Caitlin Clark, a guard for the Indiana Fever, will not be a part of the USA Basketball women’s Olympic team in Paris this summer. According to CNN sports analyst Christine Brennan, Clark’s exclusion from the team may be due to concerns over how her large fan base would react to her potentially limited playing time on a roster full of talented players.
The roster for the women’s Olympic basketball team is expected to include WNBA stars such as Brittney Griner, Diana Taurasi, and Breanna Stewart, among others. Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, made headlines last year after being detained in Russia for nearly 300 days under drug-smuggling charges. Despite this, she will be a part of the Olympic team this summer.
The US women’s team will be playing an exhibition game against Germany in London on July 23 before their first game at the 2024 Paris Olympics on July 29. The team will face Japan, Belgium, and Germany in the group stage. Additionally, the women’s 3×3 basketball team will feature newer talents such as WNBA rookie Cameron Brink and college player Hailey Van Lith, along with veteran players like Rhyne Howard and Cierra Burdick.
The USA women’s national team has enjoyed great success at the Olympics, winning gold in seven consecutive games since 1996. 3×3 basketball will be contested in only its second Olympic games, with the US women’s team having won the inaugural gold medal in Tokyo in 2021.