Clark, Bueckers headline USA Women's World Cup roster
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- USA Basketball announced the 12-player Women's National Team roster for the FIBA World Cup in Berlin, with Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, Angel Reese, and Aliyah Boston making their first USA appearances at a major international competition.
- A'ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart headline the roster, combining for six WNBA MVP awards and each holding both World Cup and Olympic MVP honors.
- Kelsey Plum and Napheesa Collier made the roster despite missing most of the WNBA season due to injuries — Plum has played 14 games while dealing with lower leg injuries, and Collier had two offseason ankle surgeries before her late-July debut.
- Managing director Sue Bird selected the roster and head coach Kara Lawson will lead the team, with assistants Natalie Nakase, Nate Tibbetts, and Stephanie White.
- It's the second major international competition without either Sue Bird or Diana Taurasi since the 2000 Olympics, marking a generational handoff for the program.
- Team USA will face China on Sept. 4, Italy on Sept. 6, and Czechia on Sept. 7 in group play, with the tournament running Sept. 4-13 and the WNBA season pausing from Aug. 31-Sept. 16.
Why it matters: The roster formalizes the post-Taurasi/Bird era for USA Basketball, pairing veterans Wilson and Stewart with the WNBA's biggest young stars — all of whom are playing under the USA jersey for the first time at a major senior competition. The WNBA's 17-day season pause from Aug. 31-Sept. 16 reshapes the league calendar around the international window.
