Team USA Roster Reveal Triggers Debate Over Caitlin Clark's Starting Spot
Indiana Fever superstar guard Caitlin Clark hinted that she would participate in Team USA basketball activities during the WNBA offseason, following the conclusion of her team's 2025 campaign.
Initially, the thought was that she was referring to a USA Basketball training camp in early March 2026, which is a precursor to the 2026 FIBA World Cup qualifying tournament from March 11 to 17. While it's currently unclear whether Clark will indeed compete in this training camp or tournament, she will certainly be in Durham, North Carolina, from December 12 to 14 as part of a USA Basketball Women’s National Team training camp, as will her Fever teammate Aliyah Boston and head coach Stephanie White.
This has prompted a ton of excitement, largely because Clark hasn't been seen competing on a basketball court since she injured her groin in the middle of July, which effectively ended her 2025 WNBA season. Not only that, but Clark will be flanked by many other young superstars in the sport, including Paige Bueckers, Angel Reese, Sonia Citron, Kiki Iriafen, and Rickea Jackson, to name a few.
Fans Debate Whether Caitlin Clark Should Start on Team USA Roster
On November 25, X account @WNBAlouvre posted the full roster of those included in the aforementioned Team USA Basketball camp next month and provided a hypothetical starting five. Among the starting five were Clark, Kahleah Copper, Jackie Young, Dearica Hamby, and Aliyah Boston.
The post has gone viral, amassing over 200,000 views in a day. Much of the debate is around whether Clark deserves a starting spot over some more experienced guards.
"Paige
"Young (juju if healthy)
"Copper
"Brink
"Reese," @djuki55 wrote, suggesting Caitlin should be left out of the starting five.
"Paige over Caitlin and then is good," added @ColorPalitt.
"paige bueckers
"angel reese
"rickea jackson
"kelsey plum
"cameron brink, @sportsbetnchill posed.
"Caitlin Clark over Chelsea Gray in competitive basketball?" @Mario_Demiuex said, suggesting veteran guard Chelsea Gray deserves a starting role over CC.
Caitlin Clark over Chelsea Gray in competitive basketball? https://t.co/gY7LF13H3m
— Lee Edwards (@Mario_Demiuex) November 25, 2025
"Paige
"Sonia
"Jackie young
"Angel Reese
"Cam brink
"I don’t know if you start a pg that leads the league in turnovers but who knows," said @bloodhoundstan.
Despite these takes, it seems that more fans believe Clark does deserve a starting spot.
"Clark, Paige, Jackie, Reese, Boston," @DJack2009 wrote, which many seemed to agree with.
This was echoed by @pacersfeverfan, who said, "1. Clark 2. Bueckers 3. Jackie Young 4. Angel Reese 5. Aliyah Boston".
"Paige and Caitlin starting together is the most obvious thing," noted @AnthonyRedux.
Paige and Caitlin starting together is the most obvious thing https://t.co/rLJDw7sTVY
— 🟥⬛🟩 (@AnthonyRedux) November 26, 2025
@HardHitters80 said, "I would love to see a team of mainly Year 1 and 2 players, CC, Bueckers, Copper, Reese & Brink or Boston."
"Give me the 3 young superstars at guard. The rest don’t matter," added @Jay_3shifty.
Regardless of how a potential starting roster would shake out, all these options are a good problem for Team USA to have.
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Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.
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