New York Liberty lead the WNBA with 7 players headed to the FIBA World Cup

Center A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces and guard Kelsey Plum of the Washington Mystics have decided to withdraw from the FIBA Women’s World Cup due to health concerns. The U.S. national team will be without them, and they will be replaced by Washington teammates Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron. Wilson, a four-time WNBA Most Valuable Player, had been handling a heavy workload for the Aces and required some time to rest and prepare for the playoffs.

She had previously been named the most outstanding player at both the 2024 Paris Olympics and the 2022 World Cup. Plum, on the other hand, has been dealing with a calf injury throughout most of the WNBA season, and it has yet to fully recover. She had been a key player in the French gold-medal game against France during the 2024 Olympics, leading the U.S. to a one-point victory.

Iriafen and Citron were both part of the U.S. camps this past winter. Iriafen played in the team that won the World Cup qualifier in Puerto Rico, while Citron made her national team debut at the 2022 tournament after missing it due to an injury. The U.S. has won every Women’s World Cup since falling to Russia in the semifinals in 2006, when Lisa Leslie had to leave due to a car accident involving her uncle.

Without Wilson and Plum, the U.S. will have to rely even more on its younger players. The roster will feature Olympic medalists Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers, along with Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young, Kahleah Copper, Rhyne Howard, and Aliyah Boston, who will all be making their World Cup debuts.