WNBA legend Lisa Leslie was pretty sure that Caitlin Clark was going to make the U.S. women’s national basketball team for the 2024 Olympics back in April.
Leslie’s take on Clark’s potential of making the team went viral then, and it went viral again on Saturday as the Indiana Fever player was reportedly left off the roster.
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Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark drives to the basket against Liberty forward Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, Saturday, May 18, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray, File)
“She better be on the Olympic team,” Leslie told ESPN at the time. “We should not leave the country without her. She’s a bona fide baller. There’s no doubt she’s already one of the best players in the world.”
The take made its way about social media after Clark was left off the roster.
Clark was the No. 1 pick of the WNBA Draft back 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.
Coach Lisa Leslie of Team Ryan during the NBA All Star Ruffles Celebrity Game at Vivint Arena on Feb. 17, 2023, in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
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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.
Instead, the U.S. Olympic roster will be loaded with veterans looking to grab the team its 10tth gold medal, and possibly its eighth straight.
Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever handles the ball against the Washington Mystics during a Commissioner’s Cup game on June 7, 2024, at Entertainment and Sports Arena in Washington, D.C. (Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images)
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WNBA veterans Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner are reportedly set to be on the roster along with Breanna Stewart, A’ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier, Jewell Loyd, Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young. Alyssa Thomas, Sabrina Ionescu and Kahleah Copper will be first-time Olympians.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.