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USA Basketball has entered a new era on the women’s side. Sue Bird was named as the first managing director of the five-on-five senior national team, and Kara Lawson took over as the team’s new head coach. The roster could also look quite different soon. While veteran stars like A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, and Napheesa Collier are far from hanging up their Team USA jerseys, the team’s first training camp ahead of the 2026 World Cup marked a focus on young talent.
New stars, like Paige Bueckers, Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Aliyah Boston, Sonia Citron, and Kiki Iriafen, dominated the ranks of players who attended the training camp in Durham this month. That influx of young talent means that the team’s future is in excellent hands, but it also comes with a challenge that wasn’t much of an issue with the previous generation of stars: Sue Bird noted on A Touch More that these young players don’t have the same kind of FIBA experience older stars have.
“What I’m noticing is a lot of these young players they don’t go overseas, so they don’t have an understanding of what FIBA is like and what it’s like to play on this stage,” Sue Bird said.
She also added, “Because these players don’t play overseas and don’t have that FIBA experience, it’s so important to somehow give them a taste. So, it was actually a really efficient camp, but the emphasis was the aggressiveness with which teams play.”
Young stars have new opportunities in the offseason
Plenty of young WNBA players still go overseas in the offseason to work on their game and get reps they may not get in the W. But, for young stars, that option is less appealing than it was for previous generations. Players like Paige Bueckers, Angel Reese, and Caitlin Clark make plenty of money with brand partnerships and endorsements. Playing overseas to add to their WNBA earnings is not a financial necessity.
Plus, this new generation of stars also has opportunities to play offseason basketball in the U.S. Unrivaled has found huge success among young players. Paige Bueckers, Cameron Brink, Rickea Jackson, Sonia Citron, Aliyah Boston, and Kiki Iriafen will all compete in Unrivaled this offseason. Angel Reese also played in the league’s inaugural season, but is sitting out this season.
Unrivaled allows young players to make money and play against top competition while staying close to home. The latter, combined with state-of-the-art facilities and top-tier player experiences, makes Unrivaled a more appealing option than going overseas and playing in FIBA-run leagues.
That trend also won’t change with the young stars joining the professional ranks next. Unrivaled signed college stars JuJu Watkins, Lauren Betts, Hannah Hidalgo, Azzi Fudd, Sarah Strong, Olivia Miles, Kiki Rice, Audi Crooks, MiLaysia Fulwiley, Madison Booker, Ta’Niya Latson, Flau’jae Johnson, and others to NIL deals, so it is likely that they will also play in the league once they go pro. Bueckers did the same thing, signing an NIL deal with the league in 2024 and then joining the player ranks after her rookie season in the W.
Project B is another new league that offers players an alternative to playing in EuroLeague or other overseas competitions, but it hasn’t been able to attract young talent at the same rate as Unrivaled.
