Caitlin Clark not in Team USA’s starting 5 for FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup opener vs China
For those who were excited to watch Caitlin Clark make her senior international debut with Team USA at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup on Friday against China, they had to wait just a bit to see her on the court.
Clark wasn’t featured in Kara Lawson’s starting five to start off the tournament against China, whom Team USA saw in the 2022 gold-medal game.
The starting guards for Team USA were Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young, while Breanna Stewart, Kahleah Copper and Napheesa Collier round out the group. Gray was a pivotal piece in the 2022 victory at the World Cup, but Young, despite being one of the best guards in the WNBA today, wasn’t on the squad.
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Caitlin Clark during the Women’s FIBA World Cup 2026 between the U.S. and China on Sept. 4, 2026, in Berlin, Germany. (NurPhoto)
Clark eventually checked in midway through the first quarter, as Team USA started to run up the scoreboard early on China, with Young scoring seven of the team’s first 20 points.
Clark finished the first quarter with a layup for two points, while dishing out four assists and notching a rebound.
Heading into the tournament, Lawson said that Clark has been “great” and “coachable.”
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” I had my first experience with her this spring, I had never coached her before, been around her a ton before. She is just so competitive, skilled, sees the game at this high level in terms of her ability to be anticipatory, with her passes and with her shots, and her belief and confidence in what she can do is terrific,” she said, per Sports Illustrated.
Clark was also coming into the tournament red-hot after setting multiple WNBA records in the month of August before this international break.
For starters, Clark scored or assisted on 44.7 points per game, a WNBA record for a single month. The stellar point guard has always had a knack for either finding the bottom of the net or dishing assists to her teammates to get the job done.
Caitlin Clark (17) looks on during the United States Women’s Basketball Team training camp at Duke University on December 13, 2025 in Durham, North Carolina. (Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
Clark became the first player in WNBA history with back-to-back 30-plus-point and 10-plus-assist games. They both came in the final two games for the Fever before this international break, scoring 34 points with 12 assists in a 111-91 win over the Connecticut Sun. Then, Clark poured in 37 points, including eight of 12 three-pointers made, with 10 assists in the Aug. 23 win over the Chicago Sky, 113-90.
Clark also put together five games in August where she had at least 20 points and 10 assists. To put that into perspective, no other player had five such games in the last five seasons combined.
Finally, Clark averaged 24.4 points per game, which was the highest-scoring month by a point guard in WNBA history.
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But to kick off the tournament, Lawson went with some more senior members on the squad to begin their journey to defending that gold medal. Perhaps Clark’s play will vault her into the starting lineup down the road.
Caitlin Clark of USA poses for a portrait during content day at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup on Sept. 2, 2026, in Berlin, Germany. (FIBA via Getty Images)
Other notables who were coming off the bench for Team USA are Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers.
