Kelsey Plum and A'ja Wilson will sit out of the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup, USA Basketball confirmed Sunday. The two withdrew for health reasons, leaving Team USA without two of its most experienced players ahead of the international tournament in Berlin.
Workload, Late-Season Injuries Sideline Kelsey Plum & A'ja Wilson
Plum, 32, is sidelined with a lower leg injury that already ended her WNBA season with playoff-eliminated Phoenix. She played just once since joining the Mercury on August 9th.
Wilson, meanwhile, shouldered a heavier workload after Las Vegas Aces forward NaLyssa Smith went down with a season-ending knee injury. The 30-year-old has appeared in all but three games this season, averaging 26 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 3.2 assists.
USA Basketball Adds Mystics Stars to FIBA World Cup 2026 Roster
Still, USA Basketball moved quickly to fill the gaps.
Washington Mystics teammates Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen, both 2026 All-Stars, will join the roster for their first major global tournament.
Even without Wilson and Plum, there's plenty of talent in Team USA's FIBA World Cup lineup. Caitlin Clark, Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, and Angel Reese headline a group chasing a fifth straight World Cup title when play opens September 4th against China.
No. 8 Washington is starting to see results, taking on No. 1 Minnesota on a three-game winning streak that includes upset victories over No. 4 New York and tonight’s top-ranked opponent.
Second-year Mystics guard Sonia Citron continues to impress, fueling Sunday’s 84-79 win over the Lynx with 21 points. It was enough to offset 22 points from Minnesota rookie Olivia Miles.
“I think it takes time to get to where you want to go,” said Washington forward Kiki Iriafen. “And that’s something that our coaches have stressed to us.”
The Lynx hunt revenge tonight, dropping just their third game this season to the eager young Mystics
“I want it to be hard, and I want us to fail,” said Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve, reflecting on lessons learned. “Because when you have good times, maybe you don’t really know who you actually are.”
“You take those moments and you appreciate them, but definitely it’s frustrating to not get the result you want,” said Miles.
Where to Watch Tonight's Lynx vs Mystics WNBA Game
Washington takes on Minnesota tonight at 7:30 PM ET, live on WNBA League Pass.
Sonia Citron led the Washington Mystics to an 88-81 win over the Connecticut Sun on Wednesday night. The guard posted 26 points and pulled down a career-high 12 rebounds at Mohegan Sun Arena, recording her first double-double of the season.
Sonia Citron, Michaela Onyenwere Carry Washington's Offense
Sonia Citron shot 7-of-13 from the field and went a perfect 12-of-12 from the free-throw line. When Connecticut tied the game at 70 in the fourth quarter, she answered with a personal run to pull Washington ahead for good.
Beyond Citron, however, the Mystics got a major lift from Michaela Onyenwere. The forward put up a season-high 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting, including 4-of-4 from beyond the arc. Together, the two combined for 48 of Washington's 88 points.
The Eastern Conference win highlighted the depth of Washington's young backcourt. With Citron setting the pace, the Mystics wore down Connecticut's defensive pressure throughout the second half.
Washington now carries that momentum into a demanding summer stretch. They'll next face the New York Liberty tomorrow night at 7:30 PM ET, live on ION.
Caitlin Clark added another moment to her WNBA highlight reel in Monday night's Fever vs Mystics showdown. The Indiana guard drained a three-pointer with 1.2 seconds left to beat Sonia Citron and Washington 78-76 on the road.
Indiana held a 17-point lead in the third quarter behind Clark's four-point play. But Washington chipped away in front of its home crowd. Then, with 4.3 seconds remaining, Citron sank two free throws to put the Mystics ahead 76-75.
That's when Indiana head coach Stephanie White called a timeout to set up one last look.
Caitlin Clark's Clutch 3-Pointer Saves the Night for Indiana
Sophie Cunningham subsequently threw a cross-court inbound pass toward Clark just as a Mystics defender lunged for the steal and missed. The Fever guard caught the ball near the logo, set her feet, and launched a high-arcing three that coasted in cleanly.
The buzzer-beater snapped a rough stretch for the Fever, moving Indiana to 6-5 on the season. It also marked a turning point for Clark, who's struggled from the floor after battling a nagging back injury.
Indiana will next face the Chicago Sky at home on Thursday night. Meanwhile, Sonia Citron and the Mystics look to regroup as they host the Toronto Tempo on Friday.
The young Washington Mystics are flying high, coming off Friday’s 104-102 OT win over the Indiana Fever ahead of tonight’s youth-fueled Mystics vs Wings clash.
Washington guard Sonia Citron led the team with 30 points, backed by three other double-digit scorers — enough to offset Fever guard Caitlin Clark’s own 32-point night.
“Every game we want to put our best foot forward,” Citron said. “We want to show who we can be, and we just want to be tough.”
The Wings will aim to match that toughness, as tonight’s game totals eight 2025 and 2026 first-round WNBA draft picks between the two sides.
Dallas is looking to snap a two-game losing streak, with reigning No. 1 pick Azzi Fudd appearing healthy after Thursday’s loss to the Lynx.
“You’ve just got to make sure you keep [Citron] in front of you, and she can’t get wide-open looks,” Dallas head coach Jose Fernandez said.
“You can’t let really good players have uncontested shots.”
Where to Watch Washington Mystics vs Dallas Wings WNBA Game
The Wings host the Mystics tonight at 8 PM ET, live on Peacock.
USA Basketball is refining its roster, shuffling in injury replacement players as the US women gear up for the 2026 FIBA World Cup qualifiers in Puerto Rico next week.
Indiana Fever center Aliyah Boston and Washington Mystics guard Sonia Citron will miss the trip after picking up recent injuries with their Unrivaled 3x3 teams, as Golden State Valkyries forward Monique Billings and LA Sparks guard Rae Burrell step up to join the squad in their stead.
Team USA will kick off training in Miami this weekend, as young stars like Fever guard Caitlin Clark, Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese, and Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers gear up to make their senior team debuts when the tournament tips off next Wednesday.
Even more, it just became easier for fans to catch those debuts, as TNT Sports announced on Thursday that the network's platforms will live broadcast all of the US's five World Cup qualifying games.
"We're excited to showcase these events across all of TNT Sports networks and platforms, bringing fans closer to the players and stories that define international basketball," said TNT Sports VP of content acquisitions Anthony D'Inverno.
How to watch Team USA at the 2026 FIBA World Cup qualifiers
The US will kick off the week-long 2026 FIBA World Cup qualifiers by taking on Senegal at 4:45 PM ET on Wednesday, with matchups against Puerto Rico, Italy, New Zealand, and Spain also on the team's tournament docket.
Wednesday's game will air live on truTV.
The opening round of the 2026 Unrivaled 1v1 tournament did not miss, as Wednesday's 11 matchups — including four upsets — loaded the bracket for Friday night's knockout slate.
Unrivaled rookie No. 6-seed Sonia Citron started the upsets with a splashy 12-10 win over No. 3 Marina Mabrey, before No. 7 Rae Burrell got past No. 2 Rhyne Howard 12-9 and No. 6 Shakira Austin topped No. 3 Dearica Hamby 12-10.
The most dramatic matchup of Wednesday's first round starred 2025 WNBA Most Improved Player and Unrivaled 1v1 No. 5-seed Veronica Burton, who upset a stunned No. 4 Courtney Williams in a 11-0 shutout.
The competition's No. 1 seeds saw a chalkier path, with Paige Bueckers ousting Kate Martin 12-5, Breanna Stewart handling Li Yueru 11-6, and Kelsey Mitchel downing Rachel Banham 12-3.
Friday's bill kicks off with eight second-round showdowns before the quarterfinals narrow the pool down to four contenders, who will face-off in Saturday's semifinals ahead of a best-of-three final round to crown Unrivaled's new 1v1 champion.
The second round is full of top-tier matchups, including Bueckers squaring off against Dallas Wings teammate Arike Ogunbowale, Stewart taking on fellow big Aliyah Boston, and Austin facing defending 1v1 runner-up Aaliyah Edwards — as well as an underdog clash between Citron and Burrell.
How to watch the 2026 Unrivaled 1v1 tournament this weekend
The 1v1 tournament's second round tips off at 7:30 PM ET on Friday, with the semifinals and finals taking the Miami court at 6 PM ET on Saturday.
All Unrivaled 1v1 games will air live on TNT.
As Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball gears up for Season 2, broadcast partner TNT unveiled additional 2026 coverage plans last week while the offseason league crowned its team captains across the expanded field.
Unrivaled co-founders Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart will captain the Lunar Owls and Mist BC, respectively, while Season 1 veterans Jackie Young (Laces BC), Kahleah Copper (Rose BC), and Dearica Hamby (Vinyl BC) will also resume their boss roles next month.
Earning first-time captain status for the 2026 campaign are three league newcomers, with Kelsey Plum helming Phantom BC while 2025 WNBA rookies Sonia Citron and Paige Bueckers lead incoming Unrivaled expansion teams Hive BC and Breeze BC, respectively.
Stocked with eight clubs and an extra night of weekly programming, TNT is doubling down on Unrivaled this winter, tapping three-time WNBA champion Candace Parker to lead the network's coverage in the hot seat.
Joining Parker will be fellow WNBA retiree and All-Star Renee Montgomery as well as host Lauren Jbara, with special appearances throughout the season by basketball legend Lisa Leslie.
Each week will now feature four nights of Unrivaled basketball, with TNT airing Friday and Monday games while truTV broadcasts the 3x3 league's action on Saturdays and Sundays.
How to watch Unrivaled Season 2
The second season of Unrivaled Basketball will tip off with all eight teams in action across a pair of doubleheaders — one in the afternoon and one in the evening — beginning at 1 PM ET on Monday, January 5th, with live coverage airing on truTV and TNT.
Fresh off the program's record-extending 12th national championship, the UConn Huskies will tip off the 2025/26 NCAA season as the top-ranked team on the preseason AP Top 25 Women's College Basketball Poll.
The elite start marks the Huskies' first No. 1 preseason ranking since 2017, as returning starters like sophomore forward Sarah Strong and grad student guard Azzi Fudd prepare to defend their NCAA title.
"Hopefully, it's a little bit of a confidence builder and not, 'Oh my god!'" UConn head coach Geno Auriemma said of his team's poll results. "I'm happy for them…. You tend to finish the year where you're predicted, so I like being in this position."
All of last season's Final Four teams will begin their 2025/26 campaigns on a high note, with national runners-up South Carolina ranking second while UCLA snagged third and Texas fourth.
Not every ranked team remained as unchanged, however, as No. 15 Notre Dame and No. 18 USC saw expectations dip in the face of significant player turnover.
USC will be without superstar guard JuJu Watkins for the entirety of the upcoming season, as the 20-year-old Trojan continues to rehab an ACL tear suffered during 2025's March Madness.
As for Notre Dame, the Fighting Irish lost standouts Sonia Citron and Maddy Westbeld to the WNBA, with the team planning to re-center their approach around guard Hannah Hidalgo after celebrated point guard Olivia Miles transferred to No. 17 TCU.
The 2025/26 NCAA basketball season tips off on Monday, November 3rd.
The 2025/26 NCAA basketball preseason AP Top 25 poll
1. UConn (Big East)
2. South Carolina (SEC)
3. UCLA (Big Ten)
4. Texas (SEC)
5. LSU (SEC)
6. Oklahoma (SEC)
7. Duke (ACC)
8. Tennessee (SEC)
9. NC State (ACC)
10. Maryland (Big Ten)
11. UNC (ACC)
12. Ole Miss (SEC)
13. Michigan (Big Ten)
14. Iowa State (Big 12)
15. Notre Dame (ACC)
16. Baylor (Big 12)
17. TCU (Big 12)
18. USC (Big Ten)
19. Vanderbilt (SEC)
20. Louisville (ACC)
21. Iowa (Big Ten)
22. Oklahoma State (Big 12)
23. Michigan State (Big Ten)
T24. Kentucky (SEC)
T24. Richmond (Atlantic 10)
Notre Dame basketball star Hannah Hidalgo took the mic this week, telling reporters at Tuesday's ACC Media Day that she's eager to erase the memory of last season's March Madness crash-out.
"Knowing how much talent we had last year and underachieving like we did was something that was heartbreaking," the junior guard said, explaining that the one-time No. 1 Fighting Irish lost focus ahead of their Sweet 16 tournament exit.
Hidalgo, whose 23.8 points per game made her the fifth most prolific scorer in the NCAA last season, also vowed to step up as a leader this year in light of Notre Dame losing standouts Sonia Citron and Maddy Westbeld to the WNBA and fellow star guard Olivia Miles in a transfer to TCU.
"I know how to get the best out of my teammates, I know the steps that I need to take and the things that I need to do," said Hidalgo, dismissing questions about her rumored rift with Miles. "One of the most important things is building that relationship and that connection with my teammates off the court. It's bigger than basketball."
"I know the weight of [the spotlight] is heavy," Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey said of Hidalgo's role. "But I feel like she has done a great job of surrounding herself with the right network."