Alyssa Thomas flies 10,000 miles to Australia a day later to play in the World Cup for Team USA after the WNBA Finals on Sunday. Thomas had 14 points, nine assists and seven rebounds in his debut for Team USA, which beat Belgium 87-72 in Thursday’s game opener.
Although Alyssa Thomas Manage to Join FIBA World Cup Opener, There Are Still a Lot of Missing Players for Team USA
She never thought about skipping the World Cup after finding out she would be on the U.S. roster.
30-year-old Thomas expressed her excitement to be a part of it where she has longed for it.
U.S. coach Cheryl Reeve was impressed with what Thomas was able to do in this short turnaround time.
““It’s what I expected Alyssa to do, as it’s just what she does. She’s a competitor and knows how to play,” Reeve said. She also explained that WNBA players don’t get enough credit for the transition from overseas games to WNBA games to national team games.
Alyssa Thomas went from the WNBA Finals in Connecticut to the FIBA World Cup in Australia 😳
— espnW (@espnW) September 21, 2022
(via @usabasketball)pic.twitter.com/ZlYyCUU7FN
Breanna Stewart had 22 points and Jewell Loyd also had 14 for a shorthanded U.S. team that still lacked Las Vegas Aces players A’ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray and Kelsey Plum. They were on their way to Australia on Tuesday after celebrating the team’s first WNBA championship and they are expected to be in Sydney on Friday.
Thomas and her UConn teammate Brionna Jones, who also arrived Wednesday, are two of six players on the roster who have not played in the World Cup or Olympics for Team USA.
This team is very different from the team that won three consecutive titles in Spain in 2018. Sue Bird retires and Diana Taurasi is out with injury at the end of the WNBA season. Brittney Griner, who was supposed to join the team, is now in a Russian jail after being convicted of drug possession and sentenced to nine years in a politically charged case last month while the US government is trying to secure her release.
