WNBA rookie Caitlin Clark didn't make the cut for the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics, but the NCAA all-time points leader is taking it all in stride.
USA Basketball finalized the women's Olympic roster on Saturday, and the Indiana Fever star was noticeably absent.
Of course, Clark has been a topic of online discourse since being picked No. 1 for the 2024 WNBA draft, and this time, people on social media were split over the decision to exclude her from the team vying for its eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal.
Sports commentator Mike Lupica wrote on X, formerly Twitter:
"The decision not to include Caitlin Clark on the United States Olympic team is monumentally dumb."
He also added:
"It must be comforting to Caitlin Clark today that people who've been chirping at her since she got to the WNBA now think her being left off the Olympic team is really a good thing for her. "
"The blowback on this young woman continues to be amazing."
Replying to a tweet about Clark selling out a 20,000-seat arena after the game was moved to a larger venue for the Fever-Washington Mystics game, ESPN's Linda Cohn said that not having her on the team is a "lost opportunity."
"Yet Caitlin Clark is not selected to the Team USA Women’s Basketball team heading to Paris for the Olympics?!?!"
"All she does is grow the game, pack arenas, and set rookie records."
"What a short sighted decision. Lost opportunity."
On the other side of the argument, however, was former ESPN reporter Jemele Hill, who thinks Clark not being on the team “is actually a good thing" for the athlete.
She tweeted:
"Honestly, Caitlin Clark not being on this year’s Olympics team is actually a good thing — FOR HER."
"In the span of weeks, she went from playing college ball, to becoming a professional, to having a grind of schedule."
"A multi-week break probably isn’t the worst thing in the world. She will eventually make an Olympic team."
And sports analyst and former NFL player Emmanuel Acho listed reasons why Clark should not be on the team.
"1: She won’t have rested before Olympics (unique to WBB)"
"2: She’s not yet one of 12 best players"
"3: Given #2, it further drives a wedge between her and her peers"
But the person with the best take on the situation was Clark herself, who offered a classy response to the media following a Fever practice on Sunday.
Clark expressed excitement for her fellow WNBA stars who made the Olympic team, adding that she'll be "rooting them on to win gold."
"I'm excited for the girls that are on the team."
"I know it's the most competitive team in the world, and I know it could have gone either way of me being on the team or me not being on the team."
"I'm excited for them. Going to be rooting them on to win gold."
"I was a kid that grew up watching the Olympics. It'll be fun to watch them."
The Fever guard also said there was "no disappointment" when she learned she was not on the roster.
"I think it just gives you something to work for."
"It's a dream. Hopefully one day I can be there. "
"I think it's just a little more motivation. You remember that."
"Hopefully, when four years comes back, I can be there."
Clark went on to share her appreciation that she and others were contacted about not making the team before the official roster was released.
"They called me and let me know before everything came out, which was really respectful of them, and I appreciate that."
"They did the same for every girl that made the team or every girl that didn't make the team."
"There's a lot of players in the Olympic pool. It wasn't like I was the only one they had to call. They had to make quite a few calls."
On the upside, though, Clark is looking forward to a much needed break.
"It will be a great month for my body to get rest, get healthy and get a little time away from basketball and the craziness of everything that's been going on."
"Just find some peace and quiet for myself, then additionally a great opportunity for us to work and get better... a better opportunity for myself to get in the weight room, to work on the court, to work on things that I want to get better at."
You can watch below.
While people on social media may be split over Clark's omission from the roster, they can all agree she delivered a stellar response.
The USA women's basketball team will be comprised of five-time gold medalist Diana Taurasi and her Phoenix Mercury teammate Brittney Griner as well as Olympic veterans Breanna Stewart, A'ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier, Jewell Loyd, Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young.
First-time Olympians on the team will be Alyssa Thomas, Sabrina Ionescu and Kahleah Copper.
Clark is eligible to be chosen as an alternate if a player becomes injured and is unable to play.
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