A top USA Basketball official said this week that Indiana Fever rookie sensation Caitlin Clark has been left off USA Basketball’s roster for the women’s Olympic team at the upcoming Paris games.
Selection committee chair Jen Rizzotti later explained to the Associated Press that the decision was made according to established selection protocol.
“Here’s the basketball criteria that we were given as a committee. And how do we evaluate our players based on that?” Ms. Rizzotti said. “There were other players that were harder to cut because they checked a lot more boxes. Then sometimes it comes down to position, style of play for [coach] Cheryl [Reeve], and then sometimes a vote.”
Ms. Rizzotti acknowledged Ms. Clark’s soaring popularity—drawing millions of new fans to the sport through her record-breaking college career with the Iowa Hawkeyes—but stated that this was not a factor in the decision-making process.
“It wasn’t the purview of our committee to decide how many people would watch or how many people would root for the U.S. It was our purview to create the best team we could for Cheryl [Reeve],” she said.
“It would be irresponsible for us to talk about her in a way other than how she would impact the play of the team.”
According to USA Basketball, the team members have a combined 15 Olympic gold medals, 18 FIBA Women’s World Cup titles, and 55 WNBA All-Star appearances.
Ms. Clark, who joined the WNBA in April as the No. 1 draft pick, told reporters that she will be rooting for the team “to win gold.”
When asked whether she was disappointed about not being on the team, the 22-year-old smiled, but seemed unfazed.
The Summer Olympics take place in Paris from July 26 to August 11, 2024.
