The U.S. women's basketball Olympic team found itself in a losing battle with a decision to be made regarding the status of Indiana Fever megastar guard Caitlin Clark.
Basketball Insider's Shams Charania reported that Clark was scheduled to be removed from the roster early Saturday morning, and when he announced the full roster a few hours later, the star player was indeed absent.
The full team includes: A'ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner, Alyssa Thomas, Napheesa Collier, Jewell Loyd, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young, Sabrina Ionescu, Chelsea Gray and Kahleah Copper.
While there is plenty of talent at the guard position on this roster, Clark’s star power calls into question the decision as she will continue to bring attention to the rapidly growing popularity of women’s basketball.
But her popularity may actually be what's keeping her away from the team.
USA Today's Christine Brennan reported that two veteran U.S. basketball players said the potential backlash from Clarke's limited playing time was a factor in her not being selected for the national team.
If that was the primary factor, then this omission would be even worse, as it would be outside of her control.
So far this season, she is averaging 16.8 points, 6.3 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game and was named WNBA Rookie of the Month for May.
Her career-best game came on Friday when she scored 30 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field in Indiana's 85-83 win over the Washington Mystics. She also had eight rebounds, six assists and four steals in the game.
The former Iowa Hawkeye has been a talking point in the sport since her collegiate days and was one of the first stars of the NIL era.
She has recently been embroiled in controversy over a hard foul she received during a game, but overall her presence has been a huge positive for the sport.
Considering that millions of fans have started following the WNBA since she joined and that even more might have jumped on the bandwagon had they been given the chance to represent their country in the Olympics, this seems like a huge missed opportunity.
Regardless of the playing time she is given, she should be there for the betterment of women's basketball.
She's still only 22, so there's a good chance she'll make the team in the future, but it feels like her current star power could be better utilized.
In terms of talent, she still ranks among the WNBA's top 15 scorers despite being a rookie who has been inconsistent and playing for the worst team in the league.
