Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark took being snubbed from the U.S. Olympic national women’s basketball team roster in stride on Sunday.
She spoke to reporters at practice and made her first remarks about not being on the 2024 team. She said being left off the roster just adds to the motivation to compete to make it in 2028.
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"I’m excited for the girls who are on the team. I know it’s the most competitive team in the world and I know it could’ve gone either way – me being on the team, me not being on the team," she said, via The Athletic. "So, I’m excited for them. I’m going to be rooting them on to win gold. I was a kid that grew up watching the Olympics. So, yeah, it’ll be fun to watch them.
"No disappointment. I think it just gives you something to work for. That’s a dream. Hopefully, one day I can be there. I think it’s just a little more motivation. You remember that. And hopefully in four years, when four years comes back around, I can be there."
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Clark said she was looking forward to taking a little break to get her body ready for the stretch run of the WNBA season.
Clark was the No. 1 pick of the WNBA Draft in April after leading Iowa to back-to-back national championship games and setting the mark for all-time scoring in college basketball. She was unable to attend national training camp in Cleveland after she was invited because Iowa was in the Final Four.
Over the last two years, Clark has drawn millions of new fans to the game. The Iowa-South Carolina national championship was the most-watched women’s college basketball game and her games with the Fever are among the top in WNBA ratings this season, not to mention the fan support she’s received at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis and elsewhere.
Clark and the Fever are back in action on the road against the Connecticut Sun on Monday night.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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