A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum are confirmed to be absent from representing the United States at the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup due to health problems.
Plum also had to end her work on the 2026 WNBA season early.
USA Basketball on Monday (31/8) announced Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron as replacements for Wilson and Plum in the World Cup squad. The tournament will take place in Germany.
A’ja Wilson, who has been named the WNBA MVP four times, is said to have not been 100 percent for some time.
According to sources close to the situation, there are concerns that the busy World Cup match schedule could worsen his condition.
A’ja Wilson was on the injury report twice in the past week due to back problems. However, the injury did not keep him out of the match.
He still played 30 minutes in the Las Vegas Aces’ final match before the break for the World Cup.
Wilson was previously selected as the best player at the 2024 Paris Olympics and 2022 World Cup.
Meanwhile, Kelsey Plum has been dealing with a calf injury for most of the WNBA season.
The injury had not fully recovered so he decided to stop his competitive activities for the remainder of the season.
“I’ve done everything I can to get back on the field, but my time is up,” wrote Kelsey Plum via Instagram Stories, Monday.
After discussions with his family, team doctor, coaching staff and management, he said the decision was taken to fully restore his body’s condition.
Phoenix Mercury general manager Nick U’Ren said the decision was made for Plum’s long-term health. He assessed that Plum really wanted to return to playing with his teammates, but full recovery was a priority.
Iriafen and Citron previously attended the United States national team training camp.
Iriafen was even part of the US team that appeared in Puerto Rico and won the World Cup qualifiers. Citron was absent due to injury at that time and will now make his debut with the senior national team in Germany.
The United States has won every World Cup since taking bronze in 2006.
This time, they will rely more on the younger generation, including Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers who will make their World Cup debut.
They will be joined by Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young, Kahleah Copper, Rhyne Howard, and Aliyah Boston.
The US began its struggle against China on Friday. China has strength in the center sector through Zhang Ziyu who is 2.21 meters tall, Han Xu (2.08 meters), and Li Yueru (2.01 meters). The two teams previously met in the 2022 World Cup final in Australia.
Article Tag: fiba, a’ja wilson
Published by Ligaolahraga.com at https://www.ligaolahraga.com/basket/aja-wilson-dan-kelsey-plum-absen-bela-as-di-piala-dunia-fiba-putri-2026