{"id":848833,"date":"2026-09-15T17:36:12","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T17:36:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/848833\/"},"modified":"2026-09-15T17:36:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T17:36:12","slug":"stewie-stays-an-international-standard-plus-clark-and-reese-teammates-and-friends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/848833\/","title":{"rendered":"Stewie stays an international standard. Plus: Clark and Reese, teammates *and* friends"},"content":{"rendered":"

No Offseason Newsletter \ud83c\udfc0\u00a0| This is The Athletic\u2019s women\u2019s basketball newsletter. Sign up here<\/a> to receive No Offseason directly in your inbox.<\/p>\n

Good morning! The Americans are world champions, again. Coming up today:<\/p>\n

Also: Send any questions you have about the rest of the season or the playoffs to our mailbag<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Golden: Stewart\u2019s greatness continues<\/p>\n

After the USA silenced the doubters and convincingly took down France in the gold medal game<\/a> of the FIBA World Cup, coach Kara Lawson complimented her team captain and tournament MVP Breanna Stewart by saying, \u201cShe is USA Basketball \u2026 when you think of the last 15 years, it\u2019s Stewie, and we\u2019re just really lucky to be a part of her era of this group.\u201d<\/p>\n

The current era of the WNBA has been defined by the rivalry between Stewart and A\u2019ja Wilson, which I (Sabreena) profiled three years ago<\/a>, and has only become more decorated since. While Wilson has taken the edge in the WNBA with the last two MVP trophies and two of the last three titles, that has somewhat diminished all that Stewart has accomplished, domestically and abroad.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re talking about a player who is undefeated in the NCAA Tournament, World Cup and Olympics. Stewart has four college titles, four World Cup gold medals and will chase her fourth Olympic gold in Los Angeles in 2028. On top of that, she has added three EuroLeague titles and an Unrivaled championship after co-founding the 3\u00d73 league.<\/p>\n

Everywhere Stewart goes, she wins. She\u2019s addicted<\/a> to it.<\/p>\n

At the World Cup, Stewart had a new opportunity to show a younger generation of players what it took to win on the international stage. She no longer had to defer to veterans like Sue Bird or Diana Taurasi or even share the spotlight with Wilson.<\/p>\n

Team USA was Stewart\u2019s team, and she did everything it took to lead the Americans to victory.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Stewart began her pro career as a small forward and started at center for Team USA. By the time the final rolled around and Lawson had shortened her rotation, Stewart was playing point guard for long stretches. She led the team in points and rebounds and was the emotional steadying force in the medal rounds.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve been witnessing one of the greatest winners in the history of sport since 2013, when Stewart won her first championship at UConn; if you include Commissioner\u2019s Cup titles, she\u2019s taking home 1.5 team trophies per year.<\/p>\n

The WNBA has experienced a massive infusion of talent in the last three years. Stewart is still setting the standard for every player who steps on a court and puts on a USA jersey.<\/p>\n

Now over to Annie for a dive into two of those younger players\u2019 relationship.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Juan Ocampo \/ NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Friend or Foe? \u2018We\u2019ve always been friends\u2019<\/p>\n

By now, we\u2019ve all heard the question<\/a> posed to Caitlin Clark fresh off her first World Cup gold medal win. Not the one about her 12 points and three assists to help the U.S. claim gold over France, or the others about her first major tournament with the national team. Nope. I\u2019m talking about the one regarding her friendship with Angel Reese.\u00a0<\/p>\n

First, we have to give it to Clark for handling what was a cheap ploy to set social media ablaze like a pro.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you (and Reese) friends now?\u201d<\/p>\n

Clark: \u201cWe\u2019ve always been friends. Don\u2019t try to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was a no-nonsense reply to a nonsensical question. And the finger wag that accompanied it was icing on the cake. But the real question is: Why do people care if Clark and Reese are friends? Matter of fact, do we buy that they really are?<\/p>\n

Something that still plagues women\u2019s sports is the public\u2019s discomfort with true competition between women and all that comes with it, including *GASP* when there\u2019s a visible divide between players. For Clark and Reese, it goes back to their college days when Reese dared to grandstand in the face of the Iowa star as her LSU Tigers were moments away from claiming their first NCAA title. It began a storyline that married the two players\u2019 careers, with one cast as the villain and the other the hero.<\/p>\n

Since they entered the WNBA in 2024, the story has only grown more interesting. First, because they were drafted by franchises separated by less than 200 miles with an established rivalry (Clark to Indiana, Reese to Chicago). Now, because they are on two title contenders with a real shot of meeting in the first round (more on that below).<\/p>\n

The chemistry between Clark and Reese during USA\u2019s World Cup run was something to behold. Between their pick-and-roll actions and Reese outletting to Clark in transition, the basketball these two played was beautiful. But the reality is they don\u2019t need to be friends for that to happen.<\/p>\n

I keep thinking about Draymond Green and Rudy Gobert in this situation, and whether a reporter would ask either of them that same question. I know there are a lot of differences between the two. Green actually put Gobert in a headlock. These two are national team foes, not teammates. But still, would that question ever be posed to Green or Gobert?<\/p>\n

Competitors don\u2019t need to be friends. Women, in this case those in the WNBA, don\u2019t need to like each other to do their job well.<\/p>\n

Olympics: Looking ahead to L.A. 2028<\/p>\n

It\u2019s never too early to start thinking about the Team USA roster for the 2028 Olympics \u2014 you can bet Sue Bird, the U.S. women\u2019s national team\u2019s managing director, is already going through the combinations<\/a>, looking at how many players who weren\u2019t in Berlin merit consideration.<\/p>\n

A\u2019ja Wilson is a lock, Kelsey Plum has been a Team USA staple (as has Sabrina Ionescu) and a new generation of stars, including Olivia Miles, JuJu Watkins, Sarah Strong and Hannah Hidalgo (not to mention young veterans like Veronica Burton and Cameron Brink) could make a case.<\/p>\n

Strong, the UConn junior forward, is of particular interest. She is a three-time gold medalist in 3\u00d73 at the youth level for Team USA, but she could switch her national team ahead of senior competition.<\/p>\n

As Chantel Jennings writes, Team USA helped raise the bar for international competition. Now, it has to stay ahead<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Which player do you think is most likely to be a new addition to the Olympics roster<\/a>? Let us know at NoOffseason@theathletic.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Fast Breaks<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcbc \u201cDespite all the drama and grievances about her management style, Engelbert did not fail the players. She never caught up to them, however.\u201d More on how the WNBA outgrew the job it hired Cathy Engelbert to do<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfc0 The NCAA granted Kate Koval a transfer waiver, allowing the center to leave LSU and join Baylor<\/a>. Koval, who was born and raised in Ukraine, recently said in an Instagram post that she was leaving LSU\u2019s program because it was signing a Russian player<\/a>. \u201cFor me, this war is not distant or abstract,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcad Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings\u2019 word of the year? \u201cIntentional<\/a>.\u201d It helps her stay grounded and focused.<\/p>\n

\u2753 Reminder: Send in your questions to our mailbag<\/a>!<\/p>\n

\"\"Playoff Projections: What to know as WNBA resumes<\/p>\n

WNBA games resume Thursday, as each team finishes off a four-game sprint<\/a> before the postseason. As a reminder, the playoff field is fixed, but the seeding order is up in the air. Our playoff projection bracket<\/a> (pictured above) is updating after every matchup with the odds of each team landing in each playoff seed.<\/p>\n

Based on the projections, there could still be a lot of movement in the top eight, but here\u2019s how we see it playing out:<\/p>\n

No. 1 seed: The magic number is two for Minnesota to earn the top seed over Golden State. That means a total of two Lynx wins and Valkyries losses. It seems easy enough, but Minnesota still has three games against New York and Indiana while Golden State closes out the year with four cupcakes.
\nNo. 3 seed: This is Las Vegas\u2019 for the taking. The Aces can probably even afford to sprinkle in some rest for Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young after their World Cup run.
\nNo. 4\/5 seeds: This matchup is likely to be between Indiana and Atlanta, but home-court advantage is up in the air. The Fever have the tougher schedule, with three games against Washington and Minnesota. However, if the Lynx clinch the top seed early enough, then the Dream\u2019s schedule \u2014 featuring two games against New York \u2014 could prove more problematic.
\nNo. 6\/7\/8 seeds: Dallas has the cleanest path to the No. 6 seed but now has to deal with potential injury concerns for Paige Bueckers and Alanna Smith, on top of Azzi Fudd being out for the season. That could allow the Mystics or Liberty to sneak ahead of the Wings.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re interested in the lottery standings, the final regular-season game between Toronto and Connecticut could be a real doozy, as the teams \u201ccompete\u201d for the best chance at the No. 1 pick in the 2027 draft.<\/p>\n

Hiring: The next commissioner<\/p>\n

Last week, we asked you who the next commissioner should be. A lot of you would like to see Swin Cash in the role, while others suggested Nneka Ogwumike. There was one call out for Michelle Obama and another for Nick Saban. Neither Obama or Saban are realistic suggestions, but, hey, we appreciate the responses!<\/p>\n

One name that stood out among the reader recommendations was Allison Feaster. A former player in the WNBA, Feaster is now the vice president of team operations and organizational growth for the Boston Celtics. Prior to this role, Feaster climbed the ranks within the NBA, beginning with managerial roles in the G League.<\/p>\n

Feaster has an impeccable reputation within NBA circles, has a business background and is a former player. I think the league could end up prioritizing someone with a law degree, which Feaster does not have, but her resume certainly warrants consideration.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udceb Love No Offseason? Check out\u00a0The Athletic\u2019s other newsletters<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"No Offseason Newsletter \ud83c\udfc0\u00a0| This is The Athletic\u2019s women\u2019s basketball newsletter. Sign up here to receive No Offseason…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":848834,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[99,434,2664],"class_list":["post-848833","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-sports","tag-wnba","tag-womens-college-basketball"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/848833","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=848833"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/848833\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/848834"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=848833"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=848833"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=848833"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}