Caitlin Clark hopes to one day play for the U.S. Olympic team. It just won’t be in Paris next month. The Indiana Fever rookie confirmed Sunday that she is not on the roster for this year’s Olympics.
“I think it just gives you something to work for,” Clark told reporters after practice. “It’s a dream. Hopefully one day I can be there. I think it’s just a little bit more motivation. You remember that. Hopefully when it’s four years back [at the LA Olympics in 2028]I can be there.”
Clark has averaged 16.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists for the struggling Fever so far in her young professional career.
While Clark misses the ball, the U.S. roster includes WNBA stars like A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart and Diana Taurasi, who is going for a record sixth Olympic gold medal. The youngest players on the roster are Sabrina Ionescu and Jackie Young, who at 26 are four years older than Clark.
“I’m excited for the girls that are on the team,” Clark said. “I know this is the most competitive team in the world, and I know it could have gone either way: I was on the team or I wasn’t on the team. I’m excited for them. I’m going to encourage them to win gold. I was a kid who grew up watching the Olympics. It will be fun to see them.”
Team USA has won every gold medal in women’s basketball, starting with the 1996 Atlanta Games.
Clark said she received a phone call letting her know she had not been chosen for this year’s team.
“They called me and let me know before everything came out, which was really respectful of them, and I appreciate that,” Clark said. “They did the same thing for every girl who was on the team, or every girl who wasn’t on the team. There are many players in the Olympic pool. It wasn’t like I was the only one they had to call. They had to make a lot of phone calls.”
Beginning with her record-breaking collegiate career at Iowa, Clark has brought millions of new fans to women’s basketball. The U.S. Olympic team uses specific selection procedures to determine who makes the national team, including availability, position played and versatility.
Based on her inclusion in the U.S. national team pool, Clark could be chosen as an alternate if one of the 12 players is injured and unable to play in Paris. Everyone in the pool is eligible as an alternate.