The FIBA Women's World Cup Just Lost Two of Its Biggest Stars: A'ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum Withdraw Due to Health Reasons
As Team USA prepares for its title defense in Berlin, the news couldn't be worse. The reigning MVP of the 2022 World Cup and the 2024 Olympics, A'ja Wilson, and one of the program's most reliable bench weapons, Kelsey Plum, have both pulled out due to health reasons. This is not just a blow to the team; it's an existential crisis.
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USA Basketball confirmed the withdrawals in a Monday statement, leaving coach Kara Lawson with a roster that's been decimated at the worst possible moment. The U.S. is chasing its fifth straight World Cup gold and a brutal group stage waiting on the other side, losing this much frontcourt firepower forces a scramble nobody wanted.
Plum's absence is linked to a lower leg injury that has bothered her most of the WNBA season. She missed nearly six weeks earlier in the year, returned in August, then saw the injury flare up again after her trade from the Los Angeles Sparks to the Phoenix Mercury. The Mercury has since ruled her out for the rest of the WNBA season too.
Wilson's situation is murkier. She has dealt with a back issue that popped up on the injury report twice in the past week, though she still played 30 minutes in her last game before the FIBA break. A source told ESPN she has not been fully healthy for a while and there was concern the World Cup's packed schedule would make things worse.
The team is turning to two Washington Mystics teammates, Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen, to replace Wilson and Plum. Citron steps in as a shooting guard rather than a natural point guard, which was Plum's primary role. Iriafen gives the frontcourt some of the depth it loses without Wilson.
Even with a roster this deep, losing the best player in the world changes things. Wilson averaged a double-double in Paris, 18.7 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.7 blocks a game, and closed the gold medal win over France with 21 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks. Plum's bench scoring helped hold off that same French team's late push.
Replacing that kind of production is not simple. The schedule does not offer much room to adjust either. Team USA opens with three games in four days, and if it reaches the final, that becomes six games in ten.
Kara Lawson is running her first major international tournament as head coach, though eight of the twelve players in Berlin were part of the Puerto Rico qualifying roster, which should help the group settle in faster than the circumstances suggest.
Aliyah Boston, who has been playing through a leg issue of her own, is also worth watching as the minutes get redistributed.
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Written by: Flexx Von Protein | The Citizen Edition
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