Fans were caught off guard to hear the true reason that Caitlin Clark was not selected as a part of the Team USA women’s basketball team for the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics. As the majority of NBA fans and almost all WNBA fans should be aware, Caitlin is a WNBA rookie currently playing for the Indiana Fever.
Even before entering the league, Clark was viewed as a star who had the potential to revolutionize women’s basketball. She has done just that with her presence greatly increasing the coverage and attention that the WNBA has received from the basketball community.
Be that as it may, the Fever star was not chosen to represent Team USA. Since many fans may be wondering why she was not selected, let us take a closer look and find out more.
Anonymous sources claim the lack of playing time that Caitlin Clark would get played a role in their decision
Upon initially hearing that the Team USA women’s basketball team had not selected Caitlin Clark, many fans presumed that this was due to the fact that rookies coming out of college are generally not offered the opportunity to represent their country at an international level.
While this could still be a valid explanation for why Clark was not chosen as a part of the Team USA roster, a recent report from anonymous former Team USA veterans shared another perspective on the decision to keep her out.
Team USA veterans were concerned about how Caitlin Clark’s millions of fans would react to her likely limited playing time on a stacked Olympic roster , per @cbrennansports
“Two other sources, both long-time U.S. basketball veterans with decades of experience in the women’s… pic.twitter.com/R6k5FiBokz
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 8, 2024
As we can tell, the sources felt that the amount of talent on the Team USA roster would force Caitlin Clark to play under a heavy minutes restriction. This had the potential to enrage millions of her fans from across the world. Therefore, a collective decision was made to add other more experienced WNBA stars to the Team USA roster.
This claim could confuse some fans. After all, not selecting Caitlin might enrage fans more than giving her a limited role on the team. In any case, Team USA seems to think that they have made the right decision at this point in time.
Can the Team USA women’s basketball team find success in the Olympics without Caitlin Clark?
While there is no denying that Caitlin Clark has changed the entire landscape of the WNBA and women’s basketball by extension, it would still be considered a gross exaggeration to dismiss everyone else in the WNBA besides her. After all, Team USA’s women’s basketball team has won 9 gold medals in the Olympics and also won the most recent medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Since this team is already battle-tested and has proven itself on an international scale, perhaps it was the right call to exclude youngsters looking to make a name for themselves. Only time will tell if the right decision was made by not adding Caitlin Clark to the Team USA roster.