The last few years have been unprecedented for women’s basketball, mostly due to the skyrocketing success of former Iowa Hawkeyes superstar Caitlin Clark. The Indiana Fever rookie has been climbing the ladder of popularity even after her entry into the WNBA. However, she was surprisingly left out of the recently announced Team USA roster for the upcoming Olympic games in Paris. Following the snub, WNBA legend Lisa Leslie’s months-old comments resurfaced on social media.
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Shams Charania of The Athletic took to X to announce that CC is going to be left out of the Team USA squad leaving for Paris. Charania further reported that A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner, Alyssa Thomas, Napheesa Collier, Jewell Loyd, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young, Sabrina Ionescu, Chelsea Gray, and Kahleah Copper have been finalized to represent the country in the Summer Olympics.
Sources: Team USA women’s basketball roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics – no Caitlin Clark:
A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner, Alyssa Thomas, Napheesa Collier, Jewell Loyd, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young, Sabrina Ionescu, Chelsea Gray, Kahleah Copper https://t.co/m3TWncAZY3
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 8, 2024
Not picking the most popular athlete in women’s basketball right now might be a missed opportunity to promote the sport on a global stage. At least WNBA legend Lisa Leslie thought so. Earlier this year, in March, when she was asked by Sporting News whether Caitlin Clark should be included in the Team USA squad for the upcoming Olympics, Leslie had very strong words on the matter.
Lisa Leslie: “I don’t know how you leave the country without her.” I guess we will find out.
What an incredible missed opportunity this is to grow the game of WBB. Clark would have brought countless eyeballs, reporters, coverage, interest — as she did in the NCAA and now WNBA. https://t.co/OE9Vq5LocA
— Christine Brennan (@cbrennansports) June 8, 2024
She had said, “One hundred percent. One thousand percent. I can’t even let you get the question out. I don’t know how you leave the country without her.”
After clearly stating that CC needs to be there in Paris to represent her country, this news might come as a surprise to the two-time WNBA Champion and many other fans. However, the decision will not seem unreasonable if we consider the fact that replacing one of the veterans of the team with a rookie, simply because of her popularity, might not sit well with a lot of players.
While Clark didn’t get the opportunity to wear the national colors on the biggest platform, some of her fellow rookies have got the ticket to Paris.
Some of Caitlin Clark’s fellow rookies will be there in Paris
A few days ago, the women’s 3×3 Team USA basketball squad for the Olympic Games was announced. Rookie stars Cameron Brink, Cierra Burdick, Rhyne Howard, and Hailey Van Lith have been handed the responsibility to compete for the gold for their country. This will be the first Olympic experience for all four women on the team.
Representing one’s nation on the biggest stage in the world of sports is a dream that every athlete grows up with. Needless to say, the Fever rookie missed out on the opportunity this year. But the 22-year-old will get plenty of opportunities in the future to compete in the Olympic games.
