Chelsea Gray, A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young Donning the Red, White & Blue Once Again
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Aug. 6, 2026) Three members of the Las Vegas Aces, Chelsea Gray, A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young, will suit up once again for the United States after being named to the 2026 USA Basketball World Cup Team that will compete for the USA’s fifth straight World Cup gold from Sept. 4-13 in Berlin.
Of the three, Wilson has the most international experience. She is a two-time Olympic and two-time World Cup gold medalist who earned M’VP honors at the 2022 World Cup after averaging 17.2 points and 7.5 rebounds in fewer than 22 minutes per game. Wilson also competed in a pair of qualifying tournaments in 2019 and 2020, aiding the U.S. to a pair of first place finishes. Over 30 senior level FIBA games, Wilson has not lost a game and boasts averages of 15.1 points, 17.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists per outing.
The only one of the three who played at the junior level, Wilson launched her USA Basketball career in 2013 and claimed gold medals at the 2013 FIBA U19 World Cup, 2014 FIBA U18 AmeriCup and 2015 FIBA U19 World Cup and was M’VP of the 2014 and 2015 tournaments.
Gray will be competing in her second World Cup after helping the USA claim gold in 2022. She also won gold at the 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games and helped the United States finish first in four FIBA qualifying tournaments from 2019-2026. Gray has not lost a game in a FIBA event and averaged 6.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists over 31 games.
Young also is a two-time Olympic gold medalist but claimed her first gold in the inaugural 3×3 Olympic Tournament in Tokyo before playing alongside Gray and Wilson at the Paris Olympics. She also competed in a pair of FIBA qualifying tournaments, both of which culminated in perfect records and first place finishes. Young owns a 14-0 record in five-on-five international basketball with combined averages of 8.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists.
The U.S. opens preliminary play against China on Sept. 4, before taking on Italy on Sept. 6 and Czechia on Sept. 7. The No. 1 finishing team in each of the four preliminary pools advance directly to the Sept. 10 quarterfinals, while the Nos. 2 and 3 teams compete in quarterfinal play-in games on Sept. 8-9. Teams finishing fourth in the four-team first round groups are eliminated. Semifinals are scheduled for Sept. 12, and the gold medal will be contested Sept. 13.
Aces forward Steph Talbot of Australia also will be repping her country at the World Cup, and will play Puerto Rico on Sept. 4, Türkiye on Sept. 6 and Belgium on Sept. 7.
A fifth Aces player could join Gray, Talbot, Wilson and Young at the upcoming Worlds. Mai Yamamoto is a member of the Japan National Team. However, Japan has not yet announced its 2026 World Cup roster.
Joining Gray, Wilson and Young on the USA squad are Aliyah Boston, Paige Bueckers, Caitlin Clark, Napheesa Collier, Kahleah Copper, Rhyne Howard, Kelsey Plum, Angel Reese and Breanna Stewart.
The team selection was made by USA Basketball Women’s National Team managing director Sue Bird.
Duke’s Kara Lawson will serve as head coach and assistant coaches include former Aces assistant coach Natalie Nakase, Nate Tibbetts and Stephanie White.
The Las Vegas Aces, who are in the middle of a five-game road trip, are currently 21-9 and No. 2 in league standings. They take on the No. 5 Indiana Fever (19-11) tonight at 4 p.m. (PDT), before closing the road swing with back-to-back matinee games at No. 1 Minnesota (25-6) Saturday and No. 7 New York (19-13) Sunday.
Source: Las Vegas Aces
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