Staff USA will probably be flying to Berlin for the 2026 FIBA Girls’s Basketball World Cup with out two of the most important WNBA stars at the moment. On Monday, USA Basketball announced that Kelsey Plum and A’ja Wilson “are now not capable of compete in Berlin as a result of well being causes.”
The 32-year-old Plum, who was traded by the Los Angeles Sparks to the Phoenix Mercury in August, has been bothered by lower-body accidents within the 2026 WNBA season, limiting her to only 17 video games thus far. She can be done for the remainder of the 2026 campaign after solely enjoying 5 video games for the reason that commerce.
The 30-year-old Wilson, alternatively, has been largely wholesome, with the four-time WNBA Most Precious Participant showing in 37 video games. Maybe Wilson opted out of nationwide workforce duties to make use of the lengthy break within the WNBA schedule to relaxation up for the looming playoffs.
In the meantime, Staff USA will get youthful with Plum and Wilson changed by the Washington Mystics duo of Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen, who’ve each been added to the roster rather than the vets. Citron,22, and Iriafen, 23, are massive the explanation why the Mystics are headed to the WNBA Playoffs for the primary time since 2023.
Staff USA will begin group play on Sept. 4 towards China, then tackle Italy and Czechia on Sept. 6 and Sept. 7, respectively.
