Alright my fellow Yanks, here’s how you can see the Opals without taking an expensive flight to Paris!
Washington Mystics fans, three players are on Olympic teams! Today, we’ll review Jade Melbourne and the Australia women’s national basketball team roster, schedule, and how to watch Opals games here in the US of A!
Australia women’s national team roster
Here is the Opals roster, along with the team each player is on:
- JADE MELBOURNE, G, WASHINGTON MYSTICS
- Rebecca Allen, F, Phoenix Mercury
- Isobel Borlase, G, Forestville Eagles (Australian WNBL)
- Cayla George, F, Las Vegas Aces
- Lauren Jackson, C, Southside Flyers (Australian WNBL)
- Tess Madgen, G, Sydney Flames (Australian WNBL)
- Ezi Magbegor, F, Seattle Storm
- Alanna Smith, F, Minnesota Lynx
- Stephanie Talbot, G, Los Angeles Sparks
- Marianna Tolo, C, Spar Girona (Spanish Liga Femenina)
- Kristy Wallace, G, Indiana Fever
- Sami Whitcomb, G, Seattle Storm
Like Team Canada, the Opals are loaded with WNBA players. They are led by Storm forward Ezi Magbegor, who is averaging 13.3 points and 8.8 rebounds this season. She also made the All-Star team last year. Alanna Smith is also averaging a career-high 11.4 points for the Lynx this season.
That said, Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame player Lauren Jackson (who played over a decade with the Storm) is also on the roster. She is 43 years old but averaged 12 points a game last season for Southside and played admirably for the Opals in the 2022 World Cup, where Australia won the bronze medal.
As for Melbourne, she averaged 5.3 points in the 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying tournament and should be a regular rotation player in the Olympics.
New York Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello coaches the Opals.
Australia’s game schedule
Here are Australia’s group stage games in the Olympics where the Opals are in Group B. Times are in US Eastern Time. France, the host country operates in Central European Time, which is six hours ahead. So a 2 p.m. ET game is at 8 p.m. CET locally.
- Monday, July 29: Nigeria at 5 a.m. ET
- Thursday, Aug. 1: Canada at 7:30 a.m. ET
- Sunday, Aug. 4: France at 3 p.m. ET
Where are the games?
Group stage games are at Decathlon Arena in Lille but the elimination games are at Accor Arena in Paris.
How do I watch the games here in America?
None of the Opals’ group stage games are on broadcast or cable TV. All group stage games can be streamed on Peacock (subscription required), which is your best option for watching Opals basketball here.
The elimination stage games will be aired on USA, E! or NBC.