An association that once looked like a manifestation is now just a few nights away. The stars have aligned, as Team USA has been able to bring its brightest WNBA top performers together for the FIBA Women’s World Cup qualifiers. A glimpse of it was recently on display when the likes of Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers left the fans awestruck.

USA Basketball took to its X handle to drop a few pictures of Clark, Bueckers, Rhyne Howard, and Kahleah Copper joining the national camp ahead of the qualifiers. The post was nonchalant, but it also quietly showed the strength Team USA will be bringing to Puerto Rico from next week.

“Pullin’ up to 🇺🇸 #USABWNT camp!” the caption of the post read.

For the qualifiers, CC also participated in the national team training camp in December. She is coming in fresh after a few months off from the court. On the other hand, Clark’s counterpart, Bueckers, is in red-hot form, as seen at the Unrivaled, where she helped her team reach the semifinals and was named to the All-Unrivaled first team.

But the pressure will be immense for these two players. Given the lower extremity injury to Aliyah Boston at the Unrivaled, Clark and Bueckers, along with Angel Reese, will likely be tasked with most of the heavy lifting on offense.

Additionally, the pressure of wearing a national jersey is far greater than what they experience in league play. Especially when the team is one of the favorites in the competition and has won the World Cup consecutively since the last four times, that pressure increases. But that’s a tale for another day, as fans can’t stop gushing over the Caitlin Clark-Bueckers link-up ahead of the qualifiers.

“We’ve been waiting 5000 years”: Fans Erupt Over Caitlin Clark’s Return

“DREAM TEAM,” wrote a fan. 

“AVENGERS ASSSSEMBLEEEEEEEE,” commented another. 

In the current women’s basketball circuit, fans have hardly seen all their favorite stars compete on the same team. Especially the young prodigies like Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, and Angel Reese haven’t had the opportunity to wear the national jersey together. And as the moment finally comes to light, this association has taken the world by storm.

Team USA head coach Kara Lawson also highlighted the impact these players have had in the current circuit a few months ago. “They’re really bringing something new to our sport, a kind of excitement, but also fan communities that follow them everywhere they go,” Lawson said. “And that’s great. We have a great generation of young, very talented players coming up, and I’m looking forward to working with them.”

Clark, Bueckers, Reese, and the others are all superstars on the basketball court in their own right. Seeing them together compete for the national team gives flashbacks to the impact that men’s basketball had when Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson suited up for the 1992 Olympics, or to LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant coming together for the 2024 Olympics.

“YAY CC AND PB,” wrote another. 

“CAITLIN PAIGE AHHHH,” stated another netizen. 

Two of the most dominant WNBA guards and the last two WNBA Rookie of the Year prodigies will be suiting up for the national team for the first time. They have faced each other several times in the past, either in the WNBA or college basketball, but we haven’t been lucky enough to see the quality these two players bring to the court when they are playing together.

And the upcoming weeks might change that narrative, as Captain America and Iron Man might finally take the reins of Team USA’s backcourt.

“We’ve been waiting 5,000 years to see Caitlin play again. Let’s goooo! 🔥,” chimed in another. 

Clark’s return to the court was bound to bring anticipation in the hoops community. After all, the Indiana Fever star’s 2025 WNBA season was limited to just 13 games due to a groin injury and severe bone bruise. Following the WNBA, Clark also didn’t compete in any postseason tournaments, such as the Unrivaled, unlike Bueckers and Reese.

All in all, CC’s game time in the past few months has been immensely scarce, prompting the basketball community to look forward to the FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifiers to see their favorite star dominate on the court.

Caitlin Clark and Team USA’s first challenge at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Qualifiers tips off against Senegal on March 11. What are your expectations from CC and the US national team in this game? Do let us know in the comments.