Caitlin Clark won’t be going to Paris next month, and she said there is “no disappointment” afterward was left out of the US Olympic roster.
The Indian Fever rookie confirmed on Sunday that she had not been selected to represent Team USA at this year’s Summer Olympics.
“I think it just gives you something to work for,” Clark said reporters after training. “It’s a dream. Hopefully I can be there one day. I think it’s just a little more motivation. Remember that again. Hopefully I can be there again in four years.”
Clark, who brought millions of new basketball fans to the WNBA after a record-breaking collegiate career, was not named to the U.S. roster, The Associated Press reported Saturday. No official announcement has been made.
The AP, which obtained the full roster from a person familiar with the decision, reported that the U.S. is expected to field a star-studded team in its quest for another gold medal.
The U.S. women have won every gold medal in women’s basketball since the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
Team USA is expected to take five-time gold medalist Diana Taurasi for a sixth Olympic Games. She will be joined by Phoenix Mercury teammate Brittney Griner, who is playing internationally for the first time since serving 10 months in a Russian prison in 2022. Griner said she would only play abroad for the Olympics.
“I’m excited for the girls that are on the team,” Clark said. “I know this is the most competitive team in the world, and I know it could have gone either way: I was on the team or I wasn’t on the team. I’m excited for them. I’m going to push them to to win gold. I was a kid who grew up watching the Olympics.”
Also on the roster are Olympic veterans Breanna Stewart, A’ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier, Jewell Loyd and Chelsea Gray, the AP reported. Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young, who helped the U.S. win its first 3×3 gold medal at the 2021 Tokyo Games, will also be on the team.
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A number of new Olympians will be on the team with Alyssa Thomas, Sabrina Ionescu and Kahleah Copper. All three played on the American team that won the 2022 World Cup in Australia.
Clark said she received a phone call letting her know she had not been chosen for this year’s team.
“They called me and let me know before everything came out, which was really respectful of them, and I appreciate that,” Clark said. “They did the same thing for every girl who was on the team or every girl who wasn’t on the team. There are a lot of players in the Olympic pool. It wasn’t like I was the only one they had to call. done.” to make a lot of phone calls.”
The US has specific selection procedures to determine who makes the national team, including availability, position played and versatility.
Based on her inclusion in the U.S. national team pool, Clark could be chosen as an alternate if any of the 12 players are injured and unable to play. Everyone in the pool is eligible as an alternate.
