{
  "id": 4952089,
  "title": "‘We’ve kinda moved on’: USA women’s basketball coach doesn’t ‘have time to be worried about’ A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/01/weve-kinda-moved-on-usa-womens-basketball-coach-doesnt-have-time-to",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-01T22:20:43.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ve-kinda-moved-usa-women-222043896.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "This week, two of the most successful players in the WNBA, Aja Wilson and Kelsey Plum, announced they would not be participating in the 2026 FIBA Women's World Cup. Wilson, who has won four WNBA MVP awards, has been dealing with health and fatigue issues, while Plum, a two-time WNBA champion, will miss the entire season due to a lower-leg injury. USA women's basketball head coach, Kara Lawson, expressed her focus on the players present, stating, \"We've kinda moved on... We don't have time to be worried about who's not here. We've got to really focus on ourselves.\" Lawson acknowledged missing Wilson and Plum but emphasized the need to concentrate on the 12 players available, wishing them both a speedy recovery. The decision surprised some fans, with one X user questioning why Wilson hadn't informed the coach about her absence. Lawson clarified that she was unaware of Wilson's decision. As a result, Wilson and Plum were replaced by Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron from the Washington Mystics.",
  "summary": "This week, two of the WNBA’s most prolific players announced they weren’t going to play for Team USA ahead of the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup. Four-time WNBA MVP Aja Wilson and two-time WNBA champion Kelsey Plum both rejected their offers due to injury. Wilson has battled health and fatigue issues, while Plum will miss…",
  "key_points": [
    "Aja Wilson and Kelsey Plum won't play in 2026 FIBA World Cup",
    "USA coach Kara Lawson focuses on available players",
    "Wilson, Plum replaced by Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}