Records are usually remembered for the player who broke them, but when Breanna Stewart finally broke into the top eight of Team USA’s all-time FIBA Women’s World Cup scoring list, Tina Charles, the woman she passed up, had a very different way of looking at it.
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During the post-game coverage of Team USA’s faceoff against the Czech Republic, host Lauren Jbara revealed that Charles had been passed over by Stewart following the forward’s 19-point outing. Instead of being bitter, Charles was proud of Stewart’s accomplishment. The moment was clipped and posted to TNT Sports’ X account.
“Being passed by Stewie, it’s an honor. It’s an honor, man,” Charles said. “I’m very thankful, very blessed to have worn that USA jersey and been able to contribute and win. So I’m thankful.”
Her comments came after Stewart led Team USA to a comfortable 105-64 win against the Czech Republic, with her spearheading the scoring effort. Apart from scoring 19 points on 8-for-11 shooting, she added seven rebounds and six assists, as well as a block and a steal in under 17 minutes on the court.
In fact, Stewart scored eight points in two and a half minutes during the first quarter, which was perhaps the moment the Americans managed to seal the game.
Charles’s international resume is nothing to sneeze at. The former Team USA pro appeared in the 2010, 2014, and 2018 iterations of the FIBA World Cup, helping her team win gold in all three. Over that period, she scored 96, 64, and 62 total points, respectively, adding up to 222. Charles is also a legend in USA Olympic basketball history. The eight-time WNBA All-Star was a part of the gold-winning Team USA for the 2012 London, 2016 Rio, and 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Stewie has played alongside Charles during both the Rio and Tokyo Olympics, adding an additional gold to her name during the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Heading into the game against the Czech Republic, Stewart had logged four World Cup appearances of her own. She had scored 11 points in 2014 as a bench presence before exploding for 98 in 2018, 102 in 2022, and so far, 31 points in 2026. That puts her at 242, meaning she sits at 7th all-time, passing both Charles and Tamika Catchings in the same game. She still has time to cross the top scorer of all time, Los Angeles Sparks legend Lisa Leslie, with 393 points.
However, this isn’t Stewart’s top career performance at the World Cup. That came in 2018, when, against China, she logged 23 points, which remains her career high to this day at the World Cup. Stewie’s prolific scoring and veteran presence have become essential to a USA team that is looking to add another win to their already decorated list of FIBA victories.
Breanna Stewart’s Clutch Heroics Show Why Team USA Needs Her Leadership
Breanna Stewart is in the top three of almost every Team USA stat from the 2026 FIBA World Cup so far. She is the second-leading scorer on the squad at 10.3 points per game, and leads the team in Efficiency per game at 18.0, about 3.3 points ahead of second-place Paige Bueckers. Stewart leads the team in rebounds per game at 8.3 and is third in assists at 3.0, behind Bueckers and Caitlin Clark. Stewie is also third in blocks, behind Bueckers and Reese.
The Czech Republic game was a major bounce-back performance for Stewart, who scored just five points on 1-for-9 shooting against Italy on a night when most of the team struggled. Team USA barely made it past them with a 55-52 win, and after the game, she praised her teammates for their resilience despite a poor start to the night.
“Italy really kind of mucked up the game for us a little bit and made it difficult for us to score,” Stewart said in the FIBA post-game press conference. “But tough team, tons of respect to what they’ve done and just proud of the resiliency of this group. We haven’t had a lot of time together, and when things really mattered down the stretch, we were able to get big stops. Offensively, get good baskets. A win is a win.”
Stewart still found a way to make an impact. Her jumper in the final moments of the game put the USA in front, 51-50, and marked the beginning of the final lead change of the grittiest game the Americans have faced in this World Cup.
Those points were part of the 7-0 run that Team USA went on to close the game, and with Cecilia Zandalasini missing her three-pointer at the buzzer to tie the game, the Americans walked away with a win.
For Breanna Stewart and Co, this was a big win that marked a big step in the right direction following a near loss to Italy. Now, as the team moves on to the group stage, only time will tell how the second-oldest player on the World Cup roster takes charge and leads her team.