Wings' Paige Bueckers selected for USA Basketball camp ahead of 2026 FIBA Women's World Cup
Paige Bueckers will be back in red, white and blue.
The Dallas Wings guard was selected for USA Basketball's April training camp in Phoenix, a key evaluation window before the national team is finalized for the 2026 FIBA Women's World Cup in Berlin.
The tournament runs Sept. 4-13 as the United States seeks its fifth straight World Cup gold.
Wings star coming off big rookie year
Bueckers, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, won Rookie of the Year and earned All-WNBA Second Team and All-Rookie honors after a standout debut season that included averaging 19.2 points, 5.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.6 steals for the Wings.
She is one of 15 players named to the April 1-3 roster and is coming off a 5-0 run with the USA squad at the World Cup Qualifying Tournament in Puerto Rico. She also attended the December 2025 training camp.
Olympic veterans headline camp group
According to USA Basketball, Olympic gold medalists Napheesa Collier, Sabrina Ionescu, and A'ja Wilson will join her in Phoenix, along with Stefanie Dolson, who owns a 3x3 Olympic gold from Tokyo 2020. Azura Stevens, who has past USA experience, will also attend.
In a news release, the Dallas Wings said Bueckers, Monique Billings, and Rae Burrell return from the Puerto Rico qualifying team. Mikayla Blakes, a 2025 AmeriCup gold medalist, will make her senior national team camp debut, while Kayla Thornton will make her USA Basketball debut.
Several players bring 3x3 credentials: Dolson (Olympic gold), Cameron Brink (World Cup gold), and Veronica Burton, Rickea Jackson, and Stevens (AmeriCup medals). Burton also won bronze at the 2026 FIBA 3x3 Champions Cup. Bueckers, Jackson, and Brittney Sykes have competed in junior 3x3 events.
Eight players - Brink, Bueckers, Collier, Dolson, Ionescu, Kelsey Mitchell, Stevens, and JuJu Watkins - own gold medals from various junior-level USA Basketball competitions. Head coach Kara Lawson (2025-28 cycle) will lead the camp, supported by court coaches Niele Ivey, Natalie Nakase, Shea Ralph, Nate Tibbetts, and Stephanie White.
Managing director Sue Bird will evaluate players before naming the final roster.
