Caitlin Clark,Angel Reese, andPaige Bueckershave spent years being pitted against one another, with rivalries, heated moments, and divided fanbases following almost everything they do. Clark and Reese have been at the center of one of women's basketball's biggest rivalries since college, while Clark and Bueckers added fresh tension after a heated Fever-Wings exchange just weeks ago. So when Team USA threw all three into the same locker room for the 2026 FIBA World Cup, chemistry was hardly the first thing people expected.
If anything, all that history made the trio look like a bad fit, but they have proved the exact opposite.
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Former college basketball player Rachel A. DeMita believes that is exactly why their chemistry has been so surprising. "Speaking of Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, and Angel Reese, I hope that all of the fandoms can put whatever differences they have to the side and just appreciate how fun it has been to watch Paige, Angel, and Caitlin play together. It is sosurprisingto me how much chemistry these three have on the court, with not having played much together ever,"she said in anInstagrampost.
The trio has clicked almost immediately, emerged as one of the Americans' most dangerous combinations, and now Rachel DeMita wants their divided fanbases to stop fighting and appreciate what they are watching.
"There have been so many moments where it's Angel Reese battling for the board. She gets a really good rebound, outlets it to Caitlin Clark. She's running down the court, and then there's that connection there." "The fact that there's been these kind of pseudo-rivalries between these three players, their fandoms don't really like one another, the discourse is crazy online, but when these three are on the court together, it is magical."
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"This has been my favorite trio that I've seen on the court with one another. They all share the ball really well. They look for one another. They play really hard. They hustle, and you can also just kinda feel the energy."
Head coach Kara Lawson has opted to start Team USA games with a veteran-heavy lineup that carries a 34+ net rating, and there is no denying that group has produced. But the lineup of Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers,Rhyne Howard,Aliyah Boston, and Angel Reese has posted a 76+ net rating, giving Lawson another dangerous combination to turn to when the game gets moving.
Clark has emerged as the team's primary playmaker, leading Team USA with 6.3 assists per game. That makes her an especially natural fit alongside Reese, who has been one of the team's strongest rebounders, and Bueckers, who gives the Americans another scoring option from the mid-range.
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Now, that also gives Clark the freedom to take her three-point attempts, even though she is yet to find her rhythm from beyond the arc in this tournament. So when the outside shot isn't falling, she can create for Bueckers, work directly with Reese, or simply use her playmaking to keep the offense moving. And one of the best examples of that came against China.
With just over a minute left in that game, the Americans were comfortably ahead 90-59. Caitlin Clark had the ball in her hands and managed to shake her defender before driving forward, only for 7-foot-3 Zhang Ziyu to step up in her path.
But with Ziyu drawn toward her, she suddenly had exactly what she was looking for. Angel Reese was left open in the paint, and Clark quickly slipped the ball inside for theAtlanta Dreamstar to gather the pass and bank her shot off the glass to push Team USA's lead to 92-59.
It was Clark's 10th assist of the game, and it said enough about their chemistry. In that same game, cameras even caught Reese among the loudest supporters of Clark.
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Individually, all three have given the Americans plenty to work with. Caitlin Clark leads the team with 6.3 assists per game, Reese has established herself as one of its strongest rebounders with 6.0 rebounds per game, and Bueckers leads the team with 1.3 blocks per game. And together their value goes beyond any one statistic.
Team USA now entersthe knockout stage of the tournament, and their chemistry can help the Americans clinch their fifth consecutive FIBA World Cup gold medal.
For now, the Americans are all set to face Hungary in the quarterfinals, and a win would send them into the semifinals against the winner of Australia and Spain.
A trio that entered the tournament with so many questions surrounding whether they could even play together now looks like one of the most exciting combinations Team USA can put on the floor. So with very little room for error in the knockout stage, DeMita has urged their fanbases to put their differences aside and appreciate what these three are creating together.
