Olympics-Basketball-US Taurasi more in love with the game than the pursuit of victory

LILLE, France - Five-time gold medallist Diana Taurasi is eager to take on the court at the Paris Games, and insists her love of basketball is more important than winning medals.

The 42-year-old American knows that every Olympics is different and her experience at her sixth appearance has taught her to trust the process and enjoy the moment.

"I still love the game. I love competing. I know we always talk about winning and losing, but I like the journey of it, the preparation, the struggle. I think sometimes you get distracted by the wins, but it's the things that happen before the wins that I've really enjoyed," Taurasi said on Thursday.

"You have to enjoy the moment while you're here. Tomorrow we have the opening ceremony, for some of us it's the first time and some of us have done it a lot, but you have to enjoy it. And then, when it's time to play, that will be the most serious thing," she added.

Taurasi, who could become the most decorated team athlete in the history of the Games if the U.S. women bring home a medal, knows the competition will be tough at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille.

"It's always difficult, France is tough, Spain has players who are dynamic, Australia is always strong and organised, China has young talent who play different, as does Japan, not to mention Belgium, who will certainly fill this place."

But she knows teamwork will be the key to success when the U.S. take on Japan in their opening match on Monday.

"You have to go out there and be the most unselfish you've ever been in your career and that takes effort from everyone, we have to build that chemistry pretty quickly," Taurasi said.

The Phoenix Mercury guard and WNBA's all-time leading scorer added she is still not thinking about retirement, as she joked about participating in the 2028 Games in Los Angeles: "I'll be there, having a beer on the beach."