Caitlin Clark’s Strong Feelings About Team USA Snub Revealed originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Many fans were disappointed to know that Caitlin Clark wasn’t selected to represent Team USA in the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. The Indiana Fever star rookie started the 2024 season with a 1-9 record and entered the Olympic break with an 11-15 record. It took Clark a while, but she got the hang of the league, tipping off her team’s turnaround for the second part of the campaign.
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Meanwhile, despite all her fans raising their voices to get her selected into the Olympic team, Clark wasn’t included in the 12-player list, which included veteran guards such as Kelsey Plum, Sabrina Ionescu, Chelsea Gray and Diana Taurasi.
That squad went all the way to the gold medal after beating Team France in a dramatic game, without Clark, who averaged 17.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game before the All-Star Game.
When she returned to action, “CC” averaged 23.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 8.9 assists and 1.1 steals per outing, leading the Fever to a 20-20 record, the sixth seed in the league and the first playoff appearance since 2016.
Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark.© Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
The conversation about Clark and this decision made a lot of noise around the WNBA. The 23-year-old guard admitted she would use the snub as motivation since it was one of her dreams to represent the country at the biggest stage.
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“I think it just gives you something to work for,” Clark told reporters last year. “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.”
NBA insider Mark Medina talked with longtime women’s basketball writer Howard Megdal, author of “Becoming Caitlin Clark,” about the former No. 1 overall pick’s rise to stardom.
On Saturday, Medina shared that the Iowa Hawkeyes legend didn’t feel comfortable with the possibility of being named to Team USA only for the hype around her.
“Interestingly, you quoted Caitlin saying she thought all the players on the USA Team were deserving and that she would’ve felt offended for all parties if she was chosen just to help bolster interest. What do you make of that?” Medina asked.
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“She’s a 22-year-old who somehow has that depth and understanding about the world and is able to zoom out,” Megdal replied. That part never stopped amazing me, even with all the lights on her. Just after a game, she is capable of doing that. That wasn’t even a pro thing. She was capable of doing that in a press conference following a second-round loss to Creighton in the NCAA tournament as a sophomore. There is a maturity and wisdom there that repeatedly blows me away.”
In three years, as a 26-year-old, five-year WNBA veteran, Clark should be one of the top names on the list to represent the country in the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games.
Related: Caitlin Clark Hopes One of Her Videos Never Goes Public
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 14, 2025, where it first appeared.
