Before Marine Johannès was electrifying the Barclays Center with her one-footed 3-pointers, she was a WNBA fan girl.At home in France, Johannès leaned in close to the family computer, watching highlights of players such as Diana Taurasi and Candace Parker on YouTube. But the league itself seemed far away, and not just geographically.“The WNBA wasn’t even a dream for me,” she said. “I didn’t think it was possible.”Then, Johannès signed her first professional contract, playing for USO Mondeville as a 17-year-old. In the early days of her professional career, Johannès faced several of the players she grew up idolizing.“My teammates were so excited for me,” she said. “They knew how I was about American basketball.”That marked a turning point in her young career. Johannès dared to dream. Then, she dared to make those dreams a reality.By design, French players have historically remained in France. Lucrative contracts in the French league, lack of incentive to travel overseas and strict rules from the French Federation meant a local product grew but never went global.Getting players to compete in the U.S. has been complicated.In 2019, when Johannès signed with the New York Liberty, she was the only French player in the league. Now, there are 13, including three playing in Brooklyn. She’s been a catalyst for a French basketball pipeline, helping make France the most-represented foreign country in the WNBA.“She has inspired lots of people,” said Pauline Astier, a French WNBA rookie who plays with Johannès in Brooklyn.Johannès and Astier are two members of the French national team, which will be competing in the FIBA women’s basketball World Cup starting Friday. The team, which has eight WNBA players, is considered a potential to knock Team USA off its throne.Team France playerWNBA teamPauline AstierNew York LibertyValeriane AyayiPhoenix MercuryMarine JohannèsNew York LibertyLeïla LacanConnecticut SunCarla LeitePortland FireDominique MalongaSeattle StormJanella SalaünGolden State ValkyriesGabby WilliamsGolden State ValkyriesBut when Johannès was pursuing her WNBA dreams, the French Federation did not share her affinity for American basketball. When she opted to sign with the Liberty, it came with risks. They came to fruition in 2023, when she was left off the EuroBasket team due to WNBA commitments.But Johannès is used to making things happen. She learned to play basketball by re-creating moves she watched on YouTube. Despite not attending a high-level athletics academy, she became the youngest player on the French national team. Ultimately, the risk was worth it.Her decision helped change the way the French Federation operates, opening the door for her countrywomen to join the WNBA. Their arrival has birthed an intriguing new rivalry between France and the U.S., which started in the 2024 Olympics and will continue to unfold this month in Berlin.But Johannès is not the only reason Les Bleues started flocking to the WNBA. Johannès opened the door, but several factors, including increased WNBA salaries and NIL contracts, added opportunities with WNBA expansion and cultural shifts pushed them through it.The WNBA is officially experiencing a French takeover.Since 1996, Team USA has collected eight straight Olympic gold medals. Which is why, with France hosting the Games in 2024, expecting anything other than a Team USA victory would have been ludicrous. Yet the absurd notion nearly became a reality.In the final, Les Bleues held the Americans to 34 percent shooting, including 17 percent from beyond the arc. As the game progressed, it became clear that the Americans weren’t going to pull away. France lost by just 1 point.Team USA finally had a challenger.“We all know that Team USA is the best in the world,” Johannès said. “But I think it can happen one day — they can lose.”Here's what to know about the FIBA World CupSabreena MerchantThat’s a possibility that many American fans had never considered. Especially since, other than Johannès and Gabby Williams (now with the Golden State Valkyries), many of the French players who nearly took down Team USA weren’t playing in the world’s best league, even though they were clearly among the world’s best players.