“Hopefully one day I can be there. I think it’s just a little more motivation,” the WNBA star said after failing to make the U.S. women’s basketball team
Caitlin Clark has insisted not making the 2024 Paris Olympics U.S. women’s basketball team will give her “something to work for”
“I’m going to be rooting them on to win gold,” Clark said of the players that did make the team, which reportedly includes Brittney Griner and Kelsey Plum
The 22-year-old said officials “called” her to let her know that she hadn’t been picked before the news leaked over the weekend
Caitlin Clark has no ill feelings about not making the U.S. women’s basketball team for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
While speaking to reporters following practice on June 9, Indiana Fever guard Clark, 22, said she has “no disappointment” about not making Team USA. “I’m excited for the girls that are on the team,” Clark — who has been described by many as the most popular women’s basketball player in the country — said, per ESPN.
“I know it’s the most competitive team in the world and I know it could have gone either way — me being on the team or me not being on the team. I’m going to be rooting them on to win gold. I was a kid that grew up watching the Olympics, so it will be fun to watch them,” the sportswoman added.
“Honestly, no disappointment. It just gives me something to work for; 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 around, I can be there,” Clark continued.
Team USA has taken home the gold every four years since the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. In April, the squad’s selection committee chair Jennifer Rizzotti told The Associated Press that Clark was on the shortlist to make the U.S. women’s basketball team even before she made her WNBA debut.
Clark said USA Basketball officials gave her the heads up before the 12 team members’ names were leaked over the weekend ahead of the Games, which kick off next month in the French capital.
“They called me and let me know before everything came out, which was really respectful of them, and I appreciated that,” Clark told reporters, per ESPN. “They did the same for every girl that made the team or every girl that didn’t make the team. There was a lot of players in the Olympic pool, it’s not like I was the only one they had to call. They had to make quite a few calls.”
Clark added that she’s looking forward to a bit of a break amid her hectic schedule. “Absolutely, it’s going to be really nice,” she said, per the outlet.
“I’ve loved competing every single second. But it’s going to be a great month for my body to get rest, get healthy and just get a little time away from basketball and the craziness of everything that’s been going on. And just find some peace and quiet for myself,” Clark added.
“But then additionally, it’s a great opportunity for us to work and get better. A great opportunity for myself to get in the weight room. To work on the court … at things that I want to get better at that I maybe didn’t have time [to] going from college to the pro season,” she continued.
“So I’m looking forward to it. But at the same time, we still have a month of games [ahead] where we have a lot of opportunities to win a lot of games. That’s where my main focus is.”
Rather than the popular rookie, the women’s basketball roster will consist almost entirely of Olympic veterans, The Athletic reported over the weekend.
