Angel Reese Shrugs Off Pressure Of Replacing A’ja Wilson: Trying To Focus On Who Is Here’
Aug 24, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese (5) reacts against the LA Sparks at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images; OCT 1, 2022; Sydney, AUS; A'Ja Wilson (9) celebrates Gold medal and Trophy after win over China in final at Sydney SuperDome. Mandatory Credit: Yukihito Taguchi-USA TODAY Sports
Team USA will be missing four-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson, who withdrew from the squad earlier this week citing health concerns. However, Angel Reese doesn’t think that Wilson and Kelsey Plum’s exits put extra pressure on her to do well at the World Cup. Responding to queries about the veterans’ absence, the Team USA forward confidently said that she is “just trying to focus on who is here.”
Due to health issues, Wilson and Plum will not be participating in the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup. Team USA’s leading scorer at the Olympics, Wilson, was a surprise dropout from the international event.
Media outlets framed the duo’s absences as increasing pressure on the new generation of players, such as Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, and specifically Reese, to step up.
All things considered, Team USA is quite young and fresh. Nine players are participating in their first World Cup, while seven players are competing in their first major competition for the national squad.
Wilson and Plum’s absence takes two highly accomplished players out of the lineup, but Reese doesn’t think it puts more pressure on her. Rather, she is completely confident in the talent that has traveled to Berlin.
When asked whether she felt added pressure, the Dream star told FIBA.com, “I honestly don’t think so, because I think this team is so talented. Of course, A’ja brings a lot for us, for sure, her and KP. But we’re just trying to focus on who is here, figure that out, and make sure we’re all up to par and ready for the show.”
Even though Wilson and Reese are completely different players, Reese will probably take on greater responsibilities while Wilson is away. She is expected to play defense, grab rebounds, and perhaps work with Clark, Bueckers, and Chelsea Gray to create a lethal pick-and-roll tandem. In Plum’s absence, there should be plenty of shooting and scoring from Clark, Bueckers, and Sonia Citron.
Like Reese, Team USA head coach Kara Lawson has no time to linger on the fact that she has lost two of her superstars for the quadrennial competition; instead, she is focused on who is by her side in Berlin.
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In contrast to Plum, Lawson seems to have been kept in the dark about Wilson’s circumstances, even though they were able to get Citron and Kiki Iriafen as substitutes.
Lawson said, “I didn’t have any conversation with A’ja. I think that was more with Birdie (Sue Bird). So, there wasn’t – I don’t have a timeline. Both of them have been great players for us, and I’ll miss being around them, but ultimately, we’ve moved on.”
The USABWNT coach added, “We wish them both a speedy recovery with what they’re dealing with, and we don’t have time to be worried about who’s not here. We’ve got to really focus on ourselves and how we’re going to develop our chemistry in the short lead-up.”
Wilson’s performance against the Toronto Tempo before the league’s World Cup break made her withdrawal from the squad even more astonishing. She did not show any signs of pain from her injury and scored 27 points on 10-for-17 shooting. However, Lawson is now focusing on leading Team USA to an unprecedented fifth consecutive championship with the team she has left.
Wilson and Plum will be replaced on the Team USA roster by Iriafen and Citron of the Washington Mystics, according to ESPN. Over the last two seasons, the Mystics have relied heavily on Iriafen and Citron. They are well acquainted with the rest of the team because they participated in the qualification tournaments in March and the December training camp.