Caitlin Clark Named Tournament MVP As Team USA Rolls Through World Cup Qualifiers
The Indiana Fever star averaged 11.6 points and 6.4 assists to earn MVP honors as Team USA cruised through the FIBA World Cup Qualifying Tournament undefeated.
Caitlin Clark was named MVP of the FIBA Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament after leading the U.S. women's national basketball team to a dominant 5-0 run in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Not bad for someone who hadn't played a competitive game in eight months.
After an injury-plagued 2025 WNBA season that limited her to just 13 games, Clark returned to the court for the first time since July and didn't miss a beat. Across five games in seven days, she averaged 11.6 points and 6.4 assists — leading the entire tournament in assists while orchestrating the U.S. offense.
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Clark capped off the tournament with another strong showing in an 84-70 win over Spain on Tuesday night, finishing with 7 points, 7 assists and a block while directing the offense in just over 22 minutes of action.
Of course, she wasn't doing it alone. Kahleah Copper led the Americans with 20 points against Spain, while Kelsey Plum added 18 and Dearica Hamby chipped in 14. Hamby, Angel Reese and Jackie Young also made their presence felt on the glass, combining for 15 defensive rebounds to help shut the door on Spain.
The U.S. went undefeated in the round-robin format, winning five games by an average margin of 42 points across seven days. That's even more impressive when you consider half of Team USA's roster consisted of rookies making their national senior team debut.
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For Clark, though, this week was about more than just wins. It was a long-awaited return and a reminder of exactly what she brings to the floor when she's healthy.
"I feel like I put myself in the best possible shape that I could be in at this point," Clark said before the tournament. "Sometimes almost the first game is the hardest, but once you get in kind of the flow of things, and you figure things out, and you kind of get your wind back, you're in a little bit better of a position."
Next up: the real thing.
The 2026 FIBA Women's World Cup is set for September 4–13 in Berlin, Germany, where Team USA will chase its 12th title and Clark will look to keep this momentum rolling.