MIAMI — Caitlin Clark grew up watching the greatness of Maya Moore, Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi dominate the world stage with USA Basketball.
She imagined one day following in their footsteps and representing the purple, white and blue in worldwide competitions.
So before Clark took the apply court docket in Miami on Saturday to put together for the upcoming FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament, recollections of the journey to this level began to flood back.
She recalled when her under-16 team entered a room at the USA Basketball headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colo., that was stuffed to the brim with legends’ jerseys.
To some, that room was a glorified storage room, stuffed with packing containers, cabinets and racks.
But for Clark, it meant something so much more.
“I remember as a kid, like, my eyes were so wide,” Clark said. “I thought that was the coolest thing in the world — all these senior national team jerseys of all these great men’s players and all these really great women’s players — and we’re 15 and 16 years old and obviously having dreams of being able to do that one day.”
That time has come.
Clark, Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese — three of the WNBA’s latest faces — were among a group of gamers who made their USA Basketball senior nationwide team debuts Wednesday at the World Cup qualifying match in Puerto Rico with a 110-46 victory over Senegal.
Caitlin Clark, who scored 17 factors and 12 assists, drives up court docket during Team USA’s 110-46 victory over Senegal on March 11, 2026 in Miami. Getty Images
Clark completed with 17 factors and 12 assists. Bueckers had 9 factors and 4 rebounds while Reese tallied six factors and eight boards.
The roster — the first fielded by Bird since she was tapped to be the first managing director of the U.S. ladies’s nationwide team in May — options a steadiness of veteran leaders, such as Chelsea Gray, Kahleah Copper and Kelsey Plum, and youth. And Bird was excited to see the team in motion Wednesday.
“We have a great group,” Bird said. “I keep joking, I’ve been doing this for like 20 years on napkins, so it was nice to actually have a real roster.”
Napheesa Collier, A’ja Wilson, Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart are among the notable absentees due to scheduling conflicts or numerous other causes. Stewart practiced with the team in Miami but headed back to New York on Sunday to relaxation before heading abroad next month for a temporary stint with EuroLeague’s Fenerbahce Opet.
Caitlin Clark celebrates with followers after Team USA’s blowout win over Senegal. Getty Images
The U.S. already certified for the 2026 World Cup, so the stakes for this upcoming match aren’t essentially as excessive.
Nevertheless, Bird believes this is a “wonderful opportunity” for some of the first-timers to play worldwide basketball, which is a totally different fashion than they might be accustomed to.
“Globally, you have to understand that when you put that jersey on, it’s different,” Bird said. “People come at you different.”
Those who’ve performed for junior nationwide groups know just how uncommon an alternative it is to get a senior team call-up.
Caitlin Clark dribbles up court docket during Team USA’s blowout win over Senegal. NBAE via Getty Images
Clark said she performed on three junior nationwide groups, including two under-19 squads. Her absences from the 2024 Paris Games roster spurred controversy. But Clark said she’s savoring each step in this journey.
“This is obviously everybody’s dream,” she said.
Clark, Reese and Bueckers have competed against each other for some time. But this will be the first time they’ll share the court docket as teammates.
“It’s going to be really, really cool,” Reese said. “So I’m really excited. Obviously 2028 is a far, long way [off], but just being able to have this moment right now, I think it’s really important.”
The trio know there’s a sense of honor and satisfaction that comes with taking part in for USA Basketball. They are nicely conscious of the eight consecutive Olympic gold medals as nicely as the Americans profitable 4 straight World Cups (11 complete).
“You just stay humble and grounded while also using that as motivation to continue to want to get better [and] to continue to just build off of what the people who did before us built,” Bueckers said. “They set the stage on what we want this to look like and the competitive fire, the winning, just the pride and the sense of passion you have for wearing USA, so it means a lot but again, those are just words. We want to put action behind it and really follow through with that.”
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