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Atlanta Dream star Rhyne Howard became the second Team USA 3-on-3 basketball player in as many days to leave the floor with an injury on Tuesday.
Howard left Atlanta’s 68-55 loss to the Minnesota Lynx in the third quarter after stepping on the foot of Lynx guard Courtney Williams and appearing to roll her ankle.
She did not return and Dream coach Tanisha Wright said Howard would be further evaluated Thursday.
Rhyne Howard Injury Could Mean Another Change To Team USA 3-on-3 Team
Howard is one of four players selected to play for Team USA in 3-on-3 women’s basketball at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. But one of those players is already in need of replacing after WNBA rookie superstar Cameron Brink tore her ACL.
Brink is expected to be replaced by another post player. But Howard, a 6-foot-2 guard averaging 15.4 points per game this season, could open a spot for rookie sensation Caitlin Clark should she be unable to play in Paris.
“I know she’s the type of person that will be able to get through it and come through it stronger,” Clark said of Brink’s injury. “But yeah, I mean it just breaks your heart. She’s such a good basketball player, but an even better person … I know she’s come back stronger and I know so many people are thinking of her and praying for her.”
Howard, meanwhile, was the No. 1 pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft and was a budding star.
She joined TCU’s Hailey Van Lith and former Tennessee player Cierra Burdick as the remaining players on the USA 3-on-3 team. The US won gold in 2021 in the inaugural 3-on-3 event led by WNBA stars Allisha Gray, Jackie Young, Kelsey Plum and Stefanie Dolson.
Young and Plum are now on the 5-on-5 team for the Paris Olympics.