Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark have been pitted against each other and framed as bitter rivals for years—and they’ve had some great on-court battles. Now that they’re on the same team at the FIBA World Cup in Berlin, they have been a pretty effective pairing for Team USA off the bench.
Clark currently leads all World Cup players in total assists with 28. Plenty of those have gone to Reese, who is finishing well with 63.2% shooting on two-pointers on top of her strong defense and rebounding. Reese credited their connection to how well they know each other from facing off in college and the WNBA and seems excited that they will be teammates for quite some time on the international stage.
“I mean we’ve played against each other so many times, so I’m sure we know each other’s game like the back of each other’s hand,” Reese said after a dominant 108-56 quarterfinals win against Hungary. “It’s fun. We just continue to build chemistry because we know we’re going to be USA teammates for a while.”
Angel Reese on her chemistry with Caitlin Clark:
— Underdog WNBA (@UnderdogWNBA) September 10, 2026
"I'm sure we know each other's game like the back of each other's hand ... So it's fun. We just continue to build chemistry because we know we're going to be USA teammates for a while."pic.twitter.com/r5Go2pQWew
With other great talent, like Olivia Miles, JuJu Watkins, and Sarah Strong, coming up, in addition to the talent already in the Team USA pool, Sue Bird will have difficult roster decisions to make in the future. However, Clark and Reese project to be long-time staples of Team USA because of their ability to impact games in reduced roles and surrounded by other stars. Clark’s playmaking is invaluable, and Reese’s energy, defense, and fight in the paint can work with pretty much any lineup.
The next generation of Team USA stars has arrived
While veteran stars like A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, and Jackie Young still have plenty of time left to represent Team USA at future Olympics and World Cups, this tournament is proof that younger players are ready to contribute as well.
Clark leads Team USA in assists per game despite coming off the bench, and Reese ranks second in rebounds per game behind Stewart. Moreover, Rhyne Howard and Reese lead the team in steals per game, and Paige Bueckers and Reese round out the top five in points per game behind Young, Collier, and Stewart.
With players like Clark, Reese, and Bueckers already in the Team USA system now, USA Basketball should continue to be one of the most dominant programs in the world.
The influx of young talent is more important now than ever. Other countries are catching up with Team USA. France has five WNBA players under 25 on this year’s World Cup roster and more, like Marine Fauthoux and Nell Angloma waiting in the wings as well. Spain may not have quite as many young WNBA players, but Awa Fam projects to become one of the best forwards in the world sooner rather than later, and Iyana Martin is a rising star as well. This new generation of Team USA stars will have its work cut out for it.
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