about it, I love those women I love playing with them, I have a lot of joy thinking about it."
The three won't be the only Storm players playing in Paris, as Jewell Loyd will represent the United States.
