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Caitlin Clark entered the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup as a candidate for MVP honors. She was playing the best basketball of her WNBA career through July and August, and in her first competitive tournament for Team USA, it was anticipated that fans would get to see her star for the national team at last and herald a changing of the guard ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics.
While Clark did make history at the FIBA World Cup, she experienced peaks and valleys in her first FIBA-sanctioned tournament that raise questions about how important she will be for the national team.
Caitlin Clark is a World Champion.#FIBAWWC pic.twitter.com/F9gnxleKdo
— FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup (@FIBAWWC) September 13, 2026Clark on Sunday helped Team USA to its record-extending 12th Women's World Cup title -- and its fifth in a row -- as the Americans rallied to top France, 97-79, at Berlin Arena. After Spain held her to one point in Saturday's semifinal, Clark scored 12 in the final for her second-best scoring game of the tournament.
MORE: Caitlin Clark scolds reporter for doubting friendship with USA teammate Angel Reese
But Clark's World Cup overall proved inconsistent, with inefficiency keeping her off the court at times throughout the competition.
US head coach Kara Lawson even benched Clark after a sequence during the first quarter of Saturday's semifinal. The Indiana Fever star missed Angel Reese flashing in the high post in favor of bringing the ball back out and forcing an ill-advised pass to Napheesa Collier.
The pass was intercepted, and Spain took it back up the floor for an easy lay-up. Compounding matters? Clark was late getting back in transition, though she did draw a foul on a 3-point attempt during the next possession.
And this sequence at the end of the first quarter right here is why Caitlin Clark got sent to the bench: https://t.co/IHbT00RFt5 pic.twitter.com/gyBwMCkDlU
— Edem 🦊🇺🇸 (@EugeneREQUIEM5) September 12, 2026Clark showed a strong mentality to bounce back from that one-point effort on Saturday, just as she did when Italy held her to a single point during an ugly 55-52 win in the group stage.
But Clark's 36/28/71 shooting splits at the Women's World Cup will not cut it in international ball, which prizes efficiency and speed of thought over chucking shots.
It's true that Clark led all US players in assists with 5.3 per game. Twenty of her 32 assists came in two games, dominant wins over China and Hungary. She ended the tournament with a flourish, and she will be at the Olympics in 2028 if she is healthy, but Clark will need to step up to ensure an orderly transition from the Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young era of US guard play.
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