A big story in USA Basketball’s pursuit of yet another World Cup gold medal is the team’s youth movement. Six of the twelve players on the roster—Paige Bueckers, Caitlin Clark, Sonia Citron, Kiki Iriafen, Angel Reese, and Aliyah Boston—are 24 or younger. Rhyne Howard is also just 26 and making her World Cup debut.
Young stars from the USA aren’t just taking over the WNBA. They have also officially arrived on the international stage and look ready to honor USA Basketball’s history of winning at the highest level.
Clark and Bueckers tied Rhyne Howard for the most points scored in Team USA’s first big win over China, and Clark also added 11 assists with zero turnovers. Boston, Reese, and Iriafen, meanwhile, put in tremendous effort battling China’s supersized frontcourt.
This youth movement reaches well beyond Team USA, however. Rising stars from several other countries also made big statements on the first day of World Cup action. Gen Z stars are ready for the big stage, and it doesn’t matter whether that stage is in the WNBA or in international competitions.
Several rising stars put together big games
The most fascinating World Cup team outside of Team USA is France, and Dominique Malonga is a big reason why. In 2024, she barely played when France almost upset the US in the gold medal game at the Paris Olympics. Two years later, she is a WNBA All-Star at only 20 years old and showed out in France’s first World Cup game. She finished France’s 99-53 win against Hungary with 17 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 2 blocks.
Malonga’s Seattle Storm teammate, Awa Fam, also logged 17 points along with 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks in a big win against Germany. Iyana Martin, who is also 20, added 12 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 assists for Spain.
20-year-old Kokoro Tanaka, the Valkyries’ third-round pick in this year’s draft, showed out in Japan’s electric opening game with 18 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals. Sticking with rising stars from Asia, 23-year-old Haeran Lee recorded 17 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block for Korea in a victory against Nigeria, and Chinese teenager Ziyu Zhang recorded 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks against Team USA.
Also in Group D, 21-year-old Matilde Villa was Italy’s second-leading scorer with 14 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals in a win against Czechia.
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