Americans abroad help countries grow women's basketball for Olympic opportunity

VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ, France (AP) — Germany has lots of players who can score. The Germans knew they needed a point guard for the Paris Games with the country making its Olympic debut in women's basketball.

Alexis Peterson, a native of Columbus, Ohio, has proven to be a perfect fit.

The guard who played at Syracuse in college has helped Germany qualify for Wednesday's quarterfinals in Paris, and German coach Lisa Thomaidis said Peterson has been everything they wanted.

“Ball control, that's always been the issue for us,” Thomaidis said. “We've had to kind of do it by committee. We've never really had a true point guard. We've been able to, you know, do it OK. But to get to that next level? We knew that she was someone that would be a huge help.”

Peterson's not the only American abroad in these Olympics playing for other countries. The reason? The stacked pipeline of U.S. talent is essentially impossible to crack, and a FIBA rule allows countries to tap players with dual citizenships or a player who becomes a naturalized citizen.

For Peterson, it's been a long road.

Now 29, she was drafted 15th overall in 2017 by the WNBA's Seattle Storm. She spent six seasons bouncing around the WNBA from Indiana, Phoenix and the Las Vegas Aces. She's played in Israel, Poland and France.

Then Germany and Thomaidis reached out to Peterson last summer to gauge her interest. She had represented the U.S. in 3x3 basketball, so USA Basketball and the German Basketball Association agreed to a change of Peterson's nationality so she could play for Germany.

“If you recall, like Las Vegas head coach Becky Hammon played for Russia," Peterson said of the Aces coach. “So it’s been happening for a while. Players find opportunities elsewhere and make the most of those opportunities. So I’m grateful that I was given this opportunity.”

Peterson has lots of company at these games playing for other countries.

Yvonne Anderson was born in Springdale, Arkansas, and is the daughter of college coach Mike Anderson. The point guard will be playing in her second straight Olympic quarterfinals for Serbia against Australia on Wednesday. She helped Serbia finish fourth three years ago in the Tokyo Games.

Then, Anderson was fitting into a new team, figuring out her role. Time has made a big difference.

“At this point, I have a bond with the team," said Anderson, who has been wearing a mask protecting the nose she broke earlier this year. "This is my family. Like, these are my girls. This is my team.”

Megan Gustafson from Port Wing, Wisconsin, played at Iowa and was the 2019 AP women's player of the year. The 6-foot-4 Gustafson currently is a backup on the WNBA 's Aces and said yes when Spain asked if she'd be interested in playing for their team.

With her scoring and rebounding, Spain was among the first to qualify for the quarterfinals and will play Belgium on Wednesday.

Gabby Williams has dual citizenship. She played at UConn and was a late addition to the 2021 French Olympic team that won bronze in Tokyo, beating Serbia and Anderson.

An Olympics in France?

Even more special because Williams' French mother finally got to watch her daughter play for France in person.

“I think that was really, really hard on my Mum to miss the Olympics (in Tokyo)," Williams said. “And then, of course, when you have games when it doesn’t go well and to not have your family there, that’s always really hard, and then to celebrate without them too is also really difficult.”

There are many others.

Houston native Mya Hollingshed played at Colorado and was the eighth pick overall by Las Vegas in the 2022 WNBA draft. Her grandfather, Terry Sykes, was a 1978 NBA draft pick by Washington. She has been playing for Puerto Rico since the 2022 World Cup.

Nigeria became the first African team, male or female, to reach the Olympic quarterfinals in basketball. The roster features five players born in the U.S. with four others who played at American colleges. Nigeria plays the U.S. on Wednesday.

Peterson spends up to 11 months a year in Europe with Fairfax, Virginia, home when in the U.S. Her European experience and being a pass-first point guard is why Thomaidis saw Peterson as a perfect fit for Germany's roster.

“We knew we had a lot of weapons that we can distribute the ball to, and she’s been just that," Thomaidis said.

Germany wants to make a splash in these games as a big step toward hosting the 2026 World Cup. Olympic success will only give women's basketball a huge boost in Germany, and these Olympians are getting messages of support and know people are paying attention.

“This is huge for German women’s basketball, for little girls in Germany right now watching us here compete here as the underdogs of our group and come out is just so inspiring to them," Peterson said. "And I know it’ll give them something to look forward to as well.”

AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Nigerian players, left to right, Ezinne Kalu, Murjanatu Musa, Amy Okonkwo, of Nigeria, and Promise Amukamara, celebrate after Nigeria defeated Australia in a women's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

France's Valeriane Ayayi, left, celebrates after scoring and drawing a foul as Nigeria's Amy Ezinne Kalu has words with her with France's Gabby Williams between them during a women's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

France's Gabby Williams, left, and Nigeria's Amy Elizabeth Balogun tie up the ball during a women's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Serbia's Yvonne Anderson, right, shoots as Spain's Andrea Vilaro, center, defends and Serbia's Tina Kajisnik watches at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, Pool)

Serbia's Yvonne Anderson, below, shoots as Serbia's Tina Kajisnik, center, and Spain's Maite Cazorla watch during a women's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, Pool)

Germany's Nyara Sabally, center, congratulates Germany's Alexis Peterson during a timeout during a women's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Germany head coach Lisa Thomaidis gestures during a women's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Germany's Alexis Peterson (1) celebrates withe teammates Germany's Frieda Buhner (20), Germany's Satou Sabally (0) and Germany's Lina Sontag after Germany defeated Japan in a women's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Germany's Alexis Peterson, left, shoots as Japan's Evelyn Mawuli defends during a women's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

NEW DELHI (AP) — Australia pacer Mitchell Starc is among the foreign players who will not return when the Indian Premier League restarts this weekend, while England batter Jos Buttler will miss the playoffs because of the rescheduling.

Virat Kohli's Royal Challengers Bengaluru take on Kolkata Knight Riders in Bengaluru on Saturday in the first game since the IPL was suspended a week ago because India and Pakistan were firing missiles at each other. A ceasefire and government clearance means all 17 remaining matches will be played but the IPL will finish on June 3, nine days later than originally planned.

That spills into foreign tours and matches. England is hosting Zimbabwe and the West Indies, Bangladesh is going to Pakistan, and the World Test Championship final between Australia and South Africa starts on June 11 at Lord's.

Cricket South Africa has denied its players extended no-objection certificates, and they must return home after May 25. Cricket West Indies has granted extended NOCs to its players until the IPL's end on June 3.

Starc, the Delhi Capitals' leading wicket-taker, has told the team he will not return. Neither will Australia and Delhi teammate Jake Fraser-McGurk.

Starc and Fraser-McGurk are understood to have been shaken by the abrupt suspension of the league. They were part of the Delhi-Punjab Kings match in Dharamsala on May 8, which was abandoned after 10.1 overs amid air raid alarms in a security blackout in north-west India.

Fast bowler Josh Hazlewood, also in Australia's WTC final squad, is rehabbing a shoulder niggle in Brisbane and will rejoin Bengaluru for the knockouts.

Australia skipper Pat Cummins and opening batter Travis Head will rejoin Sunrisers Hyderabad, despite the team out of playoffs contention.

Buttler has scored 500 runs in 11 games for the league-leading Gujarat Titans, including five half-centuries. The Titans have signed Sri Lanka's Kusal Mendis for about $90,000 as Buttler's replacement in the knockouts. Mendis will make his maiden IPL appearance, having played in the Pakistan Super League for Quetta Gladiators until the PSL was also suspended on May 7.

Bengaluru's English players Will Jacks, Liam Livingstone and Jacob Bethell have already returned. But countrymen Jofra Archer and allrounders Sam Curran and Jamie Overton won't be returning. Their teams, Rajasthan and Chennai, can't make the knockouts.

In light of players' unavailability, IPL officials have allowed franchises to sign players on short-term contracts for the remainder of the league, but these players cannot be retained ahead of the 2026 season.

Punjab signed New Zealand's Kyle Jamieson for about $230,000 in place of compatriot Lockie Ferguson, who injured a hamstring.

Lucknow Super Giants brought in New Zealand pacer Will O'Rourke for about $350,000 to replace pacer Mayank Yadav, who injured his back and was out for the season.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

Delhi Capitals' Mitchell Starc bowls a delivery during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala, India, Thursday, May 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)