Caitlin Clark named Time’s Athlete of the Year, shares reaction to Olympics roster omission

Even as she struggled through the first month of her WNBA season, Caitlin Clark believed she would make Team USA’s roster for the Paris Olympics. In an interview with Time, who named her the 2024 Athlete of the Year on Tuesday, Clark expounded on the national team snub for the first time.

Clark, a rookie sensation in the WNBA last season, became aware of USA Basketball’s decision after the Indiana Fever had won to bring their record to 3-9. During that stretch, Clark says, “I gave them a lot of reasons to keep me off the team with my play.” Clark averaged 16.8 points and 6.3 assists per game to start the season, but she was shooting 37.3 percent from the field while committing 5.8 turnovers per contest.

The selection committee prioritized veterans with more international experience. Diana Taurasi, Chelsea Gray, Jewell Loyd, Kelsey Plum, Kahleah Copper, Jackie Young and Sabrina Ionescu were multi-time All-Stars selected who had previously represented the USA at the Olympics or the FIBA World Cup. Clark agreed it would have been hard to remove any of those established players to include her, and she also said she did not want to be added simply as a means for increasing viewership for the games, as some fans and media argued for her inclusion.

Nevertheless, Clark’s…