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The U.S. women’s basketball team advanced to the semifinals of the 2026 FIBA World Cup after a 108-56 massacre of Hungary. While the Americans are favored to win, many believe they are not unbeatable.
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Team USA struggled to beat Italy 55-52 in group play. In that game, Team USA was outrebounded 43-42 and surrendered 12 offensive rebounds, prompting analysts and experts to cite the absence of four-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson as a key loss for them.
However, while many are criticizing A’ja’s decision to sit out the tournament, Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon defended her star player’s absence.
“A’ja has every right to do what she feels is best health-wise. And the other thing is, the men do this all the time,”Hammon told USA TODAY. “Can you name me any of the men’s world championship rosters right now? Can you name me any person on there?”
The men’s team lost in the 2004 Olympics because the biggest stars refused to play
Withdrawing from the national team is nothing new for Americans, especially, as Hammon mentioned, the men’s side. It can be recalled that the 2004 U.S. men’s basketball team suffered multiple withdrawals, resulting in a disastrous bronze-medal finish at the Athens Olympics.
But while that team was criticized for not winning the gold medal, and the withdrawal of top superstars was also condemned, there were no individual attacks against NBA stars like Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, Ray Allen, and many more who decided to skip the Olympics.
Meanwhile, Wilson has been called out for being “selfish.” Some fans say she did not want to play with Caitlin Clark because of the attention that CC is getting. And so on. It did not help that A’ja was spotted with her boyfriend, Bam Adebayo, at a recent J. Cole concert, looking like nothing was wrong with her.
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However, Becky got A’ja’s back.
“What I’m saying is, LeBron and those guys – if this was a man making this decision, there would be nothing to say. And that’s my problem,” Hammon added.
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Thomas says no player is obligated to play for the U.S. team
Like Hammon, former NBA center Etan Thomas also justified Wilson’s withdrawal from the FIBA World Cup. According to Thomas, playing for the national team is not an obligation for any player. And as someone who has done more than her share of winning gold medals for her country, A’ja deserves to get a pass.
“Y’all do know that nobody is obligated to play for the U.S. Team for the World Cup, right? A’ja Wilson is the best women’s basketball player on planet Earth. She can do whatever she wants to do,” he wrote on X.
The women’s side has seen a similar incident to Wilson’s. In 2006, then-WNBA MVP Lisa Leslie pulled out of the FIBA World Championships very close to the tournament due to family reasons. The Americans lost in the semifinals to Russia, 68-75 and settled for the bronze medal. Hopefully, that does not happen in Germany.
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This story was originally published September 11, 2026 at 4:21 AM.