July 2, 2026, Hartford, Connecticut, USA: Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers 5 shoots a free throw against the Connecticut Sun during the game at PeoplesBank Arena. Hartford USA - ZUMAw109 20260702_fap_w109_033 Copyright: xDebbyxWongx
July 2, 2026, Hartford, Connecticut, USA: Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers 5 shoots a free throw against the Connecticut Sun during the game at PeoplesBank Arena. Hartford USA - ZUMAw109 20260702_fap_w109_033 Copyright: xDebbyxWongx
Team USA had just won another World Cup, and the celebration was already getting wild inside the locker room. Angel Reese was on Instagram Live, giving fans a look at the party, when Paige Bueckers spotted Breanna Stewart with the champagne. She wasn’t going to let Stewie keep it for herself.
“DAMN! PASS THE ROCK! Paige Bueckers to Breanna Stewart about passing the champagne after Team USA won Gold at the 2026 World Cup,” per Courtside Buzz, captioned the viral clip on Instagram.
And Bueckers’ choice of words made the whole thing even better. In basketball, “the rock” means the ball. But with Stewart holding a champagne bottle, Bueckers treated it like she was waiting for a pass from her teammate.
CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 29: CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 29: Angel Reese 5 of the Atlanta Dream looks on during the first half against the Chicago Sky on April 29, 2026 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois. Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire WNBA, Basketball Damen, USA APR 29 Preseason Atlanta Dreamagainst the Chicago Sky EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon260429012
CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 29: CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 29: Angel Reese 5 of the Atlanta Dream looks on during the first half against the Chicago Sky on April 29, 2026 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois. Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire WNBA, Basketball Damen, USA APR 29 Preseason Atlanta Dreamagainst the Chicago Sky EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon260429012
Reese had started the Live right after Team USA beat France 97-79 in the World Cup final. The players were celebrating, the champagne was coming out, and Bueckers decided it was the perfect time to start yelling at one of the biggest stars in the locker room.
It was a pretty funny moment after a game that had been anything but easy for Team USA, as can be seen on the viral Instagram clip.
France gave the Americans a real scare early on as they went up 31-20 in the second quarter and took a 45-43 lead into halftime. But Team USA came out of the break and completely changed the game.
Paige Bueckers and Team USA celebrate another historic win
The win gave Team USA its 12th World Cup title and extended its World Cup winning streak to 35 games, according to Juliet Nottingham of Olympics.com. More importantly, the Americans became the first team ever to win five straight Women’s World Cup gold medals.
Bueckers, Reese and Caitlin Clark were only four years old when that winning streak started in 2006. Now, all three have a World Cup gold medal of their own. The veterans made sure they got there, too.
Stewart was once again at the center of everything. She scored 22 points in the final, won her third World Cup MVP award and joined Sue Bird as the only players to win four World Cup titles.
Jackie Young added 18 points, while Kahleah Copper finished with 15. Clark scored 12 points in her major international tournament debut, and Reese made some big defensive plays during Team USA’s comeback.
After halftime, the Americans finally looked like the team everyone expected them to be. France struggled to keep its offense going, while Team USA pulled away in the second half and turned a close final into a 97-79 victory.
Then the real celebration began.
Reese gave fans a front-row look at the locker-room party, Stewart had the champagne, and Bueckers had one thing on her mind.
She wanted the rock and judging by the way she yelled for it, Stewie better have passed it quickly per the funny clip.
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Written by
Rudra Dubey