Basketball fans woke to stunning news Monday with the announcement that A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum will not participate in the upcoming FIBA Women’s World Cup due to health issues.

Plum’s absence isn’t entirely surprising; she has been limited to 17 games this summer while dealing with a lower leg injury and appeared in just five contests since being traded to the Phoenix Mercury, who on Monday also ruled her out for the remainder of the WNBA season.

Wilson is a different story. She had been listed as dealing with a back issue going into the Las Vegas Aces’ most recent two games but didn’t miss either contest.

Largely regarded as the best player in the world, Wilson has been a stalwart of USA Basketball, making her debut for the senior national team in a major international competition at the 2018 World Cup. She is the reigning MVP of the 2022 World Cup and the 2024 Olympics, leading the U.S. women in scoring at both events.

Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron, announced Monday as replacement players for Wilson and Plum, are already in Berlin with Team USA as it prepares for Friday’s opening group-phase game against China.

ESPN analyzes what the news means for the U.S. women as they go for their fifth consecutive World Cup gold medal.

What do we know about Wilson’s health status?

Alexa Philippou: Wilson has been largely dominant this WNBA season, well within reach of a potential fifth WNBA MVP award, even as she hasn’t had a fully clean bill of health. In late June/early July, Wilson missed three games (including the Commissioner’s Cup final) with an ankle injury. Then the back issue popped up on the injury report twice in the past week, though Wilson appeared in both games, including playing 30 minutes Friday in the Aces’ final contest before the FIBA break. Along with USA teammates Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young, she also sat out Las Vegas’ Aug. 9 matchup against the New York Liberty (the second game of a back-to-back) to rest.

Durability has been a hallmark of Wilson’s historic WNBA career; prior to this season, she had missed just six regular-season games over the past seven seasons. She has also prioritized not playing overseas during WNBA offseasons, which has helped her avoid additional wear and tear.

But a source close to the situation told ESPN on Monday that Wilson hasn’t been 100% for some time now with those back issues, and that there was a concern the FIBA schedule could exacerbate her situation.

Interestingly, Wilson indicated as early as late July that she’d been weighing what was best for her and her body when it came to balancing USA Basketball commitments with the Aces’ grueling August schedule (and ultimate playoff push).

“I have given it some thought, not going to lie,” Wilson told “The Dunker Spot.” “It has been a thought of mine, just to see how to navigate it all and just the prioritization that would need to go into that. I’m going to see when it gets to that moment and how I feel. My body will tell it all.”

What does Wilson’s absence mean for USA Basketball?

Philippou: Losing two important veterans and key contributors to Team USA’s recent success is far from ideal. The World Cup is notoriously difficult due to its grueling schedule — Team USA plays three games in four days to start the event and — assuming it advances to the final day of competition — six in 10. This is all with very little prep time as Kara Lawson embarks on her first major international competition as head coach of the senior national team.

No matter how deep the USA talent pool is, losing the best player in the world is a major blow. Wilson averaged a double-double (18.7 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 2.7 BPG) in just over 27 minutes per game at the 2024 Paris Olympics, which included a 21-point, 13-rebound, four-block effort versus France in the gold medal game. Plum also is experienced at both the World Cup and Olympic levels and was a key player off the bench who helped stymie France’s upset bid.

Though there was no U.S. training camp stateside heading into the World Cup, Lawson led the team in the World Cup qualifying tournament in Puerto Rico in March. Eight of the 12 members of that roster are now on the Berlin squad: Paige Bueckers, Caitlin Clark, Kahleah Copper, Gray, Rhyne Howard, Iriafen, Angel Reese and Young. That should provide a level of familiarity to players, the coaching staff and Lawson’s system amid so much newness.

One thing to note is that Aliyah Boston has been playing through a right leg injury that has kept her out of some Fever games this year; it’s worth monitoring how USA Basketball manages her minutes in light of Wilson’s absence and a strenuous schedule.

Is there a precedent for Team USA losing such a key player so close to a major event?

Michael Voepel: Yes. In the 2006 World Cup (then called the world championship), Los Angeles Sparks center Lisa Leslie was a late scratch because her uncle had been seriously injured in a car accident. Leslie was the WNBA MVP that year and had been Team USA’s star post player for a decade. The Americans missed having her in that World Cup, losing in the semifinals to Russia and then taking the bronze medal by beating host Brazil.

That is the U.S. women’s only loss in the two major international competitions — the Olympics and World Cup — since 1994.

While Leslie’s absence was due to a family emergency, Wilson’s is due to health issues and the decision to avoid the extra physical demands of an in-season tournament. That won’t be the case after this World Cup, though. The WNBA season and international events have long caused scheduling conflicts, resulting in either a compacted WNBA season (which allowed players less rest), a midseason break like this year or holding the World Cup shortly after the conclusion of the WNBA season. In 2022, for example, the World Cup started Sept. 22, four days after the Finals concluded.

But starting in 2030, the World Cup is changing its calendar footprint. That year in Japan, it will be held from Nov. 26 to Dec. 8, after the WNBA season is over.

The World Cup’s move to late November-early December in 2030 should be the best compromise. However, the WNBA regular season expands to 50 games next year, so the Finals might not be over until November in 2030.

Without Wilson and Plum, who will have to step for Team USA?

Kareem Copeland: As much as we’ll look to the established veterans to pick up the slack for the loss of four combined Olympic gold medals, all of a sudden there’s an opportunity for the Young and Turnt Corps. Outside of Breanna Stewart, the only true bigs on the roster are Boston, Reese and Iriafen. The perimeter is deeper with established veterans, but one fewer guard opens up minutes that could be capitalized on by Bueckers or Clark. Even the addition of Citron gives the Americans an uberefficient, defensive-minded perimeter talent to play matchup games with. Team USA has the deepest roster in the world and has begun to work in the young future of the roster. Plum’s absence opens some opportunities that could be grabbed by the youngsters.

Philippou: Even more will be on the veterans’ shoulders, particularly Stewart’s. Not only is she the most experienced big on the roster, but Stewart is also the most experienced player with USA Basketball, period, boasting three Olympic and three World Cup gold medals in her career. The leadership transition might have begun in 2022 and 2024, with Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi either limited or not participating in that World Cup and Olympics, but now Stewart clearly takes the mantle as the experienced vet tasked with carrying on USA Basketball’s tradition of excellence. Fortunately, she won’t be entirely alone, as Young, Gray, Copper and Napheesa Collier have all won at least one gold medal with USA Basketball at a major international competition.

What’s next for Kelsey Plum?

Copeland: Health and free agency. The start to 2026 was fantastic for Plum as she averaged 26.6 points through her first 10 games of the season, including a 43-point masterpiece on June 13, which had her on pace to earn the first scoring title of her career. Little did we know that she’d be traded and play a total of seven more games after that opening 10. Plum said it herself on social media Monday: The decision was made to “focus on getting my body back to 100%.” Stepping out of the World Cup firmly puts the focus on the future.

That future, however, is unknown beyond the calf injury that has been an issue all summer. The Mercury traded a 2027 first-round draft pick, 2028 second-round draft pick and a young, talented guard in Monique Akoa Makani still on a rookie contract for five games of Plum, who is on a one-year deal. The question is, will that and an upcoming offseason in Phoenix be enough to convince the 32-year-old to stay? The facilities are some of the best in the WNBA, and Alyssa Thomas, Copper and Sami Whitcomb are all signed through the 2027 season. Is that enough to convince Plum to stay when other teams will tempt her with plenty of cash and a chance to win a ring?