A key player of the Los Angeles Sparks, Katie Lou Samuelson, has returned to the court after giving birth to her daughter Aliya earlier this year. According to Essentially Sports, Samuelson will now play at the FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup for the USA women’s basketball team, a tournament that is a fast-paced and exciting version of the sport.
Samuelson was a member of the USA team who won the gold medal in 2021 at the inaugural FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup She also assisted the USA in winning the Olympic gold medal in Tokyo in 2020. She is recognised as one of the best shooters within the WNBA, and she averaged 11.8 points and 3.2 rebounds per game last season for the Sparks.
Johnson, a football legend and former player for the Los Angeles Lakers co-owns the sparks with other investors.
Johnson is worth $1.2 billion, according to Forbes, and also co-owns the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Los Angeles Football Club. Johnson is notable for his entrepreneurial skills and his philanthropic impact on education and HIV/AIDS awareness.
Johnson hopes that Samuelson and notable player Allisha Gray can bring glory to the Sparks and their country at the FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup, and also prepare themselves for the next WNBA season, which will start in May 2024. The Sparks came in ninth place in the 2023 season, and missed playoffs, for the first time since 2011. Johnson is confident in the team’s future, and ability to deliver with their talented roster and fantastic coach, Derek Fisher. The Sparks have won three championships in total, with the most recent in 2016. They have also produced some of the greatest players in women’s basketball history, such as Lisa Leslie, Candace Parker, and Nneka Ogwumike.
Samuelson will join Allisha Gray, Kelsey Plum, and Stefanie Dolson in the USA squad for the FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup, which is scheduled to be held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from December 17 to 19. The USA will face Canada, Brazil, and Argentina in the group stage, and will try to avenge their loss to Canada in the final of the 2022 edition.
The FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup is a qualifying event for the FIBA 3×3 World Cup, which will hold in Jakarta, Indonesia, in June 2024. The top three teams from each continent will earn a spot in the World Cup and will compete for the chance to qualify for the Paris Olympics in 2024.
Samuelson’s return to the national team is proof of her dedication and passion for the game. She is also an inspiration for other mothers who have to balance their family and career. She hopes to make her country and her team proud at the FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup and beyond.
