A New Era for the U.S. Women’s Team
The United States women’s basketball team is set to open its 2024 FIBA World Cup campaign in Berlin, Germany, with a roster that blends veteran poise and fresh talent. Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers are slated to make their senior national team debuts, signaling a new generation poised to carry the program forward.
Sue Bird, who retired from playing a year ago, now serves as the team’s first managing director, hand‑picking a 12‑player lineup that includes Olympic medalists A'ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, alongside veterans such as Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young, Kahleah Copper, Kelsey Plum, Rhyne Howard and Aliyah Boston.
The selection marks a departure from the traditional committee model and underscores a new direction for USA Basketball, which will be led on the sidelines by head coach Kara Lawson. Stewart will become only the third player in USA Basketball history to appear in four World Cup tournaments, highlighting the experience woven into the squad.
The Americans will be grouped with China, Italy and the Czech Republic in the preliminary round, a schedule that runs from September 4 through September 13. To accommodate the tournament, the WNBA will pause its season for three weeks, giving the stars an uninterrupted focus on the world stage.
The upcoming event also carries a nostalgic note: the United States previously secured a qualifying victory in Puerto Rico in March, where Clark, Reese and Bueckers helped the team dominate the competition. However, Sabrina Ionescu and Alyssa Thomas will not be part of this World Cup roster, leaving the team without two of its recent national team mainstays.