WNBA ALL-STAR GAME

July 14, 2021

Sue Bird

Diana Taurasi

TEAM WNBA vs. USA NATIONAL TEAM

Postgame Media Conference

Team WNBA All-Stars 93, USA Women's National Team 85

Q. With having such a limited time to get together, how hard is it to try and develop chemistry? How long does it normally take for chemistry or do you feel like you had a disadvantage only having limited time?

DIANA TAURASI: We are still a work-in-progress. This team has never been together before. We had one practice yesterday and I think like you said we had some really nice moments and we had moments where you can tell we had never played together and those are the things that this week here, with these three games and you know a couple days going into Tokyo, those things will get better. Obviously you always want to win the game but at the end of the day we are here for a bigger goal than to win an All-Star Game. We'll get better as time goes.

Q. Obviously, you have not had many losses in exhibition games and you won't see a team as good as this in the Olympics, what do you take from tonight for Tokyo?

SUE BIRD: I think in any exhibition game you're really just trying to learn something about yourself and learn something about the team and how we're going to put it all together and I think D said it, this was just, in some ways, like another practice for us because those are the moments that you find out what you need to work on. For the coaches, they are going to figure out how the group is most cohesive, which five on the floor at different times work best. These are things that take -- and this has always been the challenge of USA Basketball. We have said this ad nauseam, these things usually take a whole training camp or months or years and we always try to do it in a matter of days or weeks. This was just the first step. Of course, you know, we want to win all the games. It's not the first exhibition game we've lost and like I said and like you said we are just going to learn from it and move on. Congratulations to the WNBA team. They played great and hopefully it was a good show for everybody.

Q. You're veterans of multiple Olympics, but this Olympics in particular, most of the elite athletes from the United States are women. What does that say about the advancement of women’s athletics in America and how proud are you to be part of that growth?

DIANA TAURASI: I guess it's kind of nice that they finally took some notice.

SUE BIRD: That's what I was going to say. Even last Olympics, didn't the U.S. women out-medal some countries, if memory serves? So maybe the issue is they are not getting the coverage they deserve. I don't think it's been all of a sudden, you know, women in the U.S. are elite at what they do athletically.

Q. You said earlier one of the goals for these types of games is to learn something about this team that's never played together before. What did you learn about yourselves tonight?

SUE BIRD: I think we learned we're not a team yet. D said it, we’ve had one practice and this group has never played together before. We learned it's never as simple as throwing 12 of the best out there and it just clicks. That's never been the case. It has not been the case in any Olympics that we've played in and it was a good reminder of that. It was also a good reminder that everybody is always going to want to take us down, so you've got to be ready for that.

Q. Do you know what the timeline is? Last time you didn't know much. Are you going to practice again before leaving for Tokyo? Do you know anything about the timeline?

DIANA TAURASI: I think there's a schedule on USABasketball.com you can check.

Q. What are you looking to learn from head coach Dawn Staley as far as just moving this team along individually, as well, to better your games?

DIANA TAURASI: We're just a work-in-progress right now and that's a good thing. We always talk about when we get together with USA Basketball, it's never easy. The end result always seems like the road is smooth, but it's not. You know, like I was saying, you don't want to peak too early. We've got a long way to go, which is a good thing for us.

Q. You both said this has been more competitive than other All-Star Games. How competitive was it out there?

SUE BIRD: It was really competitive. It was really competitive. Definitely not a typical All-Star Game. Usually you talk to players and we talk about putting on a good show and having a good time and hopefully the fans enjoy it. But this right from the tip felt different. It had an intensity about it, and I think you could tell. That's why you're asking that question.