The U.S. women's basketball team is arguably the most dominant team in any Olympic sport, with the U.S. team winning seven consecutive gold medals in women's basketball. Not losing a match The United States has won an Olympic gold medal since 1992. In the past seven Olympic Games, the U.S. has won the gold medal by an average margin of 22 points, and none of the gold medals have been decided by single digits.
With the WNBA still in its relative infancy at just its 28th season, being selected to the Olympic team is often considered the highest honor in a female basketball player's career, and many of the greatest players in basketball history have won gold medals with Team USA, including Cheryl Miller, Lisa Leslie, Tamika Catchings, Maya Moore, Diana Taurasi, Breanna Stewart and A'ja Wilson.
Caitlin Clark will likely be added to that list one day, but she's not yet deserving of the honor.
Team USA announced its 12-player roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics on Sunday, and it will be the most talented group in the team's history. Stewart and Wilson are being touted as two of the best players in the world. Napheesa Collier and Alyssa Thomas were named to the WNBA First Team last season and made the roster. Jewel Loyd, Sabrina Ionescu, Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young were each named to the WNBA Second Team last season. Add in Kelsey Plum (2022 WNBA First Team) and the legendary Taurasi and Team USA will have the best roster in history.
Of course, the headline for the member announcement is who? I didn't The one player who will remain with the team will be Clark, who was cut from the team during her rookie year just months after being drafted into the league.
Clark is the most famous women's basketball player on the planet and one of the most famous athletes in the world. She rose to fame during a stellar collegiate career in which she broke the NCAA's all-time scoring record (for both men and women) and led the University of Iowa to two Final Four appearances. Clark has brought a new level of attention to the WNBA since being drafted, but not all of the discussion surrounding her young career has been sincere.
While it's natural that people would love to see Clark play on the biggest stage in women's basketball, giving her a chance to make the team without her merit is unfair to the other players who waited their turn and earned it through their play. Here's why Clark doesn't deserve to be on Team USA right now:
Caitlin Clark isn't yet one of the top 12 American athletes.
If you add Clark to your team, who do you leave out?
- Aja Wilson
- Breanna Stewart
- Diana Taurasi
- Brittney Griner
- Alyssa Thomas
- Napheesa Collier
- Jewel Lloyd
- Kelsey Plum
- Jackie Young
- Sabrina Ionescu
- Chelsea Gray
- Kalea Copper
Taurasi is the only player who didn't qualify for the team on merit: She's also arguably the greatest American player of all time, a five-time gold medal winner and, at 41, something of a spiritual leader for the team.
All the other members fill needs on the team: Griner's size and defense, Thomas's all-around play at the forward position, Copper's rim pressure and wing scoring, Gray's playmaking, Ionescu's shooting ability.
There is no one on the team younger than Clark.
The youngest players on the roster are Ionescu and Young, both 26 years old. Young was the No. 1 pick in the 2019 WNBA Draft out of Notre Dame, while Ionescu was the No. 1 pick in the 2020 draft out of Oregon.
Clarke is only 22. As the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft, she will have to wait until a spot opens up, which could happen before the 2028 Olympics, at which point she will likely still be one of the youngest players on the team.
FIBA games are generally more physical than the NBA or WNBA, and if there's one area Clark is currently struggling with, it's the physical aspect — which is to be expected for a 22-year-old who still needs to build muscle on his frame, which will come with time, but he doesn't have it yet.
The US team already has too many guards.
Team USA's backcourt is well-stocked: Plum has speed and shooting ability, Lloyd has two-way toughness and three-level scoring ability, Ionescu is a huge playmaker and knockdown shooter, and Gray is a point-god-level facilitator. Five of the 12 players are guards, excluding Kalia Copper, who can play either the second or third.
There are bigger insults than Clark.
Arike Ogunbowale is one of the most overlooked players on the U.S. team. The 27-year-old is currently second in the WNBA in scoring with 26.6 points per game. Ogunbowale has been a star player in the league for many years, yet she still didn't make the 12-man roster.
Talented wing scorer Rhyne Howard, the No. 1 pick in the 2022 draft, also did not make the roster. It's hard to make the U.S. national team!
Team USA knows what to do.
The USA has yet to lose an Olympic women's basketball game since 1992! The team leaders know how to put together a winning team, and their judgment is never in doubt.
It's great that more people are watching women's basketball because of Clark — she's a thrilling player and already a very good WNBA guard — but she's only 22 and not one of the top 12 players in the country.
If you know anything about Clark, you know that being cut from the U.S. national team in high school was the catalyst for her explosive rise to basketball superstardom, and it will be exciting to see how she uses that “oversight” to fuel her success over the next four years.
