A pool of 21 players, nine of them Olympic gold medallists and most from the Women’s NBA, were named by USA Basketball on Monday as finalists for spots on the 2012 London Olympic roster.

The Americans will seek their fifth gold medal in a row next August, having beaten Australia in the past three Olympic finals as part of a 33-game win streak that dates back to a loss in the 1992 Barcelona semi-finals.

Seattle’s Sue Bird, Phoenix’s Diana Taurasi and Indiana’s Tamika Catchings hope to play for a third consecutive Olympic gold medal squad. All three played on the 2010 world championship squad that earned the US women an Olympic berth.

Other past US Olympic champions up for a 2012 spot include Swin Cash from 2004 in Athens and Seimone Augustus, Sylvia Fowles, Kara Lawson, Candace Parker and Cappie Pondexter from 2008 in Beijing.

Others seeking a US roster spot for London include Jayne Appel, Rebekkah Brunson, Tina Charles, Candice Dupree, Lindsey Harding, Asjha Jones, Angel McCoughtry, Renee Montgomery, Maya Moore, Lindsay Whalen, Sophia Young and collegian Brittney Griner.

“Now that we’re down to 21 finalists, you look around and you see a group of players that have tremendous experience, players that have won gold medals, won world championships,” said US Olympic women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma.

“You’ve got a group of players that have experienced everything there is to experience and as a coach I couldn’t be happier with this group.”

Other Olympic qualifiers include hosts Great Britain, reigning European champions Russia, Asian champions China, Oceania champions Australia, African champions Angola and Americas champions Brazil.

Five other countries will join them in London after a qualifying tournament on June 25-July 1 in Turkey that includes New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Mali, Mozambique, Canada, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Turkey, Croatia, Czech Republic and France.