A'ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum Withdraw From FIBA Women's World Cup, Plum Out for Rest of WNBA Season

USA Basketball confirmed Monday, August 31, that A'ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum are out of the FIBA Women's World Cup, which opens in Berlin on Friday, September 4, and runs through September 13.

Washington Mystics teammates Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen will take their spots on the 12-woman roster, according to ESPN's Alexa Philippou and confirmed by USA Basketball.

Plum's situation is the clearer of the two. She's been fighting a lower leg and calf injury for most of the season and, per her own statement posted to Instagram, is shutting things down for good this year.

"I did everything I could to be back on the court, but just ran out of time," Plum wrote. "After careful consideration and conversations with my family, team doctors, coaching staff, and front office, the decision has been made to shut it down through remainder of the season and focus on getting my body back to 100%."

Plum was traded from the Los Angeles Sparks to the Phoenix Mercury at the start of August. She played just five games for Phoenix, averaging 15.8 points, down from 23.9 with the Sparks before the deal. Mercury general manager Nick U'Ren said the move was about her long-term health. Plum is a free agent after this season and, per the New York Times, intends to test the full market.

Wilson's absence is less clear. The four-time WNBA MVP has been one of the league's most durable players this year, missing only three games for the Las Vegas Aces and the Commissioner's Cup. She's averaging 26 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists this season and is considered a frontrunner for a fifth MVP award, according to Newsweek. She played 30 minutes in the Aces' last game before the FIBA break, on Friday, August 28.

Most reporting, including from the New York Times, described the nature of her injury as unclear and framed the withdrawal as likely tied to rest and workload management ahead of the WNBA playoffs. TSN added a detail not found elsewhere: Wilson had recently appeared on the Aces' injury report with a back issue, though it never kept her out of a game. Whether that back issue is the actual reason for skipping the World Cup, or whether this is purely load management for a deep playoff run, has not been stated outright by Wilson, her team, or USA Basketball.

The Aces (27-13) sit third in the WNBA standings behind the Golden State Valkyries and Minnesota Lynx, with four regular-season games left. The league pauses for the World Cup and resumes September 17 at the Seattle Storm.

Citron and Iriafen were both part of U.S. national team camps this past winter. Iriafen played on the roster that won the World Cup qualifying tournament in Puerto Rico. Citron missed that qualifier with an injury, meaning Berlin will be her senior national team debut. Citron is averaging 16.8 points and 4.3 assists this season and made her second straight All-Star team. Iriafen is averaging 15.3 points and 9.4 rebounds across 37 games.

Losing Wilson and Plum means the roster features a stronger youth movement. Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers will make their World Cup debuts, joined by Rhyne Howard, Aliyah Boston, Citron and Iriafen. Veterans Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, Chelsea Gray, Kahleah Copper and Jackie Young round out the group, all Paris 2024 Olympic gold medalists.

The U.S. hasn't lost a World Cup since 2006, when it took bronze after star Lisa Leslie withdrew ahead of the tournament due to pregnancy, and the team fell to Russia in the semifinals. Since that loss, the Americans have won 66 straight games in combined Olympic and World Cup play, four consecutive World Cup titles, and eight straight Olympic golds, a record for any team sport.

The tournament opener Friday is a rematch of the 2022 World Cup final, which the U.S. won 83-61 over China. China brings a towering frontcourt this time, led by 7-foot-3 center Zhang Ziyu, 6-foot-10 Han Xu and 6-foot-7 Li Yueru, a size mismatch the U.S. will have to handle without Wilson patrolling the paint.

Head coach Kara Lawson, who took over the program last year from Cheryl Reeve, now has to defend the streak with a roster that's younger and lighter up front than the one that won gold in Paris.