USA Basketball Announces 2014 World Championship Women's Roster

Looking to follow in the men's gold-medal-winning footsteps, the United States women's basketball team has finalized its 12-player roster for the 2014 FIBA World Championship.   

USA Basketball's official website announced the news Tuesday afternoon. Here's a look at those who will make the trip to Turkey for the tournament, which starts Sept. 27:

Player	Team
Sue Bird	Seattle Storm
Diana Taurasi	Phoenix Mercury
Tina Charles	New York Liberty
Candice Dupree	Phoenix Mercury
Angel McCoughtry	Atlanta Dream
Maya Moore	Minnesota Lynx
Lindsay Whalen	Minnesota Lynx
Seimone Augustus	Minnesota Lynx
Brittney Griner	Phoenix Mercury
Nnemkadi Ogwumike	Los Angeles Sparks
Odyssey Sims	Tulsa Shock
Breanna Sewart	University of Connecticut

This will likely be the international swan song for veteran Sue Bird. The 33-year-old has enjoyed an unbelievable career with the red, white and blue. Dating back to 2002, she has won five golds (three at the Olympics, two at the FIBA World Championships) and a bronze (2006 FIBA World Championship) at major international competitions.

Her selection puts her alone in the record books, as noted by Team USA's Twitter feed:

Head coach Geno Auriemma talked about the eight-time WNBA All-Star:

"

I think it’s a testament to Sue. That’s a period of 12 years. She played right after graduating college. It is amazing that her level of play has been that consistent for that many years at a position that is not easy to play. That’s kind of who she is. She is very steady, very even keeled, unbelievable talented and wins.

"

Of course, with the amount of talent around her, Bird, who averaged a career-low 29.2 minutes per game with the Seattle Storm this season after missing all of 2013 due to knee surgery, can afford to take it easy and play the role of player-coach. 

WNBA MVP Maya Moore will lead the way, while Diana Taurasi, Seimone Augustus, Tina Charles, Angel McCoughtry and Lindsay Whalen all return from the 2012 gold-medal winning squad. Taurasi (three) and Augustus (two) join Bird as players with multiple Olympic golds. 

It goes beyond experience, though, as Auriemma and USA Basketball women's national team director Carol Callan have sprinkled in some of the brightest young talent in the WNBA. 

Brittney Griner is already arguably the most dominant defensive player in the world at 23, while Nnemkadi Ogwumike, Odyssey Sims and Breanna Stewart will also get a chance to shine on the international stage. 

The Americans lost to France in an exhibition Sunday, marking the team's first defeat since 2011. But make no mistake about it: With the blend of experience and burgeoning talent, they are the favorites to take home the title and clinch a spot in the 2016 Olympics.