Team USA is ready for its FIBA World Cup campaign with a strong roster containing a number of Olympians and talented rookies. There are two changes in the team’s original announcement following injury to Aliyah Boston and Sonia Citron, as Team USA replaced them with Rae Burrell and Mollique Billings. Few fans wonder why Sophie Cunningham is not part of the mix.
Leading the Indiana Fever to a respectable semifinal finish in the 2025 season, the former Missouri star is one of the top players from the lot. But the USA Basketball opted for Billings and Burrell as replacements. Here is the reason for the choices.
Sophie Cunningham Might Never Play For Team USA
Many players, including Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers, said that wearing a Team USA Jersey is an honor. While every athlete dreams of playing for the national side, the 29-year-old sadly never got that chance. The versatile forward didn’t even play in the U-16 or the U-19 national teams.
The player started in less than half (105 of 212) of her WNBA appearances. Even though she made a huge impact on her teams and emerged as a valuable role player, her career stats are far below those of the players selected on the roster.
The 2026 USA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Team! 🇺🇸 #USABWNT pic.twitter.com/fpRX0Rcfft
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) March 5, 2026
At the guard position, the USA basketball is looking at Chelsea Gray, Kahleah Copper, Sabrina Ionescu, Jewell Loyd and Kelsey Plum. With eyes on the 2028 Olympics, the USA basketball also invested in Caitlin Clark, Sonia Citron and Paige Bueckers, who have far better records and stats than that of SC.
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While the player had been a key factor for her WNBA teams, she certainly can’t fit in with the number of superstars and playmakers. Incidentally, the player even recently spoke about which sport, maybe after retiring from the WNBA.
Sophie Cunningham Finds Alternative Sports Post-WNBA
The CBA discussions are casting uncertainty over the 2026 WNBA season, and the former Mercury star even raised similar questions following the delay in CBA confirmations. She even signed with Project B as an alternative, which will start from December 2026.
Amid this, the player spoke about playing Pickleball as a profession after retiring from the WNBA. She posted on her Instagram story a photo of her holding a pickleball and a pickleball paddle with the caption, “Confirmed. I’d kick [expletive] in this sport, plus my fav part, you get a tan while playing!!”
The star is the top free agent in the league at the moment, and fans want her to re-sign with the Fever.