Key stars Aliyah Boston and Sonia Citron out for FIBA Qualifiers. Injuries sustained in 'Unrivaled' sideline duo, forcing roster shake-up.
Team USA will head into next week’s FIBA Women’s World Cup qualifying tournament without two key players after Sonia Citron and Aliyah Boston were ruled out due to injuries suffered during Unrivaled play.
USA Basketball announced Thursday that both players are “no longer available” for the upcoming event in Puerto Rico. Forward Monique Billings and guard Rae Burrell have been added to the roster as replacements.
Boston and Citron were both injured while competing in Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 offseason league that wrapped up its second season earlier this week. The Indiana Fever center had already been ruled out for the remainder of the Unrivaled season on March 1 with what was described as a right lower extremity injury.
However, Boston was one of the league’s most dominant players before the injury, averaging 18.9 points and leading the competition with 2.1 blocks per game.
Citron, meanwhile, also missed the end of the Unrivaled regular season with a similar lower-extremity designation. The Washington Mystics guard had been producing strong numbers as well, averaging 15.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists during the tournament.
Both players had taken part in Team USA’s first training camp under head coach Kara Lawson at Duke University in December. Citron was set to make her debut with the senior national team, while Boston was expected to make her first appearance since the 2021 FIBA AmeriCup.
Their absence further reshapes a roster that already features several new faces. With Billings and Burrell joining the squad, multiple players will be making their senior team debuts in the tournament, including Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese.
Billings brings veteran experience to the roster. The eight-year WNBA forward, who played last season with the Golden State Valkyries, averaged 7.3 points and 4.5 rebounds while posting a career-best effective field goal percentage of 51.1%. Burrell, entering her fifth WNBA season with the Los Angeles Sparks, averaged 7.5 points and 2.3 rebounds last year.
Team USA will gather in Miami this weekend for a short training camp before traveling to Puerto Rico. The Americans open tournament play on March 11 against Senegal and will also face Puerto Rico, Italy, New Zealand and Spain in the qualifying event.
Although the United States has already secured a spot in the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup in Berlin, the tournament still serves as an important step in the national team’s preparations under Lawson, who is beginning her first Olympic cycle as the senior team’s head coach.