Los Angeles (AFP) – Women’s basketball phenomenon Caitlin Clark will not be selected for the United States Paris Olympics team, multiple US media reports said Saturday.
USA Today cited three sources with knowledge of the situation as saying that the 22-year-old Indiana Fever rookie had been left off the roster.
The Athletic also reported that Clark was expected to be snubbed for an Olympic ticket.
Clark entered the WNBA this season after a record-shattering college career that has sent interest in women’s basketball skyrocketing.
News of Clark’s Olympic omission comes after she shot a record-tying seven three-pointers in a 30-point haul for Indiana in a victory over the Washington Mystics on Friday night.
The game in the US capital was watched by a packed crowd of 20,333 — the largest crowd for a WNBA game in 17 years.
Clark shot to prominence during her college career, which saw her eclipse Pete Maravich’s 54-year-old all-time college basketball scoring record, largely due to her long-range shooting prowess.
She averaged 31.6 points per game in her final season in college basketball, where she led Iowa to the championship game for a second straight season.
Even though Iowa was beaten in the final, the game smashed ratings records, drawing an average audience of 18.7 million viewers, making it the most watched women’s basketball game in history.
It was also the most watched basketball game of any kind — men’s or women’s, college or professional — since 2019.
Clark’s entry into the professional ranks has been tinged with recent controversy, with accusations that some players have targeted her for rough treatment.
Last week, Chicago Sky player Chennedy Carter was retrospectively sanctioned for a hit on Clark which triggered widespread condemnation.
The WNBA upgraded the foul after an outcry from Indiana officials.
“There’s a difference between tough defense and unnecessary targeting actions,” Fever general manager Lin Dunn said.
“It needs to stop! The league needs to clean up the crap.”
© 2024 AFP
