Napheesa Collier, Sylvia Fowles represent old and new guards of not just Lynx, but also Team USA

Jul. 26—Sylvia Fowles and Napheesa Collier are a microcosm of this year's United States women's basketball team competing at the Tokyo Olympics.

When the U.S. kicks off group play at 8 p.m. Central time Monday against Nigeria — opening its pursuit of a seventh consecutive Olympic gold medal — it'll do so with a split roster made up of six newcomers and six Olympic returnees.

One of the veterans: 35-year-old Lynx center Sylvia Fowles, is making her fourth Olympic appearance after winning gold in each of her last three appearances.

One of the newcomers: 24-year-old Lynx forward Napheesa Collier, is living out a dream at such a young age.

"Obviously I've watched the Olympics since I can remember," Collier said. "Making the Olympics one day was obviously a huge goal. So now that I'm here, it's crazy."

That she's playing alongside Fowles — Mama Syl, as she's so affectionately known by her Lynx teammates — adds to the meaning. This is Collier's first Olympics. It's almost certainly the last for Sue Bird, and potentially other legends such as Fowles and Diana Taurasi.

"To be able to go to maybe her last Olympics is such an honor. It's so cool," Collier said. "To be able to learn from her every single day, it's just been amazing."

Fowles thinks the shakeup in the Team USA roster is a good thing.

"It shows the right direction," Fowles said. "I think at some point we had to start incorporating younger players."

Fowles has seen this movie before. She was part of an aging Lynx team that reached the end of its run in 2018. Then came an influx of talent, led by Collier, that made Minnesota's transition a smooth one. The Lynx never missed the playoffs.

Don't expect Team USA to skip a beat, either. Not with the likes of Collier, A'Ja Wilson and Jewell Lloyd in the fold. And they'll have a prime example set for them competing alongside the veterans who've dominated both the international stage and the WNBA for more than a decade.

"They've gone to so many Olympics and are such legends and elite," Collier said. "To be able to play with them and learn from them, it's so cool and something we have to soak up."

Collier wasn't sure if she'd be an Olympian this time around. She'd set herself up well to earn that distinction after being named second-team All-WNBA as a second-year player in 2020. Collier has also been very active with Team USA over the years. Still, she sat in suspense on selection day last month until she got the call.

"Not expected," Collier said, "but I'm going to try to do everything I can to help the team and soak in as much as I can of this experience."

That's exactly what Fowles wants her teammate to do. And while it was a good bet Fowles would be on the team — she's still perhaps the best center in the world — she knew it wasn't a guarantee. Nothing ever is.

Had you told Fowles years ago that she would be playing for a fourth gold medal, she said she would've called your bluff. Competing at this level, all these years later, is "still surreal."

"You never want to get ahead of yourself and get too comfortable in the position you're in," Fowles said. "It's just crediting myself to the work I've put in."

Likely knowing this may be her last opportunity to don the Team USA jersey, Fowles vowed to do what she advised of Collier, and will soak in her Olympic moment, as well.

"Because," she said, "not everybody has a chance to compete for a fourth gold medal."