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 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame dropped its Class of 2026 finalists on Wednesday, with WNBA icons Candace Parker and Elena Delle Donne leading the lineup of 21 women's and men's players, coaches, and referees.

Two-time MVP Parker retired in 2024 as the only WNBA player to win championships with three different teams, and remains the only player in league history to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season (2008).

Fellow retired two-time MVP Delle Donne became the first player in WNBA history to register a 50/40/90 season, doing so en route to claiming a first-ever league championship with the Washington Mystics in 2019.

Joining Parker and Delle Donne on the Hall of Fame finalist roster are fellow WNBA veterans and Team USA Olympic gold medalists Jennifer Azzi and Chamique Holdsclaw, as well as Molly Bolin-Kazmier, a prolific scorer and the first player signed to the sport's first-ever pro league in the US — the Women's Professional Basketball League (1978-1981).

Notably, Azzi is on the ballot twice, as her Olympic gold medal-winning 1996 US Women's National Team — whose roster also includes Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes, and Dawn Staley, plus Hall of Fame coach Tara VanDerveer — made the cut for helping to "elevate the global profile of women's basketball and [contribute] to the launch of the WNBA."

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame will announce the official Class of 2026 during the NCAA Final Four in early April, with the induction ceremony set for Saturday, August 15th.

USA Basketball is betting on the future, naming WNBA Rookie of the Year winners Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers to its 2026 FIBA World Cup Qualifying Tournament 12-player roster on Wednesday.

Making their competitive senior team debuts alongside Clark and Bueckers will be Angel Reese, Sonia Citron, and Kiki Iriafen, with 2024 Olympic gold medalists Kahleah Copper, Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum, and Jackie Young backing the fresh faces, among other international veterans.

Duke University head coach Kara Lawson will lead the team, with support from a trio of WNBA managers serving as assistants: Natalie Nakase (Golden State Valkyries), Nate Tibbetts (Phoenix Mercury), and Stephanie White (Indiana Fever). 

"We have a great generation of young, very talented players coming up," Lawson said in Wednesday's USA Basketball announcement. "It will be good to have them in a position to play with Team USA this time and see how they gel with everyone."

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While the US already booked a spot in Berlin's 2026 World Cup by winning the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup in July, next month's qualifiers will serve as a testing ground for September's main event.

Senegal, New Zealand, Spain, Italy, and Puerto Rico join USA Basketball managing director Sue Bird's hand-picked roster in San Juan from March 11th to March 17th, while simultaneous qualifying tournaments tip off in France and China.

Indiana Fever center Aliyah Boston knows what it's like to stick out in a crowd. Growing up on St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands, she often played with boys to keep up her game — both a welcome challenge and an isolating experience.

"It was mostly just guys that I was around, and that's who my competition was," Boston told JWS last month. "It was always rough playing against guys, trying to score on them. Because they don't want a girl to score on them."

All that changed when she moved to the US at the age of 12, intent on making basketball her career.

"That was definitely a difference for me until I moved to the States," she said. "I was like, 'Okay, so this is what it's like to be around girls in general.'"

Fast-forward to 2026, and Boston still sticks out in a crowd — for all the right reasons. Drafted No. 1 overall eight days after winning a national championship with South Carolina, the Fever recruit was named 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year. She quickly became a cornerstone for Indiana as they pushed through an onslaught of injuries to reach the 2025 semifinals.

But the 24-year-old still remembers what it was like to be the only girl at practice. It's an issue she's tackling alongside Lilly and the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis via The Court is Hers, an initiative dedicated to creating more opportunities for girls in basketball.

"Young girls are finally seeing that this is not just a boy's world, and that they do have role models to look up to," Boston said of the partnership. "They do have the ability to be great in whatever they want to be great in, whatever the goals they set."

Stepping into a leadership role on and off the WNBA court

Boston takes being a role model seriously. And she's becoming better at handling the daily routines of a professional athlete every passing year. After a two-week reset following the end of the 2025 WNBA season, she got back in the gym. She was laser-focused on gearing up for Team USA camp in December — and her second season with Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball.

She doesn't see herself as a veteran just yet, though the mantle might be thrust upon her faster than anticipated. Young frontcourt players are already citing Boston as an inspiration, someone they can learn from as they develop their own styles.

"Obviously, she's younger, but I've always grown up watching her. I loved her at South Carolina," UCLA center Lauren Betts said from Team USA camp. "She's just someone that we idolize. So being able to learn from her and have those conversations has been really cool. I actually spoke to her about some tips that I could use moving forward for my team."

Tipping off her fourth year in the pros, Boston laughs off the idea of being an idol. But she values her impetus to continue to progress as a player. "It's weird to think of myself as kind of a vet," she said. "But I think as time continues to go on, I get a lot more comfortable being in that space and knowing exactly what I need to do."

With that comfort comes greater responsibility, and Boston's goals align with her growth. She wants to win a WNBA championship and represent Team USA at the 2028 Olympics. And it's not just the next generation singing her praises. Boston has gained the attention of decision-makers at the highest levels, including the person who could control her Olympic destiny.

"Aliyah Boston looks great right now. She looked great in USA camp," USA Basketball managing director — and WNBA legend — Sue Bird recently said on Bird's Eye View. "She's now really found her game, [and] just has a confidence about, 'This is what I do, and I'm gonna be great at these things,' and one of those things is playmaking."

How Unrivaled and Team USA are elevating Aliyah Boston's game

Boston says she's excited for the upcoming WNBA season, even if CBA negotiations have thrown things into limbo. Right now, however, she's looking to get the most out of her time at Unrivaled. The Phantom phenom has been an aggressive early-season defender, topping the league in both rebounds and blocks per game. And she's especially eager to bring back lessons learned on the offensive side of the court.

"It allows you to be more confident in your game, in the way you are able to attack," she said of the 3×3 format. "You get to five-on-five and feel like, 'Okay, I've been doing this for a few months now, I'm very confident in what I'm capable of.'"

Beyond showcasing personality and confidence, Unrivaled also allows players to cultivate versatility, vision, and mobility — especially in the frontcourt. Boston has approached this season with gusto, and people are already noticing.

"If you can have a post player in three-on-three who can play-make… that's going to be so helpful to the Plums, the Tiff Hayes, the Dana Evans,” Bird said of Boston's Phantom BC impact.

That backcourt chemistry should benefit Indiana next season, when Boston links back up with a healthy Caitlin Clark.

Inside Aliyah Boston's vision for Indiana — and the next generation

After taking the Aces to a hard-fought five-game semifinal series in 2025, Boston can't wait for the Fever to return to play. If they can avoid injury, she thinks the Fever could well be in the title contender conversation once again.

"There's no limit for us," said Boston. "Everyone that we're able to sign and have on the squad next year should know the type of vibe that we're on. That we want to win, that we continue to pour in and play our best basketball for each other."

In addition to the normal athlete goals — win, bond with teammates, play well — Boston is driven by her community connections. "They've really poured into us since I've been there, and it's honestly been so amazing," she said. "You walk down the street and people are like, 'Oh my gosh, can we get a picture?' They're everywhere."

Their support made partnering with The Court Is Hers a no-brainer for Boston. She wants girls in Indianapolis to get the same fulfillment from sports that she did — if not more. "Growing up, it would have been amazing to have someone like me, to be able to meet someone like [me] and continue to go to games," she said.

For Boston, the future is bright. Key to the Fever's title dreams, she's focused on giving girls near and far a renewed sense of what they can accomplish.

"Having young girls be able to be in that space, to talk about their dreams and their goals, what they want to do, is so important," she added. "Not only in sport, but just active and excited about the future."

South Carolina basketball is stocking up, as top-ranked high school senior Jerzy Robinson announced her commitment to join the head coach Dawn Staley and the No. 3 Gamecocks last Tuesday.

"I chose South Carolina because I had a sense of peace when it came down to the decision for me," Robinson told ESPN. "When I visited South Carolina, I was already home. I was already valued there.... I felt like this was where I needed to be for the next four years."

A 6-foot-2 guard who averaged 27 points and 10.2 rebounds in her junior season at Los Angeles's Sierra Canyon High School, Robinson is now the highest-ranked Class of 2026 recruit heading to South Carolina — as well as the final Top 5 player to make a college decision after also visiting No. 1 UConn and No. 5 LSU.

Robinson first made a name for herself at the youth level, winning three gold medals and the 2025 U-19 FIBA World Cup with Team USA.

The young talent also inked one of the first-ever shoe sponsorships for a high school player, signing an NIL deal with Nike in November 2024.

"Basketball has always been my love and my passion," she said. "To see it pay off and the hard work and the hours pay off, in the sense of I get to play for one of the best universities in the country, I just have so much gratitude."

WNBA and Team USA icon Sue Bird added another accolade to her resume over the weekend, becoming the only US player named to the FIBA Hall of Fame Class of 2026 on Sunday.

Bird's 2026 inclusion will see her join past US inductees like South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley and legendary UConn sideline leader Geno Auriemma.

A core member of USA Basketball's ongoing Olympic domination, Bird tallied five straight gold medals in her tenure with Team USA, winning every Olympic matchup she played from the 2004 Summer Games in Athens through the 2021 Tokyo tournament.

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Along with her Olympic success, Bird also claimed championships at four FIBA World Cups throughout her playing career.

Most recently, USA Basketball appointed the 45-year-old legend as managing director of the nation's women's team, with Bird assuming her new role in May 2025 after retiring from a decorated WNBA career that included four league championships with the Seattle Storm.

This weekend's FIBA announcement is just the latest in Bird's string of recent honors, with the Storm immortalizing the former guard in statue form in August before her September induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

A two-time NCAA champion, Bird also saw her No. 10 UConn jersey retired into the rafters earlier this month in Storrs.

Bird will snag her next well-deserved honor in Berlin, Germany, as she joins six other players and one coach in the FIBA Hall of Fame Class of 2026 induction ceremony on April 21st.

Chicago Sky star Angel Reese is running it back, with the 23-year-old confirming plans to return to the Windy City for the 2026 WNBA season while participating in a USA Basketball training camp over the weekend.

"I'm under contract, so yes, I plan on returning to the Sky," Reese told reporters. "[I'm] continuing to talk to [head coach] Tyler [Marsh], and building that relationship with [GM] Jeff [Pagliocca] and Tyler."

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Her future with the Sky came into question in September, after the front office suspended Reese for half a game for making comments deemed "detrimental to the team" in a Chicago Tribune interview — comments she later apologized for, both publicly and privately.

Drafted by the Sky as the overall No. 7 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, the LSU alum remains under a rookie contract through 2026, with an option to extend through the 2027 season.

After leading the WNBA in both double-doubles (23) rebounds-per-game (12.6) in the 2025 season, Reese's late-season availability waned due to a back injury — though the forward now reports a full recovery from the knock.

"Angel is an ascending young talent in this league who's had two very, very good seasons here in Chicago," said Pagliocca after September's suspension. "Obviously, we went through what we did. I feel like we closed the chapter on it."

Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark is back in action, joining her fellow WNBA standouts at last weekend's USA Basketball training camp at Duke University in North Carolina.

Sidelined since July 15th with a groin strain, Clark told assembled media that she's feeling "100% healthy" as she tackles her first senior national team camp.

"I've been working out and playing pickup and stuff like that, but to be in an environment like this, it's really fun," she said. "Obviously, [I] need to knock off a little bit of rust and get my lungs back, but my body feels really good."

"I was a little nervous, not because anything [health-wise], but just because I haven't been out here in a while, so certainly fun to lace them up and be in a competitive practice," the 23-year-old added.

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One of several uncapped hopefuls called up to the 18-athlete December camp, Clark looked to impress Team USA head coach Kara Lawson as she starts honing the player pool for next September's 2026 FIBA World Cup.

Notably, "the way [Clark] stayed engaged" throughout her recovery impressed new USA Basketball managing director Sue Bird.

"I think that really shows her maturity," noted the five-time Olympic gold medalist.

Team USA is back on top of the 3x3 court, going undefeated to win their first FIBA AmeriCup title since 2023 with a tight 21-19 victory over defending champs Canada on Sunday.

After averaging 5.0 points per game — including putting up nine in the final — while notching 14 assists over the course of the competition, 2021 Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Allisha Gray added both MVP and Team of the Tournament honors to her 2025 championship haul on Sunday.

Joining the Atlanta Dream guard on Team USA's stacked 3x3 roster were three fellow WNBA titans: Gray's teammate Naz Hillmon, Golden State Valkyries guard Veronica Burton, and Washington Mystics forward Shakira Austin.

Throughout last week's competition in León, Mexico, Hillmon and Austin led the team in scoring with 5.8 points per game each, with Hillmon also topping the US stat sheet in rebounds per game.

With this year's win, Team USA claimed its third title across the five total FIBA 3x3 AmeriCup iterations, with 2025 runners-up Canada owning the competition's only other two trophies.

Third-place winner Brazil also kept their FIBA 3x3 AmeriCup medal-winning streak alive, with the trio of nations collectively owning every podium spot in the annual tournament's five-year history.

USA Basketball dropped its 18-player December roster on Monday, selecting both standout vets and fresh faces for the national team's final training camp of 2025.

Taking place at Duke University from December 12th until the 14th, five 2024 Paris Olympic gold medalists — Kahleah Copper, Chelsea Gray, Brittney Griner, Kelsey Plum, and Jackie Young — will anchor the Team USA lineup.

Notably, a full 10 players will join the senior team for the first time next month, as young WNBA superstars like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers, and Cameron Brink earn their first call-ups.

A pair of NCAA stars will also attend the December camp, with the national governing body tapping both UCLA senior center Lauren Betts and USC junior guard JuJu Watkins on the roster — though Watkins will not participate in on-court activities as she continues to rehab an ACL tear.

Along with the full camp roster, USA Basketball also dropped its December sideline leaders, with current WNBA head coaches Nate Tibbetts (Phoenix Mercury), Natalie Nakase (Golden State Valkyries), and Stephanie White (Indiana Fever) comprising the assistant coaching staff for the previously announced senior national team head coach Kara Lawson.

December's camp is the team's first step toward the World Cup qualifiers in March, when the US will compete despite having already qualified for the 2026 FIBA World Cup by winning the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup in July.

Overall, the clock starts now for USA women's basketball managing director Sue Bird, who is in charge of cultivating the best team for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

The USA Basketball December Training Camp Roster