The 2024 Paris Ol ym pics are right around the corner, and the U.S. women's basketball team will be looking for their eighth-straight gold medal. The United States has been incredibly dominant in women's basketball over the years, having won gold in every Olympics since 1996. That's nearly 30 years of utter destruction.
However, with that immense success comes unfathomable pressure as well. No team wants to be the team where the streak ends. So, with that in mind, it would only make sense for the United States to put forth their absolute best players every four years.
This year's roster has many of the best players the WNBA has to offer. A'ja Wilson , Brittney Griner , Sabrina Ionescu , Kelsey Plum , this is a star-studded roster that is sure to have the rest of the world quaking in their boots. However, one name is noticeably absent from the roster, and it's arguably the most well-known women's basketball player in America: the Indiana Fever 's Caitlin Clark .
Clark may be a rookie, but she's proven herself a remarkable player whose talent has mostly translated well to WNBA success. She's currently the frontrunner for WNBA Rookie of the Year , and she's top-15 in the WNBA in nearly every stat that matters. Her presence on the national team would also undoubtedly boost ratings, right? So, why isn't Clark on the U.S. women's Olympic team?
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Why wasn't Clark selected for U.S. Olympic team?
Simply put, she wasn't selected. The more complicated answer would be that Clark failed to meet the selection criteria determined by the Player Selection Committee. So, what is the criteria?
NBC Chicago provides the six steps in the selection process:
- Performance: Players must consistently perform at a high level in their respective leagues, especially the WNBA, to get noticed by the selection committee.
- Invitation: Based on their performance, players may receive an invitation to participate in the USA Basketball National Team’s training camp.
- Training Camp: During the training camp, players undergo rigorous training and evaluation by the coaching staff.
- Exhibition Games: Players may also participate in exhibition games to showcase their skills against other national teams or select teams.
- Selection: The USA Basketball Women’s National Team Player Selection Committee reviews the players’ performances.
- Final Decision: The women’s basketball committee makes the final decision on the roster, which is then subject to approval by the USA Basketball Board of Directors.
We know that at the very least, Clark passed the third check. She was invited to the U.S. national team training camp back in March before Iowa's run in March Madness had finished. However, Clark didn't really have the ability to join the U.S. Women's national team at their training camp. She was still competing for a college national championship. Yahoo Sports even noted that Clark likely wouldn't be able to attend if Iowa reached the Final Four. They did.
That absence likely played a major role in the committee's final decision.
Clark's experience against other national teams
Aside from her absence at the national training camp, Clark still had a remarkable track record in international contests.
Of course, the argument against such strong international play would be that Clark has never faced the best a country has to offer, just the best 19-year-olds that country has to offer.
That lack of experience is what ultimately gave the nod for the committee to go with someone else. The U.S. National Team has always favored experience above all else. Only four WNBA rookies have ever been named to the U.S. Olympic team – Candace Parker (2008), Breanna Stewart (2016), Diana Taurasi (2004), and Sylvia Fowles (2008). Each of them had national team experience before being named to the Olympic Team. Clark does not.
Who is on the Olympic Selection Committee?
The national team selection committee consists of several well-respected figures in women's basketball. The list of active committee members includes:
- South Carolina head coach, former U.S. head coach, and 2024 national college champion Dawn Staley
- LSU assistant coach Seimone Augustus
- Old Dominion head coach Delisha Milton-Jones
- Connecticut Sun president Jennifer Rizzotti
- WNBA head of league operations Bethany Donaphin
Who made the U.S. Olympic roster?
- Napheesa Collier, MIN
- Kahleah Copper, PHX
- Chelsea Gray, LVA
- Brittney Griner, PHX
- Sabrina Ionescu, NYL
- Jewell Loyd, SEA
- Kelsey Plum, LVA
- Breanna Stewart, NYL
- Diana Taurasi, PHX
- Alyssa Thomas, CON
- A'ja Wilson, LVA
- Jackie Young, LVA
When does the U.S. National Team play?
The women's national team's first game of the 2024 Olympics is set for July 29 at 3 p.m. ET against Japan. The U.S. will finish group play with games against Belgium and Germany on August 1 and August 4, respectively. All Olympic events will be available for streaming with a Peacock subscription.
Stream the Olympics: Watch Team USA at the Paris Olympics with a Peacock subscription
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why is Caitlin Clark not on the US women's basketball Olympic team?
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