Olympian TJ DeFalco: What You Need to Know About the USA Football Team

Team USA is a volleyball star TJ DeFalco made his mark at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The 27-year-old was still in high school when he first joined the US national team in 2015. He used to train with the volleyball legend. Tyler Hildebrandwho compared DeFalco to one of the greatest athletes of all time: LeBron James.

“I saw LeBron play in high school,” Hildebrand told ESPN in 2012. “Obviously, LeBron is LeBron, and maybe it’s not a big difference, but the way TJ is better than other kids his age reminds me of him. [him].”

At the time, Hildebrand added: “There is no doubt that TJ is the best volleyball player in the nation for his age. I don’t think anyone would argue with that.”

DeFalco was a top recruit going into the NCAA. She played college volleyball at California State University, Long Beach, winning two NCAA championships throughout her four years on the team. Now, his talents have impressed on the world stage at the Paris Olympics. (Team USA won the bronze medal on Friday, August 9, defeating Italy.)

“[Being in the Olympic Village] it doesn’t really hit you until it does, and you’re like, ‘Holy cow. I’m in the valley right now, and there’s 45 different countries around me right now and we’re all walking to the restaurant,’” DeFalco told KTLA in July just before the games started. “There is no other time on Earth where you can do that. It’s really special and I’m excited about it.”

He was also looking forward to changing the image of volleyball, which he called “a kind of game that doesn’t sleep well.”

“When people finally watch it for the first time, [the reaction is]’Holy cow, why don’t more people watch this kind of thing?’” he said. “I just want to say to the audience that if you have time, you have nothing to watch or your favorite sports are not playing, try men’s volleyball.”

Scroll down to learn more about Team USA’s TJ DeFalco:

He comes from a Great Family

DeFalco is one of seven siblings. According to her Team USA bio, all the children in her family have names that start with “T” and they are all involved in volleyball. The DeFalcos grew up in Missouri before moving to Huntington Beach, California.

“It was like a movie We bought the Zoo“The athlete told ESPN in 2012 about his roots in Missouri, where his family raised exotic animals.

He was homeschooled

Although she played volleyball for Huntington Beach High School in California after her family moved away, DeFalco and her siblings were all homeschooled.

Paris Is Not His First Olympics

DeFalco previously competed in the 2020 Tokyo Games, but Team USA didn’t come close to medal contention that time. “We have to have a little dog in us,” DeFalco told VolleyballMag.com ahead of the Paris Olympics.

Is TJ DeFalco Single?

While showing off his Team USA Skims gear on July’s TikTok, DeFalco revealed that his girlfriend — who he didn’t name — is a fan of the brand. Before leaving for Paris, she shared “non-volleyball content” with her Instagram followers, including a photo of a couple on a boat.

Played Pro Volleyball Overseas

When not managing Team USA, DeFalco is the outside hitter for Japan’s JTEKT Stings. His pro career began in Italy in 2019 before moving to Poland, where he played from 2021 to 2024.