Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark received the disappointing news that she won’t be joining Team USA for the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris.
Although she won’t be representing the U.S., there’s potential for her to play in the Olympics with another country, given her mother, Nizzi-Clark, is Italian.
However, it’s unlikely that Clark will pursue this option.
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Clark, who has previously participated in international competitions with USA Basketball, couldn’t attend the national training camp in Cleveland due to her commitments leading the Iowa Hawkeyes to their second consecutive Final Four and National Championship game.
Despite ending her college career as the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer, Clark fell short of securing the national title.
Despite being left off the Olympic team, Clark remained positive and supportive, conveying no disappointment. “I know it’s the most competitive team in the world and it could have gone either way,” she stated. “I’m excited for them and I’m going to be rooting them on to win gold. It will be fun to watch them.”
She also saw her exclusion as motivation, expressing hope to make the team in the future: “I think it just gives you something to work for. That’s a dream. Hopefully, one day I can be there,” Clark said, looking forward to the possibility of participating in four years.
The leaked roster for Team USA includes stars like Diana Taurasi, A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, and others, making the competition for spots intensely fierce.
The decision to not include Clark on the roster sparked mixed reactions in the sports community. Journalist Jemele Hill commented on the situation, suggesting that missing the Olympics could be beneficial for Clark, who had just transitioned from college to professional basketball. Hill remarked, “A multi-week break probably isn’t the worst thing in the world,” indicating that the intense schedule could have been more detrimental than beneficial.
Hill also noted that while Clark’s omission might be disappointing, it doesn’t compare to past controversies such as those involving Candace Parker and Nneka Ogwumike, whose previous accolades made their exclusions particularly glaring.
