Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark, who electrified college basketball with her tremendous play and has more than doubled viewership and attendance for WNBA games, will reportedly not be among the 12 players selected for the U.S. Women’s Olympic basketball team.
According to USA Today’s Christine Brennan and the Athletic, the final roster will consist of Kahleah Copper, Chelsea Gray, A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner, Alyssa Thomas, Napheesa Collier, Jewell Loyd Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young, Sabrina Ionescu.
The decision as to who makes the final roster is a process that includes the input of several people, including Team USA’s head coach, Cheryl Reeve, Dawn Staley, Seimone Augustus, and Delisha Milton-Jones. Also weighing in is Jennifer Rizzotti, president of the Connecticut Sun and WNBA Head of League Operations. Bethany Donaphin.
Caitlin Clark’s name being left off the roster is a shock to many. Clark received one of 14 invites to Team USA’s final training camp. However, she could not attend because her college team, Iowa, was competing in the Final Four.
The final roster for the women’s team is veteran-heavy, with only three players making their first Olympic appearance. While many will focus on the names that are not on the roster, like Caitlin Clark. It’s very debatable that she is a better guard – at this point in her career – than Diana Taurasi, Breanna Stewart, or Sabrina Ionescu.
Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever shoots a three-point basket during the game against the New York Liberty during a 2024 Commissioner’s Cup game on June 2, 2024, in Brooklyn, New York. (Evan Yu/NBAE via Getty Images)
Yes, Clark would have brought in many viewers. However, basketball teams are not (or should not) built on drawing eyeballs to the screen. They should be built based on winning Olympic gold, and Team USA has won gold nine out of the last 12 times, including seven in a row dating back to 1996.
Clark will get the Olympic nod many times in her career, just not yet.