Veteran WNBA guard is going off in the FIBA World Cup

BERLIN, GERMANY - SEPTEMBER 07: Marine Johannes of France looks on during the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup Germany 2026 match between Nigeria and France at Berlin Arena on September 07, 2026 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Milad Payami/FIBA via Getty Images) | FIBA via Getty Images Marine Johannes has long been a fixture of the French national team. The 31-year-old New York Liberty guard has been a member of the senior team for over a decade, and now comes off the bench for a loaded France squad that has already established itself as one of the most dominant teams in the tournament. But although Johannes is no longer the biggest name on the roster — Gabby Williams probably takes the cake — she remains critical. Johannes scored exactly 17 points in each of France’s three Group Play games, despite playing 21 minutes or less in each contest. Then, in Thursday’s 90-61 quarterfinals win against China, Johannes tallied a team-high 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting to go along with 7 assists and 3 rebounds. Through four World Cup games, Johannes is shooting 54% from the field and 48.5% from three-point range, numbers that mark a substantial step up in efficiency from her WNBA play this year. For the Liberty, Johannes is averaging 8.5 points, 2.4 assists, and 2.1 rebounds, while shooting 42% from the field and 38.9% from three. Her on-court opportunity is similar in both clubs; in New York, Johannes is averaging 20.8 minutes per game, and she started nearly half (18) of the 37 games she’s laced up for. MARINE JOHANNES, WE ARE OUT OF WORDS.#FIBAWWC pic.twitter.com/HjA5wUdeBD — FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup (@FIBAWWC) September 10, 2026 It’s been a full-team effort for France Marinne Johannes has been far from France’s only big-time contributor through four World Cup games. Golden State Valkyries star Gabby Williams has led the entire World Cup in scoring, while Dominique Malonga, Janelle Salaun, Pauline Astier, Carle Leite, Valeriane Ayayi have all been crucial, among others. But for France, she becomes even more impactful as the team’s second-leading scorer and go-to sharpshooter. In the 2024 Paris Olympics, Johannes was also the team’s leading scorer, averaging 11.7 points per game. But she shot just 34.8% from the field and 28.6% from three. In the Gold Medal game against Team USA, Johannes made just 3-of-13 field goals. She’s been far more efficient this tournament so far. Next up, France will face the winner of Thursday’s quarterfinals match-up between Belgium and Germany in a semifinal game scheduled for Saturday. While France will need everyone to be playing at full force in order to advance (and ultimately win the gold medal game), it’s clear that Johannes is one of the team’s most important x-factors. And, if Thursday is any indication, that’s not a bad thing.

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