Caitlin Clark appears to have brushed off her snub from the Team USA roster for the Paris Olympics - as she returned to practice with the Indiana Fever this week.
The Iowa college basketball legend has enjoyed a strong start to life in the professional game, averaging 17.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game so far in the WNBA . After being selected as the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft, she has shouldered the glare of the media spotlight.
After navigating her entry to the WNBA, the 22-year-old's omission from Team USA's women's basketball team for the Games in the French capital has sparked even more discourse about the youngster. However, it appears that Clark is not minding the situation, as she blocked out the noise by putting in the work at the Fever's training facility this week.
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After the rejection from the Team USA selection committee in the lead up to the Olympics , the former Hawkeyes record-breaker instead talked about her new footwear as she practiced on Tuesday. Sporting a pair of Nike Kobe 5 Protro PE shoes, she said: "It's pretty cool, I feel like it's Fever but it's also Iowa. You get the best of both worlds.
"I have another one that you'll probably see me wear later on - that is even more Fever, so just wait for that one. But yeah, you got the yellow [and] they look a little similar to the Bruce Lee's that I wear but still different," as she focused on matters aside from the Olympics debate. "I like the gold swoosh. It's the black and yellow, you can't go wrong."
As for the disappointment of missing out on a place within the U.S. ranks for the spectacle in Paris , Clark has already spoken about her approach to the rejection. Providing some insight into her mindset previously, the youngster said: "I think it just gives you something to work for.
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"It’s a dream. Hopefully one day I can be there. I think it’s just a little more motivation, she admitted, seemingly setting her sights on making the team for Los Angeles in 2028. "You remember that. Hopefully when four years comes back around [at the LA Olympics in 2028], I can be there. 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."
She added: "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."
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