{"id":1032765,"date":"2026-08-30T10:19:18","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T10:19:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1032765\/"},"modified":"2026-08-30T10:19:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T10:19:18","slug":"former-uconn-womens-basketball-players-set-to-play-in-the-fiba-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1032765\/","title":{"rendered":"Former UConn women’s basketball players set to play in the FIBA World Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"

The WNBA season will take a break after Sunday\u2019s regular season games until Sept. 17 so its top players can play for their respective national teams at the FIBA World Cup<\/a>, which runs from Sept. 4-13 in Berlin, Germany.<\/p>\n

Three former UConn players \u2013 Paige Bueckers<\/a> of the Dallas Wings, Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx and the New York Liberty\u2019s Breanna Stewart<\/a> were three of the 12 players chosen to play for Team USA. The U.S. team roster includes Aliyah Boston, Caitlin Clark, Kahleah Copper, Chelsea Gray, Rhyne Howard, Kelsey Plum, Angel Reese, A\u2019ja Wilson and Jackie Young.<\/p>\n

The U.S. team, coached by Duke coach Kara Lawson,<\/a> will play China in its first game Sept. 4, aiming for its fifth consecutive World Cup title and 12th overall. The Americans have a 30-game World Cup win streak, which started in 2010. Their last World Cup game was against China and ended in a 83-61 victory in the gold medal game in 2022.<\/p>\n

Stewart was on the team that won the 2022 FIBA World Cup title and she and Collier were on the Olympic gold medal-winning team in Paris in 2024. It will be Stewart\u2019s fourth World Cup appearance; only two other players \u2013 former UConn stars Sue Bird (5) and Diana Taurasi (4) \u2013 have played in at least four World Cups.<\/p>\n

\"DallasDallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers, right, drives against Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, left, during the first half of a WNBA basketball game in Dallas, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026. The two players will be teammates on Team USA as it begins its quest for a fifth straight FIBA World Cup title Sept. 4 in Germany. (AP Photo\/LM Otero)<\/p>\n

The selection marks Buecker\u2019s first appearance for the national team at a major international competition (World Cup or Olympic Games). She previously won gold at FIBA junior world competitions earlier in her career.<\/p>\n

Collier returned in mid-season from having surgery on both ankles and following an 11-month rehabilitation, played her first game July 22. She is averaging 18.1 points and 7.4 rebounds<\/a> since her return and recently was named in the top 10 of an ESPN top 50 WNBA players list.<\/p>\n

Clark will also make her first appearance at a World Cup; a public outcry ensued after Clark \u2013 then a WNBA rookie \u2013 was left off the Olympic team in 2024.<\/p>\n

The French national team, which features former UConn standout Gabby Williams<\/a>, could pose a threat to the Americans\u2019 dominance. The French team lost a close game to the U.S. in the gold medal game at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, 67-66. There are eight WNBA players on the French roster.<\/p>\n

\"GabbyGabby Williams, left, (15), of France, shoots for goal as United States’ A’ja Wilson (9) attempts to block during a women’s gold medal basketball game between the United States and France at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Paris, France. (Gregory Shamus\/Pool Photo via AP)<\/p>\n

Williams, who plays for the Golden State Valkyries, led France in points, assists and steals at the 2024 Olympics and when she launched her last second jump shot in the gold medal game which was intended to tie the score and send the game into overtime, her feet were just inside the 3-point line and France ended up losing by a point.<\/p>\n

Williams will have the Connecticut Sun\u2019s Leila Lacan as a teammate in Berlin. The French team will face Hungary \u2013 and another former UConn player and Minnesota Lynx player Dorka Juhasz \u2013 in a first-round game Sept. 4. Lacan, who was also a member of the French Olympic team in 2024, has averaged 11.6 points and 4.6 assists for the Sun this season.<\/p>\n

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