A'ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum will miss the FIBA Women's World Cup for health reasons and will be replaced by Washington teammates Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron, USA Basketball announced Monday.
Wilson, the four-time WNBA MVP, has shouldered quite a workload in the first part of the season for the Las Vegas Aces and needed a break to rest and get ready for the playoffs. She was voted the most outstanding player of the 2024 Paris Olympics and the 2022 World Cup. She will be sorely missed by the United States.
Plum has been dealing with a calf injury for most of the WNBA season and it still hasn't 100% healed. She was a catalyst in the Paris Games gold-medal contest against France and sparked the Americans to the one-point victory.
Iriafen and Citron were both part of U.S. camps this past winter. Iriafen played on the American team that went to Puerto Rico and won the World Cup qualifier. Citron had to miss that tournament because of an injury, so she'll be making her national team debut in Germany.
The Americans have won every World Cup since finishing with the bronze medal in 2006. That World Cup saw American star Lisa Leslie pull out at the last minute because of a car accident that her uncle was in. Without her, the U.S. fell to Russia in the semifinals.
Without the two veteran players, the U.S. will rely even more heavily on its youth movement. Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers will make their World Cup debut. The young stars will be joined by Olympic medalists Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young and Kahleah Copper.
Rhyne Howard and Aliyah Boston will also be making their World Cup debuts to round out the team.
The U.S. opens against China on Friday. The Chinese team has a huge front line with 7-foot-3 Zhang Ziyu, 6-10 Han Xu and 6-7 Li Yueru. The two teams played for the World Cup title in 2022 in Australia.
-
Las Vegas Aces' Becky Hammon, A'ja Wilson make Time's list of top sports figures
Time magazine is recognizing the most influential figures shaping global sports in its inaugural Time100 Sports list, and a few names known to Las Vegas locals have made the cut.
No-bag policy in place for at Michelob ULTRA Arena, Las Vegas Aces home court
Small personal bags, such as fanny packs or crossbody bags, are allowed as long as they measure within 9″ x 5″x 2". Bags don't have to be transparent, and bag straps don't count in the measurements.
Carter scores 22, Young adds 20 as Aces beat Sparks 105-78
Chennedy Carter scored 22 points, Jackie Young had 20 points and nine assists, and the Las Vegas Aces beat Los Angeles 105-78 on Sunday in the Sparks' season opener.
Mercury rout the Aces 99-66 to spoil Las Vegas' ring ceremony
Before the game Aces players and coaches were given their championship rings, which included a removable top so that part of it could be worn out rather than put simply on display.
