A pair of Mystics are bound for Berlin.
USA basketball announced Monday that WNBA stars Kelsey Plum and A’ja Wilson will no longer play for Team USA due to health reasons. The pair will be replaced by two of Washington’s young stars: forward Kiki Iriafen and guard Sonia Citron.
The FIBA World Cup is set to take place next month in Germany, creating a two-week break in the WNBA schedule. Team USA, chasing its fifth consecutive gold medal, opens group play against China on Sept. 4.
This will be Citron’s first stint with the women’s senior national team after previously playing in for the country’s under-16 and under-19 teams. Iriafen made her first appearance for the senior team in a World Cup qualifying game against Puerto Rico in March, scoring 10 points in a 91–48 win.
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Both players are key reasons the Mystics (24-16) are having their best season since 2019, when the organization won its only WNBA championship. Iriafen, 23, is averaging 15.3 points and 9.4 assists per game, while Citron is averaging 16.8 points and 4.3 assists per game. Both players are in their second WNBA season.
It’s unclear what kind of role Citron and Iriafen will play in Berlin. Despite losing Plum and Wilson, the team remains stacked with WNBA stars such as Caitlin Clark, Paige Beuckers and Napheesa Collier.
After the WNBA’s two-week hiatus for the World Cup, Washington’s first game back will be at Chicago on Sept. 17. The Mystics are currently seventh in the standings and have already clinched a postseason berth. They’ll finish the regular season with three of their four remaining games against non-playoff teams, so they may be able to earn a higher seed before the postseason begins at the end of September.
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