Injuries are preventing two more notable players from competing for a spot on the USA Basketball senior national team.
USA Basketball said Thursday that Elena Delle Donne and Sylvia Fowles, both of the Chicago Sky, will not be available for consideration for the FIBA World Championships that begin later this month.
In a release, USA Basketball said Diana Taurasi and Candice Dupree, both of the Phoenix Mercury, have been added to the roster of finalists currently in France for the tuneup France International Tournament.
Taurasi and Dupree are joining the team in Paris after leading Phoenix to the WNBA title over Chicago last week. Another Mercury player, center Brittney Griner, is being evaluated for an eye injury she suffered in the finals and could be added at a later date.
Griner missed the clinching Game 3 of the series after being struck in the eye during Game 2. Delle Donne had been nursing a sore back that occasionally limited her play and effectiveness in the series. Fowles is rehabbing a hip that required surgery and kept her out most of the first half of the season.
Tamika Catchings of the Indiana Fever, Candace Parker of the Los Angeles Sparks and Monica Wright of the Minnesota Lynx previously withdrew for injury reasons.
The present roster is at 15 players, following cuts made after Monday’s exhibition win by the U.S. over Canada in Bridgeport, Conn.
In addition to Taurasi and Dupree, the roster includes Seimone Augustus, Sue Bird, Tina Charles, Skylar Diggins, Stefanie Dolson, Jantel Lavender, Kayla McBride, Angel McCoughtry, Maya Moore, Nneka Ogwumike, Odyssey Sims, Breanna Stewart and Lindsay Whalen.
The roster does not include two other WNBA finals players on the preliminary roster, Courtney Vandersloot of Chicago and Dewanna Bonner of Phoenix.
The U.S. plays its first game in Paris on Friday against Australia, which will be missing Lauren Jackson. The Americans also face China and France in round-robin play that ends on Monday.
Final team cuts will come after the Paris tournament.
