North Philly’s Kahleah Copper among WNBA stars representing Team USA at the FIBA World Cup
Before heading to Australia to join Team USA, Copper led the Chicago Sky to the WNBA semifinals with a team-best 15.7 points per game to go with 5.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.
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Team USA will have a bit of Philly flair at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Australia.
Chicago Sky star Kahleah Copper, a North Philly native, was named to the United States team for the tournament, which features 12 of the WNBA’s top players. The Americans, coached by La Salle alumna Cheryl Reeve, begin Group A play at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday against Belgium in Sydney (ESPN+). The World Cup runs through Oct. 1, and ESPN will carry more than 30 games on its platforms.
Copper, a guard who attended Prep Charter and Rutgers, had a quick turnaround to get to Sydney. She led the Sky to the WNBA semifinals, posting a team-best 15.7 points per game to go with 5.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. A former Rutgers teammate, Betnijah Laney, joins her on Team USA.
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Some of Copper’s new teammates had an even quicker turnaround. League MVP A’ja Wilson, WNBA Finals MVP Chelsea Gray, and Kelsey Plum of the championship-winning Las Vegas Aces, as well as Brionna Jones and Harrisburg’s Alyssa Thomas, both of the runner-up Connecticut Sun, also are on the roster.
Washington Mystics standouts Ariel Atkins and Shakira Austin, the New York Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu, and the Seattle Storm’s Jewell Lloyd and Breanna Stewart round out the roster.
Copper, Laney, and Thomas are making their World Cup debuts. The United States is looking to win its fourth straight World Cup.